Hisuian Typhlosion in PvP: Skeledirge Lite?

Let’s just cut right to the chase. Hisuian Samurott was… not particularly exciting for PvP purposes when I reviewed it, and I’ll state it right here up front: HISUIAN TYPHLOSION really isn’t much better. Not now that we have TWO very good alternatives with its same typing, at least.

But sometimes there’s value in looking at WHY less than good things are… well, less than good. Gives us an appreciation for what we DO have that’s better, at least. So let’s do this thing and then get you out there raiding as much (or little) as the weather, your wallet, and your own personal motivation dictate.

But first, our Bottom Line Up Front:

B.L.U.F.

• Hisuian Typhlosion, as a Fiery Ghost, would have been a bit more exciting if it came out BEFORE Skeledirge that is now ripping things up in PvP metas, but Niantic was clearly thinking… you know what, I don’t know what the heck they’re thinking. Juuuuuust a bit outside… and late!
• Anyway, it CAN sneak into Great League at raid level (Level 20), but uh… it’s harder to fit than a traded, research level Latios or even Ho-Oh, if that means anything to you!
• This means it will mostly be an Ultra League feature, and Ghosts CAN find success at that level. Can Hisuian Typhlosion? Let’s see….

HISUIAN TYPHLOSION Stats and Moves

Typhlosion (Hisuian) FireGhost

Great League Stats

Ultra League Stats

So while I don’t usually go into a ton of detail on IVs, it is a critical part of the discussion. Because to get one to 1500 CP is a monumental, darned near impossible undertaking. Can’t trade with anything better than a Good Friend to get a raided, Level 20 one to fi, and there are a whopping TWO IVs combinations that work even then! (Shout out to the always awesome PvPIVs.com, by the way. 👋) So uh… Hisuian Typhlosion in the wild or at least research WHEN, Niantic?

As far as the typing and stats… well. Fire/Ghost would be a more interesting typing if we didn’t already have Alolan Marowak and now Skeledirge already hogging that space with solid performances of their own. Can H-Typh surpass them? We’ll have to check the sims to be sure, of course, but the initial sign here is troubling. Hisuian Typhlosion has far less bulk than either of them.

It also compares unfavorably in that way to OG Typhlosion, trailing it by roughly 10 HP and 5 or so Defense in both Great and Ultra League. And Hisuian Samurott, for that matter, also has roughly the same bulk and Attack stat as Original Recipe Typhlosion too, and the eventual Hisuian Decidueye outbulks them all, making Hisuian Typhlosion officially the Hisuian starter with the worst PvP stats.

Getting this off on the right foot, eh? Let’s soldier on and see if perhaps the moves can salvage things.

FAST MOVES

• Ember – Fire type, 3.5 DPT, 3.0 EPT, 1.0 CoolDown
• Hex – Ghost type, 2.0 DPT, 4.0 EPT, 1.5 CD

I mean, let’s review. Regular Typhlosion learns Incinerate and Shadow Claw. Hisuian Typhlosion = cheap knock-off Typhlosion, confirmed?

In fairness, H-Typh can’t learn Incinerate in MSG… even regular Typh only learned it in Gens 5 and 6. But it CAN learn every other Fire fast move in GO, and Ember is the one they settled on, for better or for worse.

However, Hisuian Typhlosion CAN learn Shadow Claw in MSG. Granted, only by TM, but heck, that’s the only way regular Typhlosion learns it in MSG too. Instead, we get the strictly worse Hex, which generates the same energy as Claw but deals 50% less damage, and is even more awkward to use by being a three-turn move instead of Claw’s nice and neat two turns.

As my kids would say… bruh.

CHARGE MOVES

• Fire Punch – Fire type, 55 damage, 40 energy
• Wild Charge – Electric type, 100 damage, 45 energy, Reduces User Defense -2 Stages
• Shadow Ball – Ghost type, 100 damage, 55 energy
• Overheat – Fire type, 130 damage, 55 energy, Reduces User Attack -2 Stages
• – Blast Burn – Fire type, 110 damage, 50 energy

As with Hisuian Samurott and Hydro Cannon, Hisuian Typhlosion originally was coded with exclusive starter move Blast Burn as an Elite TMable charge move before it was removed. So pour one out for what could have been.

In fairness, what we’re left with isn’t too shabby. Fire Punch for baits and three closers: Overheat for overpowering damage, WIld Charge for coverage versus Waters and general beats, and Shadow Ball for something in the middle. Quite an eclectic mix that reminds me a bit of Arcanine. But does it work?

ULTRA LEAGUE

Starting here because, again, this is the League where it’s most likely to actually see any play. And keeping the comparisons going, here is how Skeledirge and OG Typhlsion look. Somehow, Hisuian Typhlosion underperforms them both. Regular Typhlosion burns through Ampharos, Gliscor, Alolan Muk, Cobalion, Obstagoon, Alolan Sandslash, Steelix, and Umbreon, none of which H-Typh can reliably replicate.

What Hisuian does instead isn’t bad — wins versus (in order) Charizard, DDeoxys, Dragonite, Dragon Breath Altered Giratina, Gyarados, Toxicroak, and Skeledirge itself, but Skeledirge can replicate all of that except Dragonite and Gyarados and adds to it Ampharos, Cobalion, DDeoxys, DB A-Giratina, Mandibuzz, Obstagoon, A-Slash, Steelix, Tocicroak, and Walrein. In a way, it’s a great blend of the other two. And just doesn’t really leave room for Hisuian Typhlosion, I don’t think.

And playing around with other move combos can drag some of those losses into the win column, but overall it never really improves. Again, if Skeledirge wasn’t in the way there would at least be a little intigue there, but as is? This is just store brand Skeledirge.

Now, there is one very simple change that would make it a LOT more interesting. Just give it Shadow Claw. Now there would be reason to run it, with it getting unique wins against things like Tapu Fini, Tentacruel, Gyarados, Golisopod, Dragonite, and Talonflame thanks in large part to the Wild Charge that really sets it apart from Skeledirge. That would be interesting and worth a few hours of raid grinding.

GREAT LEAGUE

Noting one more time that even getting a raid level Hisuian Typhlosion into Great League is harder than hatching a Dusk form Rockruff (cough), the story is the same at this level: H-Typh pales in comparison to Skeledirge and Alolan Marowak that came before it, and fails to shine out more brightly than even regular Typhlosion. Incinerate and/or the spiffy moves of those others are just too good for H-Typh to stand out. Again, something like Shadow Claw would change all that, and in multiple viable configurations at that. But as is, I just don’t see a solid role for Hisuian Typhlosion here that isn’t already being capably filled. Maybe the upcoming Hisui Cup, I guess?

IN SUMMATION….

Not all analyses are sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes I don’t discover that until I’m already into it, and sometimes, in analyses like this, I just know before I ever get started. Hisuian Typhlosion, I am sorry to say, is just a Pokémon without a country in today’s current PvP landscape. Like the U.S.S. Cerritos on Star Trek: Lower Decks, H-Typh looks likely to forever be stuck making “second contact” after other, better things have already blazed the trail ahead of it.

Not to say that you shouldn’t raid it. By all means, please stick to whatever plans you already had. I LOVE the design and the shiny and will surely be snagging a few myself. As I tried to note a couple times, just one simple move tweak could suddenly make it significantly more interesting in PvP. But knowing Niantic, that will be the next time it’s out in raids. Or more likely the next time after that! 😜

Either way, happy raiding (or not?), and until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.

Please be safe out there, protect yourself from the January elements, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!