UU Salamence [GC: 4/3] [GP: 2/2]

[Mystras]

[OVERVIEW]
Salamence is a very versatile defensive and offensive presence. Its typing, natural bulk, and Intimidate allow it to check common threats such as Excadrill, Zarude, and Conkeldurr. It's also a solid Defogger, matching up well against Stealth Rock setters such as Excadrill and Krookodile. Salamence can utilize its solid Special Attack, decent Speed tier, and powerful moves like Hurricane and Draco Meteor as a special attacker, or it can sweep teams with Dragon Dance and Moxie. That, coupled with coverage in Flamethrower and Earthquake, makes Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill. However, its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon it’s supposed to check, such as Mienshao, Tangrowth, and Krookodile. Bulky Fairy-types like Hatterene and Primarina can easily take a hit and KO Salamence, while many other threats like Jirachi, Gyarados, and Nidoking carry Ice-type coverage. Offensive threats such as Thundurus-T and Nihilego outspeed it, and Dragon Dance sets are also vulnerable to revenge killers with priority or Choice Scarf such as Mamoswine, Lycanroc-D, and Mienshao. Salamence also faces fierce competition from Hydreigon; Hydreigon's higher Special Attack stat alongside Dark-type STAB moves lets it better deal with popular defensive stalwarts such as Slowking and Aegislash, and it has greater item versatility by virtue of its neutrality to Stealth Rock. However, Salamence has a far better matchup against Pokemon such as Mienshao and Tapu Bulu, and it's able to outspeed and revenge kill opposing Hydreigon.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor / Defog
move 2: Hurricane / Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Draco Meteor helps Salamence revenge kill Hydreigon and deals solid damage to neutral targets like Swampert, Rotom-W, and Rotom-H. Hurricane 2HKOes Assault Vest Tangrowth and has a significant chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Defog can be used over either STAB move, though this sacrifices neutral coverage against Pokemon like Nihilego and Azumarill. Flamethrower is solid coverage against Pokemon such as Jirachi and Aegislash and can finish off weakened targets such as Tapu Bulu and Heracross without risking a Hurricane miss. Roost alongside Heavy-Duty Boots makes Salamence harder to wear down by threats like Jirachi and Zarude. Intimidate makes Salamence a more reliable switch-in to threats such as Mienshao and Excadrill while making them easier to pivot around.

This set fits on bulky offense and balance teams for its wallbreaking capabilities against Pokemon like Amoonguss and important defensive utility against other foes like Conkeldurr. Swampert and Excadrill are able to break through Salamence's checks like Diancie and Nihilego, provide Stealth Rock support to soften up defensive Pokemon such as Celesteela, and capitalize on support against Tangrowth. Excadrill also pressures Hatterene and Togekiss and provides Rapid Spin support so Salamence can drop Defog. Aegislash is a very effective partner that is able to break through Slowking and check Diancie. Lycanroc-D takes advantage of Salamence removing potential roadblocks such as Amoonguss, and it threatens Stealth Rock setters Salamence has troubles against like Chansey and Nihilego. Rotom-H and Rotom-W are effective pivots to safely bring Salamence into foes such as Hydreigon and Tangrowth, and they also provide Defog support. Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro helps deal with checks such as Primarina and Hatterene. Slowking provides Teleport so Salamence can safely enter on Grass-types, as well as providing a stronger backbone against Conkeldurr with Colbur Berry. Choice Scarf users such as Jirachi and Mienshao can handle faster Pokemon such as Nihilego and Lycanroc-D.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dual Wingbeat
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Blast
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Life Orb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

At +1 Speed, Salamence outspeeds revenge killers like Azelf, Thundurus-T, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. At +2 Speed, it blows past even faster revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Mienshao and Zarude. +1 Outrage destroys many neutral targets like Rotom formes and Krookodile, though there is always the risk of Fairy-types like Azumarill and Hatterene revenge killing Salamence. +1 Dual Wingbeat OHKOes targets such as Conkeldurr and Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Dual Wingbeat also has the benefit of hitting Keldeo through Substitute, though risking a burn from Scald is not ideal. Earthquake OHKOes Aegislash and Jirachi at +2. Fire Blast can be used instead to lure in and break through Skarmory and increase Salamence's chances for a Moxie sweep. Life Orb can be used to OHKO Pokemon such as Aegislash with +1 Earthquake and Primarina with +2 Dual Wingbeat. It can also be used alongside a Naive nature to ensure that Fire Blast OHKOes Skarmory after Stealth Rock. However, Salamence's Stealth Rock weakness and Life Orb recoil will quickly put it into range for Mienshao's Stone Edge and Lycanroc-D's Accelerock. Moxie helps Salamence get multiple boosts to KO bulky targets like Aegislash and makes it more difficult to revenge kill.

This set fits on offense and hyper offense teams as a wallbreaker or late-game cleaner with Moxie. Excadrill is an excellent lead that sets Stealth Rock to wear down bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-W and provides Rapid Spin. Sticky Web from Ribombee lets Salamence outspeed foes such as Nihilego. Celesteela walls this set, so early-game wallbreakers such as Nasty Plot Thundurus-T and Azelf are decent options. They also appreciate Salamence's ability to threaten Chansey. Other teammates that overwhelm physically bulky Pokemon such as Quagsire and Skarmory, such as Gyarados and Aegislash are valuable assets to this set. They also heavily benefit Salamence by overwhelming checks like Amoonguss and Primarina. Pivots such as Jirachi and Zarude can position Salamence to set up on Pokemon like Tangrowth. Mamoswine is a consistent revenge killer against Salamence, so teammates that KO it such as Azumarill are appreciated.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Dual Wingbeat / Toxic
move 2: Flamethrower / Earthquake
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dual Wingbeat is a reliable STAB move that helps against threats to defensive teams such as Substitute Keldeo. Toxic can be used instead to cripple Stealth Rock setters such as Rhyperior and wear down wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, though Salamence becomes much more passive against Conkeldurr and Mienshao. Intimidate alongside the additional HP investment makes Salamence a more sturdy switch-in to Conkeldurr and Gyarados, although it has to be wary of the latter's Ice Fang. Maximum Speed investment is needed to make Salamence less passive against offensive threats such as Hydreigon and Krookodile.

This set is suited for stall teams to relieve entry hazard pressure from setters like Excadrill and Krookodile and check dangerous Pokemon like Tapu Bulu and Conkeldurr. Other entry hazard setters such as Necrozma and Nihilego are significant threats, so Chansey and Jirachi can help outlast them while also providing their own Stealth Rock support. Umbreon can check Pokemon Salamence can't handle by itself like Mamoswine and Gyarados, and it heavily appreciates Salamence’s support against Fighting-types. Quagsire keeps Salamence from being overwhelmed by opposing Dragon Dance Salamence and Lycanroc-D and benefits from Salamence checking Grass-types. Knock Off support from teammates such as Nihilego is very beneficial so that Salamence can outlast threats such as Aegislash. Bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth are useful switch-ins into special attackers such as Primarina and Thundurus-T. Amoonguss and physically defensive Tangrowth are also good switch-ins to Knock Off. Hatterene can ease Salamence's role as a hazard remover with Magic Bounce.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An Intimidate Dragon Dance set using Roost over Outrage can work on Magneton teams to check problematic answers to Excadrill such as Zarude while remaining offensively potent. Fire Blast over Flamethrower on the special attacking set gives Salamence more power against Steel-types like Celesteela and Aegislash; however, it is less reliable and the additional power is often unneeded. Lum Berry can give Salamence more room to set up on Pokemon like Swampert and Tangrowth, but it doesn't carry as much consistent utility as Life Orb. Dragon Tail on the defensive set over Dual Wingbeat lets Salamence spread residual damage with entry hazards, though this is less functional than Toxic against foes like Azumarill. Choice Scarf alongside Moxie can give Salamence surprising sweeping potential, as it doesn't require a setup turn to outspeed targets such as Keldeo and revenge kills sweepers such as Gyarados. Choice Specs improves Salamence's wallbreaking ability and can lure Rhyperior in to nail it with Hydro Pump.

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

**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Azumarill, Primarina, and Hatterene take advantage of Salamence's lack of coverage for them, having the bulk to take a hit and either set up or KO Salamence. Though a niche option, Diancie completely walls any special attacking variants of Salamence, has the bulk to survive a +1 Earthquake from Dragon Dance sets, and can KO Salamence or use it as a free chance to use Heal Bell.

**Rock-type Pokemon and Coverage**: Without Draco Meteor, special Salamence struggles to relieve Stealth Rock pressure from Nihilego, though it must be wary of Earthquake. Lycanroc-D can OHKO offensive variants of Salamence with -1 Stone Edge after minimal chip damage and easily revenge kill it with Accelerock, though Lycanroc-D cannot switch into Salamence safely. Pokemon such as Mienshao and Krookodile commonly carry Rock-type coverage moves to revenge kill Salamence.

**Walls**: Pokemon like Chansey and Slowking can handle special Salamence with their massive special bulk and use it for momentum with Teleport. However, the two cannot reliably tank hits from Dragon Dance sets. Umbreon and Mandibuzz have the natural bulk to survive Salamence's special attacks and take advantage of Dragon Dance sets with Foul Play. Celesteela is an especially detrimental defensive threat because it completely walls Dragon Dance sets without Fire Blast.

**Mamoswine**: Mamoswine is the most consistent revenge killer against Salamence, as Ice Shard OHKOes any set.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mystras Leoxses, 530118]]
- Quality checked by: [[Monky25, 515132], [Twilight, 344575], [BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [DC, 449990]]

 

[Monky25]

I Believe I Can Fly

- Salamence is a premier threat in the metagame because of its versatility that allows it to be usable in a wide range of team archetypes, ranging from hyper offense and bulky offense to stall.
- It's typing alongside access to Intimidate means that Salamence can check a solid backbone against common threats such as Scizor and Zarude, even if not invested in HP
- Depending on the team, Salamence can choose to focus on its solid Special Attack alongside powerful Hurricanes and Draco Meteors, or become a Dragon Dance user able to sweep teams with Moxie. That coupled with coverage in Flamethrower for special sets and Earthquake for setup sets make Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill. talk more about mence on stall since it is a set
one thing you can go into depth a bit more is that its unpredictability makes it scary to face, as something like Nihilego can get KOd by earthquake expecting a special set.
- It is a solid offensive user of Defog with its coverage and speed tier to beat Stealth Rock users such as Cobalion and Krookodile.
- Although, its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon its supposed to check such as the aforementioned Scizor and others like Tangrowth and Krookodile.
- Salamence is often open to being KOd by Fairy-types such as Hatterene and Primarina thanks to their high natural bulk and strong STAB attacks
- Its speed tier, while not bad, leaves it vulnerable to the likes of Thundurus and Nihilego. Dragon Dance sets are also prone to being revenge killed by priority users like Mamoswine and Lycanroc-D and Choice Scarf users such as Mienshao.
- It's quadruple weakness to Ice means that Salamence has to be careful of threats that can carry coverage such as Nidoqueen, Buzzwole, and Keldeo. (move this point after the fairy-type point to make it flow a bit better)
- Dragon Dance sets rely on getting a boost or multiple to be very threatening so it can be taken advantage of by aggressive play as it sets up.
-mention how as a defogger it still fails to bypass common rockers like rhyperior and nihilego

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor / Defog
move 2: Hurricane / Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD/ 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Paragraph 1
- Salamence can run Defog over either of its STABs by team preference. Draco Meteor is more useful for opponents like Rotom-W, Rotom-H, and Rhyperior while being more accurate, whereas Hurricane 2HKOes Assault Vest Tangrowth and has a significant chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. However, Salamence prefers having both STABs so it can threaten as much as possible.
- Flamethrower is solid overage for Pokemon such as Scizor and Cobalion while having more accuracy over Hurricane to finish off weakened targets such as the aforementioned Grass-types and Buzzwole.
- Roost improves Salamence's longevity, as it is more difficult to wear down by the likes of Amoonguss and Cobalion.
- Heavy-Duty Boots grants Salamence an immunity to Stealth Rock, which greatly improves its longevity.
- Intimidate makes Salamence a more reliable switch-in to threats such as Jirachi and Zarude while making them easier to pivot around.

Paragraph 2
- This set fits on many offensive, bulky offense, and balance teams for its wallbreaking capabilities against Pokemon like Amoonguss while providing important defensive utility against other opponents like Keldeo.
- Stealth Rock setters such as Nidoqueen and Krookodile are able to soften up Pokemon like Celesteela for Salamence to eventually overwhelm it. These teammates also help break through other checks such as Rhyperior and Diancie and appreciate support against Keldeo.
- Scizor is an end game cleaner that takes advantage of Salamence removing potential roadblocks such as Moltres. Scizor also deals with Stealth Rock setters Salamence has troubles against like Chansey and Nihilego while revenge killing Lycanroc-D and Hatterene.
- Rotom-H and Rotom-W are effective pivots to allow Salamence to enter safely against foes such as Kommo-o and Tangrowth, and are great answers to Mamoswine. They can also provide Defog support so Salamence can focus on using both of its STABs, or Salamence can run Defog so the Rotom formes can run both Pain Split and a status move.
- The bulky Grass-types, Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth, are very useful at pivoting against special attackers such as Primarina and Starmie. Amoonguss and physically defensive Tangrowth are also good switch-ins to Knock Off for Salamence to keep its Heavy-Duty Boots. They enjoy Salamence being able to remove their checks like opposing Amoonguss and Rotom-H.
- mention switch-ins to fairy types (aegislash would be a good one)
-mention how revenge killers like meinshao and zarude can remove faster threats like Nihilego for mence

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 3: Dual Wingbeat
move 4: Earthquake
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Lum Berry
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Paragraph 1
- After one Dragon Dance, Salamence outspeeds threats that would otherwise revenge kill it like Nihilego, Noivern, and Choice Scarf Krookodile. and it outspeeds Choice Scarf users such as Mienshao after two boosts.
- +1 Outrage destroys many neutral targets like the Rotom formes as well as Krookodile. mention how Outrage locking salamence can hinder it sometimes, letting it be revenge killed by Fairy-types.
- Dragon Claw is also an option to avoid locking into Outrage, but it fails to KO many threats after one boost the way Outrage does against the aforementioned neutral targets and others like Moltres and Gyarados.
- +1 Dual Wingbeat OHKOes targets such as Kommo-o and Assault Vest Tangrowth. Dual Wingbeat also has the benefit of going through Keldeo's Substitute, though risking a burn from Scald is not ideal.
- Earthquake is vital coverage for Salamence that OHKOes Aegislash and Jirachi after two boosts.
-add a point about roost and how it can be slotted in over Dragon STAB to give mence better longevity against threats like zarude, allowing it to provide defensive utility while being a win con
-add a point about fire fang> earthquake, it can OHKO scizor and do considerable damage to amoonguss as well as the steels but then mence is walled by diancie and may be forced to use outrage to deal with rhyperior and nihilego
- Moxie gives Salamence an easier time to get multiple boosts to KO bulky targets like Galarian Slowbro while making it more difficult to revenge kill.
-talk about intimidate as an option for BO teams for it to setup easier
- Lum Berry can give Salamence more room to setup on Pokemon like Seismitoad by being able to shrug off status. However, Stealth Rock damage will put Salamence into range of Lycanroc-D's Accelerock.


