[OVERVIEW]
Arcanine is a fringe pick in NU as a defensive Fire-type that trades hits efficiently thanks to a very high Attack stat backed by Body Slam access. Being the best physical Fire-type is a big perk for the fiery dog, leaving a dent in anything that doesn't resist its coverage. Its Speed is just barely enough to work, outrunning Pokemon like Venomoth and Mr. Mime, which also makes it a fair anti-lead and revenge killer. Arcanine's bulk is nothing to scoff at, even taking a +2 Earthquake from Charizard, actualizing its utility as a defensive Fire-type. It also has a fantastic Moltres matchup, stonewalling the terrifying Legendary Bird while threatening anything attempting to switch in with a meaty Body Slam. Arcanine can usually deal heavy damage before going down and, when paired with Water-types like Blastoise, can form a decent defensive core to combat the offense-laden RBY NU.
However, metagame shifts have not been kind to the Legendary Pokemon: tier staples like Charizard, Kabutops, and Golem tear into it, as Arcanine only has Fire- and Normal-type moves for coverage, and these Pokemon are frequent offensive presences. While it can theoretically use Toxic to punish them, this is hardly a substitute for direct damage, and lacking Fire Spin to pile on chip damage or escape bad matchups worsens the issue. Without Venusaur as a reliable target for it to switch into, as well as Moltres becoming less favored, Arcanine's regular lines of play have diminished. As a defensive Fire-type, it also has issues distinguishing itself from Rest Moltres outside of its admittedly crucial Body Slam access; while Moltres lacks it, it has more overall bulk, Fire Spin access, and generally inconsequential weaknesses, notably not being hit by Earthquake. Furthermore, while Arcanine's Charizard matchup is functional, it's just that: even minor chip damage, which it will sustain, can drastically worsen it. Due to a mix of these factors, Arcanine has fallen off significantly. The volatile nature of the tier is just a bit too much for Arcanine teams in general, leading to them being a rare sight in the modern metagame.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Hyper Beam
move 4: Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
STAB Fire Blast lets Arcanine deal significant damage to Venomoth while serving as its best attack against neutral targets like Nidoking. Body Slam lets Arcanine fish for paralysis as a midground option while denting Fire-resistant foes such as Blastoise and Charizard. Backed by Hyper Beam, Arcanine can 2HKO Mr. Mime if it's taken minimal damage and quickly finish off Fire-resistant Pokemon. Rest should rarely be used but bolsters Arcanine's defensive role, ensuring it can reliably stonewall Moltres, which can't outspeed and chip it down with Toxic + Fire Spin without Agility, and also gives Arcanine a chance to potentially recover in front of a paralyzed foe. However, waking it up can be difficult outside of switching into Fire Spin or weak attackers like Venomoth.
Arcanine can be used as an anti-lead, possessing just enough Speed and power to function. Critical hit Fire Blast OHKOes Venomoth, and Body Slam paralysis against any of Charizard, Mr. Mime, and even rare sights like Primeape can be game-defining. Arcanine's bulk allows it to duel lead Charizard quite well, as usage of Earthquake potentially means taking a hit it can't afford so early into a game. It should be remembered that Arcanine is not 2HKOed by Earthquake. However, Arcanine doesn't always need to be a lead, as it can be a strong mid-game presence thanks to the reliability that its bulk, power, and Body Slam access provide. Its Speed is just right for a revenge killer role as well, crucially outrunning base 90 Speed Pokemon like Mr. Mime that are otherwise quite difficult to bring down when they have the advantage. Teams that use Arcanine primarily use it alongside Blastoise, providing a useful defensive backbone against Charizard. Offensively, Arcanine can potentially allow Mr. Mime to flourish by fending off opposing Mr. Mime and Clefable. Using Arcanine takes up a valuable team slot for a second Fire-type, however; there is very little reason to drop Charizard for Arcanine, and thus teams must find ways to check Water- and Rock-types in spite of this increased weakness.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Arcanine's movepool is workable, but replacing any move often harms more than it helps due to its highly specific matchup spread. Agility can be used to make Arcanine into a mixed late-game sweeper, with its great Attack stat and Body Slam access making it more reliable than Agility + Fire Spin Moltres. However, with its limited coverage, setting the stage for Agility Arcanine can be difficult, and not having Fire Spin means it needs foes to be put in KO range for it to be consistent.
