UU Arcanine

[Rabia]

[OVERVIEW]

Arcanine is unviable and difficult to justify using on any serious team. Although it has access to the ability Intimidate, active recovery in Morning Sun, and decent utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, Arcanine struggles to function properly as a defensive wall. A weakness to every entry hazard causes Arcanine to be easily chipped away at and struggle to act as a defensive switch-in to the few Pokemon it can check such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo lacking a Water-type STAB attack, and Choice Scarf Infernape. This issue is furthered by Arcanine's reliance on Morning Sun as its only source of recovery, as the move's low PP makes switching into entry hazards too often a huge risk because the accumulated damage forces Arcanine to burn through Morning Sun's PP. Arcanine is also outclassed by other defensive Fire-types like Moltres, which sports better overall stats, a more reliable source of recovery in Roost that has more PP than Morning Sun and lets it stave off Stealth Rock damage, and a better defensive typing in Fire / Flying, letting it better check Pokemon like Scizor, Cobalion, Mega Altaria, and Infernape. Rotom-H also outclasses Arcanine as a bulky Fire-type Pokemon thanks to the combination of hazard removal in Defog, immunity to Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate, and secondary Electric typing, allowing Rotom-H to threaten most bulky Water-types like Suicune and Alomomola with super effective damage. Arcanine's poor defensive typing also gives it a worse matchup against strong neutral physical attackers. For example, Cobalion can OHKO Arcanine with +1 All-Out Pummeling, and Heracross can KO Arcanine with +1 Close Combat with minor chip damage. This makes Arcanine unreliable as a dedicated physical wall. Additionally, while Arcanine does match up well against Scizor and some other prominent physical attackers, its mono-Fire typing means it is more easily threaten by the plethora of Water- and Ground-types in the tier like Primarina, Starmie, Krookodile, and Hippowdon. Moltres and Rotom-H struggle less against Water- and Ground-types because of their secondary typings and Ground immunity, allowing them to bypass a weakness to Ground-type moves and threaten Water-types with strong STAB moves. Lastly, Arcanine's passivity makes it setup fodder for Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Nasty Plot Infernape, giving it a poor matchup against more offensively based teams.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Flamethrower / Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Flamethrower is Arcanine's most reliable STAB move and allows it to threaten Steel-types like Scizor, Cobalion, and Lucario with super effective damage. Alternatively, Flare Blitz can be used to OHKO Klefki and 2HKO Pokemon such as Alolan Muk, Amoonguss, and Celebi at the cost of inflicting recoil damage and limiting Arcanine's longevity. Will-O-Wisp allows Arcanine to dissuade potential switch-ins like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Kommo-o due to the threat of a burn and prevents Arcanine from being complete setup fodder for most physical sweepers. Morning Sun gives Arcanine a source of recovery, letting it recover health lost to entry hazards and opposing Pokemon. Toxic lets Arcanine punish Fire-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, and Primarina for switching in.

Set Details
========

16 Speed EVs let Arcanine outspeed Adamant-natured Scizor and OHKO it with Flamethrower. The remaining EVs go into HP and Defense alongside a Bold or Impish nature to make Arcanine as physically bulky as possible. If using Flamethrower, a Bold nature is preferred as to not lower its damage output. If using Flare Blitz, then an Impish nature is preferable. Intimidate lower's the foe's Attack by one stage, making it easier for Arcanine to switch into physical Fighting-types like Cobalion and Infernape. Rocky Helmet punishes Pokemon like Scizor, Infernape, and Mega Beedrill for using U-turn on Arcanine while also providing chip damage any time a foe makes contact with Arcanine. Leftovers can be used to provide Arcanine with a source of recovery outside of Morning Sun, although the damage provided by Rocky Helmet is more valuable.

Usage Tips
========

Due to Arcanine's weakness to entry hazards and the limited recovery provided by Morning Sun, it's essential not to switch into entry hazards frequently, as this will greatly reduce Arcanine's longevity. Because of the combination of Arcanine's typing and Intimidate, it can be switched directly into Pokemon like Scizor and Doublade to check them as well as gain valuable chip damage thanks to Rocky Helmet. Since Arcanine draws in bulky Ground- and Water-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Alomomola, using Toxic is generally free of drawbacks. Additionally, Pokemon like Kommo-o and Terrakion may try to use Arcanine as setup fodder because they aren't threatened by Flamethrower; therefore, using Will-O-Wisp to cripple them is ideal. If using Flare Blitz, only use it if absolutely necessary to threaten Pokemon like Cobalion, Amoonguss, and Klefki, as the recoil damage is rarely worth its meager damage output on neutral targets. Arcanine's passivity makes it setup bait for Pokemon like Latias, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro. Therefore, it's important to try badly poisoning them with Toxic as they switch in.

Team Options
========

Arcanine fits best on defensively oriented teams that can cover its several shortcomings and weaknesses to common wallbreakers like Primarina, Choice Specs Hydreigon, and Life Orb Mamoswine. Pokemon such as Suicune, Amoonguss, and Celebi can check problematic Water- and Ground-types like Empoleon, Swampert, and Hippowdon for Arcanine. In addition, Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, Rotom-C, Tentacruel, and Tsareena deal with Water- and Ground-types while also providing a source of crucial entry hazard control via Defog or Rapid Spin. Other Pokemon that provide entry hazard control like Mega Altaria and Empoleon work well alongside Arcanine, as its severe weakness to entry hazards practically mandates the usage of a Defogger or spinner to ensure it can check Pokemon like Scizor and Infernape as effectively as possible. Because Arcanine draws in Water- and Ground-types, Stealth Rock support from the likes of Mega Aggron, Krookodile, and Swampert is appreciated to chip away at their HP when they switch in. Wish support from Pokemon like Sylveon and Florges lets Arcanine preserve Morning Sun's PP. In return, Arcanine checks Steel-types like Scizor and Mega Aggron. Pokemon that appreciate Arcanine's ability to check physical attackers and Steel-types, most notably Scizor, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Togekiss, and Nihilego are solid partners and also alleviate the problem of Arcanine's passivity by providing an offensive presence alongside it. Rock-resistant Pokemon like Swampert and Sand Force Hippowdon deal with opposing Rock-types like Terrakion and Stakataka for Arcanine. Because of Arcanine's lacking Special Defense, specially defensive walls like Blissey, Amoonguss, and Empoleon help by sponging strong special attacks from the likes of Hydreigon, Primarina, and Mega Pidgeot. Mega Aggron, while not a blanket check to special attackers, aids in dealing with Latias and Togekiss for Arcanine.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

While Arcanine's offensive movepool seems appealing, it's outclassed by other offensive Fire-types like Infernape, Moltres, and Chandelure, all of which have a secondary typing, boosting moves, and higher offensive stats. Even Entei and Darmanitan pull off offensive sets more effectively than Arcanine does thanks to their very high Attack stats, letting them break through Pokemon like Hippowdon, Starmie, and Swampert simply by relying on their strong Fire-type STAB attacks. Wild Charge lets Arcanine immediately threaten Water-types like Mega Sharpedo, Starmie, and Empoleon, notably OHKOing the former. However, the move doesn't hit hard uninvested, and the recoil damage from using it isn't worth giving up a utility move. Roar could be used to prevent Pokemon like Facade Mega Altaria and Substitute Chandelure from setting up on Arcanine, but Arcanine relies greatly on Toxic to threaten bulky Water-types like Swampert, Alomomola, and Mega Slowbro. Extreme Speed would provide Arcanine with a form of priority, but it does little damage and is hard to justify using over Arcanine's utility moves.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Entry Hazards**: Stealth Rock and Spikes cause Arcanine to take lots of chip damage upon switching in and hamper its ability to act as a defensive sponge. In addition, Toxic Spikes inflict Arcanine with poison, further lessening Arcanine's staying power.

**Water-types**: Offensive Water-types like Primarina, Starmie, and Volcanion all threaten to either OHKO or 2HKO Arcanine with their Water-type STAB moves, although they don't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Defensive Water-types like Slowbro, Tentacruel, and Swampert can easily tank Arcanine's weak Flamethrower; however, Slowbro and Swampert must be wary of Toxic and Will-O-Wisp.

**Ground-types**: Hippowdon easily takes a hit from Arcanine, and its sand cuts down the recovery of Morning Sun by half, although Hippowdon hates being statused. Krookodile can switch into Arcanine thanks to Intimidate and its decent overall bulk and threaten an OHKO with Earthquake, but strongly dislikes being burned by Will-O-Wisp. Mamoswine and Nidoking don't switch into Arcanine well, but they can retaliate with strong Ground-type moves.

**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, Stakataka, and Rhyperior all tank a Flamethrower from Arcanine easily and OHKO it with Stone Edge, but they must be mindful of a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Nihilego is immune to Toxic and can hit Arcanine hard on its weaker Special Defense with Power Gem.

**Dragon-types**: Latias and Hydreigon don't fear Arcanine's STAB attacks and don't mind Will-O-Wisp, although they must be cautious of Toxic. Physical variants of Kommo-o dislike being burned, but mixed or special ones can blow by Arcanine with Clanging Scales. Haxorus occasionally holds a Lum Berry and thus can use Arcanine as setup fodder.

**Strong Wallbreakers**: Special wallbreakers like Choice Specs Kyurem, Chandelure, and Flyinium Z Moltres target Arcanine's weaker Special Defense and can easily KO it with the help of entry hazards. Physical wallbreakers that don't fear Will-O-Wisp such as Heracross and Choice Band Infernape are also problematic for Arcanine, as they threaten heavy damage or a KO after Stealth Rock damage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336703]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [Nuked, 382658]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [<username2>, <username2>]]

 

[Rabia]

shit mon is ready

 

[Rabia]

gonna take this back into wip because I'm unhappy with the quality of it (namely team options feels barebones and incomplete, overview could use a bit more hammering in as to why arcanine is T R A S H and some elaboration on some of the points). will get this back up within the next few hours :^D

EDIT: this feels better now and is ready to be looked at

 

[autumn]

Overview
- Rotom-H can also be used as a Pokemon that it's outclassed defensively by, as it can run Defog, has an immunity, and has a secondary STAB option.
- Mention that while Arcanine matches up well against Scizor and a few other physical attackers, it doesn't match up against a lot of the most viable Pokemon, especially the sheer number of Water- and Ground-types. This helps show the good from the first point is outweighed.

Set
QC has discussed and agreed on changing the set to this. Wild Charge has been removed and should be relegated to OO due to its relative weakness and recoil damage, and we have made Flamethrower the first slash due to Arcanine's lack of Leftovers recovery combined with Flare Blitz recoil wearing it down extremely fast when factoring in hazards. A Bold nature is teh first slash so Flamethrower isn't weakened additionally.

name: Defensive
move 1: Flamethrower / Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

Moves
- Fix this secion to reflect the new set by adiing Flamethrower first and removing Wild Charge. Talk about the positives of both Flamethrower and Flare Blitz and what they do.
- Toxic can punish much more than Water-types; it's Arcanine's best way to chip most special attackers, partcularly setup swepers, like Latias, Togekiss, and Chandelure on the switch. Defensive Primarina as well as some Suicune variants actually run Rest, so they aren't bothered by Toxic as much. You can specify Substitute + Calm Mind Suicune (on the switch) and replace defensive Primarina with a Pokemon that dislikes Toxic like Alomomola.

Set Details
- Rewrite the nature line; specify to use Bold if running Flamethrower and Impish if running Flare Blitz.

Usage Tips

* Due to Arcanine's limited recovery provided by Morning Sun

- This alludes to the PP issue, but it's not fully covered here. An additional point following this should be made mentioning Morning Sun has low PP, so it should be preserved whenever possible.

* Since Arcanine draws in bulky Ground- and Water-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Alomomola, using Toxic or Will-O-Wisp is generally free of drawbacks.

- Toxic is objectively better to hit all three, so maybe mention some different Will-O-Wisp targets here.
- Add a point about how Arcanine can check some physical threats and how to effectively do so. You talk about this often in the Overview, but it's not really expressed here to tell the reader how to actually use Arcanine. You can mention its ability to switch into some physical attackers, and give examples of what it can switch into, due to Intimidate, and it can link nicely with mentioning Will-O-Wisp targets. Rocky Helmet + Will-O-Wisp chip is relevant too.
- You mention Wild Charge recoil, which is irrelevant now it's going in OO. However, Flare Blitz recoil can simialrly be mentioned if being run instead of Flamethrower. The recoil without any passive Leftovers recovery can really wear Arcanine down.

Team Options

* Grass-types such as Amoonguss, Celebi, Rotom-C, and Tsareena check problematic Water- and Ground-types for Arcanine. In addition, Rotom-C and Tsareena can provide entry hazard control via Defog and Rapid Spin.

