Other OU Type Analysis Project: Week 2 - Fire-type

[trc]

APPROVED BY HAUNTER AND SUBJECT 18

Hey guys, this is OU's Type Analysis Project! The aim of this project is to discuss and evaluate information regarding metagame trends, categorised into 18 weeks for the corresponding 18 types. After 18 weeks are over, we'll look back at the previous week of the upcoming type and compare the Pokemon of that type in terms of how they play in the metagame, what new trends have arisen, and what new sets they're commonly seen running.

Things I'd like people to discuss (and I'd like to see at least one, preferably more of these ideas featured in each post) are:

• What are the most popular Pokemon of this type seen in OU?
• What other Pokemon of this type also claim some sort of viability in OU?
• What Pokemon of this type fill a niche in OU which is sometimes worth considering in a team?
• What sorts of Pokemon does this type collectively threaten?
• What sorts of Pokemon threaten many of the members of this type?
• What sorts of metagame trends have occurred to the many Pokemon in this type?
• What Pokemon of this type are very potent offensive threats?
• What Pokemon of this type are very sturdy defensive threats?
• How do these Pokemon compare to each other in their respective roles?
• How strong do you feel this type is as a whole?

Note that I prefer for emphasis to be put on comparisons, not only between Pokemon but also between the stages of a metagame in which a Pokemon was used. How is it used now? What changed?

Week 2's type is the Fire-type:

(Note that discussion isn't limited to the above Pokemon).

Some good starting points if the questions above are too broad include the comparison of Mega Charizard X to other Dragon Dance users, the fall in dominance of Mega Charizard Y, the Pokemon revenge killed by Talonflame, the Pokemon walled by Specially Defensive Heatran, the sets that Victini can run, the Pokemon Volcarona can setup on and how it, Chandelure, and Moltres were in the Genesect / Mega Lucario metagame, the effect of Stealth Rock on these Pokemon, and the possible viability of full sun teams.

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1,000 Posts :O

I didn't think I'd be on Smogon this long. To be honest, I only made an account after a long time lurking so I could get a team rated, and then I got drawn into C&C. I knew way too little about the meta than I should've at that point, so I went in way over my head. I look back at some of my earlier posts and cringe, how did anyone put up with me? Well you did anyway, and I learnt a huge amount just working through the C&C process and reading what people said on IRC. I probably should've held off a bit, but I would act as if I knew what I was doing. Now I do know what I'm doing, and I'm thankful that I managed to learn what I did from working with everyone, and eventually expanding to other parts of the site.

Most #K posts are in the form of shoutouts in an RMT, which I was going to do at first, but then I realised that none of my teams are particularly notable in any way for the RMT to be worth RMTing. I took a leaf out of Redew's book and decided to just thank some people in a regular old post.

Alter: The first person I met on Smogon. You approached me to help with my first analysis, which I really appreciated since I pretty much had no idea what I was doing. You also introduced me to IRC and even the PS! chat. You've always been helpful, and friendly, and great to talk to whenever. Thanks for integrating me with the community here or I don't know what I'd be doing. Congrats on becoming a PS! mod too, you've wanted that for a while.

Magnemite: Man, I invited you to help with that Pokemon of the Week a while ago since I was a bit swamped up on work and it ended up with you being someone I'd expect to talk to everyday. You're a hilarious guy and always fun to be around, so close to Contributor too. Though pls stop hating on Blissey, it can use Leftovers and special attacks ;_;

CyclicCompound: You also came to help with POTW and turned out to be one off my best friends here. You and Magnemite are always shocked at my lack of knowledge of anything remotely American-related, but I can't help it ;~;.

Ash Borer: You aren't that active anymore which sucks, because you (and Ben) taught me so much about actually playing the game, which I couldn't have learnt just from reading. I miss your terrible spelling and the huge amount of battles we played in almost every tier just whenever I'd ask. You also introduced me to cpg and told me to try Doubles (which is one of my favourite tiers at the moment). Good luck with all your shit IRL man.

QC Team: I'm not going to tag you all individually because some of you I haven't talked to for ages or I've almost forgotten, but thanks for being so accommodating as I tried to contribute and thanks for helping me with everything, I learnt a shitload just from being around all of you, whether it was watching everyone on IRC talking about something or just reading your posts. (The Gothitelle one comes to mind). Swamp Link, Jukain, CrashinBoomBang, Dice, BKC, Subject 18, Spirit, alexwolf, Fuzznip, PK Gaming, Gary2346 (even if your stint was a little short-lived), Super Mario Bro, AccidentalGreed, and dcae (come back).

Redew: Probably one of the nicest users on the site, you helped me learn HTML and how to improve it after some initially questionable HTML rounds. You also tried to get me involved with GP and are probably the most dedicated user on the site to the mentorship program and helping new users, which is very admirable.

Halcyon.: As I've told you recently, you (both indirectly and unintentionally) brought me to Smogon in the first place, which I'm really happy about, as you practically (again indirectly and unintentionally) allowed me to meet all these great people. You're a very clever guy and I can't wait to see how you do in WCOP.

Bouffalant and Calloflochie: scRUbleague was a bit of a joke admittedly, but you guys made it worthwhile, even though you're mostly UU players yourselves. You guys are both very good UU players, congrats on your TC lochie, and I hope to see Bouffalant on the council eventually :]. Also thanks to all the Pelippers for being hilarious (Rob, fbc, Conspire, with a special shoutout to ZvZ for helping me a ton with gettign better at RU).

Molk: While I haven't talked to you for a bit, you were my tutor a while ago and introduced to me a concept which has been incredibly helpful throughout my playing. You also taught me how to make teams and you encouraged me to play RU, which I'm glad you did, it's a very fun tier (though it would be better without Shuckle ;_;).

Temporaryanonymous: After Ash told me to try Doubles in cpg, you basically taught me the tier yourself. You're a cool guy and I appreciate you teaching me. You're also really close to TC, one more vote I think? Anyway, Doubles has recently become one of my favourite tiers, and though I haven't been playing for that long, I don't think I've been doing too bad. Thanks to Not Canadian, Totem, Altilt, and any other people from cpg for being cool people to talk to =3.

EonX: When I joined the RU room for the first time, I asked about how to get into the tier, and you PMed me and we made a team straight away. You have an affinity for helping other people without expecting anything, and you also gave me a ton of teams to get into the meta which was really cool =].

TCR: Sorry I'm not amaura_is_cute_zomg but anyway, I'm sorry for taking your name and getting people confused between us ;_; but lets be real, I'm the better user imo. Also LC is garbage. Nah, you're cool but pls stop playing LC it is, as mentioned before, garbage.

TRC.: Thanks for swapping names with me! It was great hearing your story as you've been a user here for a while and you have quite an interesting history. Thanks for being so obliging and I hope you're still lurking to see this.

Team Oceania: You guys are all good people and great battlers, and I hope you guys do well this WCOP! There's some nice new talent mixed in with some veterans, and I think the new format is really beneficial to us.

Pwnemon: You asked for one XD and you're also a pretty cool guy with a pretty cool tier.

Sorry if I missed anyone out, there's people I used to talk to on a regular basis but have fallen out of touch with recently, so I'm sorry if I forgot you. I'm really enjoying my time here on Smogon though at the moment, so thanks to everyone for making it such a good experience n_n.

 

[Stef0w]

Wooo, quite a bit more pokes to cover than last week.

OK, so Charizard, the best pokemon in the meagame. It can sweep you with DD,break it's own counter by using Y, or even take a defensive role with roost and will-o-wisp.

Being a fan-favorite, charizard has a great move-pool, which it can use to it's fullest. the DD set will use FB, EQ, and Dragon claw, while Y will always use fire blast and solar-beam, while Focus blast should always be used, some people use airslash, and you can take your pick of roost and dragon pulse.

Overall, I would give this type a mid tier danger level?, as it hits the omnipresant steel-types, but they are not not all that good defensively, as they are weak to SR, and a common coverage move in EQ.

 

[s_aman]

Fire is one of the most versatile types in the metagame. The best late game setup sweeper (Zard X), one of the best revenge killers (Talonflame), one of the most potent wallbreakers (Zard Y) and even two of the best tanks (Zard X and Heatran) are all Fire-types.
They do have some nifty weaknesses to Water, Ground and above all Rock. But, they have huge effect on the metagame. Almost every HO team needs a Thundurus for checking Talonflame as well as DD Mega Charizard X, in case it gets to 1. Stall teams need to run Chansey or Zard Y will break through them with ease. Quagsire rose to popularity because it can counter many boosting physical sweepers, the biggest of which was Zard X along with Bisharp. VenuTran was the premier stall core in early XY and now its place has been taken by AmoongZard-X. All in all, fire types have a very high impact on the OU metagame.

