[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast / Stone Edge / Dragon Claw
item: Life Orb
nature: Naughty / Naive
evs: 232 Atk / 24 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The Dragon Dance set is one of Salamence's most dangerous, and is incredibly effective at sweeping towards the end of a match or breaking the mid-game wide open. Salamence is reasonably sturdy and sports a number of key resistances, including immunity to Ground-type attacks, so it should have no problem finding an opportunity to use Dragon Dance. STAB Outrage is extremely powerful and thus a fairly obvious choice; after a single Dragon Dance and with Life Orb, it is capable of at worst 2HKOing almost every Pokemon available in the OU tier, including the Steel-types that resist it. Earthquake complements Outrage well, covering most of the Steel-types such as Heatran and Metagross that resist Dragon; it also provides a good attacking option when Salamence isn't ready to use Outrage, such as during the beginning of a game. Fire Blast handles the very defensive Steel-types that Earthquake doesn't affect significantly, such as Skarmory and Forretress, and OHKOs Scizor; Stone Edge doesn't do nearly as much against Skarmory, but will OHKO the standard physically defensive Zapdos and offensive Gyarados (taking Intimidate into account) [It sounded a little awkward] guaranteed after a Dragon Dance. Dragon Claw is a perfectly usable option over Fire Blast if you prefer to not lock yourself into Outrage, but you must couple this with Magnezone support if you opt for it.</p>
<p>The nature and EVs given are for use with Fire Blast. The small Special Attack investment allows Salamence, with its respectable base 110 Special Attack, to always OHKO a full health maximum HP, minimum Special Defense Impish Skarmory. If one elects to use Stone Edge or Dragon Claw, a 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe spread with Adamant or Jolly nature will suffice. The choice between the Attack-boosting and the Speed-boosting nature depends partially on personal preference. The Attack-boosting nature is recommended if the set contains Stone Edge so Salamence can OHKO physically defensive Zapdos after a Dragon Dance, but the Speed-boosting nature often proves helpful with Fire Blast. While it may seem that Salamence would have more than enough Speed to sweep effectively after a Dragon Dance, a Speed-boosting nature prevents the possibility that Pokemon like Modest Choice Scarf Gengar, Timid Choice Scarf Roserade, and Jolly Choice Scarf Lucario might stand in its way. Additionally, a Speed-boosting nature ensures that Salamence ties with Zapdos, Jirachi, Celebi, and even other Salamence at worst.</p>
<p>Life Orb is the preferred item because its 30% power boost offers Salamence the opportunity to OHKO many Pokemon it otherwise wouldn't be able to, such as Zapdos and Gyarados. However, it offers no defensive properties, and even detracts from Salamence's HP every time it attacks; as such, Yache Berry and Lum Berry are options for more conservative players. Yache Berry will let Salamence survive most unSTABed Ice attacks, but unlike its Swords Dancing Dragon counterpart Garchomp, Salamence has Dragon Dance, whose Speed-boosting effect lessens the danger from faster Pokemon with Ice attacks; however, Yache Berry is still helpful against Ice Shard users like Mamoswine, bulky Water-types that won't be OHKOed by Outrage, and extremely fast Pokemon that will outrun Salamence even after a Dragon Dance. Lum Berry is another useful defensive item that will heal Salamence if it inadvertently is paralyzed, burned, or put to sleep.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Hydro Pump
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 80 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Salamence boasts extraordinary offensive prowess on both ends of the attacking spectrum but Speed that sometimes falls short of what is necessary, so a mixed Choice Scarf set is natural. Such a Salamence is well-suited for sweeping late-game, when most opposing Pokemon are weakened; Outrage is perfectly tailored for cleaning up, and Earthquake and Fire Blast ensure that no Pokemon is capable of resisting Salamence's attacks. Hydro Pump rounds out this set nicely considering it easily 2HKOs Hippowdon, Donphan, and Gliscor, Pokemon that would otherwise give this set problems. Draco Meteor is usable over another move, likely Hydro Pump.</p>
<p>Fortuitously, maximizing Salamence's Attack gives it just enough power to 2HKO all Vaporeon after integrating Stealth Rock damage and Leftovers recovery. The 176 Speed EVs result in 280 actual Speed, outrunning all base 90 Speed Pokemon not possessing a Speed-boosting nature, and Timid Heatran along the way. The remainder is invested in Special Attack to provide a boost to Fire Blast and Hydro Pump, though it doesn't convert any significant 3HKOs into 2HKOs or 2HKOs into OHKOs.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Bulky - I'm going to delete your post if you comment on the EVs of this right now. WAIT UNTIL I FINISH
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Roost
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 236 HP / 64 Atk / 112 SpD / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>WIP, ignore the comments below, they are there for my reference.</p>
