RicePigeon

Ubers update Additions None Rises (Ghost): A+ -> S- : A+ -> S- : A+ -> S- : A+ -> S- : A -> A+ (Ground): A- -> A (Water): B+ -> A- : B+ -> A- : B+ -> A- : B+ -> A- : B+ -> A- : B+ -> A- : B -> B+ : C -> B+ : B -> B+ (Grass): C+ -> B : C+ -> B : C+ -> B- (Electric): C -> C+ (Ice): C -> C+ (Flying): C- -> C Drops : S- -> A+ (Dark): A+ -> A : A+ -> A : A- -> B : B+ -> B : B+ -> B : B+ -> B- : B+ -> B : B -> B- : C+ -> C- : C+ -> C- : C -> C- : C- -> D Removals Removed from B+: Removed from B: Removed from C+: Removed from C:

Link: http://playism-games.com/article/touhou-finally-coming-to-the-west

*feels top of head* Hair... Scalp... Blood Vessels... Bone... Cerebral fluid... I think thats everything

HIS ARM ARE BLUE! CHANGE THEM BACK DAN-CHAN RIGHT NOW!!!

Doubles OU Update Additions None Rises : A- -> A+ : A- -> A : A- -> A : B+ -> A- Drops : A+ -> A : A -> A- : A -> B+ : A -> B+ : A- -> B : A- -> B+ : A- -> B Removals None

So voting for Lower tier PotW is over and Beedrill won by 6 votes, expect to see his next week. On the flip side I updated the poll to include the options for OU and BL (feel free to make nominations until next monday) Candidates for OU & BL Tier PotW for the week of 4/27 (Nominations end 4/13); Keldeo Landorus-I & Landorus-T Bisharp Serperior Diancie & Mega Diancie Latias & Mega Latias

