[OVERVIEW]
Despite Emboar's access to Reckless and high Attack stat, it finds itself outclassed by numerous other Fighting- and Fire-type wallbreakers in RU, such as Bewear, Toxicroak, Medicham, and Entei. Emboar's base 65 Speed stat and decent STAB combination mean it is able to outspeed and beat common Fighting- and Fire-type checks such as Cresselia, Doublade, Mega Ampharos, Adamant Tyrantrum, Rhyperior, and Milotic. It still falls short of prominent Pokemon such as Jolly Barbaracle, Jolly Tyrantrum, and Gardevoir, though. While Reckless is a great offensive ability, it comes with the downside of wearing down Emboar extremely quickly. Coupled with its relatively low Speed, lackluster bulk, and vulnerability to entry hazards, this often means Emboar won't last long in drawn-out battles against bulkier teams, unlike other wallbreakers with recovery like Bewear and Toxicroak. Emboar's secondary STAB attack in Superpower also has a drawback in lowering its Attack and Defense stats; the opponent can take advantage of this to force Emboar out or set up on it, which further compounds its vulnerability to entry hazards. Its decent defensive typing allows it to check Pokemon like Escavalier and Honchkrow, although it offers very little defensive presence compared to Bewear, Toxicroak, and Entei. While it does have access to priority, Sucker Punch is not very reliable due to how punishable a misplay with it can be. This is further augmented if Emboar is running a Choice Band set.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Earthquake / Sucker Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Reckless
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz is Emboar's most spammable STAB move, and due to Reckless, it hits non-resistant targets hard. Superpower allows Emboar to hit Rock-types like Tyrantrum and Rhyperior and provides good neutral coverage. However, its stat-lowering side effect usually becomes a liability, forcing Emboar to switch out often, which the foe can take advantage of by setting up. Reckless-boosted Wild Charge hits Flying- and Water-types like Noivern, Mega Blastoise, and Milotic, which would be able to wall Emboar otherwise. Earthquake, while hitting very little on its own that Emboar's other coverage moves cannot, is a safer move to use than Superpower because it doesn't lower Emboar's Attack and Defense, and it still hits Pokemon such as Tyrantrum, Dragalge, Doublade, Rhyperior, and Salazzle. It must be noted that the difference in damage between Earthquake and Superpower is very noticeable, and most of the Pokemon listed already dislike switching into Emboar anyway. Sucker Punch can provide priority, which can be used to revenge kill frail foes such as Salazzle and Meloetta. However, it can be quite unreliable because being locked into the move is very easily exploitable.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment lets Emboar hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment with a Jolly nature allows Emboar to outspeed the crowded 242 Speed benchmark, which includes Pokemon like Mandibuzz, Adamant Tyrantrum, Bewear, and Florges. Choice Band makes Emboar hit extremely hard, though keep in mind this will make it wear itself down even further, and other Pokemon can take advantage of it when it is Choice locked. For example, Meloetta can use it as setup fodder on a predicted Sucker Punch.
Usage Tips
========
Flare Blitz is the move Emboar should use most often due to its tremendous power. However, if the opponent has several Fire-resistant Pokemon such as Milotic and Tyrantrum, try to predict the opponent switching into them by hitting them with the appropriate coverage move. Emboar's decent defensive typing lets it check several Pokemon such as Escavalier, Mega Abomasnow, and Sneasel. However, due to its lackluster bulk and its tendency to quickly accumulate recoil damage, it is a shaky counter to them in the long run. Likewise, due to its dependency on its item to wallbreak, it isn't the greatest Knock Off switch-in despite its resistance to Dark. This can make building with Emboar somewhat awkward. Only use Sucker Punch sparingly, and only use it when you're certain the target will attack; opponents can easily take advantage of an Emboar that is locked into Sucker Punch.
Team Options
========
Fast sweepers such as Virizion and Dragon Dance Zygarde-10% appreciate Emboar's ability to break walls such as Cresselia, Mandibuzz, and Doublade. Emboar needs reliable entry hazard removal from the likes of Rotom-C and Gligar to function properly due to the huge amounts of recoil it tends to accumulate. Conversely, it appreciates hazards support of its own to wear down its common switch-ins such as Milotic, Marowak-Alola, and Jellicent. Psychic-types such as Meloetta, Gardevoir, and Espeon appreciate Emboar's ability to check and pressure Dark- and Bug-types, and they can wear down checks to Emboar like Dragalge and Salazzle in return. Additionally, Gardevoir can utilize Healing Wish to heal Emboar if it has taken too much damage, and Espeon is able to bounce back entry hazards using Magic Bounce to further support it. A slow U-turn or Volt Switch user such as Mega Ampharos or Gligar allows Emboar to enter the field safely. Emboar appreciates Pursuit users such as Drapion, Sneasel, Escavalier, and Aerodactyl that can trap Pokemon like Jellicent, Slowking, and Noivern that prevent it from spamming its STAB attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
With an Expert Belt, Emboar is able to hit super effective targets such as Bronzong and Porygon2 hard, and it comes with the benefit of not locking Emboar into a single move. This can be very beneficial if the opponent has several Pokemon that resist one of its moves, and the lack of a Choice item also lets Emboar use Sucker Punch more reliably. Bulk Up with either Fightinium Z or Firium Z is an adequate set that is able to beat Pokemon like Milotic and Gligar with ease, though it faces immense competition from other Fighting-type setup sweepers, particularly Bewear. Head Smash is an option on the wallbreaker set, since it can provide useful coverage, hitting Pokemon such as Mandibuzz, and Araquanid much harder than Wild Charge. However, Wild Charge causes significantly less recoil damage while still hitting the same targets for irreparable damage. It is useful to note that due to the high Base Power of Head Smash, it requires less prediction than Wild Charge. An Adamant nature is usable to increase Emboar's wallbreaking prowess, but because Emboar's higher Speed is something that separates it from other Fighting-type wallbreakers, it tends to be less effective overall. While a Choice Scarf set may seem decent, Emboar's low Speed stat doesn't allow it to revenge kill any notable setup sweeper, and it provides very little utility over other Choice Scarf users, such as Tyrantrum and Flygon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Offensive Pressure**: Double switching and offensive plays limit Emboar from coming in as often. An experienced player will likely avoid bringing passive Pokemon in for long periods of time, as well as pivoting to Pokemon that can beat Emboar such as Delphox.
**Residual Damage**: Since Emboar is easily weakened by recoil from Flare Blitz and Wild Charge, miscellaneous damage from entry hazards, weather, and status can severely limit its survivability.
**Bulky Fire-resistant Pokemon**: Bulky Water-types such as Milotic, Jellicent, Slowking, and Araquanid discourage Emboar from spamming Flare Blitz, forcing it into mind games to try predicting them switching in by using the much more easily exploitable Wild Charge and Superpower. However, Expert Belt and Bulk Up variants have a better matchup versus these Pokemon. Other Pokemon that resist its STAB moves, such as Qwilfish, and Noivern, also pressure Emboar significantly.
**Faster Attackers**: Despite its Speed allowing it to reach an important benchmark, Emboar is still outpaced by several common threats such as Mega Blastoise, Gardevoir, and Kingdra. Though Sucker Punch somewhat mitigates this issue, it is very reliant on prediction and can end up backfiring easily.
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