|
-
Flash Fire
- Grants immunity to Fire and increases Fire's power 50% when hit by a Fire move.
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Intimidate
- Lowers the foe's Attack 1 stage. Decreases wild encounter rate.
|
Tier:
BL
Statistics
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
90
|
- |
321 |
384 |
- |
| Atk |
110
|
230 |
256 |
319 |
350 |
| Def |
80
|
176 |
196 |
259 |
284 |
| SpA |
100
|
212 |
236 |
299 |
328 |
| SpD |
80
|
176 |
196 |
259 |
284 |
| Spe |
95
|
203 |
226 |
289 |
317 |
Arcanine has always been strong on the attacking side with nice stats on both ends, but it has often lacked the moves to back up the statistics, particularly on the physical spectrum. Flare Blitz gives the legendary dog a powerful physical Fire move that is sure to put a dent even in those that resist the attack. ExtremeSpeed’s usefulness goes without saying, but even without the priority modifier it is still a strong 80 base power attack that can do consistent damage. Thunder Fang helps cover most Water-types that resist Fire, and provides the odd flinch or paralysis. The final spot can go to either Iron Tail or Overheat. Iron Tail grants Arcanine the opportunity to hit those Rock-types it otherwise couldn’t dent, while Overheat could be a nasty surprise against certain physical walls, such as Donphan, that might try to absorb your physical attacks.
Special Arcanine is more versatile than the physical type, but not quite as strong. Flamethrower and Dragon Pulse combine for excellent type coverage and accuracy and are the foundation of this set. Beyond that, there are not many special options for this guy. While physical Arcanine dearly misses the ability to use Hidden Power, special sets greatly benefit from the move's ability to help it cover particular threats. Grass is recommended, as it will be able to put the hurt on some of Arcanine's biggest threats in Swampert and Rhyperior. Ground can help out against Heatran and other Fire-types. If you choose not to use one of the other Hidden Power types, consider Hidden Power Ice over Dragon Pulse, as it hits most of the Dragons even harder. You won't have as good coverage against Water-types with that, but Overheat actually hits them harder as they switch in than Dragon Pulse does. Overheat is a great move for obvious reasons and can help Arcanine to be used in a similar fashion as Choice Specs Salamence, complete with Intimidate and a Stealth Rock weakness! However, it is hard to suggest an Arcanine without ExtremeSpeed, as the usefulness of that move cannot be emphasized enough.
This is very similar to the physical set, but uses Howl to boost Attack while retaining the versatility of move selection. This is best used in late game when things have been weakened a bit. Switch in when it is advantageous, get off a Howl or two, and go to work. The EVs allow it to outspeed neutral natured Heracross and add a little survivability with some HP, while focusing on attack. Generally, Arcanine likes to be fast, but provided you can secure a few Howls, you can afford to be slower since you can use ExtremeSpeed to finish off faster, more fragile threats.
This set serves as a wall breaker, because its ability to hit from both ends of the spectrum lets it hit the common walls on their weaker defense stat. A Flash Fire boosted Overheat from this spread will put a huge dent into Hippowdon, Donphan and Gliscor, OHKOing each of these. It even does considerable damage to physical walls that resist it, such as Slowbro and Swampert, who each take about 50% HP if they have max HP and no Special Defense EVs. Flare Blitz functions as a means to eliminate special walls, specifically Blissey. With the Flash Fire boost, it becomes a 6/13 shot to OHKO a max HP and Defense Blissey, but those that invest some EVs into Special Attack / Special Defense are surely one-shotted.
Of course, things that resist Fire can slow it down. That is why Hidden Power becomes very important. You can use Hidden Power Grass or Hidden Power Electric to cover Water-types. Electric stops Gyarados, but Grass lets you take on Swampert and Rhyperior. Arcanine can use Hidden Power Fighting to cover the Rock-types, specifically Tyranitar. Hidden Power Ground also hits the Rock-types like Hidden Power Fighting does, but it hits Heatran x4 instead of x2 at the cost of less power against Tyranitar, and covers Tentacruel a bit better. As usual, you can choose between Hidden Power Ice and Dragon Pulse.
Other Options
Most of the sets suggest the use of Intimidate, as it is a consistently great trait. You can use Flash Fire on any Arcanine set, especially with Hidden Power Ground, to prevent a Heatran sweep, but you'll usually find Intimidate lets you stay alive longer and switch into some physical threats. Crunch pops up frequently when discussing Arcanine, but there is rarely a time when it warrants the use of a move slot. Flare Blitz / Fire Blast will always hit the Ghosts and Psychics that are weak to Crunch harder, with the exception of Slowbro, Slowking, Starmie, Lunatone and Solrock. None of them enjoy Hidden Power Grass, and the Waters are also hurt by the more versatile Thunder Fang. Of course, Arcanine really doesn’t want to stay in on any of them regardless.
EVs
Speed natures and considerable EV dedication can help it outspeed Pokémon with a base Speed of up to 105, provided they are using a neutral Speed nature. Fire-types are hardly known for their survivability, and even though Arcanine is one of the sturdier of the bunch, trying to make it defensive is usually a waste of effort. Focus on Speed and the primary attacking stat, and dump the remaining points into HP.
Opinion
Arcanine will likely remain in the same position it has been in since Pokémon was first released oh-so-long ago; not quite up to snuff with the standards, but too much of a powerhouse for UU. Flare Blitz was this generation's greatest gift to Arcanine, and while it was originally expected to be a godsend, it really doesn’t change this Pokémon's role at all. The addition of Stealth Rock and Stone Edge, as well as more of a reason to use Earthquake than ever, makes Arcanine tough to switch in and nearly impossible to keep in.
Counters
Rhyperior and Swampert quickly come to mind if the set does not include Hidden Power Grass. Even with the move, both are likely to survive if at full health and will easily OHKO with Earthquake. Bulky Waters will always limit Arcanine’s effectiveness, but Thunder Fang at least gives the pooch a chance to fight back, especially against Gyarados. Additionally, Flash Fire users, particularly Heatran, can pose a problem, as, unless Arcanine carries Hidden Power Ground, it does not have anything to deal considerable damage to them should they switch in on a Fire move.