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Cyndaquil


Statbasemin-minmax max+
HP39N/A2124N/A
Att529111415
Def439111415
Sp.A6012121516
Sp.D509111415
Spe6511131617


SET 1
name: Eruption
move 1: Eruption
move 2: Flamethrower / Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Double Kick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Blaze
nature: Hasty
evs: 44 HP / 24 Atk / 200 SpAtk / 236 Spe
ivs: 30 Atk / 30 SpAtk

SET COMMENTS

STAB Eruption coming from Cyndaquil seriously hurts a lot of things in Little Cup. Most of the time, opponents that do not resist Eruption are OHKO'd and even those who resist it can meet the possibility of being 2HKO'd. Thanks to Blaze, Cyndaquil does not become dead weight after taking damage; with Blaze activated, Fire Blast outdamages a full HP Eruption. Flamethrower can be used for more accuracy.

Hidden Power Grass is used to get rid of pesky Water and Rock-types, mostly Kabuto and Omanyte who 4x resist your Fire Moves.

Double Kick lets you OHKO Houndour, who is more than eager to come into a free Flash Fire boost, if you can nail it on the switch and it uses a -Def nature. It also lets you 2HKO Munchlax on most cases.

SET 2
name: Physical Choice
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Double Edge / Quick Attack
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Double Kick
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Blaze
nature: Hasty
evs: 44 HP / 24 Atk / 200 SpAtk / 236 Spe
ivs: 30 Atk / 30 SpAtk

SET COMMENTS

Although using the lesser of Cyndaquil's attacking stats may seem like a bad idea at first, a physical set has a certain surprise factor. Flare Blitz will be your main attacking move, while using Double-Edge as a secondary move. If you feel that the recoil will bring Cyndaquil down too quickly, you can try Quick Attack to catch a Scarf Abra or Focus Sashers off Guard. Quick Attack is best used with Choice Band. Double Kick dents Rock-types who otherwise wall you and Hidden Power Grass is to penetrate the weak Special Defense of Rhyhorn, Kabuto and Omanyte, who can give trouble to Cyndaquil.

SET 3
name: Endure-Salac
move 1: Endure
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Quick Attack / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Reversal
item: Salac Berry
ability: Blaze
nature: Hasty
evs: 44 HP / 24 Atk / 200SpAtk / 236 Spe
ivs: 30 Atk / 30 SpAtk

SET COMMENTS

Although Cyndaquil lacks a boosting move to use in conjunction with Endure + Salac, he makes up for it with a nice mixed offensive which will let you have the speed of the Scarf sets without locking yourself into one side of the attacking spectrum. No longer you have to fear Houndour from Pursuiting you to the grave, for you can use him to activate Salac and Reversal the fire dog to death. Fire Blast is a powerful move with Blaze activated, coupled with STAB. Hidden Power Grass is an option for the reasons mentioned on the second set. Quick Attack can be used if you fear a Diglett using Sucker Punch on you and ending the fun.

The downside to this set is that Sandstorm completely ruins it, that Cyndaquil does not get STAB on Reversal and that if the set lacks Quick Attack, Cyndaquil is doomed against priority moves.

Use all 31s for IVs if you forego HP Grass

OTHER OPTIONS

On the Eruption set Return can be used over Double Kick to hit the other two Flash Fire users (Ponyta and Vulpix) harder. However you can't OHKO any of those with Return. Do not try Double-Edge as it weakens your Eruption.

Flamethrower could go over Fire Blast on the Endure-Salac set for extra accuricy, but the lost power will hurt.

You could try Focus Sash on Physical Choice, or Specs on Eruption, but both are lesser options.

EVS

Although Cyndaquil maxes out Special Attack with 196 EVs, HP Grass requires a 30 IV on both attacking stats; adding 4 more EVs compensates the lost point. 236 Speed EVs give Cyndaquil 25 Speed with Choice Scarf, which is a decent number in Little Cup. The rest are dumped into Attack, giving enough power to OHKO Houndour with Double Kick.

Naive nature could be used to increase your chances of surviving random priority moves and Pursuit from Houndour. However, for more overall survivability use Hasty as it gives 9 Def / 11 SpD; whereas Naive gives 10 Def / 9 SpD.

OPINION

Cyndaquil is a rather decent Pokémon in Little Cup, as a STAB Eruption puts a heavy dent in anything not immune or 4x resistant to it. However, it is hampered by his shallow special movepool which makes him rather predictable. His physical movepool is slightly wider, but his Attack isn't anything noteworthy. It also needs adequate team support to function correctly. A spinner and a weather clearer are useful, since Sandstorm, Hail and Stealth Rock take a toll on him and weaken his most powerful move on the Eruption set, and ruin the Reversal variant. Nevertheless, Cyndaquil packs quite a punch and is capable of tearing through a team if no Fire resists are present.

COUNTERS

Houndour is the best counter possible: gets boosted by Eruption and Flamethrower, resists Grass and packs Pursuit which can OHKO a fleeing Cyndaquil. Beware of Double Kick and the Reversal set, however. Ponyta and Vulpix function in a similar way, but lack a move which can prevent Cyndaquil from coming back. Munchlax has Thick Fat and can take Eruption repeatedly, and has Earthquake to threaten Cyndaquil; only fearing the physical set which dents Munchlax a lot. Wynaut can trap and kill any Cyndaquil, as even full-power Eruption is a 3HKO. Kabuto and Omanyte can come in on a Fire Move and threaten with STAB Water moves (Kabuto is noteworthy with Aqua Jet) , but are OHKO'd by HP Grass.

Prediction is generally your best friend against Choice sets, which Cyndaquil will almost always be running. Priority moves in general scare away any Cyndaquil, as even his Choice Band Quick Attack is not enough to KO someone at full health.