Crazy that I get what I wanted out of Reshiram 14 years later...
[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Heat Crash / Flare Blitz
move 3: Scale Shot / Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 4: Earthquake / Substitute / Morning Sun
item: Loaded Dice / Booster Energy
ability: Protosynthesis
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
tera type: Fairy / Fire / Water
[SET COMMENTS]
* With nearly unresisted coverage and reasonable bulk, Gouging Fire is a fearsome Speed boosting sweeper!
* **Heat Crash VS. Flare Blitz**: Heat Crash hits plenty of targets for high power thanks to Gouging Fire's high weight without compromising its bulk like Flare Blitz. However, beware that some heavy targets that sometimes use Tera Fairy like Ting-Lu, Ursaluna-B, and opposing Gouging Fire will take very little from Heat Crash compared to Flare Blitz.
* **Scale Shot and Loaded Dice**: Scale Shot with Loaded Dice not only gives Gouging Fire an alternate way to boost its Speed but also provides it with a way to bust through Focus Sash Pokemon after a boost, such as Chien-Pao.
* **Outrage VS. Dragon Claw**: Outrage is preferred for maximum late-game sweeping potential, but Dragon Claw is a safer option if you don't always bring good Fairy-type checks like Scizor.
* **Earthquake**: Earthquake is a good response to bulky Fire-types like Incineroar and the rare Heatran, and it is the strongest attack against Toxapex.
* **Substitute**: Substitute lets Gouging Fire block Yawn from troublesome foes like Swampert and Torkoal and not worry about Thunder Wave from slow, bulky foes like Gholdengo and Porygon2.
* **Booster Energy**: If not using Scale Shot, Booster Energy's power or Speed boost is the most useful for late-game sweeping without compromising Gouging Fire's good bulk like Life Orb would.
Tera Types
========
* **Tera Dependency - Medium**: Gouging Fire's typing is fine defensively, but the high profile weaknesses to Ground and Dragon mean Terastallizing gives it far more versatile setup opportunities.
* **Fairy**: Tera Fairy turns the tables on fearsome Dragon-type attacks from the likes of Latios and Dragonite and is a good defensive typing in general.
* **Fire**: Tera Fire gives Gouging Fire plenty of extra power and a useful Fairy resistance against Flutter Mane, even if the irritating Earthquake weakness remains.
* **Water**: Tera Water is a godsend against Urshifu-R's Surging Strikes and gives a setup opportunity against Chien-Pao's Icicle Crash as well.
* **Grass**: Although it's awkward against several targets like Tera Flying Landorus-T and opposing Gouging Fire, Tera Grass's Earthquake resistance and Spore immunity give it a niche.
Alternate EV Spreads
========
* **84 HP / 164 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe with Jolly**: With this spread, Gouging Fire gets a Speed boost with Protosynthesis, letting it become a competent revenge killer with Booster Energy or have an extra use on sun teams. The defensive investment allows Gouging Fire to survive Tera-boosted Adamant Chien-Pao's Choice Band Crunch
[SET]
name: Choiced
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dragon Claw / Breaking Swipe
move 4: Raging Fury / Heat Crash / Earthquake
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
tera type: Fire / Fairy
ability: Protosynthesis
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Gouging Fire's deadly STAB combination makes it a great user of Choice items and gives it an especially strong role on sun teams as a cleaner and revenge killer!
* **Raging Fury VS. Heat Crash**: Gouging Fire's bulk is commendable enough that in a late-game stage, locking it into Raging Fury may make it less vulnerable to revenge kills than Flare Blitz's recoil. Heat Crash fulfills a similar purpose, though heavy threats like Ting-Lu and Ursaluna-B will take very little from it.
* **Dragon Claw VS. Breaking Swipe**: Dragon Claw is the most powerful option for a no-drawback Dragon-type STAB move, but Breaking Swipe's Attack drop can open up some support opportunities for Gouging Fire's teammates.
* **Earthquake**: Earthquake hits Incineroar and bulky Tera Fire users like Scizor hard, though it can be a risky move to choose with the large number of Ground-immune foes in the metagame.
* **Torkoal**: If using this set on a sun team, Torkoal is among the best options for setting up sun for Gouging Fire thanks to its access to Stealth Rock and Yawn, which can soften up foes for a sweep.
* **Choice Scarf Vs. Choice Band**: Choice Scarf functions the best outside of sun teams and is able to outspeed major threats like Chien-Pao and Iron Bundle. Choice Band is harder to clean with outside of sun teams, and it can use a specialized EV spread to get a Speed boost in sun.
Other Options
========
* **Double Kick**: If using Choice Scarf, Double Kick can be used to OHKO Chien-Pao through its Focus Sash in a surprise revenge kill. It's too weak to be used for much else though.
Tera Types
========
* **Tera Dependency - Low**: Since Gouging Fire is focused on cleaning and revenge killing, defensive Terastallization isn't usually an important factor for it.
* **Fire**: Tera Fire makes Gouging Fire even more difficult to wall, especially in late-game scenarios. It also gives Gouging Fire a handy Fairy resistance.
* **Fairy**: Tera Fairy can turn the tables on other Dragon-types, making it by far the most useful defensive Tera type for this set.
Alternate EV Spreads
========
* **84 HP / 164 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe with Jolly**: This spread gives Gouging Fire a Speed boost with Protosynthesis, allowing potentially easier cleaning with Choice Band sets in sun. The bulk investment allows Gouging Fire to survive Choice Band Tera-boosted Crunch from Adamant Choice Band Chien-Pao.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theorymon.29010/
Quality checked by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/derpysux.528485/
Grammar checked by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
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