UU Talonflame

[ishtar]

[OVERVIEW]

Talonflame is able to carve a small niche in the UU metagame as a threatening sweeper and revenge killer for offensive teams thanks to its great speed, excellent offensive typing, ability Gale Wings, and access to the boosting move Swords Dance. Its Fire / Flying typing allows it to hit most of the metagame for neutral damage and grants it key resistances to Fire-, Fighting-, and Fairy-type attacks as well as an immunity to the common Ground-type. Its ability Gale Wings allows Talonflame to hit faster threats with its Flying-type STAB move before being hit in return, letting it deal great damage to common Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile and Hydreigon with Brave Bird or a Supersonic Skystrike if Gale Wings hasn't been broken.

Despite these attributes, however, losing 50% of its health to Stealth Rock damage means that Talonflame requires a lot of support and constant entry hazard removal in order to function as a reliable sweeper or revenge killer, since any form of damage automatically stops it from making use of its ability. Its defenses also leave much to be desired, which makes it susceptible to Pursuit trappers, priority users, and faster Pokemon that resist its Flying-type moves such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. Talonflame is also weak to Water-, Electric-, and Rock-type moves, meaning that it will often be walled or forced out by common threats such as Rotom-H and Mega Slowbro. Furthermore, most Rock-type Pokemon in the tier resist both of its attacks and can threaten Talonflame with a 4x effective STAB move or cripple it with status, with examples being Mega Aerodactyl and Stealth Rock setters such as Diancie. Lastly, Pokemon such as Infernape, Rotom-H, and Moltres give Talonflame competition as Fire-types due to their better secondary typing, more reliable abilities, ability to fit on more varied playstyles, or increased utility.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Flare Blitz / Flame Charge
move 4: Roost / Taunt / Flame Charge
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Gale Wings
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Brave Bird allows Talonflame to threaten the majority of the tier for neutral damage. A +2 Supersonic Skystrike allows it to heavily damage defensive Pokemon such as Gligar and Hippowdon and Water-types such as Suicune, Alomomola, and Primarina as well as OHKO all the Dragon-types in the tier. Flare Blitz enables Talonflame to break through the Steel-types that resist its Flying-type STAB move such as Mega Steelix, Doublade, and Empoleon, notably being able to 2HKO all of them after one Swords Dance. Flame Charge is another option that allows Talonflame to be a faster late-game sweeper, most notably outspeeding every common Choice Scarf user after one boost in its Speed stat, which is beneficial if Gale Wings has been broken. Its damage output is considerably lower than than Flare Blitz's, though, which means it requires multiple Swords Dance boosts in order to do a good job sweeping. For example, Flame Charge Talonflame requires one Swords Dance boost in order to OHKO defensive Scizor and it requires two to even have a chance at 2HKOing the aforementioned Mega Steelix and Empoleon. Roost lets Talonflame heal itself, which can also allow it to restore its health back to full and make use of another +1 priority Flying-type move. Taunt allows Talonflame to set up in front of common passive Stealth Rock setters and Defog users such as Hippowdon and Gligar as well as clerics such as Florges and Sylveon.

Set Details
========

Flyinium Z allows Talonflame to use a 190-Base Power Supersonic Skystrike. With the combination of Supersonic Skystrike, one Swords Dance boost, and Stealth Rock damage, Talonflame is able to OHKO threats such as Suicune and Mega Aerodactyl and has a chance to do the same to Swampert, Rotom-H, and Zeraora after they've taken chip damage. Gale Wings grants Talonflame +1 to priority Flying-type moves when it is at full health, which allows it to revenge kill and sweep more reliably if it hasn't taken any prior damage.

Usage Tips
========

Due to its great speed, offensive typing, and ability to wallbreak and revenge kill, Talonflame can be used at any stage of the battle. It functions best as a late-game sweeper, though, since its poor Attack stat sometimes stops it from reliably breaking through sturdier Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Alomomola without prior damage. Talonflame is able to force switches and wall passive threats such as Hippowdon, Gligar, and Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Florges when running Taunt; it must utilize these instances to set up with Swords Dance in order to break through bulkier Pokemon and sweep or, if running Flame Charge, to boost its Speed stat with the same goal.

Preserving Talonflame's Gale Wings can be crucial during a battle, so good entry hazard control is necessary in order to use Talonflame to its full potential and preserve a reliable way of outspeeding faster threats. Find different moments in which Talonflame can safely come in and set up for a sweep or heavily damage opposing Pokemon. Bring it safely into the field by using slow pivots or after another Pokemon has fainted, since Talonflame's low bulk and weakness to Stealth Rock can heavily threaten its longevity. If Talonflame is running Roost, it can afford to come in on weaker attacks and even on entry hazards, as long as it's able to recover its health afterwards or doesn't require Gale Wings in order to sweep. If using Flame Charge, making use of the attack against passive threats, even if only for the Speed boost, which can be a defining moment in a battle, since Talonflame only requires using the move once in order to outspeed all common Choice Scarf users and faster Pokemon, without having to rely on Gale Wings any longer.

Team Options
========

Talonflame's wallbreaking capabilities, ability to wear down opposing teams, and ability to sweep late-game mean that it fits well on offensive builds, particularly hyper offense. Spikes support from the likes of Froslass and Klefki is appreciated for chipping down opposing teams and putting them in range of one of Talonflame's attacks. Klefki can also support Talonflame by using Thunder Wave against faster threats such as Choice Scarf Latias and Mega Aerodactyl, allowing Talonflame to be the fastest Pokemon on the field. A suicide lead such as Azelf is particularly helpful, since it's able to set up Stealth Rock and stop the opposing team from doing the same with Taunt. Nihilego and Kommo-o are other notable Stealth Rock setters that support Talonflame due to their great offensive presence and movepool that allow them to threaten a plethora of Defoggers such as Empoleon and Rotom-H. Both also pressure bulkier builds due to their great coverage, with Kommo-o being an especially notable partner due to its ability to make use of a mixed set with multiple options for attacks as well as using Taunt on hazard removers. Due to Talonflame's weakness to Stealth Rock damage, hazard control is necessary, so spinners such as Starmie, Mega Blastoise, and Tsareena are preferable, since they're able to get rid of hazards on your side while keeping those on the opponent's side and still have great offensive presence against common Stealth Rock setters such as Hippowdon, Mega Steelix, and Mega Aggron. Spinblockers such as Gengar and Doublade and Defiant Pokemon such as Bisharp stop or punish the use of Rapid Spin or Defog from opposing teams, supporting Talonflame's goal of wearing down teams in order to sweep. Setup sweepers like Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Lucario appreciate physically defensive walls such as Swampert, Gligar, and Doublade weakened. Special wallbreakers such as Primarina, Latias, and Hydreigon support Talonflame by threatening bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Quagsire and in return appreciate Talonflame's ability to threaten Steel-types. Choice Scarf Latias and Hydreigon are naturally decent partners, since they're able to beat Electric-type Pokemon that trouble Talonflame such as Rotom-H. They're also able to beat faster threats that Talonflame can't outspeed naturally, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. Scizor, Bisharp, and Mega Sharpedo fit well in hyper offense builds alongside Talonflame, since they can function as cleaners that appreciate Talonflames's ability to wear down opposing teams.

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

An Adamant nature provides Talonflame with more immediate offensive power but allows other fast threats such as offensive Starmie to outspeed it. This option notably secures an OHKO on Rotom-H with Supersonic Skystrike after Stealth Rock damage and a Swords Dance boost.

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

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock damage will severely cut Talonflame's longevity, since it loses half of its health upon entry, limiting its opportunities to switch in and often forcing it to use Roost or switch out.

**Faster Threats**: Despite Talonflame's great speed and useful ability, it is still outpaced by common Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile, Hydreigon, and Latias if Gale Wings has been broken, and all of them can revenge kill Talonflame or force it out. This is equally the case with naturally faster threats such as Mega Manectric, Mega Aerodactyl, and Zeraora.

**Priority Attacks**: Prior damage makes Talonflame susceptible to priority users such as Bisharp and even some Scizor variants. Bisharp can 2HKO Talonflame with Sucker Punch, Talonflame does not appreciate being hit by a boosted Quick Attack or even Bullet Punch from offensive Scizor, and all Crawdaunt variants are able to OHKO it with Aqua Jet.

**Electric-types**: Talonflame often struggles with the Electric-type Pokemon in the tier, since it isn't able to outspeed most of them or takes considerable amounts of damage without an unboosted attack. Rotom-H takes little damage from either of Talonflame's unboosted STAB moves and is able to 2HKO it with Volt Switch or pressure it with Toxic. Talonflame is unable to outspeed faster Electric-types such as Mega Manectric and Zeraora; Mega Manectric is particularly troublesome, since its ability Intimidate reduces Talonflame's chances of sweeping even further. It must be noted, though, that Talonflame is able to break through Electric-types such as Zeraora and Rotom-H with a boosted Supersonic Skystrike if they've taken prior Stealth Rock damage, notably always being able to OHKO Zeraora and having a high chance to do the same to Rotom-H.

**Rock-types**: Most of the Rock-types in the tier resist both of Talonflame's STAB moves and can threaten it with their respective STAB or coverage moves. Mega Aerodactyl outspeeds Talonflame and survives an unboosted Supersonic Skystrike, though the opponent must be wary of it taking prior damage. In return, Mega Aerodactyl is able to OHKO Talonflame with a STAB Stone Edge or even Pursuit trap it. Nihilego doesn't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike but is able to beat Talonflame one-on-one with a Gigavolt Havoc, Power Gem, or Thunderbolt. The more uncommon Rhyperior and Diancie can easily take any hit from Talonflame and OHKO it with their respective Rock-type STAB attack or cripple it with Toxic.

**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Quagsire and Mega Slowbro easily wall Talonflame, take minimum damage from either of its STAB moves, and are able to beat it with their Water-type moves in return. Some other Water-types such as Suicune and Alomomola can threaten and beat Talonflame in a one-on-one scenario but don't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[vivalospride, 151509], [Nuked, 382658], [Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Fireflame479, 231476]]

 

[ishtar]

Ready for QC ^-^

 

[vivalospride]

[OVERVIEW]

• Talonflame is able to carve a small niche in the UU metagame as a threatening sweeper and revenge killer for offensive builds thanks to its great speed, offensive typing, ability Gale Wings, and access to the boosting move Swords Dance.
• Its Fire-Flying typing allows it to hit most of the metagame for neutral damage, as well as having key resistances to Fire-, Fighting-, and Fairy-types as well as an immunity to the common Ground-type.
• It’s ability Gale Wings allows Talonflame to hit faster threats before being hit in return. This allows Talonflame to deal great damage to common scarfers with the move Brave Bird or a Supersonic Skystrike if Gale Wings hasn't been broken.
• Despite these attributes, losing 50% of its health to Stealth Rock damage mean that Talonflame requires a lot of support and constant hazard removal in order to function as a reliable sweeper or revenge killer, or even have a good amount of reliable switch-ins, since any form of damage automatically stops it from making use of its ability. Its defenses also leave much to be desired which makes it susceptible to Pursuit trappers, priority users, or faster Pokemon that don't particularly care about its attacks such as Mega Aerodactyl, and Mega Manectric.
• Talonflame is also weak to Water-, Electric-, and Rock-type moves, meaning that it will often be walled or forced out by common threats. (Put emphasis on rock types because it's 4x effective while also resisting both stabs, then give examples of common threats like Nihilego, Rotom-H, and Mega Slowbro).
• Lastly, Pokemon such as Infernape, Rotom-H, and Moltres give Talonflame competition as Fire-types due to having a better secondary typing, more reliable abilities, fitting on more varied playstyles, or simply having more utility.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Flare Blitz / Flame Charge
move 4: Roost / Taunt / Flame Charge
item: Flynium Z
ability: Gale Wings
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• The move Swords Dance grants Talonflame a way of boosting its initially mediocre Attack stat which allows it to have a better chance at sweeping and wallbreaking.
• Brave Bird allows Talonflame to threaten the majority of the tier for neutral damage. A +2 Supersonic Skystrike allows it to heavily damage defensive Pokemon such as Gligar, and Hippowdow, Water-types such as Suicune, Alomomola, and Primarina as well as OHKOing all the Dragon-types in the tier.
• Flare Blitz allows Talonflame to break through the Steel-types that resist its Flying-type STAB move such as Mega Steelix, Doublade, and Empoleon, notably being able to 2HKO all of them after one Swords Dance.
• Flame Charge is another option that allows Talonflame to be a faster late-game sweeper, most notably outspeeding every common scarfer after one boost in its Speed stat, but the damage output is considerably lower than the one done with Flare Blitz which can make it rely on multiple Swords Dance boosts in order to do a good job at sweeping. For example, Flame Charge Talonflame requires one Swords Dance boost in order to OHKO defensive Scizor and it requires two to even have a chance at 2HKOing the aforementioned Mega Steelix, and Empoleon, proving a big difference in power. (Talk about how it sort of makes up for the lack of Gale Wings if tflame isn't at full hp).
• Roost allows Talonflame to heal itself, which can also allow it to restore its health back to full and make use of another +1 priority Flying-type move.
• Taunt allows Talonflame to set up in front of common passive Stealth Rock setters, and Defog users such as Hippowdow, and Gligar as well as clerics such as Florges, and Sylveon.

Set Details
========

• Full investment in its Attack stat maximizes Talonflame's offensive presence, but it must be noted that its base Attack is rather mediocre and often requires the need of a Swords Dance boost in order to deal considerable amounts of damage to bulkier Pokemon in the meta. (Common sense, just remove this, it's unnecessary to note and fluff).
• A Jolly nature with maximum Speed inventment allows Talonflame to outspeed most non-scarfed Pokemon in the meta, most notably outspeeding Starmie. (Fluff, remove).
• Flynium-Z allows Talonflame to use a 190-Base Power Supersonic Skystrike. (This is fluff as it is but since it’s mentioned in moves n shit you can keep it, just add examples of things tflame can muscle thru with the zmove that it can’t without).
• Gale Wings grants Talonflame a +1 priority Flying-type move when it is at full health, which allows it to revenge kill and sweep more reliably if if prior damage hasn't been taken.

