Gen 1 Flareon [GP: 1/1]

Gangsta Spongebob

"Mama I'm a Criminal" - Badass Smoking Caterpillar
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
[OVERVIEW]

Despite possessing the highest BST in PU, Flareon is beyond outclassed. While Rapidash, Arcanine, and Magmar have much lower attacking stats, their excellent Speed improves their matchups across the board. Flareon's bad base 65 Speed, meanwhile, leaves it outsped by most of the metagame, including key threats like Nidoqueen. Even if it can still win against foes like Abra and Pinsir, having to take an extra hit means it gets worn down quickly and revenge killed by faster threats. Flareon often fails to outdamage faster Fire-types, as their higher Speed lets them launch more attacks against the opposing team. They also have traits that offer more game-to-game utility than Flareon's sheer damage. Rapidash outspeeds Fearow, Arcanine has excellent bulk, and Magmar can threaten Omanyte, something no other Fire-type can do.

Thus, you can only justify using Flareon alongside another Fire-type and heavy paralysis support. With proper support Flareon is a usable wallbreaker, as besides Omanyte, no Pokemon can safely switch into all of its attacks. Notably, it's among the few Pokemon that can reliably 2HKO Porygon. However, most of the time another duo of Fire-types will make more progress with less support, and thus Flareon should rarely see play.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Hyper Beam
move 4: Fire Spin

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Fire Blast can 2HKO most neutral targets and threatens to burn physical attackers. Body Slam lets Flareon fish for paralysis and hits most Fire-resistant switch-ins hard, including Arcanine, Staryu, and Dragonair. Hyper Beam is actually weaker than Fire Blast against most neutral foes, but it OHKOes Abra and serves as a powerful finisher against physically-frail Pokemon, like Drowzee, and Fire-resistant foes, barring Omanyte. Fire Spin lets Flareon wear down and pivot against slower Pokemon, though its terrible accuracy means it should be used sparingly.

Given that the other Fire-types often do Flareon's job better, it's best used alongside Rapidash or Arcanine as a slower but more powerful wallbreaker. Omanyte is the one wall Flareon has no hope of breaking through, so Porygon is an essential partner. Paralysis support is also crucial for letting Flareon overwhelm its foes, so Thunder Wave users like Staryu, Drowzee, and the aforementioned Porygon are important.

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

Toxic can be used alongside Fire Spin to let Flareon wear down Omanyte, but this means Flareon must give up Hyper Beam. Reflect can be used over Fire Spin to improve Flareon's matchups against many physical attackers, but its low Speed hampers this. Nidoqueen still 2HKOes Flareon unless it can use Reflect before Nidoqueen can land the first Earthquake, while Fearow's high critical hit rate and Pinsir's Slash can bypass Reflect's Defense boost. While weak, Quick Attack can be used to pick off physically frail foes, like Staryu and Abra.

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

**Water-types**: Omanyte's unique typing lets it take minimal damage from all of Flareon's attacks barring the rare Toxic plus Fire Spin combo, making it Flareon's hardest counter. Seaking outspeeds Flareon and 2HKOes it with Surf and is 3HKOed by Body Slam in return, though Seaking must be wary of Body Slam paralysis.

**Arcanine**: Arcanine's higher Speed and physical bulk let it outdamage Flareon one-on-one, especially if it's carrying Reflect.

**Ground-types**: Nidoqueen outspeeds and 2HKOes Flareon with Earthquake, (AC) while Flareon's Fire Blast only 2HKOes 3% of the time Flareon outspeeds Graveler and 3HKOes it with Fire Blast, but it has a 17.9% chance to OHKO Flareon with Earthquake. The rarer Sandslash speed ties Flareon and has a 33.3% chance to OHKO Flareon with Earthquake.

**Fearow**: Fearow outspeeds and 2HKOes Flareon with Double-Edge+ Hyper Beam while only being 2HKOed by Fire Blast in return. While Fearow fears a burn, it is notably immune to Body Slam paralysis cannot be KOed by the combination of Body Slam and Fire Blast.

**Faster Threats**: While they usually lose to Flareon one-on-one, faster threats like Staryu and Pinsir can easily revenge kill Flareon due to their higher Speed.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
 
Last edited:

Sabelette

from the river to the sea
is a Site Content Manageris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
No obligatory comments, looks good to me. I might note Quick Attack as an OO to snipe Staryu/Abra but even then it's really not essential. QC 1/2
 

gastlies

running up that hill
is a Pre-Contributor
hi


[OVERVIEW]