<p>Salamence's spectacular offenses often mask its more than decent defensive abilities, which this specially bulky set attempts to take advantage of. As this is a more defensive set than the previous ones, and because this set pivots on being able to Roost after a single attack, Dragon Claw outright replaces Outrage here. Earthquake remains a useful complement to the STAB Dragon attack. Dragon Dance and Roost feed into the fact that this set is not entirely defensive, but rather takes advantage of some unexpected defensive power to score unusually placed boosts and eventually sweep while Roost maintains Salamence's health.</p>
<p>The EVs ensure that this Salamence will survive an unSTABed Hidden Power Ice from 359 Special Attack, such as from Timid Choice Scarf Gengar, or Ice Beam from 266 Special Attack with at least 10% health left, enough to launch a reprisal and not faint through Life Orb's recoil. As most Water-types don't possess that much Special Attack, Salamence can often beat them with a combination of Roost, Dragon Dance, and Dragon Claw. 92 Speed EVs returns 259, sufficient to outrun Timid Shaymin-S and Modest Choice Scarf Heatran after a single Dragon Dance, effectively putting the latter into a checkmate position. Modest Heatran is incapable of outrunning this Salamence and thus would be OHKOed by Earthquake, but Timid Heatran's maximum Special Attack is 359 would not be able to deal more than 90% to Salamence. 259 Speed is also enough to outrun Jolly Weavile after a Dragon Dance, but it is recommended to check for Ice Shard before attacking it.</p>
<p>An alternative spread for this set, to make it fully special defensive, is to use a Careful nature with Leftovers and an EV spread of 252 HP / 164 SpD / 92 Spe. Leftovers' health recovery gives this Salamence much more surviviability, at least nullifying the detrimental effects of possible sandstorm or hail, letting this Salamence switch in more often.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Bulky
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Roost
item: Leftovers / Lum Berry
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although this set's moves are identical to those of the Specially Bulky set, the EV spread causes it to be played very differently. Salamence is surprisingly durable on the physical end, augmented by Intimidate's Attack-reducing effect. The attacks serve the same purpose as those in the previous set, though Outrage becomes an option again since the ability to Roost immediately after a single attack is no longer critical. Lum Berry is a very good item to consider if you opt for Outrage and just to avoid status attacks in general. The EVs ensure that after Intimidate, a Choice Scarf Heracross does no more than 46% with Stone Edge, guaranteeing Salamence's survival even with a critical hit; Lucario's Life Orb and Swords Dance boosted Extremespeed will also never 2HKO. The EVs also attain 280 Speed, which is important to outrun Adamant Lucario so Salamence won't be OHKOed by Ice Punch; on the way, 280 Speed also outruns Timid Choice Scarf Heatran and Adamant Choice Scarf Heracross. [Not many people opt for Jolly ScarfCross, so you could get rid of Adamant in that sentence. Skymin is also banned at the moment.] Unfortunately, this Salamence is incapable of dealing with Bronzong, Skarmory, and Scizor, one of the greatest physical threats around, unless it uses Flamethrower or Fire Blast, forcing it to split its EVs. Thus, Magnezone support is highly recommended when using this set.</p>
<p>This set can be made more offensive with an Adamant nature and Life Orb, though that significantly cuts down on its durability.</p>
[SET]
name: MixMence V1
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Brick Break
move 4: Roost / Crunch
item: Life Orb
nature: Rash
evs: 80 Atk / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Salamence's powerful mixed set is capable of cracking a stall wide
open, as it is capable of hitting any Pokemon in the entire game very hard. Draco Meteor's 140 base power provides a wealth of immediate strength and Fire Blast hits Steel-types like Jirachi, Skarmory, and Metagross. Flamethrower is a more reliable but significantly less powerful option in Fire Blast's stead; usually, the power drop isn't worth the raised accuracy Brick Break strikes most Pokemon that can take the special attacks potently, Pokemon like Blissey, Empoleon, and Heatran, 2HKOing all three with Stealth Rock down, and OHKOs Tyranitar. Roost is the more commonly used option in the fourth slot, canceling out Life Orb's recoil to an extent and helping against other residual damage; however, Crunch is available to hit Cresselia and Dusknoir after they suffer a Draco Meteor.</p>
<p>Rash nature and Life Orb ensure that MixMence hits as hard as possible; it needs the boosts to pick up the 2HKOs and OHKOs that it absolutely needs to get. 176 Speed EVs returns 280, like the EV spread of many other Salamence sets, outrunning Adamant Lucario. One can, however, experiment with different Attack and Special Attack weightings, depending on one's team and personal experience or preference.</p>
[SET]
name: MixMence V2 (I'll get a better name in a bit) [The best new name: Mildly Outrageous!]
