Introduction
Every young kid who played their copy of Pokemon Red and experienced the feeling of evolving their Charmeleon into an awesome Charizard knows the power of the Fire type. Throughout the various generations of Pokemon, the Fire starter has almost always been a fan favorite (sorry, Emboar). In competitive battling, the Fire type lives up to its status as a popular type and is a major threat that should not be overlooked.
The Fire Type in General
Offensively, the Fire type is very good. Boasting powerful attacks such as Fire Blast, Flamethrower, and Flare Blitz, many Pokemon will be hard-pressed to take repeated assaults from a strong Fire typed attacker. Fire is also notable due to the fact that it hits many good Pokemon for super effective damage. In almost every tier throughout basically every generation, the premier defensive Pokemon have been weak to the Fire type. Fire type coverage moves have thus been very popular on many other types of Pokemon to take advantage of its super effective damage against Grass, Bug, Ice, and Steel types.
Defensively, the Fire type has its ups and downs. It has a whopping six resistances (Bug, Grass, Steel, Ice, Fire, and Fairy) that are all at least somewhat common in competitive play. Common Pokemon throughout every generation have had trouble breaking through Fire types. However, these solid resistances must come at a price. Fire has three weaknesses to Water, Ground, and Rock, all some of the most common offensive types in the game. Specifically, that Rock weakness is horribly crippling by providing Fire types with a Stealth Rock weakness, which means that whenever a Fire typed Pokemon comes in it loses 25% of its health instantly if Stealth Rock is on the field. Additionally, Earthquake is one of the best moves in the game, and being weak to it while having generally poor defenses is never a good thing. The omnipresence of attacks that are strong against the Fire type makes it difficult to use effectively as a defensive type.
The Fire Type in OU
There are four (technically, three) Fire types that you have to be prepared for in the OU metagame. This may seem like a small amount, but these four are top-tier threats that every team has to have an answer for.
You can't talk about Fire types in OU without bringing up the Mega Charizards. As the only Pokemon in OU to get two Mega Evolutions, seeing a Charizard on the opponent's team instantly creates mindgames concerning which Mega Evolution it is using. Both Mega Charizards are incredibly powerful threats that should not be underestimated. Every team needs to have an effective way to handle Charizard, as one minor misplay against it can tip the tables heavily against you.
Mega Charizard Y is the wallbreaker of the bunch, and is basically this generation's Hydreigon: next to no counters, but a large number of checks. Users of Mega Charizard Y have basically no reasons not to spam sun-boosted Fire Blasts off of its amazing 159 Special Attack, as the small number of Pokemon that can switch in on it are quickly defeated by a coverage move. Mega Charizard Y can also go the support route with a Will-O-Wisp set that seeks to switch in on common threats such as Bisharp and Azumarill and cripple them with a burn. Be warned, however, that using Mega Charizard Y essentially means you also have to use a Pursuit user, as otherwise the few existing Mega Charizard Y counters can come in for free and gain momentum and potential Stealth Rock damage on the switch. Your best bets for handling opposing Mega Charizard Y are Latias/Latios and Chansey, as these can take every attack that Mega Charizard Y commonly runs and force it to switch out. However, Mega Charizard Y can handle these with Dragon Pulse and Flare Blitz, respectively. Heatran also works, but they typically run Focus Blast or Earthquake to beat it.
Mega Charizard X, instead of wallbreaking, prefers to either sweep through the opposing team or do the walling itself using its formidable defenses. There are two main Mega Charizard X sets, each with completely different counters, which adds yet another layer to the mindgames that Charizard plays. The most popular sets are the Dragon Dance sweeping sets, which in turn can either be bulky or full offensive. Bulky Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X seeks to use its excellent bulk and great set of resistances to set up and sweep through the opposing team. Access to Roost augments its defensive capabilities and helps it recover Stealth Rock damage. Once it has accrued enough boosts, it runs through the opponent's team with its dual STABs of Flare Blitz and Dragon Claw. Offensive Dragon Dance sets are similar, but they run more offensive EVs and typically use a coverage move (usually Earthquake for Heatran, but Thunder Punch can be run for Azumarill) over Roost. These Mega Charizard X use their terrifying offensive presence to force switches and gain boosts. The other primary set is the tank set, primarily found on defensive and balanced teams. Instead of setting up to sweep the opponent's team, it uses its great defensive typing and good bulk to counter and cripple numerous top-tier threats. Bulkier teams appreciate Tank Mega Charizard X's ability to handle tough Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Bisharp, Aegislash, and Mega Mawile that could otherwise overwhelm said teams. Typically, Tank Mega Charizard X runs Roost, Will-O-Wisp, Dragon Claw, and Earthquake to maximize the amount of the metagame that it can handle. Mega Charizard X is easier to counter than Mega Charizard Y, with Dragon Dance variants being handled by Azumarill, Hippowdon, Heatran (if lacking Earthquake) Slowbro, and other bulky physical walls. The tank set had similar counters, though few of them don't mind a burn, so be careful if it is packing Will-O-Wisp
Though it's considered more of a Flying type than a Fire type, Talonflame is definitely another OU Fire type that has shaped the metagame. Ever noticed how basically every single team has a Flying resist nowadays? Specifically, one that isn't bothered by Fire attacks? Talonflame is why. Though its stats may seem underwhelming (don't get me wrong, they are), they are coupled with one of the best abilities in the game: Gale Wings. Providing +1 priority to all Flying typed moves, Gale Wings causes Talonflame to be quite possibly the best revenge killer in the tier. Talonflame's Brave Bird is the second-strongest priority attack in the game (behind Yveltal's Dark Aura Sucker Punch), meaning that if a team has any sort of frail sweeper not resistant to Flying, they probably have a Talonflame counter to ensure that the bird can't come in and revenge kill it.
