Talonflame

Talonflame, The Scorching Pokémon. Talonflame mainly preys upon other bird Pokémon. To intimidate opponents, it sends embers spewing from gaps between its feathers. Talonflame dives toward prey at speeds of up to 310 mph and assaults them with powerful kicks, giving the prey no chance to escape.

Overview

Talonflame has fallen far from its glory days in XY. What used to be a terror, throwing out priority Base 120 STAB moves and priority healing to keep itself in the fight is now a fragile shadow of its former self, with any damage breaking Talonflame’s key niche. The generational shift hasn’t been too unkind to Talonflame, as Heavy Duty boots is a huge boon to anything 4x weak to Stealth Rock, but Talonflame remains outclassed by many other Pokémon who can perform its roles while also providing actual defensive utility.
Positives
A massive Base 127 Speed makes Talonflame difficult to outspeed even when discounting Gale Wings
Gale Wings gives Talonflame priority Offense and Support which makes Talonflame impossible to outspeed

Negatives
Poor defenses and common weaknesses, alongside commonly running recoil moves means that Talonflame is relatively easy to knock out.
Gale Wings requires Talonflame to be at full health to function. Any chip damage breaks it and can be nulled by Psychic Terrain
Talonflame is outclassed regardless of its role. Mandibuzz and Corviknight make better defoggers. Dragapult is better at spreading Will-o-Wisp. Gyarados and Hawlucha are far better abusers of Max Airstream.

Movesets

Crash and Burn

-Brave Bird
-Flare Blitz
-U-Turn
-Defog/Roost
Item Attached: Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Gale Wings/Flame Body
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Speed
Adamant Nature

Brave Bird and Flare Blitz are the bread and butter of this set. As a STAB combination, they are quite fearsome, hitting many Pokémon decently and with Talonflame’s high speed can easily grab a revenge KO or damage a switch in. U-Turn allows Talonflame to quickly pivot out, easing prediction by catching switches and swapping out to the appropriate counter. Defog works great with Heavy Duty Boots and Gale Wings, as it enables Talonflame to clear hazards at no risk to itself, and is very hard to disrupt when Gale Wings is active. Roost reenables Gale Wings and reduces the chance that Talonflame will KO itself via Recoil.

DYNAMAX:
This Talonflame should use Dynamax in the late game, if at all. If using a Gale Wings set and Talonflame is not chipped, you could have the possibility of 3 turns of Priority Base 210 Power Max Airstream and the setup from Max Flare can be abused with the right teammates. However, Talonflame cannot pivot or Defog while Dynamaxed, so the loss of support is why Dynamaxing with this set is regulated to the late game, provided Talonflame is still in pristine condition.

EVs and Items:
EVs are to maximize offense and speed, with the Adamant Nature nabbing a few extra OHKOs that cannot be caught with Jolly. Heavy Duty Boots is near mandatory on Talonflame, who otherwise cannot pivot at all due to being shredded apart by Stealth Rocks

Partners:
Clefable: A slow Cleric pivot that can heal Talonflame back up safely and reliably:
Swampert: Easily dispatches Rock and Electric types that give Talonflame trouble, can safely pivot with Flip Turn and setup Stealth Rocks for chip damage in nabbing those KOs. Talonflame in turn scares any Grass types that may come in.:
Rillaboom: Takes care of Rock and Grass types that wall Talonflame. Another slow pivot with U-Turn as well.:
Hydreigon: Makes a good pivot target for Talonflame, sharing no weaknesses and can act as a secondary Defogger in case Talonflame gets hit with Knock Off. :
Talonflame takes apart Urshifu and Hawlucha in turn.

Countering Talonflame

It is difficult to directly counter a pivot set as Talonflame will often U-Turn out before the target has a chance to attack. However, there are some standout options. Zeraora, Regieleki and Dragapult all naturally outspeed Talonflame and can threaten the OHKO, forcing it to make a switch or be KOd. Baiting Talonflame out with a surprise Choice Scarf set can easily nab a KO if the Talonflame user is not expecting it. Rock types make safe switch ins for Talonflame, having excellent defense, resists both of Talonflame’s STABs and easily nabbing the OHKO with their own. Tyrannitar’s Sand Stream chips Talonflame, breaking Gale Wings and running down the clock even faster.

