Tactic #1:
Name: Physical Sweeping Quilava
Nature: Adamant (+ ATK, - SP. ATK)
Effort Values:
ATK: 256
DEF: 127
SP. DEF: 127
Moveset:
Aerial Ace/Return
Crush Claw
Rollout
Roar
Rating: 7/10
(Horrible) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Awesome)
Comments: This moveset suprised me quite a bit. To get Crush Claw though, you'll need to breed a male Zangoose that knows Crush Claw with a female Quilava. As with any Quilava, you'll need to strike quick and hard to prevail since Quilava doesn't have the strongest of defenses. Rollout takes care of that part. Also try to take advantage of Rollout's type; rock. Crush Claw is meant to increase the damage that Quilava can deal since it has a 50% chance of lowering the opponent's defense. Aerial Ace is for any grass, bug, etc. that you don't like. In place of Aerial Ace, you could boost Quilava's damage with Return if he likes you. You can Roar away nasty stat changes on the opponent, but Roar is mainly a filler spot. Anything could go there. As usual, you better watch out for any water, steel, rock, and ground types, as they will own this tactic all out.
Tactic #2:
Name: "Special" Sweeping Quilava
Nature: Modest (+ SP. ATK, - ATK)
Effort Values:
ATK: 256
SP. ATK: 256
Moveset:
Return/Crush Claw
Sunny Day
Flamethrower
Fire Blast
Rating: 7/10
(Horrible) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Awesome)
Comments: OK, so maybe this isn't really all out "special sweeping," but if executed correctly, the tactic will just over-power the opponent. You can actually use this Quilava's the puny defensive stats to your advantage. When Quilava's hit points are in the red, Blaze will kick in and boost all your fire moves by 50%. Take in account Sunny Day for an extra 50% again AND not to mention STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) with yet another additional 50% boost and you'll turn a Quilava with a SP. ATK stat of 100 into about 338 just like that! Return attack is there as an option against types that are resistant to fire attacks. If you want an accurate fire attack, try using Flamethrower. If you really want to dish out the power, use Fire Blast. As usual, watch out for the pests of water, steel, rock, and ground types. You're better off switching then.
Quilava may be a 1st stage evolution of Cyndaquil, but many people overlook how good and helpful Quilava can be in the Pokemon Trading Card Game when used correctly. I know this because I've used Quilava in one of my decks and back then, I didn't have Typhlosion. I wasn't really expecting any of my Quilavas to do any good. Boy, was I in for a suprise! I tested all know English versions of Quilava. The following pictures and text will discuss some helpful stratagies when using any English versions of Quilava and what my recommendations and ratings for the cards are...
Card #1:
Name: Quilava
Hit Points: 80 HP
Weakness: (Water)
Resistance: None
Retreat Cost: (C)(C)
Attacks:
(C)(C) Slash (20 damage)
(Fire)(C)(C) Burning Claw (40 damage) - You may discard a (Fire) Energy card attached to Quilava. If you do, the Defending Pokemon is now Burned.
Rating: 8/10
(Horrible) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Awesome)
Comments: This Quilava is perhaps the best of its kind. Despite the retreat cost of two colorless energies, having an 80 HP Quilava with a decent attack is well worth the time to find room in you deck for. There's nothing too special about Quilava's Slash attack, as you may hardly ever use it. Slash can still be handy after paying for the cost of Burning Claw. Probably the best thing is the fact that Burning Claw gives you a choice of wether you want to discard. By doing so and with a little luck it could do anywhere between 40 - 80 damage before your next turn starts. Although it can't stand up against the big power Pokemon (such as Charizard) by itself, it can begin what your other Pokemon can finish, which can be handy in a tight situation.
Card #2:
Name: Quilava
Hit Points: 70 HP
Weakness: (Water)
Resistance: None
Retreat Cost: (C)
Attacks:
(Fire)(Fire) Smokescreen (20 damage) - If the Defending Pokemon tries to attack during your opponents next turn, your opponent flips a coin. If tails, that attack does nothing.
(Fire)(Fire)(Fire) Burning Claw (40 damage) - If the Defending Pokemon doesn't have a Char counter on it, flip a coin. If heads, put a Char counter on it. A Char counter requires your opponent to flip a coin after every turn. If tails, put 2 damage counters on the Pokemon with that Char counter. (Char counters stay on the Pokemon as long as it's in play.)