The most common Talonflame set is the Choice Band set, which can come in after a teammate has been killed and fire off an insanely powerful priority Brave Bird that ravages most frail offensive Pokemon. Flare Blitz is used as a secondary STAB that hits the Steel-types that are frequently used to take Flying attacks. U-turn is used in the third slot to gain momentum off of the many switches that Talonflame forces and hit Tyranitar, a common Talonflame switch-in, fairly hard. The final slot is filler, but good options include Will-O-Wisp, Roost, Tailwind, and Me First. Though the Choice Band set is powerful, it is also very predictable. As such, some people run Sharp Beak or Life Orb sets so that Talonflame can switch moves and hit answers to Brave Bird with a powerful Flare Blitz. Bulk Up stallbreakers are also interesting options, as they can blow through stall teams with a speedy Taunt and the ability to slowly boost up to the point where Brave Birds can bust even the sturdy physical walls. Swords Dance Talonflames can also be run, but they are generally inferior to other options. Countering Talonflame is thankfully not hard, as it only has a base 81 Attack stat. Anything with reasonable bulk and/or Speed that can take one or two Brave Birds works. Options include Thundurus, Tyranitar, Rotom-Wash, Heatran, Raikou, and Mega Manectric.
Though not as metagame-defining as the previous two entries, Heatran is almost as terrifying as them due to its incredible versatility. There are an incredible number of viable Heatran sets, and in order to develop a plan to eliminate it you first have to know which set you're facing,
Again, there are too many usable Heatran sets to describe each of them in detail, so this section will just go over the basics of each of them. The primary set used is the specially defensive set, which is used on bulkier teams to set up Stealth Rock and check numerous threats in the metagame. Lava Plume's high burn rate and Heatran's great Special Attack make this set difficult to switch into as well, and access to Roar means that specially defensive Heatran also makes a great pivot. SubToxic Heatran seeks to cripple its most popular counters (bulky Waters and Grounds) with Toxic poisoning while stalling out bulky Pokemon in general with Substitute and Protect. SubToxic Heatran is best used on bulky offensive teams whose win conditions appreciate the weakening of bulky Heatran counters. Power Herb offensive sets also seek to lure bulky Waters and Grounds, but are better suited to more offensive teams with its one-use Solar Beam crippling or outright OHKOing common Heatran counters like Rotom-W and Azumarill. Finally, Choice Scarfed Heatran outspeeds everything up to Greninja and serves as a great revenge killer for offensive teams. Almost every single Heatran set has plenty of different options to choose from, making it even harder to handle than it normally would be. Stone Edge snipes Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y, two things that Heatran checks very well. Air Balloon helps protect against one potentially crippling Ground attack. Dragon Pulse can also be used to beat weakened Dragonite and Latios/Latias on the switch. Though it is hard to have a universal counter for Heatran due to its versatility, there are a number of answers to it. For the most part, anything with a strong, STABed Water, Ground, or Fighting attack works well to beat Heatran. Examples include both Landoruses, Keldeo, Gyarados, Garchomp, Conkeldurr, etc.
The Fire Type in UU
UU is the tier of Fire types. There are so many good Fire types in the tier that it would be impossible to discuss them all individually, but for the most part there are two groups of them: physical attackers and special attackers.
Physical Fire attackers basically run the metagame. Every team needs to have a solid, physically bulky Fire resist because of these guys. Victini and Darmanitan basically play the same way, pivoting around with Scarfed/Banded U-turns and nuking things with extremely powerful V-Creates and Flare Blitzes, respectively. Arcanine's typically more defensive than the other two, but is very versatile and has helpful options for offensive sets like Close Combat, Morning Sun, and Extreme Speed. Infernape's simply incredible in UU, with a seemingly endless movepool and the ability to run many different viable sets. Most of the time, however, you'll see Scarfed Infernape or Mixed Infernape.
Specially attacking Fire types are a little less prevalent than their physical counterparts in UU, but are still terrifying threats with a shocking amount of versatility. Mega Houndoom didn't appreciate the drops of Blissey, Infernape, and Goodra at all, but is still a premier special sweeper with a Nasty Plot set that can run through teams late-game. It even has Destiny Bond to take down yet another Pokemon after its sweep has run its course. Rotom-Heat is a powerful counter to many of the top-tier Pokemon, as it is able to run physically defensive sets, specially defensive sets, Choice Scarf, and even Choice Specs viably. Rotom-Heat is a lot like Rotom-Wash in OU in that it isn't overly threatening by itself, but provides invaluable support to other, bigger threats and serves as an answer to many opposing threats. Chandelure isn't nearly as good as it once was in BW UU, but still remains one of the tier's most potent wallbreakers and can easily punch holes in the opponent's team for another sweeper to wipe through late-game. Infernape makes another appearance, because even if its main sets are physical it can easily run just-as-threatening special sets that take advantage of its decent special movepool and access to Nasty Plot.
Notable Fire Type Moves
Physical:
Flare Blitz | Power: 120 | Accuracy: 100 | PP: 15 (24) | Effect: Inflicts 1/3 recoil. 10% chance of burn.
Flare Blitz is the gold standard of physical Fire typed power, being used on basically every physical Fire type that gets it. The recoil is definitely an annoyance, but the raw power it offers is often too much to pass up.
Fire Punch | Power: 75 | Accuracy: 100 | PP: 15 (24) | Effect: 10% chance of burn.
Fire Punch is the poor man's Flare Blitz, and is only ever really used as a coverage move on various physical sweepers. The introduction of Aegislash makes it usable on things like Mega Medicham who would otherwise be walled by it. Generally, though, you won't have to bother with this.
V-Create | Power: 180 | Accuracy: 95 | PP: 5 (8) | Effect: Lowers user's Defense, Special Defense, and Speed by one stage.
Though only two Pokemon in the game get it (Rayquaza and Victini), V-Create is a staple on them because of the ungodly amount of power it provides. In the case of Rayquaza, V-Create is the same power as a STAB Outrage, meaning that when it needs raw power without wanting to be locked into Outrage, it can fire off one of these and hit something just as hard. Down in UU, Victini spams this as much as it possibly can, punching holes in the opponent's team. It's definitely a very scary attack.
Sacred Fire | Power: 100 | Accuracy: 95 | PP: 5 (8) | Effect: 50% chance of burn.
Similar to V-Create, Sacred Fire has only two users, but those two (Ho-Oh and Entei) can definitely make good use of it. Both use it as their primary STAB attack, and is typically the go-to move whenever you don't know what will switch in. Nothing appreciates Sacred Fire's 50% burn rate on the switch-in, and with the same power as Earthquake it packs a punch, too. If this got better distribution it would probably be the best Fire type move, but it didn't.
Special:
Fire Blast | Power: 110 | Accuracy: 85 | PP: 5 (8) | Effect: 10% chance of burn.
The special equivalent of Flare Blitz, but with no recoil and less accuracy. Generally, it's the standard special Fire move, getting excellent damage on anything that doesn't resist it. 85% accuracy is a bit of a gamble, but it's not as bad as some attacks.
Flamethrower | Power: 90 | Accuracy: 100 | PP: 15 (24) | Effect: 10% chance of burn.
The weaker, more accurate version of Fire Blast. With the nerf to its power it's not as useful as it once was, but for those who hate low-accuracy moves or for Pokemon who can't afford a miss, Flamethrower is a usable option.
Lava Plume | Power: 80 | Accuracy: 100 | PP: 15 (24) | Effect: 30% chance of burn.
A Fire typed Scald. A good option on bulkier Fire types, of which there are unfortunately few. Heatran's definitely the best user of it, as it forces a lot of switches to things that do not appreciate a burn. Sadly, most things that get this have better things to be doing.
Overheat | Power: 130 | Accuracy: 90 | PP: 5 (8) | Effect: Lowers user's Special Attack by two stages.
As the Fire typed Draco Meteor, Overheat sees use on hit-and-run attackers. Due to its crippling Special Attack drop, it's rare that you'll see it used more than once in a row. It helps that most of its viable users are hit-and-run by nature (ScarfTran, Mega Manectric, Rotom-H, etc.) which alleviates the pain of the Special Attack drop when used correctly.
Support:
Will-O-Wisp | Power: - | Accuracy: 85 | PP: 15 (24) | Effect: Inflicts burn.
As the only attack that guarantees a burn when it connects, Will-O-Wisp sees a lot of use on support Pokemon whose aim is to cripple physical attackers. Due to burn effectively halving the opponent's Attack stat and the wide availability of this attack, expect to see Will-O-Wisp used often in competitive play.
Conclusion
Though Fire types have only started to dominate the metagame recently, they have done so admirably. Every generation since Generation 4 has seen Fire types as top-tier threats, and the Fire type is only getting better with each generational shift. The best way to witness the power of Fire types is to play a few games of OU or some other tier. Just remember that stopping, dropping, and rolling won't always be enough to save you from them.