Toxic can be used on lead Arcanine sets to poison potential Fire Spin leads, particularly Charizard and Ninetales, as well as give it something to catch Kabutops and Golem switching in. However, Charizard and Ninetales perform this role better due to their higher Speed and access to Fire Spin. Reflect can be used to further this role and mitigate Arcanine's Earthquake weakness, but the abundance of Swords Dance and Slash users that ignore this makes the utility limited. Leer can be used on paralysis-intensive teams to drop Defense while reapplying the foe's paralysis Speed drop, often forcing the opponent to switch it out, but this is especially niche.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock-types**: Arcanine has nothing to contest Rock-types outside of hoping for a Fire Blast burn, leaving it countered by Golem and Kabutops, which 2HKO it with Earthquake and Surf, respectively. Kabutops is also excellent at making use of a resting Arcanine, as it often uses Swords Dance to threaten a sweep.
**Water-types**: Arcanine takes massive damage from Water-type attacks, which all 2HKO Arcanine, making Pokemon like Blastoise, Seadra, and Kingler threatening. Kingler strongly dislikes taking paralysis from Body Slam or burn from Fire Blast but can still 2HKO Arcanine.
**Charizard**: Charizard can 3HKO Arcanine with Earthquake, which becomes a 2HKO if it's taken even minor damage. Swords Dance allows Charizard to exploit Arcanine if it uses Rest; in fact, Charizard coming in on a predicted Rest can end the game on the spot. A healthy Arcanine can mortally threaten Charizard with Body Slam paralysis, though, so this matchup can be volatile.
**Setup Sweepers**: Once Arcanine uses Rest, it's left vulnerable to exploitation, and most setup sweepers have super effective coverage against it. Kingler, Kabutops, Sandslash, and Seadra are all capable of 2HKOing Arcanine after setting up.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[May, 236353], [Sabelette, 583793]
- Quality checked by: [[Shellnuts, 491544], [phoopes, 96315]]
- Grammar checked by: [[autumn, 384270]]
Arcanine is a fringe pick in NU as a defensive Fire-type that trades hits efficiently thanks to a very high Attack stat backed by Body Slam access. Being the best physical Fire-type is a big perk for the fiery dog, leaving a dent in anything that doesn't resist its coverage. Its Speed is just barely enough to work, outrunning Pokemon like Venomoth and Mr. Mime, which also makes it a fair anti-lead and revenge killer. Arcanine's bulk is nothing to scoff at, even taking a +2 Earthquake from Charizard, actualizing its utility as a defensive Fire-type. It also has a fantastic Moltres matchup, stonewalling the terrifying Legendary Bird while threatening anything attempting to switch in with a meaty Body Slam. Arcanine can usually deal heavy damage before going down and, when paired with Water-types like Blastoise, can form a decent defensive core to combat the offense-laden RBY NU.
However, metagame shifts have not been kind to the Legendary Pokemon: tier staples like Charizard, Kabutops, and Golem tear into it, as Arcanine only has Fire- and Normal-type moves for coverage, and these Pokemon are frequent offensive presences. While it can theoretically use Toxic to punish them, this is hardly a substitute for direct damage, and lacking Fire Spin to pile on chip damage or escape bad matchups worsens the issue. Without Venusaur as a reliable target for it to switch into, as well as Moltres becoming less favored, Arcanine's regular lines of play have diminished. As a defensive Fire-type, it also has issues distinguishing itself from Rest Moltres outside of its admittedly crucial Body Slam access; while Moltres lacks it, it has more overall bulk, Fire Spin access, and generally inconsequential weaknesses, notably not being hit by Earthquake. Furthermore, while Arcanine's Charizard matchup is functional, it's just that: even minor chip damage, which it will sustain, can drastically worsen it. Due to a mix of these factors, Arcanine has fallen off significantly. The volatile nature of the tier is just a bit too much for Arcanine teams in general, leading to them being a rare sight in the modern metagame.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Hyper Beam
move 4: Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
STAB Fire Blast lets Arcanine deal significant damage to Venomoth while serving as its best attack against neutral targets like Nidoking. Body Slam lets Arcanine fish for paralysis as a midground option while denting Fire-resistant foes such as Blastoise and Charizard. Backed by Hyper Beam, Arcanine can 2HKO Mr. Mime if it's taken minimal damage and quickly finish off Fire-resistant Pokemon. Rest should rarely be used but bolsters Arcanine's defensive role, ensuring it can reliably stonewall Moltres, which can't outspeed and chip it down with Toxic + Fire Spin without Agility, and also gives Arcanine a chance to potentially recover in front of a paralyzed foe. However, waking it up can be difficult outside of switching into Fire Spin or weak attackers like Venomoth.
