Salamence, the Dragon Pokémon. It flies around on its wings, which have grown in at last. In its happiness, it gushes hot flames, burning up everything it passes over. It becomes uncontrollable if it is enraged. It destroys everything with shredding claws and fire.
Overview
Soaring on wings buoyed by its long-held dreams, Salamence has been the byword for sheer offense for numerous generations. Base 135 Attack is ferocious and with Dragon Dance and Moxie, Salamence can escalate out of control very quickly. Physical offense isn’t all Salamence is good for; Base 110 Special Attack is quite serviceable, especially with powerhouse moves like Draco Meteor, Hurricane, Hydro Pump and Fire Blast to make up for the lower Special Attack. Salamence’s ability to run both further obfuscates matters, where misreading the set can result in the loss of a key defensive set piece for the opposing team. Salamence backs all this screaming offense with a solid base 100 Speed and is part of the reason why Base 100 Speed was the standard for generations. Adding onto all of this is decent durability, backed by Intimidate, Roost and the potent Dragon Flying typing offering numerous switch in opportunities and good staying power for what is otherwise such an offensive Pokémon.
This has not stopped generations of power creep to drag Salamence back down to earth. 100 Speed is no longer as impressive as it once was, with many offensive threats capable of easily outpacing Salamence and downing it, especially with its exploitable Ice, Dragon, and Fairy weaknesses. Defensive power creep has been just as onerous for Salamence, especial this generation that has introduced multiple Unaware walls to stop Salamence’s rampages before they begin, leaving Salamence’s game ending Moxie sets less impressive while the lesser power of its Special sets starts to show more and more. Further worsening Salamence’s power woes is a lack of reliable STAB. None of Salamence’s best STAB options are without drawbacks. Hurricane’s accuracy leaves a lot to be desired, while Draco Meteor and Dual Wingbeat are also troubled by imperfect accuracy. Draco Meteor sapping Salamence’s special attack also ensures it can’t be used repeatedly. Salamence’s best physical Dragon STAB, Outrage makes Salamence incredibly predictable and is easily punished by any Fairy switch in or Terastalization. While Salamence dreams of days when it soared, underestimate it at your own peril lest your team be rent asunder.
Positives
135 Attack is amazing and Salamence can easily push it higher with Dragon Dance and Moxie.
110 Special Attack is potent, especially when backed by powerful STABs and coverage.
Absurd movepool with a plethora of coverage options, boosting and recovery to choose from.
Good defensive profile between Intimidate, Roost and Dragon Flying typing.
Negatives
Defensive merits mean little with crippling Ice weakness and general bad matchup into Fairy types.
Average defenses outside of Intimidate having Salamence struggling to take powerful neutral blows.
Struggles to fit every move it wants into a single set.
Movesets
Jet Wyrm
-Dragon Dance
-Dual Wingbeat
-Earthquake
-Temper Flare
Ability: Moxie
Item: Lum Berry
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Dragon Dance Salamence is a classic game ender, the initial boost from a Dragon Dance pushes Salaemnces's Speed and Attack to absurd levels. This greatly facilitates Salamence grabbing a KO and thanks to Moxie, to keep getting stronger and stronger as it proceeds to run away with the battle while being difficult to revenge KO due to that initial speed boost. Dual Wingbeat is preferred STAB, thanks to the good coverage from Flying being difficult to resist, while hitting prominent walls like Great Tusk, Amoonguss, and Chestnaught, while having good coverage into the many other threatening Grass and Fighting types. Earthquake compliments Dual Wingbeat nicely, giving Salamence incredible Flying-Ground coverage, hitting all of the types that naturally resist Flying, and its ability to hit the Dragon resistant Steel types makes it a natural inclusion regardless. Temper Flare further compliments this coverage, hitting the un-grounded Steel types like Skarmory, Corviknight, and Bronzong that otherwise heavily resist Salamence's STABs and ignore Earthquake.
Tera Types:
Salamence is in an interesting spot where it is perfectly capable of functioning without Terastalizing, given the many resistances that Dragon Flying provides, but is otherwise an incredibly flexible Terastalization user, able to user defensive and offensive Tera types in equal measure to secure a win. Tera Steel is universally the best Tera for Salamence, turning all its weaknesses into resistances, vital for getting a Dragon Dance up, blocking an Ice Shard revenge attempt or simply help Salamence survive to deal a knockout blow and continue escalating. Tera Fire an excellent defensive offensive option, providing invaluable resistances to Ice and Fairy and immunity to Burns while boosting Salamence's Fire coverage. Otherwise, Salamence wields numerous offensive options to close out a game. Tera Flying and Tera Dragon are great for getting more mileage out of Salamence's STABs while Tera Ground turns Salamence into a pseudo Garchomp. Tera Electric can be used as surprise coverage for Skarmory, Corviknight and Dondozo while granting an immunity to Paralysis.
