Arcanine Movesets & Competitive Sets

Set Details Teleport is essential for Arcanine to slowly pivot, as it can stomach attacks from Copperajah and bring in revenge killers unscathed. Toxic hurts walls like Sylveon, Vaporeon, and Mantine that take next to nothing from Flamethrower. Will-O-Wisp is an alternative to Toxic so that Arcanine punishes Aerodactyl, Diancie, and Tyrantrum more effectively. With 64 Speed EVs, Arcanine is faster than Adamant Tyrantrum. As a check to physically offensive Steel-types, Arcanine finds itself being invaluable to Sylveon and Diancie, and they in return offer Heal Bell to cure Toxic poison. Arcanine also helps special attackers like Exploud, Choice Specs Sylveon, and Rotom-C for the same reason, and the latter is an additional pivot that chains momentum with Arcanine. Wallbreakers like Golurk, Tyrantrum, and Grimmsnarl all find safe opportunities to switch into walls via Teleport support, and when they find themselves threatened by revenge killers such as Tauros and Decidueye, Arcanine again is a good defensive answer. Vileplume and Mudsdale cover Knock Off users that Arcanine is vulnerable to like Passimian and Guzzlord. For specially offensive threats, Mantine and Vaporeon will help, and so will Decidueye and Choice Scarf Heliolisk to offensively pressure Inteleon and Starmie. Ground-type checks like Rotom-C, Tsareena, and Xatu are valuable so Arcanine won't have to take an Earthquake.

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. 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 Nidoqueen 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.

Moves Morning Sun gives Arcanine a solid way to recover HP; however, be aware of the changes that take place under weather. Will-O-Wisp burns the foe for residual damage and lowers the foe's Attack stat. Toxic can be used for physical walls such as Swampert, which does not take much damage from Arcanine's Flare Blitz, and gives more residual damage than Will-O-Wisp. Flare Blitz is a powerful STAB move that hits hard, even without investment, and it prevents Arcanine from being too passive, although the recoil can slowly wear down Arcanine after enough use. Extreme Speed can be used to pick off weakened or faster foes if needed. Roar can be used to force out foes that attempt to set up if Arcanine is not in a position to recover damage from Flare Blitz recoil. Set Details The given EVs maximize Arcanine's physical bulk while allowing it to take less damage from Stealth Rock upon switching in and giving Arcanine a Leftovers number. An Impish nature raises Arcanine's solid physical bulk. Leftovers maximizes Arcanine's time on the field while slightly reducing the damage taken from possible recoil moves and entry hazards. Rocky Helmet is another option to punish common U-turn users such as Mienshao and Crobat. An alternate EV spread of 248 HP / 196 Def / 64 Spe can be used to outspeed Adamant Honchkrow and attempt to KO it with Flare Blitz after Stealth Rock damage. Usage Tips Arcanine does not appreciate the extra damage taken from Stealth Rock, as upon switching in, losing 25% of its total HP is extremely detrimental and will reduce Arcanine's time on the field tremendously. Arcanine, after an Intimidate, is a fantastic pivot into physical attackers such as Entei, Mienshao, and Heracross. Arcanine appreciates having bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Vaporeon, and Tentacruel KOed or at least substantially weakened, as these Pokemon are generally a free switch-in to all of Arcanine's attacks and can force it out. Morning Sun only has 8 PP, so knowing when to recover, usually on an opponent's predicted switch, is vital. Team Options Arcanine appreciates a Defogger or a Rapid Spin user as a partner so it does not have to waste a turn using Morning Sun to recover the damage taken from entry hazards. Mega Blastoise works as a fantastic teammate that can not only clear away entry hazards, but also scare away the Rock-type Pokemon that can threaten Arcanine. Grass-type Pokemon such as Shaymin and Whimsicott can switch in comfortably on most Water- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Arcanine. Specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and Florges can also switch in on special attacks that were meant for Arcanine.

Moves Flare Blitz is Arcanine's most powerful attack, and it is backed by high Base Power and STAB. Extreme Speed can hit faster foes such as Mega Beedrill or Mienshao after they have been weakened. Wild Charge does a hefty chunk to bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Suicune, Alomomola, Empoleon, and Tentacruel. Close Combat hits Dark-type Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Umbreon and Rock-type Pokemon such as Rhyperior and Tyrantrum super effectively. Crunch allows Arcanine to hit Chandelure and Jellicent hard without having to incur severe recoil from Wild Charge. Morning Sun is an option to heal off the massive damage that Arcanine receives from its recoil moves. Set Details Maximum Attack EVs allow Arcanine to hit as hard as possible. A Jolly nature with maximum Speed allows Arcanine to outspeed Jolly Heracross, Entei and non-Choice Scarf Krookodile. An Adamant nature allows Arcanine to hit harder with its attacks and 2HKO Suicune with Wild Charge after Stealth Rock damage and a small amount of chip damage. Flash Fire allows Arcanine to freely switch into a predicted Fire move, such as Will-O-Wisp, and it boosts Flare Blitz's power to insane levels. Intimidate is an option to give Arcanine fantastic physical bulk even without investment. Life Orb boosts Arcanine's Attack power and gives it the freedom of switching moves; however, it gets worn down quickly with the combination of Life Orb and Flare Blitz recoil. Usage Tips Heavy prediction is needed when using Arcanine, as incoming Flash Fire users may get a boost from its Flare Blitz and bulky Water-type Pokemon might get a free switch in. Keep in mind the massive recoil Arcanine receives from the combination of Life Orb and Flare Blitz or Wild Charge, especially if there are entry hazards on the field. Do not switch Arcanine in multiple times when there are entry hazards on your side of the field, as taking 25% upon entry limits Arcanine's time even more. Team Options Considering Arcanine's weakness to Stealth Rock, a Defogger or Rapid Spin user is nearly mandatory as a partner. Empoleon and Mega Blastoise can not only clear hazards, but they can also threaten out Rock-type Pokemon with their STAB attacks. Grass- or Water-type Pokemon such as Chesnaught and Suicune can switch into predicted Ground and Water-type attacks aimed at Arcanine. When using Intimidate, special walls such as Florges and Blissey can freely switch into special attacks that Arcanine might have trouble taking.