Rating: 8/10
(Horrible) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Awesome)
Comments: Very well capable of being a rival with Card #1. If you can find a place for this card in your deck, do so immediately! This card's two attacks (Smokescreen and Char) work hand and hand together. Char is especially handy when you just want to literally get rid of one of you opponent's Pokemon. Char counters are very similiar to the Special Condition, Burned, but with an added bonus... They STAY on the Pokemon even if it's on the bench. Another plus side of Char counters is that there's virtually no way to get rid of them, since Char counters are not considered a Special Condition. Unless you opponent finds a way to return the Pokemon with the Char counter to their hand, the Pokemon is done for. While the Char counter is doing damage to the active Pokemon, you can use use Quilava's other attack (Smokescreen). Although it does 10 less base damage than Char itself, its effect can help either buy time or simply to just protect Quilava from any major attacks sich as Charizard's Fire Spin. And whenever Quilava has done its job, it'll be painless to retreat it, as its retreat cost is only one Colorless energy. Altough Quilava can withstand a fair amount of punishment, it's wise to save Quilava for a tight situation.
Card #3:
Name: Quilava
Hit Points: 60 HP
Weakness: (Water)
Resistance: None
Retreat Cost: (C)
Attacks:
(Fire)(C) Ember (30 damage) - Discard 1 (Fire) Energy attached to Quilava in order to use this attack.
(Fire)(Fire) Fire Wind (20 damage) - If your opponent has any Benched Pokemon, choose 1 of them. Flip 2 coins. For each heads, this attack does 10 damage to that Pokemon. (Don't apply weakness and Resistance.)
Rating: 7/10
(Horrible) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Awesome)
Comments: I was rather suprised with this one. It took a little thinking and stratagy to use it's attacks. Basically, the theme of the attacks go like this: "Use Ember if your opponent has nothing that's a serious threat on their bench." ...and... "Use Fire Wind if your opponent has something that worries you on their bench." This Quilava is best to use against basic Pokemon due to its low stats. Could be handy though to finish off a powerful type. You could either use this card to fill in an empty spot in your fire deck, or it could just make a pretty addition to your binder.
Card #4:
Name: Dark Quilava
Hit Points: 60 HP
Weakness: (Water)
Resistance: None
Retreat Cost: (C)
Attacks:
(Fire) Incinerate - Show the top card of your opponent's deck to all players. If it's a Trainer card, discard it.
(Fire)(Fire) Rushing Magma (20x damage) - Discard the top five cards of you deck. (If there are fewer than five, discard all of them.) This attack does 20 damage for each (Fire) energy card you discarded in this way.
Rating: 6/10
(Horrible) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Awesome)
Comments: Probably one of the most costly cards in the game, it's HIGHLY recommended you use this card as a last resort. There's nothing too special with its first attack, Incinerate. If your opponents relies on trainers though, Incinerate would be a good way to destroy their deck. The main highlight of this card is its other attack, Rushing Magma. Having to discard 5 cards off the top of your deck with no idea what they are can be VERY costly and risky. The damage, though can be anywhere between 0 - 100 damage. It's highly recommended that you know how many fire energies are in your deck. This is so that if you decide to try a desperate attempt, you'll know your chances by counting the number of Fire energies in you discard pile and hand and subtract that from your total fire energies. The difference will say what your chances of getting lucky are. If chances are too slim, try to find another way out. If there are any cards that allow you to put fire energies on top of you deck without shuffling afterward, this is perhaps the best time to do it. It's also highly recommended that you have at least 30 fire energies in your deck with Dark Quilava in it to increase your chances of doing lots of damage.
Card #5:
Name: Quilava
Hit Points: 70 HP
Weakness: (Water)
Resistance: None
Retreat Cost: (C)
Attacks:
(Fire)(C) Super Singe (20 damage) - Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokemon is now Burned.
(C)(C)(C) Tackle (30 damage)
Rating: 4/10
(Horrible) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Awesome)
Comments: Not really my card of choice. There's nothing too special except maybe Super Singe. If you had to use this card, this is what I would do: I would use Super Singe to burn the Defending Pokemon, and then if Quilava can still continue, I would use Tackle and weaken the Defending Pokemon as much as I could. Stratagy is a little similiar to Card #2. Only not near as effective.
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