I mentioned this before, but Fire switch-ins are seriously hard to come by these days with Salamence finally gone. A few of the more prominent switch-ins such as, Suicune, Swampert, Snorlax, Diancie, and Alomomola, all have a recurring theme among them bar Suicune, which is that they're pretty passive and drains so much momentum from offensive teams. So one day when i was trying to fill in some gaps in one of my teams, i came across some of these bad boys.
Noivern @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 60 SpA / 200 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse / Toxic
- Flamethrower
- Taunt
- Roost
Meet Noivern. It surprisingly /easy/ to fit onto offensive teams that relied on Salamence as a switch-in to dangerous threats like Entei, Infernape, and a slew of other Fighting-types. It obviously doesn't have Intimidate nor the extra power, but what it does have is a great speed tier and access to Taunt. Now you're probably thinking "Why use this over Crobat?" Yes, Crobat is amazing, but the sole reason to use this is if you ever need a decent Fire switch-in and if course a switch-in to whatever else Noivern resists. The EV spread is designed to be able to tank CB Sacred Fires and Close Combats with much more ease than an offensive set. 200 Spe is enough to outrun Whimsicott, while the rest are placed into SpA to power up its moves a bit. Speaking of moves, Draco Meteor gives it a relatively powerful move to just click when you don't need its utility. Dragon Pulse is much more consistent, but the power drop is very noticeable. You could even run Toxic for Noivern to function as a dedicated Stallbreaker. I find Flamethrower is pretty necessary to ensure Steels don't come into it all willy-nilly. Taunt isn't necessary, but it's great utility that ensures that things can't setup on Noivern and simply break past it. I like Leftovers, but you could run Dragon Fang to power up its Dragon STAB. All in all, it's not Salamence, but it's actually a pretty useful mon' when it's perks are needed.
252+ Atk Choice Band Entei Sacred Fire vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Noivern: 148-174 (39.6 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Infernape Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 4 SpD Noivern: 120-140 (32.1 - 37.5%) -- 0.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Noivern: 149-177 (39.9 - 47.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Celebi Psychic vs. 248 HP / 4 SpD Noivern: 147-174 (39.4 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
Omastar @ Mystic Water
Ability: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump / Scald
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Shell Smash
This is another Fire switch-in I've toyed with and i like it a lot. It can come in on Entei near scot-free and proceed to setup all over it. It's a really dangerous late-game cleaner since tanking a +2 anything is pretty hard, add a ridiculous amount of speed and then things get out of hand quick. I live life on the fast break, but even I cringe from missing a crucial Hydro Pump so Scald is always a nice alternative. Ice Beam + Hidden Power [Grass] is necessary coverage to ensure maximum cleaning capability. I think Mystic Water is better than Focus Sash since it powers up Water STAB without any recoil to stop the sweep short and hazard removal has gotten a little harder to fit onto teams. It still an alright option though for a guaranteed boost.
Flygon @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 104 HP / 164 SpA / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Earth Power
- Defog
- Fire Blast / Roost
it's gud i swear I think Flygon is actually a pretty OK mon now since it removes hazards, pivots into Entei, and has a rather nice typing that allows it to come in on some very dangerous threats without much of an issue. I honestly believe that the Specially Offensive variant is what should be used when you're specifically using it as an Entei switch-in and Defogger. I don't see the point in using a physically offensive variant when you're literally have a 50% chance of being burned each time you come in on it. Obviously, this is pretty generalized since Entei isn't on every team, but it's the insurance that's appealing to me. I can see how the extra power catches the eye of some, but it's just my opinion. This EV spread gives it enough bulk to avoid the 2HKO from Entei Sacred Fire (burns not factored) and by extension other relatively powerful moves it resists. 240 Spe is enough to outrun Hydreigon, while the rest are placed in SpA for a power boost. On some more heavy offensive teams, Fire Blast might prove more useful than Roost, but not very often if you want a consistent Defogger. Leftovers is necessary to avoid a ton of potential 2HKOes. Obviously, the spread can be switched around to fit more physical needs. Please don't knock Flygon before you really try it. You'll find that it fits in more of your teams than you think.
So yeah, these are just a few things that i've toyed with when adapting to the constantly changing metagame. :>
e: lord of bays, if you can fit curselax on an offensive team and not see the issue with that then idk what to say. bandlax is cool though