“The storm is raging down here, run or I will catch you. Too bad, I’m 110 Base Speed.”
HI guys, girls, cumulonimbus and everything in-between! Now snatching back the player’s vote from next time, he is ready to be analysed. I noticed that everyone seems to love it. Honestly, I can’t blame you. He got cool design, great typing and an ability that could be close to overrated if wasn’t strong as it is currently. We all trained him to fight Diana’s boyfriend then trow him away afterwards.
Shut up we all did.
Be warned, since there is no competitive usage stats avaliable, I do not have any reliable ways to accurately predict the metagame. This analysis is theoretical and does not entirely reflect a Pokémon’s viability.
Typing, Stats, Abilities & Movepool
Electric/Steel
Ability: Supercell (Motor Drive/Lighting Rod (DW) before Mega)
Hp: 78
Atk: 89 (84)
Def: 88 (78)
SpA: 159 (109)
SpD: 110 (85)
Spe: 110 (100)
Supercell is its signature ability, it raise its SpA by 1 stage (1,5x) under rain or New Moon. That is equivalent of a choice specs without move-locking effect. By chance, we aren’t using Gen 5 mechanics and weather isn’t permanent, but its still an extremely powerful ability as New Moon and Rain are the two most prominent weather around.
Electric/Steel is a wonderfull typing. It gives the user 11 resistances for 3 weaknesses. While those weaknesses are very popular (Fighting, Fire and Ground) due to Steel being the best type in the game, it also has key resists in Grass, Steel, Dragon, Flying, Normal and Fairy. Because of this, D.Typhlosion use its bulk better than its regular counterpart.
Movepool-wise, he got nice things! Thunder for rain and Thunderbolt for the rest makes for the electrics while Flash Canon makes the steel STAB. Coverage option includes Energy Ball, Hidden Power, Shadow Ball and Dazzling Gleam. Not that much, but just enough. He got Livewire and Volt Switch for support and he has Magnet Rise to transform his double weakness into an immunity. That, ironically, makes him a good check to Defensive Landorus-T and Hippodown.
Sets Suggestion
Rain Abuser
Delta Typhlosion @ D.Typhlosionite
Ability: Motor Drive / Lighting Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid/Modest Nature
-Thunder
-Flash Canon
-Dark Pulse
-Substitute/Livewire/Volt Switch
This is the most intuitive set. Thunder is used as it gives perfect accuracy when water is falling down the sky. Flash Canon slaps fairy like Clefable, D.Crustle (cake) or Mega Gardevoir. Dark Pulse hits common Ghosts New Moon users. It is preferred over Shadow Ball because of its flinch chance and not having any Pokémon immune to it. Last move is your choice of support moves. Substitute allow to transform Ferrothorn into a Set-up Fodder and makes D.Typhlosion incredibly hard to revenge kill. This is more important that you might think, as Ferrothorn is one of the biggest roadblock for Rain team. Livewire, on the other hand, allow for general annoyance and makes slower Pokémon in your team more dangerous. Volt Switch allow to maintain momentum for your team, as ground types don’t often like going in a rain team, they don’t often come messing with you.
New Moon Abuser
Delta Typhlosion @ D.Typhlosionite
Ability: Motor Drive / Lighting Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid/Modest Nature
-Thunderbolt
-Flash Canon
-Energy Ball
-Magnet Rise/Volt Switch
Thunderbolt and Energy ball, when together, destroy any common Rain Sweeper in OU (given rain isn’t up) and hits any Pokémon from this archetype for at least neutral damage. Magnet rise is there against common ground, Landorus-T, Excadrill outside sand, D.Tangrowth and D.Hydreigon most of the time. Volt Switch is the main momentum grabbing tool.
Other Options
If used on weatherless teams, a mix of these sets is possible, especially if you feel like you are weak to either of these weather. However, there are other Pokémon that can do this job without taking up the Mega Slot, such as Gastrodon for rain and Bisharp for New Moon. Hidden Power Fire is usable in featherless team to bypass steels. Dazzling gleam cover Dark and Fighting, but has little use overall. Leaving it to its teammates is probably a better idea.
Good Teammates
- Weather setter are almost necessary for him, as he suffer to much from its fellow electric outside weather. D.Serperior and Spiritomb are the Drizzle and Noctem user of choice, respectively.
- Water Types are wonderfull teammate as they check ground and fire types that are dangerous for Typhlosion. Good ones includes Kingdra, Air Balloon Delta Dragonite and Greninja for rain teams, Azumarill and Slowbro outside of rain and Keldeo for both.
- Ghost and Psychics are great teammate as they check Fighting types, who are somewhat popular due to New Moon usage. Latios and Spiritomb are notable partner. Latios complete Dragon-Fairy-Steel core as well as providing Defog while Spiritomb setup Noctem.
- Starmie is amoung tis best partner, being able to spin away Molten Stealth Rocks and resisting all of D.Typhlosion’s weakness. In return, D.Typhlosion can cover Ghost with Dark Pulse and opposing water with Thunderbolt.
- Slowbro share the same typing as Starmie, is bulkyer and work better as a pivot but lack hazards removing tools.
- Fairy types check Fighting types very well and appreciate D.Typhlosion immunity to steel and steel resistance. Clefable and Azumarill are notable ones.
Checks and counters
- Bulky Grass types can prove themselves annoying by moment. Assault Vest Tangrowth and Mega Venusaur primarily.
- Ferrothorn walls variant that lack Substitute and unboosted Dark Pulse. It can then PP Stall it with Leech Seed and setup hazards.
- Sandstorm and Hail might not seems problematic at first glance, as the common setters in Hippodown, Tyranitar and Delta Treevenant looses their duel, but they remove Typhlosion’s precious Supercell boost. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a force to be recon with, but now become very easier to pivot around.
- Chansey. Annoying as F*k. We all know why,
- Fast/Bulky Fire types in Heatran, Scarf Rotom Heat and Mega Typhlosion can either tank a hit or outspeed. Then the KO is assured.
Overall
With the proper weather support, Mega Typhlosion is a monstrous Wallbreaker. Up there with Mega Swampert, it is one of the best Weather based Mega Evolution out there. Due to Supercell nature, I don’t recommend using it outside Rain or New Moon teams however.
- Keldeo
- Mega Crawdaunt
- Delta Arcanine
- Latios
- Landorus-T
- Other