This is undoubtedly Arcanine's most dangerous set; not only is it incredibly strong, but it also possesses impressive coverage and strong priority to boot. If this monster gets a single free switch-in and you can predict correctly, something is definitely going down. Flare Blitz acts as the primary STAB move here; its naturally high Base Power, combined with Arcanine's above average Attack and Life Orb, make it absolutely devastating to anything that doesn't resist it, especially if Arcanine manages to get a Flash Fire boost. Extreme Speed, in addition to making it much more difficult to revenge kill, gives Arcanine an additional niche in being able to pick off weakened faster opponents, such as Flygon and Azelf. Wild Charge gives this set the ability to hurt the Water-types that commonly like to switch into it, bar Swampert. Close Combat is Arcanine's best option against Rhyperior and Snorlax and gets a harder hit on Empoleon, Houndoom, and Porygon2; it's also Arcanine's strongest move against predicted Kingdra, Flygon, and Swampert switch-ins. Morning Sun simply acts as Arcanine's reliable recovery move, but using it comes with the cost of giving up a coverage move. The given EVs let Arcanine outrun neutral-natured base 85s such as Heracross, Nidoking, Suicune, and Kingdra, maximize its Attack, give it a Life Orb number in HP, and prevent beneficial Download boosts for Porygon2 as it comes in. You may adjust the EVs and nature as you see fit for your team, though. For example, running a Jolly nature ensures Arcanine outpaces even positive-natured base 85s, and if you bump the Speed EVs up to 216, Arcanine also becomes faster than offensive Roserade. You may also choose to give up some power in order to increase Arcanine's bulk. A spread of 192 HP / 136 Atk / 4 SpD / 176 Spe will not only let it switch in more easily to check various threats, but also considerably decrease the recoil done by Flare Blitz and Wild Charge. Leftovers is an option if you decide to go this route, as it has good synergy with the added bulk. If you decide to stick to pure offense though, Arcanine can use a Choice Band if you dislike the Life Orb recoil and don't mind being locked into a single move; however, this fails to take advantage of Arcanine's awesome coverage. Flash Fire is the primary ability as it grants Arcanine a potential boost to its already devastating Flare Blitz, but Intimidate can help soften blows from any physical attack as Arcanine switches in, making it a very viable option. This set appreciates two things above all else: entry hazard removal is the first, as Arcanine already has quite a short lifespan due to the recoil it takes from Life Orb and two of its moves. Secondly, a partner that can ease the pressure put on your team by opposing Fire-types is also recommended so that Arcanine doesn't need to come in and take hits too often. Blastoise thus makes an excellent partner for Arcanine, as it can not only easily switch into various Fire-types, but also use Rapid Spin to rid the field of entry hazards. If a more offensive approach is your thing, look no further than Kabutops, which can accomplish many of the same things as Blastoise while still posing a significant offensive threat to the opponent. Roserade is another excellent partner, as it can not only switch into the Water-types that threaten Arcanine and absorb Toxic Spikes upon entry, but also lay down Spikes to make Arcanine's assaults all the more dangerous. Finally, in order to take full advantage of the holes Arcanine tears into enemy lines, you should pair it with a second physically offensive Fire-type, such as Choice Scarf Darmanitan or Victini.

