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Navigation: Main → Competitive → Analyses → Salamence → Read
Analysis - Salamence Type: Dragon / Flying Ability: Intimidate Height: 5'11" / 1.5 m Weight: 226.2 lb. / 102.6 kg Gender: ♂ 50% / ♀ 50%
Defensive CombinationsSalamence's Dragon / Flying type gives it a weakness to Ice, Rock and Dragon, a resist to Fire, Water, Grass, Fighting and Bug, and an immunity to Ground. Steel Pokémon like Metagross, Jirachi, Bronzong, Registeel, Forretress and Heatran are great defensive complements, as they all resist Ice, Rock (besides Heatran and Forretress, who are neutral) and Dragon. Magnezone actually resists everything that Salamence does not resist, so when it comes to defensive combinations, Salamence and Magnezone are perfect. Since the most common Super Effective attacks against Salamence are the special Ice Beam (predominantly from bulky Water Pokémon and Blissey / Cresselia), the physical Stone Edge (predominantly from Tyranitar) and the physical Dragon Claw / Outrage (predominantly from Garchomp), physically bulky Water Pokémon also tend to be good defensive partners.Suicune / Slowbro don't mind being hit by Ice Beam (though Slowbro does mind Crunch from Tyranitar), and can hit both Tyranitar and Garchomp with Super Effective attacks. A Thick Fat Hariyama with an emphasis on HP and Def EVs can take Ice and Rock attacks and hit both Tyranitar and Garchomp for massive damage. Intimidate Hitmontop can switch into Ice Beam with its high Special Defense, and, with Intimidate + Bulk Up, not take too much damage while simultaneously pose serious harm to both Tyranitar and Garchomp. Regirock, especially in Sand, can take all those attacks easily, and again pose immediate harm to Salamence's threats, though less so with its Water and Ground weaknesses. Snorlax with Curse and Thick Fat can easily switch into Ice attacks, and while it has trouble switching into Stone Edge and Outrage, it can definitely lure either out and proceed to Curse, or lure out a Fighter, a type Salamence can come in pretty easily against. For most of Salamence's sets, such as the SpecsMence or Offensive DD Mence sets, the real issue is getting Salamence in safely so that it can proceed to deal large amounts of damage to the opposing team. Therefore, optimal defensive combinations aren't limited only to direct attacks, but also include luring in Pokémon that Salamence can feel comfortable switching in against, such as Heracross, Gliscor (for the Special variants), Metagross or Choiced Pokémon stuck in Fighting or Ground moves. Lucario / Heatran, who often attract ScarfChomp (who will Earthquake for fear of Swords Dance / Dragon Pulse) and Blissey / Cresselia, who often attract Heracross, are four examples of potential lures for Salamence. All four, coincidentally, can also help Salamence with its Ice weakness (as neither Blissey nor Cresselia mind absorbing an Ice Beam). General CountersFor all the special variants of Salamence, Blissey, Cresselia, Uxie, Regice, Registeel, Heatproof Bronzong, Tentacruel, and Empoleon can take a hit and pose immediate threat to Salamence in the form of Thunder Wave or Ice Beam (except Bronzong, who can Hypnosis, set up Light Screen, or use Hidden Power Ice). For all the physical variants, physically bulky Waters with Ice attacks, such as Suicune, Slowbro or Gyarados, physically bulky Thunder Wavers not weak to Dragon / Ground, such as Celebi or Cresselia, and Bronzong and Skarmory (though both need to be wary of a Life Orb Fire Blast or Salamence paired with Magnezone) can take a hit. For revenge killing purposes, Weavile and Mamoswine can both come in and OHKO with a Life Orb Ice Shard, and due to Ice Shard's priority, not worry about Dragon Dance variants. A +Speed nature Deoxys-S reaching at 493 Speed will always be able to out-speed a 1 Dragon Dance Salamence, and hit Salamence with Ice Beam for the OHKO. Finally, Choice Scarfers with initial Speed at 329 or higher and with an Ice or Dragon attack, such as Jolly ScarfChomp (Outrage) or Timid ScarfGar / ScarfAzelf (Hidden Power Ice), can come in and OHKO Salamence.For dealing with Salamence in a general manner, meaning knowledge regarding whether it is physical or special is unavailable, here are some EV spreads (all calculations assume defending Pokémon has Leftovers): Cresselia - 240 HP / 212 Def / 56 SpDef Calm, translates to 441 HP / 329 Def / 341 SpDef. This allows Cresselia to switch into Stealth Rock and still never be 2HKOed by SpecsMence's Draco Meteor, so it can effectively responded with either an Ice Beam or a Thunder Wave. It is never OHKOed by a physical attack from Salamence, and even BandMence's Crunch 2HKOes this Cresselia 30.5% of the time, meaning Cresselia can usually switch into that. Uxie - 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SpDef Calm, translates to 354 HP / 306 Def / 385 SpDef. This allows Uxie to never be 2HKOed by SpecsMence's Draco Meteor, meaning it can switch in, take a Draco Meteor, and survive the next one to Thunder Wave. This also allows Uxie to never be OHKOed by a Dragon Dance Crunch, meaning Uxie can switch in on the Dragon Dance, take the Crunch, and Thunder Wave back. The only Salamence set that Uxie cannot handle is BandMence with Crunch, as Crunch will 2HKO Uxie, meaning Uxie cannot switch in. However, should Uxie take a large amount of damage from said Crunch, the fact that the Salamence is Banded is realized, allowing for more efficient countering. Blissey - 224 HP / 252 Def / 32 SpDef Bold, translates to 707 HP / 130 Def / 314 SpDef. Obviously Blissey can always switch into Special variants, but this spread allows it to not be OHKOed on average by a Dragon Dance Life Orb Brick Break, allowing Blissey to Thunder Wave or Ice Beam accordingly. Even MixMence never 2HKOes this Blissey with a Draco Meteor on the switch followed by a Brick Break, though with Stealth Rock in play, there is a small chance that the 2HKO occurs. Suicune - 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpDef Calm, translates to 404 HP / 296 Def / 330 SpDef. This Suicune is never 2HKOed by a SpecsMence's Draco Meteor, and is never 2HKOed by a BandMence's Dragon Claw (though, factoring Accuracy in, a BandMence's Dragon Rush has a 56.25% chance of 2HKOing this Suicune). At 216 SpAtk, Suicune does 90% minimum to a 331 HP / 196 SpDef Salamence, meaning Life Orb versions are always OHKOed. Registeel - 252 HP / 136 Def / 120 SpDef Impish, translates to 364 HP / 370 Def / 402 SpDef. Registeel is here for its ability to resist Dragon moves, and hit Salamence with Thunder Wave or Ice Punch. This Registeel is never OHKOed by an Offensive DD Mence's Earthquake, and never KOed by a MixMence's Draco Meteor (on the switch-in) followed by an Earthquake. This is 2HKOed, however, by a Life Orb Fire Blast or a Life Orb Earthquake, so be sure to only switch Registeel in on a predicted Dragon move or Dragon Dance. Regice - 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 SpDef Calm, translates to 364 HP / 264 Def / 519 Spdef. This Regice is never 2HKOed by Salamence's Draco Meteor, and rarely 2HKOed by SpecsMence's Fire Blast (25.71% of the time without Accuracy, 18.6% of the time with). It also is only OHKOed 20.51% of the time by an Offensive DD Mence's Brick Break, meaning around 80% of the time, Regice can switch into Salamence and OHKO it with Ice Beam. Bronzong - Bronzong can run two sets, one with Levitate and one with Heatproof. The Levitate one is primarily to counter physical variants, and the Heatproof one is to primarily counter special variants. However, because the most common Bronzong runs Levitate, the Heatproof version can use "mind games" to help counter even physical variants. For the Heatproof version, 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpDef Careful translates to 338 HP / 290 Def / 341 SpDef, which allows Bronzong to never be 2HKOed by SpecsMence's Fire Blast. The especially advantageous part about this set is that if the first Fire Blast burns Bronzong, Bronzong will still have the opportunity to get one attack (Hypnosis or HP Ice) in before succumbing to the burn damage. The Levitate set, coincidentally, should also run the same set, because Fire Blast will not be a OHKO (even with the Burn), and the Dragon / Ground moves don't do enough to merit concern. As for MixMence with Fire Blast and Earthquake, the Bronzong will only be able to get one hit off, as a Fire Blast + Earthquake combination from MixMence is usually a 2HKO for the Heatproof version, and Fire Blast + Fire Blast is usually a 2HKO for the Levitate version. To summarize, Blissey is the best special Salamence counter, Cresselia and Suicune are the best physical Salamence counters, and Cresselia is the most efficient overall Salamence counter. Putting It All TogetherSalamence obviously is capable of attacking for large damage on either side of the damage spectrum, boosted by Choice Specs and the 140 BP Draco Meteor, or by Dragon Dance and Life Orb. It has general issues dealing with Cresselia, bulky Water Pokémon and Pokémon such as Celebi or Blissey, which can debilitate it with Thunder Wave. Here are a few examples of "cores" to build a team around, with Salamence as one of the members:S. Bulky DD Mence + CBCross + ScarfGross - S. Bulky DD Mence has serious