Usage Tips
========

• Due to its great speed and offensive typing, Talonflame can be used at any stage of the battle since its ability to wallbreak and revenge kill is useful at almost any moment. (True but I'd say it's primarily a late game sweeper due to it's poor atk stat, it needs a lot of chip to be able to actually bust thru most teams, you explain this 2 points down but honestly the first three points could probably be summed up in the first point alone).
• It can function in early stages when rocks haven’t been set by the opponent to make use of Gale Wings and deal heavy amounts of damage to threats that its able to hit neutrally or super effectively. (Note revenge killing specifically since honestly if it's early in the game and you're against any solid team that has any sort of defensive presence, tflame wont often be able to just click and kill shit early on, refer to what i say in the point above tho).
• It can also be brought in in later stages of a match, with proper hazard control, and function as a decent late-game sweeper after the opposing team's physical walls have been KOed or heavily weakened. (Refer to 1st point)
• Talonflame is able to force out switches and wall passive threats such as Hippowdow, Gligar, and Fairy-types such as Sylveon, and Florges. Talonflame must utilize these instances to Taunt and wall the opponent's Pokemon or set up a Swords Dance. (Since tflame isn't running Taunt 100% of the time, say "when running Taunt" for the glig/hippo part. Toxic definitely irritated tflame enough to have to specify).
• Using Flame Charge once against any of these threats also allow Talonflame to outspeed every common scarfer, which can be used as another way of sweeping if the bird isn’t as max health and can't take advantage of its ability.
• (This needs to be fleshed out further, especially after what I did to the first three points. Start by mentioning keeping rocks off the field at all costs in order to keep tflame healthy, but mainly to keep it's ability in tact).
• (Mention how you shouldn't be too hasty in throwing Talonflame into the field for a potential sweep. Talonflame's mediocre atk stat means it requires a lot of chip on certain mons to be able to reliably sweep. Even not-so bulky mons that don't resist both stabs it has a hard time of breaking thru such as mmane).
• (Mention how exactly you can safely bring tflame onto the field. For example, pivot or sacking a mon to get it in safely. Harding tflame into literally anything can be risky due to how fragile it is and w/ rocks and all that, but mostly due to it's ability. Sacking something or bringing it in thru a pivot on something it can reliably use as setup fodder is best in most scenarios, but also mention how you can be more risky with this if running Roost).
• (Talk about how if you're not at full hp, getting +1 speed from Flame Charge (if running flame charge) can be crucial to sweeping in the late game so it can outspeed things that can normally revenge kill it in situations where it doesn't have full hp like Mega Beedrill and Choice Scarf Latias).

Team Options
========

• Talonflame’s wallbreaking capabilities, ability to wear down opposing teams, and sweep in the late-game mean that it fits well on offensive builds, particularly in hyper offense.
• Spike support from the likes of Froslass, and Klefki are appreciated for chipping down opposing teams and putting them in range of one of Talonflame's attacks. Klefki can also support Talonflame by using Thunder Wave against faster threats such as Scarfed Hydreigon (twave doesn't effect dark types, replace this for lati), or Mega Aerodactyl, allowing Talonflame to be the fastest Pokemon in the field. A Stealth Rock setter such as Azelf is particularly helpful since its able to set up rocks, stop the opposing team from doing the same, and working as a suicide lead. (This stealth rock point should be a separate point from spikes support, also add more examples of good rockers it can work with such as Kommo-o and Nihilego that can fit on more offensive teams while reliably keeping up rocks w/ coverage/taunt and pressuring fatter teams).
• Due to Talonflame's weakness to Stealth Rock damage, hazard control is necessary so spinners such as Starmie, Mega Blastoise, and Tsareena are preferable since they’re able to get rid of hazards on your side, keeping hazards on the opponents side, and still having a great offensive presence against common Stealth Rock setters such as Hippowdow, Mega Steelix, and Mega Aggron.
• Spinblockers such as Gengar, and Doublade, as well as Defiant Pokemon such as Bisharp stop or punish hazard removal from opposing teams, supporting Talonflame's goal of wearing down teams in order to sweep.
• Setup sweepers that appreciate physically defensive walls weakened such as Alomomola (regen makes this invalid to an extent, replace alo for swampert or something), Gligar, and Doublade make great partners. Terrakion, and Lucario (give maybe one more example but a non fighting type one, maybe like Mega Altaria) are great examples of this. Special wallbreakers such as Primarina, Latias, and Hydreigon support Talonflame by threatening bulky waters such as Slowbro, and Quagsire. (While they also appreciate tflame threatening steels for them to click STABs easier).
• Since Talonflame struggles with Electric-types such as Rotom-H, scarfed Krookodile, and scarfed Hydreigon are naturally decent partners. They’re also able to beat faster threats that Talonflame can’t outspeed naturally, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric.
• Scizor, Bisharp, and Mega Sharpedo fit well in hyper offense builds alongside Talonflame since they can function as cleaners that appreciate the bird’s ability to wear down opposing teams.

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

• An Adamant nature allows Talonflame to have more immediate offensive power but allows other fast threats such as offensive Starmie to outspeed it.
• Acrobatics can be utilized to avoid the recoil damage inflicted by Brave Bird but lacks immediate power and often can affect Talonflame's sweeping and wallbreaking capabilities since it can’t rely on a Supersonic Skytrike to deal major damage to many threats without boosting up its Attack stat once or multiple times. (Just remove this imo, you're not gonna be able to break shit if you're running fuckin Acrobatics)

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

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock damage will severely cut Talonflame's longetivy since it loses half of its health upon entry, limiting its opportunities to switch in and often forcing it to Roost or switch out.

**Faster threats**: Despite Talonflame's great speed and useful ability, it is still outpaced by common scarfers such as Krookodile, Hydreigon, and Latias, if Gale Wings has been broken. All of them can revenge kill it or force it out. This is equally the case with naturally faster threats such as Mega Manectric, Mega Aerodactyl, and Zeraora. (Also mention priority if it's not at full hp, or even if it is bish lives +2 ss anyways, spunch from bish, qa from sciz, ajet from daunt n shit, etc).

**Electric-types**: Talonflame often struggles with the Electric-types in the tier since it isn't able to outspeed most of them or do considerable amounts of damage without an unboosted attack. Rotom-H takes minimum damage from either of Talonflame's STAB moves and is able to 2HKO it with Volt Switch (or pressure with status). Talonflame is unable to outspeed faster Electric-types such as Mega Manectric, or Zeraora, though the latter must be wary of a boosted Supersonic Skystrike. (Reword this part at the end about boosted ss. Say something like "although after chip, Talonflame is capable of muscling through these threats with a boosted Supersonic Skystrike". Move it to the very end of this though) Mega Manectric is particularly troublesome since its ability Intimidate lowers Talonflame's Attack stat upon entry, reducing the bird's chances of sweeping even further.

**Rock-types**: All of the Rock-types in the tier resist both of Talonflame's STAB moves and can OHKO it with their Rock-type move due to its 4x weakness to the typing. (This might be a bit nit picky but not all rock types in the tier run a rock move!!! Nihilego often runs electric move > rock move and Diancie often runs Toxic > rock move so reword this imo) Mega Aerodactyl outspeeds Talonflame and survives an unboosted Supersonic Skystrike, though the opponent must be wary of it taking prior damage. In return, Mega Aerodactyl is able to OHKO it with a STAB Stone Edge or even Pursuit trap it. Nihilego doesn’t appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike but is able to beat Talonflame one-on-one. The more unusual Rhyperior, and Diancie can easily take any hit from it and OHKO it back.

**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Quagsire, and Slowbro (maybe specify mega bro, because normal bro takes 90 max from +2 ss which i wouldnt say is "easily" walling it. Mega bro takes it p easily tho) easily wall Talonflame, take minimum damage from either of its STAB moves, and are able to beat it with their Water-type moves in return. Some other Water-types such as Suicune, and Alomomola can threaten and beat Talonflame in a one-on-one scenario but don't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

QC 1/3, good work for first analysis Kelly :thumbsup:

 

[Nuked]

[OVERVIEW]

• Talonflame is able to carve a small niche in the UU metagame as a threatening sweeper and revenge killer for offensive builds thanks to its great speed, offensive typing, ability Gale Wings, and access to the boosting move Swords Dance.
• Its Fire-Flying typing allows it to hit most of the metagame for neutral damage, as well as having key resistances to Fire-, Fighting-, and Fairy-types as well as an immunity to the common Ground-type.
• It’s ability Gale Wings allows Talonflame to hit faster threats before being hit in return. This allows Talonflame to deal great damage to common scarfers with the move Brave Bird or a Supersonic Skystrike if Gale Wings hasn't been broken.
• Despite these attributes, losing 50% of its health to Stealth Rock damage mean that Talonflame requires a lot of support and constant hazard removal in order to function as a reliable sweeper or revenge killer, or even have a good number of reliable switch-ins, since any form of damage automatically stops it from making use of its ability. Its defenses also leave much to be desired which makes it susceptible to Pursuit trappers, priority users, or faster Pokemon that don't particularly care about its attacks (reword this to say "faster Pokemon that resist Flying" because "its attacks" makes it seem like you can hit them first with Flare Blitz) such as Mega Aerodactyl, and Mega Manectric.
• Talonflame is also weak to Water-, Electric-, and Rock-type moves, meaning that it will often be walled or forced out by common threats such as Rotom-H, Mega Slowbro. Rock-types Pokomon resist both of its attacks and can threaten Talonflame with a 4x effective Rock-type STAB move, examples of this are Mega Aerodactyl and Stealth Rock Setters such as Rhyperior.
• Lastly, Pokemon such as Infernape, Rotom-H, and Moltres give Talonflame competition as Fire-types due to having a better secondary typing, more reliable abilities, fitting on more varied playstyles, or simply having more utility.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Flare Blitz / Flame Charge
move 4: Roost / Taunt / Flame Charge
item: Flynium Z
ability: Gale Wings
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• The move Swords Dance grants Talonflame a way of boosting its initially mediocre Attack stat which allows it to have a better chance at sweeping and wallbreaking.
• Brave Bird allows Talonflame to threaten the majority of the tier for neutral damage. A +2 Supersonic Skystrike allows it to heavily damage defensive Pokemon such as Gligar, and Hippowdon, Water-types such as Suicune, Alomomola, and Primarina as well as OHKOing all the Dragon-types in the tier.
• Flare Blitz allows Talonflame to break through the Steel-types that resist its Flying-type STAB move such as Mega Steelix, Doublade, and Empoleon, notably being able to 2HKO all of them after one Swords Dance.
• Flame Charge is another option that allows Talonflame to be a faster late-game sweeper, most notably outspeeding every common scarfer after one boost in its Speed stat, which is a beneficial alternative if Gale Wings has been broken. The damage output is considerably lower than the one done with Flare Blitz though, which can make it rely on multiple Swords Dance boosts in order to do a good job at sweeping. For example, Flame Charge Talonflame requires one Swords Dance boost in order to OHKO defensive Scizor and it requires two to even have a chance at 2HKOing the aforementioned Mega Steelix, and Empoleon, proving a big difference in power.
• Roost allows Talonflame to heal itself, which can also allow it to restore its health back to full and make use of another +1 priority Flying-type move.
• Taunt allows Talonflame to set up in front of common passive Stealth Rock setters, and Defog users such as Hippowdon, and Gligar as well as clerics such as Florges, and Sylveon.
• cut the red part

Set Details
========

• Flynium-Z allows Talonflame to use a 190-Base Power Supersonic Skystrike. With the mixture of Supersonic Skystrike, one Swords Dance boost, and after Stealth Rock damage, Talonflame is able to OHKO threats such as Suicune and, Mega Aerodactyl, and has a chance to do the same to Swampert, Rotom-H, and Zeraora.
• Gale Wings grants Talonflame a +1 priority Flying-type move when it is at full health, which allows it to revenge kill and sweep more reliably if if prior damage hasn't been taken.

Usage Tips
========

• Due to its great speed and offensive typing, Talonflame can be used at any stage of the battle since its ability to wallbreak and revenge kill is useful at almost any moment. It does function the best as a late-game sweeper though, since its poor Attack stat sometimes stops it from reliably breaking through sturdier Pokemon (such as?) without prior damage.
• Talonflame is able to force out switches and wall passive threats such as Hippowdon, Gligar, and Fairy-types such as Sylveon, and Florges when running Taunt. Talonflame must utilize these instances to set up with Swords Dance in order to break through bulkier Pokemon and sweep or, if running Flame Charge, to boost its Speed stat with the same goal.
• Preserving Talonflame's Gale Wings can be crucial during a battle, so good hazard control is necessary in order to use Talonflame in its full potential and gives it a reliable way of outspeeding faster threats.
• Find different moments in which Talonflame can safely come in and setup for a sweep or to heavily damage opposing Pokemon. Bring it safely into the field by using slow pivots or after another Pokemon has fainted, since Talonflame's low bulk and weakness to Stealth Rock can heavily threaten its longevity.
• If Talonflame is running Roost, it can afford to come in on weaker attacks and even Stealth Rocks, as long as its able to recover its health afterwards or doesn’t require Gale Wings in order to sweep.
• If using Flame Charge, making use of the attack against passive threats, even if only for the speed boost, can be a defining moment in a battle since it only requires using the move once in order to outspeed all common scarfers and faster Pokemon, making it not rely on Gale Wings at all.

Team Options
========

• Talonflame’s wallbreaking capabilities, ability to wear down opposing teams, and sweep in the late-game mean that it fits well on offensive builds, particularly in hyper offense.
• Spike support from the likes of Froslass, and Klefki are appreciated for chipping down opposing teams and putting them in range of one of Talonflame's attacks. Klefki can also support Talonflame by using Thunder Wave against faster threats such as Scarfed Latias, or Mega Aerodactyl, allowing Talonflame to be the fastest Pokemon in the field.
• A Stealth Rock setter such as Azelf is particularly helpful since its able to set up rocks, stop the opposing team from doing the same with Taunt, and working as a suicide lead. Nihilego and Kommo-o are other notable Stealth Rock setters that support Talonflame due to their great offensive presence and moveset which allow them to threaten a plethora of Defog users such as Empoleon and Rotom-H. Both also pressure bulkier builds due to their great coverage, Kommo-o being a notable partner due to its ability to make use of a mixed set with multiple options for attacks as well as being able to Taunt hazard removers.
• Due to Talonflame's weakness to Stealth Rock damage, hazard control is necessary so spinners such as Starmie, Mega Blastoise, and Tsareena are preferable since they’re able to get rid of hazards on your side, keeping hazards on the opponent’s side, and still having a great offensive presence against common Stealth Rock setters such as Hippowdon, Mega Steelix, and Mega Aggron.
• Spinblockers such as Gengar, and Doublade, as well as Defiant Pokemon such as Bisharp stop or punish hazard removal from opposing teams, supporting Talonflame's goal of wearing down teams in order to sweep.
• Setup sweepers that appreciate physically defensive walls weakened such as Swampert, Gligar, and Doublade make great partners. Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Lucario are great examples of this. (right now this wording is messed up - in the first sentence, it's worded to say that gligar, swampert, and doublade are the setup sweepers. you can say "...appreciate defensive walls such as Swampert, Gligar, and Doublade weakened..." and it would fix this issue) Special wallbreakers such as Primarina, Latias, and Hydreigon support Talonflame by threatening bulky waters such as Slowbro, and Quagsire while they also appreciate Talonflame's ability to threaten Steel-types.
• Since Talonflame struggles with Electric-types such as Rotom-H, scarfed Krookodile, and scarfed Hydreigon are naturally decent partners. They’re also able to beat faster threats that Talonflame can’t outspeed naturally, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. (I know this is a GP comment but the first sentence is worded really weirdly; remove the comma between Krookodile and and. Also, Krookodile doesn't really beat Rotom-H so put Latias here instead.)
• Scizor, Bisharp, and Mega Sharpedo fit well in hyper offense builds alongside Talonflame since they can function as cleaners that appreciate the bird’s ability to wear down opposing teams.

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

• An Adamant nature allows Talonflame to have more immediate offensive power but allows other fast threats such as offensive Starmie to outspeed it. (If you know of any, it would be good to mention a KO or two that Adamant gets that Jolly doesn't)

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

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock damage will severely cut Talonflame's longetivy since it loses half of its health upon entry, limiting its opportunities to switch in and often forcing it to Roost or switch out.

**Faster threats**: Despite Talonflame's great speed and useful ability, it is still outpaced by common scarfers such as Krookodile, Hydreigon, and Latias, if Gale Wings has been broken. All of them can revenge kill it or force it out. This is equally the case with naturally faster threats such as Mega Manectric, Mega Aerodactyl, and Zeraora.

**Priority attacks**: Prior damage also makes Talonflame susceptible to priority users such as Bisharp, and even some Scizor variants. Bisharp can 2HKO Talonflame with Sucker Punch, Talonflame does not appreciate being hit by a boosted Quick Attack or even Bullet Punch from offensive Scizor, and all Crawdaunt variants are able to OHKO it with Aqua Jet.

**Electric-types**: Talonflame often struggles with the Electric-types in the tier since it isn't able to outspeed most of them or do considerable amounts of damage without an unboosted attack. Rotom-H takes minimum damage from either of Talonflame's STAB moves and is able to 2HKO it with Volt Switch, or pressure it with Toxic. Talonflame is unable to outspeed faster Electric-types such as Mega Manectric, or Zeraora. Mega Manectric is particularly troublesome since its ability Intimidate lowers Talonflame's Attack stat upon entry, reducing the bird's chances of sweeping even further. It must be noted though that Talonflame is able to break through Electric-types such as Zeraora, and Rotom-H with a boosted Supersonic Skystrike, if they’ve taken prior Stealth Rock damage, notably always being able to OHKO Zeraora and having a high chance to do the same to the latter.

**Rock-types**: All of the Rock-types in the tier resist both of Talonflame's STAB moves and can threaten it with their respective moveset or Rock-type STAB move due to its 4x weakness to the typing. (not every Rock-type, see Terrakion) it with their Rock-type move due to its 4x weakness to the typing. (looks like leftover shit) Mega Aerodactyl outspeeds Talonflame and survives an unboosted Supersonic Skystrike, though the opponent must be wary of it taking prior damage. In return, Mega Aerodactyl is able to OHKO it with a STAB Stone Edge or even Pursuit trap it. Nihilego doesn’t appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike but is able to beat Talonflame one-on-one with a Gigavot Havoc or Thunderbolt. (Power Gem too) The more unusual Rhyperior, and Diancie can easily take any hit from it, OHKO it with their respective Rock-type STAB or cripple it with Toxic.

**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Quagsire, and Mega Slowbro easily wall Talonflame, take minimum damage from either of its STAB moves, and are able to beat it with their Water-type moves in return. Some other Water-types such as Suicune, and Alomomola can threaten and beat Talonflame in a one-on-one scenario but don't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[vivalospride, 151509], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

QC 2/3

 

[ishtar]

Ay, written into paragraphs!

 

[Hilomilo]

Overview
* "It’s ability Gale Wings allows Talonflame to hit faster threats before being hit in return." - specify that it does this with Flying-type STAB moves.
* Give some examples of Choice Scarf users you say it can work around. Krookodile and Hydreigon both work.
* "faster Pokemon that resist its Flying-type moves such as Mega Aerodactyl, and Mega Manectric." - include Zeraora as an example here.
* Replace the Rhyperior example with Diancie.

Set Details
* Specify that Talonflame will require chip damage to have a shot at OHKOing Rotom-H.

Usage Tips
* I'd replace the Jellicent example with Alomomola.

Team Options
* 'stop or punish the use of Defog' - don't forget to include Rapid Spin here.

3/3 when this is implemented. Great work for your first analysis! Fun read :)

 

[asa]

placeholder

 

[Lumari]

allstar asked me to do this


remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2

check

[OVERVIEW]

Talonflame is able to carve a small niche in the UU metagame as a threatening sweeper and revenge killer for offensive teams thanks to its great speed, excellent (needs an adjective, pick w/e fits) offensive typing, ability Gale Wings, and access to the boosting move Swords Dance. Its Fire-Flying Fire / Flying typing allows it to hit most of the metagame for neutral damage, as well as having and grants it key resistances to Fire-, Fighting-, and Fairy-type attacks as well as an immunity to the common Ground type. (RH) It's Its ability Gale Wings allows Talonflame to hit faster threats with its Flying-type STAB move before being hit in return, (comma) This allows Talonflame to letting it deal great damage to common Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile (RC) and Hydreigon with the move Brave Bird or a Supersonic Skystrike if Gale Wings hasn't been broken.

Despite these attributes, however, losing 50% of its health to Stealth Rock damage means that Talonflame requires a lot of support and constant entry hazard removal in order to function as a reliable sweeper or revenge killer (RC) or and even have a good number of reliable switch-ins defensive teammates to fall back on, (at least I figure that's what this means?) since any form of damage automatically stops it from making use of its ability. Its defenses also leave much to be desired, (AC) which makes it susceptible to Pursuit trappers, priority users, or faster Pokemon that resist its Flying-type moves such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. Talonflame is also weak to Water-, Electric-, and Rock-type moves, meaning that it will often be walled or forced out by common threats such as Rotom-H (RC) and Mega Slowbro. Furthermore, most Rock-type Pokemon in the tier resist both of its attacks and can threaten Talonflame with a 4x effective Rock-type STAB move or cripple it with status, with examples of this being Mega Aerodactyl and Stealth Rock setters such as Diancie. Lastly, Pokemon such as Infernape, Rotom-H, and Moltres give Talonflame competition as Fire-types due to having a their better secondary typing, more reliable abilities, fitting their ability to fit on more varied playstyles, or simply having more utility.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance Big Linda
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Flare Blitz / Flame Charge
move 4: Roost / Taunt / Flame Charge
item: Flynium Flyinium Z
ability: Gale Wings
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Brave Bird allows Talonflame to threaten the majority of the tier for neutral damage. A +2 Supersonic Skystrike allows it to heavily damage defensive Pokemon such as Gligar (RC) and Hippowdon (RC) and Water-types such as Suicune, Alomomola, and Primarina as well as OHKOing all the Dragon-types in the tier. Flare Blitz allows Talonflame to break through the Steel-types that resist its Flying-type STAB move such as Mega Steelix, Doublade, and Empoleon, notably being able to 2HKO all of them after one Swords Dance. Flame Charge is another option that allows Talonflame to be a faster late-game sweeper, most notably outspeeding every common Choice Scarf user after one boost in its Speed stat, which is a beneficial alternative if Gale Wings has been broken. The Its damage output is considerably lower than the one done with Flare Blitz's, (AC) though, which can make it rely on mean it requires multiple Swords Dance boosts in order to do a good job at sweeping. For example, Flame Charge Talonflame requires one Swords Dance boost in order to OHKO defensive Scizor, (AC) and it requires two to even have a chance at 2HKOing the aforementioned Mega Steelix (RC) and Empoleon, proving a big difference in power. Roost allows Talonflame to heal itself, which can also allow it to restore its health back to full and make use of another +1 priority Flying-type move. Taunt allows Talonflame to set up in front of common passive Stealth Rock setters (RC) and Defog users such as Hippowdon (RC) and Gligar as well as clerics such as Florges (RC) and Sylveon.

Set Details
========

Flynium-Z Flyinium Z allows Talonflame to use a 190-Base Power Supersonic Skystrike. With the mixture combination of Supersonic Skystrike, one Swords Dance boost, and after Stealth Rock damage, Talonflame is able to OHKO threats such as Suicune and (RC) Mega Aerodactyl (RC) and has a chance to do the same to Swampert, Rotom-H, and Zeraora after they've taken chip damage. Gale Wings grants Talonflame a +1 priority Flying-type move when it is at full health, which allows it to revenge kill and sweep more reliably if prior damage it hasn't been taken any prior damage.

Usage Tips
========

Due to its great speed, (AC) and offensive typing, and ability to wallbreak and revenge kill, Talonflame can be used at any stage of the battle since its ability to wallbreak and revenge kill is useful at almost any moment. It does functions the best as a late-game sweeper, (AC) though, since its poor Attack stat sometimes stops it from reliably breaking through sturdier Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro (RC) and Alomomola without prior damage. Talonflame is able to force out switches and wall passive threats such as Hippowdon, Gligar, and Fairy-types such as Sylveon (RC) and Florges when running Taunt; (SC) Talonflame it must utilize these instances to set up with Swords Dance in order to break through bulkier Pokemon and sweep or, if running Flame Charge, to boost its Speed stat with the same goal.

Preserving Talonflame's Gale Wings can be crucial during a battle, so good entry hazard control is necessary in order to use Talonflame in to its full potential and gives it preserve a reliable way of outspeeding faster threats. Find different moments in which Talonflame can safely come in and setup set up for a sweep or to heavily damage opposing Pokemon. Bring it safely into the field by using slow pivots or after another Pokemon has fainted, since Talonflame's low bulk and weakness to Stealth Rock can heavily threaten its longevity. If Talonflame is running Roost, it can afford to come in on weaker attacks and even after on entry hazards have been set, as long as it's able to recover its health afterwards or doesn't require Gale Wings in order to sweep. If using Flame Charge, making use of the attack against passive threats, even if only for the Speed boost, can be a defining moment in a battle, (AC) since it Talonflame only requires using the move once in order to outspeed all common Choice Scarf users and faster Pokemon, making it not without having to rely on Gale Wings at all any longer.

Team Options
========

Talonflame's wallbreaking capabilities, ability to wear down opposing teams, and sweep in the late-game mean that it fits well on offensive builds, particularly in hyper offense. Spike Spikes support from the likes of Froslass (RC) and Klefki are is appreciated for chipping down opposing teams and putting them in range of one of Talonflame's attacks. Klefki can also support Talonflame by using Thunder Wave against faster threats such as Scarfed Choice Scarf Latias (RC) or and Mega Aerodactyl, allowing Talonflame to be the fastest Pokemon in the field. A Stealth Rock setter suicide lead such as Azelf is particularly helpful, (AC) since its it's able to set up rocks Stealth Rock (RC)and stop the opposing team from doing the same with Taunt, and working as a suicide lead. Nihilego and Kommo-o are other notable Stealth Rock setters that support Talonflame due to their great offensive presence and moveset which movepool that allow them to threaten a plethora of Defoggers such as Empoleon and Rotom-H. Both also pressure bulkier builds due to their great coverage, with Kommo-o being an especially notable partner due to its ability to make use of a mixed set with multiple options for attacks as well as being able to Taunt to shut down entry hazard removers. Due to Talonflame's weakness to Stealth Rock damage, hazard control is necessary; (SC) so spinners such as Starmie, Mega Blastoise, and Tsareena are preferable, (AC) since they're able to get rid of hazards on your side (RC) while keeping hazards those on the opponen's opponent's side (RC) and still having have a great offensive presence against common Stealth Rock setters such as Hippowdon, Mega Steelix, and Mega Aggron. Spinblockers such as Gengar (RC) and Doublade, as well as and Defiant Pokemon such as Bisharp stop or punish the use of Rapid Spin (RC) or Defog from opposing teams, supporting Talonflame's goal of wearing down teams in order to sweep. Setup sweepers like Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Lucario appreciate physically defensive walls such as Swampert, Gligar, and Doublade weakened. Special wallbreakers such as Primarina, Latias, and Hydreigon support Talonflame by threatening bulky waters Water-types such as Slowbro (RC) and Quagsire while they also and in return appreciate Talonflame's ability to threaten Steel-types. Choice Scarfed Latias and Hydreigon are naturally decent partners, (AC) since they're able to beat Electric-type Pokemon that trouble Talonflame such as Rotom-H. They're also able to beat faster threats that Talonflame can't outspeed naturally, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. Scizor, Bisharp, and Mega Sharpedo fit well in hyper offense builds alongside Talonflame, (AC) since they can function as cleaners that appreciate the bird's ability to wear down opposing teams.

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

An Adamant nature allows provides Talonflame to have with more immediate offensive power but allows other fast threats such as offensive Starmie to outspeed it. This option notably secures an OHKO on Rotom-H with Supersonic Skystrike after Stealth Rock damage (RC) and a Swords Dance boost, and the use of a Supersonic Skystrike.

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

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock damage will severely cut Talonflame's longevity, (AC) since it loses half of its health upon entry, limiting its opportunities to switch in and often forcing it to Roost or switch out.

**Faster Threats**: Despite Talonflame's great speed and useful ability, it is still outpaced by common scarfers Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile, Hydreigon, and Latias (RC) if Gale Wings has been broken, (comma) all of them which can revenge kill it or force it out. This is equally the case with naturally faster threats such as Mega Manectric, Mega Aerodactyl, and Zeraora.

**Priority Attacks**: Prior damage also makes Talonflame susceptible to priority users such as Bisharp (RC) and even some Scizor variants. Bisharp can 2HKO Talonflame with Sucker Punch, Talonflame does not appreciate being hit by a boosted Quick Attack or even Bullet Punch from offensive Scizor, and all Crawdaunt variants are able to OHKO it with Aqua Jet.

**Electric-types**: Talonflame often struggles with the Electric-type Pokemon in the tier, (AC) since it isn't able to outspeed most of them or do takes considerable amounts of damage without an unboosted attack. Rotom-H takes little damage from either of Talonflame's unboosted STAB moves when unboosted, and is able to 2HKO it with Volt Switch (RC) or pressure it with Toxic. Talonflame is unable to outspeed faster Electric-types such as Mega Manectric (RC) or and Zeraora; (SC) Mega Manectric is particularly troublesome, (AC) since its ability Intimidate lowers Talonflame's Attack stat upon entry, reducing the bird's reduces Talonflame's chances of sweeping even further. It must be noted, (AC) though, (AC) that Talonflame is able to break through Electric-types such as Zeraora (RC) and Rotom-H with a boosted Supersonic Skystrike (RC) if they've taken prior Stealth Rock damage, notably always being able to OHKO Zeraora and having a high chance to do the same to the latter.

**Rock-types**: Most of the Rock-types in the tier resist both of Talonflame's STAB moves and can threaten it with their respective moveset or Rock-type STAB or coverage moves. Mega Aerodactyl outspeeds Talonflame and survives an unboosted Supersonic Skystrike, though the opponent must be wary of it taking prior damage. In return, Mega Aerodactyl is able to OHKO it Talonflame with a STAB Stone Edge or even Pursuit trap it. Nihilego doesn't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike but is able to beat Talonflame one-on-one with a Gigavot Gigavolt Havoc, Power Gem, (AC) or Thunderbolt. The more unusual uncommon Rhyperior (RC) and Diancie can easily take any hit from it, Diancie and OHKO it with their respective Rock-type STAB attack or cripple it with Toxic.

**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Quagsire (RC) and Mega Slowbro easily wall Talonflame, take minimum damage from either of its STAB moves, and are able to beat it with their Water-type moves in return. Some other Water-types such as Suicune, and Alomomola can threaten and beat Talonflame in a one-on-one scenario but don't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[vivalospride, 151509], [Nuked, 382658], [Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[Fireflame]

I noticed that some changes, mostly commas, weren't implemented from the previous check. Just be careful when implementing this one :)

Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma (AH)= add hyphen (RH)= remove hyphen

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Talonflame is able to carve a small niche in the UU metagame as a threatening sweeper and revenge killer for offensive teams thanks to its great speed, excellent offensive typing, ability Gale Wings, and access to the boosting move Swords Dance. Its Fire / Flying typing allows it to hit most of the metagame for neutral damage and grants it key resistances to Fire-, Fighting-, and Fairy-type attacls attacks as well as an immunity to the common Ground-type. Its ability Gale Wings allows Talonflame to hit faster threats with its Flying-type STAB move before being hit in return, letting it deal great damage to common Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile,(RC) and Hydreigon with Brave Bird or a Supersonic Skystrike if Gale Wings hasn't been broken.

Despite these attributes, however, losing 50% of its health to Stealth Rock damage means that Talonflame requires a lot of support and constant entry hazard removal in order to function as a reliable sweeper or revenge killer and even have needs a good number of defensive teammates to fall back on, since any form of damage automatically stops it from making use of its ability. Its defenses also leave much to be desired, which makes it susceptible to Pursuit trappers, priority users, or and faster Pokemon that resist its Flying-type moves such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. Talonflame is also weak to Water-, Electric-, and Rock-type moves, meaning that it will often be walled or forced out by common threats such as Rotom-H and Mega Slowbro. Furthermore, most Rock-type Pokemon in the tier resist both of its attacks and can threaten Talonflame with a 4x effective STAB move or cripple it with status, with examples being Mega Aerodactyl and Stealth Rock setters such as Diancie. Lastly, Pokemon such as Infernape, Rotom-H, and Moltres give Talonflame competition as Fire-types due to their better secondary typing, more reliable abilities, their ability to fit on more varied playstyles, or simply having more increased utility.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Flare Blitz / Flame Charge
move 4: Roost / Taunt / Flame Charge
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Gale Wings
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Brave Bird allows Talonflame to threaten the majority of the tier for neutral damage. A +2 Supersonic Skystrike allows it to heavily damage defensive Pokemon such as Gliga,(RC) Gligar and Hippowdon and Water-types such as Suicune, Alomomola, and Primarina as well as OHKO all the Dragon-types in the tier. Flare Blitz allows enables (there were a lot of "allows" in this paragraph) Talonflame to break through the Steel-types that resist its Flying-type STAB move such as Mega Steelix, Doublade, and Empoleon, notably being able to 2HKO all of them after one Swords Dance. Flame Charge is another option that allows Talonflame to be a faster late-game sweeper, most notably outspeeding every common Choice Scarf users user after one boost in its Speed stat, which is beneficial if Gale Wings has been broken. Its damage output is considerably lower than than Flare Blitz's, though, which means it requires multiple Swords Dance boosts in order to do a good job sweeping. For example, Flame Charge Talonflame requires one Swords Dance boost in order to OHKO defensive Scizor and it requires two to even have a chance at 2HKOing the aforementioned Mega Steelix and Empoleon. Roost allows lets Talonflame to heal itself, which can also allow it to restore its health back to full and make use of another +1 priority Flying-type move. Taunt allows Talonflame to set up in front of common passive Stealth Rock setters and Defog users such as Hippowdon and Gligar as well as clerics such as Florges and Sylveon.

Set Details
========

Flyinium-(RH)Z allows Talonflame to use a 190-Base Power Supersonic Skystrike. With the combination of Supersonic Skystrike, one Swords Dance boost, and Stealth Rock damage, Talonflame is able to OHKO threats such as Suicune and,(RC) Mega Aerodactyl,(RC) and has a chance to do the same to Swampert, Rotom-H, and Zeraora after they've taken chip damage. Gale Wings grants Talonflame a +1 priority to Flying-type moves when it is at full health, which allows it to revenge kill and sweep more reliably if it hasn't been taken any prior damage.

Usage Tips
========

Due to its great speed, offensive typing, and ability to wallbreak and revenge kill, Talonflame can be used at any satage stage of the battle. It functions best as a late-game sweeper, though, since its poor Attack stat sometimes stops it from reliably breaking through sturdier Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Alomomola without prior damage. Talonflame is able to force switches and wall passive threats such as Hippowdon, Gligar, and Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Florges when running Taunt; it must utilize these instances to set up with Swords Dance in order to break through bulkier Pokemon and sweep or, if running Flame Charge, to boost its Speed stat with the same goal.

Preserving Talonflame's Gale Wings can be crucial during a battle, so good entry hazard control is necessary in order to use Talonflame to its full potential and preserve a reliable way of outspeeding faster threats. Find different moments in which Talonflame can safely come in and set up for a sweep or heavily damage opposing Pokemon. Bring it safely into the field by using slow pivots or after another Pokemon has fainted, since Talonflame's low bulk and weakness to Stealth Rock can heavily threaten its longevity. If Talonflame is running Roost, it can afford to come in on weaker attacks and even on entry hazards, as long as it's able to recover its health afterwards or doesn't require Gale Wings in order to sweep. If using Flame Charge, making use of the attack against passive threats, even if only for the Speed boost, which can be a defining moment in a battle, since Talonflame only requires using the move once in order to outspeed all common Choice Scarf users and faster Pokemon, without having to rely on Gale Wings any longer.

Team Options
========

Talonflame's wallbreaking capabilities, ability to wear down opposing teams, and ability to sweep late-game mean that it fits well on offensive builds, particularly hyper offense. Spikes support from the likes of Froslass and Klefki is appreciated for chipping down opposing teams and putting them in range of one of Talonflame's attacks. Klefki can also support Talonflame by using Thunder Wave against faster threats such as Choice Scarf Latias and Mega Aerodactyl, allowing Talonflame to be the fastest Pokemon in on the field. A suicide lead such as Azelf is particularly helpful, since it's able to set up Stealth Rock and stop the opposing team from doing the same with Taunt. Nihilego and Kommo-o are other notable Stealth Rock setters that support Talonflame due to their great offensive presence and movepool that allow them to threaten a plethora of Defoggers such as Empoleon and Rotom-H. Both also pressure bulkier builds due to their great coverage, with Kommo-o being an especially notable partner due to its ability to make use of a mixed set with multiple options for attacks as well as to using Taunt on hazard removers. Due to Talonflame's weakness to Stealth Rock damage, hazard control is necessary;(SC),(AC) so spinners such as Starmie, Mega Blastoise, and Tsareena are preferable, since they're able to get rid of hazards on your side while keeping those on the opponen's opponent's side and still have a great offensive presence against common Stealth Rock setters such as Hippowdon, Mega Steelix, and Mega Aggron. Spinblockers such as Gengar and Doublade and Defiant Pokemon such as Bisharp stop or punish the use of Rapid Spin or Defog from opposing teams, supporting Talonflame's goal of wearing down teams in order to sweep. Setup sweepers like Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Lucario appreciate physically defensive walls such as Swampert, Gligar, and Doublade weakened. Special wallbreakers such as Primarina, Latias, and Hydreigon support Talonflame by threatening bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Quagsire and in return appreciate Talonflame's ability to threaten Steel-types. Choice Scarf Latias and Hydreigon are naturally decent partners,(AC) since they're able to beat Electric-type Pokemon that trouble Talonflame such as Rotom-H. They're also able to beat faster threats that Talonflame can't outspeed naturally, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. Scizor, Bisharp, and Mega Sharpedo fit well in hyper offense builds alongside Talonflame,(AC) since they can function as cleaners that appreciate the bird's Talonflame's ability to wear down opposing teams.

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

An Adamant nature provides Talonflame with more immediate offensive power but allows other fast threats such as offensive Starmie to outspeed it. This option notably secures an OHKO on Rotom-H with Supersonic Skystrike after Stealth Rock damage,(RC) and a Swords Dance boost.

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

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock damage will severely cut Talonflame's longevity, since it loses half of its health upon entry, limiting its opportunities to switch in and often forcing it to use Roost or switch out.

**Faster Threats**: Despite Talonflame's great speed and useful ability, it is still outpaced by common Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile, Hydreigon, and Latias if Gale Wings has been broken, and all of which them can revenge kill it Talonflame or force it out. This is equally the case with naturally faster threats such as Mega Manectric, Mega Aerodactyl, and Zeraora.

**Priority Attacks**: Prior damage makes Talonflame susceptible to priority users such as Bisharp and even some Scizor variants. Bisharp can 2HKO Talonflame with Sucker Punch, Talonflame does not appreciate being hit by a boosted Quick Attack or even Bullet Punch from offensive Scizor, and all Crawdaunt variants are able to OHKO it with Aqua Jet.

**Electric-types**: Talonflame often struggles with the Electric-type Pokemon in the tier, since it isn't able to outspeed most of them or takes considerable amounts of damage without an unboosted attack. Rotom-H takes little damage from either of Talonflame's unboosted STAB moves and is able to 2HKO it with Volt Switch or pressure it with Toxic. Talonflame is unable to outspeed faster Electric-types such as Mega Manectric and Zeraora; Mega Manectric is particularly troublesome, since its ability Intimidate reduces Talonflame's chances of sweeping even further. It must be noted,(AC) though, that Talonflame is able to break through Electric-types such as Zeraora and Rotom-H with a boosted Supersonic Skystrike if they've taken prior Stealth Rock damage, notably always being able to OHKO Zeraora and having a high chance to do the same to the latter Rotom-H.

**Rock-types**: Most of the Rock-types in the tier resist both of Talonflame's STAB moves and can threaten it with their respective STAB or STAB or (there were a lot of extra spaces) coverage moves. Mega Aerodactyl outspeeds Talonflame and survives an unboosted Supersonic Skystrike, though the opponent must be wary of it taking prior damage. In return, Mega Aerodactyl is able to OHKO Talonflame with a STAB Stone Edge or even Pursuit trap it. Nihilego doesn't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike but is able to beat Talonflame one-on-one with a Gigavolt Havoc, Power Gem, or Thunderbolt. The more uncommon Rhyperior and Diancie can easily take any hit from Talonflame and OHKO it with their respective Rock-type STAB attack or cripple it with Toxic.

**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Quagsire and Mega Slowbro easily wall Talonflame, take minimum damage from either of its STAB moves, and are able to beat it with their Water-type moves in return. Some other Water-types such as Suicune,(RC) and Alomomola can threaten and beat Talonflame in a one-on-one scenario but don't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[vivalospride, 151509], [Nuked, 382658], [Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]

GP 2/2

 

[ishtar]

So I kinda went crazy for a sec cause it looked like the changes weren't getting updated. Apologies for the stuff regarding the earlier check, will look over multiple times from now on. This has been implemented, Fireflame479!