Delta Charizard (Analysed S2 Ep.3)

Hi guys, girls, Delta version of a vastly overrated “dragon” and eveything in-between!

No Delta Gallade yet, I’ll cover the starter first. As you know from the last episode, Delta Charizard is one of the resons I wanted to play Pokémon Insurgence in the first place. I love Ghost types, my favorite type right before Ground and Water. Marshadow for the win. What I ment in the introduciton is that Charizard is, in my opinion, way too overrated. I do understand why so many people like Charizard, it’s a fire breathing dragon. I just somehow can’t overlook the fact that Charizard doesn’t seems that special to me. I do enjoy Mega Charizard Y a LOT for its almost unfair wallbreaking capabilities and Weather abuse, but outside of that, not a huge fan. Looks a lot generic for a dragon. Zard X looks cool though. I’m more of a Blastoise guy because Water. So now, when I learned there was a Pokémon with Charizard Y level of wallbreaking with a Weather boosting Ghost type by a significant margin without the Stealth Rock weakness, I was THRILLED. I gotta admit, I liked it. I, however, couldn’t be bothered completing the game with it yet. I used a Sand team with Mega Gardevoir for my first ever E4 win (without Delta Gardevoir’s line for some reasons, never made that mistake twice) and Mega Kangaskan for my reamatch and with Mega Delta Gallade for my first Hard Mode. I’ll try with Mega Flygon next and Mega Typhlosion for my first No Faint but rest assured, Mega Delta Charizard Hard Mode will be coming. Eventually. Next will probably be a Analysed S2 special edition with only Pokémon I’ve covered here. Maybe at the 12th episode?

EARLY-GAME

You wake up in a strange place you don’t know, in a jumpsuit you don’t recal ever wearing, lying in a bed unknown to you without a single memory outside of your name. You have a Gengar looking very intensly at your hair and you hear people chatting outside of your cell, casually talking about killing you. Yikes. Now, as any dungeon master would say: “What do you do?”

Obviously, the correct answer is impersonating a recently sacrificed cultist and esacping like a butthole right after scoring a tinder date, by the front door. Once you meet the village’s equivalent of Krillin, you get in front of three Delta Pokémon and a professor who have a huge bunch of adorable Eevee.
If you get tempted by the edge, you choose the strongest wallbreaker of the bunch, you choose Delta Charmander. While it is adorable yet, inside of you, you know it will be a powerhouse. Oh yeah, that game will be fun. But please, please, get a Timid one, please.

Delta Charmander is, as a starter, your very first own Pokémon and thus, will be accesed at the start of your adventure. I say “own” because the very first is technically Mew. As a Ghost/Dragon type, it will be resistant or immune to almost every typing used against you during your first 13 level, like Tackle, Poison Sting and Thundershock. This makes it a very potent Pokémon for Nuzlocke. Also, being immune to Normal, once you get Confuse Ray, you can defeat Youngster Joey with the Dexnav early and, that way, farm for money and Exp ridiculusly early. This will be extremely important for your Secret base.

Before you get to level 32, you won’t have a special Ghost type STAB, so your strongest attack is Twister, with Shadow Sneak and Confuse Ray being your bread an butter. However, once you ge tto level 32, now the real game is starting. Here is my early-game set:

Charizard-Delta @ Spell Tag
Ability: Spirit Call
EVs: Doesn’t matter yet
Timid Nature
-Shadow Ball
-Incinerate
-Dragon Breath
-Frost Breath

Frost Breath and Incinerate are, unfortunately, the best coverage you can get before Late-Game when you obtain Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Sludge Bomb. Frost Breath is a hidden TM in Vipik City, check behind a three in the north-west of the town and Incinerate is at Roggan Town. Confuse Ray is your bet option until then.

MID-GAME

Good, you get the Mega Stone. Alongside Stunkfisk, Tyranitar and Flygon, your starter is part of the few Mega that you can use right after getting your Mega Ring. There lies your biggest power spike here. The switch from 109 to 159 SpA is huge as you can immagine, plus you can now abuse/counter weather users. Also, the fact that Mega Delta Charizard doesn’t change it’s speed mean it doesn’t have to worry about the Gen 6 Mega speed mechanic. The set doesn’t change much, the Item get replaced by the Mega Stone and the EV spread get defined, but otherwise, it’s just a matter of Dragon Pulse over Dragon Breath. So, battle tips.

Charizard-Delta @ D.Charizardite
Ability: Spirit Call
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Shadow Ball
-Dragon Pulse
-Incinerate
-Frost Breath

Battle tips!

  • At the Utira Librairy, battle Nora. You have a positive matchup against all Pokémon but Mega Flygon, since the AI doesn’t play on the same rules and have it’s Mega speed of 120 right away. Shadow Ball and Incinerate dispatch of all of her Pokémon otherwise. As a backup, you still have Choice Scarf D.Gardevoir, right?
  • Against the Oracle, the only problem is Sucker Punch from Mega Banette. Otherwise, it’s total anihilation.
  • Audrey 1 is a good matchup for you, Noctem can ruin Rain Dance Ludicolo and does massive damage to everything else with Shadow Ball and Dragon Pulse. Her team is too slow to outspeed you outside Swift Swim Ludicolo, the next fastest thing is Lugia who can take a hit thanks to Multiscale (Stealth Rock get rid of that) and might outspeed then OHKO if at max speed timid.
  • Delta Charizard is, as you could imagine, not very good against Harmony without Sludge Bomb. Cinccino outspeed you no matter what and OHKO with a boosted Knock Off, Azumarill abuse your physical bulk, Togekiss might take a hit and parralyse, Sylveon does the same but OHKO with Specs Shadow Ball/Fairy Hyper Voice, you get the picture.
  • Audrey 2 is much more difficult. Primal Kyogre has an amazing special bulk and it’s weather has priority over Noctem, so it can take hits very well and strike back. Also, it’s Alakazam is faster than you and carry a Focus Sash. Luckily, Audrey didn’t bother getting Magic Guard so Stealth Rock / Spikes can get the job done. The rest get smashed however.
  • Anastasia is a mixed bag. Klefki is very annoying with priority Thunder Wave and her other steels, Aegislash and Metagross, carry priorities to get rid of you in the form of Shadow Sneak and Bullet Punch.
LATE-GAME

You’ll get flamethrower in Amphitrite city, Ice Beam is at Deryaan Town and Sludge Bomb is at route 15. There you have it. Those three moves will be your best coverage option untill the end of time. The set doesn’t change much, honestly.

Charizard-Delta @ D.Charizardite
Ability: Spirit Call
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Shadow Ball
-Dragon Pulse / Draco Meteor
-Your choice of coverage
-Your choice of coverage

Draco Meteor is accessible at Dragon ruin after Taen 4th battle. I like Dragon Pulse’s consistency better, but Shadow Ball is mainly what you will be spamming.

  • Taen 2 is a litteral JOKE. Only one Pokémon outspeed you, Pyroar, who can only burn you in the worst case senario. Maybe Zekrom can take a hit (not sure about that), but will still take massive damages. Everything else is shattered by Shadow ball and Dragon Pulse.
  • Zenith can be troublesome with a Focus Sash Blaziken and a specially bulky Volcarona, but the rest fall to Shadow Ball.
  • When you face Percephone, you REALLY get Delta Charizard’s main weakness: opposing New Moon. Being a Ghost type means you are weak to both Ghost and Dark and as such, the main types used by Persephone. Check teh wiki and watch for slower Pokémon who aren’t carrying priority moves, the only ones you will see are Hydreigon, Mega Zoroark and Metagross. for both battles.
  • Her sister, Diana, get ahlf of her team ANIHILATED by Mega Delta Charizard. Scarf Sabeleye (until it uses Trick), Mega Gothitelle and Gengar are the only problems, the rest is out of the picture.
  • During Taen’s double battle at the Dragon Ruin, you might end up with some problems. You speed tie with Salamence, Metagross has Pursuit, Luxray has Crunch and there are Zekrom + Kyurem B. Delta Typhlosion could be a problem, but Nora will use Sticky web, so it will help you out a BUNCH. If you are lucky with Outrage and it hit Nora, you might survive the first turn and get in a ok position, still at risk of Salamence. You NEED you have maxed out your IVs anyway, so good luck witht he Speed tie next.
  • For Calreath, either keep D.Zard in the back, ready to revert the rain to darkness. Use it’s wallbreaking power at your advantage, but try to setup Stealth Rock prior to break Dragonite’s Multiscale. Otherwise, the Weakness Policy will ruin you.
  • Taen 4 really learned from your second battle. Now, it has 3 check to D.Charizard: Mega Zebstrika (though I do not know if ou can take a Dazzling Gleam with new Moon up… If you do, then you are fine), Scarf Delta Darmanitan who become a moonstrous problem for your team and Mewtwo. I highly recommend bringing Priority users, such as Scizor, Lucario or others.
  • Zenith 2 is quite weak to D.Charizard, with Heatran, Excadrill, Chandelure and maybe Primal Groudon depending on its spead (with Draco Meteor, it doesn’t even matter). Mega Blaziken can protect and become faster, but cannot OHKO from full health. Not sure about Volcarona, but you won’t cut it without your weather.
  • Delta Charizard can only beat 2 Pokémon against Persephone 2, Metagross and Hydreigon.
  • Damian will require something else than Delta Charizard, unfortunately. Bring a strong priority with you, it generally work great there against Shaymin-Sky and Deoxys.
  • No points for those who guessed Adam is an hard one.