issues with Cresselia and Thunder Wavers, both of which CBCross handles easily. ScarfGross handles the non Scarf variants of Garchomp that S. Bulky will try to scout out, as well as dealing with Deoxys-S that will Psycho Boost Heracross and Ice Beam Salamence. Defensively, Metagross takes care of Salamence's Rock, Ice and Dragon weaknesses and Heracross's Flying and Psychic weaknesses, Salamence takes care of Metagross's Ground weakness and both Metagross's and Heracross's Fire weakness. Possible notes to consider when building the rest of the team are that both ScarfChomp and ScarfApe give this trio some trouble, so they should be taken into account. SpecsMence + CBTar + Forretress - SpecsMence and CBTar hit extremely hard on both sides of the damage spectrum while simultaneously taking care of the Pokémon the other does not hit hard, and Salamence covers Tyranitar well defensively. Forretress provides Stealth Rock / Spikes / Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin, and also is a sturdy physical wall that complements Salamence well defensively. With some field hazard in play and Tyranitar's Sandstream providing an addition 6.25% damage per turn, the damage a 350 Special Attack Choice Specs Draco Meteor and the damage a 403 Attack Choice Band Stone Edge will do to the opposition will build up, fast. This trio is very vulnerable to Garchomp, so definitely add at least two checks against Garchomp, such as Bronzong or a defensively bulky Pokémon like Slowbro or Celebi. But besides Garchomp (and it would have to be a non Scarf variant having Fire Blast, as Forretress can survive a Fire Fang and explode to OHKO Garchomp), everything in the metagame fears the damage potential of SpecsMence + CBTar. An interesting offensive addition would be Deoxys-S, with at least 500 Speed, to "clean up" the "mess" that is left in the wake of the destruction that will inevitably be caused by these two offensive behemoths. Offensive DD Mence + Wish Stealth Rock Jirachi + CmCune - Here, Jirachi provides that almost necessary Stealth Rock for Offensive DD Mence, and also provides nearly perfect defensive coverage along with Salamence (with only Electric being unresisted). Jirachi takes care of Deoxys-S, and with Thunderbolt can deal with Gyarados, so Suicune should run Ice Beam and provide that necessary check against Garchomp. Possible notes to consider are that CM Cresselia can Calm Mind up with Suicune, and an unlucky Critical Hit can leave cripple the team, so some way to quickly deal with Cresselia should be implemented. Also, Celebi or Cresselia Thunder Waving Salamence would be very detrimental to its sweeping potential, so an aromatherapist such as Blissey, who also supports Salamence by absorbing Ice Beams easily, should be considered. MixMence + CMSubRaikou + Bronzong - Bronzong complements both Salamence and Raikou defensively, and sets up Stealth Rock so Salamence can 2HKO threats such as Blissey or Celebi. Raikou takes care of Cresselia (via CMing and Subbing), bulky Water Pokémon, and all Blissey without Calm Mind or Seismic Toss. Bronzong is necessary because it resists the Ground / Ice and the Ground / Rock combinations that seriously hurt both Salamence and Raikou. Possible notes to consider when building the rest of the team are that because Bronzong has no reliable recovery, it won't be able to continuously cover for Raikou and Salamence, especially if the opponent becomes cognizant of this strategy and begins to use Fire Blast with his Garchomp on the switch. Because of this, perhaps a bulky Water Pokémon or Skarmory might be worthwhile to consider, because both provide additional checks against Pokémon Raikou and Salamence are afraid of. P. Bulky DD Mence + Magnezone + CurseRestTalk Swampert - Salamence and Magnezone complement each other perfectly defensively, and Swampert's Grass weakness is handled by both Salamence and Magnezone. P. Bulky DD Mence, which deals with the physical threats that Magnezone and Swampert fear, like Heracross and Lucario, and Swampert (EVed with an emphasis on HP and Special Defense because it has Curse and Rest + Sleep Talk) both used their respective stat buff moves to sweep the opponent, and Magnezone is there to trap and kill Skarmory / Bronzong, both of which would cause issues for Salamence and Swampert. Vaporeon and Suicune, both of which are trouble for Swampert and Salamence, are also dealt with by Magnezone. When building the rest of the team, consider that Magnezone cannot continually take Surfs from bulky Water Pokémon, and a Choice Band Garchomp could potentially be an issue, so a Calm Mind Cresselia or physically bulky SubSeeder, such as Celebi, are both helpful additions. StallMence + CBDugtrio + ToxicWishBlissey - StallMence has troubles dealing with Empoleon, Heatran, Rock / Steel Pokémon, Tentacruel and Blissey, all of which are soundly dealt with by CBDugtrio. Both Salamence and Dugtrio are weak to Ice Beam, which Blissey can easily absorb. Toxic Blissey increases the Toxic status on the members of the opposite team, and is a handy special wall that can stall the game, especially in combination with Salamence's Intimidate. Because of Salamence's Stealth Rock weakness and the fact that Blissey lures in Fighting attacks, passing Wish is not only very helpful, but very viable. Note that Mamoswine, especially a Life Orb version, has a field day with this trio, so Pokémon that deal with it easily, such as Bronzong, Skarmory, Cresselia, Suicune, Starmie or Shaymin should all be considered as helpful additions to the team. As is the case with any team including Salamence and various Steel Pokémon, Garchomp is still (and always will be) an issue...but luckily, the same Pokémon that deal with Mamoswine also deal with Garchomp, so simply consider that Garchomp is an omnipresent threat. Set - MixMence
[ Information | Other Options | Offensive Combos | Strategic Combos | Set Counters ] Life Orb is the perfect item for MixMence, as it boosts both sides of the damage spectrum while having a negative side effect that doesn't hinder its offensive nature too much. Draco Meteor, Fire Blast and Brick Break hit everything in the game for at least neutral damage, and Brick Break is specifically for that Blissey that switches in expecting to absorb a SpecsMence's Draco Meteor. The 29 HP IV is there for optimal Life Orb usage, as it is a typical **9 number. The amount of health Life Orb will take from 279 HP is 27, from 359 HP, 35, meaning instead of 10 chances to attack, the Pokémon actually has 11 (27 * 10 = 270, 279 - 270 = 9). Other OptionsThis set has a plethora of viable alternative options. If Cresselia is an issue, substituting either Brick Break or Roost for Crunch will allow a 2HKO with Stealth Rock on some Cresselia with a Draco Meteor + Crunch combination. It can also run Dragon Claw, in case a reliable STAB is required, or Earthquake, in case OHKOing either Tentacruel or Heatran is a necessity. Dragon Rush, Flamethrower, Hydro Pump and Stone Edge are potential substitute moves that, while not as effective on average as the given set, still have their own little advantages. Offensive CombinationsMixMence doesn't truly require any offensive complements, as it hits both sides of the spectrum for large damage. However, Pokémon such as Swords Dance Lucario, Life Orb Gengar and Breloom all deal with potential issues, such as a defensive Snorlax, Uxie / Mesprit, and some Cresselia. Strategic CombinationsMixMence is best served with Stealth Rock and either Sandstorm / Hail. It might seem counterintuitive to have Salamence losing 16.25% per turn, but the additional 6.25% (essentially the negating of Leftovers recovery) helps ensure a 2HKO against questionable targets like Blissey or Cresselia, and it is a nice addition to the massive damage Draco Meteor will be dealing. Since Salamence is weak to Stealth Rock and will be taking large amounts of recoil damage, a Rapid Spinner and a Wisher are auspicious complements. Set CountersThere are few true "counters" to this, as nearly everything in the standard game is potentially 2HKOed. However, since most players will Draco Meteor first turn, switching to any Steel Pokémon and then switching away again would be the optimal method for defeating this. Of all OU Pokémon, Salamence is the one that hits hardest from both sides of the damage spectrum, and it has the Speed to back it up. Still, certain Pokémon, like Cresselia and Blissey, can take the first attack and switch out accordingly. Milotic can also generally take a Draco Meteor and the subsequent physical hit (as long as it isn't Dragon Claw, as Draco Meteor + Dragon Claw can sometimes KO Milotic) and Recover off the damage. Set - SpecsMence
[ Information | Other Options | Offensive Combos | Strategic Combos | Set Counters ] 350 Special Attack supporting a 140 BP move with STAB and Choice Specs multipliers equates to a majority of neutral Pokémon getting 2HKOed, even with the second Draco Meteor's reduction in power. Fire Blast is there for the Steel Pokémon that resist Dragon moves, and Regice, who isn't 2HKOed with 252 HP / 252 SpDef EVs and a +SpDef nature by Draco Meteor, but is potentially 2HKOed by the Fire Blast. Earthquake is there for Heatran, Empoleon, Tentacruel and Rock / Steel Pokémon, all of which resist or don't take massive damage from the other three attacks. Other OptionsIf Fire Blast's accuracy is not appealing, Flamethrower is certainly a viable alternative. In fact, Flamethrower is still a OHKO to the common Skarmory, and both are 2HKOs to the common Bronzong. Fire Blast is the "main" option simply because it has the potential to 2HKO special defensively oriented Regice and Registeel, and it is a guaranteed OHKO to 252 HP / 0 SpDef Metagross, who survives Flamethrower on average. Offensive CombinationsSince this set really only cannot handle Blissey and Cresselia, the optimal Pokémon to offensively complement it would be anything that is capable of dealing massive damage to either, while also dealing respectable damage to Regice / Registeel / Tentacruel / Empoleon, all of which can potentially take advantage of the "Choice" factor and switch in accordingly. If Cresselia were not in this list, simply any physical attacker would suffice, yet Cresselia's inclusion requires either a SE STAB or a potentially Attack-boosting move on a Pokémon that isn't worried about becoming paralyzed. Optimal offensive complements are therefore Tyranitar, Heracross, and Metagross. Strategic CombinationsThere isn't anything particularly "subtle" or "strategic" about blasting the opponent with massively powerful attacks, yet there are a few Pokémon that can subtly assist Salamence in what it tries to accomplish. It is weak to Stealth Rock and can find itself taking some possibly detrimental residual damage during the course of a battle, so Pokémon with Rapid Spin or Wish are certainly helpful complements. Since it only reaches 299 Speed, it is susceptible to the revenge killing potential of faster Pokémon, and can therefore be greatly assisted by a Pokémon or two that have Thunder Wave (for Gengar or Azelf) and Body Slam / Stun Spore (for Garchomp). Starmie gets Rapid Spin, Jirachi gets Wish and Thunder Wave / Body Slam, and Blissey can take all those Ice Beams directed toward it and respond with a helpful Thunder Wave. Set CountersThe only true "counters" to this set are Blissey, Milotic and a special defensively oriented Cresselia. Otherwise, every Pokémon in the metagame viable in OU is potentially 2HKOed by one of its attacks. A standard 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpDef (neutral or + nature) Blissey can handle all of this set's attacks, and respond with a Thunder Wave / Ice Beam, and use Softboiled to heal itself. A 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpDef Calm Cresselia can easily switch into this and Moonlight or Rest off the damage, and respond with a Thunder Wave or Ice Beam. 252 HP / 252 SpDef Calm Milotic can also switch into Salamence's Draco Meteors and not be 2HKOed, even with Stealth Rock down. Set - Offensive DD Mence
[ Information | Other Options | Offensive Combos | Strategic Combos | Set Counters ] A standard coverage Dragon Dance set. This switches in on a predicted Ground / Fighting move, Dragon Dances, and proceeds to sweep with 606 Attack, 420 Speed and a 30% boost to its attacks due to Life Orb. 277 SpA is reached for two reasons: first, Skarmory occasionally run 252 HP / 40 SpD, and 277 SpA will allow a Life Orb Fire Blast to always OHKO, and second, the standard 338 HP / 330 SpDef Bronzong is always 2HKOed by that same Fire Blast. 280 Speed is reached because various threats in the game, Adamant Heracross (269), Adamant Lucario (279), and Timid Heatran (278), just to name a few, are slower. Again, it has an HP IV of 29 to maximize Life Orb usage. Other OptionsCrunch, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Brick Break, Dragon Rush, Zen Headbutt and Aerial Ace are all viable alternatives to consider for this set. Brick Break in place of Earthquake allows Salamence to have a guaranteed OHKO on all Blissey after Stealth Rock, and still deals significant damage to the standard Heatran and Empoleon, so that should certainly be considered. Dragon Rush has the same BP as Brick Break on Blissey, has a chance to flinch the opponent and it allows Earthquake and its OHKO on Tyranitar and Metagross to remain on the set. Stone Edge / Rock Slide are both for Gyarados, depending on how much of a threat Gyarados poses to the team. Crunch allows for the guaranteed 2HKO on all Cresselia, without Stealth Rock or Sandstorm. Aerial Ace helps Salamence hit physically bulky Machamp and Heracross for SE damage, though both are rare. Finally, Zen Headbutt should be considered if Weezing becomes popular and is suddenly a troublesome wall for the team. Offensive CombinationsSince Skarmory is OHKOed and Blissey is potentially OHKOed, the Pokémon that really give this set difficulty are Cresselia, bulky Water Pokémon and bulky Pokémon that have Thunder Wave, like Celebi. Again, a "power based" Heracross, or a Swords Dance Lucario with Crunch and Close Combat are both potentially useful partners. Because a ScarfChomp can come in and kill Salamence with only one Dragon Dance, a Pokémon such as Adamant Swords Dance Ice Shard Night Slash Life Orb Weavile is very useful, as it OHKOes ScarfChomp and ScarfGengar every time with Ice Shard, and ScarfAzelf 59% of the time with Ice Shard (calculations assume 4 HP / 0 SpDef) and Stealth Rock damage. The same Weavile's Night Slash is a OHKO on Celebi, and OHKO on 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Cresselia 21% of the time. Calm Mind Substitute Raikou can actually deal with nearly all the Pokémon that this set has troubles with, especially behind a Substitute so that a Choice Scarf Explosion (Gengar and Azelf) or Earthquake (Garchomp) won't affect it. Strategic CombinationsOffensive DD Mence, more than all the other Salamence sets, needs a teammate to lay Stealth Rock on the field. Various 3HKOes and 2HKOes become 2HKOes and OHKOes simply with Stealth Rock down, such as Dragon Claw on Celebi and Brick Break on Blissey. A Pokémon with U-turn also helps Salamence set up, as the main issue with this set is simply getting the first Dragon Dance in. A Pokémon such as Celebi uses U-turn on a predicted Bug or Fire attack, and allows Salamence to come in and essentially Dragon Dance for free. Another interesting complement to Salamence is Yache Berry Swords Dance Garchomp, for two reasons. First, Blissey, Cresselia and Celebi will often use Thunder Wave against Salamence the first turn, which Garchomp is immune to. Second, the counter to Offensive DD Mence is often the same counter to YacheChomp, which of course means that with a Swords Dance + Outrage / Earthquake, the counter to Salamence will either be gone or severely hurt. Here, Garchomp acts as a lure for Salamence. Set CountersBecause of the various options Offensive DD Mence has, only a few viable Pokémon are not potentially 2HKOed, and the most sturdy one is 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Cresselia. Suicune with 252 HP / 252 Def Bold usually isn't 2HKOed by Dragon Claw, but the chance remains at 7.5%. However, this does not mean that the DD set is unbeatable. A common flaw that most players have is that once they Dragon Dance once, they feel they are faster than the majority of the game, and therefore will not switch. Hence, a Jolly Choice Scarf Garchomp, a Timid Choice Scarf Gengar and various other high speed Choice Scarfers, while not being able to switch in necessarily, can certainly defeat it with a SE move. Certainly take advantage of this "player's fallacy" and use the power of Choice Scarf to prevent a Salamence sweep. Also noteworthy is that Shuckle can easily take a single Dragon Dance Dragon Claw / Dragon Rush, and proceed to Encore the move and switch to a counter to that move. Set - S. Bulky DD Mence
[ Information | Other Options | Offensive Combos | Strategic Combos | Set Counters ] 269 SpAtk is a magical number that Pokémon without STAB on Ice Beam use to guarantee a OHKO on Garchomp, and by extension, Salamence. This set ensures that Salamence survives that 269 SpAtk Ice Beam and has enough HP to take Life Orb recoil and survive. It takes 336 maximum damage from that Ice Beam, and Life Orb takes 37 from Salamence, meaning it will always survive with at least 1 HP. The real "beauty" of this, however, is in Roost's ability to remove Salamence's Flying weaknesses, meaning, of course, that Ice Beam will now do 168 maximum while Salamence Roosts back up to above 10% (maximum of 2 Roosts) to fire back with another high powered Dragon Claw or Earthquake. Other OptionsThis set very purposefully dropped the Fire move for Roost, and not one of the other two, because Dragon / Ground allows Salamence to OHKO many more threats than Dragon / Fire or Fire / Ground would allow. However, a potential exchange would be Leftovers for Life Orb. The ability to OHKO and 2HKO a lot of Pokémon would be sacrificed for more survivability in Sand, and to more efficiently gain back the HP lost from an incoming Ice attacking while Roosting. Still, for this set's purpose, Leftovers is mathematically a less efficient item, as the attack drop is not compensated by the additional 6.25% recovery. Offensive CombinationsDragon / Ground really only has issues with Skarmory / Bronzong, some very physically bulky Water Pokémon like Suicune and Slowbro, and Cresselia. Breloom, with its ability to use Substitute and Leech Seed to stall Cresselia, Spore Skarmory / Bronzong and