- Instead of focusing on Grass-types, focus on the role they do: they check bulky Water- and Ground-types. Arcanine pairs best with checks tot those, but Grass isn't a hard requirement. Additionally, the second part of this would work just as well with the hazard removal section. In both sections, you cite removal that can deal with bulky Water-types that Arcanine lets in, so making them two completely separate entities isn't the best idea for overall readability. You can mention checks to bulky Water- and Ground-types, then mention the ones that can provide hazard removal support, then mention other hazard removal options to focus on how crucial it is.

specially defensive walls like Mega Aggron

- Mega Aggron is much more of a physical wall than a special one, and it actually can't take most neutral special hits that well. However, it can check two special attackers Arcanine hates in Togekiss and Latias, so mention its distinct ability to check those as opposed to being a blanket special wall like Blissey.
- Arcanine lures in a lot of bulky Water-types and other special attackers due to its passivity, so add Stealth Rock support from teammates as a way to help punish this and help the archetype that Arcanine fits on as a whole. Mega Aggron can work in this section.
- Mention some teammates that appreciate Arcanine's ability to check several physical attackers and Steel-types, most notably Scizor, for a team. Mega Altaria, Togekiss, and Nihilego can work here and also help to circumvent some of the passivity and momentum drain that Arcanine offers.

Other Options
- Add Wild Charge.
- Remove Flamethrower

Checks and Counters
- In Ground-types, specify that Mamowsine and Nidoking don't switch in well. Group the ones that do switch in well first then the ones that don't after that because they're less solid checks and it's a downside to their checking ability.
- In Rock-types, mention Nihilego and its ability to hit Arcanine's weaker Special Defense while being immune to Toxic.

Overall don't forget to add Flamethrower mentions, preferably more than Flare Blitz because it's the first slash.
QC 1/3

 

[Rabia]

Overview
- Rotom-H can also be used as a Pokemon that it's outclassed defensively by, as it can run Defog, has an immunity, and has a secondary STAB option.
- Mention that while Arcanine matches up well against Scizor and a few other physical attackers, it doesn't match up against a lot of the most viable Pokemon, especially the sheer number of Water- and Ground-types. This helps show the good from the first point is outweighed.

Set
QC has discussed and agreed on changing the set to this. Wild Charge has been removed and should be relegated to OO due to its relative weakness and recoil damage, and we have made Flamethrower the first slash due to Arcanine's lack of Leftovers recovery combined with Flare Blitz recoil wearing it down extremely fast when factoring in hazards. A Bold nature is teh first slash so Flamethrower isn't weakened additionally.

name: Defensive
move 1: Flamethrower / Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

Moves
- Fix this secion to reflect the new set by adiing Flamethrower first and removing Wild Charge. Talk about the positives of both Flamethrower and Flare Blitz and what they do.
- Toxic can punish much more than Water-types; it's Arcanine's best way to chip most special attackers, partcularly setup swepers, like Latias, Togekiss, and Chandelure on the switch. Defensive Primarina as well as some Suicune variants actually run Rest, so they aren't bothered by Toxic as much. You can specify Substitute + Calm Mind Suicune (on the switch) and replace defensive Primarina with a Pokemon that dislikes Toxic like Alomomola.

Set Details
- Rewrite the nature line; specify to use Bold if running Flamethrower and Impish if running Flare Blitz.

Usage Tips

- This alludes to the PP issue, but it's not fully covered here. An additional point following this should be made mentioning Morning Sun has low PP, so it should be preserved whenever possible.

- Toxic is objectively better to hit all three, so maybe mention some different Will-O-Wisp targets here.
- Add a point about how Arcanine can check some physical threats and how to effectively do so. You talk about this often in the Overview, but it's not really expressed here to tell the reader how to actually use Arcanine. You can mention its ability to switch into some physical attackers, and give examples of what it can switch into, due to Intimidate, and it can link nicely with mentioning Will-O-Wisp targets. Rocky Helmet + Will-O-Wisp chip is relevant too.
- You mention Wild Charge recoil, which is irrelevant now it's going in OO. However, Flare Blitz recoil can simialrly be mentioned if being run instead of Flamethrower. The recoil without any passive Leftovers recovery can really wear Arcanine down.

Team Options

- Instead of focusing on Grass-types, focus on the role they do: they check bulky Water- and Ground-types. Arcanine pairs best with checks tot those, but Grass isn't a hard requirement. Additionally, the second part of this would work just as well with the hazard removal section. In both sections, you cite removal that can deal with bulky Water-types that Arcanine lets in, so making them two completely separate entities isn't the best idea for overall readability. You can mention checks to bulky Water- and Ground-types, then mention the ones that can provide hazard removal support, then mention other hazard removal options to focus on how crucial it is.

- Mega Aggron is much more of a physical wall than a special one, and it actually can't take most neutral special hits that well. However, it can check two special attackers Arcanine hates in Togekiss and Latias, so mention its distinct ability to check those as opposed to being a blanket special wall like Blissey.
- Arcanine lures in a lot of bulky Water-types and other special attackers due to its passivity, so add Stealth Rock support from teammates as a way to help punish this and help the archetype that Arcanine fits on as a whole. Mega Aggron can work in this section.
- Mention some teammates that appreciate Arcanine's ability to check several physical attackers and Steel-types, most notably Scizor, for a team. Mega Altaria, Togekiss, and Nihilego can work here and also help to circumvent some of the passivity and momentum drain that Arcanine offers.

Other Options
- Add Wild Charge.
- Remove Flamethrower

Checks and Counters
- In Ground-types, specify that Mamowsine and Nidoking don't switch in well. Group the ones that do switch in well first then the ones that don't after that because they're less solid checks and it's a downside to their checking ability.
- In Rock-types, mention Nihilego and its ability to hit Arcanine's weaker Special Defense while being immune to Toxic.

Overall don't forget to add Flamethrower mentions, preferably more than Flare Blitz because it's the first slash.
QC 1/3

this is implemented

 

[Surgeon]

hi am check

overview

* Access to Intimidate, active recovery in Morning Sun, and decent utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic let Arcanine function as a niche defensive Pokemon, allowing it to check prominent offensive threats such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo lacking a Water-type STAB move, and Heracross.

Arcanine is far from being an Heracross check, as a +2 CC has a decent chance to OHKO from full (even with Intimidate) and it doesn't even outspeed it, so I'd just remove that example

* Unfortunately, Arcanine faces heavy competition from Moltres as a defensive Fire-type, as it sports better overall stats, a more reliable source of active recovery in Roost, and a better defensive typing in Fire / Flying, letting it better check Pokemon like Scizor, Cobalion, Mega Altaria, and Infernape. Rotom-H also gives Arcanine fierce competition as a bulky Fire-type Pokemon thanks to the combination of its access to Defog, immunity to Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate, and secondary typing in Electric, allowing Rotom-H to threaten most bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Alomomola, with super effective damage.

I think this is missing the point as to why Arcanine is indeed outdone by other defensive Fire-types. The biggest problem with Arcanine in general is that it's unable to reliably check the Pokemon it's supposed to since it's forced to take damage from every single type of hazard every time it comes in, while Pokemon like Moltres / Rotom-H don't have to face that issue in the same degree since they have access to Defog and a relatively easy time switching into common rockers, meaning there's a much lower chance that they'll take Stealth Rock damage. The fact that they can more reliably check the mentioned Pokemon is true and you should definitely still mention that, but you should also specifically mention the reason as to why they can do that (you kind of mention that Rotom can get Defog, but it's still not the main point). Basically, I think you should take the 4th bullet point about its weakness to Stealth Rock / Spikes and move it to the top after the first bullet point, making it the first drawback Arcanine has to face, and then mention this point about how Pokemon like Moltres and Rotom-H are better options for a defensive Fire-type and specify that it's because of that first drawback that the other defensive Fire-types are better options (ie access to defog > lower chance to take Stealth Rock damage > the stuff u mentioned about the better typing/roost etc > makes them a more reliable check to x threats). I also wouldn't say that it only faces "heavy competition", because that would imply that its very small niche might be desirable for some teams, which it isn't. I would say that it's just straight up outclassed instead.

* Furthermore, Arcanine's passivity makes it setup fodder for Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Swords Dance Infernape, giving it a poor matchup against more offensively-based teams.

Nasty Plot Infernape is much more common and threatening than the SD variant, so I'd mention that instead.

moves

* Flamethrower is Arcanine's most reliable STAB move, allowing it to threaten Steel-types like Scizor, Cobalion, and Lucario for super effective damage, although is relatively weak due to lack of investment in Arcanine's Special Attack stat.

This could also be said about Flare Blitz, so this specific point is pretty unnecessary and it's downgrading Flamethrower to the point where it doesn't seem to be the better option most of the time (which it is). Mention that it's the preferred STAB option, because there's no drawbacks to using it.

* Alternatively, Flare Blitz can be used to OHKO Cobalion and Klefki at the cost of inflicting recoil damage and thus hurting Arcanine's longevity.

It doesn't OHKO Cobalion, so replace that with a better example (it 2HKOes Muk, Amoonguss, Rotom-C, etc)

* Will-O-Wisp allows Arcanine to dissuade potential switch-ins like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Kommo-O due to burn.

Mention that it also prevents it from being setup bait to most physical setup sweepers in the tier.

* Toxic lets Arcanine punish bulky Water-types like defensive Primarina, Suicune, and Swampert for switching in.

Toxic doesn't only hit bulky Water-types, so I wouldn't restrict the examples to only those. I'd make a more general statement, something along the lines of "Toxic lets Arcanine punish Pokemon like Latias, Hippowdon, and Primarina which usually try to switch into it" (also Suicune wouldn't be a good example since the only Suicune that will ever switch into an Arcanine directly and give it an opportunity to Toxic/Will-O-Wisp is Crocune, which is obviously unaffected by status since it can just Rest)

set details

* 16 Speed EVs let Arcanine outspeed Adamant Scizor, allowing Arcanine to OHKO it with Flare Blitz. The remaining EVs alongside a Bold or Impish nature go into HP and Defense to make Arcanine as physically bulky as possible.

Flamethrower is the main slash now so mention that > Flare Blitz.

usage tips

* Due to Arcanine's weakness to entry hazards and the limited recovery provided by Morning Sun, it's essential to not switch into entry hazards frequently, as this will greatly limit Arcanine's staying power.

This is probably the most important thing new players will want to keep in mind when using Arcanine (even though they shouldn't be in the first place, but that's over the point), since most of them might just keep recklessly switching it into hazards, so I'd make this the first point of the section, and then just mention the threats it can attempt to switch into in the next point. I'm also not sure what you mean by "staying power", but I think just saying that it limits its longevity/ability to check what its intended to is fine.

* Because of the combination of Arcanine's typing and Intimidate, it can be switched into Pokemon like Scizor, Alolan Muk, and Doublade to check them, as well as gain valuable chip damage thanks to Rocky Helmet. Additionally, Arcanine can easily use Will-O-Wisp to cripple these Pokemon.

Switching into Muk is really not a good idea most of the time since 1) you could be losing your item to a potential Knock Off and 2) you're risking a 30% chance of getting poisoned by Poison Touch so I'd remove that example.

team options

* Pokemon such as Suicune, Amoonguss, and Celebi can check problematic Water- and Ground-types for Arcanine.

such as?

* Other Pokemon that provide entry hazard control like Starmie and Crobat work well alongside Arcanine, as its severe weakness to entry hazards practically mandates the use of a Defogger or Rapid Spinner to ensure Arcanine can check Pokemon like Scizor and Infernape effectively.

Not the best choice for examples, as you wouldn't normally find Starmie on more defensive builds and Crobat has a pretty awkward synergy with Arcanine being weak to Rock-types and just being a pretty subpar Defogger in general. Stuff like Defog Mega Altaria and Empoleon are much better examples.

* Because of Arcanine's lacking Special Defense, specially defensive walls like Blissey, Amoonguss, and Empoleon help by sponging strong special attacks from the likes of Mega Manectric, Mega Pidgeot, and Gengar. Mega Aggron, while not a blanket check to special attackers, aids in dealing with Latias and Togekiss for Arcanine.

Gengar can bypass any of those (Blissey gets Tricked / Taunted, Empoleon is 2HKOed by Focus Blast and doesn't appreciate taking Shadow Balls, and Amoonguss is 2HKOed by a Life Orb or Choice Specs-boosted Sludge Wave), and Mega Manectric can just Volt Switch out, so I don't think they're the best examples here. Pokemon like Hydreigon and Primarina are better ones.

other options

A lot of newer players might think Extreme Speed is a good option, so mention it here and explain why it's generally not worth using over any other of the current moves.

checks and counters

**Water-types**: Primarina, Suicune, and Starmie all threaten either to OHKO or 2HKO Arcanine with their Water-type STAB moves, although don't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Empoleon isn't threatened heavily by Will-O-Wisp and threatens to OHKO Arcanine with Scald after Stealth Rock damage. Swampert takes little from Arcanine's Flamethrower, but must be mindful of status from either Will-O-Wisp or Toxic. Tentacruel switches into Flare Blitz easily and isn't greatly affected by a burn from Will-O-Wisp.

The last three perform similar roles and check Arcanine in the same way, so I'd just group the last three as bulky Water-types and say that they're able to tank its moves with ease and threaten it with their STAB attacks, but must watch out for Will-O-Wisp and Toxic in case of Swampert (none actually threaten to OHKO it from full or after rocks besides Torrent range Empoleon tho, so don't mention that bit). You could also group the first three as offensive Water-types for cohesiveness purposes and replace Suicune with some other offensive water like Volcanion.

**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, Stakataka, and Rhyperior all laugh off a Flare Blitz from Arcanine and OHKO it with Stone Edge, but must be mindful of a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Nihilego is immune to Toxic and can hit Arcanine hard on its weaker Special Defense with Power Gem.

Again, Flamethrower > Flare Blitz.