EVs and Items:
Max Speed and Attack investment are highly recommended for this set, for Salamence to outrun as many targets as possible and to get the most of Dragon Dance. Max Attack investment is hard to veer away from, as the higher Salamence's Attack is, the greater the boost from Dragon Dance and the easier Salamence has getting knock outs for Moxie Boosts for even more damage. Dropping from Jolly to Adamant leaves Salamence exposed to targets like Max Speed Great Tusk, Tinkaton, Mimikyu, Hisuian Arcanine before boosting as well as fellow max Speed base 100s like Jirachi, Entei and opposing Salamence, though it is quite viable if one is confident in their ability to Dragon Dance without taking too much damage. Alternatively, if one is running Intimidate, some HP and defense investment can be leveraged for multiple Dragon Dance boosts. Lum Berry is recommended, nullifying an attempt to Will-O-Wisp or Thunder Wave Salamence to stop its sweep before it starts. Heavy-Duty Boots is a solid alternative, especially if paired with Roost, allowing Salamence to attempt setup multiple times, or help guarantee the one setup by not having Salamence be pushed into KO range simply by switching in. Life Orb is for going all in on power, and synergizes nicely with several of Salamence's moves, but places Salamence on a very short timer if Stealth Rocks aren't properly handled.
Partners:
:
Answers to physical walls and revenge killers are vital for Salamence to start sweeping. Powerful Ground attackers are the first to look to; even with Salamence's access to Earthquake, Steel, and Rock types are often physically bulky enough to tank the blow, and directly threaten Salamence back, so compromising them before Salamence even hits the field is of grave importance. Many Ground types' access to entry hazards furthers this goal, allowing them to indirectly chip Salamence's checks until they are checks no more. Ground types drawing in Grass attacks that Salamence can freely switch into is a further bonus. Sandy Shocks stands out at this, its special STAB cleaving physically bulky Pokémon, and with Electric STAB eliminates key threats to Salamence in Skarmory, Corviknight and Dondozo, while capable of enabling Salamence sweeps with access to Thunder Wave or offering a fast pivot with Volt Switch. Mamoswine more directly answers physical walls by drawing them in and damaging them before going down. Krookodile provides vital item disruption with STAB Knock Off on top of its Steel and Rock smashing duties. Donphan is great if not running Heavy Duty Boots, offering vital Hazard control with Rapid Spin.
Other Options:
Outrage is by far Salamence's strongest STAB option and its extreme power is handy for racking up Moxie boosts, but can only be used safely when there are no Fairies on the opposing team lest you invite a free switch for your opponent.
Dragon Claw is a far weaker alternative to Outrage, but is far more reliable and comparable to Dual-Wingbeat save the lack of Super Effective coverage.
Roost is all around incredible, allowing Salamence to shrug off light hits and even attempt to sweep multiple times, are rarity among setup sweepers.
Draco Meteor is a fantastic option into physical Unaware walls like Quagsire, and Dondozo, though the latter requires Life Orb or Tera Dragon to secure the 2HKO.
Dragon Storm
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Hydro Pump
-Roost
Ability: Moxie
Item: Heavy-Duty Boots
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
While Salamence’s absurd Attack and Moxie boosted sweeping garners a lot of attention, its Special sets are no less lethal, perhaps even more so for those not expecting them. Draco Meteor is an incredible move and the Special Attack drop aspect is mollified by the fact that it Intimidate Salamence likes switching repeatedly to get repeated Intimidate drops. This allows Salamence to play defense while on offense, sapping opponent’s Attack while ripping holes into the opposing team, making it far easier for Salamence’s partners to clean up. Fire Blast is for the Steel types that can reliably tank Draco Meteor, melting them down and preventing them from being reliable switch ins. Hydro Pump compliments Fire Blast well in this regard, hitting Heatran, the only Steel type that readily resists both, while checking Tyranitar, a prominent special wall. Roost grants this Salamence set invaluable longevity, allowing it to repeatedly Intimidate opponents while blasting holes into them.
Tera Types:
While this Salamence set is just as comfortable keeping its base typing for its defensive benefits, Special Salamence tend to prefer more defensive Terastalizations to better take advantage of Intimidate and account for the less than perfect accuracy of their moves. Tera Steel is once again the best choice for Salamence, the broad defensive scope of the typing along with the completely contrasting resistances makes it for a surprise when it is used and greatly furthers Salamence’s field presence. Tera Water is also a common choice for these sets, being a more offensive option, it protects Salamence from its crippling Ice weakness while allowing Salamence to reliably 2HKO even Specially Defensive Tyranitar (sans Leftovers) with Hydro Pump. Water being a solid defensive typing on top of all that helps Salamence in its duties to Intimidate everything.