Arcanine makes a fantastic user of Sunny Day, mitigating its weakness to Water-type attacks, boosting its STAB Fire-type attacks, and making Morning Sun recover two-thirds of its HP. This set also gives Arcanine a great way to get past usual counters such as Rhyperior and Swampert with Solar Beam, making it very difficult to play around. Fire Blast is the primary pick for STAB here due to Arcanine's average Special Attack stat, but Flamethrower is also usable if better accuracy and PP are more up your alley. Morning Sun rounds out the set, giving Arcanine a way of recovering HP outside of Leftovers, and as stated previously, becoming even more effective while the sunlight is strong. While Arcanine's moveset is pretty much set in stone, every other aspect of this set is not. For example, a slightly bulkier EV spread of 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD is viable as it prevents even Choice Scarf Heracross from 2HKOing Arcanine with Close Combat, making switching in a bit easier. A faster spread of 72 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 176 Spe gives Arcanine the opportunity to outrun everything with base 85 Speed or lower with the appropriate nature, but at the cost of a lot of bulk. Leftovers is the recommended item, as it has good synergy with a bulky EV spread, but Life Orb is viable if you prefer power over longevity. Flash Fire is also a usable ability, as it grants Arcanine a few free switch-in opportunities and a potential boost to its Fire-type STAB move, but Intimidate is a more consistent ability, making it the primary option. In order for this set to work properly, you will want to pair it with a strong Pursuit user to ensure Victini can't switch into Arcanine freely. Snorlax and Houndoom are the best at this, as they can fearlessly switch into most things Victini can throw at them, bar Focus Blast, and proceed to trap it. However, other Pursuit users, such as Krookodile, work as well. Rapid Spin support is not absolutely required, but is nevertheless appreciated, as Arcanine is affected by every type of entry hazard and has a weakness to the most common one. Hitmontop fills this role excellently, as it even lures out Victini for your Pursuit user to take care of it.

While it might seem odd to give such an offensive juggernaut a defensive set, Arcanine actually makes for quite a sturdy wall, as it can easily check or counter most Heracross, physical Victini, Cobalion, Darmanitan, Escavalier, Swords Dance Mew, Weavile, opposing Arcanine, and many other dangerous physical threats. Additionally, with Sand Stream now banished from UU, Morning Sun consistently recovers half of Arcanine's HP, making this set all the more amazing. Flare Blitz is Arcanine's strongest move and is the most immediately threatening thing it can do to repel the Pokemon it switches into, while Flamethrower is a weaker alternative that lacks the recoil. Extreme Speed lets Arcanine pick off weakened faster threats, such as Weavile, Azelf, and Flygon, before they can do anything else. Hidden Power Grass lets Arcanine hurt bulky Water-types a bit and always 2HKOes Swampert and Rhyperior, giving Arcanine the potential to net surprise KOs on them. Doing this will sometimes mean the opposition won't have the opportunity to lay down Stealth Rock at all, greatly prolonging Arcanine's lifespan. Morning Sun is Arcanine's reliable recovery move, letting it stick around for a while so it can do its job of supporting the team. The final moveslot is dedicated to a status move: Will-O-Wisp lets Arcanine cripple many of its common switch-ins--namely Swampert, Rhyperior, and Flygon--while Toxic does the same to bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Slowbro. The given EVs serve to optimize Arcanine's physical bulk so that it can do its job of checking the many physically offensive behemoths in UU effectively. As you may have noticed, this set can attack either physically, specially, or even go mixed with Flare Blitz and Hidden Power Grass as its attacks, so you must pick your nature accordingly. It's worth noting that using a Relaxed nature still lets Arcanine be faster than the standard 8 Speed Milotic by 3 points without any investment. This set can also make use of Roar in order to spread hazard damage around the opposing team and phaze away setup sweepers that don't fear its offensive moves, most notably Dragon Dance Kingdra and Curse Snorlax. Intimidate is by far the most effective ability on this set as it lets Arcanine check physical threats much more easily. However, the use of Flash Fire is not exactly unheard of, as it not only gives Arcanine a potential boost to its STAB, but also lets it switch into Bisharp without giving it an Attack boost from Defiant. Rapid Spin support is the most essential thing to make the most out of this set, as not only is Arcanine susceptible to every type of entry hazard, but it also comes with a weakness to the most common one to boot. Hitmontop therefore makes a good partner to this set, as it resists the Rock-type moves commonly aimed at Arcanine; furthermore, they form a very solid defensive core that not many physical attackers can break due to the threat of double Intimidate. Blastoise and Kabutops also work, but not as well, as they like to come in to Rapid Spin on the same threats that Arcanine counters, making them defensively redundant partners. Grass-types are also solid teammates, especially Roserade, as it can not only switch in for free on the Water-types that threaten Arcanine, but also lay down Spikes to take advantage of the switches Arcanine forces. On top of that, it even absorbs Toxic Spikes upon entry, something that Arcanine greatly appreciates.