Tier rotation time, this time we look at another OU Pokemon, one that, uncharacteristically of most OU Pokemon, is one of the few that is available in-game on the first route. Talonflame Tier Status (Singles): OU Tier Status (Doubles): DOU Type: Fire/Flying Base Stats: 78 / 81 / 71 / 74 / 69 / 126 Abilities: Flame Body: Whenever this Pokemon is hit by an opponent's contact-based move, the opponent has a 30% chance of being burned. If an attack hits multiple times, each hit of the attack has an independent 30% chance of inflicting a burn on the opponent. Gale Wings (Hidden Ability): All Flying-type moves used by this Pokemon will have their priority increased by +1. Moves that are affected by this ability will now be blocked by Quick Guard. Table of Contents Singles OU Overview Singles Ubers Overview Doubles OU Overview Singles OU Overview ORAS Singles OU Viability: A+ On first glance, one may wonder why Talonflame is OU to begin with, let alone ranking so high on the viability ranks. It's the final evolution of Fletchling, a Pokemon found as early as Kalos Route 1, none of its base stats exceed 85 except for its base 126 speed, and has an unappealing 4x weakness to Stealth Rock. Talonflame on the surface looks like your typical generic starter bird that quickly gets stored into your PC and never used again along with Fearow, Noctowl, and Unfeazant, that is, until you see its hidden ability Gale Wings. Gale Wings is Talonflame's saving grace and the sole reason to use Talonflame in the first place, turning Brave Bird from a base 120 physical STAB Flying attack into a base 120 physical STAB Flying attack WITH PRIORITY. This alone warrants Talonflame's use, granting it access to one of the most powerful priority attacks in OU. Brave Bird isn't the only thing that gets priority, as Roost is also affected by Gale Wings, allowing Talonflame to remove some of its more crippling weaknesses. Despite its 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, Fire/Flying is a great typing both offensively and defensively, which is further improved by access to both Swords Dance and Bulk Up. Talonflame also gains access to some great support options, including Taunt, Will-o-Wisp, and U-turn. While it may seem that Talonflame's main niche is that of a revenge killer due to priority Brave Bird, Talonflame also functions as an effective Stallbreaker, Taunting most Pokemon on stall teams while setting up Swords Dance or Bulk Up to break through Mega Sableye without fear of burns. Talonflame is not without its flaws, however. As previously mentioned, a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock hurts, so hazard removal is mandatory. Additionally, none of Talonflame's base stats exceed 85 except for Speed, so not only can Talonflame not hit as hard as one would like it to without some kind of boost, such as through Swords Dance, Bulk Up, or a Choice Band, but Talonflame is also held back by its mediocre bulk, having to rely on its Fire/Flying typing to compensate for this. Nonetheless, Talonflame still possesses great qualities that allow it to remain a threat in OU. ORAS OU Singles Moveset: Offensive Swords Dance Ability: Gale Wings / Item: @Sharp Beak, Sky Plate, or No item Nature: Jolly w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 4 Defense / 252 Speed Move #1: Swords Dance Move #2: Brave Bird or Acrobatics Move #3: Flare Blitz Move #4: Roost Tips: Swords Dance enables Talonflame to mitigate its base 81 Attack, allowing it to hit much harder and threaten fast & frail offensive Pokemon, while doubling as a wallbreaker against bulkier teams. The second moveslot is dedicated to Flying-type STAB, which gains priority from Gale Wings. Brave Bird is the preferred option, but the recoil can be offputting. Acrobatics is a less powerful but safer alternative that lacks recoil, but should only be used if Talonflame is not holding an item. Flare Blitz allows Talonflame to roast through Steel type Pokemon that resist Brave Bird, while also hitting Electric types for neutral damage. Roost allows Talonflame to regain HP lost from recoil, prolonging its longevity. The given EV spread aims to make Talonflame as fast and powerful as possible. While it may seem counterintuitive to invest in speed on a Pokemon who will be using priority attacks half of the time, 252 speed with a Jolly nature is necessary to at least speed tie with opposing Talonflame, while outspeeding most Electric types that resist Brave Bird. For the item slot, Sharp Beak/Sky Plate should be used if running Brave Bird, while no item should be run if using Acrobatics in order to increase its base power to 110. Sharp Beak/Sky Plate are preferred over Life Orb as all of Talonflame's moves inflict recoil, which will quickly wear Talonflame down. This Talonflame should be used primarily as a revenge killer early in the game while keeping it healthy with Roost. Later in the game, set up Swords Dance on a forced switch so that Talonflame can begin a sweep. It may be necessary to set up Swords Dance earlier in the game if you need to weaken an opponent's Pokemon that your team may have trouble handling. Common examples include Heatran and Rotom-Wash. Keep Talonflame away from Stealth Rock at all times; hazard removal is mandatory when using Talonflame. While it may be tempting to send in Talonflame against Clefable or Ferrothorn, do note that they commonly carry Thunder Wave. While paralysis's speed lowering effect does not affect priority moves, it does make Talonflame easier to revenge kill against targets that resist Flying or are weak to Flare Blitz. Other Moveslot options Taunt: Talonflame can run Taunt on this set to allow it to get past any defensive Pokemon not named Mega Sableye, as Talonflame does make for an excellent stallbreaker. However, running Taunt forces Talonflame to give up either necessary Fire type coverage in Flare Blitz, or longevity with Roost. Taunt is typically better left to Bulky Swords Dance Talonflame sets, which will be covered later in this PotW. Recommended Teammates: Hazard removal is mandatory when using Talonflame, unless you want to lose 50% of your max HP each time you switch in. Starmie is notable not only for Rapid Spin, but also for its ability to handle Hippowdon and Heatran, two Pokemon that otherwise give Talonflame problems. Latios and Latias can use Defog to remove hazards while handling Rotom-Wash and other Electric types, but both Latis and Talonflame are susceptible to Tyranitar. Keldeo is a nice partner for its ability to handle Rock and Steel type Pokemon, including Tyranitar, that give Talonflame problems. Pokemon that can handle Water types like Slowbro and Alomomola can make for nice teammates. Celebi, Ferrothorn, Thundurus-Incarnate, Mega Manectric, and Raikou all work in this role. Ferrothorn is notable for its ability to provide Stealth Rock support, its ability to counter Mega Diancie, and ability to weaken Landorus-Therian to push it into KO range for Talonflame. Teammates that can lure Choice Scarf Landorus-Therian into locking itself into a move other than Stone Edge can create opportunies for Talonflame to set up a Swords Dance and begin a sweep. Examples include Mega Diancie and Garchomp. ORAS OU Singles Moveset: Bulky Swords Dance Ability: Gale Wings / Item: @No item or Leftovers Nature: Adamant w/ EVs: 248 HP / 252 Attack / 8 Speed Move #1: Swords Dance Move #2: Acrobatics or Brave Bird Move #3: Will-o-Wisp or Taunt Move #4: Roost Tips: Swords Dance enables Talonflame to mitigate its base 81 Attack, allowing it to hit much harder and threaten fast & frail offensive Pokemon, while doubling as a wallbreaker against bulkier teams. The second moveslot is dedicated to Flying-type STAB, which gains priority from Gale Wings. Like the Offensive Swords Dance set, you have the choice between Brave Bird or Acrobatics. Acrobatics is the preferred option over Brave Bird on this set due to its lack of recoil, which can otherwise easily eat into Talonflame's longevity, but utilizing Brave Bird gives you extra power and the ability to run Leftovers. The third option is for utility. Will-o-Wisp is very useful for crippling physical attackers that tend to switch into Talonflame, including most Rock types, while also wearing down defensive Pokemon and dodging Sucker Punch. Taunt, however, allows Talonflame to function as a very effective stallbreaker. Roost allows Talonflame to regain HP lost from recoil, prolonging its longevity. The given EVs allow Talonflame to hit as hard as possible while being as bulky as possible. 248 HP EVs are chosen over 252 EVs as this gives Talonflame an odd numbered HP stat, allowing it to switch into Stealth Rock twice while still having 1 HP left. While this Talonflame does not require Speed EVs, the remaining EVs are placed in Speed to allow it to outspeed and burn Black Kyurem. For the item slot, Leftovers should be used if running Brave Bird, while no item should be run if using Acrobatics in order to increase its base power to 110. The main purpose of this Talonflame set is to act as both a utility sweeper and a revenge killer. If running Will-o-Wisp, use it early game to burn Talonflame's usual switch-ins and wear them down. If running Taunt, try to scout the opponent's moveset first before actually using it, and try saving it for late game use so that you can enable Talonflame to set up. The best time to switch this Talonflame in is immediately after an opponent's KO, or if the opponent has a Pokemon that cannot immediately threaten Talonflame such as Mega Scizor or Skarmory. As with all Talonflame sets, always ALWAYS try to remove Stealth Rock from your side of the field before switching it in. Recommended Teammates: Hazard removal is mandatory when using Talonflame, unless you want to lose 50% of your max HP each time you switch in. Starmie is notable not only for Rapid Spin, but also for its ability to handle Hippowdon and Heatran, two Pokemon that otherwise give Talonflame problems. Latios and Latias can use Defog to remove hazards while handling Rotom-Wash and other Electric types, but both Latis and Talonflame are susceptible to Tyranitar unless Talonflame burns it with Will-o-Wisp in advance. As this Talonflame does not run Flare Blitz, teammates that can handle Electric types are appreciated as they resist Talonflame's Flying-type STAB and dont really care about being burned due to being special attackers. Ground types such as Landorus-Therian and Hippowdon can handle them by virtue of their Ground typing but must be wary of Hidden Power [ice], while Clefable checks them in general with its bulk. Pokemon that can handle Water types like Slowbro and Alomomola can make for nice teammates. Celebi, Ferrothorn, Mega Venusaur, Thundurus-Incarnate, Mega Manectric, and Raikou all work in this role. Ferrothorn is notable for its ability to provide Stealth Rock support, its ability to counter Mega Diancie, and ability to weaken Landorus-Therian to push it into KO range for Talonflame. ORAS OU Singles Moveset: Specially Defensive Ability: Gale Wings / Item: @No item or Leftovers Nature (1): Careful w/ EVs: 248 HP / 252 Sp.Defense / 8 Speed Nature (2): Careful w/ EVs: 248 HP / 36 Defense / 224 Sp.Defense Move #1: Acrobatics or Brave Bird Move #2: Roost Move #3: Will-o-Wisp or Taunt Move #4: Bulk Up or Taunt Tips: The first moveslot is dedicated to Flying-type STAB, which gains priority from Gale Wings, you have the choice between Brave Bird or Acrobatics. Acrobatics is the preferred option over Brave Bird on this set due to its lack of recoil, which can otherwise easily eat into Talonflame's longevity, but utilizing Brave Bird gives you extra power and the ability to run Leftovers. Roost allows Talonflame to regain HP lost from recoil, prolonging its longevity. With priority, full Sp.Defense investment, and temporary removal of its Flying-type, it allows Talonflame to easily take STAB Electric attacks such as Volt Switch. For the 3rd moveslot, Will-o-Wisp makes up for the lack of Defense investment while crippling Talonflame's most common switch-ins such as Tyranitar. Taunt, however, can be run instead to shut down walls and prevent debilitating status moves. For the 4th moveslot option, Bulk Up increases Talonflame's bulk and attack power, allowing it to sweep while not being stopped by physical attackers, and is best used if running Taunt in the 3rd moveslot. If running Will-o-Wisp in the 3rd moveslot, Taunt can be run in this moveslot instead, but Talonflame loses the ability to beat Mega Sableye 1-on-1. The first EV spread with a Careful nature aims to maximize Talonflame's Special bulk, allowing it to easily switch in to most of OU's Special Attackers, including Mega Charizard Y, Clefable, Mega Altaria, Landorus-Incarnate, and even Gengar. 