 

[D-Ssain]

Yay my favorite type. I'll try to do this well.

What are the most popular Pokemon of this type seen in OU?
Fire as individual pokes are very popular. The most popular Pokemon of this type are Charizard X, Charizard Y, Talonflame (was top usage the first months of the meta), Heatran and to an extent Infernape and Rotom-H. Volcarona was popular in the beginning of XY but it's usage died and now its UU.

What other Pokemon of this type also claim some sort of viability in OU?
Entei, Victini, Darmanitan and Rotom-H are three pokes that are not extremely popular but are still viable. Entei has his CB Sacred Fire and ESpeed set which is extremely dangerous to face and Darmanitan can run a pivot set with U-turn or got all out attacker with Choice Band. Victini and Rotom-H provide utility to both their teams and they do not lack for power.

What Pokemon of this type fill a niche in OU which is sometimes worth considering in a team?
Ninetales fits this question despite its niche being very small. Dedicated Sun teams are very hard to run. I've tried a sun team with Ninetales and Zard X but my results were mixed. I plan to work on another sun team this summer, so if you see a sun team on the ladder you'll know its me. Anyway unless you're running a dedicated sun team on the ladder you should not use Ninetales.

What sorts of Pokemon does this type collectively threaten?
Offensively fire types are amazing. They are also somewhat anti-metagame because Steels run OU right now which is why it is imperative to at least run some fire or you will be walled like no other. So by this I mean Ferrothorn, Scizor, Mega Scizor, Aegislash, Bisharp etc. Fire types also threaten Bug, Grass and Ice types.

What sorts of Pokemon threaten many of the members of this type?
Despite Fire have several resistances it is still weak to the EdgeQuake combo and Water. Some fire types have dual types which allow them to evade some of their weaknesses. For ex Charizard X has Dragon typing and thus is not weak to water. Heatran and Infernape have fighting as their secondary and thus are not 2x weak to rocks. So what Pokemon in the OU metagame threaten these pokes. This is hard because there are very few that counter all of them but Tyranitar, Hippowdon, Keldeo, and Dragons in general. But this list changes for each Pokemon. For example Charizard X has dragon stab to beat dragons and can beat Tyranitar with EQ with prior damge and even Keldeo is beat with a DD up so basically because Fire is so versatile it is actually harder to threaten than some other types. Also Stealth Rocks are bad, very very bad.

What sorts of metagame trends have occurred to the many Pokemon in this type?
Fire types had a normal start. Talonflame and Heatran were the most used Fire types with the usage of the Charizards spiking up as the metagame progressed. Volcarona also died out of the metagame because ironically a Fire Brethren Talonflame and Pinsir + Rocks threatened it too much to warrant use over other Fire Types. The Fire types in OU are in a stable state with few changes coming in the future.

What Pokemon of this type are very potent offensive threats?
Basically all of them. Charizard X, Charizard Y, Talonflame, Volcarona, Entei, Infernape, Darmanitan, Victini. Fire is an offensive type by nature and as such most are usually offensive.

What Pokemon of this type are very sturdy defensive threats?
Heatran, Charizard X and Rotom-H are good defensive Pokes. Heatran has Fire/Steel and thus hosts several resistances and has good defensive stats and supports moves. It also counters Fire types with Flash Fire and thus is recommendable on teams with Fire weaknesses. Charizard X has the dual typing of Fire and Dragon and several useful resistances, with 2 4x resistances and no 4x weakness. It can run a Bulky WOW set which is very hard to beat. Rotom-H plays a similar role to Rotom-W as a bulky defensive pivot and is a hard counter to Mawile, Talonflame, Mega Pinsir and Check to several others.

How do these Pokemon compare to each other in their respective roles?
Because Fire is so versatile, most of the listed Pokes have different roles even if they are offensive. Charizard X can actually play three roles: DD Dance Sweeper, Flare Blitz/Outrage Wall Breaker and Defensive Wall. Charizard Y is a very good wallbreaker, Talonflame is the best revenge killer in the game, Volcarona is the best quiver dancer and can sweep unprepared teams, Heatran can play an offensive and a defensive role. Thus this type is not one dimensional at all.

