Emboar the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon. The flames blazing deep inside Emboar's chest erupt vigorously from its chin, forming a beard of fire. The direr the situation, the more it seems to enjoy itself. The flames around its neck intensify, too, increasing Emboar's power and speed. It has mastered fast and powerful fighting moves.
Overview
The third Fire Fighting starter, Emboar had a legacy of power to live up to which Emboar fulfills with gusto. Base 123 Attack is a fantastic start, allowing Emboar to hit hard without investment, but that isn’t enough for Emboar. Access to absurdly powerful and spammable STABs in Flare Blitz and Close Combat has Emboar hit like a truck, and with access to Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Knock Off, Emboar isn’t wanting for coverage. Emboar further piles on the damage with the Reckless ability, pushing its Flare Blitz to insane levels of power while turning Wild Charge into legitimate coverage for Water types to say nothing of boosting Head Smash. If all this offense wasn’t enough, Emboar also has serviceable Special Attack, allowing it to make use of Scald and Grass Knot for physically bulky Ground types.
Sadly power is all Emboar has going for it. While Base 110 HP makes one think Emboar could be a bulky attacker, base 65 defenses quickly put that to rest and reveal its purpose for soaking up recoil from its Reckless empowered attacks. Speaking of Reckless empowered attacks, such defenses are further sabotaged given the self-destructive nature of Emboar’s own STABs, slashing its own bulk and making it even easier to KO. What really pushes all of this over the edge is Emboar’s poor speed. Base 65 is rather poor, leaving Emboar outsped by just about every relevant offensive threat around and even some defensive ones. While Emboar does have access to Flame Charge to get out of this hole and Sucker Punch for priority, the latter can be easily played around the former is rather weak, giving opponents a free turn. It is to the point if one wants a Fire Fighting physical attacker on their team, Tauros-Blaze is a far more fitting candidate thanks to its good speed and utility thanks to Intimidate despite its far lesser power. Emboar endeavors to bring its full strength to boar, but its crumbling defenses and poor speed can make it hard to even get that far.
Positives
Base 123 Attack is great, allowing Emboar to do incredible damage from the word go.
Reckless empowered Flare Blitz, Wild Charge and Head Smash in addition to STAB Close Combat gives Emboar truly ludicrous power and coverage.
Usable base 100 Special Attack can allow Emboar to mix it up and opens up coverage options like Grass Knot and Scald.
Negatives
Base 65 defenses leave Emboar’s hit taking ability questionable.
Recoil and defense drops from Close Combat further ruin Emboar’s defenses.
Rather slow at base 65 Speed, making Emboar easy fodder for most attackers.
Movesets
Pigstorm
-Flare Blitz
-Close Combat
-Wild Charge
-Knock Off
Ability: Reckless
Item: Choice Scarf
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Choice Scarf is a method of immediately remedying Emboar’s poor speed, allowing it to apply pressure without having to worry about its defenses or taking a hit first. Reckless Flare Blitz is a house of a move, with even targets as bulky as Mega Aggron taking over 50% from the attack, while so called frailer Fire weak targets like Skarmory and Corviknight can all but be OHKO’d by the attack. Close Combat is secondary STAB and no less valuable, allowing Emboar to obliterate Rock types like Tyranitar, Garganacl and Hisuian-Arcanine on top of the shear breadth that Fire Fighting coverage possesses. Wild Charge is coverage into both the Water and Flying types that resist Emboar’s STABs, being exceptionally valuable into Mega Charizard Y, Gyarados, Slowbro, Primarina, and Pelipper who naturally resist both of Emboar’s STABs, while receiving the Reckless boost gives the move some badly needed power. Knock Off is coverage and item disruption in a single slot, answering the Psychic and Ghost types that would otherwise freely switch into Close Combat as well as depriving many Pokémon of their items, hampering their effectiveness.