Arcanine can be used as an anti-lead, possessing just enough Speed and power to function. Critical hit Fire Blast OHKOes Venomoth, and Body Slam paralysis against any of Charizard, Mr. Mime, and even rare sights like Primeape can be game-defining. Arcanine's bulk allows it to duel lead Charizard quite well, as usage of Earthquake potentially means taking a hit it can't afford so early into a game. It should be remembered that Arcanine is not 2HKOed by Earthquake. However, Arcanine doesn't always need to be a lead, as it can be a strong mid-game presence thanks to the reliability that its bulk, power, and Body Slam access provide. Its Speed is just right for a revenge killer role as well, crucially outrunning base 90 Speed Pokemon like Mr. Mime that are otherwise quite difficult to bring down when they have the advantage. Teams that use Arcanine primarily use it alongside Blastoise, providing a useful defensive backbone against Charizard. Offensively, Arcanine can potentially allow Mr. Mime to flourish by fending off opposing Mr. Mime and Clefable. Using Arcanine takes up a valuable team slot for a second Fire-type, however; there is very little reason to drop Charizard for Arcanine, and thus teams must find ways to check Water- and Rock-types in spite of this increased weakness.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Arcanine's movepool is workable, but replacing any move often harms more than it helps due to its highly specific matchup spread. Agility can be used to make Arcanine into a mixed late-game sweeper, with its great Attack stat and Body Slam access making it more reliable than Agility + Fire Spin Moltres. However, with its limited coverage, setting the stage for Agility Arcanine can be difficult, and not having Fire Spin means it needs foes to be put in KO range for it to be consistent.
Toxic can be used on lead Arcanine sets to poison potential Fire Spin leads, particularly Charizard and Ninetales, as well as give it something to catch Kabutops and Golem switching in. However, Charizard and Ninetales perform this role better due to their higher Speed and access to Fire Spin. Reflect can be used to further this role and mitigate Arcanine's Earthquake weakness, but the abundance of Swords Dance and Slash users that ignore this makes the utility limited. Leer can be used on paralysis-intensive teams to drop Defense while reapplying the foe's paralysis Speed drop, often forcing the opponent to switch it out, but this is especially niche.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock-types**: Arcanine has nothing to contest Rock-types outside of hoping for a Fire Blast burn, leaving it countered by Golem and Kabutops, which 2HKO it with Earthquake and Surf, respectively. Kabutops is also excellent at making use of a resting Arcanine, as it often uses Swords Dance to threaten a sweep.
**Water-types**: Arcanine takes massive damage from Water-type attacks, which all 2HKO Arcanine, making Pokemon like Blastoise, Seadra, and Kingler threatening. Kingler strongly dislikes taking paralysis from Body Slam or burn from Fire Blast but can still 2HKO Arcanine.
**Charizard**: Charizard can 3HKO Arcanine with Earthquake, which becomes a 2HKO if it's taken even minor damage. Swords Dance allows Charizard to exploit Arcanine if it uses Rest; in fact, Charizard coming in on a predicted Rest can end the game on the spot. A healthy Arcanine can mortally threaten Charizard with Body Slam paralysis, though, so this matchup can be volatile.
**Setup Sweepers**: Once Arcanine uses Rest, it's left vulnerable to exploitation, and most setup sweepers have super effective coverage against it. Kingler, Kabutops, Sandslash, and Seadra are all capable of 2HKOing Arcanine after setting up.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[May, 236353], [Sabelette, 583793]
- Quality checked by: [[Shellnuts, 491544], [phoopes, 96315]]
- Grammar checked by: [[autumn, 384270]]
Last edited:
