Rapidash [QC: 2/2] [GP: 1/2]

[Rei]

[OVERVIEW]

Rapidash's Fire typing allows it to threaten Melmetal, it can hinder physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp, and good coverage options with Megahorn and Drill Run allow it to threaten walls such as Mew and Mega Charizard X. Rapidash also has an impressive Speed tier that allows it to outpace Zapdos and Mew. However, Rapidash is held back by its mediocre bulk, which is only made worse by its poor defensive typing, Flare Blitz's recoil, and a troublesome Stealth Rock weakness that limits its entry and make it easy for opposing Pokemon to finish it off. Though it is faster, Rapidash struggles with competition from Mega Charizard X, which has better offensive stats, bulk, and Roost which allows it to switch in more often when Stealth Rock is up. As a fast wallbreaker that can threaten both Mew and Melmetal, it faces stiff competition from Gengar, which isn't quite as potent against Melmetal but boasts a more useful typing, more reliability in pressuring Mew, and much greater longevity.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Drill Run / Toxic
item: No item
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Flare Blitz is Rapidash's most powerful STAB move, capable of 2HKOing Melmetal, Mega Venusaur, and Zapdos after Stealth Rock. Will-O-Wisp hinders threatening physical attackers such as Rhydon, Mega Gyarados, and Dragonite. Megahorn allows Rapidash to 2HKO Mew and Mega Gyarados, as well as being its best move to hit Starmie on the switch, with a small chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock. Drill Run can do major damage to Mega Charizard X and hits Rhydon while also dealing respectable damage to the likes of Alolan Muk and Nidoqueen without making Rapidash take recoil damage. Toxic is an option over Drill Run to wear down switch-ins to Rapidash like Mega Blastoise and Zapdos. A Jolly nature is used to outpace Mew and Zapdos.

Usage Tips
========

Rapidash can be used as a lead to threaten opposing leads like Mew and Melmetal. Rapidash has poor survivability and is punished for switching by its weakness to Stealth Rock, meaning there is usually little point in preserving it; using it to break down the opponent early on is often best, especially because Stealth Rock will usually be set up early in a battle and cut into its health alongside Flare Blitz recoil. Use Will-O-Wisp on predicted switches to cripple physical attackers that threaten Rapidash such as Rhydon and Mega Aerodactyl. If Rapidash is needed to revenge kill or damage Melmetal, be careful about of using Flare Blitz or switching it into attacks when Stealth Rock is up, as this wears it down very quickly and makes it unable to check Melmetal. Be wary of using Will-O-Wisp or Toxic if there is Mega Kangaskhan or Snorlax on the opposing team, as both would boost their Facades.

Team Options
========

Mega Gyarados greatly appreciates Rapidash's potential to force significant damage on its best answer, Poliwrath. It also exploits opponents that KO Rapidash with Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Rhydon, and Starmie, as it can safely switch in to fire off its powerful attacks without letting up on offensive momentum. Pivots like Mew, Zapdos, and Mega Beedrill can help with safely switching Rapidash in, compensating for its inability to switch directly in on most attacks. Mew notably soft checks every Ground-type with its bulk, Roost, and Scald, and can provide Stealth Rock support to aid Rapidash in wallbreaking, while Mega Beedrill greatly appreciates Rapidash's ability to threaten Melmetal and wear down Rhydon and Poliwrath. Melmetal checks revenge killers to Rapidash, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Alakazam, and appreciates Rapidash wearing down Mega Blastoise and Poliwrath.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Fire Blast can be used as a secondary STAB move to deal more damage to Melmetal that also doesn't result in recoil, but Rapidash's low Special Attack makes it redundant in most other situations, and its survivability is poor regardless. Agility is an option to outpace Alolan Dugtrio, Mega Beedrill, Mega Alakazam, and Starmie, but it is hard to set up due to Rapidash's mediocre bulk and poor defensive typing.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock hinders Rapidash from coming in freely, as it takes a quarter of its HP each time.

**Ground-types**: Both Alolan Dugtrio and Dugtrio outspeed and OHKO Rapidash with Earthquake, making them great offensive checks, but they cannot can switch in on Rapidash. While neither like getting burned by Will-O-Wisp, Nidoqueen and Rhydon can 2HKO Rapidash while burned with Earthquake while never getting 2HKOed from Rapidash's attacks.

**Water-types**: Mega Blastoise and Starmie can easily OHKO Rapidash with their Water-type STAB attacks, as they can tank multiple attacks from Rapidash or outpace it, respectively. While Poliwrath hates to get burned or badly poisoned, it can easily take Rapidash's attacks and threaten it in return with Waterfall or Scald.

**Fast Revenge Killers**: Mega Aerodactyl is a problem for Rapidash, as it can outpace and OHKO Rapidash with Rock Slide. It can also switch in directly, as it resists any attack Rapidash runs, but this risks Rapidash burning it. Mega Beedrill cannot switch in, but its Drill Run easily OHKOes Rapidash after Stealth Rock damage. Similarly, Mega Alakazam's Psychic has decent odds to OHKO Rapidash after Stealth Rock damage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yami, 393488]]
- Quality checked by: [[Eve, 375272], [Collette, 520031]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[juoean]

'amcheck'
[im going to put aside the question of the importance of flare blitz recoil, to summarize what i said elsewhere my position is that rapidash is frail anyway and i prefer a stronger attack to break down opposing defensive pokemon better, and i dont mind fainting to recoil in this tier bc there are few setup moves and i can then gain momentum with what i bring in the following turn, but it is definitely not 'clear cut' and ill leave that question alone for now and am interested to hear others views about it.]

~ there are some inconsistencies in how drill run is described, you say that it is coverage for muk-a but then in other options you talk about flare blitz as a stronger move for nidoqueen. flare blitz does more damage than drill run to both of these pokemon (180 vs 160 bp factoring stab and type effectiveness, and obv both are physical moves), but it has recoil. the only relevant pokemon that drill run hits harder than flare blitz are mega charizard x, and opposing rapidash/arcanine. the description suggests that drill run is stronger than flare blitz against muk-a, which is not true.
if drill run is on the moveset, i really think that zard x should be mentioned as a target, tho it does not 2hko. even if u think drill run is preferable for muk-a and nidoqueen to avoid flare blitz recoil, the fact that drill run is the only damaging move that covers zard x should still be mentioned as an additional reason to run it.

~ i would remove the opposing ground type coverage mention in usage tips from anything other than m-bee, m-kang might be clicking facade (its sort of a 50/50 if it is unstatused) but that is more subjective, however zard y does more damage with air slash anyway but more importantly rapidash cant significantly damage zard y with any move (only hypnosis/toxic can accomplish anything at all), zard y is a check because of its defensive typing not 'ground type coverage'. or maybe u meant zard x? but again, drill run doesnt 2hko so it can roost if it isnt in ko range, the bad matchup isnt primarily due to zard x potentially running earthquake.
also, m-aero can ohko with either rock slide or earthquake (relevant for the switch in).

~ flare blitz usually 2hkos snorlax and almost 2hkos m-kang after rocks, and even fire blast 3hkos m-kang, and it obv outspeeds both, so idk about mentioning these as potential switchins. even if rapidash isnt running flare blitz i think snorlax tends to have more important duties than switching into rapidash?
idt mega blastoise is important enough to be mentioned that many times and rapidash has a good matchup with mega gyarados (after it m-evolves, but even before it doesnt want to take burn) so m-gyara shouldnt rly be mentioned @ zapdos or m-venu as teammates. (also is that rly a viable team structure rapidash + m-venu? ive only built rapidash with offensive megas). ignoring m-blastoise, faster pokemon might be a better description than water types + m-aero + dugtrio-a, tho u left out poliwrath which is a relevant water type that is slower but checks rapidash. only timid starmie is a check as bold starmie is outsped and still almost ohkoed by megahorn after rocks.

~ rapidash is not switching into melmetal, hasty rapidash takes 54-64% from dib even if u correctly predict that, and rapidash does not ohko with fire blast either (this should be mentioned somewhere, rapidash is the only relevant fire type that cannot ohko melm with fire blast), so that sentence about melmetal hitting rapidash with earthquake on the switch-in should be removed. also, because rapidash's fire blast does not ohko melmetal, if for some reason melmetal isnt switching out u want to burn it first to survive the eq and then use your stab, so running fire blast over flare blitz isnt as big of an advantage for the melmetal matchup as it is eg for arcanine. and since flare blitz means u can run jolly, u can safely burn melmetal from a bit lower health, further decreasing the advantage of fire blast for the melmetal matchup.
regardless of what your view of flare blitz is, these limitations of fire blast rapidash vs melmetal should be addressed (in some way), rapidash is different from other fire types in that it isnt as reliable for beating melm, but since melmetal is usually too valuable it is switching out anyway. and flare blitz rapidash almost plays more like kingler vs melmetal, flare blitz does more damage than melm rly wants to take (48-57%), not to mention the threat of wisp, but for teams lacking specific pokemon like poliwrath and rhydon flare blitz is quite hard to switch into, eg 2hkoing zapdos and easily bringing mew into megahorn range, so in some cases melm may be pressured to consider staying in to take the flare blitz damage.
anyway the point is talking about rapidash switching into melm is misplaced and since melmetal is so central in the meta, i think the melm matchup needs to be addressed specifically, or at minimum noting that rapidash does not just ohko it like every other fire type

~ even without addressing flare blitz/recoil, i dont like how the moveset is slashed. if rapidash is running two status moves (sidenote i prefer hypnosis + wisp bc i feel like wisp and toxic mostly share the same targets, since u have flare blitz to 2hko zapdos and megahorn for mew so toxic is not rly needed for the two primary pokemon that dont care about wisp, but toxic could be for zard x), i think flare blitz + megahorn becomes really non negotiable because fire blast is too weak and without drill run you need flare blitz's far better damage output against muk-a, nidos, etc. also, if u run two status moves u want better bulk to be able to use them (to survive the hit after landing toxic / after a hypnosis miss) and flare blitz means u can run jolly.
rapidash's special attack is pretty terrible and that should be said somewhere. the only reason fire blast is (arguably) viable is because megahorn + drill run provide super effective coverage against a lot of the tier, and some of the remaining pokemon such as sandslash-k are specially frail so fire blast does about as much or slightly more than flare blitz. without flare blitz, you are doing minimal damage with fire blast to any neutral targets that arent extremely frail on the special side, particularly zapdos, and even if u do have drill run you will be doing minimal damage when u do not use the appropriate move, as opposed to flare blitz which does good damage to any neutral target and is spammable outside of the question of recoil.

~ i dont think nature is a given, i think hasty vs naive is debatable for sets without flare blitz, tho i agree hasty is usually less bad, and for sets running both flare blitz and fire blast jolly can be considered bc fire blast is mainly there for melmetal. (obv if flare blitz is run as the sole stab then jolly is the correct nature)
idk about agility with rapidash's already good speed tier, the only way it could *maybe* be usable is together with wisp to burn m-aero, but then u have to choose between fire blast which will leave u walled by muk-a nidoqueen etc. since u have no room for drill run, and flare blitz which recoil seems counterproductive to agility boosting. and if u are running agility without wisp, arcanine would do that better (but is still bad). i really wouldnt mention agility but idk what others think.

 

[Eve]

Add Remove Comments
Feel free to ask me about any of these changes if you have questions/concerns!

[OVERVIEW]

Rapidash has a Fire-typing that allows it to check threaten Melmetal, the ability to hinder physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp, and good coverage options with Megahorn and Drill Run that allows it to threaten walls such as Mew and Mega Charizard X. Rapidash also has an impressive Speed tier that allows it to outpace Zapdos and Mew. However, Rapidash is held back with by its mediocre bulk, its mediocre Special Attack that makes it unable to 2HKO Melmetal, which is only made worse by its poor defensive typing, Flare Blitz's recoil, and a troublesome Stealth Rock weakness that can affect it coming in as often and make it easy for opposing Pokemon to finish it off. It is also outclassed by other Fire-types such as Though it is faster, Rapidash struggles with competition from Mega Charizard X that has a better Special Attack stat which has better offensive stats, bulk, and access to Roost that can make able to allows it to switch in more often when Stealth Rock is up and a better check for Melmetal as it can OHKO it unlike Rapidash. As a fast wallbreaker that can threaten both Mew and Melmetal, it faces stiff competition from Gengar, which isn't quite as potent against Melmetal but boasts a more useful typing, more reliability in pressuring Mew, and much greater longevity.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Fire Blast Flare Blitz (Power > survivability on Rapidash, it just wants to make holes before it goes down and Fire Blast simply doesn't do that versus most things)
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Drill Run / Toxic
item:
nature: Hasty
ivs: 29 HP (by default, Rapidash hits 140 HP- this is divisible by 4, so dropping HP by 1 point gives it 1 potential extra Stealth Rock switchin and doesn't meaningfully affect its bulk)

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Fire Blast Flare Blitz is Rapidash's most powerful STAB move, capable of allows Rapidash 2HKOing Melmetal, Mega Venusaur, and Zapdos. Will-O-Wisp is used to hinder threatening physical attackers such as Rhydon, Mega Gyrarados, and Sandslash Dragonite on the switch. Megahorn makes allows Rapidash able to 2HKO Mew, Chansey, and Mega Alakazam. Drill Run can do major damage to Mega Charizard X and Alolan Muk while also dealing respectable damage to the likes of Alolan Muk, Nidoqueen, and Rhyhorn without making Rapidash take recoil damage. Toxic can be an option over Drill Run to wear down threats to Rapidash like Mega Blastoise, Starmie Poliwrath You'd rather Megahorn a Starmie, and Zapdos. A Hasty Jolly nature is used to outpace Mew and Zapdos.