How strong do you feel this type is as a whole?
Fire type as a whole is a middle of the pack type. It does not dominate OU even if some fire types do but it doesn't suck either like Psychic and Ice. It has several useful perks and some downsides and the offensive pressure it provides to each team is very handy.

Note to TRC: This is a very good project, keep up the good work.

 

[Lil YoshiXD]

Sun teams just aren't that good this gen...

Surprised darmanitan isn't listed up their, its not that great, but it definitley has as much viability as some other stuff up there.

 

[Lolme]

Badassery at its finest...Fire types has some of the most awesome and best designed sprites in pokemon. Starting in Gen I with Charizard and Arcanine and all the way to Talonflame.

Offensively is where most fire types shine since combos such as Fire/Ground-Figthing and Fire/Dragon give wide coverage and are difficult to deal with. M-Charizard X & Y are probably the best offensive Fire types in game as they can fully take advantage of the best offensive types combos with X having stab in both Fire/Dragon moves and EQ for coverage while Y can fully capitalize Drought by nuking the opponent with Fire Blast while destroying wanna be walls with its wide movepool (most notably non-charge solarbeam). Nonetheless, as it was stated before, the main selling point for fire type in this meta is dealing with steel types.

On the other hand, Fire type is probably the most unlucky type that game freak created. With 6 resistances and only 3 weakness, fire types should be one of the best defensive types in game. Unfortunately they are weak to the perfect coverage of Stonequake and Stealth Rocks, which are the main reasons few Fire types ever pull off a successful non gimmicky defensive set. The most popular defensive Fyre types I can think of are Heatran and Charizard X which have a secondary type on their advantage, while pokes like Arcanine and Entei can also use some "niche" bulky sets.

 

[000xxx]

Mega charizard x and y are both amazing. It's already been said, good coverage, x sweeps, y nukes, etc. The fire type gets hit super effectively by edgequake, and gets a chunk off by stealth rocks, but otherwise pretty good. While they are good offensively on a fire type itself, I'd say other than a few notable charizards pokemon the fire type is better utilized as a coverage move. I also am of the opinion that having two fire type move users on your team will help very much against threats such as scizor, ferrothorn, skarm, and aegislash. So go crazy.

 

[babaGAReeb]

fire type alone is bad and smelly but with gud dual type it is gud

 

[TIZNE]

Great offensive typing, even if only used as a coverage move, since it breaks through Steel and Grass which are common defensive types. (Flamethrower in MegaManectric, Clefable. Heat Wave in Zapdos.)

The presence of fire type 'mons is hindered by Stealth Rock, but I'm very sure this is "by design". The more dangerous ones are even given a 4x SR weakness, and kind of balances things in a "high risk - high reward" situation.

Also, the BURN status is very flavorful cutting the Atk in half: the best offense can be the best defense.

 

[skies]

LONG POST

• What are the most popular Pokemon of this type seen in OU?

Mega Charizard X is by far the most popular Fire-type Pokemon in OU, and for a good reason. For starters, it is the best Dragon Dance user in all of OU, and it is bulky to top it all of. And, it can perform many sets well, with Bulky DD, Offensive DD, and Bulky Will-O-Wisp, making it a threat to a lot of things. It also has a really great typing, with only Heatran resisting its STAB moves. Mega Charizard X also has reliable recovery, somewhat mitigating its Stealth Rock weakness. It easily plows down unprepared teams, and even some prepared ones! It is so strong, versatile, and has a great typing. For all of these reasons, I think Mega Charizard X is the most powerful and popular OU Fire-type Pokemon.

Heatran is a really great Pokemon, with an awesome and unique Pokemon. It can perform very well and is known for the infamous core with Mega Venusaur, although this has fallen out of graces. Heatran has access to a wide array of moves like Lava Plume, Stealth Rock, and Roar. I'm personally a fan of LO Offensive sets w/ Stealth Rock, they perform exceedingly. Heatran is all-around a very solid Pokemon and is also exceedingly more popular than other Fire-types. Once the king of OU, it has fallen down a bit, but this does not mean Heatran is bad by any means! The metagame has just adjusted and thus, Heatran adjusted too, and has since become still a very good Pokemon and a very potent threat.