significantly hurt Suicune / Slowbro is a great offensive complement to this Salamence set. Heracross, preferably a "power" based one, as in Choice Band or Swords Dance, is a viable offensive complement, as CBCross's Close Combat is a 2HKO to Skarmory, Bronzong and Suicune, and its Megahorn is a OHKO on Cresselia and Slowbro. Metagross and Tyranitar aren't optimal offensive options this time, as both help against Cresselia, but are stopped short by the bulky Water Pokémon and run into issues with Skarmory / Bronzong. A Tyranitar set with Thunderbolt and Crunch could feasibly be effective, yet Suicune will still come out on top with Calm Mind. A +SpAtk nature Life Orb Heatran does enough with Overheat / Fire Blast + Explosion to KO Suicune on average, and obviously deals with the others just fine. Infernape, assuming Life Orb, Nasty Plot, Overheat, Grass Knot and maximum Special Attack, also deals massive damage to all of those (actually only having to 2HKO Cresselia). Finally, Zapdos has the ability to take on all of them, especially with Metal Sound. Strategic CombinationsPair this with Magnezone. Magnezone's Magnet Pull ability instantly removes both Skarmory and Bronzong as Pokémon that might stop Salamence, and Magnezone's Electric STAB is SE against those aforementioned problematic bulky Water Pokémon. Even Cresselia does not appreciate 394 SpAtk Thunderbolts, especially if paralyzed. Magnezone is the perfect complement to this Salamence, and should be paired with it almost every time. The same considerations for the previous sets are relevant; a Rapid Spinner, Wisher, and paralysis-specialist are still all viable complements. Set CountersThe ways to deal with this set, assuming that Bronzong / Skarmory are not viable options due to the fear of Magnezone, are to have very high defenses, be at least neutral to both attacks and possess either Ice Beam or Thunder Wave. Cresselia, Suicune / Slowbro, Celebi and Gyarados (with Ice Fang) are all viable potential checks. Set - P. Bulky DD Mence
[ Information | Other Options | Offensive Combos | Strategic Combos | Set Counters ] This spread and concept was borrowed directly from the Bulky Gyarados concept, and developed due to certain deficiencies in that concept. BulkyDos had one significant problem: no reliable recovery. Without reliable recovery, Gyarados could not be expected to switch in repeatedly to take physical hits, especially with the threat of Stealth Rock hanging around. With Roost and significantly higher Speed, Salamence sacrifices Special Defense for a better ability to wall threats such as Heracross and Swords Dance Lucario. Other OptionsThe same issue with the Fire move for the S. Bulky set is relevant here. Do not consider substituting the Fire move for one of the other moves. However, unlike the S. Bulky set, Leftovers is a viable alternative to Life Orb. Again, this is because immediate power is less of a priority on a physical set, just like with Bulky Gyarados. Obi from Smogon summarized the math behind this idea: Offensive CombinationsThe offensive combinations for this set are generally the same as for the S. Bulky set, yet one point should be emphasized: since the S. Bulky set actually was catered to remove a specific set of counters to Salamence, those must now be taken into account here. Hence, Pokémon such as Blissey, Starmie, Vaporeon, Swampert and others must be included in any offensive combination discussion. Thankfully, the previously discussed complements all take care of these Pokémon efficiently. Swords Dance Weavile also becomes viable, along with Nasty Plot Grass Knot (Explosion) Azelf. Strategic CombinationsMagnezone is once again Salamence's best friend, and understandably so. Because Blissey and Starmie are now issues, a Pursuit + U-turn Scizor, paired with Magnezone (for the Skarmory and Bronzong that will switch in) and Dugtrio (in case you are able to U-turn Blissey or Starmie), now becomes useful. In fact, a Scizor by itself, with Swords Dance, Pursuit and Brick Break is enough to give some of Salamence's counters problems. The same assistance that has been considered before, Rapid Spin, Wish, and Paralysis, is still viable, so consider that as well. Set CountersThe P. Bulky set has the same counters and checks as the S. Bulky set, except with the addition of those Pokémon the S. Bulky set was designed to defeat, such as Blissey, Starmie, Vaporeon and the like. Set - BandMence
[ Information | Other Options | Offensive Combos | Strategic Combos | Set Counters ] The standard in Advance is now reduced to an afterthought with the SpecsMence, MixMence, and various DD Mences able to deal much more damage in a much more efficient manner. Still, BandMence can serve to surprise some of its common switch-ins. Dragon, Ground and Rock physical attacks hit nearly everything for at least neutral damage, and Flamethrower allows this to 2HKO Skarmory and 3HKO Bronzong. Other OptionsAgain, there are various options to consider, all with their specific advantages. However, two options that should not be considered are Brick Break and Fire Blast, as neither OHKOes whatever Pokémon they are intended to hit (Blissey, Skarmory). Rock Slide can be considered for its flinch opportunity and better accuracy than Stone Edge; Aerial Ace is an option for Heracross, but shouldn't be considered on average simply because Dragon Claw does massive damage and Dragon Rush OHKOes Heracross; Zen Headbutt can be considered if Weezing or Bulk Up Machamp become popular; Crunch is a guaranteed 2HKO on Cresselia, Uxie and Celebi assuming Stealth Rock is in play. Offensive CombinationsSince this is a physical set that is stopped by some of the more common defensive Pokémon, such as Skarmory, Bronzong, Cresselia, and Celebi, a strong special attacker would be optimal. Pokémon such as Life Orb or Choice Specs Heatran, Life Orb or Metal Sound (or both) Zapdos, Life Orb Gengar, Porygon-Z, Azelf and Infernape all assist this set. Strategic CombinationsMagnezone effectively removes the Steels that might counter this set, along with dealing massive damage to those bulky Waters. Since BandMence's optimal results are gained through its surprise factor, a surprisingly successful auxiliary Pokémon is a Choice Scarfer. This is because BandMence will deal surprisingly high damage on turn one, so that later in the game, a high Speed Pokémon can come in and sweep whatever Pokémon were crippled by the unexpected damage dealt earlier. Set CountersCountering a Choice set is usually all about prediction, but the typical physical walls, such as Cresselia, Skarmory, Suicune and Celebi all deal with Salamence. Set - Stall Mence
[ Information | Other Options | Offensive Combos | Strategic Combos | Set Counters ] Wish + Toxic is a strategy used on various Pokémon; Jirachi, Blissey, Vaporeon and Hypno all utilize it to some degree of success. Here, Salamence takes advantage of its Ground immunity, Fighting resist and Intimidate to provide another option for this strategy. Other OptionsFire Blast and Draco Meteor are both viable alternatives to their less powerful versions, yet are not recommended due to accuracy and PP issues. A Stalling Pokémon would prefer to deal accurate damage, and as much of it as possible, something the less powerful alternatives provide. Draco Meteor is somewhat intriguing, however, because of its potential to always OHKO 4 HP / 0 SpDef Garchomp, and OHKO 401 HP Garchomp on average. The most practical scenario for this is a late game Choice Scarf Garchomp fainting a comrade Pokémon, and Salamence switching in, taking an Adamant Outrage for less than 75% (meaning it can switch into Stealth Rock), and OHKOing with Draco Meteor. Offensive CombinationsDestroying the opponent with offensive prowess is not the goal of this set, but there are some Pokémon who complement it offensively. Regardless of which move is picked in the last slot, Heatran, Tentacruel, Empoleon, and general Rock / Steels give this set difficulty. All are taken care of by Dugtrio. The usual bulky Pokémon with Ice Beam / Thunder Wave, Blissey, Cresselia, Suicune and Milotic give this set issues, and Breloom, Heatran and Lucario are once again optimal offensive complements. For a more "stall" type offensive complement, consider Substitute, Leech Seed, Recover, Grass Knot Celebi, since it easily takes care of Salamence's main threats, while simultaneously "slowing the pace down." Since Poison Pokémon are now issues for Salamence, Pokémon with STAB Ground moves, such as Mamoswine, become very useful partners. Strategic CombinationsThis Salamence set is obviously a stall type set, yet shouldn't be relegated to only stall teams. Offensive teams all could use a potential Wish passer, since they focus on resistances to be able to switch around effectively, and hence build up quite a bit of residual damage. Salamence can come in on a predicted Ground or Fighting attack, and pass Wish to some of its more offensively inclined teammates. Set CountersEmpoleon, Tentacruel and Heatran are the most obvious counters against a set relying on Toxic for major damage, along with bulky Resters. Blissey has a field day with this set, setting up whatever support moves she wants for her team and then Natural Curing the Toxic effect on the switch. |
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