 

[Rabia]

hi am check

overview



Arcanine is far from being an Heracross check, as a +2 CC has a decent chance to OHKO from full (even with Intimidate) and it doesn't even outspeed it, so I'd just remove that example



I think this is missing the point as to why Arcanine is indeed outdone by other defensive Fire-types. The biggest problem with Arcanine in general is that it's unable to reliably check the Pokemon it's supposed to since it's forced to take damage from every single type of hazard every time it comes in, while Pokemon like Moltres / Rotom-H don't have to face that issue in the same degree since they have access to Defog and a relatively easy time switching into common rockers, meaning there's a much lower chance that they'll take Stealth Rock damage. The fact that they can more reliably check the mentioned Pokemon is true and you should definitely still mention that, but you should also specifically mention the reason as to why they can do that (you kind of mention that Rotom can get Defog, but it's still not the main point). Basically, I think you should take the 4th bullet point about its weakness to Stealth Rock / Spikes and move it to the top after the first bullet point, making it the first drawback Arcanine has to face, and then mention this point about how Pokemon like Moltres and Rotom-H are better options for a defensive Fire-type and specify that it's because of that first drawback that the other defensive Fire-types are better options (ie access to defog > lower chance to take Stealth Rock damage > the stuff u mentioned about the better typing/roost etc > makes them a more reliable check to x threats). I also wouldn't say that it only faces "heavy competition", because that would imply that its very small niche might be desirable for some teams, which it isn't. I would say that it's just straight up outclassed instead.



Nasty Plot Infernape is much more common and threatening than the SD variant, so I'd mention that instead.

moves



This could also be said about Flare Blitz, so this specific point is pretty unnecessary and it's downgrading Flamethrower to the point where it doesn't seem to be the better option most of the time (which it is). Mention that it's the preferred STAB option, because there's no drawbacks to using it.



It doesn't OHKO Cobalion, so replace that with a better example (it 2HKOes Muk, Amoonguss, Rotom-C, etc)



Mention that it also prevents it from being setup bait to most physical setup sweepers in the tier.



Toxic doesn't only hit bulky Water-types, so I wouldn't restrict the examples to only those. I'd make a more general statement, something along the lines of "Toxic lets Arcanine punish Pokemon like Latias, Hippowdon, and Primarina which usually try to switch into it" (also Suicune wouldn't be a good example since the only Suicune that will ever switch into an Arcanine directly and give it an opportunity to Toxic/Will-O-Wisp is Crocune, which is obviously unaffected by status since it can just Rest)

set details



Flamethrower is the main slash now so mention that > Flare Blitz.

usage tips



This is probably the most important thing new players will want to keep in mind when using Arcanine (even though they shouldn't be in the first place, but that's over the point), since most of them might just keep recklessly switching it into hazards, so I'd make this the first point of the section, and then just mention the threats it can attempt to switch into in the next point. I'm also not sure what you mean by "staying power", but I think just saying that it limits its longevity/ability to check what its intended to is fine.



Switching into Muk is really not a good idea most of the time since 1) you could be losing your item to a potential Knock Off and 2) you're risking a 30% chance of getting poisoned by Poison Touch so I'd remove that example.

team options



such as?



Not the best choice for examples, as you wouldn't normally find Starmie on more defensive builds and Crobat has a pretty awkward synergy with Arcanine being weak to Rock-types and just being a pretty subpar Defogger in general. Stuff like Defog Mega Altaria and Empoleon are much better examples.



Gengar can bypass any of those (Blissey gets Tricked / Taunted, Empoleon is 2HKOed by Focus Blast and doesn't appreciate taking Shadow Balls, and Amoonguss is 2HKOed by a Life Orb or Choice Specs-boosted Sludge Wave), and Mega Manectric can just Volt Switch out, so I don't think they're the best examples here. Pokemon like Hydreigon and Primarina are better ones.

other options

A lot of newer players might think Extreme Speed is a good option, so mention it here and explain why it's generally not worth using over any other of the current moves.

checks and counters



The last three perform similar roles and check Arcanine in the same way, so I'd just group the last three as bulky Water-types and say that they're able to tank its moves with ease and threaten it with their STAB attacks, but must watch out for Will-O-Wisp and Toxic in case of Swampert (none actually threaten to OHKO it from full or after rocks besides Torrent range Empoleon tho, so don't mention that bit). You could also group the first three as offensive Water-types for cohesiveness purposes and replace Suicune with some other offensive water like Volcanion.



Again, Flamethrower > Flare Blitz.

did this

 

[A Cake Wearing A Hat]

nice check surg

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

[The first point (a new one) needs to state clearly that Arcanine is unviable in the tier, rather than diving straight into positives. At no point in this overview is it stated outright that this Pokemon is like really way bad, and this should be fixed.]
* Access to Intimidate, active recovery in Morning Sun, and decent utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic let Arcanine function as a niche defensive Pokemon, allowing it to check prominent offensive threats such as Scizor and Mega Sharpedo lacking a Water-type STAB move.
* A weakness to both Stealth Rock and Spikes causes Arcanine to be easily chipped away at and struggle to function as a defensive switch-in to the few Pokemon it can check. This issue is further compounded upon by Arcanine's reliance on Morning Sun as its source of recovery, as Morning Sun's low amount of PP makes switching into entry hazards too often a huge risk because the damage accumulated forces Arcanine to use Morning Sun very frequently.
* Arcanine is also outclassed by other defensive Fire-types like Moltres, as it sports better overall stats, a more reliable source of active recovery in Roost that lets it stave off Stealth Rock damage, and a better defensive typing in Fire / Flying, letting it better check Pokemon like Scizor, Cobalion, Mega Altaria, and Infernape. Rotom-H also gives Arcanine fierce competition as a bulky Fire-type Pokemon thanks to the combination of its access to Defog, which lets it remove entry hazards and thus not have to deal with them later in the battle, immunity to Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate, and secondary typing in Electric, allowing Rotom-H to threaten most bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Alomomola, with super effective damage.
* Additionally, while Arcanine does match up well against Scizor and a few other prominent physical attackers, its mono Fire typing means it is more easily threatened by the plethora of strong Water- and Ground-types in the tier like Primarina, Starmie, Swampert, Krookodile, and Hippowdon, while Moltres and Rotom-H don't have as great a problem dealing with them because of Moltres's Flying typing and Rotom-H's Electric typing and ability, allowing them to bypass a weakness to Ground-type moves and threaten Water-types with strong STAB moves. [Arcanine, by virtue of its typing and hazard weakness, is also capable of being bypassed by even non-Ground- or Water-type strong physical attackers; for example, Cobalion can OHKO it with +1 All-Out Pummeling. This makes it unreliable at best as a dedicated physical wall.]
* Furthermore, Arcanine's passivity makes it setup fodder for Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Nasty Plot Infernape, giving it a poor matchup against more offensively-based teams.

[SET]
name: Fat Pupper (Defensive) Defensive [Arcanine isn't called "fat pupper" when it's talked about, and this pokemon is nowhere near good enough to deserve a meme name. Just Defensive is fine.]
move 1: Flamethrower / Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Flamethrower is Arcanine's most reliable STAB move, allowing it to threaten Steel-types like Scizor, Cobalion, and Lucario for super effective damage.
* Alternatively, Flare Blitz can be used to OHKO Klefki and 2HKO Pokemon such Alolan Muk, Amoonguss, and Celebi as at the cost of inflicting recoil damage and thus hurting Arcanine's longevity.
* Will-O-Wisp allows Arcanine to dissuade potential switch-ins like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Kommo-o due to burn and prevents Arcanine from being complete setup fodder for most physical sweepers.
* Morning Sun gives Arcanine a source of active recovery, allowing it to recover health lost from entry hazards and opposing Pokemon.
* Toxic lets Arcanine punish Fire-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, and Primarina for switching in.

Set Details
========

* 16 Speed EVs let Arcanine outspeed Adamant Scizor, allowing Arcanine to OHKO it with Flamethrower. The remaining EVs alongside a Bold or Impish nature go into HP and Defense to make Arcanine as physically bulky as possible.
* If using Flamethrower, a Bold nature is preferred as to not lower its damage output. If using Flare Blitz, then an Impish nature is better.
* Intimidate lowers the foe's Attack stat by one stage making it easier for Arcanine to switch into Fighting-types like Cobalion, Infernape, and Heracross. [Remove Heracross. Arc can't switch into that.]
* Rocky Helmet punishes Pokemon like Scizor, Infernape, and Mega Beedrill for using U-turn on Arcanine while also providing chip damage any time a foe makes contact with Arcanine.
* Leftovers can be used to provide Arcanine with a source of recovery other than Morning Sun, although the damage provided by Rocky Helmet to Pokemon like Scizor is usually more valuable.

Usage Tips
========

* Due to Arcanine's weakness to entry hazards and the limited recovery provided by Morning Sun, it's essential to not switch into entry hazards frequently, as this will greatly limit Arcanine's staying power.
* Because of the combination of Arcanine's typing and Intimidate, it can be switched into Pokemon like Scizor and Doublade to check them, as well as gain valuable chip damage thanks to Rocky Helmet. Additionally, Arcanine can easily use Will-O-Wisp to cripple these Pokemon.
* Furthermore, Morning Sun has only eight PP, and its effectiveness is cut in half under Sand. Therefore, keep its usage for when absolutely necessary, as it's Arcanine's only source of recovery.
* Since Arcanine draws in bulky Ground- and Water-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Alomomola, using Toxic is generally free of drawbacks. Additionally, Pokemon like Kommo-O and Terrakion may try to use Arcanine as setup fodder because they aren't threatened by Flamethrower. Therefore, using Will-O-Wisp to cripple them is ideal.
* If using Flare Blitz, only use it if absolutely necessary to threaten Pokemon like Cobalion, Amoonguss, and Klefki, as the recoil damage is rarely worth its meager damage output on neutral targets.
* Arcanine's passivity makes it setup bait for Pokemon like Latias, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro. Therefore, it's important to not give them a free switch in by badly poisoning them with Toxic as they switch in.

Team Options
========

* Arcanine fits best on defensively oriented teams that can cover its weaknesses to common wallbreakers like Choice Specs Hydreigon, Life Orb Mamoswine, and Primarina.
* Pokemon such as Suicune, Amoonguss, and Celebi can check problematic Water- and Ground-types like Empoleon, Swampert, and Hippowdon, for Arcanine. In addition, Pokemon such as Latias, Hydreigon, Rotom-C, Tentacruel, and Tsareena also deal with Water- and Ground-types while also providing a source of crucial entry hazard control via Defog and Rapid Spin.
* Other Pokemon that provide entry hazard control like Mega Altaria and Empoleon work well alongside Arcanine, as its severe weakness to entry hazards practically mandates the use of a Defogger or Rapid Spinner to ensure Arcanine can check Pokemon like Scizor and Infernape effectively.
* Because Arcanine repeatedly lures in Water- and Ground-types, Stealth Rock support from the likes of Mega Aggron, Krookodile, and Swampert assists by punishing switching repetitively into Arcanine.
* Wish support from Pokemon like Sylveon and Florges lets Arcanine preserve Morning Sun's PP. In return, Arcanine checks Steel-types like Scizor and Mega Aggron.
* Pokemon that appreciate Arcanine's ability to check physical attackers and Steel-types, most notably Scizor, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Togekiss, and Nihilego are solid partners and also alleviate the problem of Arcanine's passivity by providing an offensive presence alongside it.
* Rock-resistant Pokemon like Swampert and Nidoqueen can deal with opposing Rock-types like Terrakion and Stakataka for Arcanine.
* Because of Arcanine's lacking Special Defense, specially defensive walls like Blissey, Amoonguss, and Empoleon help by sponging strong special attacks from the likes of Hydreigon, Primarina, and Mega Pidgeot. Mega Aggron, while not a blanket check to special attackers, aids in dealing with Latias and Togekiss for Arcanine.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* While Arcanine's offensive movepool seems appealing, it's generally outclassed by other offensive Fire-types like Infernape, Moltres, and Chandelure, all of which have a secondary typing, boosting moves, and higher offensive stats. Even Entei and Darmanitan pull off offensive sets much better than Arcanine does thanks to their very high Attack stats, letting them break through Pokemon like Hippowdon, Starmie, and Swampert simply by relying on their strong Fire-type STAB moves.
* Wild Charge lets Arcanine immediately threaten Water-types like Mega Sharpedo, Starmie, and Empoleon, notably OHKOing the former. However, the move doesn't hit hard uninvested, and the recoil damage caused from using it isn't worth giving up a utility move.
* Roar could be used to prevent Pokemon like Mega Altaria and Chandelure from setting up on Arcanine, but Arcanine relies greatly on Toxic to threaten bulky Water-types like Swampert, Alomomola, and Mega Slowbro.
* Extreme Speed would provide Arcanine with a form of priority, but does little damage and is hard to justify using it over Arcanine's utility moves.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Entry Hazards**: Stealth Rock and Spikes cause Arcanine to take lots of chip damage upon switching in and hamper its ability to act as a defensive sponge. In addition, Toxic Spikes inflict Arcanine with poison, further lessening Arcanine's staying power.

**Water-types**: Offensive Water-types like Primarina, Starmie, and Volcanion all threaten either to OHKO or 2HKO Arcanine with their Water-type STAB moves, although don't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Defensive Water-types like Empoleon, Tentacruel, and Swampert can easily tank Arcanine's weak Flamethrower, although Swampert must be wary of Toxic and Will-O-Wisp.

**Ground-types**: Hippowdon easily takes a hit from Arcanine, and its Sand cuts down the effectiveness of Morning Sun by half, although Hippowdon hates being statused. Krookodile can switch into Arcanine thanks to Intimidate and its decent overall bulk and threaten an OHKO with Earthquake, but hates being burned by Will-O-Wisp. Mamoswine and Nidoking don't switch into Arcanine well, but can retaliate with strong Ground-type moves.

**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, Stakataka, and Rhyperior all laugh off a Flamethrower from Arcanine and OHKO it with Stone Edge, but must be mindful of a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Nihilego is immune to Toxic and can hit Arcanine hard on its weaker Special Defense with Power Gem.

[Add a point for Dragon-types; special ones like Latias and Hydreigon take nothing from arcanine's STAB moves and don't fear Will-O-Wisp, but they need to watch out for Toxic, while Haxorus occasionally holds a Lum Berry and can boost up to break past Arcanine with relative ease. Kommo-o is vulnerable to Will-O-Wisp, but mixed or special sets can push through anyway with Clanging Scales]

**Strong Special Attackers**: While Arcanine's uninvested Special Defense stat isn't poor, it still leaves it vulnerable to Pokemon like Latias, Choice Specs Hydreigon, Kyurem, and Flyinium Z Moltres. [Honestly i'd edit the title of this point to "Strong Wallbreakers", and then include a separate sentence about certain strong physical Pokemon like Heracross and Choice Band Infernape (CB nape 2hkoes after sr), which can pretty easily break past Arcanine after Stealth Rock damage.]

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336703]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [<username3>, <userid3>]]
- Grammar checked by: [[<username1>, <userid1>], [<username2>, <username2>]]

2/3

 

[Rabia]

nice check surg

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

[The first point (a new one) needs to state clearly that Arcanine is unviable in the tier, rather than diving straight into positives. At no point in this overview is it stated outright that this Pokemon is like really way bad, and this should be fixed.]
* Access to Intimidate, active recovery in Morning Sun, and decent utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic let Arcanine function as a niche defensive Pokemon, allowing it to check prominent offensive threats such as Scizor and Mega Sharpedo lacking a Water-type STAB move.
* A weakness to both Stealth Rock and Spikes causes Arcanine to be easily chipped away at and struggle to function as a defensive switch-in to the few Pokemon it can check. This issue is further compounded upon by Arcanine's reliance on Morning Sun as its source of recovery, as Morning Sun's low amount of PP makes switching into entry hazards too often a huge risk because the damage accumulated forces Arcanine to use Morning Sun very frequently.
* Arcanine is also outclassed by other defensive Fire-types like Moltres, as it sports better overall stats, a more reliable source of active recovery in Roost that lets it stave off Stealth Rock damage, and a better defensive typing in Fire / Flying, letting it better check Pokemon like Scizor, Cobalion, Mega Altaria, and Infernape. Rotom-H also gives Arcanine fierce competition as a bulky Fire-type Pokemon thanks to the combination of its access to Defog, which lets it remove entry hazards and thus not have to deal with them later in the battle, immunity to Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate, and secondary typing in Electric, allowing Rotom-H to threaten most bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Alomomola, with super effective damage.
* Additionally, while Arcanine does match up well against Scizor and a few other prominent physical attackers, its mono Fire typing means it is more easily threatened by the plethora of strong Water- and Ground-types in the tier like Primarina, Starmie, Swampert, Krookodile, and Hippowdon, while Moltres and Rotom-H don't have as great a problem dealing with them because of Moltres's Flying typing and Rotom-H's Electric typing and ability, allowing them to bypass a weakness to Ground-type moves and threaten Water-types with strong STAB moves. [Arcanine, by virtue of its typing and hazard weakness, is also capable of being bypassed by even non-Ground- or Water-type strong physical attackers; for example, Cobalion can OHKO it with +1 All-Out Pummeling. This makes it unreliable at best as a dedicated physical wall.]
* Furthermore, Arcanine's passivity makes it setup fodder for Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Nasty Plot Infernape, giving it a poor matchup against more offensively-based teams.

[SET]
name: Fat Pupper (Defensive) Defensive [Arcanine isn't called "fat pupper" when it's talked about, and this pokemon is nowhere near good enough to deserve a meme name. Just Defensive is fine.]
move 1: Flamethrower / Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Flamethrower is Arcanine's most reliable STAB move, allowing it to threaten Steel-types like Scizor, Cobalion, and Lucario for super effective damage.
* Alternatively, Flare Blitz can be used to OHKO Klefki and 2HKO Pokemon such Alolan Muk, Amoonguss, and Celebi as at the cost of inflicting recoil damage and thus hurting Arcanine's longevity.
* Will-O-Wisp allows Arcanine to dissuade potential switch-ins like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Kommo-o due to burn and prevents Arcanine from being complete setup fodder for most physical sweepers.
* Morning Sun gives Arcanine a source of active recovery, allowing it to recover health lost from entry hazards and opposing Pokemon.
* Toxic lets Arcanine punish Fire-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, and Primarina for switching in.

Set Details
========

* 16 Speed EVs let Arcanine outspeed Adamant Scizor, allowing Arcanine to OHKO it with Flamethrower. The remaining EVs alongside a Bold or Impish nature go into HP and Defense to make Arcanine as physically bulky as possible.
* If using Flamethrower, a Bold nature is preferred as to not lower its damage output. If using Flare Blitz, then an Impish nature is better.
* Intimidate lowers the foe's Attack stat by one stage making it easier for Arcanine to switch into Fighting-types like Cobalion, Infernape, and Heracross. [Remove Heracross. Arc can't switch into that.]
* Rocky Helmet punishes Pokemon like Scizor, Infernape, and Mega Beedrill for using U-turn on Arcanine while also providing chip damage any time a foe makes contact with Arcanine.
* Leftovers can be used to provide Arcanine with a source of recovery other than Morning Sun, although the damage provided by Rocky Helmet to Pokemon like Scizor is usually more valuable.

Usage Tips
========

* Due to Arcanine's weakness to entry hazards and the limited recovery provided by Morning Sun, it's essential to not switch into entry hazards frequently, as this will greatly limit Arcanine's staying power.
* Because of the combination of Arcanine's typing and Intimidate, it can be switched into Pokemon like Scizor and Doublade to check them, as well as gain valuable chip damage thanks to Rocky Helmet. Additionally, Arcanine can easily use Will-O-Wisp to cripple these Pokemon.
* Furthermore, Morning Sun has only eight PP, and its effectiveness is cut in half under Sand. Therefore, keep its usage for when absolutely necessary, as it's Arcanine's only source of recovery.
* Since Arcanine draws in bulky Ground- and Water-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Alomomola, using Toxic is generally free of drawbacks. Additionally, Pokemon like Kommo-O and Terrakion may try to use Arcanine as setup fodder because they aren't threatened by Flamethrower. Therefore, using Will-O-Wisp to cripple them is ideal.
* If using Flare Blitz, only use it if absolutely necessary to threaten Pokemon like Cobalion, Amoonguss, and Klefki, as the recoil damage is rarely worth its meager damage output on neutral targets.
* Arcanine's passivity makes it setup bait for Pokemon like Latias, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro. Therefore, it's important to not give them a free switch in by badly poisoning them with Toxic as they switch in.

Team Options
========

* Arcanine fits best on defensively oriented teams that can cover its weaknesses to common wallbreakers like Choice Specs Hydreigon, Life Orb Mamoswine, and Primarina.
* Pokemon such as Suicune, Amoonguss, and Celebi can check problematic Water- and Ground-types like Empoleon, Swampert, and Hippowdon, for Arcanine. In addition, Pokemon such as Latias, Hydreigon, Rotom-C, Tentacruel, and Tsareena also deal with Water- and Ground-types while also providing a source of crucial entry hazard control via Defog and Rapid Spin.
* Other Pokemon that provide entry hazard control like Mega Altaria and Empoleon work well alongside Arcanine, as its severe weakness to entry hazards practically mandates the use of a Defogger or Rapid Spinner to ensure Arcanine can check Pokemon like Scizor and Infernape effectively.
* Because Arcanine repeatedly lures in Water- and Ground-types, Stealth Rock support from the likes of Mega Aggron, Krookodile, and Swampert assists by punishing switching repetitively into Arcanine.
* Wish support from Pokemon like Sylveon and Florges lets Arcanine preserve Morning Sun's PP. In return, Arcanine checks Steel-types like Scizor and Mega Aggron.
* Pokemon that appreciate Arcanine's ability to check physical attackers and Steel-types, most notably Scizor, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Togekiss, and Nihilego are solid partners and also alleviate the problem of Arcanine's passivity by providing an offensive presence alongside it.
* Rock-resistant Pokemon like Swampert and Nidoqueen can deal with opposing Rock-types like Terrakion and Stakataka for Arcanine.
* Because of Arcanine's lacking Special Defense, specially defensive walls like Blissey, Amoonguss, and Empoleon help by sponging strong special attacks from the likes of Hydreigon, Primarina, and Mega Pidgeot. Mega Aggron, while not a blanket check to special attackers, aids in dealing with Latias and Togekiss for Arcanine.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* While Arcanine's offensive movepool seems appealing, it's generally outclassed by other offensive Fire-types like Infernape, Moltres, and Chandelure, all of which have a secondary typing, boosting moves, and higher offensive stats. Even Entei and Darmanitan pull off offensive sets much better than Arcanine does thanks to their very high Attack stats, letting them break through Pokemon like Hippowdon, Starmie, and Swampert simply by relying on their strong Fire-type STAB moves.
* Wild Charge lets Arcanine immediately threaten Water-types like Mega Sharpedo, Starmie, and Empoleon, notably OHKOing the former. However, the move doesn't hit hard uninvested, and the recoil damage caused from using it isn't worth giving up a utility move.
* Roar could be used to prevent Pokemon like Mega Altaria and Chandelure from setting up on Arcanine, but Arcanine relies greatly on Toxic to threaten bulky Water-types like Swampert, Alomomola, and Mega Slowbro.
* Extreme Speed would provide Arcanine with a form of priority, but does little damage and is hard to justify using it over Arcanine's utility moves.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Entry Hazards**: Stealth Rock and Spikes cause Arcanine to take lots of chip damage upon switching in and hamper its ability to act as a defensive sponge. In addition, Toxic Spikes inflict Arcanine with poison, further lessening Arcanine's staying power.

**Water-types**: Offensive Water-types like Primarina, Starmie, and Volcanion all threaten either to OHKO or 2HKO Arcanine with their Water-type STAB moves, although don't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Defensive Water-types like Empoleon, Tentacruel, and Swampert can easily tank Arcanine's weak Flamethrower, although Swampert must be wary of Toxic and Will-O-Wisp.

**Ground-types**: Hippowdon easily takes a hit from Arcanine, and its Sand cuts down the effectiveness of Morning Sun by half, although Hippowdon hates being statused. Krookodile can switch into Arcanine thanks to Intimidate and its decent overall bulk and threaten an OHKO with Earthquake, but hates being burned by Will-O-Wisp. Mamoswine and Nidoking don't switch into Arcanine well, but can retaliate with strong Ground-type moves.

**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, Stakataka, and Rhyperior all laugh off a Flamethrower from Arcanine and OHKO it with Stone Edge, but must be mindful of a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Nihilego is immune to Toxic and can hit Arcanine hard on its weaker Special Defense with Power Gem.

[Add a point for Dragon-types; special ones like Latias and Hydreigon take nothing from arcanine's STAB moves and don't fear Will-O-Wisp, but they need to watch out for Toxic, while Haxorus occasionally holds a Lum Berry and can boost up to break past Arcanine with relative ease. Kommo-o is vulnerable to Will-O-Wisp, but mixed or special sets can push through anyway with Clanging Scales]

**Strong Special Attackers**: While Arcanine's uninvested Special Defense stat isn't poor, it still leaves it vulnerable to Pokemon like Latias, Choice Specs Hydreigon, Kyurem, and Flyinium Z Moltres. [Honestly i'd edit the title of this point to "Strong Wallbreakers", and then include a separate sentence about certain strong physical Pokemon like Heracross and Choice Band Infernape (CB nape 2hkoes after sr), which can pretty easily break past Arcanine after Stealth Rock damage.]

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336703]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [<username3>, <userid3>]]
- Grammar checked by: [[<username1>, <userid1>], [<username2>, <username2>]]

2/3

this is implemented, gonna write up now.

 

[Rabia]

written up and ready for last check (and in pain because typing hurts)

 

[Nuked]

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Arcanine is unviable and difficult to justify using on any serious team. Although it has access to the ability Intimidate, active recovery in Morning Sun, and decent utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, Arcanine struggles to function properly as a defensive wall. A weakness to both Stealth Rock and Spikes causes Arcanine to be easily chipped away at and struggle to act as a defensive switch-in to the few Pokemon it can check such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo lacking a Water-type STAB attack, and Choice Scarf Infernape. This issue is furthered by Arcanine's reliance on Morning Sun as its only source of recovery, as Morning Sun's low PP makes switching into entry hazards too often a huge risk because the damage accumulated forces Arcanine to burn through Morning Sun's PP. Arcanine is also outclassed by other defensive Fire-types like Moltres, which sports better overall stats, a more reliable source of recovery in Roost that has more PP than Morning Sun and lets Moltres stave off Stealth Rock damage, and a better defensive typing in Fire / Flying, letting it better check Pokemon like Scizor, Cobalion, Mega Altaria, and Infernape. Rotom-H also outclasses Arcanine as a bulky Fire-type Pokemon thanks to the combination of its access to Defog, which lets it remove entry hazards and thus not have to deal with them later in the battle, immunity to Ground-type moves thanks to its ability, Levitate, and secondary Electric typing, allowing Rotom-H to threaten most bulky Water-types like Suicune and Alomomola with super effective damage. Arcanine's poor defensive typing gives it a worse matchup against strong non-Ground- and Water-type physical attackers. For example, Cobalion can OHKO Arcanine with +1 All-Out Pummeling, and Heracross can KO Arcanine with +1 Close Combat with minor chip damage. This makes Arcanine unreliable as a dedicated physical wall. Additionally, while Arcanine does match up well against Scizor and some other prominent physical attackers, its mono-Fire typing means it is more easily threaten by the plethora of Water- and Ground-types in the tier like Primarina, Starmie, Swampert, Krookodile, and Hippowdon. Moltres and Rotom-H struggle less against Water- and Ground-types because of Moltres's Flying typing and Rotom-H's Electric typing and ability, allowing them to bypass a weakness to Ground-type moves and threaten Water-types with strong STAB moves. Lastly, Arcanine's passivity makes it setup fodder for Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Nasty Plot Infernape, giving it a poor matchup against more offensively based teams.

In the bolded part, just rephrase this to say "A weakness to every entry hazard" because it's also really weak to Toxic Spikes.
In the purple bolded part, remove one of these examples, as 5 is too much.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Flamethrower / Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Flamethrower is Arcanine's most reliable STAB move and allows it to threaten Steel-types like Scizor, Cobalion, and Lucario with super effective damage. Alternatively, Flare Blitz can be used to OHKO Klefki and 2HKO Pokemon such as Alolan Muk, Amoonguss, and Celebi at the cost of inflicting recoil damage and thus limiting Arcanine's longevity. Will-O-Wisp allows Arcanine to dissuade potential switch-ins like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Kommo-o due to the threat of a burn and prevents Arcanine from being complete setup fodder for most physical sweepers. Morning Sun gives Arcanine a source of recovery, letting it recover health lost to entry hazards and opposing Pokemon. Toxic lets Arcanine punish Fire-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, and Primarina for switching in.

Set Details
========

16 Speed EVs let Arcanine outspeed Adamant-natured Scizor, allowing Arcanine to OHKO it with Flamethrower. The remaining EVs alongside a Bold or Impish nature go into HP and Defense to make Arcanine as physically bulky as possible. If using Flamethrower, a Bold nature is preferred as to not lower its damage output. If using Flare Blitz, then an Impish nature is preferable. Intimidate lower's the foe's Attack by one stage, making it easier for Arcanine to switch into physical Fighting-types like Cobalion and Infernape. Rocky Helmet punishes Pokemon like Scizor, Infernape, and Mega Beedrill for using U-turn on Arcanine while also providing chip damage any time a foe makes contact with Arcanine. Leftovers can be used to provide Arcanine with a source of recovery outside of Morning Sun, although the damage provided by Rocky Helmet to Pokemon like Scizor is more valuable.

Usage Tips
========

Due to Arcanine's weakness to entry hazards and the limited recovery provided by Morning Sun, it's essential to not switch into entry hazards frequently, as this will greatly cripple Arcanine's longevity. Because of the combination of Arcanine's typing and Intimidate, it can be switched directly into Pokemon like Scizor and Doublade to check them, as well as gain valuable chip thanks to Rocky Helmet. Additionally, Arcanine can easily use Will-O-Wisp to cripple these Pokemon. Since Arcanine draws in bulky Ground- and Water-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Alomomola, using Toxic is generally free of drawbacks. Additionally, Pokemon like Kommo-o and Terrakion may try to use Arcanine as setup fodder because they aren't threatened by Flamethrower; therefore, using Will-O-Wisp to cripple them is ideal. If using Flare Blitz, only use it if absolutely necessary to threaten Pokemon like Cobalion, Amoonguss, and Klefki, as the recoil damage is rarely worth its meager damage output on neutral targets. Arcanine's passivity makes it setup bait for Pokemon like Latias, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro. Therefore, it's important to not give them a free switch-in by badly poisoning them with Toxic as they switch in.

Really, you would just Flamethrower both of these in 99% of situations. Remove this line.

Team Options
========

Arcanine fits best on defensively oriented teams that can cover its several shortcomings and weaknesses to common wallbreakers like Primarina, Choice Specs Hydreigon, and Life Orb Mamoswine. Pokemon such as Suicune, Amoonguss, and Celebi can check problematic Water- and Ground-types like Empoleon, Swampert, and Hippowdon for Arcanine. In addition, Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, Rotom-C, Tentacruel, and Tsareena deal with Water- and Ground-types while also providing a source of crucial entry hazard control via Defog or Rapid Spin. Other Pokemon that provide entry hazard control like Mega Altaria and Empoleon work well alongside Arcanine, as its severe weakness to entry hazards practically mandates the usage of a Defogger or Rapid Spinner to ensure Arcanine can check Pokemon like Scizor and Infernape as effectively as possible. Because Arcanine draws in Water- and Ground-types, Stealth Rock support from the likes of Mega Aggron, Krookodile, and Swampert is appreciated to chip away at their HP when they switch in. Wish support from Pokemon like Sylveon and Florges lets Arcanine preserve Morning Sun's PP. In return, Arcanine checks Steel-types like Scizor and Mega Aggron. Pokemon that appreciate Arcanine's ability to check physical attackers and Steel-types, most notably Scizor, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Togekiss, and Nihilego are solid partners and also alleviate the problem of Arcanine's passivity by providing an offensive presence alongside it. Rock-resistant Pokemon like Swampert and Nidoqueen deal with opposing Rock-types like Terrakion and Stakataka for Arcanine. Because of Arcanine's lacking Special Defense, specially defensive walls like Blissey, Amoonguss, and Empoleon help by sponging strong special attacks from the likes of Hydreigon, Primarina, and Mega Pidgeot. Mega Aggron, while not a blanket check to special attackers, aids in dealing with Latias and Togekiss for Arcanine.

Remove Nidoqueen mention and replace with Hippowdon (specify Sand Force). Much more relevant and easier to fit on teams.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

While Arcanine's offensive movepool seems appealing, it's outclassed by other offensive Fire-types like Infernape, Moltres, and Chandelure, all of which have a secondary typing, boosting moves, and higher offensive stats. Even Entei and Darmanitan pull off offensive sets more effectively than Arcanine does thanks to their very high Attack stats, letting them break through Pokemon like Hippowdon, Starmie, and Swampert simply by relying on their strong Fire-type STAB attacks. Wild Charge lets Arcanine immediately threaten Water-types like Mega Sharpedo, Starmie, and Empoleon, notably OHKOing the former. However, the move doesn't hit hard uninvested, and the recoil damage from using it isn't worth giving up a utility move. Roar could be used to prevent Pokemon like Mega Altaria and Chandelure from setting up on Arcanine, but Arcanine relies greatly on Toxic to threaten bulky Water-types like Swampert, Alomomola, and Mega Slowbro. Extreme Speed would provide Arcanine with a form of priority, but it does little damage and is hard to justify using over Arcanine's utility moves.

Specify Facade Mega Altaria here, and also specify Substitute Chandelure since it hates getting Toxic'd.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Entry Hazards**: Stealth Rock and Spikes cause Arcanine to take lots of chip damage upon switching in and hamper its ability to act as a defensive sponge. In addition, Toxic Spikes inflict Arcanine with poison, further lessening Arcanine's staying power.

**Water-types**: Offensive Water-types like Primarina, Starmie, and Volcanion all threaten either to OHKO or 2HKO Arcanine with their Water-type STAB moves, although don't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Defensive Water-types like Empoleon, Tentacruel, and Swampert can easily tank Arcanine's weak Flamethrower, although Swampert must be wary of Toxic and Will-O-Wisp.

Empoleon takes way too much from a potential Flare Blitz, replace with Slowbro.

**Ground-types**: Hippowdon easily takes a hit from Arcanine, and its Sand cuts down the effectiveness of Morning Sun by half, although Hippowdon hates being statused. Krookodile can switch into Arcanine thanks to Intimidate and its decent overall bulk and threaten an OHKO with Earthquake, but hates being burned by Will-O-Wisp. Mamoswine and Nidoking don't switch into Arcanine well, but can retaliate with strong Ground-type moves.

**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, Stakataka, and Rhyperior all laugh off a Flamethrower from Arcanine and OHKO it with Stone Edge, but must be mindful of a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Nihilego is immune to Toxic and can hit Arcanine hard on its weaker Special Defense with Power Gem.

**Dragon-types**: Latias and Hydreigon don't fear Arcanine's STAB attacks and don't mind Will-O-Wisp, although they must be cautious of Toxic. Physical variants of Kommo-o dislike being burned, but mixed or special ones can blow by Arcanine with Clanging Scales. Haxorus occasionally holds a Lum Berry and thus can use Arcanine as setup fodder.

**Strong Wallbreakers**: Special wallbreakers like Choice Specs Kyurem, Chandelure, and Flyinium Z Moltres target Arcanine's weaker Special Defense and can easily KO it with the help of entry hazards. Physical wallbreakers that don't fear Will-O-Wisp such as Heracross and Choice Band Infernape are also problematic for Arcanine, as they threaten heavy damage or a KO after Stealth Rock damage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336703]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [Nuked, 382658]]
- Grammar checked by: [[<username1>, <userid1>], [<username2>, <username2>]]

3/3

 

[Rabia]

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Arcanine is unviable and difficult to justify using on any serious team. Although it has access to the ability Intimidate, active recovery in Morning Sun, and decent utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, Arcanine struggles to function properly as a defensive wall. A weakness to both Stealth Rock and Spikes causes Arcanine to be easily chipped away at and struggle to act as a defensive switch-in to the few Pokemon it can check such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo lacking a Water-type STAB attack, and Choice Scarf Infernape. This issue is furthered by Arcanine's reliance on Morning Sun as its only source of recovery, as Morning Sun's low PP makes switching into entry hazards too often a huge risk because the damage accumulated forces Arcanine to burn through Morning Sun's PP. Arcanine is also outclassed by other defensive Fire-types like Moltres, which sports better overall stats, a more reliable source of recovery in Roost that has more PP than Morning Sun and lets Moltres stave off Stealth Rock damage, and a better defensive typing in Fire / Flying, letting it better check Pokemon like Scizor, Cobalion, Mega Altaria, and Infernape. Rotom-H also outclasses Arcanine as a bulky Fire-type Pokemon thanks to the combination of its access to Defog, which lets it remove entry hazards and thus not have to deal with them later in the battle, immunity to Ground-type moves thanks to its ability, Levitate, and secondary Electric typing, allowing Rotom-H to threaten most bulky Water-types like Suicune and Alomomola with super effective damage. Arcanine's poor defensive typing gives it a worse matchup against strong non-Ground- and Water-type physical attackers. For example, Cobalion can OHKO Arcanine with +1 All-Out Pummeling, and Heracross can KO Arcanine with +1 Close Combat with minor chip damage. This makes Arcanine unreliable as a dedicated physical wall. Additionally, while Arcanine does match up well against Scizor and some other prominent physical attackers, its mono-Fire typing means it is more easily threaten by the plethora of Water- and Ground-types in the tier like Primarina, Starmie, Swampert, Krookodile, and Hippowdon. Moltres and Rotom-H struggle less against Water- and Ground-types because of Moltres's Flying typing and Rotom-H's Electric typing and ability, allowing them to bypass a weakness to Ground-type moves and threaten Water-types with strong STAB moves. Lastly, Arcanine's passivity makes it setup fodder for Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Nasty Plot Infernape, giving it a poor matchup against more offensively based teams.

In the bolded part, just rephrase this to say "A weakness to every entry hazard" because it's also really weak to Toxic Spikes.
In the purple bolded part, remove one of these examples, as 5 is too much.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Flamethrower / Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Flamethrower is Arcanine's most reliable STAB move and allows it to threaten Steel-types like Scizor, Cobalion, and Lucario with super effective damage. Alternatively, Flare Blitz can be used to OHKO Klefki and 2HKO Pokemon such as Alolan Muk, Amoonguss, and Celebi at the cost of inflicting recoil damage and thus limiting Arcanine's longevity. Will-O-Wisp allows Arcanine to dissuade potential switch-ins like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Kommo-o due to the threat of a burn and prevents Arcanine from being complete setup fodder for most physical sweepers. Morning Sun gives Arcanine a source of recovery, letting it recover health lost to entry hazards and opposing Pokemon. Toxic lets Arcanine punish Fire-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, and Primarina for switching in.

Set Details
========

16 Speed EVs let Arcanine outspeed Adamant-natured Scizor, allowing Arcanine to OHKO it with Flamethrower. The remaining EVs alongside a Bold or Impish nature go into HP and Defense to make Arcanine as physically bulky as possible. If using Flamethrower, a Bold nature is preferred as to not lower its damage output. If using Flare Blitz, then an Impish nature is preferable. Intimidate lower's the foe's Attack by one stage, making it easier for Arcanine to switch into physical Fighting-types like Cobalion and Infernape. Rocky Helmet punishes Pokemon like Scizor, Infernape, and Mega Beedrill for using U-turn on Arcanine while also providing chip damage any time a foe makes contact with Arcanine. Leftovers can be used to provide Arcanine with a source of recovery outside of Morning Sun, although the damage provided by Rocky Helmet to Pokemon like Scizor is more valuable.

