it's not really a thing going for it considering you SHOULD have the TMs by the time it gets the moves (which is uh... L50?)
the only thing it really has is Hydro Pump (not thunder although it gets the tm) but again it's really bad, it needs weather to do something, and you literally get the weather TMs in the next town anyway, and the 120BP TMs come just before the 7th gym, where your expected levels are around L45. castform's only unique point is hydro pump which is not going to save it (it's even weaker than return outside of rain!)
castform for bottom, just not worth it, whatever it does can be accomplished by TMs that are acquired just a bit later, and during then you can do without said TMs nor weather support.
Level 40, according to Bulbapedia (which would explain why I got nailed by Blizzard around Driftveil). I completely agree with you and everyone else, I just kinda...wanted to offer some sort of defense for the little boob cloud.
But you're definitely right. If anything, Thermo has a cool ability. I also wouldn't call Normal a bad typing (Weak to only one element? Immune to another? Remember just how amazing Normal was in Gen 1?)
I suppose since I'm the resident Flareon lover, I should be the one to do Flareon.
Flareon - Low Tier
Availability:You'll be able to find an Eevee in Castelia City. However, in order to access it, you have to go through the Castelia Sewers first. A Fire Stone is available in the Desert Resort, but only AFTER you deal with Burgh.
Stats: Think of Flareon like Heavy Weapons guy from Team Fortress 2. Slow, usually killed quickly, but extremely powerful. 130 Base Attack is crazy for an early Pokemon, and 95 Base Sp Atk (the same as Gothitelle) means that it can hit from both sides of the spectrum. Base 110 SpDef is really nice, and means that Flareon isn't just a slow Glass Cannon.
Typing: Fire's a cool typing to have, as its great offensively, which is what Flareon's built for. Thanks to its only ability "Flash Fire", it's also immune to Fire type attacks, which is pretty nifty, as Flareon can kill most Fire types it comes across fairly easily.
Movepool: Remember the phrase "Flareon has no moves?" It still applies, but not nearly as much as it did before. Flareon got some new toys to play with in B2/W2, including something that Flareon's been dying to have for ages. That something is Superpower. Flareon gets Superpower via Move Tutor. Suddenly, Flareon can use its stellar Attack stat to do some amazing damage. It also obviously gets Return and Iron Tail. Sadly, Flareon has ONE thing that it really does miss; Flame Charge. Flame Charge would have fixed Flareon's speed problem for the most part, and Flame Charge is sadly, post game. Unlike Vaporeon, Flareon isn't really disadvantaged by missing Bite, but comes at just the right time to grab Fire Fang. Flareon also packs Lava Plume later on, meaning it can function as a mixed attacker. Sadly, Flareon doesn't get Flare Blitz, but it got toys that it can work with.
Major Battles: Flareon actually does well in most battles that need a Fire type. The big thing that really hurts it is that gosh darn low speed it has. It misses out on Burgh, unfortunately, since you get your first Fire Stone from the Desert Resort. Elesa's not too bad, since Flareon has a great SpDef stat and also packs Fire Fang now. Clay himself has Excadrill to destroy, provided Excadrill wastes its turn to use Hone Claws. Skyla's not terribly hard, though watch out for Swanna. Flareon has no business playing with Drayden, and just like any other Fire type, Flareon eats Colress alive. Ghetsis on the other hand...you probably only stand a chance against his Cofagrigus. Finally, the E4 has two members that Flareon can do well against. Grimsley has Dark types, which translates to Superpower , or you can simply use it to destroy his Bisharp. If you reteach Flareon Bite, it can also go toe to toe with some of Shauntel's Ghosts (Chandelure comes to mind, switch in on a Fire type move and you're golden), and can also contribute a bit to the battle with Caitlin if it wants. Keep it away from Iris and Marshall, though.
Additional Comments: Flareon's biggest flaw is that wretched Speed stat. Its defenses wouldn't matter so much if that Speed were just a tad higher. Flareon surprisingly doesn't really suffer from a bad movepool; it has just enough to function, and grabbing Superpower was a nice treat. The biggest problem for Flareon is that...well...Arcanine and Darmanitan exist in this game, too, and Arcanine is faster, bulkier, easier to find, easier to catch, has virtually the same movepool, and also can pack Flash Fire. Arcanine also plays Mixed better thanks to its somewhat more balanced stats.