Gen 5 Monferno [WIP]

[SergioRules]

[OVERVIEW]
Monferno is one of the best Pokemon in BW PU thanks to its phenomenal STAB move coverage and ability to break through a majority of defensive Pokemon in the tier. Close Combat and Flare Blitz both have huge base powers, Thunder Punch acts as good coverage for Water-types, and an Iron Fist-boosted Mach Punch can help clean up offensive teams late-game, especially when boosted additionally by Swords Dance. Monferno also has decent support options such as Stealth Rock, U-turn, Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, and reliable recovery in Slack Off. Monferno is however somewhat let down by its stats. Its Speed, while decent, still leaves it outpaced by Pokemon like Dodrio and Swanna, its Attack before a Swords Dance is very middling, and its bulk is low enough that it can't usually take even more than one or two neutral hits in a game. Despite these shortcomings, Monferno is still a fierce wall-breaker in the tier and every team has to prepare for it.

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Flare Blitz
move 3: Mach Punch
move 4: U-turn / Thunder Punch
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Monferno relies on its high base power STAB moves to be as threatening as it is. Even without a boost, the combination of Close Combat and Flare Blitz can handle Pokemon such as Scraggy, Stoutland, Shiftry, Torterra, Klang, and Maractus. Mach Punch is used as an anti-offense measure, picking off weakened faster threats. U-turn can be used to take advantage of the switches that Monferno forces and gain favorable momentum, while Thunder Punch can be used as extra coverage to punish Water- and Flying-types like Mantine and Swanna that might expect a relatively easy switch into Monferno's STAB moves.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Flare Blitz / Fire Punch
move 4: Mach Punch / Thunder Punch
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set description goes here.

[SET]
name: Choiced Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Flare Blitz
move 3: Thunder Punch
move 4: U-turn / Mach Punch
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
ability: Blaze
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set description goes here.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[SergioRules, 265399]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]

 

[Akir]

Not a QC check but I wanted to hop in here to say how I personally think this should go, namely that I don't envy having to write this one at all lol

So anyway I think that monkey here is the most versatile thing in the format by a wide margin and the current analysis doesn't fully cover that. If I had a vote, I would say that the sets should be AoA first, then SD, then choiced (scarf and band). But either way, AoA needs a set too and the focus should be more on the jack-of-all-trades aspect