Locations in Games

Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game

Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game

Colosseum/XD:
Not in game

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Not in game

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Not in game

Black/White:
Not in game

Black 2/White 2:
Not in game

X/Y:
Evolve Fletchinder

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Trade from X & Y

Sun/Moon:
Evolve Fletchinder

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Evolve Fletchinder

Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game

Sword/Shield:
Soothing Wetlands, Loop Lagoon, Training Lowlands
Max Raid Battles: Fields of Honor, Challenge Beach, Challenge Road, Loop Lagoon, Potbottom Desert, Workout Sea, Stepping-Stone Sea

Anime Appearences

Talonflame has made several appearances, most notably was Ash's use of one in his Kalos travels.

# -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics
839 Battles in the Sky A Sky Battle?! Hawlucha VS Talonflame!! Pics
889 A Legendary Photo Op! Moltres in Focus! Snap the Legend!! Pics
890 The Tiny Caretaker! Bonnie Will Take Care of You! The Pampered Tyrunt!! Pics
892 The Frocking Find in the Flowers Eevee is Shy with Strangers! The Catcher in the Flowers!! Pics
896 All Eyes on the Future! Double Battle at the Anistar Gym! Olympia's Future Sight!! Pics
897 From A to Z! The Explosive Birth of Z! That Which Lies Hidden in Kalos!! Pics
898 Love Strikes! Eevee, Yikes Hot-blooded Quilladin! Squishy is Being Targeted!! Pics
907 A Windswept Encounter Noibat and Floette! An Encounter in the Wind!! Pics
912 Master Class Choices! The Master Class Trial! What Will You Do, Serena!? Pics
913 An Electrifying Rage! Zapdos and Noivern! A Furious Strike of Lightning!! Pics
919 The Synchronicity Test! Ash and Alain! Greninja VS Mega Charizard Once Again!! Pics
923 All Hail the Ice Battlefield! Snowbelle Gym Match! A Battlefield of Ice!! Pics
924 Seeing the Forest for the Trees! The Winding Woods...The Dawn of Evolution! Pics
925 A Real Icebreaker! Ash-Greninja VS Mega Abomasnow! The Giant Water Shuriken Triggers!! Pics
926 A Diamond in the Rough! Find Carbink! Goodra and Dedenne!! Pics
929 Valuable Experience for All! Mega Sceptile VS Raichu! I Received Some EXP!! Pics
M19 Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel Volcanion & The Ingenious Magearna Pics
930 Analysis Versus Passion! Semifinal Full Battle! Ash VS Sawyer!! Pics
931 A Riveting Rivalry! Fierce Rival Battle! Ash-Greninja VS Mega Sceptile Pics
932 Kalos League Passion With a Certain Flare! Fierce Fighting at the Kalos League! Gather, All of My Passion!! Pics
933 Finals Not for the Faint-Hearted! The Finals! Ash VS Alain!! Pics
934 Down to the Fiery Finish Kalos League Victory! Ash's Ultimate Match!! Pics
935 A Towering Takeover! Team Flare Attacks! The Zygarde at the Prism Tower!! Pics
936 Coming Apart at the Dreams! The Shocking Zygarde VS Zygarde! The Breaking World!! Pics
937 The Right Hero for the Right Job! Attack on Lumiose Gym! The Clembot Forever!! Pics
940 Battling With a Clean Slate! We Start at Zero! Clemont's Decision!! Pics
941 The First Day of the Rest of Your Life! One Last Battle with Ash! Serena's Choice!! Pics
942 Facing the Needs of the Many Farewell, Ash-Greninja! Xerosic Strikes Back!! Pics
943 Till We Compete Again A Zero With No End! Till the Day We Meet Again!! Pics
XYZS1 To be confirmed The Legend of XYZ Pics
1072 Battle Royal 151 Brawl! Battle Royal 151!! Pics
1135 Getting More Than You Battled For! Battling & Getting! Mewtwo Comes Back Pics
1157 Advice for Goh! Rivals for Goh?! The Road to Mew!! Pics
1185 Lighting the Way Home! Reach Space! Ampharos' Light Pics
1203 Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit! Fire Training Battle! Ash VS Paul!! Pics
1207 Battling as Hard as Stone! Ash Heads Into Battle! VS Steven!! Pics
1212 Bewitch, Battle, and Bewilder! The Semifinals II: Dazzle Pics
1213 Valor: A Strategic Part of Battling! The Semifinals III: Valor Pics
1214 Whittle While You Work! The Semifinals IV: Impact Pics
1221 Partners in Time! The Finals IV: Partner Pics
1224 Heroes Unite! Pokémon! I Am Glad I Got To Meet You Pics
1229 Kindness Right on the Tic! Beartic's Sigh! Pics
1235 Ash and Latios Ash & Latios Pics
1236 The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master! Pics