EVs and Items:
As a Choice Scarf attacker max Attack and Speed investment are natural. Jolly is preferred for Emboar to outrun as many targets as possible, as dropping down to Adamant leaves Scarf Emboar outsped by positive natured base 110s and up to positive natured base 122 like Mega Gallade, Gengar, Starmie, Hawlucha, and Greninja, all targets Jolly Scarf Emboar outspeeds. Choice Scarf is the namesake of the set as it allows Emboar to fix its speed without relying on setup, a tall order given its underwhelming initial speed and poor defenses. However, if running a setup move like Flame Charge, other items can be used. Charcoal gives a boost to Flame Charge and Flare Blitz, allowing for some more significant damage on the former and making the latter even harder to resist. Sitrus Berry or a Figy Berry are good alternatives, allowing Emboar to shrug off a big hit from the opponent or its own recoil.
Partners:
Sturdy Ground types are a consistent issue for Emboar given its lack of direct coverage for them, so Special Attackers that can handle them are greatly appreciated. Greninja stands out, thanks to its wide coverage answer not only Ground types by Dragons as well and being able to pivot into predicted Psychic attacks sent Emboar’s way. Serperior, while sharing an unfortunate Flying weakness, also works well with its fellow Unovan starter, able to use the Ground and Water attacks Emboar draws in as easy switch in points and can setup with Leaf Storm or cripple the faster targets Emboar otherwise struggles to handle with Glare thanks to its high bulk. Mega Alakazam and Mega Gengar also make for good general partners, offering absurd special prowess while valuing Emboar for its ability to easily remove the Dark types that trouble them.
Pokémon that struggle into Steel types love Emboar and its Steel destroying STABs and Earthquake coverage answering effectively all of them. Mega Floette is an excellent example loving Emboar removing Steel types the facilitate its own offense. Hatterene is another solid example. While it does have Mystical Fire for Steel types, Emboar’s presence opens other moves and it can use Healing Wish to help Emboar recoup HP from recoil..
Other Options:
Head Smash and Stone Edge are powerful options into opposing Fire types that resist Emboar’s Flare Blitz, as well as the Flying Dragon types that resist both STABs. Both have their strengths the former being immensely powerful, especially after the Reckless Boost, while the latter does not cause Emboar recoil. Especially good into Mega Charizard Y, Rotom-Heat, and Dragonite, targets Emboar otherwise struggles to deal with.
Earthquake is another anti-Fire option at Emboar’s disposal. While it misses out on Mega Charizard Y and Rotom-Heat, it is reliable and doesn’t cause recoil, slowing down the rate Emboar tears itself apart.
Flame Charge gives Emboar another method to fix its Speed if not relying on Choice Scarf, though its low damage can be exploited by opponents.
Countering Emboar
Emboar’s offense is potent and varied, but its lacking speed and defenses means that it can’t take its own medicine.
Physical walls are the best way to slow Emboar down, though its high power makes it difficult. Hippowdon works well, between its high bulk and lack of exploitable weaknesses but even then it needs max HP and 164 Defense EVs (with a neutral nature) to avoid the 2HKO from Flare Blitz, though after that can easily outlast Emboar with Slack Off or just OHKO it with Earthquake.
Bulky Water types generally work well if Emboar isn’t running Wild Charge. Max HP/Defense Slowbro fears only Wild Charge, which even then is a 3HKO while threatening a reliable 2HKO back with Scald. Offensive Tauros-Aqua is 3HKO’d by Close Combat after Intimidate while easily OHKOing back with Raging Bull. Rotom-Wash is a unique case being a Water type not fearful of Wild Charge, though even Max HP and Defense still has a small chance of being 2HKOd, but it does naturally outspeed and threatens an OHKO with Hydro Pump. Azumarill also boasts the sheer bulk to avoid being 2HKOd by Emboar’s STABs though it must also watch for Head Smash and can easily pick up a KO after a Close Combat Defense drop or recoil. Toxapex fears both Earthquake and Wild Charge, but even those are unlikely to 2HKO a max Defense Toxapex who can proceed to outlast Emboar with Recover and Toxic.
Fire types can work if Emboar is lacking direct coverage for them, though they rarely threaten an immediate KO back. Torkoal is bulky enough to stomach even Earthquakes through sheer bulk, but it struggles to deal damage without Body Press. Rotom-Heat is very similar to Rotom-Wash excepting the weakness to Stone Edge and inability to immediately threaten an OHKO back.
