Talonflame
Scorching Pokémon
In the fever of an exciting battle, it showers embers from the gaps between its feathers and takes to the air.
Base Stats
Type Effectiveness
Abilities
Evolution Chain
Moves
Details
Sprites
Competitive
Strategy Overview
Talonflame is one of the premier revenge killers in the CAP Metagame, as its access to Gale Wings gives it the most powerful priority move in the game in Brave Bird, along with priority Roost and Tailwind. This, along with a fantastic base 126 Speed that allows it to outspeed a vast majority of the metagame and an excellent offensive STAB combination in Fire and Flying, makes Talonflame a potent offensive Pokemon. Its access to good support moves, such as Swords Dance, Bulk Up, Taunt, and Will-O-Wisp, gives it utility outside of pure revenge killing and adds a layer of unpredictability to Talonflame. It also has good resistances to Steel, Bug, Fire, and Fairy, and an immunity to Ground, which gives Talonflame ample opportunities to switch in against Pokemon such as Pyroak, Sylveon, and Heatran.
Unfortunately, Talonflame's 81 base Attack is quite low for an offensive Pokemon, so Talonflame must use boosting items or moves to hit hard. 78 / 71 / 69 defenses are below average, leaving Talonflame weak to strong attackers. Its weaknesses to common offensive types, such Water, Electric, and Rock, leave it checked by common offensive Pokemon. The Rock weakness, in particular, leaves Talonflame doubly weak to Stealth Rock, severely hampering its longevity, especially as its best STAB moves result in recoil. Furthermore, it has massive problems getting past traditional Flying checks, such as Rotom-W and Cyclohm, and is unable to function well until they are removed, requiring dedicated team support to perform.
Most Used Moves
Common Teammates
Competitive data from Smogon University via data.pkmn.cc