Paragraph 2
- This set fits on offensive and hyper offense teams as a sweeper that can leave teams weakened enough for its other offensive teammates or as a late game cleaner that can easily capitalize on the weakened opposition alongside Moxie.
- Screens support from Grimmsnarl or Alolan Ninetales is able to help Salamence set up more safely and make it more difficult to revenge kill. (screens are meh so its cut)
- Hazard support from teammates like Spikes Mew can put bulky targets such as Aegislash into range of being KOed by Salamence. Sticky Web from Slurpuff allows Salamence to outspeed targets like Nihilego without a boost and KO them for easier Moxie boosts.
- Teammates that overwhelm physically bulky Pokemon such as Quagsire are valuable assets to this set. Gyarados can OHKO Quagsire with Power Whip and Kommo-o can overwhelm it with Clanging Scales. Gyarados and Kommo-o also heavily appreciate Salamence helping overwhelm checks like Amoonguss and Reuniclus.
- Celesteela completely walls this set so wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T and Nasty Plot Rotom-H are an option. Rotom-H and Thundurus-T also appreciate Salamence removing Chansey and Aegislash or leaving them weakened enough to pick off.
-bring up some early game wallbreakers like keldeo and azumarill that can break through Pokemon like rhyperior and celesteela, allowing mence to clean lategame
-bring up pivots who can bring mence in safely to set up. Rotom-H and Sciz are some good examples. You can also go into depth about how scizor can deal with fairy-types like Hatterene and Primarina while also revenge killing nihilego, mamoswine, and lycanroc-D for mence.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Air Slash Dual Wingbeat/ Toxic
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Paragraph 1
- Air Slash is a more accurate STAB move that helps Salamence check dangerous opponents such as Conkeldurr.
-talk about dual wingbeat since we changed the set. One thing to especially note is that dual wingbeat helps it take on sub cm keldeo, an otherwise huge threat to stall teams
- Toxic can be used instead to cripple out Stealth Rock setters such as Rhyperior while wearing down wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, though Salamence becomes much more passive against the aforementioned Conkeldurr as well as Buzzwole. (flame still 2HKOs)
-talk about the EVs with max HP and max speed since the set was changed
- Intimidate alongside the additional bulk makes Salamence a studier switch-in to Buzzwole, Gyarados, and Rotom-W Scizor (how does mence deal with rotom-w easier with intimidate lol) although it has to be wary of coverage from the former two.


Paragraph 2
- This set is suited to defensive and stall teams as means to relieve hazard pressure from the likes of Mew Cobalion (mew usually runs ice beam so I changed it) and Krookodile.
- Hazard setters such as Necrozma and Nihilego are significant threats so Chansey and Jirachi can help outlast them while also providing their own Stealth Rock support. Both of them appreciate Salamence as a pivot against Buzzwole and Keldeo.
- Umbreon can check the likes of Mamoswine and Gyarados, and Inner Focus ensures that it doesn't get flinched while doing so. Umbreon also provides valuable Heal Bell support to restore any status and heavily appreciates the support against Fighting-types like Cobalion as well as Scizor.
- Quagsire keeps Salamence from being overwhelmed while checking Scizor and walls opposing Dragon Dance Salamence and Lycanroc-D. Quagsire enjoys Salamence keeping back threats like Zarude and Tangrowth.
- Knock Off support is very beneficial from teammates such as Nihilego so Salamence can outlast threats such as Rhyperior and Aegislash. Nihilego also appreciates Salamence checking threats such as Scizor, Krookodile, and Jirachi.
-bring up grasses commonly on defensive and stall teams like amoonguss and tangrowth that can help answer threats like keldeo and lycanroc-D for mence. You can also bring up their ability to act as a Knock off absorber for mence

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- Intimidate is an alternative option on the Dragon Dance set to give Salamence an easier time to setup in front of Pokemon like Mienshao, though it forgoes much of Salamence's ability to sweep. (this is now a mention on the DD set)
-talk about fire blast>flamethrower on the special attacking set
- Life Orb gives Dragon Dance Salamence easier opportunities to pick up KOs such as against Nidoqueen without a boost with Earthquake and Tentacruel after Stealth Rock. However, the boost is often unnecessary and Salamence becomes much easier to wear down between Stealth Rock and recoil.
- Dragon Rush is a middle ground for having more power than Dragon Claw without being locked into Outrage but the subpar accuracy makes it inconsistent.
-bring up dragon tail on defensive mence to act as a phaser
-bring up choice scarf
-bring up choice Specs with hydro pump to lure rhyperior

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

**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Primarina and Hatterene are able to take advantage of Salamence's lack of coverage for them and have the bulk to take a hit and either set up or KO. Though niche, Diancie completely walls any special attacking variants of Salamence, has the bulk to live through a +1 Earthquake from Dragon Dance sets, and has Heal Bell to restore Toxic from itself and its teammates.

**Rock-types and Rock-type Coverage**: Without Draco Meteor, Salamence especially struggles to relieve Stealth Rock pressure from the likes of Nihilego and Rhyperior, and the former being immune to Toxic. Lycanroc-D is a notable offensive threat because it can OHKO Salamence with -1 Stone Edge with minimal chip and Accelerock will easily revenge kill after its Heavy-Duty Boots have been knocked off, though Lycanroc-D cannot switch into Salamence safely. talk about rock-type coverage on pokemon like krookodile and necrozma as well.

add a point about ice types and ice type coverage. Pokemon worth bringing up are mamoswine as well as Pokemon like Mew, buzzwole, and keldeo who commonly run ice coverage

**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Chansey and Celesteela can survive Salamence's attacks by virtue of their massive special bulk and wear Salamence down with Toxic and Leech Seed, respectively. Though Assault Vest Tangrowth has to fear Hurricane, it can recover much of the damage with Regenerator and can Knock Off Heavy-Duty Boots to hinder Salamence's longevity or chance a Sludge Bomb poison. mention how chansey and Tang should watch out for DD variants. its worth bringing up pokemon like umbreon as well, since umbreon matches well against DD mence.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mystras Leoxses, 530118]]
- Quality checked by: [[Monky25, 515132], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

QC 1/3
Add remove comment

 

[Mystras]

should be fine now

 

[Twilight]

Mystras Leoxses, post: 8865060, member: 530118

- Salamence is a premier threat in the metagame because of its versatility that allows it to be usable in a wide range of team archetypes, ranging from hyper offense and bulky offense to stall.
- It's typing, natural bulk, and access to Intimidate means that Salamence can check common threats such as Scizor and Zarude.
- Depending on the team, Salamence can choose to focus on its solid Special Attack alongside powerful Hurricanes and Draco Meteors, or become a Dragon Dance user able to sweep teams with Moxie. That coupled with coverage in Flamethrower for special sets and Earthquake for setup sets make Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill.
- It is a solid offensive user of Defog with its coverage and speed tier to beat Stealth Rock users such as Cobalion and Krookodile.
- Although, its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon its supposed to check such as the aforementioned Scizor and others like Tangrowth and Krookodile.
- It's ability to act as a defogger is hindered by other common Stealth Rock setters such as Nihilego and Rhyperior.
- Salamence is often open to being KOed by Fairy-types such as Hatterene and Primarina thanks to their high natural bulk and powerful STAB moves.
- It's quadruple weakness to Ice means that Salamence has to be careful of threats that can carry coverage such as Jirachi, Buzzwole, and Keldeo.
- Its speed tier, while not bad, leaves it vulnerable to the likes of Thundurus and Nihilego. Dragon Dance sets are also prone to being revenge killed by priority users like Mamoswine and Lycanroc-D and Choice Scarf users such as Mienshao.
- Dragon Dance sets rely on getting a boost or multiple to be very threatening so it can be taken advantage of by aggressive play as it sets up.


[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor / Defog
move 2: Hurricane / Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD/ 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Paragraph 1
- Salamence can run Defog over either of its STABs by team preference. Draco Meteor is more useful for opponents like Rotom-W, Rotom-H, and Rhyperior while being more accurate, whereas Hurricane 2HKOes Assault Vest Tangrowth and has a significant chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. However, Salamence prefers having both STABs so it can threaten as much as possible.
- Flamethrower is solid overage for Pokemon such as Scizor and Cobalion while having more accuracy over Hurricane to finish off weakened targets such as the aforementioned Grass-types and Buzzwole.
- Roost improves Salamence's longevity, as it is more difficult to wear down by the likes of Amoonguss and Cobalion.
- Heavy-Duty Boots grants Salamence an immunity to Stealth Rock, which greatly improves its longevity.
- Intimidate makes Salamence a more reliable switch-in to threats such as Jirachi and Zarude while making them easier to pivot around.

Paragraph 2
- This set fits on many offensive, bulky offense, and balance teams for its wallbreaking capabilities against Pokemon like Amoonguss while providing important defensive utility against other opponents like Keldeo.
- Stealth Rock setters such as Nidoqueen and Krookodile are able to soften up Pokemon like Celesteela for Salamence to eventually overwhelm it. These teammates also help break through other checks such as Rhyperior and Diancie and appreciate support against Keldeo. Reword this to say what they break then have the secondary point be that they can also set rocks.
- Steel-types such as ???
- Scizor is an end game cleaner that takes advantage of Salamence removing potential roadblocks such as Moltres. Moltres should not be a pivot into Salamence and it's likely not staying in. Nearly all Scizor answers are going to do the same. Use some better examples that appreciate Fairy-types being worn down because Hurricane does a lot to foes like Hatterene and Azumarill. So Pokemon like Keldeo or Buzzwole would be more fitting examples. Scizor also deals with Stealth Rock setters Salamence has troubles against like Chansey and Nihilego while revenge killing Lycanroc-D and Hatterene.
- Rotom-H and Rotom-W are effective pivots to allow Salamence to enter safely against foes such as Kommo-o and Tangrowth, and are great answers to Mamoswine. They can also provide Defog support so Salamence can focus on using both of its STABs, or Salamence can run Defog so the Rotom formes can run both Pain Split and a status move. I'd keep this to just how they support mence even if you are more likely to run Defog on mence and have the Rotom free up their slots
- Revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Mienshao can handle faster Pokemon such as Nihilego and Lycanroc-D.



[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw / Roost
move 3: Dual Wingbeat
move 4: Earthquake
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Lum Berry
ability: Moxie / Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Paragraph 1
- After one Dragon Dance, Salamence outspeeds threats that would otherwise revenge kill it like Nihilego, Noivern, and Choice Scarf Krookodile. After two boosts, it loses the risk of being revenge killed by other faster threats such as Choice Scarf Mienshao and Zarude.
- +1 Outrage destroys many neutral targets like the Rotom formes as well as Krookodile, though there is always the risk of being revenge killed by Fairy- or Steel-type like Azumarill and Hatterene Neither of these are Steel-types and anyways most of our Steel-types are taking 50 from +1 Outrage.
- Dragon Claw is also an option to avoid locking into Outrage, but it fails to KO many threats after one boost the way Outrage does against the aforementioned neutral targets and others like Moltres and Gyarados.
- +1 Dual Wingbeat OHKOes targets such as Kommo-o and Assault Vest Tangrowth. Dual Wingbeat also has the benefit of going through Keldeo's Substitute, though risking a burn from Scald is not ideal.
- Earthquake is vital coverage for Salamence that OHKOes Aegislash and Jirachi after two boosts.
- Fire Fang can be used to OHKO Scizor and damage Celesteela, but this leaves Salamence walled by Diancie and forces Salamence to lock into Outrage to KO Rhyperior and Nihilego. Fire Fang also requires more chip damage to KO the likes of Aegislash and Jirachi.
- Moxie gives Salamence an easier time to get multiple boosts to KO bulky targets like Galarian Slowbro while making it more difficult to revenge kill.
- Intimidate alongside Roost allows Salamence to setup more easily against the likes of Jirachi and Zarude, and helps Salamence fit on more bulky offense teams. However, Intimidate sacrifices Salamence's ability to sweep as easily and Roost over Dragon- STAB leaves Salamence vulnerable to Rotom-H and Rotom-W. State that Roost is over Dragon STAB somewhere. It making it easier to fit on BO isn't really true, it's just more about longevity and lets you take advantage of its defensive typing if needed.
- Lum Berry can give Salamence more room to setup on Pokemon like Seismitoad by being able to shrug off status. However, Stealth Rock damage will put Salamence into range of Lycanroc-D's Accelerock. oo


Paragraph 2
- This set fits on offensive and hyper offense teams as a sweeper that can leave teams weakened enough for its other offensive teammates or as a late game cleaner that can easily capitalize on the weakened opposition alongside Moxie.
- Hazard support from teammates like Spikes Mew can put bulky targets such as Aegislash into range of being KOed by Salamence. Sticky Web from Slurpuff allows Salamence to outspeed targets like Nihilego without a boost and KO them for easier Moxie boosts.
- Celesteela walls this set without Fire Fang so early wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T and Nasty Plot Rotom-H are good options to get rid of such roadblocks. Rotom-H and Thundurus-T also appreciate Salamence removing Chansey and Aegislash or leaving them weakened enough to pick off. Neither of these two really need help removing Aegislash.
- Other teammates that overwhelm physically bulky Pokemon such as Quagsire are valuable assets to this set. Gyarados can OHKO Quagsire with Power Whip and Kommo-o can overwhelm it with Clanging Scales. Gyarados and Kommo-o also heavily appreciate Salamence helping overwhelm checks like Amoonguss and Reuniclus. I'd rather see Prima > Reuni because if I'm running a dragon core this would be the reason for it
- Pivots such as Jirachi and Zarude can position Salamence to set up on the likes Tangrowth and force out Kommo-o.