This set aims to provide a great switch-in to many threats, hit its counters hard, and eventually sweep late-game. Arcanine has access to Flare Blitz, which is its main STAB attack and hits incredibly hard, with or without a Flash Fire boost. Thunder Fang and Hidden Power Grass provide decent coverage options for Arcanine, and while Thunder Fang seems like the better choice due to Arcanine's superior Attack, most of Hidden Power Grass's targets have a 4x weakness and are thus OHKOed. Thunder Fang is still recommended, however, since it nails Arcanine's most popular counters, such as Milotic, Slowking, and Blastoise harder. Extreme Speed is one of Arcanine's most useful assets, because it allows Arcanine to finish off weak, faster foes who would otherwise KO Arcanine. This is especially important due to the presence of Dugtrio. Morning Sun is used in the last slot so that Arcanine can switch in more often, and with Intimidate and Flash Fire, it definitely will find a turn to use it. With Arcanine's two excellent abilities, it can make a very effective switch-in to various threats. Flash Fire is recommended because not only does it allow Arcanine to destroy Weezing, Spiritomb, and most Fire-type Pokemon, but it also gives Arcanine extra firepower for Flare Blitz. Intimidate is still useful, however, since it allows Arcanine to switch in more reliably against Pokemon such as Leafeon. The choice between an Adamant and Jolly nature is based on what specific functions Arcanine needs to do for its team. If Arcanine needs to be able to revenge kill Rotom and Moltres, Jolly is necessary. That being said, Adamant is generally the better choice because it lets Arcanine more effectively finish off foes such as Milotic, Slowking, and Blastoise. It also lets Arcanine OHKO Dugtrio with Extreme Speed. This set naturally has trouble with bulky Water-type Pokemon. Milotic, for example, is able to switch into Arcanine and Recover off anything Arcanine can throw at it. However, if Milotic has been weakened by a Pokemon such as Blaziken, Kabutops, or Rhyperior, then Arcanine can finish it off with a quick Thunder Fang. Arcanine also needs some defensive support for switching into bulky Water-types. Venusaur and Sceptile easily switch into Milotic, Slowbro, Slowking, and Blastoise, though they need to stay clear of super effective attacks. Based on Arcanine's moveset, it will have trouble with different Pokemon. If Arcanine isn't carrying Thunder Fang, it will have trouble dealing with Moltres, so packing a bulky Water-type to switch in is recommended. Without Hidden Power Grass, Rhyperior poses a problem. Rhyperior is a little more difficult to switch into than Moltres, but once again, Milotic works quite well.

Arcanine can be a valuable asset to any team that requires an effective shuffler. His real selling point is his ability, Intimidate, which drops the opponent's Attack by one stage and helps your team deal with physical sweepers much more easily. Arcanine can force the opponent to reveal team members by utilizing Roar on Pokemon like Chansey, Registeel, Steelix, and Scyther as they switch out in fear of his STAB Fire-type moves, expelling the switch-in and revealing the opponent's best answer for Arcanine in general. This is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of entry hazards on the field, which chip away at the opponent's health slowly and wear them down for the sweepers on your team. Since Flare Blitz receives STAB and has 120 Base Power, it can scare away many foes, and Arcanine will find himself juggling the opponent's team the entire match if they don't pack enough strong Water-, Rock-, or Ground-type moves. Rest is essential to the set because it allows Arcanine to heal off the damage after taking previous blows from the opponent. The key move in this set is Sleep Talk, which can surprise an opponent because it is usually the last thing they will find on an Arcanine. Sleep Talk can randomly fire off Flare Blitz or Roar, which can make the opponent think twice before they switch in their Arcanine counter. When selected by Sleep Talk, Roar also loses its negative priority, and thus can be used to phaze out an opposing Pokemon before it even has a chance to move. This 'sleep shuffling' strategy can be particularly effective against more defensive teams, which often don't have many Pokemon who can outspeed Arcanine. The EVs are straightforward: their main purpose is to maximize Arcanine's ability to take physical hits. The remaining 4 Speed EVs can be helpful to outspeed 0 Speed Drapion and other base 95s, such as Uxie. Arcanine naturally forces plenty of switches due to his impressive attacking stats, both physically and specially. It is highly recommended that all three entry hazards are placed on the field to take advantage of this. Toxic Spikes can be critical to help deal with those pesky Water-types who effortlessly counter Arcanine. Venusaur is the perfect partner for Arcanine, thanks to his ability to take both physical and special Water-type attacks well and strike back with a STAB Grass-type attack or Sleep Powder. He can come in on Slowbro (barring Psychic) and Milotic's attacks quite easily and will usually force them out. While they are switching, Venusaur can set up with Swords Dance or Leech Seed. Flash Fire users like Houndoom and Ninetales are a problem for Arcanine, as his Fire-type attacks will only give them more power. Since Houndoom and Ninetales are specially-based Pokemon, Chansey is your safest switch-in to cushion their attacks. Specially defensive Altaria also pairs up well with Arcanine, assuming you can provide Rapid Spin support, as it resists Water-type attacks, is immune to Ground-type attacks, and has a high Special Defense stat to complement Arcanine's focus on physical Defense.

