[overview]
**Draft order**: Late Round 2 onwards
**Price range**: 16-17 points
**Overview**: Gouging Fire uses its great Attack and high natural bulk to be a powerful physical wallbreaker and sweeper; the combination of these traits allows it to match up well into many expensive Pokemon. With Dragon Dance, Gouging Fire can easily clean games, while Morning Sun gives it longevity against bulkier teams and lets it fill more of a defensive role. It can also use Burning Bulwark to punish revenge killing attempts. However, Gouging Fire's biggest drawback is its at-best decent Speed, leaving it outsped by many Pokemon prior to setting up and many Choice Scarf Users at +1.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Setup sweeper**: Gouging Fire can set up with Dragon Dance to either tear holes in the opposition or clean late-game with its nearly unresisted STAB combination; these sets should should typically use Booster Energy, as it helps Gouging Fire perform this role better compared to other items.
**Choice Band**: In matchups where Gouging Fire has limited setup opportunities, it can instead use a Choice Band to immediately maximize damage dealt. However, its Speed often leaves it outsped by many of the opponent's threats that could OHKO it or deal enough damage to allow another Pokemon to OHKO it.
**Physically defensive**: While more niche, Gouging Fire can use its high HP and Defense alongside useful utility moves like Burning Bulwark, Dragon Tail, and Morning Sun to switch into powerful physical attackers.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Flare Blitz, Heat Crash, Raging Fury, Flame Charge, Dragon Claw, Outrage, Scale Shot
**Setup moves**: Dragon Dance, Substitute
**Utility moves**: Morning Sun, Burning Bulwark, Dragon Tail, Roar
**Coverage**: Earthquake, Stomping Tantrum, Iron Head, Stone Edge
Niche Moves
========
**Psychic Fangs**: Psychic Fangs can be used to break dual screens.
**Thunder Fang**: Thunder Fang helps in the rain matchup, OHKOing Pelipper at +1 Attack.
Common Items
========
**Booster Energy**: Offensively inclined setup sets will likely use Attack Booster Energy to maximize damage dealt, but Speed Booster Energy can be used instead against more offensive teams to make it tougher to revenge kill Gouging Fire.
**Choice Band**: Choice Band allows Gouging Fire to threaten a significant amount of damage without the need to set up.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Gouging Fire is affected by all entry hazards and is weak to Stealth Rock, so Heavy-Duty Boots can help with its longevity if removing hazards is not feasible.
**Leftovers**: Leftovers helps with Gouging Fire's longevity on more defensive sets, especially in conjuction with Burning Bulwark.
Niche Items
========
**Mental Herb**: Mental Herb allows Gouging Fire to freely set up against most Pokemon that carry Taunt or Encore.
**Resistance Berry**: Gouging Fire can use resistance Berries to survive super effective attacks and either set up on or KO the Pokemon in front of it.
**Weakness Policy**: Gouging Fire has the bulk to live many super effective Dragon-, Ground-, and Rock-type attacks, allowing it to boost its offenses to deadly levels after activating Weakness Policy.
**Loaded Dice**: If running Scale Shot, Loaded Dice can be used to make Scale Shot's damage more consistent.
**Lum Berry**: Lum Berry allows Gouging Fire to absorb a Thunder Wave and ignore confusion from Raging Fury and Outrage.
Tera
========
Gouging Fire is typically not allowed to Terastallize, but if it can, then it should be a Tera Captain on drafts that intend to use it as a setup sweeper. Tera Fairy or Tera Water can be used defensively to get rid of all of its weaknesses, with Tera Fairy giving a Dragon immunity, while Tera Water has few weaknesses and keeps some of its resistances. Offensive Tera types can also be used instead; Tera Ground can be used to boost the power of Earthquake and Stomping Tantrum, while Tera Fire or Tera Dragon can be used to increase the power of Gouging Fire's STAB moves.
Draft Strategy
========
Gouging Fire is an excellent option for teams looking for a great physical wallbreaker and sweeper early on in the draft. It's also valuable thanks to its good defensive profile, notably having access to reliable recovery, phazing, and a resistance to Fire, Electric, and Grass while only being weak to Dragon, Ground, and Rock. Recommended support for Gouging Fire includes:
**Complimentary Round 1 teammate**: Palafin-H can check the Ground-types that Gouging Fire struggles with, and the two together form a potent physically offensive core. Darkrai can threaten and outspeed many of the offensive threats faster than Gouging Fire, and Darkrai can hit hard specially, while Gouging Fire can hit hard physically. Since Gouging Fire typically is not allowed to Terastallize, Latias is also a good partner, since it is a strong Tera Captain, has Levitate, allowing it to switch into Ground-types that Gouging Fire can struggle with, and can hit specially.