EVs and Items:
Max Special Attack and Speed are once again recommended. Salamence’s Special Attack is far less impressive, so every drop of investment is recommended to make up for it, including Modest Nature. Timid nature is still a strong option, but as this Salamence is meant to reduce damage with Intimidate, it can better afford to be slower. Max Speed EV investment is still a strong recommendation, allowing Salamence to outrun base 85 Speed Pokémon like Quaquaval, as well as Mamoswine, Gardevoir and Kleavor. The heavy Speed investment also keeps Salamence ahead of Adamant Lokix and Excadrill. One can drop Speed investment for more bulk, but it is highly recommended one doesn’t go below 96 Speed EVs, as after that Salamence is outran by neutral base 80s like Mamoswine a Pokémon it very well can’t afford to be slower than. As this set is constantly pivoting due to the aftereffects of Draco Meteor and the value generated from Intimidate, Heavy-Duty Boots is strongly recommended so Salamence isn’t eaten alive by Stealth Rocks. If unconcerned about entry hazards, Choice Specs is fantastic, pushing Salamence’s power to incredible heights and allowing it to one shot bulky sponges like Tyranitar, Heatran, Suicune, and Tinkaton.
Partners:
:
Steel types make for solid partners for Intimidate Salamence, able to pivot into the Ice and Fairy attacks Salamence inevitably draws as it is forced out, while they in turn appreciate Salamence being a reliable pivot into the Ground, Fire and Fighting attacks that they fear. Excadrill is an excellent example, its physical offense complimenting Salamence’s Special, while being able to clear hazards if Salamence is not running Heavy-Duty Boots or if the boots were removed. Scizor also makes for a solid partner, using Bullet Punch to clean up anything compromised by Salamence, or as a slow pivot with U-Turn to get Salamence back in, cycling Intimidate. Cobalion is a more defensive take of a Steel pivot with Volt Switch and is a great answer into faster threats with Thunder Wave, while threatening prominent sponges like Hisuian Goodra and Blissey with its own Fighting STAB.
Other Options:
Hurricane is Salamence’s best Special STAB though its accuracy can be maddening at times.
Earthquake is great for subverting Hisuian Goodra, and Empoleon whose Special bulk can render Salamence’s other moves moot.
Countering Salamence
Salamence’s varied and potent offense demands very different answers, making it difficult to defensively check without knowledge of its set.
As such, offensively checking Salamence is recommended. Mamoswine is king at this, its potent Ice Shard’s threatening obscene damage if not an outright KO, forcing Salamence to Terastalize or be KO’d. Other Ice Shard users like Weavile, and Donphan, as well as Triage Comfey are also reliable in checking Salamence regardless of the number of Dragon Dance’s it has accrued though Comfey does require significant prior damage for a KO. Naturally faster super effective attackers like Alolan Ninetales, Latios, Tera Fairy Azelf, Cornerstone Ogerpon and Terrakion can quickly down an unboosted Salamence, though the former two must be wary of Intimidate.
Dragon Dance Salamence sets are incredibly difficult to handle once they get going. Dondozo works best by far, requiring niche answers like Tera Electric or Life Orb Draco Meteor to circumvent it. Other checks are dependent on Salamence’s coverage. If lacking Fire coverage, Bronzong, Skarmory and Corviknight are hellish for Salamence to deal with, and can either phase it out, or beat it in a war of attrition. Sets lacking Ground coverage will find Skeledirge impossible and Heatran unpleasant to deal with, but can outlast Heatran if running Roost. Salamence running Fire-Dragon coverage also find themselves walled by Azumarill and Primarina, as do Special sets not running Hurricane. Sets lacking Flying STAB may find themselves unable to answer Galarian Weezing who can permanently cripple with Will-O-Wisp. Salamence’s reliance on contact moves also make Flame Body and Static users like Moltres, and Zapdos unpleasant to attack at the risk of crippling Salamence. When all else fails, physical walls can work, especially PHazers like Toxapex (sans Earthquake), and Hippowdon.
Special Salamence conversely struggles against Special Walls. Blissey is immoveable to the likes of special Salamence, while Assault Hisuian Goodra and Empoleon scoff at any set lacking Earthquake. Non Specs Salamence have it worse with Umbreon, Galarian Slowking and Assault Vest Reuiniclus also comfortably stomach any of Salamence’s special attacks and can threaten back with their own STAB.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Evolve Shelgon
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
Colosseum/XD:
Snagged from Cipher Admin Eldes in Citadark Isle (XD)
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Shelgon (Pearl, Platinum)
Trade from Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, SoulSilver (Diamond)
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Shelgon
Black/White:
Evolve Shelgon (White)
Trade from White/Black 2/White 2 (Black)
Black 2/White 2:
Evolve Shelgon
X/Y:
Evolve Shelgon
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Shelgon
Sun/Moon:
Route 3
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Route 3
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Tunnel to the Top, Path to the Peak (Sword)
Max Raid Battles: Giant's Bed, Path to the Peak, Frigid Sea, Three-Point Pass, Ballimere Lake (Sword)
Trade from/Raid with Sword (Shield)
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Evolve Shelgon (Shining Pearl)
Legends: Arceus:
Not in game
Scarlet/Violet:
Evolve Shelgon (Violet)
Tera Raid Battles: 5 Star Raid Battles, 6 Star Raid Battles
Anime Appearences