When donning a Choice Band, Arcanine's power increases to demi-godly levels. Provided you predict correctly, Arcanine is sure to cause major damage to the opponent's team, as hard counters to this set are few and far between. However, it is important to remember that one incorrect prediction can easily spell the end of this legendary dog, since this set lacks the ability to freely switch moves or heal with Morning Sun after being locked into an ineffective attack. In addition, Flare Blitz recoil and entry hazard damage can quickly add up, especially with Arcanine's weakness to Stealth Rock, so this set cannot be played recklessly. Flare Blitz, packing a whopping 180 Base Power with STAB factored in, will easily obliterate any Pokemon who doesn't resist it and even some who do. Extreme Speed is one of the most powerful priority attacks available in the tier, making it a great move for cleaning up frail sweepers who would otherwise outspeed and KO Arcanine. Thunder Fang is Arcanine's best bet against Moltres and bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Azumarill, all of whom would otherwise switch in on Arcanine with impunity. Morning Sun rounds out the set as a sort of filler move, while providing a source of much-needed recovery. Although it might seem counterintuitive to use Morning Sun over a fourth attack on a Choice set, Arcanine actually has a decent amount of opportunities to recover his health, since many times opponents will switch out in fear of a strong Flare Blitz or Extreme Speed. However, keep in mind that Arcanine will be a sitting duck when using Morning Sun; as in all cases when using this set, prediction is imperative to success. Iron Head may be used as an alternative that hits Rock-types super effectively, but it's rather weak and won't even come close to 2HKOing Regirock or Rhyperior. Finally, Hidden Power Grass is useful for doing huge amounts of damage to Kabutops, Omastar, and Rhyperior, but it doesn't really fit in well on a Choice Band set. While it might seem sufficient to simply spam Flare Blitz to inflict copious amounts of carnage on your opponent's team, keep in mind that it will likely be the first move your opponent expects Arcanine to use. Thus, it might be a smart idea to double switch to a Pokemon who can take care of common switch-ins like Milotic or Rhyperior the first time Arcanine is out, such as Venusaur. Alternatively, Arcanine can use his coverage moves to catch these switch-ins off guard; Thunder Fang can nab the 2HKO on Milotic and other bulky Water-types with some hazard support, while Hidden Power Grass may be used to obliterate Rock-types like Rhyperior. After these threats are eliminated, cleaning up the rest of your opponent's team with Flare Blitz should be a breeze. The EVs on this set are pretty straightforward, with Attack and Speed maxed out so that Arcanine can sweep better. Either nature can work fine, and it's important to keep in mind which speed tier Arcanine hits with each nature. If Arcanine is Jolly, he safely outpaces every Pokemon slower than Timid Rotom and ties with other base 95s like Leafeon and Houndoom. Meanwhile, an Adamant nature brings Arcanine down to only outpacing base 80s like Blaziken and Venusaur but provides a significant power kick. Thus, which nature Arcanine uses will usually come down to the rest of your team and which threats you need him to check. Both of Arcanine's excellent abilities work fine on this set; the choice depends on how you plan to use him. Intimidate allows for an easier time switching in on weaker physical attackers, thus allowing Arcanine to act as somewhat of a defensive measure, while retaining his proficiency as an offensive powerhouse. However, Flash Fire can turn Arcanine's Flare Blitz into an unstoppable force if he gets the boost. While this is easier said than done, there are many opportunities to do so with Will-O-Wisp, Flamethrower, and Flare Blitz flying around the metagame. Like any other offensively-oriented Pokemon, Arcanine appreciates entry hazard support. Qwilfish can switch in on Milotic with ease and proceed to set up multiple layers of Spikes, enabling Arcanine to get the 2HKO the next time he comes in. Likewise, Registeel takes little damage from any of Milotic's attacks and can set up Stealth Rock. Arcanine also detests entry hazards on his side of the field, since he will get worn down rather quickly with Stealth Rock stripping 25% of his health every time he comes in. Thus, Rapid Spinners like Kabutops, Donphan, and Blastoise all make fine partners for Arcanine. Finally, Pokemon who can eliminate Arcanine's few checks obviously pair well with him; Venusaur can OHKO any Water-type with his strong STAB attacks, while Milotic can wall Rock- and Ground-types and stall out opposing Milotic with Toxic.

Arcanine's good all-round stats allow it to be both bulky and yet hit extremely hard at the same time. This fact, combined with its Intimidate ability and access to Extreme Speed, allows it to function as a very effective anti-lead. Flare Blitz is a high powered STAB attack that does big damage to pretty much anything that doesn't resist it. Extreme Speed allows Arcanine to beat Focus Sash users without having to take another attack, and can 2HKO some faster, frailer leads. Against Arcanine, the bulky Water switch in is almost inevitable, and a well-timed Toxic can cripple both Slowbro and Milotic (despite activating Marvel Scale, if it doesn't have Rest, it's not going to enjoy Toxic). Steel-types never switch into Arcanine, and Poison is often paired with Grass, meaning there is usually very little risk involved in using Toxic. Arcanine has a couple of different moves that all work well in the last slot. Hidden Power Grass is noted because otherwise, Rock- and Water-types fear next to nothing from this set. Since Kabutops and Omastar are occasionally seen as Stealth Rock / Spikes leads, being able to hit them with a 4x super effective attack has great benefits. Hidden Power Grass also lets Arcanine do a bit of damage to incoming Slowbro, although with no Special Attack investment the damage isn't enough to 2HKO. Overheat is another good choice for the last slot. It can be used when you're low on health and can't afford the recoil from Flare Blitz, when you've been Intimidated, or when you want to hit high-Defense Pokemon, such as Steelix, Cloyster, and Gligar, convincingly hard. Attack is maximized to give Arcanine as strong a Flare Blitz and Extreme Speed as possible, and to allow it to put out enough damage in the lead scenario to KO the opposing Pokemon. The Speed EVs allow it to outrun +Speed base 60s, while the remaining EVs are allocated into HP to bulk Arcanine up. Lum Berry is a great item on a leading Pokemon, allowing Arcanine to easily come out on top against status leads such as Venusaur. One of the most appealing things about this set is that it can function as a good revenge killer with Extreme Speed later on in the game as well. It is not limited to just the lead scenario, and with its decent defensive stats and Intimidate, can become a real asset for the team later on too by revenge killing fast, frail sweepers. Since this set will be leading, it generally doesn't need too much in the way of support to be effective. However, if you're not running Hidden Power Grass, having a way to deal with Rock/Water-types is recommended, as otherwise they can just sit there and Spike (Omastar) or Swords Dance (Kabutops) away. Having a good switch-in to Moltres is useful as well, as Arcanine can't really damage it outside of poisoning it.