248 HP EVs are chosen over 252 EVs as this gives Talonflame an odd numbered HP stat, allowing it to switch into Stealth Rock twice while still having 1 HP left. While this Talonflame does not require Speed EVs, the remaining EVs are placed in Speed to allow it to outspeed and burn Black Kyurem. The second EV spread is a variation of the first if outspeeding Black Kyurem isn't too much of a concern, and grants Talonflame better mixed bulk. For the item slot, Leftovers should be used if running Brave Bird, while no item should be run if using Acrobatics in order to increase its base power to 110. As with all Talonflame sets, always ALWAYS try to remove Stealth Rock from your side of the field before switching it in. This Talonflame set is primarily designed as a wall, switching in to powerful special attackers in OU and keeping its health high with Roost. While primarily a wall, this set can still as a revenge killer in a pinch. Either way, this set works best on Balanced and Stall teams, as opposed to Hyper Offense and Bulky Offense with the Swords Dance sets. If running Bulk Up, this Talonflame set can easily take on Mega Sableye, but should otherwise only be used late game when Talonflame gets an opportunity to clean up. When using Roost, be careful when facing Pokemon such as Landorus-Incarnate and Hippowdon, as they can use the opportunity to hit you with Earth Power and Earthquake, respectively. Conversely, Talonflame can use Roost when facing Electric types to temporarily remove its weakness and regain health. Recommended Teammates: Hazard removal is mandatory when using Talonflame, unless you want to lose 50% of your max HP each time you switch in. Since this Talonflame set fits on Balanced and Stall teams, bulkier and more defensive users of Defog or Rapid Spin are used. Both Latias and Mega Latias can use Defog while handling Electric types for Talonflame. Defog Mega Latias isn't as vulnerable to Bisharp and Tyranitar since it commonly runs Reflect Type. Starmie can also run a defensive set with Reflect Type for similar results. Other options for Stall teams include Skarmory (Defog) and Tentacruel (Rapid Spin). Mega Charizard X can effortlessly set up on Specially Defensive Talonflame, so Pokemon that are able to check or counter it are appreciated. Mega Altaria, Hippowdon, and Rhyperior all work in this role. Mega Sableye is a good fit for stall teams in general, but pairs well with Talonflame due to its ability to reflect Stealth Rock back onto the opponent's side of the field, while Talonflame can handle most Fairy types that threaten Mega Sableye. While Talonflame can handle most Fairy types, Mega Diancie gives it problems, so Pokemon that can handle it are appreciated. Celebi, Ferrothorn, Mega Venusaur, and Jirachi can all handle Mega Diancie quite well, while the former three can also check the Water types that threaten Talonflame. ORAS OU Singles Moveset: Revenge Killer Ability: Gale Wings / Item: @Choice Band Nature: Jolly or Adamant w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 4 Defense / 252 Speed Move #1: Brave Bird Move #2: Flare Blitz Move #3: U-Turn Move #4: Steel Wing or Tailwind Tips: Brave Bird is Talonflame's most powerful option for Flying type STAB, and when backed by a Choice Band and increased priority via Gale Wings, turns Talonflame into a very effective revenge killer. Flare Blitz is used specifically for the Steel types that resist Brave Bird while also nailing Electric types hard. U-turn allows Talonflame to retain momentum for the team, and is also Talonflame's best option against Tyranitar, hitting it for big damage on the switch-in. For the last moveslot, Steel Wing is used specifically for Mega Diancie and Tyrantrum, OHKOing the former while 2HKOing the latter after Stealth Rock damage. Tailwind, however, can be used for when Talonflame is on its last legs and you are certain it will be KOed, as it provides team support that can enable a sweep. The given EV spread aims to make Talonflame as fast and powerful as possible. A Jolly nature ensures that Talonflame will outspeed Pokemon that resist Brave Bird, such as Raikou, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Timid Thundurus-Incarnate, Choice Scarf Magnezone, and Weavile, while guaranteeing that Talonflame speed ties with other Talonflame in the worst case scenarios. Adamant nature, however, gives it an extra attack boost and still allows Talonflame to outspeed all Pokemon with base 110 speed and lower. Choice Band is used to compensate for Talonflame's otherwise mediocre 81 base Attack. This Talonflame set should be used on offensive teams that need a revenge killer. While other Talonflame sets can function as a revenge killer in a pinch due to the nature of Gale Wings combined with Brave Bird/Acrobatics, this set is dedicated solely to revenge killing. As such, never directly switch this Talonflame in against any opponent. Bring it in only after your opponent scores a KO with their sweeper. This Talonflame set can be used early game to scout the opponent's movesets with U-turn, thus it may not be a bad idea to use it as a lead Pokemon. Against bulkier teams that don't run setup sweepers, such as Stall teams, this Talonflame's ability to revenge kill isn't as needed. Instead, it should be used to weaken your opponent's physically defensive Pokemon. As with all Talonflame sets, always ALWAYS try to remove Stealth Rock from your side of the field before switching it in. Other Moveslot options Me First: Although a niche option, running Me First in the 4th moveslot has its uses, such as hitting faster Choice Scarfers and weather sweepers with their own moves before they have a chance to act, such Choice Scarf Black Kyurem's Outrage or a weakened Excadrill. Recommended Teammates: While this Talonflame set is solely used as a revenge killer, there are certain Pokemon that Talonflame cannot revenge kill, such as Mega Diancie and Sand Rush Excadrill. Azumarill and Choice Scarf Landorus-Therian can both revenge kill the two aforementioned Pokemon. Hazard prevention and/or control is necessary for Talonflame. Since this Talonflame set is used on offensive teams, Latios, Excadrill, and Starmie are Pokemon commonly found on offense that can utilize Defog (Latios) and Rapid Spin (Excadrill, Starmie). Some Hyper Offense teams do not run Defog or Rapid Spin as they heavily rely on momentum to be effective, and they will instead utilize offensive pressure to prevent the opponent from getting their Stealth Rocks up in the first place. On these types of teams, Azelf is commonly used as a suicide lead, and Mega Diancie is used to simply reflect Stealth Rock back onto the opponent's team without killing too much momentum. Volt Switch and U-turn users can form the famous "VoltTurn" core with this Talonflame set, giving it opportunities to safely switch in without having to wait for the opponent to score a KO first. Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Rotom-Wash are all great users of Volt Switch, while Mega Scizor and Landorus-Therian are effective users of U-turn. Honorable Mentions Natural Gift Ability: Gale Wings / Item: @Liechi Berry, Salac Berry, Apicot Berry, or Durin Berry Nature: Jolly w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 4 Defense / 252 Speed Move #1: Brave Bird or Acrobatics Move #2: Natural Gift Move #3: Flare Blitz or Roost Move #4: Swords Dance Natural Gift Talonflame is an effective lure set that enables Talonflame to lure in many of its common switch-ins, and then hitting them hard with Natural Gift when paired with the appropriate berry. Liechi Berry turns Natural Gift into a Grass attack, allowing it to hit Tyranitar, Rhyperior, and Rotom-Wash, while boosting its attack when its health is low. Salac Berry turns Natural Gift into a Fighting type attack, which OHKOs Tyranitar at +2 while also dealing heavy damage to Heatran. Apicot Berry turns Natural Gift into a Ground type attack, which at +2 will OHKO any Heatran that lacks Air Balloon while still nailing Tyranitar hard. Durin Berry turns Natural Gift into a Water type attack, which provides coverage against Rhyperior, Heatran, and Tyranitar. Hall of Shame (aka "Dont use these") Mixed Talonflame ( Brave Bird + Hidden Power [Ground/Fighting] + Flamethrower/Fire Blast/Overheat): At first glance, one will notice Talonflame's base 74 Sp.Attack isn't too far off from its 81 base Attack, so the idea of having not only a recoilless Fire-type STAB may be tempting especially when you can hit physically bulky Pokemon like Landorus-Therian harder or KO Skarmory without killing yourself in the process, but also access to Hidden Power [Ground] or [Fighting] to KO Talonflame's checks. However, mixed Talonflame is outclassed by Natural Gift Talonflame as a lure, as Natural Gift Talonflame not only hits many of Talonflame's checks harder than the mixed set, but can still perform all of Talonflame's usual functions. Singles OU Checks and Counters to Talonflame Stealth Rock () Stealth Rock is a major thorn in Talonflame's side, shaving off 50% of its HP every time it switches in, which often times is more than enough to prevent Talonflame from switching in at all, let alone doing its job. Once Stealth Rock is set up on Talonflame's side of the field, it puts immense pressure on the player to remove them ASAP, which disrupts the Talonflame player's momentum. In the event Stealth Rock cannot be removed, it often forces Talonflame to either use Roost immediately, creating an opportunity for Talonflame's opponent to set up, or force Talonflame to KO itself from recoil in as little as 2 turns. Rock types pose problems for Talonflame as they resist Brave Bird and Acrobatics, forcing Talonflame to utilize one of its options that doesn't take advantage of Gale Wings. Tyranitar is very notable as with a Choice Scarf, it can outspeed more defensive and bulkier variants of Talonflame while either KOing it with Stone Edge or trapping it with Pursuit, lest Talonflame risk getting KOed as it switches out against the latter. However, Tyranitar does not enjoy taking U-turns from Choice Banded Talonflame, and all of them must watch out for sets that carry Will-o-Wisp. Heatran works very similar to Rock types, but has the added advantage of being immune to Will-o-Wisp and Flare Blitz, while being resistant to every move Talonflame commonly carries except for the rare Natural Gift sets. However, Heatran does not appreciate Taunt and can be worn down by Swords Dance sets over time. Electric types pose another problem for Talonflame, as they resist Flying and, in Mega Manectric's case, outspeed it. Raikou and Thundurus-Incarnate can outspeed bulkier Talonflame sets, but have trouble handling Flare Blitz on the offensive sets. As good as Gale Wings Brave Bird/Acrobatics are, they are still only +1 priority while Extremespeed is +2. Dragonite, Lucario, and Entei are the only viable Extremespeed users in Singles OU, and can revenge kill Talonflame, especially since Dragonite and Entei commonly carry Choice Band. Although it cannot switch in due to its frailty, Lucario cannot be revenge killed by Talonflame if it has a Swords Dance boost under its belt as a +2 Extremespeed will OHKO even bulky Talonflames with little prior damage. Physically bulky Water types, such as both Slowbros, Suicune, Alomomola, and normal Gyarados can take a hit from Talonflame with ease and threaten with their STAB super effective moves. Suicune can handle any set other than Specially Defensive Talonflames running Taunt, as an unboosted Scald will fail to 2HKO. Alomomola can stall out Talonflame with Toxic unless they run Taunt, while Gyarados has to worry about a burn and still risks being 2HKOed by Choice Band variants, even at -1. Bulky Ground types can often stomach a hit from Talonflame, and many carry Stone Edge as a coverage move, though they are susceptible to burns. Physically Defensive Landorus-Therian can handle Talonflame, as Choice Scarf variants are OHKOed by +2 Sharp Beak Brave Bird after Stealth Rock. Hippowdon and Excadrill are other solid options, though Excadrill requires sand to outspeed otherwise it risks eating a Flare Blitz. Since Talonflame's STAB moves typically involve recoil and are contact moves, it is not hard to force Talonflame to KO itself through chip damage, passive damage, and recoil. Pokemon with Iron Barbs or Rough Skin, such as Ferrothorn and Garchomp, or common holders of Rocky Helmet such as Garchomp, Skarmory, and Mandibuzz will provide additional recoil every time Talonflame attacks. Alternatively, Tyranitar and Hippowdon both provide sand, which further wears down Talonflame. Singles Ubers Overview ORAS Singles Ubers Viability: F Talonflame simply does not have the stats to make the cut in Ubers. While it can revenge kill Mega Gengar, it finds itself dead weight against Primal Groudon, who is currently on 66% of all Ubers teams at the time of writing this PotW (Usage stats for the Ubers metagame can be found here). Primal Groudon aside, it also finds itself outclassed by Mega Salamence, Ho-oh, and Yveltal as an offensive Flying-type despite only Yveltal having priority, while Ho-oh and Yveltal can also take on defensive roles, leaving Talonflame with barely any niche. Even the prominent Fairy types that Fire types like Talonflame are supposed to check, such as Xerneas, Mega Diancie, and Arceus-Fairy, have ways of getting past Talonflame with little effort. Doubles OU Overview ORAS Doubles OU Viability: A Much like in Singles, Talonflame once again relies on Gale Wings to provide it with any sort of meaningful competitive use. In an environment where speed control methods like Tailwind, Trick Room, Sun and Rain are much more potent and viable than in Singles, having access to priority Brave Bird to circumvent these is huge. Speaking of speed control, Talonflame can also provide Tailwind of its own, which gains priority due to Gale Wings, allowing Talonflame to set up Tailwind quickly without fear of being KOed, even in the face of opposing Tailwind. Like in Singles, Talonflame is held back by its average to mediocre base stats. Furthermore, because of the presence of Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Mawile, both of which are banned in Singles OU, Intimidate has become rampant, leaving Talonflame susceptible to having its attack lowered. Combined with the fact that Talonflame's STAB attacks inflict recoil, it tends to get worn down quickly. ORAS OU Doubles Moveset: Physical Attacker Ability: Gale Wings / Item: @Life Orb Nature: Adamant w/ EVs: 80 HP / 252 Attack / 176 Speed Move #1: Brave Bird Move #2: Flare Blitz Move #3: Tailwind or Will-o-Wisp Move #4: Protect Tips: Brave Bird is Talonflame's most powerful option for Flying type STAB, and when backed by a Life Orb and increased priority via Gale Wings, allows Talonflame by bypass many methods of speed control in Doubles. Flare Blitz is used specifically for the Steel types that resist Brave Bird while also nailing Electric types hard. For the 3rd moveslot, Tailwind is the preferred option, gaining priority from Gale Wings and allowing Talonflame to support its team. Will-o-Wisp can be used instead if burning dangerous physical attackers such as Mega Kangaskhan and Terrakion is needed, especially since the latter can check Talonflame. Protect is a staple move in Doubles, but is notable for protecting Talonflame from Fake Out, which otherwise beats its Gale Wings boosted moves. It also has great utility in scouting the opponent, punishing double targeting, and stall out unfavorable field conditions such as weather, opposing Tailwind, and Trick Room. Fully invested Attack EVs with an Adamant nature and Life Orb attempts to compensate for Talonflame's average base Attack stat, allowing it to hit for as hard as possible. 176 Speed EVs allow Talonflame to outspeed all relevant Pokemon that it would need to use Flare Blitz against, while the remaining EVs are put towards HP for a bit more bulk. Most of the time you will be using Brave Bird due to its power and priority. Flare Blitz should only be used if the opponent resists Flying While this Talonflame set will not score that many KOs on its own, it does put a lot of offensive pressure on most of the Doubles metagame. As such, it is best suited for offensive teams, where it has partners that can push their faster checks and counters into KO range for Talonflame. If running Will-o-Wisp, Talonflame can be used to burn the opponent and stall with Protect until the burn damage pushes them into KO range, either for Talonflame or its partner. Talonflame is not that bulky, so it will find very little switch-in opportunities in Doubles. As such, it will not be able to switch out without the risk of being KOed the next time it comes in. Even if the opponent is burned, many physical attackers will still be able to damage Talonflame severely. If running Tailwind, it should be used only when Talonflame needs to be sacrificed and when offensive pressure is too great against your team, as Tailwind can easily turn the tide if used at the right moment. Beware of common Quick Guard users such as Keldeo and Terrakion, as they can block any attack that gets its priority boosted by Gale Wings, namely Brave Bird. Recommended Teammates: Teammates that utilize spread attacks make for great partners, as they deal damage to both opponents and put them both into KO range for Talonflame. Common spread moves include Earthquake (Landorus-Therian, Garchomp), Rock Slide (Terrakion), Hyper Voice (Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir), Sludge Wave (Mega Gengar), Diamond Storm (Mega Diancie), and Heat Wave (Mega Charizard Y). Grass types such as Sky Shaymin, Breloom, Venusaur, and Ferrothorn can take on the Water and Rock types that threaten Talonflame. Pokemon that can check or counter Heatran are appreciated as partners, as Heatran completely walls Talonflame by nature of its typing and ability. Hitmontop is notable not only for its Intimidate support, but also Wide Guard to block incoming Rock Slides, and offers valuable support in Feint, which will completely negate the opponent's use of Protect or Quick Guard, allowing Talonflame to hit them when it otherwise could not. Pokemon that deal with Intimidate or at least dissuade its use are valuable, as Talonflame isn't going to be scoring many KOs at -1 with only 81 base Attack. Bisharp is a good all-around check to Intimidate, as Defiant grants it a +2 Attack boost to any stat drop inflicted on it (for a net gain of +1 Attack against Intimidate). Rotom-Wash and Mamoswine can deal with Landorus-Therian, while Gyarados can be dealt with by Electric types such as Rotom-Wash, Thundurus-Incarnate, and Mega Manectric. Doubles OU Checks and Counters to Talonflame Intimidate () Talonflame's Attack stat is already pretty underwhelming, and having it reduced even further will severely cripple it. It should be noted however that Hitmontop and Scrafty are the only users of Intimidate that cannot safely switch in due to their weakness to Brave Bird, but will hinder Talonflame in the long run. Rock types, with the exception of Terrakion, all resist Talonflame's STAB combination, while all of them threaten Talonflame with their STAB moves. Do note that most of them are crippled by burns. Electric types resist Brave Bird while threatening Talonflame with their STAB. Rotom-Wash, Rotom-Heat and Mega Manectric are notable as the former two also resist Flare Blitz, while the latter provides Intimidate. Fake out can disrupt Talonflame, outprioritizing Brave Bird while causing it to become a sitting duck on the turn used. Mega Kangaskhan can easily shave off 50% of Talonflame's health with Fake Out, but do note however that Brave Bird can 2HKO Mega Kangaskhan. Other notable Fake Out users include Hitmontop, Scrafty, Infernape, Hariyama, and Sableye. Quick Guard will completely negate Talonflame's Brave Bird due to its increased priority through Gale Wings, thus preventing Talonflame from effectively outspeeding opponents under Tailwind. Terrakion and Keldeo are the most notable users of the move, while other users to watch out for include Hitmontop. Heatran is a full stop to Talonflame by virtue of its typing & ability, which gives it an opportunity to set up Substitute and threaten Talonflame's partner. Politoed can stomach a Brave Bird while threatening to KO with its water STAB. Even if Politoed is KOed, the rain that it sets up will cripple Talonflame's use of Flare Blitz, making it safer for Electric types to switch in. External Links Smogon Analysis (Singles OU) Pokemon Online Analysis (Singles OU) Smogon Analysis (Doubles OU)