Partners like Scizor and Azumarill that can check and remove mamo and lycanroc would be great given they are the best means of revenging it outside of scarfers

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Dual Wingbeat / Toxic
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Paragraph 1
- Dual Wingbeat is a reliable STAB that helps against threats to defensive teams such as Substitute Keldeo.
- Toxic can be used instead to cripple Stealth Rock setters such as Rhyperior while wearing down wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, though Salamence becomes much more passive against the aforementioned Conkeldurr and Buzzwole.
- Intimidate alongside the additional HP investment makes Salamence a studier switch-in to Buzzwole, Gyarados, and Scizor although it has to be wary of coverage from the former two. Explain why you run max Speed


Paragraph 2
- This set is suited to defensive and stall teams as means to relieve hazard pressure from the likes of Cobalion and Krookodile.
- Hazard setters such as Necrozma and Nihilego are significant threats so Chansey and Jirachi can help outlast them while also providing their own Stealth Rock support. Both of them appreciate Salamence as a pivot against Buzzwole and Keldeo.
- Umbreon can check the likes of Mamoswine and Gyarados, and Inner Focus ensures that it doesn't get flinched while doing so. Umbreon also provides valuable Heal Bell support to restore any status and heavily appreciates the support against Fighting-types like Cobalion as well as Scizor.
- Quagsire keeps Salamence from being overwhelmed while checking Scizor and walls opposing Dragon Dance Salamence and Lycanroc-D. Quagsire enjoys Salamence keeping back threats Pokemon like Zarude and Tangrowth.
- Knock Off support is very beneficial from teammates such as Nihilego so Salamence can outlast threats such as Rhyperior and Aegislash. Nihilego also appreciates Salamence checking threats such as Scizor, Krookodile, and Jirachi. The whole mence does X for Y on every point is getting a bit repetitive
- The bulky Grass-types, Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth, are very useful at pivoting against special attackers such as Primarina and Starmie. Amoonguss and physically defensive Tangrowth are also good switch-ins to Knock Off for Salamence to keep its Heavy-Duty Boots. They enjoy Salamence being able to remove their checks like opposing Amoonguss.

Give a mention to Hatterene as it eases up Salamence's role as a hazard remover thanks to Magic Bounce. This being particularly useful against Mew

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- Fire Blast over Flamethrower on the special attacking set gives Salamence more power against the likes of Celesteela and Aegislash, however the additional power is not often needed and they can be overwhelmed with Flamethrower regardless.
- Life Orb gives Dragon Dance Salamence easier opportunities to pick up KOs such as against Nidoqueen without a boost with Earthquake and Tentacruel after Stealth Rock. However, the boost is often unnecessary and Salamence becomes much easier to wear down between Stealth Rock and recoil.
- Dragon Rush is a middle ground for having more power than Dragon Claw without being locked into Outrage but the subpar accuracy makes it inconsistent. Just make this Dclaw instead with me removing from DD. It's ridiculously weak to really be worth it
- Dragon Tail on the defensive set over Dual Wingbeat lets Salamence spread residual damage, though this is more unreliable than Toxic against the likes of Primarina.
- Choice Scarf alongside Moxie can give Salamence is a surprise sweeping potential as it doesn't require a boost to outspeed targets such as Keldeo and revenge kills sweepers such as Clangorous Soul Kommo-o.
- Choice Specs augments Salamence's breaking ability and can lure Rhyperior with Hydro Pump.

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

**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Primarina and Hatterene are able to take advantage of Salamence's lack of coverage for them and have the bulk to take a hit and either set up or KO. Though niche, Diancie completely walls any special attacking variants of Salamence, has the bulk to live through a +1 Earthquake from Dragon Dance sets, and restores itself and its teammate from Toxic with Heal Bell.

**Rock-types and Rock-type Coverage**: Without Draco Meteor, Salamence especially struggles to relieve Stealth Rock pressure from the likes of Nihilego and Rhyperior, and the former being immune to Toxic. Lycanroc-D is a notable offensive threat because it can OHKO Salamence with -1 Stone Edge with minimal chip and Accelerock will easily revenge kill after its Heavy-Duty Boots have been knocked off, though Lycanroc-D cannot switch into Salamence safely. This extends to Pokemon that commonly carries coverage such as Mienshao and Krookodile to revenge kill Salamence.

**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Chansey and Assault Vest Tangrowth can survive Salamence's attacks by virtue of their massive special bulk and cripple Salamence with Toxic and Knock Off, respectively; Tang doesn't make much sense here because it's not like it wins 1vs1 ever. Use AV Glowbro because that can run Ice Beam to just OHKO mence. However, the two cannot reliably tank hits from Dragon Dance sets. Umbreon has the natural bulk to survive Salamence's special attacks and takes advantage of Dragon Dance sets with Foul Play. Celesteela is an especially detrimental defensive threat because its massive bulk makes it difficult to wear down and walls Dragon Dance completely without Fire Fang.

I shall make the executive decision to just give Mamoswine its own point here. It's the most consistent revenge killer to Salamence and should come up 100%.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mystras Leoxses, 530118]]
- Quality checked by: [[Monky25, 515132], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

2/3 write it up

add remove comments

 

[Mystras]

The whole mence does X for Y on every point is getting a bit repetitive

Should be all done, and I'll try to work on that sort of habit in the future

 

[BigFatMantis]

ADD
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COMMENT

3/3 Good work

Mencemeat

[OVERVIEW]

Salamence is a premier threat in the metagame because of its versatility that allows it to be usable in a wide range of team archetypes, ranging from hyper offense and bulky offense to stall. It's typing, natural bulk, and access to Intimidate means that Salamence can check common threats such as Scizor and Zarude. Depending on the team, Salamence can choose to focus on its solid Special Attack alongside powerful Hurricanes and Draco Meteors, or become a Dragon Dance user able to sweep teams with Moxie. That coupled with coverage in Flamethrower for special sets and Earthquake for setup sets make Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill. It is a solid offensive user of Defog with its coverage and speed tier to beat Stealth Rock users such as Cobalion (this is fine, but mentioning Speed Tier earlier is strange since Coba is faster, and Nihi is also faster) and Krookodile. Although, its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon its supposed to check such as the aforementioned Scizor and others like Tangrowth and Krookodile. It's ability to act as a defogger is hindered by other common Stealth Rock setters such as Nihilego and Rhyperior. (Rearrange the last three sentences here a bit - your points about Defog should follow one another, as Salamence actually does not beat most common Rockers since Nihi and Rhyp are very common, but still beats Coba and Krook) Salamence is often open to being KOed by Fairy-types such as Hatterene and Primarina thanks to their high natural bulk and powerful STAB moves. It's quadruple weakness to Ice means that Salamence has to be careful of threats that can carry coverage such as Jirachi, Buzzwole, and Keldeo. Its speed tier, while not bad, leaves it vulnerable to the likes of Thundurus and Nihilego. Dragon Dance sets are also prone to being revenge killed by priority users like Mamoswine and Lycanroc-D and Choice Scarf users such as Mienshao. Dragon Dance sets rely on getting a boost or multiple to be very threatening so it can be taken advantage of by aggressive play as it sets up. (I'm not sure what you were trying to say with this last point so better to just remove it)

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor / Defog
move 2: Hurricane / Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD/ 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Salamence can run Defog over either of its STABs by team preference. (Starting off with Defog feels awkward since it's not used primarily on this set - I would talk about Draco and Hurricane and then mention you can run defog over either of those afterwards) Draco Meteor is more useful for opponents like Rotom-W, Rotom-H, and Rhyperior while being more accurate, whereas Hurricane 2HKOes Assault Vest Tangrowth and has a significant chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. However, Salamence prefers having both STABs so it can threaten as much as possible. Flamethrower is solid overage for Pokemon such as Scizor and Cobalion Aegislash while having more accuracy over Hurricane to finish off weakened targets such as the aforementioned Grass-types and Buzzwole. Roost improves Salamence's longevity, as it is more difficult to wear down by the likes of Amoonguss (Amoonguss is probably sleeping it before it does anything else) Scizor and Cobalion. Heavy-Duty Boots grants Salamence an immunity to Stealth Rock, which greatly improves its longevity. (You can proabably combine this point with Roost since you mention Longevity both times) Intimidate makes Salamence a more reliable switch-in to threats such as Jirachi and Zarude while making them easier to pivot around.

This set fits on many bulky offense and balance teams for its wallbreaking capabilities against Pokemon like Amoonguss while providing important defensive utility against other opponents like Keldeo. Nidoqueen and Krookodile are able to break Salamence's checks like Diancie and Rhyperior. Both also provide Stealth Rock support to soften up defensive Pokemon such as Celesteela and appreciate support against Keldeo. Scizor is an end game cleaner that takes advantage of Salamence removing potential roadblocks such as Buzzwole. Scizor also deals with Stealth Rock setters Salamence has troubles against like Chansey and Nihilego while revenge killing Lycanroc-D and Hatterene. Rotom-H and Rotom-W are effective pivots to allow Salamence to enter safely against foes such as Kommo-o and Tangrowth, and are great answers to Mamoswine. They can also provide Defog support so Salamence can focus on using both of its STABs. Galarian Slowbro is a good win condition that puts Hatterene and Primarina into range of being KOed by Hurricane. (Using GBro as a win condition implies you are finishing the team off with it, so putting things into Hurricane KO range wouldn't matter. Consider re-wording this a bit) Revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Mienshao can handle faster Pokemon such as Nihilego and Lycanroc-D. (What other Revenge Killers can you put here, since you are using it as a category instead of just using Mienshao individually.)

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage / Roost
move 3: Dual Wingbeat
move 4: Earthquake
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Moxie / Intimidate (QC decided to slash the roost/DD/Intimidate set here)
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

After one Dragon Dance, Salamence outspeeds threats that would otherwise revenge kill it like Nihilego, Noivern, and Choice Scarf Krookodile. After two boosts, it loses the risk of being revenge killed by other faster threats such as Choice Scarf Mienshao and Zarude. +1 Outrage destroys many neutral targets like the Rotom formes as well as Krookodile, though there is always the risk of being revenge killed by Fairy-type like Azumarill and Hatterene. +1 Dual Wingbeat OHKOes targets such as Kommo-o and Assault Vest Tangrowth. Dual Wingbeat also has the benefit of going through Keldeo's Substitute, though risking a burn from Scald is not ideal. Earthquake is vital coverage for Salamence that OHKOes Aegislash and Jirachi after two boosts. Fire Fang can be used to OHKO Scizor and damage Celesteela, but this leaves Salamence walled by Diancie and forces Salamence to lock into Outrage to KO Rhyperior and Nihilego. Fire Fang also requires more chip damage to KO the likes of Aegislash and Jirachi. (Cut the Fire Fang discussion down a bit, as Fire Fang is rarely used) Moxie gives Salamence an easier time to get multiple boosts to KO bulky targets like Galarian Slowbro while making it more difficult to revenge kill. Roost over Dragon- STAB helps Salamence take advantage of its defensive typing for more longevity if needed, but leaves Salamence much more vulnerable to Rotom-W and Rotom-H. (Since we are slashing the Roost/Intimidate set here, expand on this a bit more now)

This set fits on offensive and hyper offense teams as a sweeper that can leave teams weakened enough for its other offensive teammates or as a late game cleaner that can easily capitalize on the weakened opposition alongside Moxie. (The Intimidate/Roost option can also fit on Balance or BO teams, so you'll have to add that now as well) Hazard support from teammates like Spikes Mew can put bulky targets such as Aegislash into range of being KOed by Salamence. Sticky Web from Slurpuff allows Salamence to outspeed targets like Nihilego without a boost and KO them for easier Moxie boosts. Celesteela walls this set so early wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T and Nasty Plot Rotom-H are good options to get rid of such roadblocks. Rotom-H and Thundurus-T also appreciate Salamence removing Chansey or leaving it weakened enough to pick off. Other teammates that overwhelm physically bulky Pokemon such as Quagsire are valuable assets to this set. Gyarados can OHKO Quagsire with Power Whip and Kommo-o can overwhelm it with Clanging Scales. Gyarados and Kommo-o also heavily appreciate Salamence helping overwhelm checks like Amoonguss and Primarina. Pivots such as Jirachi and Zarude can position Salamence to set up on the likes Tangrowth and force out Kommo-o. Mamoswine is a consistent danger to Salamence so revenge killers such as Azumarill and Scizor are appreciated.


[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Dual Wingbeat / Toxic
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dual Wingbeat is a reliable STAB that helps against threats to defensive teams such as Substitute Keldeo. Toxic can be used instead to cripple Stealth Rock setters such as Rhyperior while wearing down wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, though Salamence becomes much more passive against Conkeldurr and Buzzwole (It still has Flamethrower for Buzz - use something else like Mienshao or Kommo-o). Intimidate alongside the additional HP investment makes Salamence a studier switch-in to Buzzwole, Gyarados, and Scizor although it has to be wary of coverage from the former two. Maximum Speed investment is needed for Salamence to be less passive against other offensive threats such as Kommo-o and Krookodile.

This set is suited to defensive and stall teams as means to relieve hazard pressure from the likes of Cobalion and Krookodile. Hazard setters such as Necrozma and Nihilego are significant threats so Chansey and Jirachi can help outlast them while also providing their own Stealth Rock support. Both of them appreciate Salamence as a pivot against Buzzwole and Keldeo. Umbreon can check the likes of Mamoswine and Gyarados. Umbreon also provides valuable Heal Bell support to restore any status and heavily appreciates the support against Fighting-types like Cobalion as well as Scizor. Quagsire keeps Salamence from being overwhelmed while checking Scizor and walls opposing Dragon Dance Salamence and Lycanroc-D. Quagsire enjoys Salamence keeping back Pokemon like Zarude and Tangrowth. Knock Off support is very beneficial from teammates such as Nihilego so Salamence can outlast threats such as Rhyperior and Aegislash. The bulky Grass-types, like Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth, are very useful at pivoting against special attackers such as Primarina and Starmie. Amoonguss and physically defensive Tangrowth are also good switch-ins to Knock Off for Salamence to keep its Heavy-Duty Boots. Hatterene is a good teammate to ease Salamence's role as a hazard remover with Magic Bounce, which is particularly useful against Mew.


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

Fire Blast over Flamethrower on the special attacking set gives Salamence more power against the likes of Celesteela and Aegislash, however the additional power is not often needed and they can be overwhelmed with Flamethrower regardless (mention the accuracy, as that is the main reason to use Flame over FB). Life Orb gives Dragon Dance Salamence easier opportunities to pick up KOs such as against Nidoqueen without a boost with Earthquake and Tentacruel after Stealth Rock. However, the boost is often unnecessary and Salamence becomes much easier to wear down between Stealth Rock and recoil. Lum Berry can give Salamence more room to setup on Pokemon like Seismitoad by being able to shrug off status. However, Stealth Rock damage will put Salamence into range of Lycanroc-D's Accelerock. Dragon Claw is also an option to avoid locking into Outrage, but the trade off in power for neutral targets such as Gyarados is often not worth it. Dragon Tail on the defensive set over Dual Wingbeat lets Salamence spread residual damage, though this is more unreliable than Toxic against foes like Primarina. Choice Scarf alongside Moxie can give Salamence is a surprise sweeping potential as it doesn't require a boost to outspeed targets such as Keldeo and revenge kills sweepers such as Clangorous Soul Kommo-o. Choice Specs augments Salamence's breaking ability and can lure Rhyperior with Hydro Pump.

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

**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Primarina and Hatterene are able to take advantage of Salamence's lack of coverage for them and have the bulk to take a hit and either set up or KO. Though niche, Diancie completely walls any special attacking variants of Salamence, has the bulk to live through a +1 Earthquake from Dragon Dance sets, and restores itself and its teammate from Toxic with Heal Bell.

**Rock-types and Rock-type Coverage**: Without Draco Meteor, Salamence especially struggles to relieve Stealth Rock pressure from the likes of Nihilego and Rhyperior, and the former being immune to Toxic. Lycanroc-D is a notable offensive threat because it can OHKO Salamence with -1 Stone Edge with minimal chip and Accelerock will easily revenge kill after its Heavy-Duty Boots have been knocked off, though Lycanroc-D cannot switch into Salamence safely. This extends to Pokemon that commonly carries coverage such as Mienshao and Krookodile to revenge kill Salamence.

**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Chansey and Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro can survive Salamence's attacks by virtue of their massive special bulk and take out Salamence with Toxic and Ice Beam, respectively. However, the two cannot reliably tank hits from Dragon Dance sets. Umbreon has the natural bulk to survive Salamence's special attacks and takes advantage of Dragon Dance sets with Foul Play. Celesteela is an especially detrimental defensive threat because its massive bulk makes it difficult to wear down and walls Dragon Dance completely without Fire Fang.

**Mamoswine**: Mamoswine is the most consistent revenge killer to Salamence as Ice Shard OHKOes any set.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mystras Leoxses, 530118]]
- Quality checked by: [[Monky25, 515132], [Twilight, 344575], [BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

 

[Mystras]

should be done now, and thanks

 

[romanji]

SalAMence CHECK

add (AC)=comma (AH)=hyphen
remove (RC)=comma
comments

that one level 9 salamence on route 3

[OVERVIEW]

Salamence is a premier threat in the metagame because with of its versatility that allows it to be usable in a wide range of team archetypes, ranging from hyper offense and bulky offense to stall hyper offense, bulky offense, and stall. It's Its typing, natural bulk, and access to Intimidate means that Salamence can check common threats such as Krookodile and Zarude. Salamence can choose to focus on its solid Special Attack alongside powerful Hurricanes and Draco Meteors, or become a Dragon Dance user able to sweep teams with Moxie sweep teams with Dragon Dance and Moxie. That coupled with coverage in Flamethrower for special sets and Earthquake for setup Dragon Dance sets make Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill. It is a solid offensive user of Defog with its coverage to beat Stealth Rock users such as Cobalion and Krookodile. However, Salamence's ability to act as a Defogger is hindered by the other common Stealth Rock setters, such as Nihilego and Rhyperior. Its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon its supposed to check such as the aforementioned Krookodile and others like Tangrowth. Salamence is often open to being KOed by Fairy-types such as Hatterene and Primarina,(AC) thanks to their high natural bulk and powerful STAB moves. It's quadruple Its 4x weakness to Ice means that Salamence has to be careful of threats that can carry coverage such as Jirachi, Buzzwole, and Keldeo. Its speed tier, while not bad, leaves it vulnerable to the likes of Thundurus and Nihilego. Dragon Dance sets are also prone to being revenge killed by priority users like Mamoswine and Lycanroc-D and Choice Scarf users such as Mienshao.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor / Defog
move 2: Hurricane / Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD (add space) / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Draco Meteor helps against many neutral targets such as Rotom-H, Rotom-W and Rhyperior. Hurricane is also great, as it 2HKOes Assault Vest Tangrowth and has a significant chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Defog can be used over either STAB move by team preference, though losing Draco Meteor makes Salamence significantly worse against the aforementioned neutral targets as well as Nihilego, whereas losing Hurricane can be detrimental against threats such as Azumarill and Primarina. Flamethrower is solid overage for Pokemon such as Jirachi and Aegislash while having more accuracy over Hurricane to finish off weakened targets such as the Grass-types Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Buzzwole. Roost alongside Heavy-Duty Boots improves Salamence's longevity, as it grants Salamence an immunity to Stealth Rock and makes it more difficult to wear down by the likes of Zarude and Cobalion. Heavy-Duty Boots grants Salamence an immunity to Stealth Rock, which greatly improves its longevity. (you already said this) Intimidate makes Salamence a more reliable switch-in to threats such as Jirachi and Zarude while making them easier to pivot around.

This set fits on many bulky offense and balance teams for its wallbreaking capabilities against Pokemon like Amoonguss while providing important defensive utility against other opponents like Keldeo. Nidoqueen and Krookodile are able to break Salamence's checks like Diancie and Rhyperior. Both also provide Stealth Rock support to soften up defensive Pokemon such as Celesteela and appreciate support against Keldeo. Lycanroc-D is an end game late-game cleaner that takes advantage of Salamence removing potential roadblocks such as Buzzwole. Lycanroc-D also threatens Stealth Rock setters Salamence has troubles against like Chansey and Nihilego. Rotom-H and Rotom-W are effective pivots to allow Salamence to enter safely against foes such as Kommo-o and Tangrowth, and are great answers to Mamoswine. They can also provide Defog support so Salamence can focus on using use both of its STABs STAB moves. Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro helps pivot around and deal with the likes of Primarina and Hatterene. Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile and Mienshao can handle faster Pokemon such as Nihilego and Lycanroc-D.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage / Roost
move 3: Dual Wingbeat
move 4: Earthquake
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Moxie / Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

After one Dragon Dance, Salamence outspeeds threats that would otherwise revenge kill it like Nihilego, Noivern, and Choice Scarf Krookodile. After two boosts, it loses the risk of being revenge killed by other faster threats such as Choice Scarf Mienshao and Zarude. +1 Outrage destroys many neutral targets like the Rotom formes as well as Krookodile, though there is always the risk of being revenge killed by Fairy-type like Azumarill and Hatterene. +1 Dual Wingbeat OHKOes targets such as Kommo-o and Assault Vest Tangrowth. Dual Wingbeat also has the benefit of going through Keldeo's Substitute, though risking a burn from Scald is not ideal. Earthquake is vital coverage for Salamence that OHKOes Aegislash and Jirachi after two boosts. Moxie gives Salamence an easier time to get multiple boosts to KO bulky targets like Galarian Slowbro while making it more difficult to revenge kill. Roost over its Dragon- STAB Outrage alongside Intimidate helps Salamence take advantage of its defensive typing for more longevity if needed while still being offensively potent, but this leaves Salamence much more vulnerable to Rotom-W and Rotom-H.

This set fits on offensive and hyper offense teams as a sweeper that can leave teams weakened enough for its other offensive teammates or as a late-game (AH) cleaner that can easily capitalize on the weakened opposition alongside Moxie. Sets that use Intimidate and Roost also fit well on bulky offense and balance teams that appreciate Salamence's defensive utility while also being a potential win condition. Stealth Rock support from teammates like Krookodile can put bulky targets such as Rotom-W into range of being KOed by Salamence. Sticky Web from Ribombee allows Salamence to outspeed targets like Nihilego without a boost for easier Moxie boosts. Celesteela walls this set so early wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T and Nasty Plot Rotom-H are good options to get rid of it. Rotom-H and Thundurus-T They also appreciate Salamence removing Chansey or leaving it weakened enough to pick off. Other teammates that overwhelm physically bulky Pokemon such as Quagsire are valuable assets to this set. Gyarados can OHKO Quagsire it with Power Whip and Kommo-o can overwhelm it with Clanging Scales. Gyarados and Kommo-o They also heavily appreciate benefit (trying not to sound repetitive) Salamence helping overwhelm checks like Amoonguss and Primarina. Pivots such as Jirachi and Zarude can position Salamence to set up on the likes Tangrowth and force out Kommo-o. Mamoswine is a consistent revenge killer to Salamence so teammates to KO it back such as Azumarill are appreciated.


[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Dual Wingbeat / Toxic
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dual Wingbeat is a reliable STAB that helps against threats to defensive teams such as Substitute Keldeo. Toxic can be used instead to cripple Stealth Rock setters such as Rhyperior while wearing down wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, though Salamence becomes much more passive against Conkeldurr and Mienshao. Intimidate alongside the additional HP investment makes Salamence a studier more sturdy switch-in to Buzzwole and Gyarados, although it has to be wary of their coverage. Maximum Speed investment is needed for Salamence to be less passive against other offensive threats such as Kommo-o and Krookodile.

This set is suited to defensive and stall teams as means to relieve hazard pressure from the likes of Cobalion and Krookodile. Hazard setters such as Necrozma and Nihilego are significant threats so Chansey and Jirachi can help outlast them while also providing their own Stealth Rock support. Both of them appreciate Salamence as a pivot against Buzzwole and Keldeo. Umbreon can check the likes of Mamoswine and Gyarados while providing valuable Heal Bell support to relieve any status, and it heavily appreciates the support against Fighting-types like Cobalion and Buzzwole. Quagsire keeps Salamence from being overwhelmed by opposing Dragon Dance Salamence and Lycanroc-D while enjoying Salamence keeping back Pokemon such as Zarude and Tangrowth. Knock Off support is very beneficial from teammates such as Nihilego so Salamence can outlast threats such as Rhyperior and Aegislash. Bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth (RC) are very useful at pivoting against special attackers such as Primarina and Starmie. Amoonguss and physically defensive Tangrowth are also good switch-ins to Knock Off for Salamence to keep its Heavy-Duty Boots. Hatterene is a good teammate to ease Salamence's role as a hazard remover with Magic Bounce.


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

Fire Blast over Flamethrower on the special attacking set gives Salamence more power against the likes of Celesteela and Aegislash, however Flamethrower's accuracy makes it more reliable, and the additional power is not often a necessity to overwhelm them. Life Orb gives Dragon Dance Salamence easier opportunities to pick up KOs such as against Nidoqueen without a boost with Earthquake and Tentacruel after Stealth Rock. However, the boost is often unnecessary and Salamence becomes much easier to wear down between Stealth Rock and recoil. Lum Berry can give Salamence more room to setup on Pokemon like Seismitoad by being able to shrug off status. However, but Stealth Rock damage will put Salamence into range of Lycanroc-D's Accelerock. Dragon Claw is also an option to avoid locking into Outrage, but the trade off in power for neutral targets such as Gyarados is often not worth it. Dragon Tail on the defensive set over Dual Wingbeat lets Salamence spread residual damage, though this is more unreliable than Toxic against foes like Primarina. Choice Scarf alongside Moxie can give Salamence is a surprise sweeping potential as it doesn't require a boost to outspeed targets such as Keldeo and revenge kills sweepers such as Clangorous Soul Kommo-o. Choice Specs augments increases Salamence's breaking ability and can lure Rhyperior with Hydro Pump.

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

**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Primarina and Hatterene are able to take advantage of Salamence's lack of coverage for them and have the bulk to take a hit and either set up or KO. Though niche, Diancie completely walls any special attacking variants of Salamence, has the bulk to live through a +1 Earthquake from Dragon Dance sets, and restores itself and its teammates from Toxic with Heal Bell.

**Rock-types and Rock-type Coverage**: Without Draco Meteor, Salamence especially struggles to relieve Stealth Rock pressure from the likes of Nihilego and Rhyperior, and the former being immune to Toxic. Lycanroc-D is a notable offensive threat because it can OHKO Salamence offensive variants with -1 Stone Edge with minimal chip and Accelerock will easily revenge kill after its Heavy-Duty Boots have been knocked off, though Lycanroc-D cannot switch into Salamence safely. This extends to Pokemon that commonly carries coverage such as Mienshao and Krookodile to revenge kill Salamence.

**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Chansey and Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro can survive Salamence's attacks by virtue of their massive special bulk and cripple or take out Salamence with Toxic and Ice Beam, respectively. However, the two cannot reliably tank hits from Dragon Dance sets. Umbreon has the natural bulk to survive Salamence's special attacks and takes advantage of Dragon Dance sets with Foul Play. Celesteela is an especially detrimental defensive threat because its massive bulk makes it difficult to wear down and walls Dragon Dance completely without Fire Fang. (Fire Fang isn't mentioned at all in the analysis.)