Since most Arcanine sets take advantage of the doggie's excellent base 110 Attack stat, his perfectly usable base 100 Special Attack stat is often neglected. While it is true that Arcanine is better off utilizing a physical set most of the time, a special set is perfectly viable and can pose as a major offensive threat. Although other special Fire-type sweepers like Houndoom and Moltres somewhat outclass Arcanine in this role, Arcanine offers much better bulk and reliable recovery over the former and better abilities, a lesser weakness to Stealth Rock, and superior Speed over the latter. Fire Blast is Arcanine's STAB attack of choice for this set; his lower Special Attack means that the high Base Power of Fire Blast is preferred over the reliability of Flamethrower. In the same vein, a Modest nature is listed as the main option because Arcanine could really use the power boost. The Hidden Power of choice provides excellent coverage alongside Arcanine's STAB move, hitting bulky Water-types super effectively. Hidden Power Grass gives Arcanine a way to OHKO Rhyperior and deal heavy damage to other Rock-types, whereas Hidden Power Electric covers Qwilfish and Moltres. Morning Sun is another necessity for this set, since entry hazards and Life Orb recoil are a pain to deal with without a source of reliable recovery. The last slot is mostly filler, but Dragon Pulse does have some uses, hitting Altaria super effectively and providing a solid attack that garners neutral coverage against Fire-types like Houndoom and opposing Arcanine who would otherwise easily wall or set up on this set. Alternatively, Overheat can be used for a burst of immediate power that boasts better accuracy than Fire Blast; just keep in mind that Arcanine will almost always have to switch out after using it. Just as for the physical attacker, both abilities have their uses. Flash Fire can potentially turn Fire Blast into an extremely powerful attack that will incinerate all neutral targets, while Intimidate has more overall utility and lets Arcanine switch in more easily. Due to Arcanine's comparatively lower Special Attack stat, he will have some trouble breaking down the stronger special walls in the UU tier. Even with entry hazard support, it will be extremely hard to overcome dedicated walls like Milotic, Slowking, and Chansey. Thus, packing a physical wallbreaking partner for Arcanine is a great idea. Grass-types like Torterra, Leafeon, and Swords Dance Venusaur are perhaps the best options for this role, as they can easily break through bulky Water-types. Another option is to pair Arcanine with another Fire-type sweeper like Moltres or Houndoom; one sweeper can sacrifice himself to severely weaken their shared counters, paving the way for the other to clean up. Choice Specs can work as the item here, but it is not recommended as the first option because it takes away much of Arcanine's utility without hitting hard enough to warrant locking Arcanine into one move. However, if you do choose to go this route, Arcanine will have a much better chance to 2HKO Milotic with Stealth Rock support with Hidden Power Grass and will easily do the same to Specially Defensive Arcanine with Hidden Power Rock. Overheat becomes a much more enticing option with Choice Specs, boasting huge amounts of power. Despite this, Choice Specs Arcanine lacks the raw power and priority of Choice Band Arcanine and is directly outclassed by Moltres, who can use the same set but with a stronger neutral option in Air Slash. As with every other Arcanine set, successfully managing entry hazards is paramount for getting the most out of this set. Keeping Stealth Rock and Spikes off the field with a spinner, such as Donphan or Blastoise, makes Arcanine's job much easier by relieving him of the burden of taking huge chunks of health just by switching in. On the other hand, setting up your own entry hazards will greatly aid a potential Arcanine sweep. Omastar is a great candidate, since he can set up all three entry hazards while also luring Grass-types for Arcanine to switch in against.