Talonflame, while some consider not super amazing, is still very popular. Talonflame is really good and versatile, and while it may have lacking stats bar Speed, it is super threatening if lacking a counter. My favorite set, and one of the best sets, is Bulk Up, which is very threatening. It can get through its usual counters, thanks to Roost, and it is very powerful after one or two boosts:

• +2 8 Atk Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mew: 219-258 (64.2 - 75.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• 252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mew: 235-277 (68.9 - 81.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

While less powerful, it also is much more bulky and can switch moves. Talonflame, while having losing 50% of its health for switching in, is still very threatening. It remains a potent threat that every team should be prepared for, which is albeit a bit easy with the commonness of Tyranitar.

• What other Pokemon of this type also claim some sort of viability in OU?

Mega Charizard Y, once a great beast and considered extremely powerful by pretty much everyone. Sadly, it has fallen out of graces as one of the best, even dipping into A Rank. And, honestly, I agree whole-heartedly with this change. I won't even bring this up, for concerns of arguments, but I will say this much about it. It's very easily checked and not as threatening as many other Pokemon. However, it remains a very powerful Pokemon with Sun boosted Fire Blast coming off of base 159 Special Attack, along with nice coverage. It is still very threatening and also has nice Special Defense to back it all up. All-around, Charizard Y remains a very potent threat that is extremely viable in the OU environment.

Entei is honestly not very expected, but it certainly packs a punch. Choice Band Sacred Fire puts a dent in everything and threatens to burn anything that resists it or is bulky enough to live it. What Entei truly lacks is a movepool... of any sorts. It's limited to Sacred Fire, Bulldoze, Stone Edge, and Extreme Speed, meaning it is extremely one dimensional. Entei is still threatening, and should not be underestimated, as it can threaten your Pokemon with burns, while having nice resistances. MonoFire-type is not as bad as people make it out to be, with six resistances and three weaknesses, and Entei is one of the surprisingly few MonoFire-types, giving it a cool niche!

Monte Cristo
Victini is very, and I mean very, versatile. I don't have much experience with it, honestly, but I have faced it numerous times. It has a plethora of different sets and can nuke things with V-Create, which puts a dent in pretty much everything when backed by Choice Band. Special sets are also viable, and even mixed with V-Create! Victini has a unique typing as well, which gives it some cool resistances, but unfortunately also gives it a weakness to Knock Off and Shadow Ball, which can be problematic. Victini also struggles to make a splash with other Fire-types a competition.

• 252 Atk Choice Band Victini V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 486-573 (69 - 81.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• +1 252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 570-672 (80.9 - 95.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Note that +1 is an equivalent to Choice Band, thus, M-Char X is at +1. Overall, though, Victini remains powerful and versatile.

Infernape, while not as good as it once was, is still really strong. With good mixed base 104 offenses, backed by 108 Speed, it can run either physical or special sets. It's also one of the Pokemon with Stealth Rock and a Fire-typing, it also has Taunt, making it a good lead. Infernape can run a multitude of sets, like Choice Scarf, Choice Band, Swords Dance, and lead sets, and more. Infernape gives Stall a hard time with its mixed sets. However, Infernape isn't extremely powerful and is also not bulky enough to live many hits. It somewhat struggles in the bulkier metagame and has to work hard to pull things off. Overall, Infernape is still a threat and should not be dismissed.

Rotom-H is kind of outclassed by Rotom-W, honestly. But, it still has its uses. Firstly, it has Overheat, which is very powerful and works nicely in conjunction with Volt Switch. It also has unique resistances and can wall different Pokemon. It does have a Stealth Rock weakness, which does not blend with Stealth Rock. Rotom-H also has an immunity to Ground-type moves, which is invaluable to Fire-type Pokemon, it also performs TrickScarf extremely well. Rotom-H can be the glue for certain teams, and others not so much, but it should never be underestimated. And although it is a bit outclassed by Rotom-W and other Fire-tyoes, it still certainly finds a place in OU!

• What Pokemon of this type fill a niche in OU which is sometimes worth considering in a team?

Darmanitan nukes a lot of things with Sheer Force + Flare Blitz, but the bad part is that it comes with horrible recoil. Darmanitan also has a very huge issue that lies in its bulk, and it has to switch often. It also lacks much Speed, needing Choice Scarf to be of any use before dying. Darmanitan also has a somewhat small movepool, and with so much priority it is hard to justify use of Darmanitan. However, Darmanitan does have a niche in being very powerful with Flare Blitz and literally nuking everything. But sometimes, this just isn't enough, as many other Fire-types fulfill the role of powerful Fire-type so much better, but Wallbreaker Darmanitan is still a niche and can be considered of use.

Volcarona is a prime example of how the mighty have fallen. It was extremely good last generation, but sadly this generation has brought a new era. With Talonflame and Stealth Rocks everywhere, along with the bulk of the metagame, Volcarona really struggles. It can be threatening, but it just can't fit all the moves needed in one moveset and it often struggles to be useful. After a Quiver Dance, however, it remains difficult to take down if lacking a proper Pokemon, but it is so easy to check / revenge kill it is really sad honestly. Volcarona in a tier where Heatran is prevalent also really sucks, as it cockblocks it from doing anything whatsoever unless the rare Hidden Power Ground, which leaves it walled by Quagsire, and this cycle goes on and on. Volcarona is still used, but isn't what it once was, sadly.

Mega Houndoom I especially dislike with a passion. I find it very underwhelming and not at all hard to stop. Sure it can be used in the right spot, but why would I use it over Mega Charizard Y, one might ask? It has a fairly useless ability, as Sun is practically dead, and the only relevant Drought user is also a mega evolution, meaning it cannot even be used with it. Mega Houndoom does have its uses in tackling on slower teams, though. It does suck that it has to Mega Evolve, as it is stuck with 90 Speed on this turn; now if it was just a regular evolution, it would probably be pretty powerful, but as it stands, Mega Houndoom is often outclassed and just not amazing in the OU Metagame.

Chandelure is in the same boat as Darmanitan, super powerful but lacks bulk and Speed. Honestly, Chandelure is just not... good. It easily checked and even with the Ghost-buff it wasn't enough to allow it back into OU. Chandelure cannot switch into Knock Off, which not much can admittedly, but it is flat up KOed by pretty much every single one. I know it has a weakness, I acknowledge every Pokemon does, but Chandelure just cannot do anything to some of its weaknesses. Take Tyranitar for example, it resists everything it throws at it and shrugs off Energy Ball, only fearing the extremely uncommon Will-O-Wisp. However, Chandelure is still very powerful with 145 SpA and should not be taken too lightly.

Uhh yeah, Moltres has a niche. I like it in OU, it's pretty cool. I like SubToxic + Pressure + Roost shenanigans, as it can Toxic stall a lot of things and the Steel-types immune to Toxic are roasted by its Fire-type STAB moves. But, all around, Moltres isn't amazing in OU by any means and is somewhat outclassed defensively by Heatran. It has a niche in Roost + Pressure, which Heatran does not have, but it is sometimes not enough. It also comes with that nasty 4x Stealth Rock weakness, which no defensive Pokemon like at all. Moltres also lost a bit with the departure of Mega Lucario, as it was a pretty good check to it. Moltres is still a contender in OU, but is just not an amazing one.

Please, refrain from using Ninetales, if possible, which isn't that hard. Ninetales is absolutely horrid and is just... bad. It has a tiny niche in Drought, which made it OU last generation, but now with the power creep and Mega Charizard Y directly outclassing it, it has no reason in OU. I guess you could use it on Sun teams, but who still uses Sun ?___?. Ninetales should be strayed away from at all costs, thus, this is why it is at the bottom of this list. I know this is hateful, but I honestly cannot muster a reason to use this thing except on gimmicky (Sun) teams, it has no spectacular stats and the only reason is Drought, off the top of my head, if anyone would care to enlighten me why this thing has uses I'd be thrilled.

• What sorts of Pokemon does this type collectively threaten?

Grass- and Steel-types are both common types, and Fire-types incinerate them. Certain Pokemon in particular, like Skarmory and Ferrothorn are kind of overkilled, and with the versatility of Fire-types, they can't win often. Fairy-types also hate Fire-types, bar Azumarill. Fire-types resist Fairy-types and can pinpoint their weaknesses, especially Heatran. This can be easily exploited and played around, but it isn't that easy. Fire-types give a lot of types a hard time, as not a lot resists their moves, and a lot of them are extremely powerful. Most Fire-types are versatile, at least the more common ones are, and this makes it harder for some types. In particular, Mega Charizard Y can soften Water-types, effectively removing Fire-type's weakness to Water-types and using Solar Beam to blast them to shreds.

• What sorts of Pokemon threaten many of the members of this type?

