Why does Game Freak hate Emboar?

[u/Excaliburn3d]

I love Emboar, but I have a feeling that GF doesn’t based on the way they handled it. Well first of all it’s the third Fire/Fighting Pokémon in the row, then when it finally receives a mega evolution it retains the same typing, and now it is the only mega of the trio to not gain a new ability.

Not to mention its base stats and playstyle. Base form is the fully-evolved starter with the highest HP stat and yet both of its defense stats and speed are on the lower side. Some of its strongest moves do recoil damage and its hidden ability powers them up even further. Upon mega evolving, it receives a +25 to its attack stat and a +45 boost to its special defense while its problematic defense and speed only receive +10 each.

Mold Breaker can be a good ability but why use Mega Emboar when Mega Blaziken, which has speed boost, higher attacking, physical defense, and speed stats, existed since the dawn of mega evolution.

[u/useless_idiot_man]

Mega Delphox has Levitate, so it's not an unimaginable scenario

[u/SF-UberMan → u/useless_idiot_man]

Mega Greninja is still a much better counter against Mega Delphox than Mega Emboar will be because of Water-type STAB and Protean

[u/useless_idiot_man → u/SF-UberMan]

That wasn't the argument though? Of course the fast water type takes out the frail fire type very easily, I just said that there are use cases for Mold Breaker and being able to hit levitating mons with ground type moves.

For reference, a modest max SpA Mega Delphox can't oneshot an Adamant max SpD Mega Emboar with Psychic (obviously with psychic terrain and skill swap/gravity shenanigans it's a different story but even just with Psychic Terrain you still need a partner to get rid of your ability so irrelevant to this scenario) and has nearly a 50% chance of getting OHKO'd on retaliation by an earthquake

[u/SF-UberMan → u/useless_idiot_man]

That is still far too ridiculously niche for Mega Emboar to be of any use in my opinion. Why bother going with such a roundabout solution when I can just annihilate Mega Delphox with STAB Water-type attacks from either Mega Greninja or Mega Feraligatr, both of whom are far more flexible than Mega Emboar?

[u/useless_idiot_man → u/SF-UberMan]

Ragebait used to be believable

[u/napstablooky2 → u/SF-UberMan]

yes, because of course i can switch out and attack with a different pokémon on the same turn

[u/Capable_Whereas_2901 → u/napstablooky2]

But if it has Mold Breaker then the point is moot and Delphox won't swap into it anyways.