Flambusard / Talonflame

Talonflame

Potential Movesets :
"Swords Dance Talonflame"
Flambusard @ Orbe Vie / Joyau Vol
EVs: 124 HP / 252 Atk / 132 Vit
Nature: Rigide
Talent : Ailes Bourrasques
- Rapace / Acrobatie
- Boutefeu
- Danse-Lames
- Atterrissage / Aile d’Acier / Vent Arrière


Say hello to one of Gen VI's finest sweepers. Talonflame's base 80 Attack looks almost unusable for a late-game cleaner, when placed next to other sweepers such as MegaLucario, Terrakion and Dragonite. However, Talonflame has some great traits as a Pokemon in general, that will help differentiate Talonflame from the others.
Flying Gem is most recommended to be used in conjunction with Acrobatics as the initial strike will deal more damage than using Flying Gem in tandem with Brave Bird. However if one opts for Brave Bird, Life Orb may present itself as an attractive option.
The Ability of choice here is most definitely Gale Wing. Gale Wing has to be Talonflame's saving grace as it gives all of his Flying-Type moves, offensive or supportive, a +1 in priority. Flame Body was simply listed for the event that Gale Wing is not available.
The Natures for Talonflame can go either way. Jolly Nature helps outspeed Pokemon that an Adamant Talonflame could not, specifically Heliolisk. However, if Heliolisk is of no concern, Adamant should most definitely be used as the nature because of the power that it brings.
The EV Spread is quite simple. Max Attack investment is an obvious choice while the 132 Spe investment might need explaining. 132 Speed EVs allow Talonflame to outspeed things that will take more damage from Flare Blitz such as positive nature, max speed invested Jirachi.
This set is monstrous. It's capable of hurting things badly, and once a swords dance or two is up, it's an almost guaranteed gg. This thing is more of a hole puncher for stronger pokemon, though, rather than a main sweeper (unless you get a few SDs in). I feel like this thing is so underrated though. At 71% health, it's bulk let it survive a volt switch from Thundurus-I under a roost, so it has some sort of bulk that shouldn't be overlooked for such a great wallbreaking sweeper. But it's definitely a top tier threat. It deserves to be in OU. It's been killing massively in OU, and doesn't deserve to go any lower.
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I guess I am one of the few using Choice Band Talonflame. This thing can wreck late game while U-Turning away from its counters early game. Most people use Tyranitar and Rotom-W as their Talonflame counter. Tyranitar doesn't like a Choice Band U-Turn at all.

This is my set:
Flambusard @ Bandeau Choix
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Vit
Nature : Rigide
- Rapace
- Boutefeu
- Demi-tour
- Aile d’Acier

Choice Band Brave Bird just wrecks late game. The speed is enough so it can be used as a last ditch check to Mega Pinsir.

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BULK UP TALONFLAME

Talonflame @ Leftovers
Nature: Rigide
Talent : Ailes Bourasques
252 PV / 92 Atk / 164 Vit
- Boutefeu = Flare Blitz
- Rapace = Brave Bird
- Atterrissage = Roost
- Gonflette = Bulk Up

To whoever had this set, just know that I love you. I swapped your attack and HP evs, which is probably the wrong decision to make but I'm rolling with it... extra HP lets me hang in there once I've set up for an absurdly long time.

Rarely if ever do I see people speak in showdown matches; every time I've used bulk up, I always get a comment. Usually along the lines of, "Oh, ****."

It's just an entirely different set than what they're prepared for, seems to be; they're used to Talonflame Choice Band max attack gogogo I guess? I don't know. But the bulk up/defensive investment allows you to weather through a hand full of attackers that I normally wouldn't have been able to, namely surviving priority moves. I'm not the best player, 1600 is pretty run of the mill, especially atm, but I'd say this set is the MVP of my team and it's extremely resilient to revenging. That's why I like it :) It doesn't have the immediate brutal impact of the flying gem/band sets, but it isn't checked by the same things, either.
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Checks and Counters :

Seeing how Talonflame is pretty darn frail anything that can take a direct hit and KO Talonflame back could be considered a counter. However, keep in mind, such Pokemon are scare and few. Checks don't really exist due to the fact that Acrobatics gets priority and also the fact that Talonflame can easily abuse Flare Blitz thanks to its insane base 130 Speed and priority Roost to heal off the recoil. The biggest counter to Talonflame is Stealth Rock and Rain. Stealth Rock hurts Talonflame's longevity especially if it doesn't carry Roost. Pokemon that can survive a move from Talonflame , now find themselves in a much more capable position as Talonflame will only be at half health. Rain, though not as prominent and threatening as Gen V, hurts Flare Blitz and gives certain Steel Type Pokemon a better chance at fighting. But be careful as things such as Ferrothorn and Jirachi will still get banged up pretty hard by an Adamant +2 STAB Flare Blitz.

Talonflame Synergy Analysis :

Talonflame just needs a few things in order to ensure that it will clean late-game. First, get Stealth Rock off the field. Magic Bouncers and Rapid Spinner make great team members for Talonflame. Second, make sure that there are breakers on the team to "soften up" the defensive Pokemon on the other team. As great as I may have painted Talonflame to be, Base 80 Attack is pretty bad in terms of OU stat comparison. It is imperative that Talonflame have the defensive Pokemon on the opposing team weakened by at least 30%~. Finally, the best case scenario for Talonflame would be for it to be under the effects of Drought. Although Rain is no longer permanent, it always helps to make sure Talonflame is feeling damp on a sweep.

Personal Opinion :

Talonflame has to be one of the most interesting birds GameFreak has gifted to us, since Staraptor (#hairstyle). Talonflame definitely has the tools to be a proficient cleaner thanks to its STABs, ability and base Speed. Talonflame's movepool is a bit shallow but he does get some interesting options such as Will-O-Wisp. However Talonflame is a bit too frail to be defensive and the 4x Stealth Rock weakness isn't doing any favors. Lead Sets are possible but again it's a matter of seeing how the metagame unfolds.