Arcanine is a Pokemon that has fallen out of fruition for most of the years following its original debut in Gen 1, it could never seem to reach OU, though it has come close multiple times. However, power creep is a curse to many Pokemon, where someone like Arcanine doesn't seem to get many benefits (its gain in Gen 9 was the move Fire-Type Outrage, Raging Fury, the same Gen that introduced a variant to Arcanine that was far superior to it). Arcanine is a Pokemon who when heard, you'd grovel upon, no literally, it says that in its Dex Entry: "Its magnificent bark conveys a sense of majesty. Anyone hearing it can’t help but grovel before it." A Pokemon commonly mistaken as Legendary due to the fact that its grandness is to be described as of Legendary nature. A Pokemon that is described to so agile, its as if it has wings: "A Pokémon that has long been admired for its beauty. It runs agilely as if on wings." Yet, this beautiful canine is subject to Gamefreak's harrowing nature of its Dex entries seeming to be massively obnoxious compared to how they perform, like many other Pokemon. Hopefully, my submission to Mega Arcanine can give it the flowers it deserves.
Arcanine-Mega
Type: /
Ability: Unshackled - The user cannot be locked into using the same move again, and cannot have its moves locked out (this affects moves the user uses like Raging Fury, Thrash and Outrage, while preventing moves like Encore, Taunt, Disable, etc from working against it).
Note: this does not remove the recoil damage from moves like Flare Blitz or Double Edge, nor does it remove the downturns of moves like Close Combat.
New Moves: Sacred Fire
Stats
HP: 90
Attack: 135
(+25)
Defense: 98
(+18)
Sp. Attack: 123
(+23)
Sp. Defense: 98
(+18)
Speed: 111
(+16)
BST: 655
PS: The ability does not affect 2-Turn moves like Dig, and Arcanine cannot get confused from Raging Fury, Outrage or Thrash.
This new ability unleashes Arcanine's full potential (hence the name "Unshackled" (also fitting because, yknow, Arcanine's a dog), where using moves like Outrage and Raging Fury don't force Mega Arcanine into using them repeatedly, making it a fast wallbreaker and revenge killer that can efficiently deal damage without the need to setup without worry of a Fairy-Type or Flash Fire Pokemon from switching in. Mega Arcanine, however, can still setup, which is evermore stronger considering Mega Arcanine does get a boost to its defenses; here's a moveset that Mega Arcanine can run:
Wallbreaker / Revenge Killer
1st Move:
Raging Fury /
Sacred Fire
2nd Move:
Outrage
3rd Move:
Extreme Speed
4th Move:
Close Combat
EVs:
Atk: 252, Sp. Def: 40, Speed: 216
Nature: Jolly
The 216 EVs in Speed with Jolly allows it outspeed Max 252+ EV, Base 106 Speed Pokemon like Iron Treads or Enamorus; it also allows it to outspeed Pokemon like Mega Quaquaval, Mega Kleavor and Mega Iron Thorns, all of which can really threaten Mega Arcanine. However, you could just run Max 252 Speed EVs to outspeed the main 110/109 Base Speed Pokemon like Ogerpon, Walking Wake and Mega Revavroom.
Offensive Calcs:
252 Atk Arcanine-Mega Raging Fury / Outrage vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Kleavor-Mega: 172-204 (61.2 - 72.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Arcanine-Mega Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Thorns-Mega: 218-258 (63.9 - 75.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Arcanine-Mega Outrage vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Quaquaval-Mega: 186-220 (59.8 - 70.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
This is excluding Mega Quaquaval's Intimidate reducing Mega Arcanine's Atk by 1 stage.
252 Atk Arcanine-Mega Raging Fury vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 344-408 (107.1 - 127.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Mega Arcanine's new found speed allows it to outspeed a fully speed invested Iron Treads, OHKOing it with Raging Fury.
252 Atk Arcanine-Mega Raging Fury vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Enamorus: 271-319 (93.7 - 110.3%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
Mega Arcanine's new ability prevents a slower Pokemon from pivoting into Enamorus so that it can revenge kill Mega Arcanine after it uses Outrage.
Defensive Calcs:
252 Atk Kleavor-Mega Stone Axe vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Arcanine-Mega: 258-306 (80.3 - 95.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
The additive bulk from 80 -> 98 allows Mega Arcanine to survive a hit from Mega Kleavor's Stone Axe.
252 Atk Iron Thorns-Mega Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Arcanine-Mega: 338-402 (105.2 - 125.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
This is excluding the fact that Mega Iron Thorns would get a +1 Atk boost from Download due to Sp. Defense investment from Mega Arcanine.
252 Atk Quaquaval-Mega Wave Crash vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Arcanine-Mega: 199-235 (61.9 - 73.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Mega Arcanine's new Dragon Typing turns its Water weakness into a neutral hit, allowing it to survive a Wave Crash from Mega Quaquval.
252 Atk Iron Treads Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Arcanine-Mega: 300-354 (93.4 - 110.2%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Enamorus Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 40 SpD Arcanine: 198-234 (61.6 - 72.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Arcanine-Mega Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Milotic-Mega: 272-324 (69 - 82.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
This is assuming Mega Milotic is at 393/394 HP (not at full HP).
What's important to note about these Calcs isn't to show how super powerful or super bulky Mega Arcanine is, it isn't a Pokemon that OHKOs almost anything, nor is it a Pokemon that can consistently take Super Effective hits well, it's an overall balanced Pokemon that does consistent damage and can keep itself alive with Morning Sun, its Speed Tier puts it above most Pokemon, meaning it is a really effective Revenge Killer, almost killing any Pokemon that has been decently chipped down, where the only considered Pokemon that can effectively deal with it is Primarina, which doesn't even have a reliable source of Healing, meaning a physically defensive wall would be the only way to reliably prevent Mega Arcanine from causing a massive hole in one's team, like Physically Defensive Alomomola with Rocky Helmet.
It's also really hard for defensive Pokemon to wear down Mega Arcanine due to the fact that its Fire typing prevents the possibility of it getting burned.