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Moves Eruption is Cyndaquil's most powerful move and the main appeal to using Cyndaquil. However, its power is diminished by any damage taken by Cyndaquil, especially from entry hazards and priority moves. Extrasensory is a coverage move specifically for hitting Skrelp, Croagunk, and Tentacool. Hidden Power Ground and Grass both hit Chinchou and Rock-types super effectively; Hidden Power Ground also hits opposing Fire-types and the rare Tyrunt, while Hidden Power Grass hits Water-types and many Rock-types that are 4x weak to Grass. Fire Blast is an alternative STAB move for when Cyndaquil (and Eruption) has been weakened. Set Details Choice Scarf lets Cyndaquil outspeed all unboosted Pokemon and some opposing Choice Scarf users. Blaze allows a severely weakened Cyndaquil to do much more damage. Flash Fire can allow Cyndaquil to come in freely on a Fire move to receive a boost, but Cyndaquil often loses to opposing Fire-types anyway. The EVs are aimed to maximize Cyndaquil's offensive stats. The HP EVs allow Cyndaquil to switch into Stealth Rock four times without fainting, and the extra EVs are placed in Defense to better tank priority moves. A Timid nature lets Cyndaquil outspeed other Choice Scarf users such as Bunnelby or Pawniard, but the extra Speed isn't always needed. Using a Modest nature to hit as hard as possible is a viable alternative. Usage Tips When Cyndaquil is at 15 HP (71%) or lower, Fire Blast has a higher Base Power than Eruption. Also note that a Blaze-boosted Fire Blast hits harder than Eruption at full health. If using Flash Fire, switch into predicted Fire moves when Cyndaquil will be able to KO the foe with a Flash Fire boost. If the opposing Pokemon has a priority move or is a faster Choice Scarf user, it may be risky to use Eruption and have its Base Power weakened before attacking. Try to avoid taking any damage at all, as it's very important to keep Eruption's Base Power high. Team Options Defog or Rapid Spin support from Pokemon such as Archen and Vullaby is absolutely essential to preserve Eruption's high Base Power. Drilbur is a particularly good Rapid Spin user because of its ability to threaten opposing Fire-types and Rock-types; it also has a favorable matchup against Chinchou, while Cyndaquil handles Grass-types in return. Vulpix's Drought can allow Cyndaquil to hit much harder and OHKO many more Pokemon. Slow pivots such as Mienfoo or Chinchou allow Cyndaquil to come into battle without taking any damage.

Reaching 16 Special Attack and 24 Speed with a Choice Scarf, Cyndaquil can be used as a powerful attacker and revenge killer when healthy. Eruption is extremely powerful at high health. When Cyndaquil falls below 80% of its maximum HP, however, Fire Blast becomes the more powerful option. Hidden Power Grass is Cyndaquil's main coverage move, hitting Water-types which resist Eruption hard. Nature Power becomes Earthquake in a Wi-Fi environment, including on simulators, meaning it is the best option to hit Houndour, Tentacool, and Ponyta. It should be mentioned that a Blaze-boosted Fire Blast hits harder than a full-powered Eruption, meaning Cyndaquil has a viable move even when weakened. Flamethrower can't reach those levels of power, but it has perfect accuracy if that is desired. In that case, Flamethrower would be the better move over Eruption at 63% health or below. If more Speed is desired, a Timid nature could be used, though Cyndaquil prefers the extra power a Modest nature gives. Don't be tempted to lower one of Cyndaquil's defenses for Nature Power, however, as it hits its targets hard enough with an Attack-lowering nature. Cyndaquil is a Pokemon that needs some team support to work well, mainly Rapid Spin. This lets it switch in multiple times to use a full-power Eruption. Baltoy can use Rapid Spin and resists Ground- and Rock-type moves aimed at Cyndaquil, making it a good option. Staryu resists Water-type moves and has Rapid Spin as well, along with being able to take on Fire-types such as Houndour well. If these are unsatisfactory, Natu has Magic Bounce to reflect entry hazards back at the other team. Water- and Fire-types are also problems for Cyndaquil. Chinchou can check Fire-types with Surf or Hydro Pump, and Water-types with Thunderbolt, making it a good teammate for Cyndaquil.

Cyndaquil's main advantage over other Fire-types in Little Cup is his access to Eruption, an extremely powerful STAB move. Since Cyndaquil has a rather mediocre base Speed stat, giving it a Choice Scarf helps make up for it by allowing it to fire off STAB Eruption without being outpaced by opposing threats. Also, with the boost obtained from Choice Scarf, Cyndaquil reaches a Speed stat of 24, which is enough to outpace common Choice Scarf Pokemon who cap at only 21 Speed. The choice of which Hidden Power to use is based solely upon the battler's personal preference; Hidden Power Grass has the ability to hit most Water-types for super effective damage, while Hidden Power Electric can hit Mantyke hard. This is important, as Mantyke would otherwise wall this entire set. Double Kick must be used with some prediction, as after Stealth Rock damage it will OHKO Houndour, who will often switch in expecting to sponge a Fire-type move. Though it may seem odd to use two Fire-type moves on Cyndaquil, if Cyndaquil has taken too much residual damage, Eruption will become very weak while Fire Blast and Flamethrower will always do the same damage, regardless of how much damage Cyndaquil has taken. It is worth noting that the given EVs make up for the stat loss due to the use of Hidden Power. Munchlax is a huge roadblock for Cyndaquil due to its immense bulk and ability, Thick Fat, effectively giving it a resistance to Fire-type attacks. Gastly can be used to beat Munchlax, as it is capable of luring and KOing it. Entry hazards, preferably in the form of Stealth Rock, can be quite useful to Cyndaquil as they break the Focus Sash of Pokemon who choose to carry it. Also, Pokemon who benefit from Cyndaquil blowing holes in the opponent's team are the best teammates for it. Examples of these Pokemon include fast late-game sweepers such as Rock Polish Gligar and offensive variants of Elekid.