While Arcanine is usually seen as a sweeper because of his high Attack and Speed stats, he has all the necessary tools to function as an effective specially defensive tank. Arcanine's good HP and Defense, naturally high Attack and Speed, and access to a reliable recovery move, Morning Sun, allow him to safely switch into and beat many top-tier special sweepers one-on-one. With maxed out HP and Special Defense stats, Arcanine becomes a formidable special tank. This Arcanine is able to switch into some of UU's strongest special attackers and eliminate them. Even with no investment in his Attack stat, Flare Blitz and Extreme Speed still hit hard enough to take care of physically frail sweepers such as Alakazam and Mismagius, as well as targets hit super effectively, such as Venusaur. Toxic is Arcanine's main source of damage against walls such as Milotic and bulkier sweepers such as Moltres; both of the aforementioned Pokemon can generally be stalled out with Morning Sun. Here are some damage calculations that demonstrate Arcanine's impressive special bulk: Timid 252 SpA Life Orb Alakazam Psychic: 43% - 50.8% Timid 252 SpA Mismagius Shadow Ball: 24.5% - 29.2% Timid 252 SpA Life Orb Venusaur Sludge Bomb: 34.6% - 40.9% Modest 252 SpA Life Orb Moltres Air Slash: 36.7% - 43.2% Timid 252 SpA Life Orb Houndoom Dark Pulse: 33.1% - 39.1% Timid 252 SpA Life Orb Rotom Thunderbolt: 35.2% - 41.7% Bold 0 SpA Milotic Surf: 44.3% - 53.1% With his special bulk, Arcanine can avoid being 2HKOed by the some of the strongest neutral special attacks UU has to offer, provided Stealth Rock is off the field. In return, Arcanine can 2HKO or Toxic stall each of these threats while recovering his health with Morning Sun. Arcanine also serves as an excellent lure for Milotic, whom he can Toxic and stall out with Morning Sun (unless Milotic has Toxic or Rest). Rapid Spin support is extremely important for this Arcanine. Due to his Fire typing, Arcanine loses 25% of his health each time he switches into Stealth Rock. As a result, many of the sweepers who normally only 3HKO Arcanine are able to 2HKO him with Stealth Rock on the field. Arcanine also has problems with strong physical attackers, such as Rhyperior, Azumarill, Feraligatr, and Aggron. Thus, a physically defensive Blastoise makes a great partner since Blastoise can hit Rock- and Ground-types for super effective damage with Surf. Blastoise can also wall any physical Water-types who may otherwise cause Arcanine problems. Other good teammates for this Arcanine include physical walls who can take strong Rock-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks. Leafeon, Torterra, Tangrowth, and Milotic are all excellent choices, especially since each of them has a reliable recovery move. Arcanine also dislikes any form of status, so a cleric is greatly appreciated. Thus, Leafeon is an ideal teammate; he has access to Heal Bell and, as previously mentioned, is an excellent physical wall.

While Arcanine's sweeping prowess is certainly his most appealing attribute, it would be foolish to underestimate his bulk and defensive capabilities. With decent HP and Defense stats and an excellent ability in Intimidate, Arcanine has all the necessary tools to shut down many of the powerful physical attackers in the tier. Even though Arcanine can take on a variety of different physical attackers, keep in mind that the UU environment is not especially friendly to physically defensive Fire-types due to the widespread use of Stealth Rock and the popularity of Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type physical attackers, such as Azumarill, Rhyperior, and Donphan, respectively. Will-O-Wisp is the crux of this set, instantly crippling any physical sweeper who isn't a Fire-type or has the ability Guts. It is an especially effective move on Arcanine when you consider that some of the aforementioned physical attackers are among the most popular switch-ins to Arcanine. Thus, Arcanine will often catch Pokemon such as Kabutops, Feraligatr, and Rhyperior looking to switch in and wreak havoc off guard, instantly rendering them nearly useless for the remainder of the match. Morning Sun is another necessity, since Arcanine's HP will frequently need to be replenished after taking entry hazard damage and tanking attacks. Flare Blitz and Extreme Speed are the only two attacks Arcanine really needs, as Flare Blitz provides a reliable and powerful STAB attack that will still hurt many frail sweepers, while Extreme Speed serves as a useful priority move that can pick off faster foes. The EVs are relatively simple, as almost all of them are poured into HP and Defense so that Arcanine becomes as physically bulky as possible. The 28 Speed EVs are thrown in to ensure Arcanine outpaces 252 Speed Jolly Torterra by one point, allowing him to KO or cripple Torterra with Flare Blitz or Will-O-Wisp before Torterra can act. Even though Arcanine can take quite a few hits before going down, he is by no means a dedicated physical tank who can take on any and all attackers. Strong super effective STAB attacks from the likes of Choice Band Azumarill, Choice Band Rhyperior, and Life Orb Kabutops will still threaten to KO Arcanine as long as Arcanine has not hit them with both Intimidate and Will-O-Wisp. Thus, it is advisable to pack Pokemon who can deal with these threats separately and leave Arcanine to deal with physical attackers who can only muster neutral or non-STAB super effective attacks against Arcanine, such as Scyther, Swords Dance Sceptile, and Leafeon. Although the given moveset is probably the best combination of moves in terms of overall utility, there are some other options that can be used. Toxic may be used over Extreme Speed so that Arcanine isn't completely helpless against some of the bulkier Fire-type sweepers with access to reliable recovery, like Moltres and opposing Arcanine. Toxic also comes in handy against bulky Water-types, since they don't particularly mind being burned but are severely crippled by Toxic. If you want Arcanine to effectively wall some set up sweepers, then Roar can be used in the last slot to phaze them out. Since this set is geared towards walling physical attackers, special walls make natural defensive complements. Chansey and Milotic are the most obvious choices for this role, as they are two of the sturdiest special sponges in the tier, easily taking on Moltres and other strong sweepers. Bulky variants of Qwilfish also pair up well with this set, as they can easily come in on most bulky Water-types and proceed to set up Spikes. Finally, Rapid Spin support is an absolute must, since Arcanine will need to switch in repeatedly to take hits. Donphan and Blastoise are two prominent spinners who work well with Arcanine.

While Morning Sun's recovery may not be as set in stone as moves like Recover and Soft-Boiled, it goes a long way in aiding Arcanine as it tears through teams, holding either a Life Orb (for increased damage) or Leftovers (for added survivability). Flare Blitz is Arcanine's main attack, while Extreme Speed cleans up anyone who can survive the attack. Morning Sun helps Arcanine recover from repeated recoil damage from both Flare Blitz and Life Orb (if you choose this item) as well as from entry hazard damage, though at the cost of a turn. The move in the last slot is mainly filler, although the choice is mainly decided by how you play Arcanine. More cautious players may opt to use Toxic, helping them to wear down counters, such as Hitmontop and Slowbro, who may try to stop your sweep. Will-O-Wisp is a cautious move, easily incapacitating physical sweepers, although the many Fire-types with Flash Fire and threatening Guts sweepers can diminish its usefulness. If you're looking to use Arcanine as a stand-alone sweeper, you may be interested in Thunder Fang or Iron Head, as they are the most competitively viable attacks Arcanine has at its disposal; Thunder Fang puts dents in Water-types, while Iron Head provides reliable damage with a chance to flinch. The EVs given allow Arcanine to outspeed base 80s who possess a Speed-boosting nature, most notably Jolly Venusaur. Arcanine is often seen abusing strong sunlight in an attempt to increase the HP recovered by Morning Sun to 2/3 of its total HP. Leads who can set up Sunny Day, such as Ambipom, Uxie and Claydol, are great additions to a team based around Arcanine (Uxie and Claydol more so, thanks to their Ground-type immunities). The bulky and powerful Tangrowth is a great complementary sweeper for Arcanine, since it can provide status support and counter Water-types for Arcanine. In return, Arcanine can sponge super effective Fire-type attacks aimed at Tangrowth. Any Grass-type with the Chlorophyll ability will enjoy being on a Sunny Day team with Arcanine. Flash Fire is also a viable ability choice, although it isn't a superior choice unless Arcanine is placed on a Sunny Day team. This is a great environment for Arcanine since it gives Flare Blitz double STAB. Flash Fire's usefulness is also greatly influenced by Arcanine's teammates; if there are any Grass-types on its team, Arcanine can boost the power of its Fire-type attacks very easily, thanks to type synergy. Having a way to take care of auto-weather effects from Hippopotas and Snover is recommended, since Morning Sun's recovery drops from 1/2 Arcanine's total HP in normal battle conditions to a low 1/4. Since both of these threats are typically seen as leads, they can easily be disposed of by your own lead. Ambipom is able to break their Focus Sash with Fake Out and use either Sunny Day to counter their weather effects or Return to nab the KO.

Howl first, maybe twice if Arcanine survives a hit, then take foes down. Steel-types get a taste of its Fire move: Flamethrower provides a balance of power and accuracy, while Fire Blast is a viable option if you don't mind trading accuracy for some extra power. Overheat is useful if you intend to play Arcanine as a hit-and-run Pokemon; though it has a high damage output the first time it is used, it becomes successively weaker. In terms of EVs, focus on Attack and HP; Speed isn't really important, as Arcanine will be using Extreme Speed a lot.

Iron Tail will OHKO all Gengar that run Defense-hindering natures, and even some that don't. Extreme Speed allows Arcanine to attack first, reduces its need for Speed EVs, and even lets it counter Reversal and Flail users. Iron Tail damages Rock-types such as Golem and surprises the common Solrock switch-in with an OHKO. Overheat lets Arcanine dispatch Skarmory, which would otherwise wall this set, while Double-Edge is Arcanine's most powerful physical move. As Arcanine's movepool is so limited, it can use Hidden Power Grass over Iron Tail to OHKO Golem, and run Double-Edge in the third slot. However, Arcanine would then lose a lot of power against Slowbro and Slowking. Again, maximize Attack, and run some Speed as well. 244 is a good Speed stat to hit, as it beats all Tyranitar; 263 beats all Magneton, Skarmory, and Solrock, and 265 beats most Gyarados. Put the rest in HP for optimum bulk.

Fire Blast away, use Hidden Power Grass on Golem and Quagsire, and Crunch on Psychic-types, particularly Thick Fat Grumpig. Extreme Speed finishes off weakened Pokemon and users of Reversal or Flail. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragon-types and Gligar harder, but it's not especially useful, as most of them are faster and generally pack Earthquake. This Arcanine is perfect as a late-game sweeper, as it has the potential to finish off unsuspecting, weakened teams. In standard play, though, you'll find that it gets walled by bulky Water-types and special walls, namely Snorlax and Blissey, way too easily, making Toxic or Hidden Power Fighting options worth considering. Even then, however, it won't be too effective. Give Arcanine as much Special Attack as possible and a few Speed EVs to outrun Tyranitar; the rest optimizes Arcanine's bulk.

This set takes advantage of Arcanine's decent durability. Either Fire Blast or Flamethrower is necessary for that great STAB. Body Slam is good for paralysis on Starmie and others, while Hidden Power Fighting will damage Rock-types such as Tyranitar, and dent Snorlax and Blissey. Double-Edge is an acceptable alternative to Body Slam. Note that in using it, you'll be trading the paralysis chance Body Slam offers for a higher average damage output.