Post by BlackMalachite on Dec 17, 2016 14:07:33 GMT -8
Talonflame without a doubt was the most used Pokemon of Generation Six; its ability to spam priority STAB Brave Bird attacks was a godsend thanks to its ability Gale Wings which allows all Flying type moves to be used as priority attacks. In Generation 7, that ability was nerfed so that it only works when it has 100% HP, effectively taking quite a few of its roles away. Now while I personally think Talonflame is still very much usable in OU due to its awesome speed, great STAB combination, and niche movepool, that's not what this is about.
What if Talonflame's Gale Wings ability wasn't nerfed? Would it survive in the current metagame? Personally, I don't think it would have made much of a different. The Tapus are around every corner (Tapu Lele and Tapu Koko in particular are a nightmare for Talonflame), not to mention priority Accelrock from Lycanrock Midday, and additional abilities that prevent priority attacks such as Dazzling.
All in all, while the nerf to Gale Wings was a huge hit, Talonflame would be nowhere near as potent as it was last generation even if said nerf hadn't occurred.