Usage Tips
========

Use Rapidash can be used as a lead to threaten opposing leads like Mew. Rapidash has poor survivability and is punished for switching by its weakness to Stealth Rock, meaning there is usually little point in preserving it; using it to break down the opponent early on is often the best way to use it, especially as Stealth Rock will usually be set up early in a battle and further cut into its health alongside Flare Blitz recoil. Will-O-Wisp should be used on predicted switches to physical attackers that threaten Rapidash such as Rhydon and Mega Aerodactyl. Be careful about switching Rapidash in when Stealth Rock is down, as its weakness from Stealth Rock to the entry hazard makes it hard to stay healthy to check Mew and Melmetal. Be wary of using Will-O-Wisp or Toxic if there is Mega Kangashan or Snorlax on the opposing team, as these want to be statused to turn them into fearsome sweepers with doing so would boost their Facade. Be careful around Pokemon that run Ground-type coverage like Mega Beedrill and Mega Kangakhan as these can either greatly damage, or OHKO Rapidash.

Team Options
========
Overhauling this. There's a large emphasis on defensively supporting Rapidash with switchins to its checks which doesn't really work- that kind of support is better suited for the likes of Mega Charizard X. Rapidash hates switching due to Stealth Rock and its extremely limited switchin opportunities, so slamming into an offensive teammate's checks with even resisted Flare Blitz before going down is often a better use of your limited time.
Mega Gyarados greatly appreciates Rapidash's potential to force significant damage on its best answer, Poliwrath. It also exploits opponents that KO Rapidash with Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Rhydon, and Starmie, as it can safely switch in to fire off its powerful attacks without letting up on offensive momentum. Pivots like Mew, Zapdos, and Mega Beedrill can help with safely switching Rapidash in, compensating for its inability to switch directly in on most attacks. Mew notably soft checks every Ground-type with its bulk, Roost, and Scald, and can provide Stealth Rock support to aid Rapidash in wallbreaking, while Mega Beedrill greatly appreciates Rapidash's ability to threaten Melmetal and wear down Rhydon and Poliwrath. Melmetal checks revenge killers to Rapidash, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Alakazam, and appreciates Rapidash wearing down Mega Blastoise and Poliwrath. If not using Stealth Rock Mew, alternative Stealth Rock setters, such as Nidoqueen, Rhydon, and Alolan Dugtrio, can be used in order to help with further wearing down Rapidash's switchins.
Rapidash loves Pokemon like Zapdos and Mega Venusaur to take care of Water-types like Starmie, Mega Gyrarados, and Mega Blastoise. Pokemon like Poliwrath, Starmie, and Mega Gyrarados that can threaten Ground- and Rock-types such as Rhydon, Nidoqueen, and Mega Aerodactyl is great to pair with it and love Rapidash for being able to pressure Mega Venusaur and Zapdos. Stealth Rock settlers like Nidoqueen and Rhydon is good for Rapidash to chip down Melmetal and Mew so Rapidash can OHKO these. Both of these can also pressure a healthy Zapdos and Melmetal. Pivots like Zapdos, Mew, and Chansey are good to avoid Rapidash from taking damage from the opposing Pokemon so it can come in more often when Steath Rock is up.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Agility can be an option to outpace Alolan Dugtrio, Mega Beedrill, Mega Alakazam, and Starmie, but this is hard to set up due to Rapidash's mediocre bulk and how easily it can get worn down because of Stealth Rock poor defensive typing. Hypnosis can be used to get a Pokemon that usually threatens it like Rhydon and Mega Aerodactyl to sleep, however but its poor accuracy and access to Toxic makes it can make it hard to justify using over more reliable options. Flare Blitz can be used over Drill Run to make Rapidash able to do more damage to Pokemon that is usually hits with Drill Run such as Nidoqueen and Alolan Muk and also 2HKO Snorlax and Zapdos; however, this makes Rapidash extremely hard to keep around due to its weakness to Stealth Rock, mediocre bulk, and no recovery options. Fire Blast can be used as a secondary STAB move to deal more damage to Melmetal that also doesn't result in recoil, but Rapidash's low Special Attack makes it redundant in most other situations, and its survivability is poor regardless.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock hinders Rapidash from coming in freely as it takes a quarter of its HP and forces Rapidash from freely switching in.

**Ground-types and Ground-type coverage**: Ground-types like Both Alolan and regular Dugtrio can pose a problem for Rapidash because of it not outpacing Alolan Dugtrio to use Will-O-Wisp to burn it and gets OHKOed by Earthquake outspeed and OHKO Rapidash with Earthquake, making them great offensive checks, but they cannot can switch in on Rapidash. While neither like getting burned by Will-O-Wisp, Nidoqueen and Rhydon can 2HKO Rapidash with a burned Earthquake. Other Pokemon like Mega Beedrill is also able to OHKO Rapidash with Drill Run after some chip damage. Putting fast revenge killers in their own section

**Water-types**: Mega Blastoise and Starmie can easily OHKO Rapidash with their Water-STAB attacks, as they can easily tank an attack from Rapidash or outpace it respectively. While Poliwrath hates to get burn from Will-O-Wisp burned or badly poisoned, it can 2HKO with Waterfall easily take Rapidash's attacks and threaten in return with Waterfall or Scald.

**Mega Aerodactyl Fast Revenge Killers**: Mega Aerodactyl is a problem for Rapidash as it can outpace and OHKO Rapidash with using Rock Slide. While it can be switched in as it resists any attack Rapidash runs, this risks Rapidash burning it. Mega Beedrill cannot switch in, but its Drill Run easily OHKOes Rapidash after Stealth Rock damage. Similarly, Mega Alakazam's Psychic has decent odds to OHKO Rapidash after Stealth Rock damage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yami, 393488]]
- Quality checked by: [[Eve, 375272], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

QC 1/2 when done.

 

[juoean]

~ so if ppl agree that flare blitz is the preferred/standard stab choice, id suggest slashing toxic first for the fourth slot (and drill run slashed second). toxic is more reliable for dealing with zard x anyway since drill run does 44% max and having toxic to ease the zapdos matchup as well as that no toxic immune pokemon typically wants to switch in is more important than a move that is soley used to save recoil damage. in some cases the recoil doesnt rly even matter, for exanple against a healthy nidoqueen you want to burn it first and you are still 2hkoed regardless (on the other hand if you are in range of burned eq, then you want to attack not use wisp, but the recoil still doesnt matter).
the recoil is most significant vs muk-a but that matchup is already very favorable, and drill run has the disadvantage of allowing muk-a to switch out if it is predicted since drill run is very weak if it hits the wrong target (not to mention letting m-aero and zap in for free). if the rest of your team doesnt really care about muk-a, drill run may be useful so that rapidash can force damage on a different pokemon, but otherwise rapidash is probably satisfied with removing muk-a with wisp followed by flare blitz.
[and obv drill run is the strongest move against goldon but burned eq ohko's after rocks anyway (guaranteed if adamant and a roll if impish) and the damage output is low regardless even if you do get an attacking turn eg if you burn it on the switch.]

~ also i wouldnt rly lower the hp iv, the chance that you come in on rocks 3x and neither use flare blitz nor take any attack or poison damage is pretty close to zero, while the extra hp point can occasionally matter for surviving recoil. not a big deal tho and when drill run is used in the fourth slot it could be debatable

~ im now fine with leaving hypnosis in oo, i mainly like hypnosis when rapidash is paired with kingler or cloyster to generate free turn(s) or semi-safe entry. (i like their synergy, they both appreciate weakened + burned poliwrath, and can use burned ground types as an opportunity to threaten damage or setup. and rapidash tends to do very well vs m-venu teams where kingler cant accomplish much, while kingler and to some extent cloyster can often do well against m-aero teams.) but since these are not mentioned in team options, it makes sense to present hypnosis as a niche option.

 

[Collette]

add remove comments

[OVERVIEW]

Rapidash has a Fire-typing that allows it to threaten Melmetal, the ability to hinder physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp, and good coverage options with Megahorn and Drill Run that allow it to threaten walls such as Mew and Mega Charizard X. Rapidash also has an impressive Speed tier that allows it to outpace Zapdos and Mew. However, Rapidash is held back by its mediocre bulk, which is only made worse by its poor defensive typing, Flare Blitz's recoil, and a troublesome Stealth Rock weakness that can affect it coming in as often and make it easy for opposing Pokemon to finish it off. Though it is faster, Rapidash struggles with competition from Mega Charizard X which has better offensive stats, bulk, and access to Roost that allows it to switch in more often when Stealth Rock is up. As a fast wallbreaker that can threaten both Mew and Melmetal, it faces stiff competition from Gengar, which isn't quite as potent against Melmetal but boasts a more useful typing, more reliability in pressuring Mew, and much greater longevity.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Drill Run / Toxic
item: No item
nature: Jolly
ivs: 29 HP

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Flare Blitz is Rapidash's most powerful STAB move, capable of 2HKOing Melmetal, Mega Venusaur, and Zapdos after Stealth Rock. Will-O-Wisp is used to hinder threatening physical attackers such as Rhydon, Mega Gyrarados, and Dragonite on the switch. Megahorn allows Rapidash to 2HKO Mew and Mega Gyarados, as well as being its best move to hit Starmie on the switch, with a small chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock. Drill Run can do major damage to Mega Charizard X while also dealing respectable damage to the likes of Alolan Muk, Nidoqueen, and Rhyhorn without making Rapidash take recoil damage. Toxic can be an option over Drill Run to wear down threatsswitch-ins to Rapidash like Mega Blastoise and Poliwrath., Poliwrath, and Zapdos. A Jolly nature is used to outpace Mew and Zapdos.

Usage Tips
========

Rapidash can be used as a lead to threaten opposing leads like Mew and Melmetal. Rapidash has poor survivability and is punished for switching by its weakness to Stealth Rock, meaning there is usually little point in preserving it; using it to break down the opponent early on is often the best way to use it, especially as Stealth Rock will usually be set up early in a battle and further cut into its health alongside Flare Blitz recoil. Will-O-Wisp should be used on predicted switches to physical attackers that threaten Rapidash such as Rhydon and Mega Aerodactyl. Be careful about switching Rapidash into attacks when Stealth Rock is up, as its weakness to the entry hazard makes it hard to stay healthy to check Mew and Melmetal. Be wary of using Will-O-Wisp or Toxic if there is Mega Kangashan or Snorlax on the opposing team, as doing so would boost their Facade.

Team Options
========

Mega Gyarados greatly appreciates Rapidash's potential to force significant damage on its best answer, Poliwrath. It also exploits opponents that KO Rapidash with Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Rhydon, and Starmie, as it can safely switch in to fire off its powerful attacks without letting up on offensive momentum. Pivots like Mew, Zapdos, and Mega Beedrill can help with safely switching Rapidash in, compensating for its inability to switch directly in on most attacks. Mew notably soft checks every Ground-type with its bulk, Roost, and Scald, and can provide Stealth Rock support to aid Rapidash in wallbreaking, while Mega Beedrill greatly appreciates Rapidash's ability to threaten Melmetal and wear down Rhydon and Poliwrath. Melmetal checks revenge killers to Rapidash, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Alakazam, and appreciates Rapidash wearing down Mega Blastoise and Poliwrath. If not using Stealth Rock Mew, alternative Stealth Rock setters, such as Nidoqueen, Rhydon, and Alolan Dugtrio, can be used in order to help with further wearing down Rapidash's switchins. good shit

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Agility can be an option to outpace Alolan Dugtrio, Mega Beedrill, Mega Alakazam, and Starmie, but this is hard to set up due to Rapidash's mediocre bulk and poor defensive typing. Hypnosis can be used to get a Pokemon that usually threatens it like Rhydon and Mega Aerodactyl to sleep, but its poor accuracy can make it hard to justify using over more reliable options. you want to wisp these targets anyway, and sleeping mega aero means you still cant touch it and then you have to switch out as it burns a turn, and it's able to wake up later on anyway. You can keep it if OO needs padding but this seems like an abysmal option. Its too risky to go for vs anything but a predicted switch and you almost always have better options to cover that switch between your coverage and wisp. Fire Blast can be used as a secondary STAB move to deal more damage to Melmetal that also doesn't result in recoil, but Rapidash's low Special Attack makes it redundant in most other situations, and its survivability is poor regardless. move this to be the first OO mentioned, fire blast is barely not in set mentions, it highly outstrips agility in terms of viability and is pretty important to emphasize.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock hinders Rapidash from coming in freely as it takes a quarter of its HP and forces Rapidash from freely switching in.

**Ground-types**: Both Alolan Dugtrio and regular Dugtrio outspeed and OHKO Rapidash with Earthquake, making them great offensive checks, but they cannot can switch in on Rapidash. While neither like getting burn by Will-O-Wisp, Nidoqueen and Rhydon can 2HKO Rapidash with a burned Earthquake. Mention that these 2 pokemon are also never 2HKOd by rapidash's attacks

**Water-types**: Mega Blastoise and Starmie can easily OHKO Rapidash with their Water-STAB attacks as they can tank anmultiple attacks from Rapidash or outpace it respectively. While Poliwrath hates to get burned or badly poisoned, it can easily take Rapidash's attacks and threaten in return with Waterfall or Scald.

**Fast Revenge Killers**: Mega Aerodactyl is a problem for Rapidash as it can outpace and OHKO Rapidash with using Rock Slide. While it can be switched in as it resists any attack Rapidash runs, this risks Rapidash burning it. Mega Beedrill cannot switch in, but its Drill Run easily OHKOes Rapidash after Stealth Rock damage. Similarly, Mega Alakazam's Psychic has decent odds to OHKO Rapidash after Stealth Rock damage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yami, 393488]]
- Quality checked by: [[Eve, 375272], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

QC 2/2 after implementation, ping me on discord once its merged or if any questions.

 

[juoean]

i wouldnt remove toxic mention for zapdos as tho it cant switch in, if it comes in after a ko u need toxic to threaten it. wisp is almost always better for poliwrath so idk why it is mentioned as a toxic target.
if hypnosis stays, its targets are more like zapdos and zard x. sleeping zapdos is ok as 2/3 chance to ko with blitz before it wakes up preventing it from making u take more recoil by roosting. sleeping zard x lets u switch in st else with a 2/3 chance to not take damage.

 

[Collette]

i wouldnt remove toxic mention for zapdos as tho it cant switch in, if it comes in after a ko u need toxic to threaten it. wisp is almost always better for poliwrath so idk why it is mentioned as a toxic target.
if hypnosis stays, its targets are more like zapdos and zard x. sleeping zapdos is ok as 2/3 chance to ko with blitz before it wakes up preventing it from making u take more recoil by roosting. sleeping zard x lets u switch in st else with a 2/3 chance to not take damage.

@ hypnosis: Those 2/3 chances are assuming hypnosis hits, when you take that into account, the chance of you getting a turn advantage over the opposing pokemon is 39.9%, which I don't feel comfortable recommending, and if the quite likely outcome that you miss occurs, you've given up momentum to the opponent and given the extreme shortlivedness of rapidash it might die just then without accomplishing anything.
@ toxic yea thats fair for both, I'm not sure if I'd ever run toxic over ground coverage in that case though as it has so little targets. Up to Yami if they want to keep as it, add zapdos, or just add toxic to Other Options.


Yami one old thing I forgot to mention, make the HP IVs 31, like juoean said you're never going to switch in 4 times and never take an attack, OR use blitz. Once that's fixed change tag to GP ready.

 

[Adeleine]

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(AC)/(RC): Add/Remove Comma

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[OVERVIEW]

Rapidash has a Fire-typing that allows Rapidash's Fire typing allows it to threaten Melmetal, the ability to it can hinder physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp, and good coverage options with Megahorn and Drill Run that allow it to threaten walls such as Mew and Mega Charizard X. Rapidash also has an impressive Speed tier that allows it to outpace Zapdos and Mew. However, Rapidash is held back by its mediocre bulk, which is only made worse by its poor defensive typing, Flare Blitz's recoil, and a troublesome Stealth Rock weakness that can affect it coming in as often limit its entry and make it easy for opposing Pokemon to finish it off. Though it is faster, Rapidash struggles with competition from Mega Charizard X, (AC) which has better offensive stats, bulk, and access to Roost that allows it Roost to switch in more often when Stealth Rock is up. As a fast wallbreaker that can threaten both Mew and Melmetal, it faces stiff competition from Gengar, which isn't quite as potent against Melmetal but boasts a more useful typing, more reliability in pressuring Mew, and much greater longevity.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Drill Run / Toxic
item: No Item
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Flare Blitz is Rapidash's most powerful STAB move, capable of 2HKOing Melmetal, Mega Venusaur, and Zapdos after Stealth Rock. Will-O-Wisp is used to hinders threatening physical attackers such as Rhydon, Mega Gyrarados Gyarados, and Dragonite. Megahorn allows Rapidash to 2HKO Mew and Mega Gyarados, as well as being its best move to hit Starmie on the switch, with a small chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock. Drill Run can do major damage to Mega Charizard X and hits Rhydon while also dealing respectable damage to the likes of Alolan Muk (RC) and Nidoqueen, and Rhyhorn without making Rapidash take recoil damage. Toxic can be is an option over Drill Run to wear down switch-ins to Rapidash like Mega Blastoise and Zapdos. A Jolly nature is used to outpace Mew and Zapdos.

Usage Tips
========

Rapidash can be used as a lead to threaten opposing leads like Mew and Melmetal. Rapidash has poor survivability and is punished for switching by its weakness to Stealth Rock, meaning there is usually little point in preserving it; using it to break down the opponent early on is often the best way to use it, especially as best, especially because Stealth Rock will usually be set up early in a battle and further cut into its health alongside Flare Blitz recoil. Will-O-Wisp should be used Use Will-O-Wisp on predicted switches to physical attackers that threaten Rapidash such as Rhydon and Mega Aerodactyl. Be careful about switching Rapidash into attacks when Stealth Rock is up, as its weakness to the entry hazard makes it hard to stay healthy to check Mew and Melmetal. ("makes it hard to stay healthy?" isn't there "little point in preserving it"? pls clarify) Be wary of using Will-O-Wisp or Toxic if there is Mega Kangaskhan or Snorlax on the opposing team, as doing so would both boost their Facades.

Team Options
========

Mega Gyarados greatly appreciates Rapidash's potential to force significant damage on its best answer, Poliwrath. It also exploits opponents that KO Rapidash with Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Rhydon, and Starmie, as it can safely switch in to fire off its powerful attacks without letting up on offensive momentum. Pivots like Mew, Zapdos, and Mega Beedrill can help with safely switching Rapidash in, compensating for its inability to switch directly in on most attacks. Mew notably soft checks every Ground-type with its bulk, Roost, and Scald, and can provide Stealth Rock support to aid Rapidash in wallbreaking, while Mega Beedrill greatly appreciates Rapidash's ability to threaten Melmetal and wear down Rhydon and Poliwrath. Melmetal checks revenge killers to Rapidash, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Alakazam, and appreciates Rapidash wearing down Mega Blastoise and Poliwrath. If not using Stealth Rock Mew, alternative Stealth Rock setters, such as Nidoqueen, Rhydon, and Alolan Dugtrio, can be used in order to help with further wearing down Rapidash's switchins. (this applies to p much any Pokemon)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Fire Blast can be used as a secondary STAB move to deal more damage to Melmetal that also doesn't result in recoil, but Rapidash's low Special Attack makes it redundant in most other situations, and its survivability is poor regardless. Agility can be is an option to outpace Alolan Dugtrio, Mega Beedrill, Mega Alakazam, and Starmie, but this it is hard to set up due to Rapidash's mediocre bulk and poor defensive typing.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock hinders Rapidash from coming in freely, (AC) as it takes a quarter of its HP and forces Rapidash from freely switching in each time.

**Ground-types**: Both Alolan Dugtrio and regular Dugtrio outspeed and OHKO Rapidash with Earthquake, making them great offensive checks, but they cannot can switch in on Rapidash. While neither like getting burned by Will-O-Wisp, Nidoqueen and Rhydon can 2HKO Rapidash while burned with a burned Earthquake (RC) while never getting 2HKOed from Rapidash's attacks.

**Water-types**: Mega Blastoise and Starmie can easily OHKO Rapidash with their Water-type STAB attacks, (AC) as they can tank multiple attacks from Rapidash or outpace it, (AC) respectively. While Poliwrath hates to get burned or badly poisoned, it can easily take Rapidash's attacks and threaten it in return with Waterfall or Scald.

**Fast Revenge Killers**: Mega Aerodactyl is a problem for Rapidash, (AC) as it can outpace and OHKO Rapidash with using Rock Slide. While it can be switched in It can also switch in directly, as it resists any attack Rapidash runs, but this risks Rapidash burning it. Mega Beedrill cannot switch in, but its Drill Run easily OHKOes Rapidash after Stealth Rock damage. Similarly, Mega Alakazam's Psychic has decent odds to OHKO Rapidash after Stealth Rock damage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yami, 393488]]
- Quality checked by: [[Eve, 375272], [Collette, 520031]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [, ]]

i'll stamp after you address the comment about preserving Rapidash vs keeping it healthy

 

[Rei]

Finland talked it over with Collette on discord, should be good to go now.

 

[Adeleine]

Use Will-O-Wisp on predicted switches to cripple physical attackers that threaten Rapidash such as Rhydon and Mega Aerodactyl. If Rapidash is needed to revenge kill or damage Melmetal, (AC) be careful about of using Flare Blitz (RC) or switching it into attacks when Stealth Rock is up, as this wears it down very fast, and make quickly and makes it unable to check Melmetal. Be wary of using Will-O-Wisp or Toxic if there is Mega Kangaskhan or Snorlax on the opposing team, as both would boost their Facades.

However, Rapidash is held back by its mediocre bulk, which is only made worse by its poor defensive typing, Flare Blitz's recoil, and a troublesome Stealth Rock weakness that limits its entry and make it easy for opposing Pokemon to finish it off

Though it is faster, Rapidash struggles with competition from Mega Charizard X, which has better offensive stats, bulk, and Roost, (AC) that which allows it to switch in more often when Stealth Rock is up.

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