Despite it possessing the highest BST in all of PU, Flareon is horribly outclassed. While Rapidash and Arcanine have much lower attacking stats and similar movepools, their higher Speed grants them higher effective damage against common threats such as Nidoqueen and Staryu, as well as the ability to revenge kill them. Rapidash also crucially outspeeds Fearow, while Arcanine's higher bulk grants it better matchups against the tier's physical attackers. While very niche, Magmar serves as even more competition to Flareon, as while it's frailer, it's only a smidge slower than Arcanine while also possessing the movepool the threaten Omanyte, something none of the other Fire-types can do. I feel you need to emphasize more on how dirt-slow Flareon is compared to the other fires. Despite having 30 MORE BASE SPECIAL than Rapidash and Arcanine, the lower Speed makes it basically unviable. If I was new to PU and read this I wouldn't understand why Flareon's low speed is such a big deal. You briefly mentioned being slower than Nidoqueen and Staryu but I think you need to focus on that more. Also it has no way to boost it's speed which is a reason why mons like Seaking aren't in a similar situation.

Thus, you can only justify using Flareon alongside another Fire-type and heavy paralysis support. With proper support Flareon is an effective wallbreaker, as besides Omanyte, no other Pokemon in the tier can switch into it. Idk about this sentence, I would feel fine switching Arcanine or Seaking into a predicted Fire Blast. Notably, it's among the few Pokemon that can reliably 2HKO Porygon. However, most of the time another duo of Fire-types generally nets players more progress while needing less support, and thus Flareon should rarely see play.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Hyper Beam
move 4: Fire Spin

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Fire Blast serves as a powerful STAB attack that can 2HKO most neutral targets and threatens them with Burns. Body Slam lets Flareon fish for paralysis and hits Fire Blast's switch-ins, Fire-types like Arcanine, Water-types like Staryu, and Dragonair, very hard. To be fair, Omanye doesn't really care about Body Slam that much, so it's a notable exception. Hyper Beam is actually weaker than Fire Blast against most neutral foes, but it still serves as a powerful finisher against threats that resist Fire again, Omanyte and physically frail Pokemon like Drowzee. It also OHKOes Abra. Fire Spin lets Flareon wear down and pivot off slower Pokemon, though its terrible accuracy means it should be used sparingly.

Given that the other Fire-types often do Flareon's job better, it's best used alongside Rapidash or Arcanine as a slower but more powerful wallbreaker. Omanyte is the one wall Flareon has no hope of breaking through, so Porygon is an essential partner. Paralysis support is also crucial for letting Flareon overwhelm its foes, so Thunder Wave users like Staryu, Drowzee, and the aforementioned Porygon are important.

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

Toxic can be used alongside Fire Spin to let Flareon wear down Omanyte, though this means Flareon must give up Hyper Beam. Reflect can be used over Fire Spin to improve Flareon's matchups against many physical attackers, though many have an out against it. Nidoqueen still 2HKOes Flareon unless it can use Reflect before Nidoqueen can land the first Earthquake, while Fearow's high critical hit rate and Pinsir's Slash always landing a critical hit can bypass Reflect's Defense boost. While weak, Quick Attack could be used to pick off physically frail foes like Staryu and Abra.

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

**Water-types**: Omanyte's unique typing lets it take minimal damage from all of Flareon's attacks barring the rare Toxic plus Fire Spin combo, making it Flareon's hardest counter. Seaking outspeeds Flareon and 2HKOes it with Surf while only being 3HKOed by Body Slam in return, though Seaking must be wary of a Body Slam paralysis.

**Arcanine**: Arcanine's higher Speed and physical bulk let outdamage Flareon in a one-on-one, especially if it's carrying Reflect.

**Ground-types**: Nidoqueen outspeeds and can 2HKO Flareon with Earthquake while only having a 3% chance to be 2HKOed by Fire Blast. Graveler is outsped and 3HKOed by Fire Blast, but it has a 17.9% chance to OHKO Flareon with Earthquake. The rarer Sandslash speed ties Flareon, and has a 33.3% chance to OHKO Flareon with Earthquake. Since Sandslash only Speed Ties Flareon and is 2HKOed by Fire Blast, adding this is optional, so it's your call if you want this added or not.

**Fearow**: Fearow outspeeds and 2HKOes Flareon with a combination of Double-Edge plus Hyper Beam while only being 2HKOed by Fire Blast in return. While Fearow is very fearful of burn, it is notably immune to Body Slam paralysis and at full health is never KOed by the combination of Body Slam and Fire Blast.