Usage Tips
========

Due to Arcanine's weakness to entry hazards and the limited recovery provided by Morning Sun, it's essential to not switch into entry hazards frequently, as this will greatly cripple Arcanine's longevity. Because of the combination of Arcanine's typing and Intimidate, it can be switched directly into Pokemon like Scizor and Doublade to check them, as well as gain valuable chip thanks to Rocky Helmet. Additionally, Arcanine can easily use Will-O-Wisp to cripple these Pokemon. Since Arcanine draws in bulky Ground- and Water-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Alomomola, using Toxic is generally free of drawbacks. Additionally, Pokemon like Kommo-o and Terrakion may try to use Arcanine as setup fodder because they aren't threatened by Flamethrower; therefore, using Will-O-Wisp to cripple them is ideal. If using Flare Blitz, only use it if absolutely necessary to threaten Pokemon like Cobalion, Amoonguss, and Klefki, as the recoil damage is rarely worth its meager damage output on neutral targets. Arcanine's passivity makes it setup bait for Pokemon like Latias, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro. Therefore, it's important to not give them a free switch-in by badly poisoning them with Toxic as they switch in.

Really, you would just Flamethrower both of these in 99% of situations. Remove this line.

Team Options
========

Arcanine fits best on defensively oriented teams that can cover its several shortcomings and weaknesses to common wallbreakers like Primarina, Choice Specs Hydreigon, and Life Orb Mamoswine. Pokemon such as Suicune, Amoonguss, and Celebi can check problematic Water- and Ground-types like Empoleon, Swampert, and Hippowdon for Arcanine. In addition, Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, Rotom-C, Tentacruel, and Tsareena deal with Water- and Ground-types while also providing a source of crucial entry hazard control via Defog or Rapid Spin. Other Pokemon that provide entry hazard control like Mega Altaria and Empoleon work well alongside Arcanine, as its severe weakness to entry hazards practically mandates the usage of a Defogger or Rapid Spinner to ensure Arcanine can check Pokemon like Scizor and Infernape as effectively as possible. Because Arcanine draws in Water- and Ground-types, Stealth Rock support from the likes of Mega Aggron, Krookodile, and Swampert is appreciated to chip away at their HP when they switch in. Wish support from Pokemon like Sylveon and Florges lets Arcanine preserve Morning Sun's PP. In return, Arcanine checks Steel-types like Scizor and Mega Aggron. Pokemon that appreciate Arcanine's ability to check physical attackers and Steel-types, most notably Scizor, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Togekiss, and Nihilego are solid partners and also alleviate the problem of Arcanine's passivity by providing an offensive presence alongside it. Rock-resistant Pokemon like Swampert and Nidoqueen deal with opposing Rock-types like Terrakion and Stakataka for Arcanine. Because of Arcanine's lacking Special Defense, specially defensive walls like Blissey, Amoonguss, and Empoleon help by sponging strong special attacks from the likes of Hydreigon, Primarina, and Mega Pidgeot. Mega Aggron, while not a blanket check to special attackers, aids in dealing with Latias and Togekiss for Arcanine.

Remove Nidoqueen mention and replace with Hippowdon (specify Sand Force). Much more relevant and easier to fit on teams.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

While Arcanine's offensive movepool seems appealing, it's outclassed by other offensive Fire-types like Infernape, Moltres, and Chandelure, all of which have a secondary typing, boosting moves, and higher offensive stats. Even Entei and Darmanitan pull off offensive sets more effectively than Arcanine does thanks to their very high Attack stats, letting them break through Pokemon like Hippowdon, Starmie, and Swampert simply by relying on their strong Fire-type STAB attacks. Wild Charge lets Arcanine immediately threaten Water-types like Mega Sharpedo, Starmie, and Empoleon, notably OHKOing the former. However, the move doesn't hit hard uninvested, and the recoil damage from using it isn't worth giving up a utility move. Roar could be used to prevent Pokemon like Mega Altaria and Chandelure from setting up on Arcanine, but Arcanine relies greatly on Toxic to threaten bulky Water-types like Swampert, Alomomola, and Mega Slowbro. Extreme Speed would provide Arcanine with a form of priority, but it does little damage and is hard to justify using over Arcanine's utility moves.

Specify Facade Mega Altaria here, and also specify Substitute Chandelure since it hates getting Toxic'd.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Entry Hazards**: Stealth Rock and Spikes cause Arcanine to take lots of chip damage upon switching in and hamper its ability to act as a defensive sponge. In addition, Toxic Spikes inflict Arcanine with poison, further lessening Arcanine's staying power.

**Water-types**: Offensive Water-types like Primarina, Starmie, and Volcanion all threaten either to OHKO or 2HKO Arcanine with their Water-type STAB moves, although don't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Defensive Water-types like Empoleon, Tentacruel, and Swampert can easily tank Arcanine's weak Flamethrower, although Swampert must be wary of Toxic and Will-O-Wisp.

Empoleon takes way too much from a potential Flare Blitz, replace with Slowbro.

**Ground-types**: Hippowdon easily takes a hit from Arcanine, and its Sand cuts down the effectiveness of Morning Sun by half, although Hippowdon hates being statused. Krookodile can switch into Arcanine thanks to Intimidate and its decent overall bulk and threaten an OHKO with Earthquake, but hates being burned by Will-O-Wisp. Mamoswine and Nidoking don't switch into Arcanine well, but can retaliate with strong Ground-type moves.

**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, Stakataka, and Rhyperior all laugh off a Flamethrower from Arcanine and OHKO it with Stone Edge, but must be mindful of a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Nihilego is immune to Toxic and can hit Arcanine hard on its weaker Special Defense with Power Gem.

**Dragon-types**: Latias and Hydreigon don't fear Arcanine's STAB attacks and don't mind Will-O-Wisp, although they must be cautious of Toxic. Physical variants of Kommo-o dislike being burned, but mixed or special ones can blow by Arcanine with Clanging Scales. Haxorus occasionally holds a Lum Berry and thus can use Arcanine as setup fodder.

**Strong Wallbreakers**: Special wallbreakers like Choice Specs Kyurem, Chandelure, and Flyinium Z Moltres target Arcanine's weaker Special Defense and can easily KO it with the help of entry hazards. Physical wallbreakers that don't fear Will-O-Wisp such as Heracross and Choice Band Infernape are also problematic for Arcanine, as they threaten heavy damage or a KO after Stealth Rock damage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336703]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [Nuked, 382658]]
- Grammar checked by: [[<username1>, <userid1>], [<username2>, <username2>]]

3/3

implemented, sending to gp

 

[Astra]

amcheck :)
this is probably the best writing i've checked, so most of these changes are just QOL that make the writing smoother, but of course you can choose to ignore the changes you disagree with
add remove (comments)

good doggo

[OVERVIEW]

Arcanine is unviable and difficult to justify using on any serious team. Although it has access to the ability Intimidate, active recovery in Morning Sun, and decent utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, Arcanine struggles to function properly as a defensive wall. A weakness to every entry hazard causes Arcanine to be easily chipped away at and struggle to act as a defensive switch-in to the few Pokemon it can check such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo lacking a Water-type STAB attack, and Choice Scarf Infernape. This issue is furthered by Arcanine's reliance on Morning Sun as its only source of recovery, as Morning Sun's low PP makes switching into entry hazards too often a huge risk because the damage accumulated forces Arcanine to burn through Morning Sun's PP. Arcanine is also outclassed by other defensive Fire-types like Moltres, which sports better overall stats, a more reliable source of recovery in Roost that has more PP than Morning Sun and lets Moltres stave off Stealth Rock damage, and a better defensive typing in Fire / Flying, letting it better check Pokemon like Scizor, Cobalion, Mega Altaria, and Infernape. Rotom-H also outclasses Arcanine as a bulky Fire-type Pokemon thanks to the combination of its access to hazard removal in Defog, which lets it remove entry hazards and thus not have to deal with them later in the battle, (felt like the sentence kept going for too long so I tried to shorten it) immunity to Ground-type moves thanks to its ability, Levitate, (again tried to shorten it a bit, I thought that there was too many commas making the sentence keep going) and secondary Electric typing, allowing Rotom-H to threaten most bulky Water-types like Suicune and Alomomola with super effective damage. Arcanine's poor defensive typing gives it a worse matchup against strong non-Ground- and Water-type physical attackers. For example, Cobalion can OHKO Arcanine with +1 All-Out Pummeling, and Heracross can KO Arcanine with +1 Close Combat with minor chip damage. This makes Arcanine unreliable as a dedicated physical wall. Additionally, while Arcanine does match up well against Scizor and some other prominent physical attackers, its mono-Fire typing means it is more easily threaten by the plethora of Water- and Ground-types in the tier like Primarina, Starmie, Krookodile, and Hippowdon. Moltres and Rotom-H struggle less against Water- and Ground-types because of Moltres's Flying typing and Rotom-H's Electric typing and ability, allowing them to bypass a weakness to Ground-type moves and threaten Water-types with strong STAB moves. Lastly, Arcanine's passivity makes it setup fodder for Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Nasty Plot Infernape, giving it a poor matchup against more offensively based teams.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Flamethrower / Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Flamethrower is Arcanine's most reliable STAB move and allows it to threaten Steel-types like Scizor, Cobalion, and Lucario with super effective damage. Alternatively, Flare Blitz can be used to OHKO Klefki and 2HKO Pokemon such as Alolan Muk, Amoonguss, and Celebi at the cost of inflicting recoil damage and thus limiting Arcanine's longevity. (thus was okay but I feel like it wasn't needed there and I thought it was kinda clunky being there) Will-O-Wisp allows Arcanine to dissuade potential switch-ins like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Kommo-o due to the threat of a burn and prevents Arcanine from being complete setup fodder for most physical sweepers. Morning Sun gives Arcanine a source of recovery, letting it recover health lost to entry hazards and opposing Pokemon. Toxic lets Arcanine punish Fire-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, and Primarina for switching in.

Set Details
========

16 Speed EVs let Arcanine outspeed Adamant-natured Scizor, allowing Arcanine to OHKO it with Flamethrower. The remaining EVs alongside a Bold or Impish nature go into HP and Defense to make Arcanine as physically bulky as possible. If using Flamethrower, a Bold nature is preferred as to not lower its damage output. If using Flare Blitz, then an Impish nature is preferable. Intimidate lower's the foe's Attack by one stage, making it easier for Arcanine to switch into physical Fighting-types like Cobalion and Infernape. Rocky Helmet punishes Pokemon like Scizor, Infernape, and Mega Beedrill for using U-turn on Arcanine while also providing chip damage any time a foe makes contact with Arcanine. Leftovers can be used to provide Arcanine with a source of recovery outside of Morning Sun, although the damage provided by Rocky Helmet to Pokemon like Scizor the ones mentioned is more valuable. (you already listed multiple Pokemon that get punished from Rock Helmet so I wanted to fix the continuity without clunking it up too much)

Usage Tips
========

Due to Arcanine's weakness to entry hazards and the limited recovery provided by Morning Sun, it's essential to not switch into entry hazards frequently, as this will greatly cripple Arcanine's longevity. Because of the combination of Arcanine's typing and Intimidate, it can be switched directly into Pokemon like Scizor and Doublade to check them, as well as gain valuable chip damage thanks to Rocky Helmet. Since Arcanine draws in bulky Ground- and Water-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Alomomola, using Toxic is generally free of drawbacks. Additionally, Pokemon like Kommo-o and Terrakion may try to use Arcanine as setup fodder because they aren't threatened by Flamethrower; therefore, using Will-O-Wisp to cripple them is ideal. If using Flare Blitz, only use it if absolutely necessary to threaten Pokemon like Cobalion, Amoonguss, and Klefki, as the recoil damage is rarely worth its meager damage output on neutral targets. Arcanine's passivity makes it setup bait for Pokemon like Latias, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro. Therefore, it's important to not give them a free switch-in by badly poisoning them with Toxic as they switch in.

Team Options
========

Arcanine fits best on defensively oriented teams that can cover its several shortcomings and weaknesses to common wallbreakers like Primarina, Choice Specs Hydreigon, and Life Orb Mamoswine. Pokemon such as Suicune, Amoonguss, and Celebi can check problematic Water- and Ground-types like Empoleon, Swampert, and Hippowdon for Arcanine. In addition, Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, Rotom-C, Tentacruel, and Tsareena deal with Water- and Ground-types while also providing a source of crucial entry hazard control via Defog or Rapid Spin. Other Pokemon that provide entry hazard control like Mega Altaria and Empoleon work well alongside Arcanine, as its severe weakness to entry hazards practically mandates the usage of a Defogger or Rapid Spinner to ensure Arcanine can check Pokemon like Scizor and Infernape as effectively as possible. Because Arcanine draws in Water- and Ground-types, Stealth Rock support from the likes of Mega Aggron, Krookodile, and Swampert is appreciated to chip away at their HP when they switch in. Wish support from Pokemon like Sylveon and Florges lets Arcanine preserve Morning Sun's PP. In return, Arcanine checks Steel-types like Scizor and Mega Aggron. Pokemon that appreciate Arcanine's ability to check physical attackers and Steel-types, most notably Scizor, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Togekiss, and Nihilego are solid partners and also alleviate the problem of Arcanine's passivity by providing an offensive presence alongside it. Rock-resistant Pokemon like Swampert and Sand Force Hippowdon deal with opposing Rock-types like Terrakion and Stakataka for Arcanine. Because of Arcanine's lacking Special Defense, specially defensive walls like Blissey, Amoonguss, and Empoleon help by sponging strong special attacks from the likes of Hydreigon, Primarina, and Mega Pidgeot. Mega Aggron, while not a blanket check to special attackers, aids in dealing with Latias and Togekiss for Arcanine.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

While Arcanine's offensive movepool seems appealing, it's outclassed by other offensive Fire-types like Infernape, Moltres, and Chandelure, all of which have a secondary typing, boosting moves, and higher offensive stats. Even Entei and Darmanitan pull off offensive sets more effectively than Arcanine does thanks to their very high Attack stats, letting them break through Pokemon like Hippowdon, Starmie, and Swampert simply by relying on their strong Fire-type STAB attacks. Wild Charge lets Arcanine immediately threaten Water-types like Mega Sharpedo, Starmie, and Empoleon, notably OHKOing the former. However, the move doesn't hit hard uninvested, and the recoil damage from using it isn't worth giving up a utility move. Roar could be used to prevent Pokemon like Facade Mega Altaria and Substitute Chandelure from setting up on Arcanine, but Arcanine relies greatly on Toxic to threaten bulky Water-types like Swampert, Alomomola, and Mega Slowbro. Extreme Speed would provide Arcanine with a form of priority, but it does little damage and is hard to justify using over Arcanine's utility moves.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Entry Hazards**: Stealth Rock and Spikes cause Arcanine to take lots of chip damage upon switching in and hamper its ability to act as a defensive sponge. In addition, Toxic Spikes inflict Arcanine with poison, further lessening Arcanine's staying power.

**Water-types**: Offensive Water-types like Primarina, Starmie, and Volcanion all threaten either to either OHKO or 2HKO Arcanine with their Water-type STAB moves, although they don't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Defensive Water-types like Slowbro, Tentacruel, and Swampert can easily tank Arcanine's weak Flamethrower, although however Slowbro and Swampert must be wary of Toxic and Will-O-Wisp. (the change to however was mostly to reduce some repetitiveness)

**Ground-types**: Hippowdon easily takes a hit from Arcanine, and its Sand sand (weather isn't capitalized) cuts down the effectiveness of Morning Sun by half, although Hippowdon hates being statused. Krookodile can switch into Arcanine thanks to Intimidate and its decent overall bulk and threaten an OHKO with Earthquake, but hates will be hindered after being burned by Will-O-Wisp. (avoiding repetitiveness again here) Mamoswine and Nidoking don't switch into Arcanine well, but can retaliate with strong Ground-type moves.

**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, Stakataka, and Rhyperior all laugh off tank a Flamethrower from Arcanine easily (felt like the former was too casual, probably just me, though) and OHKO it with Stone Edge, but must be mindful of a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Nihilego is immune to Toxic and can hit Arcanine hard on its weaker Special Defense with Power Gem.

**Dragon-types**: Latias and Hydreigon don't fear Arcanine's STAB attacks and don't mind Will-O-Wisp, although they must be cautious of Toxic. Physical variants of Kommo-o dislike being burned, but mixed or special ones can blow by Arcanine with Clanging Scales. Haxorus occasionally holds a Lum Berry and thus can use Arcanine as setup fodder.

**Strong Wallbreakers**: Special wallbreakers like Choice Specs Kyurem, Chandelure, and Flyinium Z Moltres target Arcanine's weaker Special Defense and can easily KO it with the help of entry hazards. Physical wallbreakers that don't fear Will-O-Wisp such as Heracross and Choice Band Infernape are also problematic for Arcanine, as they threaten heavy damage or a KO after Stealth Rock damage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336703]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [Nuked, 382658]]
- Grammar checked by: [[<username1>, <userid1>], [<username2>, <username2>]][/QUOTE]

 

[Lumari]

Estronic: add remove (comments)
TDP: add / fix remove (comments)
GP 1/2

good doggo with comments and additions

[OVERVIEW]
Arcanine is unviable and difficult to justify using on any serious team. Although it has access to the ability Intimidate, active recovery in Morning Sun, and decent utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, Arcanine struggles to function properly as a defensive wall. A weakness to every entry hazard causes Arcanine to be easily chipped away at and struggle to act as a defensive switch-in to the few Pokemon it can check such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo lacking a Water-type STAB attack, and Choice Scarf Infernape. This issue is furthered by Arcanine's reliance on Morning Sun as its only source of recovery, as Morning Sun's the move's low PP makes switching into entry hazards too often a huge risk because the damage accumulated damage forces Arcanine to burn through Morning Sun's PP. Arcanine is also outclassed by other defensive Fire-types like Moltres, which sports better overall stats, a more reliable source of recovery in Roost that has more PP than Morning Sun and lets Moltres it stave off Stealth Rock damage, and a better defensive typing in Fire / Flying, letting it better check Pokemon like Scizor, Cobalion, Mega Altaria, and Infernape. Rotom-H also outclasses Arcanine as a bulky Fire-type Pokemon thanks to the combination of its access to hazard removal in Defog, which lets it remove entry hazards and thus not have to deal with them later in the battle, (felt like the sentence kept going for too long so I tried to shorten it) immunity to Ground-type moves thanks to its ability, Levitate, (again tried to shorten it a bit, I thought that there was too many commas making the sentence keep going) and secondary Electric typing, allowing Rotom-H to threaten most bulky Water-types like Suicune and Alomomola with super effective damage. Arcanine's poor defensive typing also gives it a worse matchup against strong non-Ground- and Water-type neutral physical attackers. For example, Cobalion can OHKO Arcanine with +1 All-Out Pummeling, and Heracross can KO Arcanine with +1 Close Combat with minor chip damage. This makes Arcanine unreliable as a dedicated physical wall. Additionally, while Arcanine does match up well against Scizor and some other prominent physical attackers, its mono-Fire typing means it is more easily threaten by the plethora of Water- and Ground-types in the tier like Primarina, Starmie, Krookodile, and Hippowdon. Moltres and Rotom-H struggle less against Water- and Ground-types because of Moltres's Flying typing and Rotom-H's Electric typing and ability their secondary typings and Ground immunity, allowing them to bypass a weakness to Ground-type moves and threaten Water-types with strong STAB moves. Lastly, Arcanine's passivity makes it setup fodder for Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Nasty Plot Infernape, giving it a poor matchup against more offensively based teams.
(dunno if this needs to be this long tbh esp when it's a shitmon)

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Flamethrower / Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Flamethrower is Arcanine's most reliable STAB move and allows it to threaten Steel-types like Scizor, Cobalion, and Lucario with super effective damage. Alternatively, Flare Blitz can be used to OHKO Klefki and 2HKO Pokemon such as Alolan Muk, Amoonguss, and Celebi at the cost of inflicting recoil damage and thus limiting Arcanine's longevity. (thus was okay but I feel like it wasn't needed there and I thought it was kinda clunky being there) (ya) Will-O-Wisp allows Arcanine to dissuade potential switch-ins like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Kommo-o due to the threat of a burn and prevents Arcanine from being complete setup fodder for most physical sweepers. Morning Sun gives Arcanine a source of recovery, letting it recover health lost to entry hazards and opposing Pokemon. Toxic lets Arcanine punish Fire-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, and Primarina for switching in.

Set Details
========

16 Speed EVs let Arcanine outspeed Adamant-natured Scizor (RC) allowing Arcanine to and OHKO it with Flamethrower. The remaining EVs alongside a Bold or Impish nature go into HP and Defense alongside a Bold or Impish nature to make Arcanine as physically bulky as possible. If using Flamethrower, a Bold nature is preferred as to not lower its damage output. If using Flare Blitz, then an Impish nature is preferable. Intimidate lower's the foe's Attack by one stage, making it easier for Arcanine to switch into physical Fighting-types like Cobalion and Infernape. Rocky Helmet punishes Pokemon like Scizor, Infernape, and Mega Beedrill for using U-turn on Arcanine while also providing chip damage any time a foe makes contact with Arcanine. Leftovers can be used to provide Arcanine with a source of recovery outside of Morning Sun, although the damage provided by Rocky Helmet to Pokemon like Scizor the ones mentioned is more valuable. (you already listed multiple Pokemon that get punished from Rock Helmet so I wanted to fix the continuity without clunking it up too much) (this feels kinda redundantly written though, honestly "the chip damage provided by Rocky Helmet" and then drop the rest is probably best here)

Usage Tips
========

Due to Arcanine's weakness to entry hazards and the limited recovery provided by Morning Sun, it's essential not to not switch into entry hazards frequently, as this will greatly cripple reduce Arcanine's longevity. Because of the combination of Arcanine's typing and Intimidate, it can be switched directly into Pokemon like Scizor and Doublade to check them (RC) as well as gain valuable chip damage thanks to Rocky Helmet. Since Arcanine draws in bulky Ground- and Water-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Alomomola, using Toxic is generally free of drawbacks. Additionally, Pokemon like Kommo-o and Terrakion may try to use Arcanine as setup fodder because they aren't threatened by Flamethrower; therefore, using Will-O-Wisp to cripple them is ideal. If using Flare Blitz, only use it if absolutely necessary to threaten Pokemon like Cobalion, Amoonguss, and Klefki, as the recoil damage is rarely worth its meager damage output on neutral targets. Arcanine's passivity makes it setup bait for Pokemon like Latias, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro. Therefore, it's important to not give them a free switch-in by try badly poisoning them with Toxic as they switch in.

Team Options
========

Arcanine fits best on defensively oriented teams that can cover its several shortcomings and weaknesses to common wallbreakers like Primarina, Choice Specs Hydreigon, and Life Orb Mamoswine. Pokemon such as Suicune, Amoonguss, and Celebi can check problematic Water- and Ground-types like Empoleon, Swampert, and Hippowdon for Arcanine. In addition, Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, Rotom-C, Tentacruel, and Tsareena deal with Water- and Ground-types while also providing a source of crucial entry hazard control via Defog or Rapid Spin. Other Pokemon that provide entry hazard control like Mega Altaria and Empoleon work well alongside Arcanine, as its severe weakness to entry hazards practically mandates the usage of a Defogger or Rapid Spinner spinner to ensure Arcanine it can check Pokemon like Scizor and Infernape as effectively as possible. Because Arcanine draws in Water- and Ground-types, Stealth Rock support from the likes of Mega Aggron, Krookodile, and Swampert is appreciated to chip away at their HP when they switch in. Wish support from Pokemon like Sylveon and Florges lets Arcanine preserve Morning Sun's PP. In return, Arcanine checks Steel-types like Scizor and Mega Aggron. Pokemon that appreciate Arcanine's ability to check physical attackers and Steel-types, most notably Scizor, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Togekiss, and Nihilego are solid partners and also alleviate the problem of Arcanine's passivity by providing an offensive presence alongside it. Rock-resistant Pokemon like Swampert and Sand Force Hippowdon deal with opposing Rock-types like Terrakion and Stakataka for Arcanine. Because of Arcanine's lacking Special Defense, specially defensive walls like Blissey, Amoonguss, and Empoleon help by sponging strong special attacks from the likes of Hydreigon, Primarina, and Mega Pidgeot. Mega Aggron, while not a blanket check to special attackers, aids in dealing with Latias and Togekiss for Arcanine.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

While Arcanine's offensive movepool seems appealing, it's outclassed by other offensive Fire-types like Infernape, Moltres, and Chandelure, all of which have a secondary typing, boosting moves, and higher offensive stats. Even Entei and Darmanitan pull off offensive sets more effectively than Arcanine does thanks to their very high Attack stats, letting them break through Pokemon like Hippowdon, Starmie, and Swampert simply by relying on their strong Fire-type STAB attacks. Wild Charge lets Arcanine immediately threaten Water-types like Mega Sharpedo, Starmie, and Empoleon, notably OHKOing the former. However, the move doesn't hit hard uninvested, and the recoil damage from using it isn't worth giving up a utility move. Roar could be used to prevent Pokemon like Facade Mega Altaria and Substitute Chandelure from setting up on Arcanine, but Arcanine relies greatly on Toxic to threaten bulky Water-types like Swampert, Alomomola, and Mega Slowbro. Extreme Speed would provide Arcanine with a form of priority, but it does little damage and is hard to justify using over Arcanine's utility moves.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Entry Hazards**: Stealth Rock and Spikes cause Arcanine to take lots of chip damage upon switching in and hamper its ability to act as a defensive sponge. In addition, Toxic Spikes inflict Arcanine with poison, further lessening Arcanine's staying power.

**Water-types**: Offensive Water-types like Primarina, Starmie, and Volcanion all threaten either to either OHKO or 2HKO Arcanine with their Water-type STAB moves, although they don't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Defensive Water-types like Slowbro, Tentacruel, and Swampert can easily tank Arcanine's weak Flamethrower; (SC) although however, (AC) Slowbro and Swampert must be wary of Toxic and Will-O-Wisp. (the change to however was mostly to reduce some repetitiveness) (ok but mind the punctuation)

**Ground-types**: Hippowdon easily takes a hit from Arcanine, and its Sand sand (weather isn't capitalized) cuts down the effectiveness recovery of Morning Sun by half, although Hippowdon hates being statused. Krookodile can switch into Arcanine thanks to Intimidate and its decent overall bulk and threaten an OHKO with Earthquake, but hates will be hindered after being burned by Will-O-Wisp. (avoiding repetitiveness again here) (passive voice makes this awkward, tbh just do "<strongly> dislikes" if you must) Mamoswine and Nidoking don't switch into Arcanine well, but they can retaliate with strong Ground-type moves.

**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, Stakataka, and Rhyperior all laugh off tank a Flamethrower from Arcanine easily (felt like the former was too casual, probably just me, though) (idm it but i also don't mind if anyone changes it) and OHKO it with Stone Edge, but they must be mindful of a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Nihilego is immune to Toxic and can hit Arcanine hard on its weaker Special Defense with Power Gem.

**Dragon-types**: Latias and Hydreigon don't fear Arcanine's STAB attacks and don't mind Will-O-Wisp, although they must be cautious of Toxic. Physical variants of Kommo-o dislike being burned, but mixed or special ones can blow by Arcanine with Clanging Scales. Haxorus occasionally holds a Lum Berry and thus can use Arcanine as setup fodder.

**Strong Wallbreakers**: Special wallbreakers like Choice Specs Kyurem, Chandelure, and Flyinium Z Moltres target Arcanine's weaker Special Defense and can easily KO it with the help of entry hazards. Physical wallbreakers that don't fear Will-O-Wisp such as Heracross and Choice Band Infernape are also problematic for Arcanine, as they threaten heavy damage or a KO after Stealth Rock damage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336703]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [Nuked, 382658]]
- Grammar checked by: [[<username1>, <userid1>], [<username2>, <username2>]]

 

[Rabia]

Estronic: add remove (comments)
TDP: add / fix remove (comments)
GP 1/2

good doggo with comments and additions

[OVERVIEW]
Arcanine is unviable and difficult to justify using on any serious team. Although it has access to the ability Intimidate, active recovery in Morning Sun, and decent utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, Arcanine struggles to function properly as a defensive wall. A weakness to every entry hazard causes Arcanine to be easily chipped away at and struggle to act as a defensive switch-in to the few Pokemon it can check such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo lacking a Water-type STAB attack, and Choice Scarf Infernape. This issue is furthered by Arcanine's reliance on Morning Sun as its only source of recovery, as Morning Sun's the move's low PP makes switching into entry hazards too often a huge risk because the damage accumulated damage forces Arcanine to burn through Morning Sun's PP. Arcanine is also outclassed by other defensive Fire-types like Moltres, which sports better overall stats, a more reliable source of recovery in Roost that has more PP than Morning Sun and lets Moltres it stave off Stealth Rock damage, and a better defensive typing in Fire / Flying, letting it better check Pokemon like Scizor, Cobalion, Mega Altaria, and Infernape. Rotom-H also outclasses Arcanine as a bulky Fire-type Pokemon thanks to the combination of its access to hazard removal in Defog, which lets it remove entry hazards and thus not have to deal with them later in the battle, (felt like the sentence kept going for too long so I tried to shorten it) immunity to Ground-type moves thanks to its ability, Levitate, (again tried to shorten it a bit, I thought that there was too many commas making the sentence keep going) and secondary Electric typing, allowing Rotom-H to threaten most bulky Water-types like Suicune and Alomomola with super effective damage. Arcanine's poor defensive typing also gives it a worse matchup against strong non-Ground- and Water-type neutral physical attackers. For example, Cobalion can OHKO Arcanine with +1 All-Out Pummeling, and Heracross can KO Arcanine with +1 Close Combat with minor chip damage. This makes Arcanine unreliable as a dedicated physical wall. Additionally, while Arcanine does match up well against Scizor and some other prominent physical attackers, its mono-Fire typing means it is more easily threaten by the plethora of Water- and Ground-types in the tier like Primarina, Starmie, Krookodile, and Hippowdon. Moltres and Rotom-H struggle less against Water- and Ground-types because of Moltres's Flying typing and Rotom-H's Electric typing and ability their secondary typings and Ground immunity, allowing them to bypass a weakness to Ground-type moves and threaten Water-types with strong STAB moves. Lastly, Arcanine's passivity makes it setup fodder for Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Nasty Plot Infernape, giving it a poor matchup against more offensively based teams.
(dunno if this needs to be this long tbh esp when it's a shitmon)

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Flamethrower / Flare Blitz
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Flamethrower is Arcanine's most reliable STAB move and allows it to threaten Steel-types like Scizor, Cobalion, and Lucario with super effective damage. Alternatively, Flare Blitz can be used to OHKO Klefki and 2HKO Pokemon such as Alolan Muk, Amoonguss, and Celebi at the cost of inflicting recoil damage and thus limiting Arcanine's longevity. (thus was okay but I feel like it wasn't needed there and I thought it was kinda clunky being there) (ya) Will-O-Wisp allows Arcanine to dissuade potential switch-ins like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Kommo-o due to the threat of a burn and prevents Arcanine from being complete setup fodder for most physical sweepers. Morning Sun gives Arcanine a source of recovery, letting it recover health lost to entry hazards and opposing Pokemon. Toxic lets Arcanine punish Fire-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, and Primarina for switching in.

Set Details
========

16 Speed EVs let Arcanine outspeed Adamant-natured Scizor (RC) allowing Arcanine to and OHKO it with Flamethrower. The remaining EVs alongside a Bold or Impish nature go into HP and Defense alongside a Bold or Impish nature to make Arcanine as physically bulky as possible. If using Flamethrower, a Bold nature is preferred as to not lower its damage output. If using Flare Blitz, then an Impish nature is preferable. Intimidate lower's the foe's Attack by one stage, making it easier for Arcanine to switch into physical Fighting-types like Cobalion and Infernape. Rocky Helmet punishes Pokemon like Scizor, Infernape, and Mega Beedrill for using U-turn on Arcanine while also providing chip damage any time a foe makes contact with Arcanine. Leftovers can be used to provide Arcanine with a source of recovery outside of Morning Sun, although the damage provided by Rocky Helmet to Pokemon like Scizor the ones mentioned is more valuable. (you already listed multiple Pokemon that get punished from Rock Helmet so I wanted to fix the continuity without clunking it up too much) (this feels kinda redundantly written though, honestly "the chip damage provided by Rocky Helmet" and then drop the rest is probably best here)

Usage Tips
========

Due to Arcanine's weakness to entry hazards and the limited recovery provided by Morning Sun, it's essential not to not switch into entry hazards frequently, as this will greatly cripple reduce Arcanine's longevity. Because of the combination of Arcanine's typing and Intimidate, it can be switched directly into Pokemon like Scizor and Doublade to check them (RC) as well as gain valuable chip damage thanks to Rocky Helmet. Since Arcanine draws in bulky Ground- and Water-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Alomomola, using Toxic is generally free of drawbacks. Additionally, Pokemon like Kommo-o and Terrakion may try to use Arcanine as setup fodder because they aren't threatened by Flamethrower; therefore, using Will-O-Wisp to cripple them is ideal. If using Flare Blitz, only use it if absolutely necessary to threaten Pokemon like Cobalion, Amoonguss, and Klefki, as the recoil damage is rarely worth its meager damage output on neutral targets. Arcanine's passivity makes it setup bait for Pokemon like Latias, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro. Therefore, it's important to not give them a free switch-in by try badly poisoning them with Toxic as they switch in.

Team Options
========

Arcanine fits best on defensively oriented teams that can cover its several shortcomings and weaknesses to common wallbreakers like Primarina, Choice Specs Hydreigon, and Life Orb Mamoswine. Pokemon such as Suicune, Amoonguss, and Celebi can check problematic Water- and Ground-types like Empoleon, Swampert, and Hippowdon for Arcanine. In addition, Pokemon like Latias, Hydreigon, Rotom-C, Tentacruel, and Tsareena deal with Water- and Ground-types while also providing a source of crucial entry hazard control via Defog or Rapid Spin. Other Pokemon that provide entry hazard control like Mega Altaria and Empoleon work well alongside Arcanine, as its severe weakness to entry hazards practically mandates the usage of a Defogger or Rapid Spinner spinner to ensure Arcanine it can check Pokemon like Scizor and Infernape as effectively as possible. Because Arcanine draws in Water- and Ground-types, Stealth Rock support from the likes of Mega Aggron, Krookodile, and Swampert is appreciated to chip away at their HP when they switch in. Wish support from Pokemon like Sylveon and Florges lets Arcanine preserve Morning Sun's PP. In return, Arcanine checks Steel-types like Scizor and Mega Aggron. Pokemon that appreciate Arcanine's ability to check physical attackers and Steel-types, most notably Scizor, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Togekiss, and Nihilego are solid partners and also alleviate the problem of Arcanine's passivity by providing an offensive presence alongside it. Rock-resistant Pokemon like Swampert and Sand Force Hippowdon deal with opposing Rock-types like Terrakion and Stakataka for Arcanine. Because of Arcanine's lacking Special Defense, specially defensive walls like Blissey, Amoonguss, and Empoleon help by sponging strong special attacks from the likes of Hydreigon, Primarina, and Mega Pidgeot. Mega Aggron, while not a blanket check to special attackers, aids in dealing with Latias and Togekiss for Arcanine.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

While Arcanine's offensive movepool seems appealing, it's outclassed by other offensive Fire-types like Infernape, Moltres, and Chandelure, all of which have a secondary typing, boosting moves, and higher offensive stats. Even Entei and Darmanitan pull off offensive sets more effectively than Arcanine does thanks to their very high Attack stats, letting them break through Pokemon like Hippowdon, Starmie, and Swampert simply by relying on their strong Fire-type STAB attacks. Wild Charge lets Arcanine immediately threaten Water-types like Mega Sharpedo, Starmie, and Empoleon, notably OHKOing the former. However, the move doesn't hit hard uninvested, and the recoil damage from using it isn't worth giving up a utility move. Roar could be used to prevent Pokemon like Facade Mega Altaria and Substitute Chandelure from setting up on Arcanine, but Arcanine relies greatly on Toxic to threaten bulky Water-types like Swampert, Alomomola, and Mega Slowbro. Extreme Speed would provide Arcanine with a form of priority, but it does little damage and is hard to justify using over Arcanine's utility moves.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Entry Hazards**: Stealth Rock and Spikes cause Arcanine to take lots of chip damage upon switching in and hamper its ability to act as a defensive sponge. In addition, Toxic Spikes inflict Arcanine with poison, further lessening Arcanine's staying power.

**Water-types**: Offensive Water-types like Primarina, Starmie, and Volcanion all threaten either to either OHKO or 2HKO Arcanine with their Water-type STAB moves, although they don't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Defensive Water-types like Slowbro, Tentacruel, and Swampert can easily tank Arcanine's weak Flamethrower; (SC) although however, (AC) Slowbro and Swampert must be wary of Toxic and Will-O-Wisp. (the change to however was mostly to reduce some repetitiveness) (ok but mind the punctuation)

**Ground-types**: Hippowdon easily takes a hit from Arcanine, and its Sand sand (weather isn't capitalized) cuts down the effectiveness recovery of Morning Sun by half, although Hippowdon hates being statused. Krookodile can switch into Arcanine thanks to Intimidate and its decent overall bulk and threaten an OHKO with Earthquake, but hates will be hindered after being burned by Will-O-Wisp. (avoiding repetitiveness again here) (passive voice makes this awkward, tbh just do "<strongly> dislikes" if you must) Mamoswine and Nidoking don't switch into Arcanine well, but they can retaliate with strong Ground-type moves.

**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, Stakataka, and Rhyperior all laugh off tank a Flamethrower from Arcanine easily (felt like the former was too casual, probably just me, though) (idm it but i also don't mind if anyone changes it) and OHKO it with Stone Edge, but they must be mindful of a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Nihilego is immune to Toxic and can hit Arcanine hard on its weaker Special Defense with Power Gem.

**Dragon-types**: Latias and Hydreigon don't fear Arcanine's STAB attacks and don't mind Will-O-Wisp, although they must be cautious of Toxic. Physical variants of Kommo-o dislike being burned, but mixed or special ones can blow by Arcanine with Clanging Scales. Haxorus occasionally holds a Lum Berry and thus can use Arcanine as setup fodder.

**Strong Wallbreakers**: Special wallbreakers like Choice Specs Kyurem, Chandelure, and Flyinium Z Moltres target Arcanine's weaker Special Defense and can easily KO it with the help of entry hazards. Physical wallbreakers that don't fear Will-O-Wisp such as Heracross and Choice Band Infernape are also problematic for Arcanine, as they threaten heavy damage or a KO after Stealth Rock damage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336703]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [Nuked, 382658]]
- Grammar checked by: [[<username1>, <userid1>], [<username2>, <username2>]]

implemented and ready for final check.

also since qc approved whatever junk is in this i am hesitant to touch anything, especially for a mon whose analysis may be quite temporary. if qc wants to clean this up some they can feel free to.

 

[Eyan]

expediting this with one gp check based on the fact that this analysis is likely only gonna be on site until ru gets theirs done. tdp said this was fine and i'm giving this a once over myself.