**Mamoswine**: Mamoswine is the most consistent revenge killer to Salamence as Ice Shard OHKOes any set.

 

[Mystras]

implemented

 

[Monky25]

mency mence

[OVERVIEW]
Salamence's typing, natural bulk, and Intimidate allows it check common threats such as Excadrill, Zarude, and Conkeldurr. Salamence can choose to focus on its solid Special Attack alongside powerful Hurricanes and Draco Meteors, or sweep teams with Dragon Dance and Moxie. That coupled with coverage in Flamethrower for special sets Earthquake for Dragon Dance sets make Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill. It is a solid Defogger that naturally beats Stealth Rock setters such as Excadrill and Krookodile. However, Salamence's ability to act as a Defogger is hindered by the other hazard setters, such as Nihilego and Chansey. Its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon its supposed to check such as Mienshao, Tangrowth, and Krookodile. Salamence is often open to being KOed by Fairy-types such as Hatterene and Primarina, thanks to their high natural bulk and powerful STAB moves. Its 4x weakness to Ice means that Salamence has to be careful of threats that can carry coverage such as Jirachi, Gyarados, and Nidoking. Its speed tier, while not bad, leaves it vulnerable to offensive threats such as Thundurus-T and Nihilego. Dragon Dance sets are also prone to being revenge killed by priority users like Mamoswine and Lycanroc-D and Choice Scarf users such as Mienshao. Salamence also faces fierce competition from Hydreigon as its higher Special Attack alongside Dark-STAB lets it deal with popular defensive stalwarts such as Slowking and Aegislash far better and has greater item versatility by virtue of its neutrality of Stealth Rock as opposed to Salamence's weakness. However, Salamence has a far better matchup against Pokemon such as Mienshao and Tapu Bulu and has a speed tier that allows it to revenge kill opposing Hydreigon.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor / Defog
move 2: Hurricane / Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Draco Meteor helps Salamence revenge kill Hydreigon and deals solid neutral damage to targets like Swampert, Rotom-W, and Rotom-H. Hurricane 2HKOes Assault Vest Tangrowth and has a significant chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Defog can be used over either STAB move by team preference, though losing Draco Meteor makes Salamence significantly worse against the aforementioned neutral targets as well as Nihilego, whereas losing Hurricane can be detrimental against threats such as Azumarill and Primarina. Flamethrower is solid coverage for Pokemon such as Jirachi and Aegislash while having more accuracy to finish off weakened targets such as Tapu Bulu and Heracross. Roost alongside Heavy-Duty Boots improves Salamence's longevity, as it gains an immunity to Stealth Rock and makes it more difficult to wear down by opponents like Jirachi and Zarude. Intimidate makes Salamence a more reliable switch-in to threats such as Mienshao and Excadrill while making them easier to pivot around.

This set fits on bulky offense and balance teams for its wallbreaking capabilities against Pokemon like Amoonguss while providing important defensive utility against other opponents like Conkeldurr. Swampert and Excadrill Krookodile are able to break Salamence's checks like Diancie and Nihilego. Both also provide Stealth Rock support to soften up defensive Pokemon such as Celesteela and appreciate support against Tapu Bulu. add how drill can remove hazards allowing mence to drop defog and can help overwhelm hatterene and aegislash. Aegislash is a very effective partner as it's able to break through Slowking with Shadow Ball and checks Diancie with Flash Cannon. Lycanroc-D is a late-game cleaner that takes advantage of Salamence removing potential roadblocks such as Amoonguss. Lycanroc-D also threatens Stealth Rock setters Salamence has troubles against like Chansey and Nihilego. Rotom-H and Rotom-W are effective pivots to allow Salamence to enter safely against foes such as Hydreigon and Tangrowth. They can also provide Defog support so Salamence can use both of its STAB moves. Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro helps pivot around and deal with checks to Salamence such as Primarina and Hatterene. talk about phys def slowking being a shared partner checking conk on bulky offense teams that also can bring mence in with teleport on zarude. Choice Scarf users such as Jirachi and Mienshao can handle faster Pokemon such as Nihilego and Lycanroc-D.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dual Wingbeat
move 4: Earthquake
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Life Orb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

After one Dragon Dance, Salamence outspeeds opponents that would otherwise revenge kill it like Azelf, Thundurus-T, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. At +2 Speed, it loses the risk of being revenge killed by other threats such as Choice Scarf Mienshao and Zarude. +1 Outrage destroys many neutral targets like the Rotom formes as well as Krookodile, though there is always the risk of being revenge killed by Fairy-type like Azumarill and Hatterene. +1 Dual Wingbeat OHKOes targets such as Conkeldurr and Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Dual Wingbeat also has the benefit of going through Keldeo's Substitute, though risking a burn from Scald is not ideal. Earthquake is vital coverage for Salamence that OHKOes Aegislash and Jirachi after two boosts. i'd say that heavy duty boots are used more on bulky offense teams so salamence can come in multiple times
Life Orb can be used as the additional power allows Salamence to OHKO Pokemon such as Aegislash with +1 Earthquake and Primarina with +2 Dual Wingbeat. However the Stealth Rock weakness and recoil will quickly put Salamence into range of being revenge killed by Mienshao's Stone Edge and Lycanroc-D's Accelerock. Moxie gives Salamence an easier time to get multiple boosts to KO bulky targets like Aegislash while making it more difficult to revenge kill.

This set fits on offensive and hyper offense teams as a sweeper that can leave teams weakened enough for its other offensive teammates or as a late-game cleaner that can easily capitalize on the weakened opposition alongside Moxie. Excadrill is an excellent lead partner for Dragon Dance Salamence as its Stealth Rock support wears down bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-W and its access to Rapid Spin allows Salamence to have more room for Life Orb. Sticky Web from Ribombee slows foes such as Nihilego down so Salamence doesn't require the Speed boost to KO them. Celesteela walls this set so early wallbreakers such as Nasty Plot Thundurus-T and Azelf are decent options. They also appreciate Salamence removing Chansey or leaving it weakened enough to pick off. Other teammates that overwhelm physically bulky Pokemon such as Quagsire and Skarmory are valuable assets to this set. Gyarados can OHKO Quagsire with Power Whip and Swords Dance Aegislash can set up on. They also heavily benefit Salamence helping overwhelm checks like Amoonguss and Primarina. Pivots such as Jirachi and Zarude can position Salamence to set up on Pokemon like Tangrowth. Mamoswine is a consistent revenge killer to Salamence so teammates to KO it back such as Azumarill are appreciated.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Dual Wingbeat / Toxic
move 2: Flamethrower / Earthquake
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dual Wingbeat is a reliable STAB that helps against threats to defensive teams such as Substitute Keldeo. Toxic can be used instead to cripple Stealth Rock setters such as Rhyperior while wearing down wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, though Salamence becomes much more passive against Conkeldurr and Mienshao. Intimidate alongside the additional HP investment makes Salamence a more sturdy switch-in to Conkeldurr Buzzwole and Gyarados, although it has to be wary of their coverage. Maximum Speed investment is needed for Salamence to be less passive against other offensive threats such as Hydreigon and Krookodile.

This set is suited to defensive and stall teams as means to relieve hazard pressure from setters like Excadrill and Krookodile as well as checking dangerous Pokemon to these teams like Tapu Bulu and Conkeldurr. Hazard setters such as Necrozma and Nihilego are significant threats so Chansey and Jirachi can help outlast them while also providing their own Stealth Rock support. Umbreon can check Pokemon Salamence can't handle by itself like Mamoswine and Ice Fang (no need to specify since ice fang is way more popular) Gyarados while providing valuable Heal Bell support to relieve any status, (umbreon doesn't run heal bell often, not used enough to be put in an analysis. In general just say that umbreon checks threats that can overwhelm salamence like mamo and gyara) and it heavily appreciates the support against Fighting-types. Quagsire keeps Salamence from being overwhelmed by opposing Dragon Dance Salamence and Lycanroc-D while enjoying Salamence checking Pokemon such as Zarude and Tangrowth. Knock Off support is very beneficial from teammates such as Nihilego so Salamence can outlast threats such as Aegislash. Bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth are very useful at pivoting against special attackers such as Primarina and Thundurus-T Starmie. Amoonguss and physically defensive Tangrowth are also good switch-ins to Knock Off for Salamence to keep its Heavy-Duty Boots. Hatterene is a good teammate to ease Salamence's role as a hazard remover with Magic Bounce.
-ik pif uses an aegislash on his stall team so talk about what aegislash can do for mence


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Dragon Dance set using Roost over Outrage alongside Intimidate as its ability can be paired on Magneton teams due to its ability to check problematic answers to Excadrill such as Zarude while remaining offensively potent. Fire Blast over Flamethrower on the special attacking set gives Salamence more power against Steel-types like Celesteela and Aegislash, however Flamethrower's accuracy makes it more reliable, and the additional power is not often a necessity to overwhelm them. Fire Blast can also be ran over Earthquake on Dragon Dance Salamence as a way to lure Skarmory and open up Salamence's other offensive teammates. Lum Berry can give Salamence more room to setup on Pokemon like Swampert and Tangrowth by being able to shrug off status, but this doesn't carry as much consistent utility as Life Orb's increase in damage output. Dragon Claw is also an option to avoid locking into Outrage, but the trade off in power for neutral targets such as Gyarados is often not worth it. (never seen this, better to remove it) Dragon Tail on the defensive set over Dual Wingbeat lets Salamence spread residual damage, though this is more unreliable than Toxic against foes like Azumarill. Choice Scarf alongside Moxie can give Salamence is a surprise sweeping potential as it doesn't require a boost to outspeed targets such as Keldeo and revenge kills sweepers such as Gyarados. Choice Specs increases Salamence's breaking ability and can lure Rhyperior with Hydro Pump.

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

**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Azumarill, Primarina and Hatterene are able to take advantage of Salamence's lack of coverage for them and have the bulk to take a hit and either set up or KO. Though niche, Diancie completely walls any special attacking variants of Salamence, has the bulk to live through a +1 Earthquake from Dragon Dance sets, and can KO Salamence or use it as a free chance to use Heal Bell. restores itself and its teammates from Toxic with Heal Bell.

**Rock-types and Rock-type Coverage**: Without Draco Meteor, Salamence especially struggles to relieve Stealth Rock pressure from Nihilego, though it must be weary of Earthquake. Lycanroc-D is a notable offensive threat because it can OHKO offensive variants with -1 Stone Edge with minimal chip and Accelerock will easily revenge kill after its Heavy-Duty Boots have been knocked off, though Lycanroc-D cannot switch into Salamence safely. This extends to Pokemon that commonly carries coverage such as Mienshao and Krookodile to revenge kill Salamence.

**Mixed Walls Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Chansey and Slowking can survive Salamence's attacks by virtue of their massive special bulk and use it as momentum with Teleport. However, the two cannot reliably tank hits from Dragon Dance sets. Umbreon and Mandibuzz have the natural bulk to survive Salamence's special attacks and takes advantage of Dragon Dance sets with Foul Play. Celesteela is an especially detrimental defensive threat because its massive bulk makes it difficult to wear down and walls Dragon Dance completely without Fire Blast.

**Mamoswine**: Mamoswine is the most consistent revenge killer to Salamence as Ice Shard OHKOes any set.

make sure to re-add the credits

QC 4/3
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[Deleted User 465389]

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am gp check

[OVERVIEW]
Salamence's typing, natural bulk, and Intimidate allows it to check common threats such as Excadrill, Zarude, and Conkeldurr. Salamence can choose to focus on its solid Special Attack stat alongside with powerful Hurricanes and Draco Meteors, or sweep teams with Dragon Dance and Moxie(maybe add ‘physically’ before the ‘sweep teams’?). That coupled with coverage in Flamethrower for special sets and Earthquake for Dragon Dance sets make Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill. It is a solid Defogger that naturally beats Stealth Rock setters such as Excadrill and Krookodile. However, Salamence's ability to act as a Defogger is hindered by the other hazard setters, such as Nihilego and Chansey. Its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon its it’s supposed to check such as Mienshao, Tangrowth, and Krookodile. Salamence is often open to being KOed by Fairy-types such as Hatterene and Primarina, thanks to their high natural bulk and powerful super effective(their moves are powerful, but I would focus more on the fact that they’re super effective) STAB moves. Its 4x weakness to Ice means that Salamence has to be careful of threats that can carry coverage such as Jirachi, Gyarados, and Nidoking. Its speed tier, while not bad, leaves it vulnerable to offensive threats such as Thundurus-T and Nihilego. Dragon Dance sets are also prone to being revenge killed by priority users like Mamoswine and Lycanroc-D,(AC) and Choice Scarf users such as Mienshao. Salamence also faces fierce competition from Hydreigon as its higher Special Attack stat alongside Dark-type STAB lets it deal with popular defensive stalwarts such as Slowking and Aegislash far better,(AC) and has greater item versatility by virtue of its neutrality of Stealth Rock as opposed to Salamence's weakness. However, Salamence has a far better matchup against Pokemon such as Mienshao and Tapu Bulu and has a speed tier that allows it to revenge kill opposing Hydreigon.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor / Defog
move 2: Hurricane / Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Draco Meteor helps Salamence revenge kill Hydreigon and deals solid neutral damage to targets like Swampert, Rotom-W, and Rotom-H. Hurricane 2HKOes Assault Vest Tangrowth and has a significant chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Defog can be used over either STAB move by team preference, though losing Draco Meteor makes Salamence significantly worse against the aforementioned neutral targets as well as Nihilego, whereas losing Hurricane can be detrimental against threats such as Azumarill and Primarina. Flamethrower is solid coverage for against Pokemon such as Jirachi and Aegislash,(AC) while having more accuracy to finish off weakened targets such as Tapu Bulu and Heracross. Roost alongside Heavy-Duty Boots improves Salamence's longevity, as it gains an immunity to Stealth Rock and makes it more difficult to wear down by opponents like Jirachi and Zarude. Intimidate makes Salamence a more reliable switch-in to threats such as Mienshao and Excadrill while making them easier to pivot around.

This set fits on bulky offense and balance teams for its wallbreaking capabilities against Pokemon like Amoonguss while providing important defensive utility against other opponents like Conkeldurr. Swampert and Excadrill are able to break Salamence's checks like Diancie and Nihilego. Both also provide Stealth Rock support to soften up defensive Pokemon such as Celesteela and appreciate support against Tangrowth. Excadrill also provides Rapid Spin support so Salamence doesn't have to focus on Defog and pressures Hatterene and Togekiss. Aegislash is a very effective partner as it's able to break through Slowking with Shadow Ball and checks Diancie with Flash Cannon. Lycanroc-D is a late-game cleaner that takes advantage of Salamence removing potential roadblocks such as Amoonguss. Lycanroc-D also threatens Stealth Rock setters Salamence has troubles against like Chansey and Nihilego. Rotom-H and Rotom-W are effective pivots to allow Salamence to enter safely against foes such as Hydreigon and Tangrowth,(AC) while also providing Defog support. They can also provide Defog support so Salamence can use both of its STAB moves. Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro helps pivot around and deal with checks to Salamence such as Primarina and Hatterene. Slowking provides Teleport support so Salamence can safely enter on the Grass-types as well as providing a stronger backbone against Conkeldurr with a Colbur Berry. Choice Scarf users such as Jirachi and Mienshao can handle faster Pokemon such as Nihilego and Lycanroc-D.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dual Wingbeat
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Blast
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Life Orb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

After one Dragon Dance At +1 Speed,(you use +2 Speed in the next sentence, this flows better) Salamence outspeeds opponents foes that would otherwise revenge kill it like Azelf, Thundurus-T, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. At +2 Speed, it loses the risk of being revenge killed by other threats such as Choice Scarf Mienshao and Zarude. +1 Outrage destroys many neutral targets like the Rotom formes as well as Krookodile, though there is always the risk of being revenge killed by Fairy-type like Azumarill and Hatterene. +1 Dual Wingbeat OHKOes targets such as Conkeldurr and Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Dual Wingbeat also has the benefit of going through Keldeo's Substitute, though risking a burn from Scald is not ideal. Earthquake is vital coverage for Salamence that OHKOes Aegislash and Jirachi after two boosts at +2. Fire Blast can be used to lure(this isn’t a lure in this context, skarmory wouldn’t be switching into a predicted fire blast) against Skarmory and increase Salamence's chances for a Moxie sweep as well as it's other teammates. Life Orb can be used as the additional power allows Salamence to OHKO Pokemon such as Aegislash with +1 Earthquake and Primarina with +2 Dual Wingbeat. It can also be used alongside a Naive nature to ensure that Fire Blast will OHKO Skarmory after Stealth Rock. However the Stealth Rock weakness and recoil will quickly put Salamence into range of being revenge killed by Mienshao's Stone Edge and Lycanroc-D's Accelerock. Moxie gives Salamence an easier time to get multiple boosts to KO bulky targets like Aegislash while making it more difficult to revenge kill.

This set fits on offensive and hyper offense teams as a sweeper that can leave teams weakened enough for its other offensive teammates or as a late-game cleaner that can easily capitalize on the weakened opposition alongside Moxie. Excadrill is an excellent lead partner for Dragon Dance Salamence as its Stealth Rock support wears down bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-W and its access to Rapid Spin allows Salamence to have more room for Life Orb. Sticky Web from Ribombee slows down foes such as Nihilego down so Salamence doesn't require the Speed boost to KO outspeed them. Celesteela walls this set so early wallbreakers such as Nasty Plot Thundurus-T and Azelf are decent options. They also appreciate Salamence removing Chansey or leaving it weakened enough to pick off. Other teammates that overwhelm physically bulky Pokemon such as Quagsire and Skarmory are valuable assets to this set. Gyarados can OHKO Quagsire with Power Whip and Swords Dance Aegislash can set up on it. They also heavily benefit Salamence helping overwhelm checks like Amoonguss and Primarina. Pivots such as Jirachi and Zarude can position Salamence to set up on Pokemon like Tangrowth. Mamoswine is a consistent revenge killer to Salamence so teammates to that KO it back such as Azumarill are appreciated.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Dual Wingbeat / Toxic
move 2: Flamethrower / Earthquake
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dual Wingbeat is a reliable STAB that helps against threats to defensive teams such as Substitute Keldeo. Toxic can be used instead to cripple Stealth Rock setters such as Rhyperior while wearing down wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, though Salamence becomes much more passive against Conkeldurr and Mienshao. Intimidate alongside the additional HP investment makes Salamence a more sturdy switch-in to Conkeldurr and Gyarados, although it has to be wary of the latter's Ice Fang. Maximum Speed investment is needed for Salamence to be less passive against other offensive threats such as Hydreigon and Krookodile.

This set is suited to defensive and stall teams as means to relieve hazard pressure from setters like Excadrill and Krookodile as well as checking dangerous Pokemon to these teams like Tapu Bulu and Conkeldurr. Hazard setters such as Necrozma and Nihilego are significant threats,(AC) so Chansey and Jirachi can help outlast them while also providing their own Stealth Rock support. Umbreon can check Pokemon Salamence can't handle by itself like Mamoswine and Gyarados and it heavily appreciates the Salamence’s support against Fighting-types. Quagsire keeps Salamence from being overwhelmed by opposing Dragon Dance Salamence and Lycanroc-D while enjoying Salamence checking Pokemon such as Zarude and Tangrowth(maybe change this to ‘enjoying Salamence checking Grass-types’?). Knock Off support is very beneficial from teammates such as Nihilego so that Salamence can outlast threats such as Aegislash. Bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth are very useful at pivoting against special attackers such as Primarina and Thundurus-T. Amoonguss and physically defensive Tangrowth are also good switch-ins to Knock Off for Salamence to keep its Heavy-Duty Boots. Hatterene is a good teammate to ease Salamence's role as a hazard remover with Magic Bounce.



[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Dragon Dance set using Roost over Outrage alongside Intimidate as its ability can be paired on Magneton teams due to its ability to check problematic answers to Excadrill such as Zarude while remaining offensively potent. Fire Blast over Flamethrower on the special attacking set gives Salamence more power against Steel-types like Celesteela and Aegislash, however Flamethrower's accuracy makes it more reliable, and the additional power is not often a necessity to overwhelm them. Fire Blast can also be ran over Earthquake on Dragon Dance Salamence as a way to lure KO Skarmory and open up sweeping opportunities for(i assume?) Salamence's other offensive teammates. Lum Berry can give Salamence more room to setup on Pokemon like Swampert and Tangrowth by being able to shrug off status, but this doesn't carry as much consistent utility as Life Orb's increase in damage output. Dragon Tail on the defensive set over Dual Wingbeat lets Salamence spread residual damage, though this is more unreliable than Toxic against foes like Azumarill. Choice Scarf alongside Moxie can give Salamence is a surprise surprising sweeping potential as it doesn't require a boost to outspeed targets such as Keldeo and revenge kills sweepers such as Gyarados. Choice Specs increases Salamence's breaking ability and can lure Rhyperior with Hydro Pump.

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

**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Azumarill, Primarina,(AC) and Hatterene are able to take advantage of Salamence's lack of coverage for them and have the bulk to take a hit and either set up or KO. Though niche, Diancie completely walls any special attacking variants of Salamence, has the bulk to live through a +1 Earthquake from Dragon Dance sets, and can KO Salamence or use it as a free chance to use Heal Bell.

**Rock-types and Rock-type Coverage**: Without Draco Meteor, Salamence especially struggles to relieve Stealth Rock pressure from Nihilego, though it must be weary wary of Earthquake. Lycanroc-D is a notable offensive threat because it can OHKO offensive variants with -1 Stone Edge with minimal chip and Accelerock will easily revenge kill Salamence after its Heavy-Duty Boots have been knocked off, though Lycanroc-D cannot switch into Salamence safely. This extends to Pokemon that commonly carries coverage such as Mienshao and Krookodile to revenge kill Salamence.

**Mixed Walls**: Pokemon like Chansey and Slowking can survive Salamence's attacks by virtue of their massive special bulk and use it as momentum with Teleport. However, the two cannot reliably tank hits from Dragon Dance sets. Umbreon and Mandibuzz have the natural bulk to survive Salamence's special attacks and takes take advantage of Dragon Dance sets with Foul Play. Celesteela is an especially detrimental defensive threat because its massive bulk makes it difficult to wear down and walls Dragon Dance sets completely without Fire Blast.

**Mamoswine**: Mamoswine is the most consistent revenge killer to Salamence as Ice Shard OHKOes any set.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mystras Leoxses, 530118]]
- Quality checked by: [[Monky25, 515132], [Twilight, 344575], [BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

good job!

 

[Mystras]

Implemented

 

[xapx]

amgp
I found the overview very long, which is the reason for the heavy edits in it.
add/fix remove (comments)
(AC) add comma (RC) remove comma
(RF) remove fullstop (SC) semicolon

big blue dragon

[OVERVIEW]
Salamence's typing, natural bulk, and Intimidate allows it to check common threats such as Excadrill, Zarude, and Conkeldurr. Salamence can choose to focus on utilize its solid Special Attack stat with access to powerful moves like Hurricanes and Draco Meteors as a special attacker, or sweep teams with Dragon Dance and Moxie. That,(AC) coupled with coverage in Flamethrower for special sets and Earthquake,(AC) for Dragon Dance sets make Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill. It is a solid Defogger that naturally beats Stealth Rock setters such as Excadrill and Krookodile,(RF,AC) but still struggles against other setters like Nihilego and Chansey. However, Salamence's ability to act as a Defogger is hindered by the other hazard setters, such as Nihilego and Chansey. Its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon it’s supposed to check such as Mienshao, Tangrowth, and Krookodile. Salamence is often open to being KOed by Fairy-types such as Hatterene and Primarina, thanks to their high natural bulk and super effective STAB moves. Its 4x weakness to Ice means that Salamence has to be careful of threats that can carry coverage such as Jirachi, Gyarados, and Nidoking. However, bulky Fairy-types like Hatterene and Primarina can easily take a hit and KO Salamence, while many threats like Jirachi, Gyarados, and Nidoking carry Ice-type coverage. Salamance has a decent Speed tier, while not bad, leaves it vulnerable to but it is still outsped by offensive threats such as Thundurus-T and Nihilego. Dragon Dance sets are also prone to being revenge killed by priority users like Mamoswine and Lycanroc-D, and Choice Scarf users such as Mienshao. Salamence also faces fierce competition from Hydreigon;(SC) as its Hydreigon's higher Special Attack stat alongside Dark-type STAB lets it deal with popular defensive stalwarts such as Slowking and Aegislash far better, and it has greater item versatility by virtue of its neutrality of Stealth Rock as opposed to Salamence's weakness. However, Salamence has a far better matchup against Pokemon such as Mienshao and Tapu Bulu and has a speed tier that allows it to is able to outspeed and revenge kill opposing Hydreigon.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor / Defog
move 2: Hurricane / Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Draco Meteor helps Salamence revenge kill Hydreigon and deals solid neutral damage to neutral targets like Swampert, Rotom-W, and Rotom-H. Hurricane 2HKOes Assault Vest Tangrowth and has a significant chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Defog can be used over either STAB move by team preference, though losing Draco Meteor makes Salamence significantly worse against the aforementioned neutral targets as well as and Nihilego, whereas losing Hurricane can be detrimental against threats such as Azumarill and Primarina. Flamethrower is solid coverage against Pokemon such as Jirachi and Aegislash(RC) while having more accuracy and is able to finish off weakened targets such as Tapu Bulu and Heracross without risking a Hurricane miss. Roost alongside Heavy-Duty Boots improves Salamence's longevity, as it gains an immunity to Stealth Rock and makes it Salamence more difficult to wear down by opponents like Jirachi and Zarude(to be worn down by/to wear down for). Intimidate makes Salamence a more reliable switch-in to threats such as Mienshao and Excadrill while making them easier to pivot around.

This set fits on bulky offense and balance teams for its wallbreaking capabilities against Pokemon like Amoonguss while providing important defensive utility against other opponents like Conkeldurr. Swampert and Excadrill are able to break Salamence's checks like Diancie and Nihilego,(RF,AC) Both also provide Stealth Rock support to soften up defensive Pokemon such as Celesteela,(AC) and appreciate support against Tangrowth. Excadrill also provides Rapid Spin support so Salamence doesn't have to focus on Defog can use both of its STAB moves and pressures Hatterene and Togekiss.(read below) Aegislash is a very effective partner as it's able to break through Slowking with Shadow Ball and checks Diancie with Flash Cannon. Lycanroc-D is a late-game cleaner that can takes advantage of Salamence removing potential roadblocks for a late-game sweep such as Amoonguss(RF) and Lycanroc-D also threatens Stealth Rock setters Salamence has troubles against like Chansey and Nihilego. Rotom-H and Rotom-W are effective pivots to allow Salamence to enter safely against foes such as Hydreigon and Tangrowth, while also providing Defog support. Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro helps pivot around and deal with checks to Salamence such as Primarina and Hatterene. Slowking provides Teleport support so Salamence can safely enter on the Grass-types as well as providing a stronger backbone against Conkeldurr with a Colbur Berry. Choice Scarf users such as Jirachi and Mienshao can handle faster Pokemon such as Nihilego and Lycanroc-D.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dual Wingbeat
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Blast
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Life Orb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

At +1 Speed, Salamence outspeeds foes that would otherwise revenge kill it like Azelf, Thundurus-T, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. At +2 Speed, it loses the risk of being revenge killed by other threats fast revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Mienshao and Zarude. +1 Outrage destroys many neutral targets like the Rotom formes as well as and Krookodile, though there is always the risk of being revenge killed by Fairy-types like Azumarill and Hatterene. +1 Dual Wingbeat OHKOes targets such as Conkeldurr and Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Dual Wingbeat also has the benefit of going through breaking Keldeo's Substitute and hit it once, though risking a burn from Scald is not ideal. Earthquake is vital coverage for Salamence that OHKOes Aegislash and Jirachi at +2. As Dragon Dance tends to lure Skarmory, Fire Blast can be used against it and increase Salamence's chances for a Moxie sweep. Life Orb can be used as the additional power allows for Salamence to OHKO Pokemon such as Aegislash with +1 Earthquake and Primarina with +2 Dual Wingbeat. It can also be used alongside a Naive nature to ensure that Fire Blast will OHKO Skarmory after Stealth Rock. However the Stealth Rock weakness and Life Orb recoil will quickly put Salamence into range of being revenge killed by Mienshao's Stone Edge and Lycanroc-D's Accelerock. Moxie gives Salamence an easier time to get multiple boosts to KO bulky targets like Aegislash while making it more difficult to revenge kill.

This set fits on offensive and hyper offense teams as a sweeper that can leave teams weakened enough for its other offensive teammates or as a late-game cleaner that can easily capitalize on the weakened opposition alongside Moxie. Excadrill is an excellent lead partner for Dragon Dance Salamence as its Stealth Rock support wears down bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-W and its access to Rapid Spin allows Salamence to have more room for Life Orb. Sticky Web from Ribombee slows down foes such as Nihilego so Salamence doesn't require the Speed boost to outspeed them. Celesteela walls this set,(AC) so early wallbreakers such as Nasty Plot Thundurus-T and Azelf are decent options. They also appreciate Salamence's removing ability to threaten Chansey or leaving it weakened enough to pick off. Other teammates that overwhelm physically bulky Pokemon such as Quagsire and Skarmory are valuable assets to this set. Gyarados can OHKO Quagsire with Power Whip and Swords Dance Aegislash can set up on it.(what is "it"? I'm pretty sure Aegislash doesn't set up on Quag) They also heavily benefit Salamence helping by overwhelming checks like Amoonguss and Primarina. Pivots such as Jirachi and Zarude can position Salamence to set up on Pokemon like Tangrowth. Mamoswine is a consistent revenge killer to against Salamence so teammates that KO it back such as Azumarill are appreciated.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Dual Wingbeat / Toxic
move 2: Flamethrower / Earthquake
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dual Wingbeat is a reliable STAB move that helps against threats to defensive teams such as Substitute Keldeo. Toxic can be used instead to cripple Stealth Rock setters such as Rhyperior while wearing down wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, though Salamence becomes much more passive against Conkeldurr and Mienshao. Intimidate alongside the additional HP investment makes Salamence a more sturdy switch-in to Conkeldurr and Gyarados, although it has to be wary of the latter's Ice Fang. Maximum Speed investment is needed for Salamence to be less passive against other offensive threats such as Hydreigon and Krookodile.

This set is suited to defensive and stall teams as a means to relieve entry hazard pressure from setters like Excadrill and Krookodile as well as checking dangerous Pokemon to these teams like Tapu Bulu and Conkeldurr. Other entry hazard setters such as Necrozma and Nihilego are significant threats, so Chansey and Jirachi can help outlast them while also providing their own Stealth Rock support. Umbreon can check Pokemon Salamence can't handle by itself like Mamoswine and Gyarados and it heavily appreciates Salamence’s support against Fighting-types. Quagsire keeps Salamence from being overwhelmed by opposing Dragon Dance Salamence and Lycanroc-D while enjoying Salamence checking the Grass-types. Knock Off support is very beneficial from teammates such as Nihilego so that Salamence can outlast threats such as Aegislash. Bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth are very useful at pivoting against into special attackers such as Primarina and Thundurus-T. Amoonguss and physically defensive Tangrowth are also good switch-ins to Knock Off for Salamence to keep its Heavy-Duty Boots. Hatterene is a good teammate to ease Salamence's role as a hazard remover with Magic Bounce.



[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Dragon Dance set using Roost over Outrage alongside Intimidate can be paired on Magneton teams due to its ability to check problematic answers to Excadrill such as Zarude while remaining offensively potent. Fire Blast over Flamethrower on the special attacking set gives Salamence more power against Steel-types like Celesteela and Aegislash, however Flamethrower's accuracy makes it more reliable, and the Fire Blast's additional power is not often a necessity to overwhelm them unneeded. Lum Berry can give Salamence more room to setup on Pokemon like Swampert and Tangrowth by being able to shrug off status, but this doesn't carry as much consistent utility as Life Orb's increase in damage output. Dragon Tail on the defensive set over Dual Wingbeat lets Salamence spread residual damage, though this is more unreliable than Toxic against foes like Azumarill. Choice Scarf alongside Moxie can give Salamence surprising sweeping potential as it doesn't require a boost to outspeed targets such as Keldeo and revenge kills sweepers such as Gyarados. Choice Specs increases improves Salamence's breaking ability and can lure Rhyperior with Hydro Pump.

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

**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Azumarill, Primarina, and Hatterene are able to take advantage of Salamence's lack of coverage for them and have the bulk to take a hit and either set up or KO Salamence. Though a niche option, Diancie completely walls any special attacking variants of Salamence, has the bulk to live a +1 Earthquake from Dragon Dance sets, and can KO Salamence or use it as a free chance to use Heal Bell.

**Rock-types and Rock-type Coverage**: Without Draco Meteor, Salamence especially struggles to relieve Stealth Rock pressure from Nihilego, though it must be wary of Earthquake. Lycanroc-D is a notable offensive threat because it can OHKO offensive variants of Salamence with -1 Stone Edge with minimal chip and Accelerock will easily revenge kill Salamence after its Heavy-Duty Boots have been knocked off, though Lycanroc-D cannot switch into Salamence safely. This extends to Pokemon that commonly carries coverage such as Mienshao and Krookodile,(AC) which commonly carries coverage moves to revenge kill Salamence.(Mienshao and Krookodile are Pokemon, not coverage)

**Mixed Walls**: Pokemon like Chansey and Slowking can survive Salamence's attacks by virtue of their massive special bulk and use it as momentum with Teleport. However, the two cannot reliably tank hits from Dragon Dance sets. Umbreon and Mandibuzz have the natural bulk to survive Salamence's special attacks and take advantage of Dragon Dance sets with Foul Play. Celesteela is an especially detrimental defensive threat because it completely walls Dragon Dance sets without Fire Blast completely without Fire Blast.(Salamence is the one running Fire Blast)

**Mamoswine**: Mamoswine is the most consistent revenge killer to against Salamence as Ice Shard OHKOes any set.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mystras Leoxses, 530118]]
- Quality checked by: [[Monky25, 515132], [Twilight, 344575], [BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

Not sure if how I changed it to is what you wanted to imply, so if the sentence meant that Salamence can focus on pressuring Hat and Togekiss instead of using Defog, I would use Salamence will not let in dangerous threats like Hatterene and Togekiss as it uses Defog.

E: Missed one at the beginning,
that, coupled..., makes Salamence

 

[Mystras]

should be good to go, also I meant that excadrill pressures hatt and togekiss so I just reordered it to make it clearer

 

[Adeleine]

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

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[OVERVIEW]
Salamence's Salamence is a very versatile defensive and offensive presence. Its typing, natural bulk, and Intimidate allows it to check common threats such as Excadrill, Zarude, and Conkeldurr. It's also a solid Defogger, matching up well against Excadrill and Krookodile as Stealth Rock setters. Salamence can utilize its solid Special Attack with access to powerful moves like Hurricanes and Draco Meteors Attack, decent Speed tier, and powerful moves like Hurricane and Draco Meteor as a special attacker, or it can sweep teams with Dragon Dance and Moxie. That, coupled with coverage in Flamethrower and Earthquake, makes Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill. It is a solid Defogger that naturally beats Stealth Rock setters such as Excadrill and Krookodile, but still struggles against other setters like Nihilego and Chansey. However, its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon it’s supposed to check, such as Mienshao, Tangrowth, and Krookodile. However, Bulky Fairy-types like Hatterene and Primarina can easily take a hit and KO Salamence, while many other threats like Jirachi, Gyarados, and Nidoking carry Ice-type coverage. Salamance has a decent Speed tier, but it is still outsped by Offensive threats such as Thundurus-T and Nihilego. Dragon Dance sets are also prone to being revenge killed by priority users like Mamoswine and Lycanroc-D, and Choice Scarf users such as Mienshao. outspeed it, and Dragon Dance sets are also prone to revenge killers with priority or Choice Scarf such as Mamoswine, Lycanroc-D, and Mienshao. Salamence also faces fierce competition from Hydreigon; Hydreigon's higher Special Attack stat alongside Dark-type STAB moves lets it deal with popular defensive stalwarts such as Slowking and Aegislash far better, and it has greater item versatility by virtue of its neutrality of to Stealth Rock. However, Salamence has a far better matchup against Pokemon such as Mienshao and Tapu Bulu, (AC) and is it's able to outspeed and revenge kill opposing Hydreigon.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor / Defog
move 2: Hurricane / Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Draco Meteor helps Salamence revenge kill Hydreigon and deals solid damage to neutral targets like Swampert, Rotom-W, and Rotom-H. Hurricane 2HKOes Assault Vest Tangrowth and has a significant chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Defog can be used over either STAB move by team preference, though losing Draco Meteor makes Salamence significantly worse against the aforementioned neutral targets and Nihilego, whereas losing Hurricane can be detrimental against threats such as Azumarill and Primarina. though this sacrifices neutral coverage against Pokemon like Nihilego or Azumarill, respectively. Flamethrower is solid coverage against Pokemon such as Jirachi and Aegislash and is able to can finish off weakened targets such as Tapu Bulu and Heracross without risking a Hurricane miss. Roost alongside Heavy-Duty Boots makes Salamence more difficult to be worn down by harder to wear down with threats like Jirachi and Zarude. Intimidate makes Salamence a more reliable switch-in to threats such as Mienshao and Excadrill while making them easier to pivot around.

This set fits on bulky offense and balance teams for its wallbreaking capabilities against Pokemon like Amoonguss while providing and important defensive utility against other opponents foes like Conkeldurr. Swampert and Excadrill are able to break through Salamence's checks like Diancie and Nihilego, provide Stealth Rock support to soften up defensive Pokemon such as Celesteela, and appreciate capitalize on support against Tangrowth. Excadrill also pressures Hatterene and Togekiss and provides Rapid Spin support so Salamence can use both of its STAB moves. Aegislash is a very effective partner, (AC) as it's able to break through Slowking with Shadow Ball and checks check Diancie with Flash Cannon. Lycanroc-D can takes takes advantage of Salamence removing potential roadblocks for a late-game sweep such as Amoonguss, (AC) and it threatens Stealth Rock setters Salamence has troubles against like Chansey and Nihilego. Rotom-H and Rotom-W are effective pivots to allow Salamence to enter safely against safely bring Salamence into foes such as Hydreigon and Tangrowth, while also providing and they also provide Defog support. Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro helps pivot around and deal with checks to Salamence such as Primarina and Hatterene. Slowking provides Teleport support so Salamence can safely enter on Grass-types, (AC) as well as providing a stronger backbone against Conkeldurr with a Colbur Berry. Choice Scarf users such as Jirachi and Mienshao can handle faster Pokemon such as Nihilego and Lycanroc-D.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dual Wingbeat
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Blast
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Life Orb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

At +1 Speed, Salamence outspeeds foes that would otherwise revenge kill it like Azelf, Thundurus-T, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. At +2 Speed, it loses the risk of being revenge killed by other fast blows past even faster revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Mienshao and Zarude. +1 Outrage destroys many neutral targets like the Rotom formes and Krookodile, though there is always the risk of being revenge killed by Fairy-types like Azumarill and Hatterene revenge killing Salamence. +1 Dual Wingbeat OHKOes targets such as Conkeldurr and Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Dual Wingbeat also has the benefit of breaking Keldeo's Substitute and hit it once, hitting Keldeo once through Substitute, though risking a burn from Scald is not ideal. Earthquake is provides vital coverage for Salamence that and OHKOes Aegislash and Jirachi at +2. As Dragon Dance tends to lure in Skarmory, Fire Blast can be used against to break through it and increase Salamence's chances for a Moxie sweep. Life Orb can be used for Salamence to OHKO Pokemon such as Aegislash with +1 Earthquake and Primarina with +2 Dual Wingbeat. It can also be used alongside a Naive nature to ensure that Fire Blast will OHKO Fire Blast OHKOes Skarmory after Stealth Rock. However, (AC) the Salamence's Stealth Rock weakness and Life Orb recoil will quickly put Salamence it into range of being revenge killed by for Mienshao's Stone Edge and Lycanroc-D's Accelerock to revenge kill it. Moxie gives Salamence an easier time to helps Salamence get multiple boosts to KO bulky targets like Aegislash while making and makes it more difficult to revenge kill.

This set fits on offensive and hyper offense teams as a sweeper that can to either leave teams weakened enough for its other teammates or as a late-game cleaner that can easily capitalize on the weakened opposition alongside teammates to sweep or to clean weakened teams itself late-game with Moxie. Excadrill is an excellent lead partner for Dragon Dance Salamence, (AC) as its Stealth Rock support wears down bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-W and its access to Rapid Spin allows Salamence to have more room for Rapid Spin helps Salamence run Life Orb. Sticky Web from Ribombee slows down foes such as Nihilego so Salamence doesn't require the a Speed boost to outspeed them. Celesteela walls this set, so early-game wallbreakers such as Nasty Plot Thundurus-T and Azelf are decent options. They also appreciate Salamence's ability to threaten Chansey. Other teammates that overwhelm physically bulky Pokemon such as Quagsire and Skarmory are valuable assets to this set. Gyarados can OHKO Quagsire with Power Whip and Thundurus-T can take advantage of Skarmory. They also heavily benefit Salamence by overwhelming checks like Amoonguss and Primarina. Pivots such as Jirachi and Zarude can position Salamence to set up on Pokemon like Tangrowth. Mamoswine is a consistent revenge killer against Salamence, (AC) so teammates that KO it back such as Azumarill are appreciated.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Dual Wingbeat / Toxic
move 2: Flamethrower / Earthquake
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dual Wingbeat is a reliable STAB move that helps against threats to defensive teams such as Substitute Keldeo. Toxic can be used instead to cripple Stealth Rock setters such as Rhyperior while wearing down wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, though Salamence becomes much more passive against Conkeldurr and Mienshao. Intimidate alongside the additional HP investment makes Salamence a more sturdy switch-in to Conkeldurr and Gyarados, although it has to be wary of the latter's Ice Fang. Maximum Speed investment is needed for Salamence to be to make Salamence less passive against offensive threats such as Hydreigon and Krookodile.

This set is suited to defensive and for (i usually see "defensive" as a synonym for stall. if you mean things besides stall, like semi-stall or bulky balance, you can of course add them in) stall teams as a mean to relieve entry hazard pressure from setters like Excadrill and Krookodile, (AC) as well as checking dangerous Pokemon like Tapu Bulu and Conkeldurr. Other entry hazard setters such as Necrozma and Nihilego are significant threats, so Chansey and Jirachi can help outlast them while also providing their own Stealth Rock support. Umbreon can check Pokemon Salamence can't handle by itself like Mamoswine and Gyarados, (AC) and it heavily appreciates Salamence’s support against Fighting-types. Quagsire keeps Salamence from being overwhelmed by opposing Dragon Dance Salamence and Lycanroc-D while enjoying Salamence checking Grass-types. Knock Off support is very beneficial from teammates such as Nihilego so that Salamence can outlast threats such as Aegislash. Bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth are very useful at for pivoting into special attackers such as Primarina and Thundurus-T. Amoonguss and physically defensive Tangrowth are also good switch-ins to Knock Off for Salamence to keep its Heavy-Duty Boots. Hatterene is a good teammate to can ease Salamence's role as a hazard remover with Magic Bounce.



[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An Intimidate Dragon Dance set using Roost over Outrage alongside Intimidate can be paired on Magneton teams due to its ability can work on Magneton teams to check problematic answers to Excadrill such as Zarude while remaining offensively potent. Fire Blast over Flamethrower on the special attacking set gives Salamence more power against Steel-types like Celesteela and Aegislash, however Flamethrower's accuracy makes it more reliable, and Fire Blast's Aegislash; however, it is less reliable and the additional power is often unneeded. Lum Berry can give Salamence more room to setup set up on Pokemon like Swampert and Tangrowth by being able to shrug off status, but this Tangrowth, but it doesn't carry as much consistent utility as Life Orb's increase in damage output. Dragon Tail on the defensive set over Dual Wingbeat lets Salamence spread residual damage with entry hazards, (I imagine?) though this is more unreliable less functional than Toxic against foes like Azumarill. Choice Scarf alongside Moxie can give Salamence surprising sweeping potential, (AC) as it doesn't require a boost setup turn to outspeed targets such as Keldeo and revenge kills sweepers such as Gyarados. Choice Specs improves Salamence's wallbreaking ability and can lure Rhyperior in to nail it with Hydro Pump.

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

**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Azumarill, Primarina, and Hatterene are able to take advantage of Salamence's lack of coverage for them and have them, having the bulk to take a hit and either set up or KO Salamence. Though a niche option, Diancie completely walls any special attacking variants of Salamence, has the bulk to live survive a +1 Earthquake from Dragon Dance sets, and can KO Salamence or use it as a free chance to use Heal Bell.

**Rock-types and Rock-type Coverage**: Without Draco Meteor, special Salamence struggles to relieve Stealth Rock pressure from Nihilego, though it must be wary of Earthquake. Lycanroc-D is a notable offensive threat because it can OHKO offensive variants of Salamence with -1 Stone Edge with minimal chip damage, and Accelerock will easily revenge kill Salamence after its Heavy-Duty Boots have been knocked off, removed with Knock Off, though Lycanroc-D cannot switch into Salamence safely. This extends to Pokemon such as Mienshao and Krookodile, which commonly carries Krookodile commonly carry Rock-type coverage moves to revenge kill Salamence.

**Mixed Walls**: Pokemon like Chansey and Slowking can survive Salamence's attacks by virtue of handle special Salamence with their massive special bulk and use it as for momentum with Teleport. However, the two cannot reliably tank hits from Dragon Dance sets. Umbreon and Mandibuzz have the natural bulk to survive Salamence's special attacks and take advantage of Dragon Dance sets with Foul Play. Celesteela is an especially detrimental defensive threat because it completely walls Dragon Dance sets without Fire Blast.

**Mamoswine**: Mamoswine is the most consistent revenge killer against Salamence, (AC) as Ice Shard OHKOes any set.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mystras Leoxses, 530118]]
- Quality checked by: [[Monky25, 515132], [Twilight, 344575], [BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [username2, userid2]]

1/2

 

[Mystras]

sorry that it took me a while to get to it, it's now implemented

 

[DC]

Remove Add Comments
AC = Add Comma, RC = Remove Comma, AH = Add Hyphen, RH = Remove Hyphen

Mence

[OVERVIEW]
Salamence is a very versatile defensive and offensive presence. Its typing, natural bulk, and Intimidate allow it to check common threats such as Excadrill, Zarude, and Conkeldurr. It's also a solid Defogger, matching up well against Excadrill and Krookodile as Stealth Rock setters such as Excadrill and Krookodile. Salamence can utilize its solid Special Attack, decent Speed tier, and powerful moves like Hurricane and Draco Meteor as a special attacker, or it can sweep teams with Dragon Dance and Moxie. That, coupled with coverage in Flamethrower and Earthquake, makes Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill. However, its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon it’s supposed to check, such as Mienshao, Tangrowth, and Krookodile. Bulky Fairy-types like Hatterene and Primarina can easily take a hit and KO Salamence, while many other threats like Jirachi, Gyarados, and Nidoking carry Ice-type coverage. Offensive threats such as Thundurus-T and Nihilego outspeed it, and Dragon Dance sets are also prone vulnerable to revenge killers with priority or Choice Scarf such as Mamoswine, Lycanroc-D, and Mienshao. Salamence also faces fierce competition from Hydreigon; Hydreigon's higher Special Attack stat alongside Dark-type STAB moves lets it better deal with popular defensive stalwarts such as Slowking and Aegislash far better, and it has greater item versatility by virtue of its neutrality of to Stealth Rock. However, Salamence has a far better matchup against Pokemon such as Mienshao and Tapu Bulu, and it's able to outspeed and revenge kill opposing Hydreigon.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor / Defog
move 2: Hurricane / Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Draco Meteor helps Salamence revenge kill Hydreigon and deals solid damage to neutral targets like Swampert, Rotom-W, and Rotom-H. Hurricane 2HKOes Assault Vest Tangrowth and has a significant chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Defog can be used over either STAB move by team preference, though this sacrifices neutral coverage against Pokemon like Nihilego or and Azumarill,(RC) respectively. Flamethrower is solid coverage against Pokemon such as Jirachi and Aegislash and can finish off weakened targets such as Tapu Bulu and Heracross without risking a Hurricane miss. Roost alongside Heavy-Duty Boots makes Salamence harder to wear down with by threats like Jirachi and Zarude. Intimidate makes Salamence a more reliable switch-in to threats such as Mienshao and Excadrill while making them easier to pivot around.

This set fits on bulky offense and balance teams for its wallbreaking capabilities against Pokemon like Amoonguss and important defensive utility against other foes like Conkeldurr. Swampert and Excadrill are able to break through Salamence's checks like Diancie and Nihilego, provide Stealth Rock support to soften up defensive Pokemon such as Celesteela, and capitalize on support against Tangrowth. Excadrill also pressures Hatterene and Togekiss and provides Rapid Spin support so Salamence can use both of its STAB moves drop Defog. Aegislash is a very effective partner,(RC) as it's that is able to break through Slowking with Shadow Ball and check Diancie with Flash Cannon. Lycanroc-D takes advantage of Salamence removing potential roadblocks for a late-game sweep such as Amoonguss, and it threatens Stealth Rock setters Salamence has troubles against like Chansey and Nihilego. Rotom-H and Rotom-W are effective pivots to safely bring Salamence into foes such as Hydreigon and Tangrowth, and they also provide Defog support. Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro helps pivot around and deal with checks to Salamence such as Primarina and Hatterene. Slowking provides Teleport support so Salamence can safely enter on Grass-types, as well as providing a stronger backbone against Conkeldurr with a Colbur Berry. Choice Scarf users such as Jirachi and Mienshao can handle faster Pokemon such as Nihilego and Lycanroc-D.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dual Wingbeat
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Blast
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Life Orb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

At +1 Speed, Salamence outspeeds foes that would otherwise revenge kill it revenge killers like Azelf, Thundurus-T, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. At +2 Speed, it blows past even faster revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Mienshao and Zarude. +1 Outrage destroys many neutral targets like the Rotom formes and Krookodile, though there is always the risk of Fairy-types like Azumarill and Hatterene revenge killing Salamence. +1 Dual Wingbeat OHKOes targets such as Conkeldurr and Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Dual Wingbeat also has the benefit of hitting Keldeo once through Substitute, though risking a burn from Scald is not ideal. Earthquake provides vital coverage and OHKOes Aegislash and Jirachi at +2. As Dragon Dance tends to lure in Skarmory,(RC) Fire Blast can be used instead to lure in and break through it Skarmory and increase Salamence's chances for a Moxie sweep. Life Orb can be used to OHKO Pokemon such as Aegislash with +1 Earthquake and Primarina with +2 Dual Wingbeat. It can also be used alongside a Naive nature to ensure that Fire Blast OHKOes Skarmory after Stealth Rock. However, Salamence's Stealth Rock weakness and Life Orb recoil will quickly put it into range for Mienshao's Stone Edge and Lycanroc-D's Accelerock to revenge kill it. Moxie helps Salamence get multiple boosts to KO bulky targets like Aegislash and makes it more difficult to revenge kill.

This set fits on offense and hyper offense teams to either leave teams weakened enough for its teammates to sweep or to clean weakened teams itself late-game as a wallbreaker or late-game cleaner with Moxie. Excadrill is an excellent lead partner for Dragon Dance Salamence,(RC) as its that sets Stealth Rock support wears to wear down bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-W and its provides Rapid Spin helps Salamence run Life Orb. Sticky Web from Ribombee slows down lets Salamence outspeed foes such as Nihilego so Salamence doesn't require a Speed boost to outspeed them. Celesteela walls this set, so early-game wallbreakers such as Nasty Plot Thundurus-T and Azelf are decent options. They also appreciate Salamence's ability to threaten Chansey. Other teammates that overwhelm physically bulky Pokemon such as Quagsire and Skarmory,(AC) such as Gyarados and Thundurus-T,(AC) are valuable assets to this set. Gyarados can OHKO Quagsire with Power Whip and Thundurus-T can take advantage of Skarmory. They also heavily benefit Salamence by overwhelming checks like Amoonguss and Primarina. Pivots such as Jirachi and Zarude can position Salamence to set up on Pokemon like Tangrowth. Mamoswine is a consistent revenge killer against Salamence, so teammates that KO it back such as Azumarill are appreciated.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Dual Wingbeat / Toxic
move 2: Flamethrower / Earthquake
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dual Wingbeat is a reliable STAB move that helps against threats to defensive teams such as Substitute Keldeo. Toxic can be used instead to cripple Stealth Rock setters such as Rhyperior while wearing and wear down wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, though Salamence becomes much more passive against Conkeldurr and Mienshao. Intimidate alongside the additional HP investment makes Salamence a more sturdy switch-in to Conkeldurr and Gyarados, although it has to be wary of the latter's Ice Fang. Maximum Speed investment is needed to make Salamence less passive against offensive threats such as Hydreigon and Krookodile.

This set is suited for stall teams to relieve entry hazard pressure from setters like Excadrill and Krookodile,(RC) as well as checking and check dangerous Pokemon like Tapu Bulu and Conkeldurr. Other entry hazard setters such as Necrozma and Nihilego are significant threats, so Chansey and Jirachi can help outlast them while also providing their own Stealth Rock support. Umbreon can check Pokemon Salamence can't handle by itself like Mamoswine and Gyarados, and it heavily appreciates Salamence’s support against Fighting-types. Quagsire keeps Salamence from being overwhelmed by opposing Dragon Dance Salamence and Lycanroc-D while enjoying and benefits from Salamence checking Grass-types. Knock Off support is very beneficial from teammates such as Nihilego is very beneficial so that Salamence can outlast threats such as Aegislash. Bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth are very useful for pivoting useful switch-ins into special attackers such as Primarina and Thundurus-T. Amoonguss and physically defensive Tangrowth are also good switch-ins to Knock Off for Salamence to keep its Heavy-Duty Boots. Hatterene can ease Salamence's role as a hazard remover with Magic Bounce.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An Intimidate Dragon Dance set using Roost over Outrage can work on Magneton teams to check problematic answers to Excadrill such as Zarude while remaining offensively potent. Fire Blast over Flamethrower on the special attacking set gives Salamence more power against Steel-types like Celesteela and Aegislash; however, it is less reliable and the additional power is often unneeded. Lum Berry can give Salamence more room to set up on Pokemon like Swampert and Tangrowth, but it doesn't carry as much consistent utility as Life Orb. Dragon Tail on the defensive set over Dual Wingbeat lets Salamence spread residual damage with entry hazards, though this is less functional than Toxic against foes like Azumarill. Choice Scarf alongside Moxie can give Salamence surprising sweeping potential, as it doesn't require a setup turn to outspeed targets such as Keldeo and revenge kills sweepers such as Gyarados. Choice Specs improves Salamence's wallbreaking ability and can lure Rhyperior in to nail it with Hydro Pump.

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

**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Azumarill, Primarina, and Hatterene are able to take advantage of Salamence's lack of coverage for them, having the bulk to take a hit and either set up or KO Salamence. Though a niche option, Diancie completely walls any special attacking variants of Salamence, has the bulk to survive a +1 Earthquake from Dragon Dance sets, and can KO Salamence or use it as a free chance to use Heal Bell.

**Rock-types and Rock-type Pokemon and Coverage**: Without Draco Meteor, special Salamence struggles to relieve Stealth Rock pressure from Nihilego, though it must be wary of Earthquake. Lycanroc-D can OHKO offensive variants of Salamence with -1 Stone Edge with after minimal chip damage,(RC) and Accelerock will easily revenge kill Salamence after its Heavy-Duty Boots have been removed with Knock Off it with Accelerock, though Lycanroc-D cannot switch into Salamence safely. Pokemon such as Mienshao and Krookodile commonly carry Rock-type coverage moves to revenge kill Salamence.

**Walls**: Pokemon like Chansey and Slowking can handle special Salamence with their massive special bulk and use it as for momentum with Teleport. However, the two cannot reliably tank hits from Dragon Dance sets. Umbreon and Mandibuzz have the natural bulk to survive Salamence's special attacks and take advantage of Dragon Dance sets with Foul Play. Celesteela is an especially detrimental defensive threat because it completely walls Dragon Dance sets without Fire Blast.

**Mamoswine**: Mamoswine is the most consistent revenge killer against Salamence, as Ice Shard OHKOes any set.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mystras Leoxses, 530118]]
- Quality checked by: [[Monky25, 515132], [Twilight, 344575], [BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [username2, userid2]]

GP 2/2. [DC, 449990]

 

[Mystras]

should be all good to go now