* +2 252 Atk Talonflame U-turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 204-242 (50.4 - 59.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-- Talonflame can smack TTar very hard while switching to a counter. Other rock types do better, but a weakness to U-Turn gives Talonflame very good options. Notice the 2HKO with U-Turn despite the lack of an item.
Swords Dance / Brave Bird / Flare Blitz / U-Turn is surprisingly effective, if only for Tyranitar alone. You don't even need to run Life Orb to cripple most TTar.
* Thunder Wave doesn't stop Talonflame's Gale Wings. It still goes first afterwards. TWave barely does anything against it.
* Weavile Ice Shard is slower than Talonflame Brave Bird. Sucker Punch is still +1, there is not a single Sucker-Puncher in the game that is faster than Talonflame. Say it with me, outside of ExtremeSpeed, there is no faster priority. You need to do things like T-Wave it then use priority.
* -1 252+ Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Gyarados: 165-196 (49.6 - 59%) -- 74.2% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
* -1 252+ Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 165-195 (49.8 - 58.9%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO
OMFG, After the Intimidate Talonflame STILL 2HKOs Gyarados / Salamence!! Unassested!! I guess it won't 2HKO bulky Gyarados, but thats why you have U-Turn and counters.
Stealth Rocks is the only actual solution to stopping Talonflame. But there's Defog and Rapid Spin for that.
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Talonflame's priority is the most reliable priority in the game. In a game where priority has become more and more common (ie: Sucker Punch Mawile, Shadow Sneak Aegislash...), being able to rely on Talonflame's priority, beyond your opponent's Choice Scarfs and so forth, is extremely, extremely useful.
Talonflame's priority is fucking fast and powerful. It always goes first. I get it. I understand that. It's clear to me. I can see it. I think it's good, not unstoppable and I continue to see posts like this which lay out Mathematically that it's unstoppable but here is the thing, they're calculated, not in actual combat.
Talonflame is also fragile as hell aside from the rare bulk-up set. I have a vast amount of counters to stopping it under my arsenal and I still don't even run Stealth Rock, shall I list them out for you?
My Trick Room team counters:
Honchkrow: Banded/Life Orb will 1HKO Talonflame with stabbed Sucker Punch
Mega-Tyranitar: Stone Edge or Rock Slide (Dependent on set)
Mega-Chomp: Given defensive EV's allow it to take the extra hit or two and hit back with a swords danced Dragon Claw/Rock Slide (Dependent on set). Sometimes Rough Skin is helpful
Clawitzer: One Water Pulse and enough defensive bulk to survive a Brave Bird
Empoleon: Even special defensive spec'd and he can hit back hard with Scald or Surf
This is all for just one team of possibilities (Of course there are more pokemon on this team and they are often switched out)
On TOP of that, what you are posting may be calculations but are they in an actual situation? No. It's called "Shit happens", I won't throw pokemon that can die in one hit out at the thing and sometimes certain pokemon are called for the situation.
Thunderwave makes Talonflame unreliable as the chance for it to be unable to do shit makes it almost worthless. Even with Priority brave bird, can it chain heals from roost and retaliate again with brave bird without suffering the proc from Paralysis? Small chance.
We've all run against this situation, "they're tough but they ain't invincible!"
Other options I did not mention:
MEGA AGGRON - can tank physical hits like no tomorrow, even if they are super effective STAB life orb
Bulky waters - preferably one's that have access to a rock type move
Rhyperior - UU but still a rock type that can work damn well
EDIT: You have inspired me to do a tally count of how many times I "Flawlessly" take down a Talonflame online, I will mark in my signature exactly how many times I take a Talonflame down without losing a single pokemon and doing one of my counters.
