Is Talonflame viable in Gen 9 UU?

Talonflame is ranked #36 in Gen 9 UU with 5.99% usage according to Smogon Apr 2026 - Jun 2026 data.

What beats Talonflame in Gen 9 UU?

The best counter for Talonflame in Gen 9 UU is Arcanine-Hisui with a 89.3% win rate when they meet. Based on Smogon's Apr 2026 - Jun 2026 usage data, the top Pokémon that beat Talonflame include Arcanine-Hisui, Slowking, Excadrill, Skarmory.

What is the best counter for Talonflame in Gen 9 UU?

Arcanine-Hisui is the best counter for Talonflame in Gen 9 UU, KOing or forcing it out in 89.3% of their encounters.

Talonflame counters

Gen 9 UU · Sorted by reliability score · Smogon · Apr 2026 - Jun 2026

#0663 Talonflame

FireFlying

USAGE 6.0% #36

ABILITYFlame Body

BASE STATS

HP 78

ATK 81

DEF 71

SPA 74

SPD 69

SPE 126

BST499

TYPE MATCHUPS

4×

Rock

2×

WaterElectric

½×

FireFightingSteelFairy

¼×

GrassBug

0×

Ground

Moves

Roost 97.8% Defog 75.0% U-turn 52.9% Will-O-Wisp 46.2% Flare Blitz 39.2% Overheat 26.4% Brave Bird 25.5% Flamethrower 23.5%

Items

Heavy-Duty Boots 97.8% Rocky Helmet 1.6% Choice Band 0.3% nothing 0.1% Choice Specs 0.1% Life Orb 0.1% Assault Vest 0.0% Leftovers 0.0%

Abilities

Flame Body96.3%Gale Wings3.7%

Tera Types

Ghost 37.1% Steel 21.0% Grass 11.0% Ground 10.9% Fire 9.1% Water 3.1% Flying 2.9% Poison 1.7%

Common Teammates

Browse Gen 9 UU teams using Talonflame →

Teams using Arcanine-Hisui 89% Teams using Slowking 65% Teams using Excadrill 18% Teams using Skarmory 5%

Checks & Counters

Reliability ranks observed matchups; KO rate is how often the checker knocked out or forced out the target. “Checker faints” reports the checker's own observed death rate. Categories use matchup reliability plus offensive and defensive base stats.

How to read this table

Use encounter count to judge sample size. A high-reliability check with a modest KO rate can still be useful when it consistently forces switches or limits the target.

# Checker Encounters Reliability KO Rate

Arcanine-Hisui

FireRock OFFENSIVE CHECK

49.732

89.3% checker faints 4.62%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ Atk Choice Band Arcanine-Hisui Head Smash vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Talonflame: 1956-2304 (543.3 - 640%) -- guaranteed OHKO

View Arcanine-Hisui counters → Teams with Arcanine-Hisui →

Slowking

WaterPsychic DEFENSIVE COUNTER

40.068

65.4% checker faints 7.51%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ Atk Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowking: 130-154 (32.9 - 39%) -- 99.8% chance to 3HKO

View Slowking counters → Teams with Slowking →

Excadrill

GroundSteel SOFT CHECK

34.126

17.8% checker faints 6.54%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ Atk Excadrill Rock Blast (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Talonflame: 492-588 (136.6 - 163.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

View Excadrill counters → Teams with Excadrill →

Skarmory

SteelFlying SOFT CHECK

57.179

4.7% checker faints 2.79%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ Atk Skarmory Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Talonflame: 205-243 (56.9 - 67.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

View Skarmory counters → Teams with Skarmory →

Ranked #36 with 5.99% usage. Sorted by reliability score.