RU Arcanine

[JustoonSmitts]

**artwork by me**
​

[OVERVIEW]

Arcanine is one of RarelyUsed's prominent Fire-type Pokemon because it has the stats, movepool, and abilities to shine as a wallbreaker. Thanks to its good offenses and movepool, Arcanine can reliably 2HKO almost every defensive Pokemon in the metagame as well as threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Necrozma, Metagross, and Rhyperior. Flash Fire notably allows it to be one of the best counters to Ninetales in the tier. Arcanine also has a good Speed tier, outpacing offensive threats such as Roserade, Gardevoir, and Metagross. Despite those great traits, Arcanine's biggest flaw is that is is easily worn down by Stealth Rock, Flare Blitz recoil, and Life Orb, limiting the number of times it can safely switch in and compromising its potential as a check to Fire-types. Arcanine relies heavily on prediction, so one wrong prediction can leave it helpless against Pokemon such as Milotic, Mega Blastoise, and Golisopod. Fast threats such as Raikou and Zygarde-10% as well as common Choice Scarf users such as Tyrantrum, Drapion, and Flygon can outpace Arcanine. However, Extreme Speed does help against these threats if they are weakened. Arcanine faces competition as a Fire-type from Ninetales and Salazzle, which have better Speed tiers, boost their stats, and, in Ninetales's case, can reliably OHKO bulky Water-type Pokemon with Solar Beam. Arcanine also has competition as a Fire-type check with Houndoom, as Houndoom can also check Psychic-types and has a better matchup against bulkier teams.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Morning Sun
item: Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

Flare Blitz is Arcanine's strongest STAB move, heavily damaging or KOing Pokemon like Shaymin, Metagross, and Bewear. Wild Charge is Arcanine's best tool for hitting Water-type Pokemon. It has the power to OHKO Mantine and Araquanid while 2HKOing Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod. Morning Sun recovers the recoil and damage Arcanine has sustained. Extreme Speed is great to reliably revenge kill weakened faster threats such as Raikou, Zygarde-10%, and Flygon.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed EVs with a Jolly nature and a Life Orb allow Arcanine to hit as hard and be as fast as possible. Flash Fire boosts Arcanine's Flare Blitz to insane levels after it is hit by a rival's Fire-type move. Using a Z-Crystal such as Firium Z or Electrium Z can ease prediction for Arcanine by giving it a one-time nuke to OHKO Pokemon like Mandibuzz, Mega Blastoise, and Milotic. Said Z-Moves also don't deal recoil damage, meaning Arcanine doesn't necessarily have to use Morning Sun in its set. However, keep in mind that Arcanine is weaker after using its Z-Move compared to Life Orb variants.

Usage Tips
========

Arcanine is a wallbreaker that can come in early- to mid-game as long as entry hazards are cleared. If running Extreme Speed, Arcanine can also be brought late-game to act as a cleaner by picking off weakened threats. Arcanine can safely come in on Pokemon like Ninetales thanks to its Fire typing and Flash Fire. It also can try to come in when predicting that a passive Pokemon such as Registeel will not use Toxic. Arcanine forces a lot of switches, so use Wild Charge or Morning Sun if you predict the opponent to switch to a Water-type like Mega Blastoise, Milotic, or Golisopod. Similarly, hit predicted Fire-type answers like Tyrantrum on the switch with Close Combat. Arcanine is heavily worn down by Stealth Rock and recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and Life Orb, so try not to switch Arcanine in too frequently and keep hazards off when it does come in. Using a pivot is also preferred so that Arcanine can get the jump on a foe it can threaten.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard removers are mandatory teammates for Arcanine so that it doesn't lose a quarter of its health every time it comes into battle. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Mantine, and Forretress fit this role excellently. Water-resistant or -immune Pokemon such as Shaymin, Toxicroak, Mantine, and Seismitoad help absorb Water-type moves that target Arcanine. They also help Arcanine by threatening Water-types so that Arcanine doesn't have to predict them coming in for it to wallbreak. Pokemon like Shaymin and Virizion can check the Ground-type Pokemon that Arcanine struggles with such as Rhyperior and Donphan. Arcanine is great for taking out Steel-types for teammates like Roserade, Gardevoir, and Noivern, as well as checking Fire-types for teammates like Toxicroak, Shaymin, and Metagross. Pokemon like Noivern, Yanmega, and Salazzle appreciate Arcanine's ability to threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Metagross, Necrozma, and Rhyperior with chip damage. Special walls such as Registeel, Snorlax, and Florges can help sponge special hits that target Arcanine's weaker defensive stat. A slow pivot such as Mandibuzz, Mega Ampharos, or Forretress can bring Arcanine in on a foe it can threaten safely. Fast pivots such as Raikou, Yanmega, and Flygon also help Arcanine safely come into battle by threatening out the foe with their powerful attacks.

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

Close Combat can be used considering it the considerable damage it deals to Pokemon that resist Flare Blitz such as Snorlax, Tyrantrum, and Rhyperior. A mixed offensive set using a Hasty nature and Hidden Power Ice can be used to deal decent damage to Pokemon such as Flygon, as well as OHKO Noivern after Stealth Rock. Arcanine prefers the coverage it has with Close Combat, however. Defensive Arcanine seems appealing thanks to Intimidate and moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Morning Sun, and Roar. However, Arcanine is a mediocre wall because it is weak to Stealth Rock and Toxic damage and its defensive stats are only average at best. Choice Band can be run instead of Life Orb to grant Arcanine more power, but Arcanine prefers to switch its moves around and be able to recover its HP with Morning Sun. Intimidate can also be run to reduce the power of physically offensive Pokemon like Machamp, but Arcanine loses out on countering Ninetales, which is one of its main selling points.

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

**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards like Stealth Rock limit Arcanine's chances to be brought into battle, since it is vulnerable to every entry hazard in the game. Arcanine is also prone to being worn down by the recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and its own Life Orb.

**Super Effective Attacks**: Arcanine has very common weaknesses in Water, Rock, and Ground, which are easily exploited by Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Tyrantrum, and Zygarde-10%. Other Pokemon such as Metagross and Virizion can also carry coverage moves that score super effective damage on Arcanine.

**Walls**: Defensive Water-type Pokemon can give Arcanine trouble, because all of them can come in on Flare Blitz and proceed to threaten Arcanine out. Slowbro in particular is only 3HKOed by Wild Charge and easily recovers the damage dealt to it with Slack Off and Regenerator. Rhyperior completely walls Arcanine's STAB moves and even stomachs one Close Combat before revenge killing it with its STAB moves. Opposing Arcanine also come in for free on Flare Blitz and forces it out.

**Faster Threats**: Many faster Pokemon such as Lycanroc-D, Salazzle, and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill Arcanine or threaten it out. Some of them such as Gardevoir and Tyrantrum can carry a Choice Scarf to get the jump on Arcanine. Setup sweepers such as Barbaracle, Dragon Dance Tyrantrum, and Flygon threaten Arcanine out by boosting their Speed. Pokemon such as Noivern can hurt Arcanine because they target its weaker Special Defense. Running Extreme Speed does help against these Pokemon, especially if they have been weakened prior. Arcanine can also afford taking a hit from these Pokemon as long as they don't run super effective coverage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[roman, 396169], [zizalith, 410251], [Averado, 409096]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]

 

[JustoonSmitts]

Disregard my last post. I feel like a defensive set is worth mentioning in the main analysis, so let me write that up.

 

[JustoonSmitts]

Ok, I combined both offensive sets into one because I was repeating a lot of information earlier and added the defensive set to the main analysis. This is officially ready for checks.

 

[roman]

hi! your analysis needs a bit of re working so your qc 1/3 will come in two parts. the first part will be taking out everything that is unecessary and then once everything is updated we will work on adding more content

Hide

​

[OVERVIEW]

• Arcanine is one of RarelyUsed's prominent Fire-type Pokemon because it has the stats, movepool, and Abilities that allow it to work both offensively and defensively.
• Offensive sets work thanks to its great Attack and Speed and a great coverage movepool that includes Wild Charge, Close Combat, and Extreme Speed that allows it to not only reliably revenge kill weakened Pokemon, but it is also able to hit the bulky Water- and Rock-types that plague most Fire-types like Barbaracle, Rhyperior, and Tyrantrum. It's because of all these traits that Arcanine reliably 2HKO's every common defensive Pokemon barring Gligar and Cresselia.
• Defensively, the abilities Flash Fire and Intimidate help it come in on certain threats such as Ninetails, Snorlax, or Toxicroak, plus it has access to Will-O-Wisp and a reliable form of recovery in Morning Sun to keep it healthy throughout the match.
• Despite those great traits, Arcanine's main drawback is that is is easily worn down by Stealth Rock and Flare Blitz recoil, limiting the amount of times Arcanine can safely switch in.
• Arcanine faces competition as a Fire-type from Ninetales, Salazzle, and Houndoom, which can boost their power with Nasty Plot, have better Speed tiers, and, in Ninetales' case, can reliably OHKO bulky Water-type Pokemon with Solar Beam.

* mention good speed tier letting it outpace threats like roserade
* 2nd bullet should be re worked to reflect the set changes
* drop the 3rd bullet, defensive is now in oo

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Close Combat / Morning Sun
item: Choice Band / Life Orb
ability: Intimidate / Flash Fire
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

name: Life Orb Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Morning Sun / Extreme Speed
item: Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

this set is simply more effective in the current metagame. just a couple examples: hp ice is very important for OHKOing vern w/ rocks up and killing gligar after hitting it w/ flare blitz. espeed slashed w/ msun because arc already barely gets enough turns to wallbreak let alone heal, so having that last priority move is frequently just as important unless playing extremely bulky teams or passive players

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

• Flare Blitz is Arcanine's strongest STAB move, putting a dent Pokemon like Shaymin, Doublade, and Bewear.
• Wild Charge is Arcanine's best tool for hitting Water-type Pokemon. It has the power to 1HKO Mantine and Araquanid while 2HKOing Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod.
• Extreme Speed is Arcanine's best priority move, allowing it to pick off weakened threats faster than it such as Zygarde-10%, Noivern, and Salazzle.
• Close Combat can be used on either set to threaten Pokemon that resist Flare Blitz such as Tyrantrum, Rhyperior, and Snorlax.
• Morning Sun can be used on Life Orb sets to recover the recoil and damage Arcanine has sustained.

* fix to reflect set changes

Set Details
========

• Maximum Attack and Speed with a Jolly Nature allow Arcanine to hit as hard as possible while outpacing Meloetta, Gardevoir, and Toxicroak.
• Choice Band grants Arcanine more immediate power, but Life Orb offers power with the ability to change Arcanine's moves in exchange for a little bit of recoil.
• Flash Fire boosts Arcanine's Flare Blitz to insane levels after it is hit by a rival's Fire-type move, while Intimidate allows Arcanine to sponge hits from Virizion, Snorlax, and Barbaracle before they boost.

* fix to reflect set changes

Usage Tips
========

• Arcanine is a Pokemon that relies on heavy prediction, so change up its moves often.
• Arcanine can safely come in on Pokemon like Ninetales, Roserade, Chesnaught, and Doublade thanks to its Fire-typing and great abilities.
• Arcanine forces a lot of switches, so if a predicted switch-in to a Water-type Pokemon is anticipated then Wild Charge is a safe play as it can reliably 2HKO Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod.
• If the opponent does switch, it can be a good idea to recover using Morning Sun if Arcanine has taken prior damage. Sun also helps Arcanine recover more health with Morning Sun.
• Use Extreme Speed if the opponent is weakened to revenge kill it.
• Arcanine is heavily worn down by Stealth Rocks and recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and its Life Orb, so it is not a good idea to keep switching Arcanine in and out of battle.

overall you need to more focus on arc's offensive wallbreaking capabilities

* delete 1st bullet, 3rd does enough to explain how prediction-reliant arc is
* combine 4th and 2nd bullets, you can explain how arc can switch-in and heal up against pokemon it checks
* remove 5th bullet point, it is more of common sense than a usage tip, i think it can be replaced w/ something more worthwhile
* drop rose mention, 252 SpA Life Orb Roserade Sludge Bomb vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Arcanine: 224-265 (69.7 - 82.5%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock.

Team Options
========

• Life Orb Arcanine fits well on Sun team archetypes. Ninetales or Torkoal can provide Sun so that Arcanine can hit very hard with Flare Blitz and in return, Arcanine can threaten out Water-type Pokemon for them. Venusaur can also make a great partner for Arcanine because it breaks down the bulky Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type Pokemon that Arcanine can have trouble breaking.
• Stealth Rock wears Arcanine down, so entry hazard clearers such as Gligar, Mantine, and Foretress are required teammates.
• Pokemon like Shaymin, Toxicroak, Mantine, and Chesnaught help absorb Water-type moves that target Arcanine.
• Pokemon like Chesnaught, Flygon, and Noivern sponge Ground-type attacks that Arcanine also fears.
• With all of the Steel- and Fire-type threats in RarelyUsed, offensive Pokemon such as Gardevoir, Toxicroak, and Dragalge appreciate Arcanine's ability to threaten or force out Pokemon like Ninetales, Registeel, and Mega Steelix.
• Special walls such as Registeel, Snorlax, and Florges can help sponge special hits that target Arcanine's weaker defensive stat.

* drop sr line, literally everything appreciates rocks support
* drop the chesnaught mention in the following line, it's too prone to scald burns to reliably beat pokemon like milotic
* remove flygon as a ground immunity, the most prevalent ground-type has no trouble in hitting it (zyg tarrows)
* Dragalge is actually a great fire check, drop that. you need to make this more clear, because right now it looks like toxicroak struggles w/ steel-types.. say something like, "Arcanine is great for taking out Steel-types for teammates like Gardevoir and checking Fire-types like Ninetales for teammates like Toxicroak" also you need to remove the part about it forcing out mega steelix, mlix 1v1s arc

======

forgive us for all the writing you did :(, im sorry. defensive will be dropping down to OO, teambuilding is already difficult enough where running more than a couple defensive pokemon makes your team v slow and struggling to keep up with the metagame.. add on how blatantly mediocre arc is as a wall due to rocks / toxic weakness and pretty eh defensive stats isn't enough, even with the cool abilities and typing

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Flamethrower
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Morning Sun
move 4: Toxic / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD

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

• Flamethrower is Arcanine's most reliable STAB move as it does not cause recoil.
• Will-O-Wisp dissuades potential switch-ins such as Tyrantrum, Zygarde-10%, or Golisopod by inflicting them with a burn.
• Morning Sun heals Arcanine of damage done by entry hazards or opposing Pokemon.
• Toxic cripples Pokemon that do not care about Will-O-Wisp such as Milotic, Florges, and rival Arcanine.
• Alternatively, Roar can be used to phase out set up sweepers such as Barbaracle, Dragon Dance Tyrantrum, and Snorlax.

Set Details
========

• Intimidate is the preferred ability for this set as it gives Arcanine a pseudo-boost to its Defense and lets it deal with physical attackers easier.
• The EVs in this set with a Bold or Impish nature allow Arcanine to be as bulky as possible while taking less damage from Stealth Rock and Toxic.
• Leftovers provides Arcanine with a little extra recovery on top of Morning Sun.

Usage Tips
========

• Do not let Arcanine take Stealth Rock damage, as losing a quarter of its health when it comes in the battle is very detrimental.
• With Intimidate and its Fire-typing, Arcanine makes a good pivot into physical attackers such as Doublade, Virizion, and Bewear, and threaten them out with either a super effective Fire-type move or risk being burned by Will-O-Wisp.
• Arcanine draws in naturally bulky Ground- and Water-type Pokemon such as Rhyperior, Araquanid, or Mantine, so using Toxic is a decent play.
• However, set up sweepers such as Tyrantrum or Barbaracle are not afraid of Fire-type moves. Should these threats switch into Arcanine, using Will-O-Wisp is advised to cripple these Pokemon.
• Alternatively, Arcanine can stay in on set up sweepers such as the aforementioned Tyrantrum, Barbaracle, Snorlax, and Flygon, and either Toxic them to put them on a timer or Roar them out to remove their stat boosts.
• Be cautious about using Morning Sun continuously because it only has 8 PP.

Team Options
========

• Arcanine appreciates entry hazard control so it doesn't have to waste a turn recovering the damage lost with Morning Sun. Pokemon like Mega Blastoise, Gligar, and Tsareena are good fits because not only do they fulfill this role excellently, but they also threaten out the Rock- and Ground-type Pokemon that threaten Arcanine.
• Since Arcanine invites bulky Water-type Pokemon into the battle, partners like Shaymin, Virizion, Mega Ampharos, and Rotom-C help keep these threats at bay.
• Grass-type Pokemon such as Shaymin, Chesnaught, Virizion, and Rotom-C are good at taking the Ground-type attacks that are meant for Arcanine.
• Specially defensive Pokemon such as Snorlax, Florges, and Goodra help sponge special attacks aimed at Arcanine. In turn, they appreciate Arcanine's ability to cripple physically offensive Pokemon.

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

• Using a Z-Crystal such as Firium Z or Electrium Z can give Arcanine a one-time nuke to OHKO Pokemon like Bewear, Mega Blastoise, and Milotic. This is an inferior option because you can only use a Z-move once and Arcanine is noticeably weaker after using a Z-Crystal.
• Crunch can be used to hit Ghost-type Pokemon such as Mismagius and Alolan Marowak for super effective damage. Outside of these Pokemon, Crunch has no other use.

* ghost-types are not prevalent enough, and the most relevant one (mismagius) outright ohkos it w/ z ghost
* add defensive (2nd bullet point)
* add cb (1st bullet point)

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

**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards like Stealth Rock limit Arcanine's chances to be brought into battle since it is vulnerable to every entry hazard in the game. Arcanine is also prone to wear and tear by the recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, or its own Life Orb.

**Defensive Water-type Pokemon**: Defensive Water-type Pokemon can give Arcanine trouble, especially if it is Choice Banded. All of them can come in on Flare Blitz and can proceed to threaten Arcanine out or can renvenge kill it. Milotic can stall it out with Recover and allows recoil from its moves to hurt Arcanine. Golisopod can stomach one Wild Charge and can potentially revenge kill Arcanine with Aqua Jet. However, none of them want to directly switch into a Wild Charge as every one of them is either 1HKO'd or 2HKO'd by Wild Charge.

**Rock-type Pokemon**: Rhyperior can wall Arcanine unless it carries Close Combat. Choice Scarf Tyrantrum easily revenge kills Arcanine with Head Smash. Lycanroc-Dusk is faster than Arcanine and easliy dispatches of it with Stone Edge, or Accelrock.

**Faster Pokemon**: Even though Arcanine has Extreme Speed, many Pokemon such as Lycanroc-Dusk, Salazzle, and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill or threaten Arcanine out of the battle. Some of them such as Gardevoir and Tyrantrum can carry a Choice Scarf to get the jump on Arcanine. Setup sweepers such as Barbaracle, Z-Celebrate Meloetta, and Flygon threaten Arcanine out by boosting thier Speed.

**Ground-type Pokemon**: Ground-type Pokemon such as Gligar, Flygon, and Rhyperior handle take any hit from Arcanine's STAB and can threaten Arcanine out or revenge kill it with super-effective Earthquakes.

**Special Attackers**: Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Meloetta, Noivern, and Mega Ampharos can hurt Arcanine because they target its weaker Special Defense, and can KO it with the help with entry hazards and Arcanine's own recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, or Life Orb/

**Flash Fire Pokemon** Rival Arcanine and Houndoom nullify Arcanine's Fire-type moves while boosting their own. Houndoom fears Close Combat, however.

Right now this is pretty overdone and an overflow of information to take in, so we're going to cut down some of it and simplify it, fit all the information into these

* Residual damage (Residual Damage)
* Super effective attacks (Ground-type Pokemon, Rock-type Pokemon)
* Walls (Defensive Water-type Pokemon, add Rhyperior here and give opposing defensive Arcanine a mention as well)
* Faster Pokemon (Faster Pokemon, Special Attackers)
* Flash Fire (Flash Fire)

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

tag me after implementing all changes and i'll qc 1/3 this

 

[JustoonSmitts]

Thank you for your feedback, roman. Everything has been implemented and simplified to reflect the changes.

 

[roman]

View attachment 145982

**artwork by me**
​

[OVERVIEW]

• Arcanine is one of RarelyUsed's prominent Fire-type Pokemon because it has the stats, movepool, and the right Abilities that allow it to shine as a wallbreaker.
• Thanks to its good mixed offenses and movepool, Arcanine can reliably 2HKO almost every defensive Poekmon in the metagame.
• Arcanine also has a good Speed tier, outpacing offensive threats such as Roserade and Gardevoir.
• Despite those great traits, Arcanine's biggest flaw is that is is easily worn down by Stealth Rock and Flare Blitz recoil, limiting the amount of times Arcanine can safely switch in.
• Arcanine faces competition as a Fire-type from Ninetales, Salazzle, and Houndoom, which can boost their power with Nasty Plot, have better Speed tiers, and, in Ninetales' case, can reliably OHKO bulky Water-type Pokemon with Solar Beam.

* talk about how prediction-reliant it is, and how getting a single prediction wrong will leave you helpless against pokemon like milotic
* arc and houndoom actually hit the same Speed stat, mention how only lazzle and ninetales are faster, saying doom has a better speed stat is just false
* add LO recoil in the bullet about being worn down easily

[SET]
name: Life Orb Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Morning Sun / Extreme Speed
item: Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

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

• Flare Blitz is Arcanine's strongest STAB move, putting a dent Pokemon like Shaymin, Doublade, and Bewear.
• Wild Charge is Arcanine's best tool for hitting Water-type Pokemon. It has the power to 1HKO Mantine and Araquanid while 2HKOing Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod.
• Hidden Power Ice is important on Arcanine so it can 1HKO Noivern after Stealth Rock and KOing Gligar after it has taken damage from Flare Blitz.
• Morning Sun recovers the recoil and damage Arcanine has sustained.
• Alternatively, Extreme Speed can be run to reliably revenge kill weakened threats.

looks ok

Set Details
========

• Maximum Attack and Speed with a Hasty Nature and a Life Orb allow Arcanine to hit as hard and as fast as possible, while maximizing the power of Hidden Power Ice.
• Flash Fire boosts Arcanine's Flare Blitz to insane levels after it is hit by a rival's Fire-type move.

good

Usage Tips
========.

• Arcanine is a wallbreaker that can come in early- to mid-game, so long as entry hazards are cleared.. If running Extreme Speed, Arcanine can also be brought late-game to act as a psuedo-sweeper by picking off weakened threats.
• Arcanine can safely come in on Pokemon like Ninetales, Chesnaught, and Doublade thanks to its Fire-typing and Flash Fire.
• Arcanine forces a lot of switches, so if a predicted switch-in to a Water-type Pokemon is anticipated then Wild Charge is a safe play as it can reliably 2HKO Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod, or it can have a free turn of recovery with Morning Sun.
• Arcanine is heavily worn down by Stealth Rock and recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and its Life Orb, so it is not a good idea to keep switching Arcanine in and out of battle, and make sure that entry hazards are clear if you do.
• Be conservative about using Morning Sun, because it only has 8 PP. Use it mainly on predicted switches and only when it is vital.
• Using a slow U-turn or Volt Switch is also preferred so that Arcanine can get the jump on an opponent it can threaten.

* remove chesnaught mention, we r likely losing it in rises/drops
* remove line about conserving msun PP, it often barely gets enough turns to wallbreak let alone heal

Team Options
========

• Entry hazard removers are mandatory teammates for Arcanine so that it doesn't lose a quarter of its health every time it comes into battle. Pokemon such as Gligar, Mantine, and Forretress fit this role excellently.
• Arcanine fits well on Sun team archetypes. Ninetales or Torkoal can provide Sun so that Arcanine can hit very hard with Flare Blitz and in return, Arcanine can threaten out Water-type Pokemon for them. Venusaur can also make a great partner for Arcanine because it breaks down the bulky Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type Pokemon that Arcanine can have trouble breaking.
• Water-resistant Pokemon such as Shaymin, Toxicroak, Mantine, and help absorb Water-type moves that target Arcanine.
• Pokemon like Chesnaught, Gligar, and Noivern sponge Ground-type attacks that Arcanine also fears.
• Arcanine is great for taking out Steel-types for teammates like Gardevoir and checking Fire-types like Ninetales for teammates like Toxicroak.
• Special walls such as Registeel, Snorlax, and Florges can help sponge special hits that target Arcanine's weaker defensive stat.
• A slow user of U-turn or Volt Switch such as Gligar or Mega Ampharos can bring Arcanine in on an opponent it can threaten safely.

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

• Using a Z-Crystal such as Firium Z or Electrium Z can give Arcanine a one-time nuke to OHKO Pokemon like Bewear, Mega Blastoise, and Milotic. This is an inferior option because you can only use a Z-move once and Arcanine is noticeably weaker after using a Z-Crystal.
• Defensive Arcanine seems appealing thanks to Intimidate and moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Morning Sun, and Roar. However, Arcanine is a mediocre wall because it is weak to Stealth Rock and Toxic damage and its defensive stats are only average at best.
• Choice Band can be run instead of Life Orb to grant Arcanine more power, but Arcanine prefers to switch its moves around and be able to recover its HP with Morning Sun.

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

**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards like Stealth Rock limit Arcanine's chances to be brought into battle since it is vulnerable to every entry hazard in the game. Arcanine is also prone to wear and tear by the recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, or its own Life Orb.

**Super Effective Attacks**: Arcanine has very common weaknesses in Water, Ground, and Rock, which are easily exploited by Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Tyrantrum, and Zygarde 10%.

**Walls**: Defensive Water-type Pokemon can give Arcanine trouble, because all of them can come in on Flare Blitz and proceed to threaten Arcanine out or they can revenge kill it. Rhyperior hard walls Arcanine's STABs and even stomachs one Hidden Power Ice before revenge killing it with its STAB moves. Opposing Arcanine also come in for free on Flare Blitz and forces it out.

**Faster Threats**: Even if Arcanine runs Extreme Speed, many Pokemon such as Lycanroc-Dusk, Salazzle, and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill or threaten Arcanine out of the battle. Some of them such as Gardevoir and Tyrantrum can carry a Choice Scarf to get the jump on Arcanine. Setup sweepers such as Barbaracle, Z-Celebrate Meloetta, and Flygon threaten Arcanine out by boosting thier Speed. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Meloetta, Noivern, and Mega Ampharos can hurt Arcanine because they target its weaker Special Defense.

**Flash Fire Pokemon** Rival Arcanine and Houndoom nullify Arcanine's Fire-type moves while boosting their own.

* i think it's safe to keep it concise as opposed to having another section for (at most) two pokemon that are relatively uncommon, slash out the last part

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

QC 1/3, you need to look through GP standards before submitting it for GP checks

 

[JustoonSmitts]

QC 1/3, you need to look through GP standards before submitting it for GP checks

Thank you again, roman! Everything's put in and ready for the next check.

 

[roman]

hi again

shifts are calling for a set update, with gligar gone and stakataka dropping, Close Combat is going to be the 3rd move, and is still fine to 2HKO Hidden Power Ice targets like Flygon / Tyrantrum + it lets you hit seismitoad for something.. meaning the only real Ice target off the top of my head is noivern, which just isn't enough to keep it on the main set.

So, Close Combat will replace Hidden Power Ice and Jolly will be the nature on the main set. You can talk about Hasty + Hidden Power Ice in Other Options.

As far as I can tell you'll need to update the main Set (obviously), Moves, as well as Checks & Counters to reflect the set update.. if there's more feel free to update accordingly

thanks for your patience!

 

[JustoonSmitts]

Tha

hi again

shifts are calling for a set update, with gligar gone and stakataka dropping, Close Combat is going to be the 3rd move, and is still fine to 2HKO Hidden Power Ice targets like Flygon / Tyrantrum + it lets you hit seismitoad for something.. meaning the only real Ice target off the top of my head is noivern, which just isn't enough to keep it on the main set.

So, Close Combat will replace Hidden Power Ice and Jolly will be the nature on the main set. You can talk about Hasty + Hidden Power Ice in Other Options.

As far as I can tell you'll need to update the main Set (obviously), Moves, as well as Checks & Counters to reflect the set update.. if there's more feel free to update accordingly

thanks for your patience!

Thanks, roman. It's no trouble at all. This is mostly implimented.

 

[JustoonSmitts]

Small update, but removed Meloetta mentions as it was recently banned.

 

[JustoonSmitts]

Removed any Stakataka mentions in case it gets banned.

 

[zizalith]

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

• Arcanine is one of RarelyUsed's prominent Fire-type Pokemon because it has the stats, movepool, and the right Abilities that allow it to shine as a wallbreaker.
• Thanks to its good offenses and movepool, Arcanine can reliably 2HKO almost every defensive Pokemon in the metagame as well as threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Necrozma, Metagross, and Rhyperior.
• Arcanine also has a good Speed tier, outpacing offensive threats such as Roserade, Gardevoir, and Metagross.
• Despite those great traits, Arcanine's biggest flaw is that is is easily worn down by Stealth Rock, Flare Blitz recoil, and Life Orb, limiting the amount of times it can safely switch in. and limiting its ability as a fire check
• Arcanine relies heavily on prediction and one wrong prediction can leave it helpless against Pokemon such as Milotic, Mega Blastoise, and Golisopod. mention other stuff like rhyperior too
• Arcanine is also prone to being outpaced by fast threats such as Raikou and Zygarde-10%, as well as common Choice Scarf users such as Gardervoir, Tyrantrum, and Flygon. not sure if id mention garde cause u gotta trade w arc if u wanna kill it after rocks. also mention espeed helps vs these
• Arcanine faces competition as a Fire-type from Ninetales and Salazzle, which have better Speed tiers, are able to boost their stats, and, in Ninetales' case, can reliably OHKO bulky Water-type Pokemon with Solar Beam. mention it also faces competition from houndoom as a fire type check, which checks psychics and has a better mu vs fat teams

*add a bullet on flash fire and beating stuff like tales

[SET]
name: Life Orb Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Morning Sun / Extreme Speed
item: Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

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

• Flare Blitz is Arcanine's strongest STAB move, putting a dent Pokemon like Shaymin, Metagross, and Bewear.
• Wild Charge is Arcanine's best tool for hitting Water-type Pokemon. It has the power to 1HKO Mantine and Araquanid while 2HKOing Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod.
• Close Combat deals considerable damage to Pokemon that resist Flare Blitz such as Snorlax, Tyrantrum, and Rhyperior.
• Morning Sun recovers the recoil and damage Arcanine has sustained.
• Alternatively, Extreme Speed can be run to reliably revenge kill weakened threats. add examples of when its useful

Set Details
========

• Maximum Attack and Speed with a Jolly Nature and a Life Orb allow Arcanine to hit as hard and as fast as possible.
• Flash Fire boosts Arcanine's Flare Blitz to insane levels after it is hit by a rival's Fire-type move. emphasize the defensive implications of flash fire
• add z moves here, they ease prediction a lot and helps arcs longevity a lot cuz no lo recoil so u can get away w not running morning sun. also dont mention bewear it already loses to arc, try something like mandibuzz

Usage Tips
========.

• Arcanine is a wallbreaker that can come in early- to mid-game, so long as entry hazards are cleared. If running Extreme Speed, Arcanine can also be brought late-game to act as a cleaner by picking off weakened threats.
• Arcanine can safely come in on Pokemon like Ninetales and Registeel thanks to its Fire-typing and Flash Fire. arc doesnt rlly like toxic from registeel, maybe try something like 'try to predict when registeel uses any move that isnt toxic and switch in'
• Arcanine forces a lot of switches, so if a predicted switch-in to a Water-type Pokemon is anticipated then Wild Charge is a safe play as it can reliably 2HKO Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod, or it can have a free turn of recovery with Morning Sun. Similarly, hit predicted Fire-resistant Pokemon like Tyrantrum on the switch in with Close Combat
• Arcanine is heavily worn down by Stealth Rock and recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and its Life Orb, so it is not a good idea to keep switching Arcanine in and out of battle, and make sure that entry hazards are clear if you do.
• Using a pivot is also preferred so that Arcanine can get the jump on an opponent it can threaten.

Team Options
========

• Entry hazard removers are mandatory teammates for Arcanine so that it doesn't lose a quarter of its health every time it comes into battle. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Mantine, and Forretress fit this role excellently.
• Water-resistant Pokemon such as Shaymin, Toxicroak, Mantine, and Seismitoad help absorb Water-type moves that target Arcanine. mention how they can weaken water types so arc doesnt have to predit every time it tried to wallbreak
• Pokemon like Shaymin and Virizion sponge Ground-type attacks that Arcanine also fears. and ko stuff like donphan or rhyp that arc struggles w/
• Arcanine is great for taking out Steel-types for teammates like Roserade, Gardevoir, and Noivern, as well as checking Fire-types for teammates like Toxicroak, Shaymin, and Metagross.
• Pokemon like Noivern, Yanmega, and Salazzle appreciate that Arcanine can threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Metagross, Necrozma, and Rhyperior with chip damage.
• Special walls such as Registeel, Snorlax, and Florges can help sponge special hits that target Arcanine's weaker defensive stat.
• A slow pivot such as Mandibuzz, Mega Ampharos, or Forretress can bring Arcanine in on an opponent it can threaten safely. Fast pivots such as Raikou, Yanmega, and Flygon also help Arcanine safely come into battle by threatening out the foe with their powerful offenses.

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

• Using a Z-Crystal such as Firium Z or Electrium Z can give Arcanine a one-time nuke to OHKO Pokemon like Bewear, Mega Blastoise, and Milotic. This is an inferior option because you can only use a Z-move once and Arcanine is noticeably weaker after using a Z-Crystal. move to set details
• A mixed offensive set using a Hasty Nature and Hidden Power Ice can be used to deal decent damage to Tyrantrum, Flygon, and Seismitoad, as well as OHKO Noivern after Stealth Rock. Arcanine prefers the coverage it has with Close Combat, however. not sure how seismitoad loses to hp ice. are you saying hp grass is an option too?
• Defensive Arcanine seems appealing thanks to Intimidate and moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Morning Sun, and Roar. However, Arcanine is a mediocre wall because it is weak to Stealth Rock and Toxic damage and its defensive stats are only average at best.
• Choice Band can be run instead of Life Orb to grant Arcanine more power, but Arcanine prefers to switch its moves around and be able to recover its HP with Morning Sun.
• mention intimidate on main set

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

**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards like Stealth Rock limit Arcanine's chances to be brought into battle since it is vulnerable to every entry hazard in the game. Arcanine is also prone to wear and tear by the recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, or its own Life Orb.

**Super Effective Attacks**: Arcanine has very common weaknesses in Water, Ground, and Rock, which are easily exploited by Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Tyrantrum, and Zygarde 10%. Other Pokemon such as Metagross and Virizion can also carry coverage moves that score super effective damage on Arcanine.

**Walls**: Defensive Water-type Pokemon can give Arcanine trouble, because all of them can come in on Flare Blitz and proceed to threaten Arcanine out or they can revenge kill it. Slowbro in particular is only 3HKOed by Wild Charge and easily recovers the damage dealt to it with Slack Off and Regenerator. Rhyperior hard walls Arcanine's STABs and even stomachs one Close Combat before revenge killing it with its STAB moves. Opposing Arcanine also come in for free on Flare Blitz and forces it out.

**Faster Threats**: Even if Arcanine runs Extreme Speed, many Pokemon such as Lycanroc-Dusk, Salazzle, and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill or threaten Arcanine out of the battle. Some of them such as Gardevoir and Tyrantrum can carry a Choice Scarf to get the jump on Arcanine. Setup sweepers such as Barbaracle, Dragon Dance Tyrantrum, and Flygon threaten Arcanine out by boosting thier Speed. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Noivern, and Mega Ampharos can hurt Arcanine because they target its weaker Special Defense. mention espeed can help vs these, also if not carrying super effective attacks arc can trade w some of these


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[roman, 396169], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
[/QUOTE]

qc 2/3

 

[JustoonSmitts]

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

• Arcanine is one of RarelyUsed's prominent Fire-type Pokemon because it has the stats, movepool, and the right Abilities that allow it to shine as a wallbreaker.
• Thanks to its good offenses and movepool, Arcanine can reliably 2HKO almost every defensive Pokemon in the metagame as well as threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Necrozma, Metagross, and Rhyperior.
• Arcanine also has a good Speed tier, outpacing offensive threats such as Roserade, Gardevoir, and Metagross.
• Despite those great traits, Arcanine's biggest flaw is that is is easily worn down by Stealth Rock, Flare Blitz recoil, and Life Orb, limiting the amount of times it can safely switch in. and limiting its ability as a fire check
• Arcanine relies heavily on prediction and one wrong prediction can leave it helpless against Pokemon such as Milotic, Mega Blastoise, and Golisopod. mention other stuff like rhyperior too
• Arcanine is also prone to being outpaced by fast threats such as Raikou and Zygarde-10%, as well as common Choice Scarf users such as Gardervoir, Tyrantrum, and Flygon. not sure if id mention garde cause u gotta trade w arc if u wanna kill it after rocks. also mention espeed helps vs these
• Arcanine faces competition as a Fire-type from Ninetales and Salazzle, which have better Speed tiers, are able to boost their stats, and, in Ninetales' case, can reliably OHKO bulky Water-type Pokemon with Solar Beam. mention it also faces competition from houndoom as a fire type check, which checks psychics and has a better mu vs fat teams

*add a bullet on flash fire and beating stuff like tales

[SET]
name: Life Orb Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Morning Sun / Extreme Speed
item: Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

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

• Flare Blitz is Arcanine's strongest STAB move, putting a dent Pokemon like Shaymin, Metagross, and Bewear.
• Wild Charge is Arcanine's best tool for hitting Water-type Pokemon. It has the power to 1HKO Mantine and Araquanid while 2HKOing Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod.
• Close Combat deals considerable damage to Pokemon that resist Flare Blitz such as Snorlax, Tyrantrum, and Rhyperior.
• Morning Sun recovers the recoil and damage Arcanine has sustained.
• Alternatively, Extreme Speed can be run to reliably revenge kill weakened threats. add examples of when its useful

Set Details
========

• Maximum Attack and Speed with a Jolly Nature and a Life Orb allow Arcanine to hit as hard and as fast as possible.
• Flash Fire boosts Arcanine's Flare Blitz to insane levels after it is hit by a rival's Fire-type move. emphasize the defensive implications of flash fire
• add z moves here, they ease prediction a lot and helps arcs longevity a lot cuz no lo recoil so u can get away w not running morning sun. also dont mention bewear it already loses to arc, try something like mandibuzz

Usage Tips
========.

• Arcanine is a wallbreaker that can come in early- to mid-game, so long as entry hazards are cleared. If running Extreme Speed, Arcanine can also be brought late-game to act as a cleaner by picking off weakened threats.
• Arcanine can safely come in on Pokemon like Ninetales and Registeel thanks to its Fire-typing and Flash Fire. arc doesnt rlly like toxic from registeel, maybe try something like 'try to predict when registeel uses any move that isnt toxic and switch in'
• Arcanine forces a lot of switches, so if a predicted switch-in to a Water-type Pokemon is anticipated then Wild Charge is a safe play as it can reliably 2HKO Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod, or it can have a free turn of recovery with Morning Sun. Similarly, hit predicted Fire-resistant Pokemon like Tyrantrum on the switch in with Close Combat
• Arcanine is heavily worn down by Stealth Rock and recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and its Life Orb, so it is not a good idea to keep switching Arcanine in and out of battle, and make sure that entry hazards are clear if you do.
• Using a pivot is also preferred so that Arcanine can get the jump on an opponent it can threaten.

Team Options
========

• Entry hazard removers are mandatory teammates for Arcanine so that it doesn't lose a quarter of its health every time it comes into battle. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Mantine, and Forretress fit this role excellently.
• Water-resistant Pokemon such as Shaymin, Toxicroak, Mantine, and Seismitoad help absorb Water-type moves that target Arcanine. mention how they can weaken water types so arc doesnt have to predit every time it tried to wallbreak
• Pokemon like Shaymin and Virizion sponge Ground-type attacks that Arcanine also fears. and ko stuff like donphan or rhyp that arc struggles w/
• Arcanine is great for taking out Steel-types for teammates like Roserade, Gardevoir, and Noivern, as well as checking Fire-types for teammates like Toxicroak, Shaymin, and Metagross.
• Pokemon like Noivern, Yanmega, and Salazzle appreciate that Arcanine can threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Metagross, Necrozma, and Rhyperior with chip damage.
• Special walls such as Registeel, Snorlax, and Florges can help sponge special hits that target Arcanine's weaker defensive stat.
• A slow pivot such as Mandibuzz, Mega Ampharos, or Forretress can bring Arcanine in on an opponent it can threaten safely. Fast pivots such as Raikou, Yanmega, and Flygon also help Arcanine safely come into battle by threatening out the foe with their powerful offenses.

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

• Using a Z-Crystal such as Firium Z or Electrium Z can give Arcanine a one-time nuke to OHKO Pokemon like Bewear, Mega Blastoise, and Milotic. This is an inferior option because you can only use a Z-move once and Arcanine is noticeably weaker after using a Z-Crystal. move to set details
• A mixed offensive set using a Hasty Nature and Hidden Power Ice can be used to deal decent damage to Tyrantrum, Flygon, and Seismitoad, as well as OHKO Noivern after Stealth Rock. Arcanine prefers the coverage it has with Close Combat, however. not sure how seismitoad loses to hp ice. are you saying hp grass is an option too?
• Defensive Arcanine seems appealing thanks to Intimidate and moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Morning Sun, and Roar. However, Arcanine is a mediocre wall because it is weak to Stealth Rock and Toxic damage and its defensive stats are only average at best.
• Choice Band can be run instead of Life Orb to grant Arcanine more power, but Arcanine prefers to switch its moves around and be able to recover its HP with Morning Sun.
• mention intimidate on main set

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

**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards like Stealth Rock limit Arcanine's chances to be brought into battle since it is vulnerable to every entry hazard in the game. Arcanine is also prone to wear and tear by the recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, or its own Life Orb.

**Super Effective Attacks**: Arcanine has very common weaknesses in Water, Ground, and Rock, which are easily exploited by Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Tyrantrum, and Zygarde 10%. Other Pokemon such as Metagross and Virizion can also carry coverage moves that score super effective damage on Arcanine.

**Walls**: Defensive Water-type Pokemon can give Arcanine trouble, because all of them can come in on Flare Blitz and proceed to threaten Arcanine out or they can revenge kill it. Slowbro in particular is only 3HKOed by Wild Charge and easily recovers the damage dealt to it with Slack Off and Regenerator. Rhyperior hard walls Arcanine's STABs and even stomachs one Close Combat before revenge killing it with its STAB moves. Opposing Arcanine also come in for free on Flare Blitz and forces it out.

**Faster Threats**: Even if Arcanine runs Extreme Speed, many Pokemon such as Lycanroc-Dusk, Salazzle, and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill or threaten Arcanine out of the battle. Some of them such as Gardevoir and Tyrantrum can carry a Choice Scarf to get the jump on Arcanine. Setup sweepers such as Barbaracle, Dragon Dance Tyrantrum, and Flygon threaten Arcanine out by boosting thier Speed. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Noivern, and Mega Ampharos can hurt Arcanine because they target its weaker Special Defense. mention espeed can help vs these, also if not carrying super effective attacks arc can trade w some of these


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[roman, 396169], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

Hide

qc 2/3

[/QUOTE]
Thanks, zizalith! Written up and ready for the final check. :)

 

[Denial]

Looks good, qc 3/3

 

[JustoonSmitts]

Looks good, qc 3/3

Thanks, man! Let's get this puppy GP ready!

 

[A Cake Wearing A Hat]

Reserved

cursed image

Fimally!

 

[A Cake Wearing A Hat]

add remove comments

Hide

[OVERVIEW]
Arcanine is one of RarelyUsed's (most?) prominent Fire-type Pokemon because it has the right stats, movepool, and the right Abilities that allow it abilities to shine as a wallbreaker. Thanks to its good offenses and movepool, Arcanine can reliably 2HKO almost every defensive Pokemon in the metagame as well as threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Necrozma, Metagross, and Rhyperior. Arcanine's Flash Fire ability (variability in sentence structure; don't start every sentence w Arcanine) allows it to be one of the single best counters to Ninetales in the tier. Arcanine also has a good Speed tier, outpacing offensive threats such as Roserade, Gardevoir, and Metagross. Despite those great traits, Arcanine's biggest flaw is that is is easily worn down by Stealth Rock, Flare Blitz recoil, and Life Orb, limiting the amount number of times it can safely switch in and limiting its potential as a check to Fire-types. Arcanine relies heavily on prediction and, (AC) so one wrong prediction can leave it helpless against Pokemon such as Milotic, Mega Blastoise, and Golisopod. Arcanine is also prone to being outpaced by fast Fast threats such as Raikou and Zygarde-10%, (RC) as well as common Choice Scarf users such as Tyrantrum, Drapion, and Flygon can outpace Arcanine. However, Extreme Speed does help against these threats if they are weakened. Arcanine faces competition as a Fire-type from Ninetales and Salazzle, which have better Speed tiers, boost thier their stats, and, in Ninetales' Ninetales's case, can reliably OHKO bulky Water-type Pokemon with Solar Beam. Arcanine also has competition as a Fire-type check with Houndoom, as Houndoom can also check Psychic-types and has a better matchup against bulkier teams.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Morning Sun / Extreme Speed
item: Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz is Arcanine's strongest STAB move, putting a dent heavily damaging or KOing (Arcanine koes shaymin p sure, dent implies not KO) Pokemon like Shaymin, Metagross, and Bewear. Wild Charge is Arcanine's best tool for hitting Water-type Pokemon. It has the power to 1HKO OHKO Mantine and Araquanid while 2HKOing Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod. Close Combat deals considerable damage to Pokemon that resist Flare Blitz such as Snorlax, Tyrantrum, and Rhyperior. Morning Sun recovers the recoil and damage Arcanine has sustained. Alternatively, Extreme Speed can be run to reliably revenge kill weakened threats that are faster than it such as Raikou, Zygarde-10%, and Choice Scarf (Flygon outspeeds without scarf) Flygon.

Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed EVs with a Jolly Nature nature and a Life Orb allow Arcanine to hit as hard and be as fast as possible. Flash Fire boosts Arcanine's Flare Blitz to insane levels after it is hit by a rival's Fire-type move. Using a Z-Crystal such as Firium Z or Electrium Z can ease prediction for Arcanine by giving it a one-time nuke to OHKO Pokemon like Mandibuzz, Mega Blastoise, and Milotic. They also come with the advantage of no recoil so that don't deal recoil damage, meaning Arcanine doesn't necessarily have to use Morning Sun in its set. Keep in mind that Arcanine is weaker after using its Z-move Z-Move compared to Life Orb.

Usage Tips
========.
Arcanine is a wallbreaker that can come in early- to mid-game, so long as entry hazards are cleared. If running Extreme Speed, Arcanine can also be brought late-game to act as a cleaner by picking off weakened threats. Arcanine can safely come in on Pokemon like Ninetales thanks to its Fire-typing Fire typing and Flash Fire. It also can try to predict come in when predicting that a passive Pokemon such as Registeel doesn't go for will not use Toxic. Arcanine forces a lot of switches, so if a predicted switch-in to a Water-type Pokemon is anticipated then Wild Charge is a safe play as it can reliably 2HKO Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod, or it can have a free turn of recovery with Morning Sun use Wild Charge or Morning Sun if you predict the opponent to switch to a Water-type like Mega Blastoise, Milotic, or Golisopod. Similarly, hit predicted Fire-resistant Pokemon like Tyrantrum on the switch in with Close Combat. Arcanine is heavily worn down by Stealth Rock and recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and its Life Orb, so it is not a good idea to keep switching Arcanine in and out of battle, and make sure that entry hazards are clear if you do try not to switch Arcanine in too frequently and keep hazards off when it does come in. (the past couple big changes were using more concise and less confusing language) Using a pivot is also preferred so that Arcanine can get the jump on an opponent a foe (opponent=opposing player) it can threaten.

Team Options
========
Entry hazard removers are mandatory teammates for Arcanine so that it doesn't lose a quarter of its health every time it comes into battle. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Mantine, and Forretress fit this role excellently. Water-resistant or -immune Pokemon such as Shaymin, Toxicroak, Mantine, and Seismitoad help absorb Water-type moves that target Arcanine. They also help Arcanine by threatening Water-types so that Arcanine doesn't have to predict them coming in for it to wallbreak. Pokemon like Shaymin and Virizion sponge Ground-type attacks that Arcanine also fears and taking out can check the Ground-type Pokemon that Arcanine struggles with such as Rhyperior and Donphan. Arcanine is great for taking out Steel-types for teammates like Roserade, Gardevoir, and Noivern, as well as checking Fire-types for teammates like Toxicroak, Shaymin, and Metagross. Pokemon like Noivern, Yanmega, and Salazzle appreciate that Arcanine can threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Metagross, Necrozma, and Rhyperior with chip damage. Special walls such as Registeel, Snorlax, and Florges can help sponge special hits that target Arcanine's weaker defensive stat. A slow pivot such as Mandibuzz, Mega Ampharos, or Forretress can bring Arcanine in on an opponent a foe it can threaten safely. Fast pivots such as Raikou, Yanmega, and Flygon also help Arcanine safely come into battle by threatening out the foe with their powerful offenses.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A mixed offensive set using a Hasty Nature nature and Hidden Power Ice can be used to deal decent damage to Tyrantrum, Nidoqueen, and Flygon, as well as OHKO Noivern after Stealth Rock. Arcanine prefers the coverage it has with Close Combat, however. Defensive Arcanine seems appealing thanks to Intimidate and moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Morning Sun, and Roar. However, Arcanine is a mediocre wall because it is weak to Stealth Rock and Toxic damage and its defensive stats are only average at best. Choice Band can be run instead of Life Orb to grant Arcanine more power, but Arcanine prefers to switch its moves around and be able to recover its HP with Morning Sun. Intimidate can also be run to reduce the power of physical attacking physically offensive Pokemon like Machamp, but Arcanine loses out on countering Ninetales, which is one of its main selling points.

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

**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards like Stealth Rock limit Arcanine's chances to be brought into battle since it is vulnerable to every entry hazard in the game. Arcanine is also prone to wear and tear by the recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, or and its own Life Orb.

**Super Effective Attacks**: Arcanine has very common weaknesses in Water, Ground, and Rock, and Ground, (to match the later list's order) which are easily exploited by Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Tyrantrum, and Zygarde 10%. Other Pokemon such as Metagross and Virizion can also carry coverage moves that score super effective damage on Arcanine.

**Walls**: Defensive Water-type Pokemon can give Arcanine trouble, because all of them can come in on Flare Blitz and proceed to threaten Arcanine out or they can revenge kill it. (revenge killing is implied when you can come in + this clause messes with the flow of the sentence severely) Slowbro in particular is only 3HKOed by Wild Charge and easily recovers the damage dealt to it with Slack Off and Regenerator. Rhyperior hard completely walls Arcanine's STABs STAB moves and even stomachs one Close Combat before revenge killing it with its STAB moves. Opposing Arcanine also come in for free on Flare Blitz and forces it out.

**Faster Threats**: Many faster Pokemon such as Lycanroc-Dusk Lycanroc-D, Salazzle, and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill Arcanine or threaten Arcanine out of the battle it out. Some of them such as Gardevoir and Tyrantrum can carry a Choice Scarf to get the jump on Arcanine. Setup sweepers such as Barbaracle, Dragon Dance Tyrantrum, and Flygon threaten Arcanine out by boosting thier their Speed. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Noivern, and Mega Ampharos (not faster, and this is the section specifically for faster foes) can hurt Arcanine because they target its weaker Special Defense. Running Extreme Speed does help against these Pokemon, especially if they have been weakened prior. Arcanine can also afford taking a hit as long as these Pokemon don't run super effective coverage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[roman, 396169], [zizalith, 410251], [Averado, 409096]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [, ]]

GP 1/2

 

[JustoonSmitts]

add remove comments

Hide

[OVERVIEW]
Arcanine is one of RarelyUsed's prominent Fire-type Pokemon because it has the stats, movepool, and abilities to shine as a wallbreaker. Thanks to its good offenses and movepool, Arcanine can reliably 2HKO almost every defensive Pokemon in the metagame as well as threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Necrozma, Metagross, and Rhyperior. Flash Fire allows it to be one of the best counters to Ninetales in the tier. Arcanine also has a good Speed tier, outpacing offensive threats such as Roserade, Gardevoir, and Metagross. Despite those great traits, Arcanine's biggest flaw is that is is easily worn down by Stealth Rock, Flare Blitz recoil, and Life Orb, limiting the number of times it can safely switch in and limiting its potential as a check to Fire-types. Arcanine relies heavily on prediction, so one wrong prediction can leave it helpless against Pokemon such as Milotic, Mega Blastoise, and Golisopod. Fast threats such as Raikou and Zygarde-10% as well as common Choice Scarf users such as Tyrantrum, Drapion, and Flygon can outpace Arcanine. However, Extreme Speed does help against these threats if they are weakened. Arcanine faces competition as a Fire-type from Ninetales and Salazzle, which have better Speed tiers, boost their stats, and, in Ninetales's case, can reliably OHKO bulky Water-type Pokemon with Solar Beam. Arcanine also has competition as a Fire-type check with Houndoom, as Houndoom can also check Psychic-types and has a better matchup against bulkier teams.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Morning Sun / Extreme Speed
item: Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz is Arcanine's strongest STAB move, heavily damaging or KOing Pokemon like Shaymin, Metagross, and Bewear. Wild Charge is Arcanine's best tool for hitting Water-type Pokemon. It has the power to OHKO Mantine and Araquanid while 2HKOing Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod. Close Combat deals considerable damage to Pokemon that resist Flare Blitz such as Snorlax, Tyrantrum, and Rhyperior. Morning Sun recovers the recoil and damage Arcanine has sustained. Alternatively, Extreme Speed can be run to reliably revenge kill weakened threats that are faster than it such as Raikou, Zygarde-10%, and Flygon.

Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed EVs with a Jolly nature and a Life Orb allow Arcanine to hit as hard and be as fast as possible. Flash Fire boosts Arcanine's Flare Blitz to insane levels after it is hit by a rival's Fire-type move. Using a Z-Crystal such as Firium Z or Electrium Z can ease prediction for Arcanine by giving it a one-time nuke to OHKO Pokemon like Mandibuzz, Mega Blastoise, and Milotic. They also don't deal recoil damage, meaning Arcanine doesn't necessarily have to use Morning Sun in its set. Keep in mind that Arcanine is weaker after using its Z-Move compared to Life Orb.

Usage Tips
========.
Arcanine is a wallbreaker that can come in early- to mid-game, so long as entry hazards are cleared. If running Extreme Speed, Arcanine can also be brought late-game to act as a cleaner by picking off weakened threats. Arcanine can safely come in on Pokemon like Ninetales thanks to its Fire typing and Flash Fire. It also can try to come in when predicting that a passive Pokemon such as Registeel will not use Toxic. Arcanine forces a lot of switches, so use Wild Charge or Morning Sun if you predict the opponent to switch to a Water-type like Mega Blastoise, Milotic, or Golisopod. Similarly, hit predicted Fire-resistant Pokemon like Tyrantrum on the switch with Close Combat. Arcanine is heavily worn down by Stealth Rock and recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and Life Orb, so try not to switch Arcanine in too frequently and keep hazards off when it does come in. Using a pivot is also preferred so that Arcanine can get the jump on a foe it can threaten.

Team Options
========
Entry hazard removers are mandatory teammates for Arcanine so that it doesn't lose a quarter of its health every time it comes into battle. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Mantine, and Forretress fit this role excellently. Water-resistant or -immune Pokemon such as Shaymin, Toxicroak, Mantine, and Seismitoad help absorb Water-type moves that target Arcanine. They also help Arcanine by threatening Water-types so that Arcanine doesn't have to predict them coming in for it to wallbreak. Pokemon like Shaymin and Virizion can check the Ground-type Pokemon that Arcanine struggles with such as Rhyperior and Donphan. Arcanine is great for taking out Steel-types for teammates like Roserade, Gardevoir, and Noivern, as well as checking Fire-types for teammates like Toxicroak, Shaymin, and Metagross. Pokemon like Noivern, Yanmega, and Salazzle appreciate that Arcanine can threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Metagross, Necrozma, and Rhyperior with chip damage. Special walls such as Registeel, Snorlax, and Florges can help sponge special hits that target Arcanine's weaker defensive stat. A slow pivot such as Mandibuzz, Mega Ampharos, or Forretress can bring Arcanine in on a foe it can threaten safely. Fast pivots such as Raikou, Yanmega, and Flygon also help Arcanine safely come into battle by threatening out the foe with their powerful offenses.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A mixed offensive set using a Hasty nature and Hidden Power Ice can be used to deal decent damage to Tyrantrum, Nidoqueen, and Flygon, as well as OHKO Noivern after Stealth Rock. Arcanine prefers the coverage it has with Close Combat, however. Defensive Arcanine seems appealing thanks to Intimidate and moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Morning Sun, and Roar. However, Arcanine is a mediocre wall because it is weak to Stealth Rock and Toxic damage and its defensive stats are only average at best. Choice Band can be run instead of Life Orb to grant Arcanine more power, but Arcanine prefers to switch its moves around and be able to recover its HP with Morning Sun. Intimidate can also be run to reduce the power of physically offensive Pokemon like Machamp, but Arcanine loses out on countering Ninetales, which is one of its main selling points.

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

**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards like Stealth Rock limit Arcanine's chances to be brought into battle since it is vulnerable to every entry hazard in the game. Arcanine is also prone to wear and tear by the recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and its own Life Orb.

**Super Effective Attacks**: Arcanine has very common weaknesses in Water, Rock, and Ground, which are easily exploited by Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Tyrantrum, and Zygarde 10%. Other Pokemon such as Metagross and Virizion can also carry coverage moves that score super effective damage on Arcanine.

**Walls**: Defensive Water-type Pokemon can give Arcanine trouble, because all of them can come in on Flare Blitz and proceed to threaten Arcanine out. Slowbro in particular is only 3HKOed by Wild Charge and easily recovers the damage dealt to it with Slack Off and Regenerator. Rhyperior completely walls Arcanine's STAB moves and even stomachs one Close Combat before revenge killing it with its STAB moves. Opposing Arcanine also come in for free on Flare Blitz and forces it out.

**Faster Threats**: Many faster Pokemon such as Lycanroc-D, Salazzle, and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill Arcanine or threaten it out. Some of them such as Gardevoir and Tyrantrum can carry a Choice Scarf to get the jump on Arcanine. Setup sweepers such as Barbaracle, Dragon Dance Tyrantrum, and Flygon threaten Arcanine out by boosting their Speed. Pokemon such as Noivern can hurt Arcanine because they target its weaker Special Defense. Running Extreme Speed does help against these Pokemon, especially if they have been weakened prior. Arcanine can also afford taking a hit as long as these Pokemon don't run super effective coverage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[roman, 396169], [zizalith, 410251], [Averado, 409096]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [, ]]

GP 1/2

Thanks, man! Always appreciate the checks!

One more to go!

 

[Lumari]

remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2

check

[OVERVIEW]
Arcanine is one of RarelyUsed's prominent Fire-type Pokemon because it has the stats, movepool, and abilities to shine as a wallbreaker. Thanks to its good offenses and movepool, Arcanine can reliably 2HKO almost every defensive Pokemon in the metagame as well as threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Necrozma, Metagross, and Rhyperior. Flash Fire notably allows it to be one of the best counters to Ninetales in the tier. Arcanine also has a good Speed tier, outpacing offensive threats such as Roserade, Gardevoir, and Metagross. Despite those great traits, Arcanine's biggest flaw is that is is easily worn down by Stealth Rock, Flare Blitz recoil, and Life Orb, limiting the number of times it can safely switch in and limiting compromising (or w/e synonym, just to avoid repetition) its potential as a check to Fire-types. Arcanine relies heavily on prediction, so one wrong prediction can leave it helpless against Pokemon such as Milotic, Mega Blastoise, and Golisopod. Fast threats such as Raikou and Zygarde-10% as well as common Choice Scarf users such as Tyrantrum, Drapion, and Flygon can outpace Arcanine. However, Extreme Speed does help against these threats if they are weakened. Arcanine faces competition as a Fire-type from Ninetales and Salazzle, which have better Speed tiers, boost their stats, and, in Ninetales's case, can reliably OHKO bulky Water-type Pokemon with Solar Beam. Arcanine also has competition as a Fire-type check with Houndoom, as Houndoom can also check Psychic-types and has a better matchup against bulkier teams.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Morning Sun / Extreme Speed
item: Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz is Arcanine's strongest STAB move, heavily damaging or KOing Pokemon like Shaymin, Metagross, and Bewear. Wild Charge is Arcanine's best tool for hitting Water-type Pokemon. It has the power to OHKO Mantine and Araquanid while 2HKOing Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod. Close Combat deals considerable damage to Pokemon that resist Flare Blitz such as Snorlax, Tyrantrum, and Rhyperior. Morning Sun recovers the recoil and damage Arcanine has sustained. Alternatively, Extreme Speed can be run to reliably revenge kill weakened faster threats that are faster than it such as Raikou, Zygarde-10%, and Flygon.

Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed EVs with a Jolly nature and a Life Orb allow Arcanine to hit as hard and be as fast as possible. Flash Fire boosts Arcanine's Flare Blitz to insane levels after it is hit by a rival's Fire-type move. Using a Z-Crystal such as Firium Z or Electrium Z can ease prediction for Arcanine by giving it a one-time nuke to OHKO Pokemon like Mandibuzz, Mega Blastoise, and Milotic. They Said Z-Moves also don't deal recoil damage, meaning Arcanine doesn't necessarily have to use Morning Sun in its set. However, keep in mind that Arcanine is weaker after using its Z-Move compared to Life Orb variants.

Usage Tips
========.
Arcanine is a wallbreaker that can come in early- to mid-game, so as long as entry hazards are cleared. If running Extreme Speed, Arcanine can also be brought late-game to act as a cleaner by picking off weakened threats. Arcanine can safely come in on Pokemon like Ninetales thanks to its Fire typing and Flash Fire. It also can try to come in when predicting that a passive Pokemon such as Registeel will not use Toxic. Arcanine forces a lot of switches, so use Wild Charge or Morning Sun if you predict the opponent to switch to a Water-type like Mega Blastoise, Milotic, or Golisopod. Similarly, hit predicted Fire-resistant Pokemon Fire-type answers like Tyrantrum on the switch with Close Combat. Arcanine is heavily worn down by Stealth Rock and recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and Life Orb, so try not to switch Arcanine in too frequently and keep hazards off when it does come in. Using a pivot is also preferred so that Arcanine can get the jump on a foe it can threaten.

Team Options
========
Entry hazard removers are mandatory teammates for Arcanine so that it doesn't lose a quarter of its health every time it comes into battle. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Mantine, and Forretress fit this role excellently. Water-resistant or -immune Pokemon such as Shaymin, Toxicroak, Mantine, and Seismitoad help absorb Water-type moves that target Arcanine. They also help Arcanine by threatening Water-types so that Arcanine doesn't have to predict them coming in for it to wallbreak. Pokemon like Shaymin and Virizion can check the Ground-type Pokemon that Arcanine struggles with such as Rhyperior and Donphan. Arcanine is great for taking out Steel-types for teammates like Roserade, Gardevoir, and Noivern, as well as checking Fire-types for teammates like Toxicroak, Shaymin, and Metagross. Pokemon like Noivern, Yanmega, and Salazzle appreciate that Arcanine's ability to can threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Metagross, Necrozma, and Rhyperior with chip damage. Special walls such as Registeel, Snorlax, and Florges can help sponge special hits that target Arcanine's weaker defensive stat. A slow pivot such as Mandibuzz, Mega Ampharos, or Forretress can bring Arcanine in on a foe it can threaten safely. Fast pivots such as Raikou, Yanmega, and Flygon also help Arcanine safely come into battle by threatening out the foe with their powerful offenses attacks.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A mixed offensive set using a Hasty nature and Hidden Power Ice can be used to deal decent damage to Tyrantrum, Nidoqueen, and Flygon, as well as OHKO Noivern after Stealth Rock. Arcanine prefers the coverage it has with Close Combat, however. Defensive Arcanine seems appealing thanks to Intimidate and moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Morning Sun, and Roar. However, Arcanine is a mediocre wall because it is weak to Stealth Rock and Toxic damage and its defensive stats are only average at best. Choice Band can be run instead of Life Orb to grant Arcanine more power, but Arcanine prefers to switch its moves around and be able to recover its HP with Morning Sun. Intimidate can also be run to reduce the power of physically offensive Pokemon like Machamp, but Arcanine loses out on countering Ninetales, which is one of its main selling points.

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

**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards like Stealth Rock limit Arcanine's chances to be brought into battle, (AC) since it is vulnerable to every entry hazard in the game. Arcanine is also prone to wear and tear being worn down by the recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and its own Life Orb.

**Super Effective Attacks**: Arcanine has very common weaknesses in Water, Rock, and Ground, which are easily exploited by Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Tyrantrum, and Zygarde-10%. (AH) Other Pokemon such as Metagross and Virizion can also carry coverage moves that score super effective damage on Arcanine.

**Walls**: Defensive Water-type Pokemon can give Arcanine trouble, because all of them can come in on Flare Blitz and proceed to threaten Arcanine out. Slowbro in particular is only 3HKOed by Wild Charge and easily recovers the damage dealt to it with Slack Off and Regenerator. Rhyperior completely walls Arcanine's STAB moves and even stomachs one Close Combat before revenge killing it with its STAB moves. Opposing Arcanine also come in for free on Flare Blitz and forces it out.

**Faster Threats**: Many faster Pokemon such as Lycanroc-D, Salazzle, and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill Arcanine or threaten it out. Some of them such as Gardevoir and Tyrantrum can carry a Choice Scarf to get the jump on Arcanine. Setup sweepers such as Barbaracle, Dragon Dance Tyrantrum, and Flygon threaten Arcanine out by boosting their Speed. Pokemon such as Noivern can hurt Arcanine because they target its weaker Special Defense. Running Extreme Speed does help against these Pokemon, especially if they have been weakened prior. Arcanine can also afford taking a hit from these Pokemon as long as these Pokemon they don't run super effective coverage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[roman, 396169], [zizalith, 410251], [Averado, 409096]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [, ]]

 

[JustoonSmitts]

remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2

check

[OVERVIEW]
Arcanine is one of RarelyUsed's prominent Fire-type Pokemon because it has the stats, movepool, and abilities to shine as a wallbreaker. Thanks to its good offenses and movepool, Arcanine can reliably 2HKO almost every defensive Pokemon in the metagame as well as threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Necrozma, Metagross, and Rhyperior. Flash Fire notably allows it to be one of the best counters to Ninetales in the tier. Arcanine also has a good Speed tier, outpacing offensive threats such as Roserade, Gardevoir, and Metagross. Despite those great traits, Arcanine's biggest flaw is that is is easily worn down by Stealth Rock, Flare Blitz recoil, and Life Orb, limiting the number of times it can safely switch in and compromising its potential as a check to Fire-types. Arcanine relies heavily on prediction, so one wrong prediction can leave it helpless against Pokemon such as Milotic, Mega Blastoise, and Golisopod. Fast threats such as Raikou and Zygarde-10% as well as common Choice Scarf users such as Tyrantrum, Drapion, and Flygon can outpace Arcanine. However, Extreme Speed does help against these threats if they are weakened. Arcanine faces competition as a Fire-type from Ninetales and Salazzle, which have better Speed tiers, boost their stats, and, in Ninetales's case, can reliably OHKO bulky Water-type Pokemon with Solar Beam. Arcanine also has competition as a Fire-type check with Houndoom, as Houndoom can also check Psychic-types and has a better matchup against bulkier teams.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Morning Sun / Extreme Speed
item: Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz is Arcanine's strongest STAB move, heavily damaging or KOing Pokemon like Shaymin, Metagross, and Bewear. Wild Charge is Arcanine's best tool for hitting Water-type Pokemon. It has the power to OHKO Mantine and Araquanid while 2HKOing Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Golisopod. Close Combat deals considerable damage to Pokemon that resist Flare Blitz such as Snorlax, Tyrantrum, and Rhyperior. Morning Sun recovers the recoil and damage Arcanine has sustained. Alternatively, Extreme Speed can be run to reliably revenge kill weakened faster threats such as Raikou, Zygarde-10%, and Flygon.

Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed EVs with a Jolly nature and a Life Orb allow Arcanine to hit as hard and be as fast as possible. Flash Fire boosts Arcanine's Flare Blitz to insane levels after it is hit by a rival's Fire-type move. Using a Z-Crystal such as Firium Z or Electrium Z can ease prediction for Arcanine by giving it a one-time nuke to OHKO Pokemon like Mandibuzz, Mega Blastoise, and Milotic. Said Z-Moves also don't deal recoil damage, meaning Arcanine doesn't necessarily have to use Morning Sun in its set. However, keep in mind that Arcanine is weaker after using its Z-Move compared to Life Orb variants.

Usage Tips
========.
Arcanine is a wallbreaker that can come in early- to mid-game as long as entry hazards are cleared. If running Extreme Speed, Arcanine can also be brought late-game to act as a cleaner by picking off weakened threats. Arcanine can safely come in on Pokemon like Ninetales thanks to its Fire typing and Flash Fire. It also can try to come in when predicting that a passive Pokemon such as Registeel will not use Toxic. Arcanine forces a lot of switches, so use Wild Charge or Morning Sun if you predict the opponent to switch to a Water-type like Mega Blastoise, Milotic, or Golisopod. Similarly, hit predicted Fire-type answers like Tyrantrum on the switch with Close Combat. Arcanine is heavily worn down by Stealth Rock and recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and Life Orb, so try not to switch Arcanine in too frequently and keep hazards off when it does come in. Using a pivot is also preferred so that Arcanine can get the jump on a foe it can threaten.

Team Options
========
Entry hazard removers are mandatory teammates for Arcanine so that it doesn't lose a quarter of its health every time it comes into battle. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Mantine, and Forretress fit this role excellently. Water-resistant or -immune Pokemon such as Shaymin, Toxicroak, Mantine, and Seismitoad help absorb Water-type moves that target Arcanine. They also help Arcanine by threatening Water-types so that Arcanine doesn't have to predict them coming in for it to wallbreak. Pokemon like Shaymin and Virizion can check the Ground-type Pokemon that Arcanine struggles with such as Rhyperior and Donphan. Arcanine is great for taking out Steel-types for teammates like Roserade, Gardevoir, and Noivern, as well as checking Fire-types for teammates like Toxicroak, Shaymin, and Metagross. Pokemon like Noivern, Yanmega, and Salazzle appreciate Arcanine's ability to threaten Stealth Rock setters such as Metagross, Necrozma, and Rhyperior with chip damage. Special walls such as Registeel, Snorlax, and Florges can help sponge special hits that target Arcanine's weaker defensive stat. A slow pivot such as Mandibuzz, Mega Ampharos, or Forretress can bring Arcanine in on a foe it can threaten safely. Fast pivots such as Raikou, Yanmega, and Flygon also help Arcanine safely come into battle by threatening out the foe with their powerful attacks.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A mixed offensive set using a Hasty nature and Hidden Power Ice can be used to deal decent damage to Tyrantrum, Nidoqueen, and Flygon, as well as OHKO Noivern after Stealth Rock. Arcanine prefers the coverage it has with Close Combat, however. Defensive Arcanine seems appealing thanks to Intimidate and moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Morning Sun, and Roar. However, Arcanine is a mediocre wall because it is weak to Stealth Rock and Toxic damage and its defensive stats are only average at best. Choice Band can be run instead of Life Orb to grant Arcanine more power, but Arcanine prefers to switch its moves around and be able to recover its HP with Morning Sun. Intimidate can also be run to reduce the power of physically offensive Pokemon like Machamp, but Arcanine loses out on countering Ninetales, which is one of its main selling points.

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

**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards like Stealth Rock limit Arcanine's chances to be brought into battle, (AC) since it is vulnerable to every entry hazard in the game. Arcanine is also prone to being worn down by the recoil from Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and its own Life Orb.

**Super Effective Attacks**: Arcanine has very common weaknesses in Water, Rock, and Ground, which are easily exploited by Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Tyrantrum, and Zygarde-10%. (AH) Other Pokemon such as Metagross and Virizion can also carry coverage moves that score super effective damage on Arcanine.

**Walls**: Defensive Water-type Pokemon can give Arcanine trouble, because all of them can come in on Flare Blitz and proceed to threaten Arcanine out. Slowbro in particular is only 3HKOed by Wild Charge and easily recovers the damage dealt to it with Slack Off and Regenerator. Rhyperior completely walls Arcanine's STAB moves and even stomachs one Close Combat before revenge killing it with its STAB moves. Opposing Arcanine also come in for free on Flare Blitz and forces it out.

**Faster Threats**: Many faster Pokemon such as Lycanroc-D, Salazzle, and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill Arcanine or threaten it out. Some of them such as Gardevoir and Tyrantrum can carry a Choice Scarf to get the jump on Arcanine. Setup sweepers such as Barbaracle, Dragon Dance Tyrantrum, and Flygon threaten Arcanine out by boosting their Speed. Pokemon such as Noivern can hurt Arcanine because they target its weaker Special Defense. Running Extreme Speed does help against these Pokemon, especially if they have been weakened prior. Arcanine can also afford taking a hit from these Pokemon as long as they don't run super effective coverage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[roman, 396169], [zizalith, 410251], [Averado, 409096]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]

Thank you so much, The Dutch Plumberjack! This is officially done and ready to be uploaded on site! Thank you everyone that helped. :)

 

[roman]

uploaded