**Faster Threats**:While they usually lose to Flareon in a one-on-one, faster threats like Staryu and Pinsir can easily revenge kill Flareon due to their higher Speed.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/

- Grammar checked by:
 

Sabelette

from the river to the sea
is a Site Content Manageris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
GP 1/1 yada yada

[OVERVIEW]

Despite
it possessing the highest BST in all of PU, Flareon is beyond outclassed. While Rapidash, Arcanine, and Magmar have much lower attacking stats, their excellent Speed grants them a much better matchup against the general tier improves their matchups across the board. Their ability to outspeed important threats like Nidoqueen makes them instantly threatening, unlike Flareon, who's Flareon's bad base 65 Speed, meanwhile, leaves it outsped by most of the metagame, including key threats like Nidoqueen. Even if it can still win against foes like Abra and Pinsir, having to take an extra hit means it gets worn down quickly and can easily be put into a scenario where it can be revenge killed by faster threats. To make matters worse, these Flareon often fails to outdamage faster Fire-types often deal more damage per game than Flareon, as their higher Speed lets them launch more attacks against the opposing team. Each of them also has They also have traits that offer more game-to-game utility than Flareon's sheer damage. Rapidash outspeeds Fearow, Arcanine has excellent bulk, and Magmar can threaten Omanyte, something no other Fire-type, Flareon included, can do.

Thus, you can only justify using Flareon alongside another Fire-type and heavy paralysis support. With proper support Flareon is a usable wallbreaker, as besides Omanyte, no Pokemon
in the tier can safely switch into all of its attacks. Notably, it's among the few Pokemon that can reliably 2HKO Porygon. However, most of the time another duo of Fire-types generally nets players will make more progress while needing with less support, and thus Flareon should rarely see play.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Hyper Beam
move 4: Fire Spin

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Fire Blast
serves as a powerful STAB attack that can 2HKO most neutral targets and threatens them with Burns to burn physical attackers. Body Slam lets Flareon fish for paralysis and, excluding Omanyte, hits Fire Blast's switch-ins, hits most Fire-resistant switch-ins hard, including Fire-types like Arcanine, Water-types like Staryu, and Dragonair, very hard. Hyper Beam is actually weaker than Fire Blast against most neutral foes, but it OHKOes Abra and still serves as a powerful finisher against physically-frail Pokemon, like Drowzee, and Fire-resistant foes threats that resist Fire, barring Omanyte. (period) , and physically frail Pokemon like Drowzee. It also OHKOes Abra. Fire Spin lets Flareon wear down and pivot off against slower Pokemon, though its terrible accuracy means it should be used sparingly.

Given that the other Fire-types often do Flareon's job better, it's best used alongside Rapidash or Arcanine as a slower but more powerful wallbreaker. Omanyte is the one wall Flareon has no hope of breaking through, so Porygon is an essential partner. Paralysis support is also crucial for letting Flareon overwhelm its foes, so Thunder Wave users like Staryu, Drowzee, and the aforementioned Porygon are important.

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

Toxic can be used alongside Fire Spin to let Flareon wear down Omanyte,
though but this means Flareon must give up Hyper Beam. Reflect can be used over Fire Spin to improve Flareon's matchups against many physical attackers, though many have an out against it but its low Speed hampers this. Nidoqueen still 2HKOes Flareon unless it can use Reflect before Nidoqueen can land the first Earthquake, while Fearow's high critical hit rate and Pinsir's Slash always landing a critical hit can bypass Reflect's Defense boost. While weak, Quick Attack could can be used to pick off physically frail foes, (AC) like Staryu and Abra.

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

**Water-types**: Omanyte's unique typing lets it take minimal damage from all of Flareon's attacks barring the rare Toxic plus Fire Spin combo, making it Flareon's hardest counter. Seaking outspeeds Flareon and 2HKOes it with Surf
while only being and is 3HKOed by Body Slam in return, though Seaking must be wary of a Body Slam paralysis.

**Arcanine**: Arcanine's higher Speed and physical bulk let
it outdamage Flareon in a one-on-one, especially if it's carrying Reflect.

**Ground-types**: Nidoqueen outspeeds and
can 2HKOes Flareon with Earthquake, (AC) while Flareon's Fire Blast only 2HKOes 3% of the time only having a 3% chance to be 2HKOed by Fire Blast. Graveler is outsped and 3HKOed by Flareon outspeeds Graveler and 3HKOes it with Fire Blast, but it has a 17.9% chance to OHKO Flareon with Earthquake. The rarer Sandslash speed ties Flareon, (RC) and has a 33.3% chance to OHKO Flareon with Earthquake.

**Fearow**: Fearow outspeeds and 2HKOes Flareon with
a combination of Double-Edge plus + Hyper Beam while only being 2HKOed by Fire Blast in return. While Fearow is very fearful of fears a burn, it is notably immune to Body Slam paralysis and at full health is never cannot be KOed by the combination of Body Slam and Fire Blast.

**Faster Threats**: While
(added space before "While") they usually lose to Flareon in a one-on-one, faster threats like Staryu and Pinsir can easily revenge kill Flareon due to their higher Speed.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/
Grammar checked by:

https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top