**Fast teammates**: Gouging Fire is not very fast prior to setup, allowing it to potentially be OHKOed by faster threats like Latios and Roaring Moon before it can set up or if they have a Choice Scarf. Therefore, fast teammates that can outspeed and threaten them like Weavile and Greninja are appreciated.
**Ground-type resistances**: Gouging Fire struggles to break through bulky Ground-types like Great Tusk and Ursaluna-B, and it can be OHKOed by them, making teammates that resist Ground and threaten Ground-types, such as Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom, preferable.
**Spikes**: Spikes support from the likes of Garchomp and Meowscarada is appreciated, as they help chip the aforementioned bulky Ground-types that Gouging Fire struggles with.
**Entry hazard removal**: Gouging Fire is weak to Stealth Rock and prefers to run other items over Heavy-Duty Boots, so hazard removal from the likes of Great Tusk, Quaquaval, and Iron Treads is appreciated.
Checks and Counters
========
**Bulky Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types like Great Tusk and Ursaluna-B as well as Landorus-T and Gliscor can live a boosted hit from Gouging Fire and threaten significant damage with their Ground-type STAB moves. Water-types like Palafin, Ogerpon-W, and Quaquaval are appreciated, as they can threaten them with their STAB moves, with Quaquaval additionally being able to provide entry hazard removal.
**Fast Dragon- and Ground-types**: Fast Dragon-types like Garchomp, Latios, and Walking Wake and Ground-types like Sandy Shocks and Landorus can outspeed Gouging Fire prior to setting up or if they have a Choice Scarf, threatening an OHKO on it. Fast Ice-types like Weavile and Iron Bundle, which can outspeed and threaten an OHKO on them, are appreciated.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kinetic.552227/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
**Draft order**: Late Round 2 onwards
**Price range**: 16-17 points
**Overview**: Gouging Fire uses its great Attack and high natural bulk to be a powerful physical wallbreaker and sweeper; the combination of these traits allows it to match up well into many expensive Pokemon. With Dragon Dance, Gouging Fire can easily clean games, while Morning Sun gives it longevity against bulkier teams and lets it fill more of a defensive role. It can also use Burning Bulwark to punish revenge killing attempts. However, Gouging Fire's biggest drawback is its at-best decent Speed, leaving it outsped by many Pokemon prior to setting up and many Choice Scarf Users at +1.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Setup sweeper**: Gouging Fire can set up with Dragon Dance to either tear holes in the opposition or clean late-game with its nearly unresisted STAB combination; these sets should should typically use Booster Energy, as it helps Gouging Fire perform this role better compared to other items.
**Choice Band**: In matchups where Gouging Fire has limited setup opportunities, it can instead use a Choice Band to immediately maximize damage dealt. However, its Speed often leaves it outsped by many of the opponent's threats that could OHKO it or deal enough damage to allow another Pokemon to OHKO it.
**Physically defensive**: While more niche, Gouging Fire can use its high HP and Defense alongside useful utility moves like Burning Bulwark, Dragon Tail, and Morning Sun to switch into powerful physical attackers.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Flare Blitz, Heat Crash, Raging Fury, Flame Charge, Dragon Claw, Outrage, Scale Shot
**Setup moves**: Dragon Dance, Substitute
**Utility moves**: Morning Sun, Burning Bulwark, Dragon Tail, Roar
**Coverage**: Earthquake, Stomping Tantrum, Iron Head, Stone Edge
Niche Moves
========
**Psychic Fangs**: Psychic Fangs can be used to break dual screens.
**Thunder Fang**: Thunder Fang helps in the rain matchup, OHKOing Pelipper at +1 Attack.
Common Items
========
**Booster Energy**: Offensively inclined setup sets will likely use Attack Booster Energy to maximize damage dealt, but Speed Booster Energy can be used instead against more offensive teams to make it tougher to revenge kill Gouging Fire.