Nyx
Generally speeking, Delta Charizard isn’t excellent here. Every Pokémon on her team has a way around Ghost/Dragon, with Breloom carrying Mach Punch, Kangaskan and its Fake Out, Greninja with a fast Scald and Garchomp with Fire Blast. I suggest you let your other members do the job, but you still have a good shot at removing Kangaskan after it uses Fake Out.

Elite 4
Mega Delta Charizard could have the potential to mess with the opposition. However, all of them have a way to take it down. However, all of them have specific check to it in some way.

Kyla should be left to your Taunt, not D.Zard.
Eduard has Tyranitar and Aegislash. You can beat Tyranitar only if you Mega Evolve in its face, removing the weather, and using Hidden Power Fighting, which is out of question. Also, as soon as you do a K.O., Eduard just has to send it and use Pursuit to remove the momentum you had. Aegislash has Pursuit and Cacturne had Sucker Punch, no safety here either.
Yuki is a better target as she doesn’t have as many Dark types in her team. Funfact, she is also the only character outside of Perfection cult and Damian who uses Delta Pokémon in Normal mode. However, you still have to deal with Starmie, Mega Cryogonal and Scarf Chandelure.
London has Scizor’s Bullet Punch and… that’s it, really. If you stay out of Trick Room by either Stalling the turns or by using Trick Room right as Reuniclus Mega Evolve, there is nothing stopping you. Well, aside Scizor.

Reukra, if you have Hidden Power Fighting, you could do massive damage against TTar, but then you power up Shadow Mewtwo and D.Volcarona. Yeah, aside from Kyurem and non-boosted D.Hacorus, you won’t be doing great. Leave that for D.Gardevoir and I know I’m being forcefully

Teammates options
Yay, new section! Just speaking of potentially good teammates. I’m not being forceful to you, obviously you play whatever you want. However, I do think those could help you in your teambuilding effort:

  • Choice Scarf D.Gardevoir can carry in a lot of battles Delta Charizard have trouble, like the E4 or Nyx.
  • Stealth Rock users are a nice possible addition to your team as sometimes, the only thing preventing a clean from D.Charizard is a Focus Sash user.
  • On a similar note, Sticky Web can patch its speed issue and threaten a ton of Pokémon that would usually check it. In this regard, Leavany and Shuckle are nice.
  • Fighting types enjoy the Fairy debuff and cover Dark types for D.Charizard.
  • Tyranitar work surprisingly well here. It check a lot of Dark types with its resistance and amazing bulk, appreciate the Fighting immunity and also setup Stealth Rocks. TTar also enable Excadrill who can beat many Pokémon Delta Charizard cannot. This Sand Team core is something I really want to try out.
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Nice! I myself needed an analysed episode like this , as i’m currently using delta zard on my new playthrough.

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These analysed episodes are great as always!

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Mega Delta Zard is sadly slightly weaker than Mega Yard, due to Moon only boosting by 1.3 compared to Sun boosting by 1.5. This seems to be a common trait of Moon, where it boosts similarly to other weathers, it’s significantly less (i.e. Shadow Dance is 1.5 compared to Chlorophyll, which is 2), in exchange for more flexibility in both play and teambuilding, due to the variety of things affected.

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I feel like it’s a good thing because Noctem would be way to strong otherwise. Pokémon like Bisharp or Weavile would be too hard to answer defensively, not like Delta Metagross Ruin allow the concept of defensive play anyway.

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