Talonflame, The Scorching Pokémon. Talonflame mainly preys upon other bird Pokémon. To intimidate opponents, it sends embers spewing from gaps between its feathers. Talonflame dives toward prey at speeds of up to 310 mph and assaults them with powerful kicks, giving the prey no chance to escape.
Overview
Talonflame has fallen far from its glory days in XY. What used to be a terror, throwing out priority Base 120 STAB moves and priority healing to keep itself in the fight is now a fragile shadow of its former self, with any damage breaking Talonflame’s key niche. The generational shift hasn’t been too unkind to Talonflame, as Heavy Duty boots is a huge boon to anything 4x weak to Stealth Rock, but Talonflame remains outclassed by many other Pokémon who can perform its roles while also providing actual defensive utility.
Positives
A massive Base 127 Speed makes Talonflame difficult to outspeed even when discounting Gale Wings
Gale Wings gives Talonflame priority Offense and Support which makes Talonflame impossible to outspeed
Negatives
Poor defenses and common weaknesses, alongside commonly running recoil moves means that Talonflame is relatively easy to knock out.
Gale Wings requires Talonflame to be at full health to function. Any chip damage breaks it and can be nulled by Psychic Terrain
Talonflame is outclassed regardless of its role. Mandibuzz and Corviknight make better defoggers. Dragapult is better at spreading Will-o-Wisp. Gyarados and Hawlucha are far better abusers of Max Airstream.
Movesets
Crash and Burn
-Brave Bird
-Flare Blitz
-U-Turn
-Defog/Roost
Item Attached: Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Gale Wings/Flame Body
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Speed
Adamant Nature
Brave Bird and Flare Blitz are the bread and butter of this set. As a STAB combination, they are quite fearsome, hitting many Pokémon decently and with Talonflame’s high speed can easily grab a revenge KO or damage a switch in. U-Turn allows Talonflame to quickly pivot out, easing prediction by catching switches and swapping out to the appropriate counter. Defog works great with Heavy Duty Boots and Gale Wings, as it enables Talonflame to clear hazards at no risk to itself, and is very hard to disrupt when Gale Wings is active. Roost reenables Gale Wings and reduces the chance that Talonflame will KO itself via Recoil.
DYNAMAX:
This Talonflame should use Dynamax in the late game, if at all. If using a Gale Wings set and Talonflame is not chipped, you could have the possibility of 3 turns of Priority Base 210 Power Max Airstream and the setup from Max Flare can be abused with the right teammates. However, Talonflame cannot pivot or Defog while Dynamaxed, so the loss of support is why Dynamaxing with this set is regulated to the late game, provided Talonflame is still in pristine condition.
EVs and Items:
EVs are to maximize offense and speed, with the Adamant Nature nabbing a few extra OHKOs that cannot be caught with Jolly. Heavy Duty Boots is near mandatory on Talonflame, who otherwise cannot pivot at all due to being shredded apart by Stealth Rocks
Partners:
Clefable: A slow Cleric pivot that can heal Talonflame back up safely and reliably:
Swampert: Easily dispatches Rock and Electric types that give Talonflame trouble, can safely pivot with Flip Turn and setup Stealth Rocks for chip damage in nabbing those KOs. Talonflame in turn scares any Grass types that may come in.:
Rillaboom: Takes care of Rock and Grass types that wall Talonflame. Another slow pivot with U-Turn as well.:
Hydreigon: Makes a good pivot target for Talonflame, sharing no weaknesses and can act as a secondary Defogger in case Talonflame gets hit with Knock Off. :
Talonflame takes apart Urshifu and Hawlucha in turn.
Countering Talonflame
It is difficult to directly counter a pivot set as Talonflame will often U-Turn out before the target has a chance to attack. However, there are some standout options. Zeraora, Regieleki and Dragapult all naturally outspeed Talonflame and can threaten the OHKO, forcing it to make a switch or be KOd. Baiting Talonflame out with a surprise Choice Scarf set can easily nab a KO if the Talonflame user is not expecting it. Rock types make safe switch ins for Talonflame, having excellent defense, resists both of Talonflame’s STABs and easily nabbing the OHKO with their own. Tyrannitar’s Sand Stream chips Talonflame, breaking Gale Wings and running down the clock even faster.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Not in game
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Not in game
Black/White:
Not in game
Black 2/White 2:
Not in game
X/Y:
Evolve Fletchinder
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Trade from X & Y
Sun/Moon:
Evolve Fletchinder
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Evolve Fletchinder
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Soothing Wetlands, Loop Lagoon, Training Lowlands
Max Raid Battles: Fields of Honor, Challenge Beach, Challenge Road, Loop Lagoon, Potbottom Desert, Workout Sea, Stepping-Stone Sea
Anime Appearences