Smogon recently adopted a new policy regarding their tier system. As you may or may not currently be aware, Smogon's tiers are updated every 3 months, with every Pokemon above 3.41% usage over three months rising to the highest tier where they have achieved this 3.41% minimum usage requirement, while Pokemon that are used less than 3.41% usage over three months fall down to the tier immediately below the tier they have previously occupied, unless that Pokemon had already been specifically banned from that tier in which case they will fall to that tier's respective BL list instead. Stemming from the period lasting from Jan 2015 to March 2015 where all usage data prior to Dec 2014 was lost in a server crash, Smogon derived a new policy known as Quick Rises and Quick Drops, which occured every month as opposed to every three months, in order to compensate for the lack of data. In addition to the above 3-month tiering policy, Smogon retains this monthly system of quick rises and quick drops every month. The usage cutoff for Quick Rises and Quick Drops are much higher and lower than that of the standard 3.41% use every three months, with the monthly high cutoff being 6.7% for rising to a higher tier, and the monthly low cutoff being 1.7% to drop to the tier below. That being said, here are the Quick Rises & Quick Drops for March 2015, along with their use statistics for that tier for the month: Quick Rises : BL -> OU (7.343%) : BL2 -> UU (9.171%) : BL3 -> RU (7.636%) : BL4 -> NU (7.379%) Quick Drops None

Hentai characters are allowed as long as they are tagged as such in the thread title and screenshots with explicit content are put into spoiler tags.

Just moved a bunch of posts to the shit thread. Nobody wants to know if you're fapping to a Mugen character, keep that kind of stuff to yourself.

So it turns out the Origin Giratina suspect test was an April Fools prank all along. So yeah, we're not getting the Ghost/Dragon personification of Lucifer to save the OU metagame after all...

The EX was part of his gamer ID tag though, not a deus ex reference. Also I see now that this little prank caused a bit more collateral damage than I thought. If anyone should be angry at the staff, it should be directed at me. The prank was originally my idea, and I take full responsibility for what happened.

Alright the day is gone so may as well let you all in. Darkflare is not a gmod, it was me the whole time. Yes, my demotion from global moderator and the shitstorm that followed was all part of an elaborate April Fools prank planned in advance by myself and Ryon. We tried to make the prank more elaborate by doing it a few days in advance, and then having "Darkflare" promoted in my place. However, I must admit that I do feel a bit guilty that it caused some people to take the joke seriously and leave the forums, or have a rather negative view of the forum in general. Hopefully those whose opinions were negatively affected will forgive us and we can move past this. For those of you who had a more positive outlook during this day, Happy April Fools to you all.

Did you forget what today is?

Are you talking about your Titiln impersonation that you were supposed to do?

I'm not a genderswapped demon overlord with a battle axe.

Oh boy! More Pokemon!

Have to figured out a way to deus ex machina our two groups together yet? Because I still have nothing.

against my better judgement youre not banned anymore. now stop plotting your conspiracies against mffa

I just wanted to add, rumors of my banning have been greatly exaggerated

Trin, you are not allowed to bash holidays on this forum. Consider this a warning. On second thought, what is the purpose of this thread anyway? All it does its support hate and bashing other users, which goes against our forum rules. Locking. EDIT: April Fools, you may now resume posting

Only blind praise is accepted on these forums, Trin. Please refrain from telling people their characters suck even when they do. April Fools

So Ryon decided to approach me with the offer of becoming one of his staff members. After careful consideration, I have decided to accept the position as your new global moderator. I understand the timing of this is awkward, but the fact that it is April Fools is just a coincidence.

Singles NU Viability: PO Version (Last updated 03/30/15) S Rank A+ Rank A Rank A- Rank B+ Rank B Rank B- Rank C+ Rank C Rank C- Rank D Rank