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Outrage / Roost
item: Life Orb
nature: Mild
evs: 84 Atk / 216 SpA / 208 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>A variation on the standard MixMence, this time making use of Salamence's balanced offensive stats and ridiculously high-powered STAB moves in Draco Meteor and Outrage. Earthquake and Fire Blast are obvious choices to combat Steel-types that resist your Dragon attacks. Roost is an alternative over Outrage to recover Stealth Rock and Life Orb damage but should be considered a lesser option.</p>
<p>The EVs are specifically designed to combat a few of Salamence's most common switch-ins. The given EVs allow Salamence to KO 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Cresselia on average with Stealth Rock damage by a combination of Draco Meteor on the switch-in and then two repeated Outrages. The Attack EVs also guarantee that Outrage 2HKOs Bold 252 Def / 252 HP Blissey after laying down Stealth Rock [Otherwise, it’s a ~60% chance of OHKO]. 208 Speed EVs assure that Salamence outruns all Gyarados prior to a Dragon Dance. Mild is chosen over Rash so that Cresselia's or Blissey's weaker Ice Beams do not KO.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Aqua Tail
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Earthquake / Stone Edge / Dragon Claw
item: Choice Band
nature: Naive / Naughty
evs: 248 Atk / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Salamence makes fantastic use of Choice Band due to its impressive stats and accommodating move pool. It is also very effective because most opponents will be anticipating the [got rid of a “the”] more common Dragon Dance or Mixed sets and they will not be ready for an immediate attack. [People are expecting a physical attacker, so it’s less of a surprise than say the Specs set.]</p>
<p>Outrage is expected for the high base power and STAB while Aqua Tail complements this surprisingly well. Aqua Tail is useful against Hippowdon and Gliscor, both of whom are 2HKOed the majority of the time with Stealth Rock damage. Aqua Tail is also a safety option against Heatran, Magnezone, and Metagross if you fear locking yourself into Earthquake.[How so? I am confused.] Fire Blast is for the obvious Skarmory and is your best option against Celebi without having to lock yourself into Outrage. Earthquake is standard fare and an all around excellent offensive move, it is specifically helpful for Steel-types and is your best option against Tyranitar. Stone Edge is also a decent option to consider in the final slot for Zapdos, who is OHKOed 74.36% of the time with Stealth Rock damage, and also provides a way to kill opposing Salamence and Gyarados without locking yourself into Outrage. [maybe you could find a different way of saying “locked into Outrage”] Dragon Claw is also a decent move to consider, in particular when coupling Salamence with Magnezone support, as a secondary STAB if you worry about locking yourself into Outrage. If coverage against bulky Ground-types is of little concern any of the options in the fourth slot are acceptable alternatives to Aqua Tail.</p>
<p>A Naive nature is used to get the jump on neutral-natured base 100 Speed Pokemon and positive Speed natured base 90s while not weakening the power of Fire Blast; although Naughty is still a viable option to increase Salamence's Attack to guarantee 2HKOes on bulkier Pokemon such as Hippowdon. Alternatively, you can run a nature that does not effect your Defenses and simply opt for Fire Fang. Maximum Attack and Speed should be rather obvious while the small investment in Special Attack guarantees Salamence 2HKOes 252 HP / 0 SpD Bold Celebi with Fire Blast after Stealth Rock damage.</p>
[SET]
name: SpecsMence [This should stay the name of this set, IMO]
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dragon Pulse
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Hydro Pump