The best way to deal with Emboar’s offense is to not let it get an attack off, a task made easy by its lacking speed and defenses. Even when it is using a Choice Scarf or Flame Charge to compensate, a +1 Emboar is still outsped and OHKOd by Mega Greninja, Aerodactyl, Mega Alakazam, Mega Delphox, and numerous naturally faster Scarf users like Basculegion, and Garchomp.
Mega Emboar, the Mega Mega Fire Pig Pokémon. Brandishing a blazing flame shaped like a serpentine spear, it rushes in to rescue its imperiled allies.
Overview
Mega Emboar was met with derision upon the reveal of the Z-A starter’s mega abilities, and not entirely without reason. While its compatriots got signature abilities that skyrocketed their power, Mega Emboar was saddled with Mold Breaker, a situational ability at best. While abilities are not the end all be all for a Pokémon to be successful, Mega Emboar needed something amazing to make up for its stats. Its base 75 Defense and Speed are barely improved from base Emboar’s and cause many of the same problems where Mega Emboar is easily outsped and threatened with OHKOs. Piling on to this is that what boosts Mega Emboar did get do not work well with its preferred STABs, as the increased special bulk means nothing with Mega Emboar is knocking itself into KO range with its own Close Combats and Flare Blitzes. Fire Fighting losing out on its Fairy resistance is also a major blow Further piling onto Mega Emboar’s woes is not only a sea of better Mega Evolutions, but numerous better Fire and Fighting typed Mega Evolutions, offering much of the same offensive niche as Mega Emboar, especially Mega Charizard X, Mega Lucario and Mega Lompunny.
Not to say Emboar doesn’t get nothing from its Mega Evolution. The massive Special Defense increase does wonders for Mega Emboar given its already good base HP, allowing it to act akin to Ho-oh as a soft anti Special Attacker. Mega Emboar can also remedy its poor Defense while pushing its absurd base 148 Attack even further with Bulk Up given it now finally has bulk to tank attacks and make Mega Emboar very difficult to take down. This increased bulk also enables Mega Emboar to play more defensively, something that its base form could never do thanks to its poor defenses. Additionally, while Mold Breaker is situational, when it does come up it is invaluable, ignoring Mimikyu’s Disguise, Rotom’s and Mega Delphox’s Levitate, and Archaludon’s and Skarmory’s Sturdy, allowing Mega Emboar to pick up OHKOs where other Pokémon literally cannot. The issue is that these strong points do not outweigh the opportunity cost of your Mega Slot, forcing Mega Emboar out of the limelight far too soon.ost opponents will easily see Mega Emboar coming in team preview. All of this does not change the fact that the sum of changes is a massive improvement for Mega Emboar as our leafy friend final has all their days in the Sun.
Positives
Base 148 Attack all but reaches the legendary standards ensuring Mega Emboar hits hard regardless of investment.
Fire Fighting STABs and absurd coverage movepool give Emboar coverage for just about every foe.
110/110 Special Bulk is fantastic, allowing Mega Emboar to come in and absorb all sorts of special blows before striking at most Special Attacker’s weaker Defense.
Negatives
Base 75 Defense is below average, leaving Mega Emboar exposed to physical attackers.
Base 75 Speed is rather underwhelming, leaving Mega Emboar outsped by a host of physical threats.
Largely self-destructive STABs sabotage Mega Emboar’s good bulk.
Outclassed by other Fire type and Fighting type Mega Evolutions.
Movesets
Full Boar Offense
-Drain Punch
-Flare Blitz
-Earthquake
-Wild Charge
Ability: Mold Breaker
Item: Emboarite
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
This Mega Emboar excels as a bulky attacker, taking advantage of its insane coverage and power to threaten a wide variety of foes while soaking up hits thanks to its enormous special bulk. Drain Punch is the preferred Fighting STAB for this set, melding Mega Emboar’s bulk and power… by using Mega Emboar’s power to keep it healthy with brutally powerful Drain Punches. Flare Blitz is Emboar’s Fire STAB of choice and go to answer for sheer power OHKOing neutral targets like Mimikyu with ease and ripping holes out of bulkier targets. Earthquake pairs wonderfully with Mold Breaker, making opposing Rotom-Wash and Rotom-Heat as well as Mega Delphox easy prey for Mega Emboar. Wild Charge rounds out the set, providing invaluable coverage into Primarina and Mega Charizard Y, two common opponents that resist both of Mega Emboar’s STABs on top of less common foes like Azumarill, Basculegion and Mega Starmie.
EVs and Items:
Mega Emboar’s possible EV spreads are flexible depending on what one wants to do with Mega Emboar. If looking to OHKO Skarmory and Mimikyu, Max Attack investment with Adamant nature is needed to reach that benchmark. Max Attack investment also maximizes the healing Mega Emboar gets from Drain Punch. HP investment accentuates Mega Emboar’s bulk, having it better survive blows of all stripes, though Speed investment would not be remiss. 180 Speed EVs is enough to outrun Max Speed Modest Pelipper as well as neutral Primarina though a Speed boosting nature would be necessary to outrun Timid Pelipper. If running Bulk Up, maximizing HP and Special Defense is a good way to go, greatly easing Mega Emboar’s setup capabilities into special attackers while using Bulk Up to remedy its Attack and Defense. As a Mega Pokémon, Mega Emboar is locked to the Emboarite.
Partners:
Allies that can cover what little gaps Mega Emboar has in its coverage are greatly appreciated. Rotom-Wash for example is invaluable for its excellent matchup into opposing Ground types like Hippowdon and Garchomp that have the physical bulk to tank Mega Emboar’s attacks and threaten its weaker Defense with STAB Earthquake. Its good matchup into Flying and Water attacks further increases Rotom-Wash’s value, allowing it to compromise such Pokémon so Mega Emboar can clean up and visa versa. Being able to ruin physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp or safely get Mega Emboar in with a Volt Switch are other excellent bonuses. Scarf Hydreigon or Dragapult can also make for excellent partners, handling the Psychic, Ghost and Dragon types this Mega Emboar lacks direct answers to, with the latter offering further support with access to Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave.
Other Options:
Sucker Punch is Mega Emboar’s lone priority option, but at base 148 Attack, even as a non STAB option will do a lot of damage and is great for threatening frailer anti-Fighting targets like Mega-Delphox, (Mega) Gengar, and Basculegion.
Doubles and VGC Options
Mega Emboar’s issues continue in Doubles. While Mega Emboar’s power is top notch and its Special Defense is genuinely good, it is Mega Emboar's other attributes that hold it back. Base 75 Speed is rather awkward, allowing Mega Emboar to excel in both Tailwind and Trick Room, but also being capable of being outsped or outsloowed as well. What really drags down is how paradoxically frail Mega Emboar is despite its good bulk. Base 75 Defense does a lot to drag Emboar down, making it vulnerable to the popular physical attackers like Garchomp, Basculgeion, Aerodactyl, and Gyarados. Fire Fighting is largely a detriment for Mega Emboar defensively, as unlike other special Fire walls like Mega Charizard Y and Mega Delphox, Mega Emboar loses out on the Fairy resistance that makes these two so valuable into Mega Floette and Mega Gardevoir, traiding it in for a Rock neutrality rendered moot by every Rock attacker having Super Effective STAB or coverage for Emboar and an admittedly useful Dark resistance, whose attackers are predominantly physical. Add in the self-destructive nature of Emboar’s preferred STABs rendering this good bulk moot and Incineroar being everywhere and easily capable of slashing Mega Emboar’s power and Mega Emboar winds up being a powerful but flawed Mega Evolution. A title it cannot afford to have given the current Champions format is loaded with excellent Fire types including both Mega Charizards and Mega Delphox just for starters. Mega Emboar does have the tools to succeed, but its heavier reliance on team support make it a trickier Pokémon to use in comparison to more conventional Megas.
Burning Demise
-Bulk Up
-Drain Punch
-Earthquake
-Protect
Ability: Mold Breaker
Item: Emboarite
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 92 Atk / 164 SDef
Adamant Nature
This Mega Emboar set has it as a durable attacker, using Bulk Up, its great natural Special Bulk and Drain Punch to become impossible remove while laying waste with boosted Drain Punches and Earthquakes. Bulk Up is key to this set, not only remedying Mega Emboar's unimpressive Defense, but also boosting its Attack, making Incineroar's Intimidates less of an issue and pushing Mega Emboar's power from good to unreasonable. Drain Punch is primary STAB and provides recovery that makes Mega Emboar so much harder to remove. Earthquake is good spread damage and has incredible synergy with Mold Breaker for hitting several of the popular Levitators in the format, especially Mega Delphox and Rotom-Wash for a nasty surprise. Protect is the best move in doubles, stalling for allied setup, stalling out unfavorable field conditions, blocking Fake Out, punishing focus fire attempts, etc. It is to the point that Pokémon without Protect feel frailer than those that do have Protect.
EVs are to greatly emphasize Mega Emboar's Special Bulk, turning Mega Delphox's Psychic into a 2HKO as well as making the 2HKO from a neutral Mega Floette's Moonblast and Mega Meganium's Earth Power unlikely, with the remainder going into power. If wishing to EV Mega Emboar for Tailwind, 132 Speed EVs are necessary to outspeed positive natured base 150s, while 92 Speed EVs is necessary to outrun Jolly/Timid Dragapult under Tailwind and for base 130s like Timid Mega Gengar, 44 Speed EVs are needed.
Preferred Partners & Other Options:
Sinistcha is a great partner for Mega Emboar's longevity, keeping it healthy with Hospitality and Life Dew as it sets up, and its ability to threaten physical attackers with Matcha Gatcha burns makes it that much harder to remove Emboar. Even Trick Room variants of Sinistcha can work well with Mega Emboar given the latter's access to Curse. Add onto this Grass typing and good Defense for resisting Earthquake on top of forming a solid Fire-Grass core and Sinistcha is an excellent overall partner.
Gyarados is another great partner over other Water types, providing an Intimidate user that protects Mega Emboar's weaker defense while not stacking weaknesses on top of letting Mega Emboar spam Earthquake freely as opposed to say Rotom-Wash who would otherwise be a great partner due to handling the Flying types that this Emboar set struggles to hit. Aside from needing to Protect with Rotom-Wash, it is still an excellent partner for its ability to handle many of the types that threaten Mega Emboar while setting up a solid Fire-Water core.
Curse is the preferred option if running Hard Trick Room, allowing Mega Emboar to outslow other Trick Room staples more reliably while offering the same benefits as Bulk Up. Pair with Brave Nature for maximum effect.
Flare Blitz and Temper Flare are Mega Emboar's options for Fire STAB but Flare Blitz chews up Mega Emboar’s health and Temper Flare is underwhelming, but the sheer power and coverage the provide cannot be denied.
Sucker Punch is Mega Emboar’s lone priority option, but its ability to check Mega Delphox regardless of Speed control and Mold Breaker ignoring Armor Tail Farigiraf make it a solid pick.
Close Combat is a stronger Fighting STAB option in comparison to Drain Punch and thus a better tool for removing Incineroar, though the defense dropping is antithetical to bulky sets.
Countering Mega Emboar
Mega Emboar is a tricky opponent to counter given the wide range of its coverage and shocking contrast between all out offense and more defensive sets.
Despite Mega Emboar’s insane Attack stat, it isn’t that much stronger offensively than Reckless Emboar, to the point that Emboar’s Reckless boosted attacks are ever so slightly stronger. Of course, Mega Emboar makes up for this by getting an effective power boost on all its attacks, but many of the same defensive checks that work for Emboar work for Mega Emboar.
Bulky Water types remain a consistent issue, especially if Mega Emboar is not running Wild Charge. Slowbro perhaps remains the gold standard, resisting both STABs with ease to the point of being 4HKOd by them at best, and preventing more defensive variants from recovering with Psychic Noise. Doubly so for Mega Slowbro who is even bulkier and doesn’t fear Knock Off. Tauros-Aqua is 3HKO’d by Close Combat after Intimidate and Sitrus Berry while capable of OHKOing back with Raging Bull. Azumarill resists both STABs and Knock Off with ease, though it will need Liquidation to finish the job unless Mega Emboar has been brought down to 50%. Toxapex cannot handle Wild Charge or Earthquake, but is invaluable in outlasting boosting sets with Haze and Toxic. While Gyarados likes neither Wild Charge or Stone Edge, its resisting both STABs, immunity to Earthquake, Intimidate and ability to Taunt Mega Emboar to prevent Bulk Up make it a solid option. Max HP/Defense Primarina can also work, thanks to resisting both STABs, Psychic Noise to deny recovery and potentially locking Mega Emboar into an unfavorable move with Encore but really needs Water STAB to close out the battle quickly or be overwhelmed.
While Dragonite cannot benefit from Multiscale, and greatly fears Stone Edge, Max HP Dragonite avoids the 2HKO from Mega Emboar’s STABs (and the OHKO from Stone Edge) while able to wipe away Bulk Up boosts with Dragon Tail or 2HKO with Earthquake. Dragapult in theory can switch into Mega Emboar’s STABs, but it is so frail that it is 2HKO’d by Flare Blitz and absolutely cannot eat a Knock Off or Sucker Punch.
Offensive checks are more plentiful, especially given Mega Emboar can’t run Choice Scarf and struggles to fit Flame Charge into its sets to remedy its Speed, though this can be complicated by Mega Emboar being capable of running more defensive sets that can outlast opponents and as such is less likely to push itself into KO range as well as its access to Sucker Punch.
Special Attackers find it difficult to break through Mega Emboar, especially when Mega Emboar is fully invested in Special Defense. Mega Alakazam only caps out at 71% with Psychic which is a poor position to be in given Mega Emboar will OHKO on the crackback if not immediately with Sucker Punch. However, if Mega Emboar is only invested in HP, the damage range shoots up to 97% at best, which will place Mega Emboar in KO range after almost any amount of chip damage. If lacking Sucker Punch, Mega Alakazam and Mega Delphox can get the OHKO with Psyshock before Mega Emboar can react.
Physical Attackers are not a clean silver bullet either, as if Mega Emboar uses Bulk Up or Curse as they switch in, it can be nearly impossible to OHKO Mega Emboar, though given Mega Emboar must setup to do so makes them more reliable. Mega Starmie is notable for being able to OHKO Mega Emboar even after Bulk Up thanks to its Huge Power Liquidation though it too does not like Sucker Punch and can be 2HKO’d by Mega Emboar’s STABs. Mystic Water Palafin also does well OHKOing with Wave Crash and still dealing 70% after a Bulk Up. Offensive Garchomp easily outspeeds and OHKOs Max HP Mega Emboar and still deals at least 66% with Earthquake after a Bulk Up. The story repeats for other physical attackers, like Excadrill, and Basculgeion, both getting OHKOs sans Bulk Up and still dealing around 2/3rds as a result. Mega Lucario is also notable for being rarely able to OHKO with OHKO with Close Combat despite not being a super effective attacker. Other physical attackers like Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Lopunny, Mega Charizard X all deal around 2/3rds in the absence of Bulk Up and are more than up to the task of picking off a weakened Mega Emboar.
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:
Evolve Pignite
Black 2/White 2:
Evolve Pignite
X/Y:
Trade from Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Pignite
Sun/Moon:
Ancient Poni Path - Island Scan (Saturday)
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Trade from Sun/Moon
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Not in game
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Not in game
Legends: Arceus:
Not in game
Scarlet/Violet:
Evolve Pignite
Legends: Z-A:
Hyperspace Lumiose - Fighting (4 Star), Fire (4 Star)
Anime Appearences
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Emboar has made a few anime appearances. Most notably it is used by Bianca during the Unova League |
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