[OVERVIEW]
Talonflame has the tools it needs to be a threat due to poor Flying-resistant Pokemon in the metagame. Talonflame forces out a lot of top-tier threats such as Volcarona, Celesteela, and defensive Landorus-T, making for easy setup opportunities. Its main draw is its access to a priority Supersonic Skystrike at full health. However, Talonflame is not perfect in practice because it is weak to Stealth Rock and usually cannot use its great typing to switch into moves like Tangrowth's Knock Off as Talonflame will want to keep Gale Wings intact. Finally, Talonflame will find itself getting KOed quickly due to its reliance on recoil moves. Talonflame will either break massive holes in the opposition or be completely useless depending on how one plays it.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Flare Blitz
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Taunt / Flame Charge
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Gale Wings
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Brave Bird's high Base Power and the lack of Pokemon that resist it make it Talonflame's most spammable move. Flare Blitz is just as strong and breaks Steel-types such as Celesteela and Magearna. Swords Dance boosts Talonflame's Attack to solid levels, allowing it to break Zapdos with Flare Blitz and Toxapex with Supersonic Skystrike after Stealth Rock damage. Taunt is used in the last slot so Talonflame can break Unaware Clefable and is also used to stop Stealth Rock from Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Mew. Flame Charge can be used to pick off predicted fodder when Gale Wings is inactive, preventing Talonflame from being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Tapu Koko and Choice Scarf Keldeo.
Set Details
========
Adamant is the preferred nature, as Talonflame misses a ton of KOs without it. The most relevant OHKOs are on Tapu Koko and Toxapex with Supersonic Skystrike after Stealth Rock damage. A Jolly nature is usable to allow Talonflame to outprioritize Greninja's Water Shuriken when Gale Wings is active and outpace Serperior, Tornadus-T, and Dugtrio when Gale Wings is broken. Flyinium Z grants Talonflame a powerful 190-Base Power Supersonic Skystrike that has priority when Talonflame is at full health.
Usage Tips
========
Unless the player must switch Talonflame in on Stealth Rock, try to avoid switching into it and attacks such as Ferrothorn's Power Whip, as Talonflame is much less of a threat when Gale Wings is inactive. Talonflame cannot save its priority Z-Move, as its other two attacking moves induce recoil, breaking Gale Wings. Because of this, Talonflame should be saved in certain matchups if it is a player's only check to setup sweepers such as Volcarona and Gyarados. Analyze the situation before mindlessly clicking Swords Dance or Flame Charge on a Pokemon that Talonflame forces out. Finally, Talonflame should be played early- or late-game depending on the matchup. Its decent initial power makes it a huge threat to offense late-game. This is the opposite when playing against bulkier teams; set up early-game (AH) and start blowing huge holes into the opposition.
Team Options
========
Talonflame is best used on more offensive teams due to the lack of defensive synergy it provides. Thus, try not to use passive entry hazard removers such as Tapu Fini and Mew. Latios, Starmie, Kartana, and Excadrill are some examples of offensive hazard removers. Mega Scizor lacks immediate power, but it can give Talonflame free switches through U-turn. Speaking of U-turn, Tapu Koko, Ash-Greninja, and Magearna are other options for VoltTurn support so Talonflame can come in with Gale Wings intact.
In terms of teammates, Talonflame can form a potent core with Mega Pinsir or Celesteela, as Talonflame weakens conventional Flying counters such as Zapdos and Heatran. Because Talonflame is holding a Z-Crystal, Sitrus Berry and Life Orb are the best options for items on Autotomize Celesteela. Other sweepers that appreciate Talonflame's breaking power are Mega Gyarados and Mega Charizard X.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Tailwind can be used to support slower teammates such as Mega Heracross and Choice Specs Gengar. Roost is another filler option to reactivate Talonflame's Gale Wings, but Talonflame should be focused on breaking as many holes as possible instead of preserving an unlikely sweep. Choice Band provides Talonflame with immediate power, but utilizing Supersonic Skystrike unleashes Talonflame's full capabilities.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock and Residual Damage**: Stealth Rock discourages Talonflame from coming in, as the Talonflame user will want to clear entry hazards before sending it in. Without Gale Wings, Talonflame becomes much easier to revenge kill with Pokemon such as Mega Alakazam and Choice Scarf Garchomp. Sand damage and Rocky Helmet are other ways to deactivate Gale Wings.
**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl and Tyranitar can check Talonflame provided they have a good amount of health. Nihilego can check Talonflame as well, but it has to watch out for a +2 Supersonic Skystrike.
**Electric-types**: Once again, Pokemon such as Zapdos and Tapu Koko cannot check a +2 Talonflame after Stealth Rock, but they are solid checks to an unboosted or Gale Wings-less Talonflame, respectively. Physically defensive Rotom-W is the most consistent check in this category, as it resists both of Talonflame's STAB moves and can take a +2 Supersonic Skystrike if it is at a decent amount of health.
**Tapu Lele**: Tapu Lele's ability Psychic Surge forces Talonflame to either break its own Gale Wings with Flare Blitz or switch out.
**Bulky Attackers**: Against neutral targets, Talonflame is rather weak unboosted, so it will be forced out by bulky attackers such as Mega Gyarados and Zygarde.
Talonflame has the tools it needs to be a threat due to poor Flying-resistant Pokemon in the metagame. Talonflame forces out a lot of top-tier threats such as Volcarona, Celesteela, and defensive Landorus-T, making for easy setup opportunities. Its main draw is its access to a priority Supersonic Skystrike at full health. However, Talonflame is not perfect in practice because it is weak to Stealth Rock and usually cannot use its great typing to switch into moves like Tangrowth's Knock Off as Talonflame will want to keep Gale Wings intact. Finally, Talonflame will find itself getting KOed quickly due to its reliance on recoil moves. Talonflame will either break massive holes in the opposition or be completely useless depending on how one plays it.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Flare Blitz
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Taunt / Flame Charge
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Gale Wings
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Brave Bird's high Base Power and the lack of Pokemon that resist it make it Talonflame's most spammable move. Flare Blitz is just as strong and breaks Steel-types such as Celesteela and Magearna. Swords Dance boosts Talonflame's Attack to solid levels, allowing it to break Zapdos with Flare Blitz and Toxapex with Supersonic Skystrike after Stealth Rock damage. Taunt is used in the last slot so Talonflame can break Unaware Clefable and is also used to stop Stealth Rock from Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Mew. Flame Charge can be used to pick off predicted fodder when Gale Wings is inactive, preventing Talonflame from being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Tapu Koko and Choice Scarf Keldeo.
Set Details
========
Adamant is the preferred nature, as Talonflame misses a ton of KOs without it. The most relevant OHKOs are on Tapu Koko and Toxapex with Supersonic Skystrike after Stealth Rock damage. A Jolly nature is usable to allow Talonflame to outprioritize Greninja's Water Shuriken when Gale Wings is active and outpace Serperior, Tornadus-T, and Dugtrio when Gale Wings is broken. Flyinium Z grants Talonflame a powerful 190-Base Power Supersonic Skystrike that has priority when Talonflame is at full health.
Usage Tips
========
Unless the player must switch Talonflame in on Stealth Rock, try to avoid switching into it and attacks such as Ferrothorn's Power Whip, as Talonflame is much less of a threat when Gale Wings is inactive. Talonflame cannot save its priority Z-Move, as its other two attacking moves induce recoil, breaking Gale Wings. Because of this, Talonflame should be saved in certain matchups if it is a player's only check to setup sweepers such as Volcarona and Gyarados. Analyze the situation before mindlessly clicking Swords Dance or Flame Charge on a Pokemon that Talonflame forces out. Finally, Talonflame should be played early- or late-game depending on the matchup. Its decent initial power makes it a huge threat to offense late-game. This is the opposite when playing against bulkier teams; set up early-game (AH) and start blowing huge holes into the opposition.
Team Options
========
Talonflame is best used on more offensive teams due to the lack of defensive synergy it provides. Thus, try not to use passive entry hazard removers such as Tapu Fini and Mew. Latios, Starmie, Kartana, and Excadrill are some examples of offensive hazard removers. Mega Scizor lacks immediate power, but it can give Talonflame free switches through U-turn. Speaking of U-turn, Tapu Koko, Ash-Greninja, and Magearna are other options for VoltTurn support so Talonflame can come in with Gale Wings intact.
In terms of teammates, Talonflame can form a potent core with Mega Pinsir or Celesteela, as Talonflame weakens conventional Flying counters such as Zapdos and Heatran. Because Talonflame is holding a Z-Crystal, Sitrus Berry and Life Orb are the best options for items on Autotomize Celesteela. Other sweepers that appreciate Talonflame's breaking power are Mega Gyarados and Mega Charizard X.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Tailwind can be used to support slower teammates such as Mega Heracross and Choice Specs Gengar. Roost is another filler option to reactivate Talonflame's Gale Wings, but Talonflame should be focused on breaking as many holes as possible instead of preserving an unlikely sweep. Choice Band provides Talonflame with immediate power, but utilizing Supersonic Skystrike unleashes Talonflame's full capabilities.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock and Residual Damage**: Stealth Rock discourages Talonflame from coming in, as the Talonflame user will want to clear entry hazards before sending it in. Without Gale Wings, Talonflame becomes much easier to revenge kill with Pokemon such as Mega Alakazam and Choice Scarf Garchomp. Sand damage and Rocky Helmet are other ways to deactivate Gale Wings.
**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl and Tyranitar can check Talonflame provided they have a good amount of health. Nihilego can check Talonflame as well, but it has to watch out for a +2 Supersonic Skystrike.
**Electric-types**: Once again, Pokemon such as Zapdos and Tapu Koko cannot check a +2 Talonflame after Stealth Rock, but they are solid checks to an unboosted or Gale Wings-less Talonflame, respectively. Physically defensive Rotom-W is the most consistent check in this category, as it resists both of Talonflame's STAB moves and can take a +2 Supersonic Skystrike if it is at a decent amount of health.
**Tapu Lele**: Tapu Lele's ability Psychic Surge forces Talonflame to either break its own Gale Wings with Flare Blitz or switch out.
**Bulky Attackers**: Against neutral targets, Talonflame is rather weak unboosted, so it will be forced out by bulky attackers such as Mega Gyarados and Zygarde.
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