[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Fire Punch
move 3: Trick
move 4: Ice Punch / Thunder Punch / U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
With its base 100 Speed, a resistance to Extreme Speed and the ability to handle every Dragon Dance user, Jirachi is a fine Choice Scarf user. 492 is a desirable speed tier, outspeeding +2 Dragon Dance Tyranitar and other fast threats such as Gengar and Latias. With Choice Scarf’s Speed boost Jirachi is able to outpace the entire unboosted metagame and use Iron Head's 60% flinch rate. This combined with status and entry hazards make Choice Scarf Jirachi able to break through Steel-type resists once they have been sufficiently weakened.
The remainder of the set is flexible and will mostly depend on the user's needs. Fire Punch is a popular option to hit Steel-types such as Scizor, Lucario, Metagross, Skarmory and opposing Jirachi. With a 20% chance to burn the opponent, Jirachi can attempt to force progress on bulky Pokemon that may stall it out otherwise. To improve its coverage and revenge kill Dragon Dance Gyarados and Dragonite, Thunder Punch and Ice Punch are good choices. Similar to Fire Punch, both come with nice secondary effects, particularly Ice Punch's 20% chance to freeze. However, these attacks tend to give setup opportunities, which is why Trick and U-turn are other attractive options. Trick makes Jirachi a legitimate threat against stall teams, crippling a wall, locking a set-up sweeper into one attack, and gaining valuable Leftovers recovery. On the other hand, U-turn keeps up momentum on Pokemon Jirachi can't hurt effectively like Heatran
Choice Scarf Jirachi also makes for a surprisingly good lead. With a set of Iron Head, Trick, Stealth Rock and U-turn, Jirachi can use its Speed to get Stealth Rock up immediately, flinch frailer leads such as Azelf and Aerodactyl to prevent Stealth Rock, lock the opposing lead into a move, or U-turn out to the appropriate counter.
Set Details
========
Speed and Attack are maximized to make Jirachi as offensively threatening as possible. Jirachi needs a Jolly nature to speed tie with Flygon, outspeed +2 Dragon Dance Tyranitar, and tie with other Jirachi once the Choice Scarf has been tricked. However engaging in speed ties with Flygon is uncommon and not recommended without Ice Punch, hence it is possible to use an Adamant nature to help Iron Head hit as hard as possible. Another path is to run additional bulk to improve Jirachi's ability to survive attacks such as Choice Specs Latias's Draco Meteor, Dragonite's boosted Outrage, and Tyranitar's +1 Earthquake should Iron Head fail to flinch. A spread of 56 HP / 252 Attack / 200 Speed with an Adamant nature is a common spread, oustpeeding Jolly Mamoswine once Choice Scarf has been tricked. When running Thunder Punch, a spread of 160 HP / 140 Atk / 208 Speed with Adamant nature OHKOes bulkless non Wacan Berry Dragon Dance Gyarados, while the speed beats Jolly Mamoswine and most defensive Latias. Similarly, a Fire Punch Jirachi can run a spread of 104 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 148 Spe with a Jolly nature to maximize its usefulness as a bulky pivot. Ice Punch Jirachi should stick with maximum Speed, as the ability to at least speed tie with Flygon and OHKO it is one of its perks.
Usage Tips
========
Jirachi can be played in two ways: it can lead like mentioned above and try to get immediate momentum against hyper offensive leads such as Azelf and Aerodactyl as well as scout the opposing team with U-turn, or it can be played cautiously, only being brought in on threats it needs to revenge kill, such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Lucario. Although bringing in Jirachi as threats such as Dragon Dance Gyarados and Dragon Dance Dragonite set up or on a revenge kill could force them out, the ubiquity of defensive Jirachi might incline them to stay in and attack. When revealing Jirachi has a Choice Scarf, beware of Magnezone trying to switch in, as Jirachi will be trapped by a healthy Magnezone if it isn't locked into Fire Punch. Unlike other Choice Scarf users with Trick such as Latias and Rotom-A, Jirachi is not weak to Choice Scarf Tyranitar's Pursuit, meaning it can use Trick more aggressively against defensive builds. Make sure Jirachi's Speed is no longer needed before doing this, however. Jirachi also has strong potential as a pivot, taking resisted hits and swinging momentum back in its favor with U-turn, but beware that doing this might compromise its ability to revenge kill threats. A final thing to note with Choice Scarf Jirachi is its potential as a late game cleaner: its high Speed and the power of Iron Head flinching can clean up teams weakened by sand and entry hazards as their Steel resists are chipped. Even frailer Steel resists such as Choice Scarf Rotom-A and Starmie that normally are not vulnerable to continuous flinching can fall with enough luck. Jirachi should only do this in desperate situations, as some Pokemon such as Heatran and Swampert can KO Jirachi should Iron Head not flinch.
As any Choice Scarf user, Jirachi should be brought in to revenge kill the threats it has been tasked to deal with: Gyarados if it carries Thunder Punch, Dragonite if it carries Ice Punch, Fire Punch against Lucario and Iron Head against pokemon that don't resist it. When revealing Jirachi is Scarfed, beware of Magnezone trying to switch in, as Jirachi not locked into Fire Punch stands no chance against a healty Magnezone. Because it is not weak to Choice Scarf Tyranitar's Pursuit, Jirachi can afford to use Trick more aggressively when facing defensive builds. Additionnaly, Jirachi has the bulk to pivot on resisted hits and swing back momentum in its favor with U-turn. A final thing to note with Choice Scarf Jirachi is its potential as a late game cleaner : with sandstorm and entry hazards up, Jirachi is able to break past slower foes such as Choice Scarf Rotom and weakened Steel resists of the opposing team.
Team Options
========
Choice Scarf Jirachi is most common on more defensive teams as speed control, but can also fit on more offensive teams as a bulky revenge killer not weak to Pursuit or sand. On defensive teams, Choice Scarf Jirachi primarily competes with Choice Scarf Tyranitar as a revenge killer and has the opportunity cost of not running bulkier variants of Jirachi. Because of this, teammates need to be able to handle frail Dark-weak attackers such as Gengar, Choice Specs Latias, Starmie, and Rotom-A. As such, the most common special wall used alongside it is Blissey, although Clefable can be effective with support or even alongside Blissey. Other good teammates such as physically defensive Zapdos and Starmie to mitigate entry hazard weaknesses are also effective, as they can keep Jirachi healthy against Spikes. As Jirachi tends to give set-up opportunities when it is locked into an attack, Zapdos, Hippowdon, defensive Latias, Milotic, and Gliscor also make for strong teammates. Choice Scarf Jirachi's Speed allows for more flexible move set options for defensive Pokemon; for example, Latias can potentially use Trick + Flame Orb to help cripple Steel-types for Jirachi instead of being forced to always check Gyarados, while Hippowdon can run more specially defensive sets as Jirachi answers Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Skarmory can set up Spikes to help weaken Steel-resists that can absorb multiple Iron Head. Additionally, defensive teams built around a bulky win condition such as Calm Mind Clefable, Torment Heatran, and Calm Mind + Rest Suicune appreciate Jirachi's ability to both absorb Trick and use Trick itself on walls to help set up. Breloom is also a useful teammates to take advantage of the defensive Pokemon who wall Jirachi and fits well alongside Starmie and Zapdos, while offensive Heatran can open up holes for Jirachi to take advantage of.
On more offensive teams, teammates generally tend to already handle Choice Specs Latias well and need the general revenge killer that Choice Scarf Jirachi provides. Bulkier Tyranitar sets and Steel-types such as Empoleon, Heatran, and Metagross are strong teammates to handle Jirachi's defensive duties. Heatran can even use Substitute to take advantage of Jirachi's Trick. More aggressive Spikes Pokemon such as offensive Skarmory, Roserade, and Froslass appreciate Jirachi's ability to back stop them against dangerous threats while Spikes wear down Steel-resists over the course of the game. Bulky offensive Pokemon such as Suicune, Swampert, and Gyarados all help against Pokemon that take advantage of Jirachi locked into one move. They also additionally handle Heatran, who is a major threat to Jirachi.
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Fire Punch
move 3: Trick
move 4: Ice Punch / Thunder Punch / U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
With its base 100 Speed, a resistance to Extreme Speed and the ability to handle every Dragon Dance user, Jirachi is a fine Choice Scarf user. 492 is a desirable speed tier, outspeeding +2 Dragon Dance Tyranitar and other fast threats such as Gengar and Latias. With Choice Scarf’s Speed boost Jirachi is able to outpace the entire unboosted metagame and use Iron Head's 60% flinch rate. This combined with status and entry hazards make Choice Scarf Jirachi able to break through Steel-type resists once they have been sufficiently weakened.
The remainder of the set is flexible and will mostly depend on the user's needs. Fire Punch is a popular option to hit Steel-types such as Scizor, Lucario, Metagross, Skarmory and opposing Jirachi. With a 20% chance to burn the opponent, Jirachi can attempt to force progress on bulky Pokemon that may stall it out otherwise. To improve its coverage and revenge kill Dragon Dance Gyarados and Dragonite, Thunder Punch and Ice Punch are good choices. Similar to Fire Punch, both come with nice secondary effects, particularly Ice Punch's 20% chance to freeze. However, these attacks tend to give setup opportunities, which is why Trick and U-turn are other attractive options. Trick makes Jirachi a legitimate threat against stall teams, crippling a wall, locking a set-up sweeper into one attack, and gaining valuable Leftovers recovery. On the other hand, U-turn keeps up momentum on Pokemon Jirachi can't hurt effectively like Heatran
Choice Scarf Jirachi also makes for a surprisingly good lead. With a set of Iron Head, Trick, Stealth Rock and U-turn, Jirachi can use its Speed to get Stealth Rock up immediately, flinch frailer leads such as Azelf and Aerodactyl to prevent Stealth Rock, lock the opposing lead into a move, or U-turn out to the appropriate counter.
Set Details
========
Speed and Attack are maximized to make Jirachi as offensively threatening as possible. Jirachi needs a Jolly nature to speed tie with Flygon, outspeed +2 Dragon Dance Tyranitar, and tie with other Jirachi once the Choice Scarf has been tricked. However engaging in speed ties with Flygon is uncommon and not recommended without Ice Punch, hence it is possible to use an Adamant nature to help Iron Head hit as hard as possible. Another path is to run additional bulk to improve Jirachi's ability to survive attacks such as Choice Specs Latias's Draco Meteor, Dragonite's boosted Outrage, and Tyranitar's +1 Earthquake should Iron Head fail to flinch. A spread of 56 HP / 252 Attack / 200 Speed with an Adamant nature is a common spread, oustpeeding Jolly Mamoswine once Choice Scarf has been tricked. When running Thunder Punch, a spread of 160 HP / 140 Atk / 208 Speed with Adamant nature OHKOes bulkless non Wacan Berry Dragon Dance Gyarados, while the speed beats Jolly Mamoswine and most defensive Latias. Similarly, a Fire Punch Jirachi can run a spread of 104 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 148 Spe with a Jolly nature to maximize its usefulness as a bulky pivot. Ice Punch Jirachi should stick with maximum Speed, as the ability to at least speed tie with Flygon and OHKO it is one of its perks.
Usage Tips
========
Jirachi can be played in two ways: it can lead like mentioned above and try to get immediate momentum against hyper offensive leads such as Azelf and Aerodactyl as well as scout the opposing team with U-turn, or it can be played cautiously, only being brought in on threats it needs to revenge kill, such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Lucario. Although bringing in Jirachi as threats such as Dragon Dance Gyarados and Dragon Dance Dragonite set up or on a revenge kill could force them out, the ubiquity of defensive Jirachi might incline them to stay in and attack. When revealing Jirachi has a Choice Scarf, beware of Magnezone trying to switch in, as Jirachi will be trapped by a healthy Magnezone if it isn't locked into Fire Punch. Unlike other Choice Scarf users with Trick such as Latias and Rotom-A, Jirachi is not weak to Choice Scarf Tyranitar's Pursuit, meaning it can use Trick more aggressively against defensive builds. Make sure Jirachi's Speed is no longer needed before doing this, however. Jirachi also has strong potential as a pivot, taking resisted hits and swinging momentum back in its favor with U-turn, but beware that doing this might compromise its ability to revenge kill threats. A final thing to note with Choice Scarf Jirachi is its potential as a late game cleaner: its high Speed and the power of Iron Head flinching can clean up teams weakened by sand and entry hazards as their Steel resists are chipped. Even frailer Steel resists such as Choice Scarf Rotom-A and Starmie that normally are not vulnerable to continuous flinching can fall with enough luck. Jirachi should only do this in desperate situations, as some Pokemon such as Heatran and Swampert can KO Jirachi should Iron Head not flinch.
As any Choice Scarf user, Jirachi should be brought in to revenge kill the threats it has been tasked to deal with: Gyarados if it carries Thunder Punch, Dragonite if it carries Ice Punch, Fire Punch against Lucario and Iron Head against pokemon that don't resist it. When revealing Jirachi is Scarfed, beware of Magnezone trying to switch in, as Jirachi not locked into Fire Punch stands no chance against a healty Magnezone. Because it is not weak to Choice Scarf Tyranitar's Pursuit, Jirachi can afford to use Trick more aggressively when facing defensive builds. Additionnaly, Jirachi has the bulk to pivot on resisted hits and swing back momentum in its favor with U-turn. A final thing to note with Choice Scarf Jirachi is its potential as a late game cleaner : with sandstorm and entry hazards up, Jirachi is able to break past slower foes such as Choice Scarf Rotom and weakened Steel resists of the opposing team.
Team Options
========
Choice Scarf Jirachi is most common on more defensive teams as speed control, but can also fit on more offensive teams as a bulky revenge killer not weak to Pursuit or sand. On defensive teams, Choice Scarf Jirachi primarily competes with Choice Scarf Tyranitar as a revenge killer and has the opportunity cost of not running bulkier variants of Jirachi. Because of this, teammates need to be able to handle frail Dark-weak attackers such as Gengar, Choice Specs Latias, Starmie, and Rotom-A. As such, the most common special wall used alongside it is Blissey, although Clefable can be effective with support or even alongside Blissey. Other good teammates such as physically defensive Zapdos and Starmie to mitigate entry hazard weaknesses are also effective, as they can keep Jirachi healthy against Spikes. As Jirachi tends to give set-up opportunities when it is locked into an attack, Zapdos, Hippowdon, defensive Latias, Milotic, and Gliscor also make for strong teammates. Choice Scarf Jirachi's Speed allows for more flexible move set options for defensive Pokemon; for example, Latias can potentially use Trick + Flame Orb to help cripple Steel-types for Jirachi instead of being forced to always check Gyarados, while Hippowdon can run more specially defensive sets as Jirachi answers Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Skarmory can set up Spikes to help weaken Steel-resists that can absorb multiple Iron Head. Additionally, defensive teams built around a bulky win condition such as Calm Mind Clefable, Torment Heatran, and Calm Mind + Rest Suicune appreciate Jirachi's ability to both absorb Trick and use Trick itself on walls to help set up. Breloom is also a useful teammates to take advantage of the defensive Pokemon who wall Jirachi and fits well alongside Starmie and Zapdos, while offensive Heatran can open up holes for Jirachi to take advantage of.
On more offensive teams, teammates generally tend to already handle Choice Specs Latias well and need the general revenge killer that Choice Scarf Jirachi provides. Bulkier Tyranitar sets and Steel-types such as Empoleon, Heatran, and Metagross are strong teammates to handle Jirachi's defensive duties. Heatran can even use Substitute to take advantage of Jirachi's Trick. More aggressive Spikes Pokemon such as offensive Skarmory, Roserade, and Froslass appreciate Jirachi's ability to back stop them against dangerous threats while Spikes wear down Steel-resists over the course of the game. Bulky offensive Pokemon such as Suicune, Swampert, and Gyarados all help against Pokemon that take advantage of Jirachi locked into one move. They also additionally handle Heatran, who is a major threat to Jirachi.