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Choice Specs Salamence's decrease in usage comes a rise in the surprise factor. [I personally don’t think usage should be mentioned, but hey.]Choice Specs boosted Draco Meteor is the most powerful single attack that Salamence can use in one turn without prior setup. While it is normally unwise to use two offensive attacks of the same type in a single moveset, there are some exceptions, such as here; Dragon Pulse is best used for late-game sweeping, whereas Draco Meteor makes an enormous impact earlier. Flamethrower complements the Dragon-type attacks well, and Hydro Pump picks off the rest, including Pokemon like Heatran, Bastiodon, and Probopass. Hydro Pump is also an incredibly useful coverage move in situations where your prediction may be less than perfect.</p>
<p>Choice Specs Salamence's usage has dropped dramatically from levels during the primordial metagame because it has absolutely no way of bypassing Blissey </p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Roost
move 2: Wish / Toxic
move 3: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This particular Salamence is suited to take hits from Heracross, Lucario, and various other Fighting-types. Salamence also makes a great switch-in to Scizor, especially if it lacks Iron Head. With Intimidate bolstering Salamence's Defense, it is able to switch into a variety of physical attacks. A Swords Dance Life Orb Lucario's Close Combat can only manage 46-54% after Intimidate. [Slightly restructured.] Crunch and Extremespeed will both do less damage. After an Intimidate, not even Ice Punch will be able to OHKO this Salamence and with the given EVs, Salamence will also always outrun Adamant Lucario.</p>
<p>Roost gives Salamence an instant 50% recovery move while removing one of its weaknesses and reducing another. Wish allows Salamence to support the team while offering a secondary form of healing for itself. Toxic is a plausible option that allows Salamence to wear down defensive threats. Draco Meteor is Salamence's most powerful attack, allowing it to hit hard even without Special Attack investment. Flamethrower offers great coverage when paired with Draco Meteor and allows Salamence to 2HKO Skarmory and OHKO both Forretress and Scizor. Earthquake is another option on the set that could be used in order to more easily take on Heatran. Even with a Bold nature and 0 Attack EVs, Salamence still has a 92.3% chance to OHKO a 4 HP / 0 Def Heatran.</p>
<p>The EVs allow Salamence maximum physical durability while still retaining the ability to outrun Adamant Lucario.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Yache Berry (Ice-resist) is a viable option on the Dragon Dancer, but Dragonite makes better use of it with his superior defenses. You can run Aerial Ace if you really hate Heracross or Breeloom, but its type coverage is poor besides that. The 100 base power Dragon Rush may be appetizing, but its 75% accuracy sure isn't. Rock Slide is available to any set where Stone Edge is usable but the low base power makes it undesirable. Any set can run Choice Scarf as a surprise but generally the given Choice Scarf set is your best option.[This sentence does not make sense to me at all.]</p>
<p>Hidden Power Ground is a viable option over Hydro Pump on the Choice Specs set, given its ability to guarantee an OHKO on Heatran regardless of its HP investment and its super effectiveness against Empoleon. However, it has very little utility and Hydro Pump is almost always better. It's often unwise to have a Pokemon locked into a Ground-type attack, though, since many of the most dangerous threats in the game, including Gengar, Gyarados, and Salamence itself are immune to the type. The only reason to even consider it over Hydro Pump is because of its superior accuracy.</p>
[Paragraph from Opinion is here]<p>Pairing Salamence with a Rapid Spinner to keep Stealth Rock off the field will prolong Salamence's lifespan. Getting your hands on a Wish Jirachi will greatly benefit you, as Salamence and Jirachi cover each other's weaknesses perfectly. Salamence is weak to Ice, Rock and Dragon attacks, all of which Jirachi resists, and Jirachi is weak to Ground and Fire and takes neutral damage from Fighting and Bug, all of which Salamence resists or is immune to.