**Choice Band**: Choice Band allows Gouging Fire to threaten a significant amount of damage without the need to set up.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Gouging Fire is affected by all entry hazards and is weak to Stealth Rock, so Heavy-Duty Boots can help with its longevity if removing hazards is not feasible.
**Leftovers**: Leftovers helps with Gouging Fire's longevity on more defensive sets, especially in conjuction with Burning Bulwark.
Niche Items
========
**Mental Herb**: Mental Herb allows Gouging Fire to freely set up against most Pokemon that carry Taunt or Encore.
**Resistance Berry**: Gouging Fire can use resistance Berries to survive super effective attacks and either set up on or KO the Pokemon in front of it.
**Weakness Policy**: Gouging Fire has the bulk to live many super effective Dragon-, Ground-, and Rock-type attacks, allowing it to boost its offenses to deadly levels after activating Weakness Policy.
**Loaded Dice**: If running Scale Shot, Loaded Dice can be used to make Scale Shot's damage more consistent.
**Lum Berry**: Lum Berry allows Gouging Fire to absorb a Thunder Wave and ignore confusion from Raging Fury and Outrage.
Tera
========
Gouging Fire is typically not allowed to Terastallize, but if it can, then it should be a Tera Captain on drafts that intend to use it as a setup sweeper. Tera Fairy or Tera Water can be used defensively to get rid of all of its weaknesses, with Tera Fairy giving a Dragon immunity, while Tera Water has few weaknesses and keeps some of its resistances. Offensive Tera types can also be used instead; Tera Ground can be used to boost the power of Earthquake and Stomping Tantrum, while Tera Fire or Tera Dragon can be used to increase the power of Gouging Fire's STAB moves.
Draft Strategy
========
Gouging Fire is an excellent option for teams looking for a great physical wallbreaker and sweeper early on in the draft. It's also valuable thanks to its good defensive profile, notably having access to reliable recovery, phazing, and a resistance to Fire, Electric, and Grass while only being weak to Dragon, Ground, and Rock. Recommended support for Gouging Fire includes:
**Complimentary Round 1 teammate**: Palafin-H can check the Ground-types that Gouging Fire struggles with, and the two together form a potent physically offensive core. Darkrai can threaten and outspeed many of the offensive threats faster than Gouging Fire, and Darkrai can hit hard specially, while Gouging Fire can hit hard physically. Since Gouging Fire typically is not allowed to Terastallize, Latias is also a good partner, since it is a strong Tera Captain, has Levitate, allowing it to switch into Ground-types that Gouging Fire can struggle with, and can hit specially.
**Fast teammates**: Gouging Fire is not very fast prior to setup, allowing it to potentially be OHKOed by faster threats like Latios and Roaring Moon before it can set up or if they have a Choice Scarf. Therefore, fast teammates that can outspeed and threaten them like Weavile and Greninja are appreciated.
**Ground-type resistances**: Gouging Fire struggles to break through bulky Ground-types like Great Tusk and Ursaluna-B, and it can be OHKOed by them, making teammates that resist Ground and threaten Ground-types, such as Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom, preferable.
**Spikes**: Spikes support from the likes of Garchomp and Meowscarada is appreciated, as they help chip the aforementioned bulky Ground-types that Gouging Fire struggles with.
**Entry hazard removal**: Gouging Fire is weak to Stealth Rock and prefers to run other items over Heavy-Duty Boots, so hazard removal from the likes of Great Tusk, Quaquaval, and Iron Treads is appreciated.
Checks and Counters
========
**Bulky Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types like Great Tusk and Ursaluna-B as well as Landorus-T and Gliscor can live a boosted hit from Gouging Fire and threaten significant damage with their Ground-type STAB moves. Water-types like Palafin, Ogerpon-W, and Quaquaval are appreciated, as they can threaten them with their STAB moves, with Quaquaval additionally being able to provide entry hazard removal.
**Fast Dragon- and Ground-types**: Fast Dragon-types like Garchomp, Latios, and Walking Wake and Ground-types like Sandy Shocks and Landorus can outspeed Gouging Fire prior to setting up or if they have a Choice Scarf, threatening an OHKO on it. Fast Ice-types like Weavile and Iron Bundle, which can outspeed and threaten an OHKO on them, are appreciated.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kinetic.552227/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Last edited:
