Arcanine

Naxte said:
It's way too soon to be saying things like that--CC may have definitely made it BL in 4th Gen UU, but we know nothing of what 5th gen UU will be like. Even if Arcanine doesn't make it to OU and remains UU by usage, remember, these changes to Arcanine don't exist in isolation--there are 156 new Pokemon, new moves, Dream World abilities, other old moves being given more distribution. We don't know which of these new Pokemon will wind up settling down into UU, and how the other changes will affect the first 4 Gen's Pokemon's tiering. Depending on which Pokemon end up settling down in UU after all's said and done, even if Arcanine remains UU, it's definitely too soon to say it'll be a definite BL, because other Pokemon that can handle it fine could wind up UU alongside it.
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You're absolutely right, but I can't find any new pokes that would easily brush off all of Arcanine's moves, old and new, so while there's no way to be sure, I'll stick with my prediction.
 
Arcanine@Choice Band
Adamant/Jolly; 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Wild Bolt
Flare Blitz
Extremespeed/Crunch
Close Combat

With this set, Arcanine hits every water in the current UU (barring the new Lightning Rod Seaking, Lanturn and Quagsire), Venusaur and Registeel for SE damage; While Priority is excellent, Crunch allows you to hit Rotom and Mismagius and gives perfect coverage with Close Combat. However, Wish support is very necessary, as with all the recoil Arcanine's going to be dying very quickly. A way to get rid of entry hazards is nice too.
 
The best thing about Arcanine's new abilities is that Stealth Rock will likely play a much smaller role in 5th gen OU/UU than in 4th gen, thanks to it being removed from the TM list. Also, unblockable Rapid Spin (thanks in part to the Aiming Mark item) will be a huge middle finger to SR usage. I think that with Arcanine's new ability in Justice Heart, and Close Combat being added to his movepool, he's bound for at least BL.
 
We have to remember Arcanine has a Prevo called Growlithe that also learns moves:

Growlithe: Lv1: Bite, Lv1: Roar, Lv6: Ember, Lv9: Leer, Lv14: Odor Sleuth, Lv17: Helping Hand, Lv20: Flame Wheel, Lv25: Reversal, Lv28: Fire Fang, Lv31: [M481], Lv34: Take Down, Lv39: Flamethrower, Lv42: Agility, Lv45: Crunch, Lv48: [M514], Lv51: Heat Wave, Lv56: Flare Blitz

[M481]: Special Fire PP: 15 Power: 70 / Accuracy: 100 Effect: [E121]
[Get Even]: Physical Normal PP: 5 Power: 70 / Accuracy: 100 Effect: [E13F]


Now Get Even i remember doubles in power if one of your pokemon fainted last turn, so I could see An Arcanine with this:

Arcanine @ Choice Scarf
EVs: 252 Atk/248 Spd/8 Either Defense
Justice Heart/Flash Fire
Adamant Nature
Flare Blitz
Close Combat
Wild Bolt/Crunch
Get Even/Crunch

Looks like a pretty good revenge killer to me. Outruns +1 Jolly Gyarados and OHKOs/Forces out with Wild Bolt. Crunch kills Shanderea. Flare Blitz for STAB and Close Combat Smashes Rocks.
 
Justice Heart would probably work nicely with Choice Scarf, as it would leave Arcanine with +1 Atk and +1 Spd upon switching into a dark-type attack. Especially if you consider the fact that it'll probably free up the slot Extremespeed would normally use up. Just theorymoning a bit here, I'd really like it if Justice Heart Arcanine ended up good. :)

M514 (Retaliation / Get Even) would have a respectable base power of 140 if used after a teammate had fainted too, but it isn't as good as other moves would be in conjunction with Justice Heart due to not really being usable with switchins. Actually, none of Arcanine's abilities really augment it, but it still seems like a solid move for revenge killing.

Any idea about good partners for JH Arcanine? Something weak to dark that doesn't fear Pursuit users? Not sure if that even exists. :/ (Probably not)
 
I'm wondering about
Arcanine @ Life Orb
Intimidate
252 Attack/252 Speed/ 4 HP
Adamant/Jolly Nature
Flare Blitz
Close Combat
Wild Bolt/Crunch/Extremespeed
Wild Bolt/Crunch/Extremespeed

This way you could, potentially, deal with all of Arcanine's usual counters- just not at once. Wild Bolt for bulky waters (bar Swampert, obviously), Crunch for that damn Chandalear, Extremespeed to... well, to be Extremespeed. That actually seems to me to be the move I won't run, actually. Just run Jolly and hope for the best. Not the greatest strategy, I know, but with two recoil moves and one with defense drops you're not exactly gonna be playing it safe
 
I might have missed it, but I didn't see anyone mention the fact that Extremespeed is apparently now a +2 Priority, making it even better compared to before.

Arcanine certainly got a boost with a more reliable Electric move (shame that it has recoil) and the excellent Close Combat (though once again no Earthquake, even though it seems everyone and their mom has EQ). I do not see him managing to work his way out of UU, however. He is a favourite of mine, but with the amount of powerful new Pokemon, I'm not sure there will be room for him in OU.

But it's hard to say, this new gen will be crazy I think.
 
I have a bump for the topic.

Arcanine w/ Life Orb
Jolly/Adamant
Flash Fire/Justice Heart
6 HP/ 252 ATK / 252 SPE

-Nitro Charge
-Flare Blitz
-Wild Bolt
-Close Combat

Nitro Charge presents itself as a way to bypass Arcanine's speed and the need for extremespeed. A boost from Nitro Charge allows you to outspeed threats like Starmie, Infernape, and Sazando. While he likely will die quickly, but he'll die stylishly, hitting fast with a lot of power.
 
Surprised that nobody gave HOWL a mention:

Arcanine@Life Orb
Flash Fire/Justice Heart
4HP / 252Atk / 252Spe
Jolly
-Howl
-Flare Blitz
-Close Combat
-Extremespeed/Wild Bolt/Crunch

Extremespeed first over both Bolt and Crunch because the only thing you won't hit with Fire/Fighting will be Dragons and Gyarados, IIRC, and many other offensive threats will be faster than you without it, especially in OU. Howl just makes Arcanine hurt you worse.

EDIT: ALSO, why Howl over Nitro Charge at the cost of better coverage? Power, power, and more power for hitting stuff with in general.
 
Ulysses said:
I have a bump for the topic.

Arcanine w/ Life Orb
Jolly/Adamant
Flash Fire/Justice Heart
6 HP/ 252 ATK / 252 SPE

-Nitro Charge
-Flare Blitz
-Wild Bolt
-Close Combat

Nitro Charge presents itself as a way to bypass Arcanine's speed and the need for extremespeed. A boost from Nitro Charge allows you to outspeed threats like Starmie, Infernape, and Sazando. While he likely will die quickly, but he'll die stylishly, hitting fast with a lot of power.
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Um, Arcanine gets agility, which makes Nitro Charge pretty much useless.
 
I suppose you could argue that, but with Nitro Charge you could revenge kill something without leaving yourself vulnerable.
 
WarriorPrince said:
Um, Arcanine gets agility, which makes Nitro Charge pretty much useless.
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Nitro Charge does damage. Not a lot, but enough that I'm sure there are a lot of things KO'd by a combination of Nitro Charge on the switch-in followed by 2x Flare Blitz/Wild Volt/Close Combat that would not be 2HKO'd by those attacks after an Agility on the switch.
 
Ian15 said:
Arcanine also got Justice Heart which makes him immune to Dark type attacks and Gets a plus one attack boosts
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he's better off with flash fire. What Dark OU would you switch in on? Now that he has CC maybe T-Tar (That would be nice), but you always risk getting nut kicked with EQ.
 
Considering that Close Combat is an egg move and Justice Heart is from the Dream world, aren't the two incompatible?
 
Really Cool Excited for Arcanine.
CC might bring it up to OU play more often... and boy would that be fun. I think the new sprite is kind of bad though...
 
Arcanine is going to be brutal this generation. I don't know who said Arcanine lacks offensive ability, but they're nuts. Time to revamp good old CB Arcy.

Arcanine @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate/Flash Fire
EVs:252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
~ Extremespeed
~ Flare Blitz
~ Close Combat
~ Crunch / Wild Bolt

With 525 (or 478) Atk and 289 (or 317) Speed, Arcanine hits like a truck. In the face of all the new 108 Base Speed threats, Arcanine is far less likely to get the drop because each of them will be trying to outspeed the Base 100s, leaving Arcanine in the cold. With the new improved +2 Extremespeed, Arcanine now gets the drop even on other priority users. However, if you're worried about Lucario or speed ties Jolly is a suitable option, though not preferable. Anyway the set plays like 4th Gen, but with Close Combat/Crunch providing perfect nuetral coverage. Arcanine always outruns non-Scarved Shanderaa anyway, and can OHKO with Crunch or, I believe, 2HKO with Flare Blitz. Either way you have to be careful of Shadow Tag when using either move, but nonetheless Arcanine strikes fast and hard, and the only prayer is to be immune to whatever its using. Altenatively you may want a more effective way to damage bulky waters (bear in mind Close Combat this gen is almost as powerful as SE Thunder Fang in Gen IV on vanilla waters), use Wild Bolt. It has recoil like Flare Blitz but it's accurate and keeps certain threats at bay.
 
Why would you run non-STAB Crunch on Arcanine?

Crunch hits Ghost/Psychic, most of whom don't resist Flare Blitz. OK, it hits the Chandelier, but that thing has crap defense, and you definitely don't want to eat a Shadow Ball coming off that special attack.

4-attack set is clearly Flare Blitz, Extremespeed, Wild Bolt, and Close Combat IMO.
 
shipship said:
Why would you run non-STAB Crunch on Arcanine?

Crunch hits Ghost/Psychic, most of whom don't resist Flare Blitz. OK, it hits the Chandelier, but that thing has crap defense, and you definitely don't want to eat a Shadow Ball coming off that special attack.

4-attack set is clearly Flare Blitz, Extremespeed, Wild Bolt, and Close Combat IMO.
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This. I believe those four moves combined are enough to cover everything that needs to be hit. Now it's just a matter of choosing between the Choice items and Life Orb. I prefer the latter, with Intimidate.
 
Why bother with Flash Fire only boosting Fire type moves by 1.5, but instead using "Heart of Justice" which gives the user +1 Attack if they are hit by a Dark Type attack and gives an immunity to it.
 
danmantincan said:
Arcanine is still gonna be stuck in UU. But these movepool additions will ensure that it remains a top threat in the tier. Infernape gets STAB on Close Combat and has 108 Base speed (and access to STAB priority), meaning that Arcanine will almost always be relegated to UU.
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Extreme Speed goes before Mach Punch now
+2 Extreme Speed
+1 Mach Punch

And due to Arcanine Stats it will 2HKO it with E-Speed depending on Rocks damage.
 
I am really excited to use Arcanine in OU. Arcanine wasns't OU DPPt because it had nothing to beat Heatran with, unless you wanted to use HPGround, which nobody really did. But now it has Close Combat to hit Heatran in the face with. Yay?

I thought of a choiced set:
Arcanine @ Choice Band/Scarf
4HP/252Atk/252Spe; Adamant/Jolly
Heart of Justice/Intimidate
~Flare Blitz
~Close Combat
~Extreme Speed/Wild Bolt
~Crnch/Wild Bolt
(Crunch is for Shanderaa, the only poke, barring dragons and Gyarados that resists Flare Blitz and Close Combat)

shipship said:
Why would you run non-STAB Crunch on Arcanine?

Crunch hits Ghost/Psychic, most of whom don't resist Flare Blitz. OK, it hits the Chandelier, but that thing has crap defense, and you definitely don't want to eat a Shadow Ball coming off that special attack.

4-attack set is clearly Flare Blitz, Extremespeed, Wild Bolt, and Close Combat IMO.
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Crunch hits Shanderaa, the only pokemon that resists both Flare Blitz and Close Combat, super-effectively. That's the reason to using it, obviously.
 
For those of you questioning the use of Crunch, it hits both Shanderaa and Burunkeru (a Pokémon many of you are forgetting). Both of these Pokémon seem to be receiving quite a bit of hype.
 
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