I know I said Water-types are threatened by Char Y, which they are, but this is not true for other Fire-types. Water-types extinguish their flames and resist the moves in return. A lot of Water-types are also bulky, making it even harder for a lot of Fire-types. Stealth Rock is Fire-types #1 enemy, making them lose health just for switching in. Thus, Rock-types in general are very good counters, often, resisting Fire-types and hitting back super effectively with their own STAB moves. While it may seem odd, Flying-types also give Fire-types some issues, as not many Fire-types resist their moves and some Flying-types can really hurt a lot of Fire-types, see Talonflame, Landorus, and Thundurus, for examples.

• What sorts of metagame trends have occurred to the many Pokemon in this type?

I've noticed that while Sun has taken a massive blow, Fire-types have actually risen to be super common. With Charizard shooting from high NU to the top of OU, and Heatran remaining a huge threat, and with Talonflame becoming super threatening; Fire-types are just common and not hard to come by. I can guarantee that pretty much all OU teams carry at least one Fire-types, they're really good!
Fire-types gain in popularity, ex Charizard, Heatran, Talonflame.

• What Pokemon of this type are very potent offensive threats?

Mega Charizard X, as pretty much everyone knows, is a top tier threat that absolutely must be prepared for. It can quite literally stomp over unprepared teams after a Dragon Dance, while Roost'ing off damage in the process, making it hard to take down and hard to beat. Tough Claws was originally thought to be pretty meh, but Char X makes so much use of it, with its two main STAB moves – Outrage and Flare Blitz – being boosted to insane power thanks to this ability. Its typing is just the icing on the cake, spectacular offensively and defensively. Charizard was a joke in OU, and it has certainly has risen up to show OU who's really boss, laughing at anyone who dared laughed at it before. It also is finally a Dragon, so there's the added coolness factor.

Talonflame is very potent offensively, nuking shit with priority Brave Bird, it can be difficult to stop, if lacking an appropriate counter. It can run many different sets and can be threatening without anything stopping it. Setup sweepers must be wary if Talonflame is on the field, and until you know its set, you better try to kill it asap. Talonflame, while it can't switch into much, makes it hard for a lot of things to switch into it. It can cripple switch ins with Will-O-Wisp, dent right off the bat, or Roost away damage. Obviously, this is not all on one set, but it still must be stressed. Although Talonflame has its fair share of flaws, it is still a very potent offensive threat.

• What Pokemon of this type are very sturdy defensive threats?

Heatran is kind of the 'premier' defensive Fire-type. It has a neutrality to Stealth Rock, Stealth Rock itself, a great typing and bulk, and Lava Plume, what more could you ask for? Heatran is very difficult to take down if you do not have a counter to it, as it can stall for days. Its main issue is that it lacks recovery, however, this can be mitigated with Leftovers and Wish support. Heatran can also run surprise offensive sets, which I especially love, and the defensive sets are great as well! Heatran does suffer from an unfortunate weakness to Earthquake, x4, but Air Balloon is a viable option. Overall, Heatran remains a premier defensive Fire-type.

Mega Charizard X is just a great Fire-type, quite possibly the best, even. A Defensive set with Will-O-Wisp is amazing, it takes advantage of Char X's high physical bulk, along with its fantastic typing. Mega Charizard X is also versatile, to top it off, so the opponent often will not know what set it is running! Mega Charizard I have already gone over, many, many, many times before, and I honestly don't want to even do it anymore, but, I shall continue on because you may have missed how good M-Zard X is ?___________?. Anyways, yeah, it walls stuff, has good bulk, Will-O-Wisp, Roost, is still pretty strong, is unpredictable, and is just the literal best ?_?.

• How do these Pokemon compare to each other in their respective roles?

The majority of Fire-types are offensive, at least the viable ones. Most of them all share powerful Fire-type STAB moves with high offensive prowess, and most carry a secondary STAB move to make it worthwhile. They're all fairly unique, with some eclipsing others, but everything I've mentioned does have its niche and a small one, even tiny. All of them fulfill separate roles, some better than other, something they all share is the hatred of the cursed Stealth Rock, horrible, really. If Stealth Rock was not a thing then Fire-types would reign supreme, but luckily this is not the case! All of these Pokemon share a blend of power, bulk, and versatility, although only a few pack high Speed.

• How strong do you feel this type is as a whole?

Fire-typing is amazing offensively and somewhat defensively. What really hold it back, Defense-wise, is that Stealth Rock is on every team, making Rapid Spin / Defo crucial. But, I think it is still really strong and should be on pretty much every team!