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Due to Salamence's stat distribution and Intimidate he can really be EVed to accomplish just about anything. For the more complicated spreads, you'll want to use what was recommended prior to accomplish the specific goals listed. Generally speaking, you'll want to either pump Salamence's offenses or play up its defenses to capitalize on Intimidate. You should generally aim for either 270 Speed or 299 Speed, with either Attack or Special Attack at 252 EVs and the rest in Salamence's respectable 95 base HP. The 328 Speed a Jolly or Naive nature offers will probably still not be fast enough to offset the drop in power in the long run.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Salamence is arguably one of the biggest threats in DPPsince it can hit very hard from both ends of the damage spectrum without needing to set up. There is literally no one counter to Salamence until you know its moveset, and even then it can be a challenge to take. Its versatility makes it a fantastic sweeper in the early, middle and late-game, which is not something you can say about a lot of Pokémon. If you use it wisely, Salamence should win you a lot of battles. Although, You will have to account for both Stealth Rock and Sand Stream, however, or non-Leftovers Salamence will take a minimum 25% (Stealth Rock) + 6.25% (Sand Stream) = 31.25% [How did we miss that?] damage every time it switches in and attacks, and this is assuming it is untouched by your opponent's Pokémon.
[Moved second Paragraph to OO, it doesn’t belong here.]
[Counters]
<p>[Rearranged this appropriately. I also split up the Paragraphs: before it looked like a wall of text.] Bronzong is a nice initial switch into any Salamence, but it should be Sassy [nixed the explaination of the nature: It’s not needed.] with a lot of HP and SpD EVs to maximize the power of Gyro Ball and not drop the power of Explosion as well.Gliscor with Ice Fang and Roost can come in on all but the Draco Meteor variants, and an Impish, defensively EVed Rhyperior will sponge physical attacks nicely. Porygon2 is arguably the best counter to any physical-based Salamence due to its unique ability to Trace Intimidate, further it can cripple Salamence with either Thunder Wave or Ice Beam.</p>
<p>Nothing really counters the DD Salamence set well at all. Bronzong is your best bet, but Bronzong can be 2HKOd by a Life Orb Fire Blast. Otherwise, nothing can safely switch into DD Salamence at all. The trick to countering DD Salamence is to lure it into locking itself into Outrage, and then switching in a physically defensive Steel- type such as Skarmory or Registeel. Even then, watch out for the Magnezone that may be hiding behind Salamence.</p>
<p>Hippowdon and Cresselia make decent initial switch-ins against the Choice Band set, but are vulnerable to 2HKOes from Outrage. Gyarados with Ice Fang or Avalanche can switch into physical variants thanks to Intimidate, but it should be very bulkily EVed. Weezing can come in on physical variants and use Will-O-Wisp and or Pain Split accordingly. Suicune has a harder time handling Choice Band Salamence compared to Advance thanks to the now-physical Dragon Claw, and it is nearly OHKOed by Draco Meteor, but can still switch in sometimes. And while Milotic handles special attacks better than Suicune does, it is not a general Salamence counter since a Choice Banded Dragon Claw is a 2HKO half the time on a physically defensive Milotic [“pumping defense?”] and is guaranteed with Outrage.</p>
<p>Ice Shard Donphan / Mamoswine / Weavile can come in if Salamence faints a Pokémon and ward it off 100% of the time, but the only one of those three that can actually switch into Salamence is Donphan, and that's only on the physical variants, preferably the Dragon Dance Salamence. This works especially well if Salamence is locked into Outrage since it will be unable to switch out.</p>
<p>Blissey and Empoleon counter SpecsMence versions (the latter if Calm and properly EVed), and a Calm Cresselia can shrug off SpecsMence's attacks well provided there's no Sandstorm. A Careful Registeel with Ice Punch can handle SpecsMence in a pinch as well, even in spite of the weakness to Fire. A Dragon Pulse / Hidden Power Ice Heatran can handle SpecsMence to some degree, but you will need a large HP / SpD EV investment. Stone Edge Cradily would function similarly provided you max its HP and Special Defense and use it in a Sand Stream to boost its Special Defense.</p>
