[OVERVIEW]
Moltres might not be UU by usage, but it fits incredibly well in the tier and has the ability to fulfil roles nothing else can. Moltres's stats are solid by UU standards, and its typing is a mixed blessing: Fire / Flying provides fantastic offensive coverage, resistances to important types, such as Bug, Steel, Fighting, and Fire, and an immunity to Ground-type moves. However, Moltres is weak to Water-, Electric- and Rock-type moves, with the latter also bringing a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, which is a significant inconvenience but is manageable thanks the good availability of Defog users. Moltres's abilities also are rather niche, its movepool is somewhat limited, and it can be very one-dimensional and predictable, but despite this, it has all the tools it needs to be a major threat in the UU tier.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Roost
move 2: Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 44 Def / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Roost is necessary for longevity, which is key in a set of this nature. Defog is used to remove entry hazards, which Moltres has plenty of chances to do thanks to its good overall bulk and typing and its ability to directly switch into common setters such as Gliscor, Klefki, and Mega Aggron with very little risk. Flamethrower is Moltres's most reliable STAB attack, hitting decently hard and heavily punishing Pokemon weak to it, but it's there for consistent damage and not much else. Toxic is used to slowly wear down the opponent's team and to chip down Pokemon that tend to switch into Moltres; additionally, it has great synergy with Flamethrower's ability to threaten Steel-types, which are immune to Toxic. Will-O-Wisp can be used to cripple physical attackers and wear down non-Fire-type Pokemon, but this leaves Moltres completely open to Pokemon of that type. Roar forces out setup sweepers, racks up hazard damage, and allows Moltres to beat Perish trapper Azumarill, which can be a major threat to stall.
Set Details
========
216 EVs in Speed with a Timid nature are used to outspeed base 85 Speed Pokemon and lower, which includes important threats such as Heracross and Mamoswine. 248 HP and 44 Defense EVs are used to maximize Moltres's physical bulk, and Leftovers is run for increased longevity. Pressure is one of the most important perks of this set, as it allows Moltres to PP stall, especially Stealth Rock and Spikes. This ability is one of the main reasons to use Moltres in stall, as it gives your team an edge over opposing defensive teams from turn 1.
Usage Tips
========
This set is specialized to be used in stall, paired with at least one other Defog user. It's not recommended to use this set outside of defensive teams. Moltres can and should switch in directly against certain entry hazard setters like Mega Aggron and Klefki, as they can't directly threaten it or keep hazards up, and they'll run out of PP long before Moltres does if it comes down to that. Use Pressure to burn PP from the foe's team, the earlier the better. In any match that has the potential to be relatively lengthy, Moltres should be switching into weak moves, status moves, and especially Stealth Rock and Defog as much as possible.
Team Options
========
Moltres should be run alongside another Defog user, such as Mega Altaria, Gliscor, or Togekiss. Mega Altaria and Togekiss easily Defog against Pokemon Moltres struggles against, such as Swampert, and Moltres reciprocates by shutting down Pokemon like Mega Aggron and Cobalion. As this set is meant to be used on stall teams, standard stall staples such as Blissey, Quagsire, and Alomomola will always be run alongside it. Blissey and Quagsire shut down all Electric-type Pokemon in the tier, while Moltres deals with most Fighting- and Grass-type moves aimed at them. Most combinations of Alomomola, Quagsire, Gliscor, and Mega Altaria cover every Rock-type capable of KOing Moltres. Water-types are easily handled by Blissey and Alomomola
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Hurricane
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Roost
move 4: U-turn / Defog / Agility
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Flame Body
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hurricane isn't the most reliable STAB attack due to its 70% accuracy, but almost nothing switches into it for free, and it comes with a 30% confusion chances. Flyinium Z lessens the problems with Hurricane's unreliability and grants Moltres an extremely strong nuke. Fire Blast is a more reliable STAB attack in terms of accuracy and is just as strong. Only Rock-type Pokemon resist both STAB attacks. Roost is used for additional longevity, as Moltres can easily find opportunities to recover off damage thanks to its offensive presence, typing, and natural bulk. U-turn chips down checks and counters and allow Moltres's team to gain momentum. Moltres can run Defog and function as a secondary offensive Defogger for your team. as it heavily threatens most Stealth Rock users and Klefki. Agility can be used to turn Moltres into a late-game cleaner.
Set Details
========
252 Special Attack EVs are used to maximize Moltres's power. 252 Speed EVs with a Timid nature are used to maximize its Speed. The 4 EVs can go into either defensive stat but should not be put into HP to avoid having an even HP number and taking additional damage from Stealth Rock. Flame Body allows Moltres to be one of the biggest deterrents to Scizor by just being healthy, as it cannot even go for U-turn for free without risking a burn and does minimal damage to Moltres with any of its common moves.
Usage Tips
========
This set is good against most playstyles, but it does struggle breaking through the sturdiest specially defensive walls, automatically making offensive Moltres weak against stall. Moltres should be using its typing to take advantage of common Pokemon such as Scizor and Serperior to find opportunities to fire off its STAB attacks, gain momentum with U-turn, or use its support moves. Soften Moltres's checks with its high-powered STAB attacks or U-turn, and wait for the perfect moment to nuke them with Supersonic Skystrike. Note that most offensive checks to Moltres can only switch in once before being in Supersonic Skystrike's range. Alternatively, throw out Moltres's Z-Move early on to weaken potential switch-ins or to get a surprise KO against bulky Pokemon trying to tank its unboosted STAB attacks. If Agility is being used, you must wait until Moltres's offensive checks, such as Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Manectric, are low enough to be able to clean up.
Team Options
========
A dedicated Defog user or, at the very least, a secondary Defog user, such as Latias or Mega Altaria, is a must to let Moltres function properly. Spinners such as Mega Blastoise and Tentacruel can also provide entry hazard control for Moltres, but they aren't the most reliable way of making sure Stealth Rock isn't up. Moltres can form a strong, albeit unorthodox, VoltTurn or even multi-U-turn core with Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Scizor, and Hydreigon. Wallbreakers , such as Terrakion and Azumarill, can be used to punish the defensive teams that trouble Moltres, and they can get in for free thanks to U-turn. Just like every offensive Pokemon, Moltres appreciates having hazard support to become an even bigger threat, which makes Stealth Rock users in general good teammates. However, Moltres has awkward synergy with Spikes, as it's hard to set them up while preventing Stealth Rock from going up on your side of the field, and Moltres heavily relies on Defog support most of the time.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Z-Sunny Day boosts Moltres's Speed by one stage and allows it to throw out sun-boosted Fire Blasts or even Solar Beams, but this set is very "all or nothing", is less reliable than Agility at sweeping late-game, and has the same issues as standard offensive Moltres. Solar Beam-based Bloom Doom OHKOes Water-type Pokemon such as Primarina and Swampert more reliably, but Moltres only needs minimal chip before being able to KO them with Supersonic Skystrike.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Entry hazard control is easy to come by, but Moltres constantly needs it, or switching in at all becomes a struggle
**Sturdy Special Walls**: Moltres simply cannot break through most special walls and at best it can chip them down slowly with U-turn. Blissey in particular is troublesome, as it's not even bothered by Toxic; however, defensive Moltres doesn't outright lose because it makes Blissey waste PP without risking much and can easily stick around.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types usually resist both STAB attacks and can easily OHKO Moltres. Nihilego takes minimal damage from anything Moltres has thanks to its massive special bulk and cannot be poisoned by defensive sets, which allows it to freely set up entry hazards. Mega Aerodactyl is bulky enough to Roost off the damage done most of the time and can easily KO Moltres with Stone Edge, but it must be wary of Supersonic Skystrike, as it takes away over half of its HP.
**Latias**: Latias's natural bulk and Speed are enough to check Moltres, because Hurricane is not strong nor reliable enough to stop it from stalling it off with Roost, unless confusion is involved. However, Supersonic Skystrike can KO after Stealth Rock damage, so Latias is forced to be at maximum health to be able to safely check Moltres.
**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Hydreigon struggle to switch directly into Moltres, but once they are in, they can easily revenge kill it.
**Status**: Toxic puts defensive Moltres on a timer, but it can play around it with Roost, Heal Bell, or Wish support, and in lengthy games, Moltres will outlast and PP stall Toxic users. Thunder Wave from Klefki, one of the Pokemon Moltres tries to take advantage of the most, is a major annoyance for offensive Moltres, as it heavily cripples it and makes Moltres much more susceptible to getting revenge killed.
Moltres might not be UU by usage, but it fits incredibly well in the tier and has the ability to fulfil roles nothing else can. Moltres's stats are solid by UU standards, and its typing is a mixed blessing: Fire / Flying provides fantastic offensive coverage, resistances to important types, such as Bug, Steel, Fighting, and Fire, and an immunity to Ground-type moves. However, Moltres is weak to Water-, Electric- and Rock-type moves, with the latter also bringing a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, which is a significant inconvenience but is manageable thanks the good availability of Defog users. Moltres's abilities also are rather niche, its movepool is somewhat limited, and it can be very one-dimensional and predictable, but despite this, it has all the tools it needs to be a major threat in the UU tier.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Roost
move 2: Defog
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 44 Def / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Roost is necessary for longevity, which is key in a set of this nature. Defog is used to remove entry hazards, which Moltres has plenty of chances to do thanks to its good overall bulk and typing and its ability to directly switch into common setters such as Gliscor, Klefki, and Mega Aggron with very little risk. Flamethrower is Moltres's most reliable STAB attack, hitting decently hard and heavily punishing Pokemon weak to it, but it's there for consistent damage and not much else. Toxic is used to slowly wear down the opponent's team and to chip down Pokemon that tend to switch into Moltres; additionally, it has great synergy with Flamethrower's ability to threaten Steel-types, which are immune to Toxic. Will-O-Wisp can be used to cripple physical attackers and wear down non-Fire-type Pokemon, but this leaves Moltres completely open to Pokemon of that type. Roar forces out setup sweepers, racks up hazard damage, and allows Moltres to beat Perish trapper Azumarill, which can be a major threat to stall.
Set Details
========
216 EVs in Speed with a Timid nature are used to outspeed base 85 Speed Pokemon and lower, which includes important threats such as Heracross and Mamoswine. 248 HP and 44 Defense EVs are used to maximize Moltres's physical bulk, and Leftovers is run for increased longevity. Pressure is one of the most important perks of this set, as it allows Moltres to PP stall, especially Stealth Rock and Spikes. This ability is one of the main reasons to use Moltres in stall, as it gives your team an edge over opposing defensive teams from turn 1.
Usage Tips
========
This set is specialized to be used in stall, paired with at least one other Defog user. It's not recommended to use this set outside of defensive teams. Moltres can and should switch in directly against certain entry hazard setters like Mega Aggron and Klefki, as they can't directly threaten it or keep hazards up, and they'll run out of PP long before Moltres does if it comes down to that. Use Pressure to burn PP from the foe's team, the earlier the better. In any match that has the potential to be relatively lengthy, Moltres should be switching into weak moves, status moves, and especially Stealth Rock and Defog as much as possible.
Team Options
========
Moltres should be run alongside another Defog user, such as Mega Altaria, Gliscor, or Togekiss. Mega Altaria and Togekiss easily Defog against Pokemon Moltres struggles against, such as Swampert, and Moltres reciprocates by shutting down Pokemon like Mega Aggron and Cobalion. As this set is meant to be used on stall teams, standard stall staples such as Blissey, Quagsire, and Alomomola will always be run alongside it. Blissey and Quagsire shut down all Electric-type Pokemon in the tier, while Moltres deals with most Fighting- and Grass-type moves aimed at them. Most combinations of Alomomola, Quagsire, Gliscor, and Mega Altaria cover every Rock-type capable of KOing Moltres. Water-types are easily handled by Blissey and Alomomola
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Hurricane
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Roost
move 4: U-turn / Defog / Agility
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Flame Body
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hurricane isn't the most reliable STAB attack due to its 70% accuracy, but almost nothing switches into it for free, and it comes with a 30% confusion chances. Flyinium Z lessens the problems with Hurricane's unreliability and grants Moltres an extremely strong nuke. Fire Blast is a more reliable STAB attack in terms of accuracy and is just as strong. Only Rock-type Pokemon resist both STAB attacks. Roost is used for additional longevity, as Moltres can easily find opportunities to recover off damage thanks to its offensive presence, typing, and natural bulk. U-turn chips down checks and counters and allow Moltres's team to gain momentum. Moltres can run Defog and function as a secondary offensive Defogger for your team. as it heavily threatens most Stealth Rock users and Klefki. Agility can be used to turn Moltres into a late-game cleaner.
Set Details
========
252 Special Attack EVs are used to maximize Moltres's power. 252 Speed EVs with a Timid nature are used to maximize its Speed. The 4 EVs can go into either defensive stat but should not be put into HP to avoid having an even HP number and taking additional damage from Stealth Rock. Flame Body allows Moltres to be one of the biggest deterrents to Scizor by just being healthy, as it cannot even go for U-turn for free without risking a burn and does minimal damage to Moltres with any of its common moves.
Usage Tips
========
This set is good against most playstyles, but it does struggle breaking through the sturdiest specially defensive walls, automatically making offensive Moltres weak against stall. Moltres should be using its typing to take advantage of common Pokemon such as Scizor and Serperior to find opportunities to fire off its STAB attacks, gain momentum with U-turn, or use its support moves. Soften Moltres's checks with its high-powered STAB attacks or U-turn, and wait for the perfect moment to nuke them with Supersonic Skystrike. Note that most offensive checks to Moltres can only switch in once before being in Supersonic Skystrike's range. Alternatively, throw out Moltres's Z-Move early on to weaken potential switch-ins or to get a surprise KO against bulky Pokemon trying to tank its unboosted STAB attacks. If Agility is being used, you must wait until Moltres's offensive checks, such as Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Manectric, are low enough to be able to clean up.
Team Options
========
A dedicated Defog user or, at the very least, a secondary Defog user, such as Latias or Mega Altaria, is a must to let Moltres function properly. Spinners such as Mega Blastoise and Tentacruel can also provide entry hazard control for Moltres, but they aren't the most reliable way of making sure Stealth Rock isn't up. Moltres can form a strong, albeit unorthodox, VoltTurn or even multi-U-turn core with Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Scizor, and Hydreigon. Wallbreakers , such as Terrakion and Azumarill, can be used to punish the defensive teams that trouble Moltres, and they can get in for free thanks to U-turn. Just like every offensive Pokemon, Moltres appreciates having hazard support to become an even bigger threat, which makes Stealth Rock users in general good teammates. However, Moltres has awkward synergy with Spikes, as it's hard to set them up while preventing Stealth Rock from going up on your side of the field, and Moltres heavily relies on Defog support most of the time.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Z-Sunny Day boosts Moltres's Speed by one stage and allows it to throw out sun-boosted Fire Blasts or even Solar Beams, but this set is very "all or nothing", is less reliable than Agility at sweeping late-game, and has the same issues as standard offensive Moltres. Solar Beam-based Bloom Doom OHKOes Water-type Pokemon such as Primarina and Swampert more reliably, but Moltres only needs minimal chip before being able to KO them with Supersonic Skystrike.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Entry hazard control is easy to come by, but Moltres constantly needs it, or switching in at all becomes a struggle
**Sturdy Special Walls**: Moltres simply cannot break through most special walls and at best it can chip them down slowly with U-turn. Blissey in particular is troublesome, as it's not even bothered by Toxic; however, defensive Moltres doesn't outright lose because it makes Blissey waste PP without risking much and can easily stick around.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types usually resist both STAB attacks and can easily OHKO Moltres. Nihilego takes minimal damage from anything Moltres has thanks to its massive special bulk and cannot be poisoned by defensive sets, which allows it to freely set up entry hazards. Mega Aerodactyl is bulky enough to Roost off the damage done most of the time and can easily KO Moltres with Stone Edge, but it must be wary of Supersonic Skystrike, as it takes away over half of its HP.
**Latias**: Latias's natural bulk and Speed are enough to check Moltres, because Hurricane is not strong nor reliable enough to stop it from stalling it off with Roost, unless confusion is involved. However, Supersonic Skystrike can KO after Stealth Rock damage, so Latias is forced to be at maximum health to be able to safely check Moltres.
**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Hydreigon struggle to switch directly into Moltres, but once they are in, they can easily revenge kill it.
**Status**: Toxic puts defensive Moltres on a timer, but it can play around it with Roost, Heal Bell, or Wish support, and in lengthy games, Moltres will outlast and PP stall Toxic users. Thunder Wave from Klefki, one of the Pokemon Moltres tries to take advantage of the most, is a major annoyance for offensive Moltres, as it heavily cripples it and makes Moltres much more susceptible to getting revenge killed.
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