boss
[Overview]
<p>As the third Fire-type starter in a row to have a secondary Fighting typing, you'd expect Emboar to be as good as its predecessors, Infernape and Blaziken. While this is not the case, Emboar still shines in the lower tiers, in particular NU, where it boasts one of the highest base Attack stats in the tier. Fire / Fighting is also great in terms of coverage, hitting the majority of the tier at least neutrally; most Pokemon that resist this attacking combination are hit hard by coverage moves, ranging from Earthquake to Wild Charge. Base 100 Special Attack is also excellent, allowing Emboar to have some sort of unpredictability.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there are some things that Emboar just can't handle. Its Speed is not exactly stellar and, even after a boost from Choice Scarf, some of the most prominent attackers in the tier outspeed and KO it, in particular Swellow and Braviary. Emboar is also fairly weak defensively; its great base 110 HP is helpful for soaking up recoil, not for tanking attacks. However, the pros of using Emboar almost always outweigh the cons, thanks to its decent movepool and stat distribution. Without a doubt, Emboar is one of the best Fire-types in the NU metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Earthquake / Head Smash
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Blaze
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This Emboar can serve as an excellent cleaner, thanks to its surprisingly high Speed with a Choice Scarf and its great Attack. Flare Blitz is the main STAB move, hitting quite a lot of the tier for at least neutral damage, and it is what you will use more often than not. Superpower is your secondary STAB move, hitting most of the Pokemon that Flare Blitz doesn't for super effective damage, such as Golem. Wild Charge allows Emboar to at least dent most Water-type switch-ins and cleanly take out any Flying-type trying to switch in, bar Altaria. The final moveslot is mostly filler; it makes little difference what you choose. Earthquake is a nice move to spam without recoil, while still hitting most Rock-types and Magmortar super effectively. Head Smash still hits Fire-types, and has excellent Base Power to boot. However, you have to use it sparingly due to its outrageously high recoil.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread given is fairly simple; maximum Speed and Attack make Emboar hit as hard and fast as possible. Emboar gains extra speed by equipping a Choice Scarf, allowing it to outspeed most of the unboosted metagame.The only other move change you could possibly make is Hammer Arm over Superpower; it doesn't drop your Defense, making switching out a little bit safer. However, the Speed drop from Hammer Arm is extremely unappealing.</p>
<p>While you may be packing as much Speed as you can on Emboar with this set, you are still unable to outpace some major threats, especially Swellow. With that in mind, it's a good idea to pack a check for Swellow and other fast Flying-types. Regirock stands out, tanking all of Swellow's attacks with ease while hitting it with a super effective Rock Slide. On the subject of teammates, Pokemon who weaken Water-types are still helpful; while Emboar carries Wild Charge specifically for them, it's not the most powerful attack in the world. Emboar likes entry hazards being down, like any other offensive Pokemon, so that the opponent is at least slightly weakened beforehand, getting a lot of key KOs over the hump. Rapid Spin support for your team's side of the field is also appreciated, as while Emboar doesn't have a Stealth Rock weakness, you will be switching in and out multiple times, allowing damage from Spikes and other entry hazards to rack up.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Earthquake / Head Smash
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
ability: Blaze
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though this set isn't exactly the fastest in the world, it allows Emboar to literally go whole hog in terms of power, (no comma) thanks to the Choice Band's boost. With this set, Emboar is one of the most powerful wallbreakers in the entire tier, capable of 2HKOing the entire metagame with the proper move. Flare Blitz is, again, your main attack, and is incredibly powerful. To put it in comparison, Weezing, one of the most prominent physical walls in the NU metagame, is always 2HKOed by Flare Blitz. While it is incredibly powerful, there are some Pokemon that take Flare Blitz with ease, such as Regirock. This is where Superpower comes into play, smashing into just about anything that doesn't resist it. Wild Charge lets Emboar take care of any Water-types trying to come in; for example, Alomomola is 2HKOed by Wild Charge after Stealth Rock damage. The last move will hit hard, but it is mostly a filler slot. Earthquake will give you an attack to hit Rock-types without Superpower's stat drops, as well as a nice attack to hit opposing Fire-types. Head Smash is a neat idea to hit Flying-types, but the recoil it gives is almost too much to handle on this set.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Emboar is not designed to be fast. Rather, it is meant to just hit hard, switch out, and come back in again. For that reason, Attack is maxed out thanks to 252 EVs and an Adamant nature, and only enough EVs were spent in Speed to outspeed Pokemon with base 70 Speed who don't invest in it. The rest of Emboar's EVs are put into HP to give Emboar a lot of overall bulk. Hammer Arm is an option on this set if you don't like Superpower's drop in Defense, given that you are slow to begin with.</p>
<p>Hazards are a great idea to help Emboar break through the opponent, helping Emboar achieve some important OHKOs and 2HKOs. Emboar also appreciates Rapid Spin support, as it allows it to come in multiple times, conserving as much HP as possible for soaking up recoil or damage. As Emboar is weakening walls for the rest of your team, packing faster physical sweepers to clean up what Emboar has left behind is an excellent idea. Swellow is great in this regard; armed with a lot of power, it appreciates Emboar breaking through the defensive core of a team. Pokemon who can pass Wish to Emboar are also helpful, allowing it to come in and fire off Flare Blitz repeatedly. Alomomola is a great Wish passer, boasting one of the highest HP stats in the tier.</p>
[SET]
name: Flame Charge
move 1: Flame Charge
move 2: Flare Blitz / Fire Blast
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Superpower
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
nature: Jolly / Naive
ability: Blaze
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Flame Charge, Emboar actually has the possibility of sweeping instead of supporting a sweep for a teammate. Flame Charge gives Emboar the speed of Choice Scarf, and most of the power of Choice Band provided you carry Life Orb, in a single turn. You also have the ability to switch moves depending on the situation, which is a huge plus. Flare Blitz is, once again, your main attack, hitting most of the metagame very hard. Fire Blast is also an option, though, if you don't like the recoil of Flare Blitz and Life Orb. Keep in mind it won't hit quite as hard due to Emboar's lower Special Attack, though. Wild Charge stings any Water-type switch-in, though it won't put them in jeopardy like on the Choice Band set due to the drop in power. In the last slot, Superpower is your secondary STAB move, though due to the stat drops it gives, it should only be used if it is absolutely necessary.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Hazards are especially helpful on this set, as the drop in power on this set will need to be compensated for more often than not. On that note, removing entry hazards from your side of the field is advised, as recoil from the majority of your moves as well as Life Orb can really starts to add up. The EVs on this set maximize Emboar's sweeping potential, letting it hit as hard and fast as possible. A Jolly nature further boosts its Speed. However, a Naive nature is advised if you are running Fire Blast over Flare Blitz. Expert Belt is the primary item, allowing you to feign a Choice item before you use Flame Charge and allowing you to strike harder on opponents whom you hit super effectively. However, Life Orb is also a good choice to increase your power regardless of what Pokemon you are hitting.</p>
<p>Due to the decreased power of this set, it is advised that you weaken any walls on the opponent's team, as you simply lack the power to break through them most of the time. Teammates like Choice Band Sawk are great in this regard, weakening most of the walls in the tier bar Weezing. To replace Superpower in the final slot, there are some options. Brick Break is your best bet for a STAB move, having no recoil whatsoever. However, it is much weaker than Superpower, sitting at a measly Base 75 Power. Earthquake and Head Smash both provide slight coverage on Rock- and Flying-typed targets, respectively.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Due to its low Speed, Emboar can run an effective mixed attacker set designed to work in Trick Room. However, anything of the sort is usually a burden outside of Trick Room due to its low Speed. Choice Specs is a viable option thanks to Emboar's base 100 Special Attack, as well as access to Fire Blast and Scald, among other things. However, it is outclassed by many special attackers, in particular Magmortar, whose Special Attack stat is 25 points higher. Besides Flame Charge, Emboar receives two other boosting moves in Bulk Up and Work Up. Both can work if given the proper team support, but Emboar is often too slow to do anything with those boosts. A set with Substitute along with three attacks is also interesting, but once again, Speed is Emboar's downfall. Lastly, anywhere Head Smash is considered, Stone Edge is a possible alternative, thanks to the lack of recoil. However, both its power and accuracy are lower, which may prove fatal in many situations.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Fast Flying-types are your best bet when it comes to countering Emboar. Swellow will always outspeed Emboar, even after a boost from Flame Charge or Choice Scarf, and proceed to OHKO it with Brave Bird; the same applies to Choice Scarf Braviary. Defensively, most bulky Water-types can take on Emboar pretty easily, as the only thing they have to watch out for is Wild Charge from the Choice Band set. Alomomola deserves a special mention, as no attack from Emboar will 2HKO it bar Wild Charge after Stealth Rock damage, allowing it to stall out Emboar with Wish and Protect while Emboar suffers from Wild Charge or Life Orb recoil. Misdreavus can take anything from Emboar bar a Choice Band Flare Blitz, as can many other physical walls, like Weezing. Seeing as Emboar is most often seen using a hit-and-run tactic, entry hazards rack up a ton of residual damage when combined with Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and Life Orb recoil. Lastly, Rain Dance teams really rain down on Emboar's parade, halving the power of Flare Blitz while also hitting it with rain-boosted Water-type attacks.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>The day Emboar receives its ability from the Dream World, Reckless, it should be the default ability on every set. Having an extra boost to the majority of Emboar's relevant movepool is amazing, and will give it a lot more power.</p>
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