Competitive Information for Arcanine [Sword/Shield]
Fire
Abilities:
This Pokemon's Fire attacks do 1.5x damage if hit by one Fire move; Fire immunity.
On switch-in, this Pokemon lowers the Attack of opponents by 1 stage.
This Pokemon's Attack is raised by 1 stage after it is damaged by a Dark-type move.
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Note: Pokemon with the Flash Fire ability are immune to Fire attacks.
Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Arcanine? These builds are optimized for Sword/Shield Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Sword/Shield metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Discover the strength of Arcanine, a distinguished Pokémon known for its Fire typing! It's to see Arcanine show up as a Sword/Shield opponent. It's an underrated pick that could surprise many in the meta. It is weak to Ground, Rock, and Water-typed attacks. Uncover the best movesets for Arcanine below and optimize your gameplay!
Item: Sitrus Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EVs: 244 Hp / 12 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Extreme Speed
- Protect
- Safeguard
- Will-O-Wisp / Flare Blitz
Arcanine shows a wonderful Support prowess in single battles. The Sitrus Berry will restore 1/4th of Arcanine's max HP when it reaches below half health and gets consumed. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Arcanine last longer regaining it's HP every turn. With Intimidate, on switch-in Arcanine lowers the attack of opponents by 1 stage.
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Arcanine this turn).
◆ Safeguard is a status move (for 5 turns, protects Arcanine's party from status).
◆ Will-O-Wisp is a status move (burns the target).
◆ Flare Blitz is a physical STAB-boosted 120-base power Fire-type move (has 33% recoil. 10% chance to burn. Thaws Arcanine).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/maa3b
Item: Sitrus Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
EVs: 244 Hp / 4 Def / 4 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Snarl
- Protect
- Safeguard
- Will-O-Wisp / Flamethrower
When it comes to single battles, Arcanine shines as a fabulous Physical Sweeper. This moveset was created to overwhelm foes with lethal physical power. The Sitrus Berry will restore 1/4th of Arcanine's max HP when it reaches below half health and gets consumed. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Arcanine last longer regaining it's HP every turn. With Intimidate, on switch-in Arcanine lowers the attack of opponents by 1 stage.
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Arcanine this turn).
◆ Safeguard is a status move (for 5 turns, protects Arcanine's party from status).
◆ Will-O-Wisp is a status move (burns the target).
◆ Flamethrower is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Fire-type move (10% chance to burn the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mba3b
Item: Shell Bell / Eject Pack
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Flare Blitz / Fire Fang
- Close Combat
- Outrage
- Wild Charge / Double-Edge
Arcanine makes an a superior Physical Sweeper in single battles. It tries to overwhelm foes with intense physical attacks. The Shell Bell item option is to help Arcanine recover from the recoil damage it may take from Double-Edge, Flare Blitz and Wild Charge. With Flash Fire, Arcanine's fire attacks do 1.5x damage if hit by one fire move; fire immunity. Wild Charge was added to provide additional threat coverage. With a Eject Pack equipped to it, if Arcanine's stat stages are lowered, it switches to a chosen ally then the Eject Pack gets consumed.
◆ Fire Fang is a physical STAB-boosted 65-base power Fire-type move (10% chance to burn. 10% chance to flinch).
◆ Close Combat is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Arcanine's defense and special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Outrage is a physical 120-base power Dragon-type move (lasts 2-3 turns. Confuses your Arcanine afterwards).
◆ Wild Charge is a physical 90-base power Electric-type move (has 1/4 recoil).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mca3b
Item: Throat Spray / Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Burn Up / Overheat
- Hyper Voice / Hyper Beam
- Dragon Pulse / Dragon Breath
- Scorching Sands / Mud-Slap
For those intense single battles, Arcanine is an outstanding Special Sweeper. It's primary goal is to take down the opponent's team with formidable special power. Throat Spray activates when a Pokemon uses a sound-based move (in this case Hyper Voice) and strengthens Arcanine's special attack stat by 2 stages. Life Orb boosts the power of Arcanine's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Flash Fire, Arcanine's fire attacks do 1.5x damage if hit by one fire move; fire immunity.
◆ Overheat is a special STAB-boosted 130-base power Fire-type move (lowers your Arcanine's special attack by 2 stages).
◆ Hyper Voice is a special 90-base power Normal-type move (no additional effect. Hits adjacent foes).
◆ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Arcanine cannot move next turn).
◆ Dragon Pulse is a special 85-base power Dragon-type move that deals a good amount of damage.
◆ Dragon Breath is a special 60-base power Dragon-type move (30% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Scorching Sands is a special 70-base power Ground-type move (30% chance to burn the target. Thaws target).
◆ Mud-Slap is a special 20-base power Ground-type move (100% chance to lower the target's accuracy by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mda3b
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk
Moveset:
- Bulldoze
- Flame Charge
- Close Combat
- Aerial Ace
In single battles, Arcanine is known as a magnificent Physical Tank. This moveset design focuses to take a hefty amount of physical hits while dealing some decent damage. Life Orb boosts the power of Arcanine's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Flash Fire, Arcanine's fire attacks do 1.5x damage if hit by one fire move; fire immunity.
◆ Flame Charge is a physical STAB-boosted 50-base power Fire-type move (100% chance to raise your Arcanine's speed by 1 stage).
◆ Close Combat is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Arcanine's defense and special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Aerial Ace is a physical 60-base power Flying-type move (this move does not check accuracy).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mea3b
Item: Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
EVs: 72 Hp / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Moveset:
- Wild Charge
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
Arcanine shows a stunning Physical Sweeper prowess in single battles. It's purpose is to take down the opponent's team with forceful physical moves. With Intimidate, on switch-in Arcanine lowers the attack of opponents by 1 stage. Assault Vest allows Arcanine to survive most Water attacks like Scald, Surf and Hydro Pump, and KO right back with Wild Charge. If he doesn't KO, then Extreme Speed will do the job. I used to have Life Orb as his item, but a suggestion for Assault Vest seemed like a better choice. With a Assault Vest equipped to it, Arcanine's sp. Def is 1.5x, but it can only select damaging moves.
◆ Flare Blitz is a physical STAB-boosted 120-base power Fire-type move (has 33% recoil. 10% chance to burn. Thaws Arcanine).
◆ Close Combat is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Arcanine's defense and special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Extreme Speed is a physical priority-increased 80-base power Normal-type move (nearly always goes first).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mfa3b
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Morning Sun
For single battles, Arcanine is a spectacular Physical Sweeper. This approach seeks to take down the opponent's team with brute physical attacks. Life Orb boosts the power of Arcanine's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Flash Fire, Arcanine's fire attacks do 1.5x damage if hit by one fire move; fire immunity.
◆ Close Combat is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Arcanine's defense and special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Extreme Speed is a physical priority-increased 80-base power Normal-type move (nearly always goes first).
◆ Morning Sun is a status move (heals your Arcanine by a weather-dependent amount).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mga3b
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Arcanine? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Sword/Shield Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Sword/Shield metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EVs: 212 Hp / 52 Def / 4 SpA / 20 SpD / 220 Spe
Moveset:
- Flamethrower
- Bulldoze
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Arcanine proves to be a brilliant Support for double battles. This build had its heyday in past tourneys. The Sitrus Berry will restore 1/4th of Arcanine's max HP when it reaches below half health and gets consumed. With Intimidate, on switch-in Arcanine lowers the attack of opponents by 1 stage.
◆ Bulldoze is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon speed by 1 stage).
◆ Will-O-Wisp is a status move (burns the target).
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Arcanine this turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/naa3b
Item: Shell Bell / Eject Pack
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Flare Blitz / Fire Fang
- Outrage
- Bulldoze / Wild Charge
- Close Combat
For those intense double battles, Arcanine is a wonderful Physical Sweeper. It tries to take down the opponent's team with lethal physical power. The Shell Bell item option is to help Arcanine recover from the recoil damage it may take from Flare Blitz and Wild Charge. With Flash Fire, Arcanine's fire attacks do 1.5x damage if hit by one fire move; fire immunity. Bulldoze or Wild Charge are added to provide additional threat coverage. With a Eject Pack equipped to it, if Arcanine's stat stages are lowered, it switches to a chosen ally then the Eject Pack gets consumed.
◆ Fire Fang is a physical STAB-boosted 65-base power Fire-type move (10% chance to burn. 10% chance to flinch).
◆ Outrage is a physical 120-base power Dragon-type move (lasts 2-3 turns. Confuses your Arcanine afterwards).
◆ Bulldoze is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon speed by 1 stage).
◆ Wild Charge is a physical 90-base power Electric-type move (has 1/4 recoil).
◆ Close Combat is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Arcanine's defense and special defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nba3b
Item: Throat Spray / Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Heat Wave / Burn Up
- Hyper Voice / Hyper Beam
- Snarl
- Dragon Pulse / Dragon Breath
Arcanine shows an awesome Special Sweeper prowess in double battles. It's goal is to crush rivals using formidable special attacks. Throat Spray activates when a Pokemon uses a sound-based move (in this case Hyper Voice or Snarl) and raises Arcanine's special attack stat by 2 stages. Life Orb boosts the power of Arcanine's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Flash Fire, Arcanine's fire attacks do 1.5x damage if hit by one fire move; fire immunity.
◆ Burn Up is a special STAB-boosted 130-base power Fire-type move (Arcanine's fire type becomes typeless; must be fire).
◆ Hyper Voice is a special 90-base power Normal-type move (no additional effect. Hits adjacent foes).
◆ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Arcanine cannot move next turn).
◆ Snarl is a special 55-base power Dark-type move (100% chance to lower the foes special attack by 1 stage).
◆ Dragon Pulse is a special 85-base power Dragon-type move that deals a great amount of damage.
◆ Dragon Breath is a special 60-base power Dragon-type move (30% chance to paralyze the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nca3b
Movepool
Want to know what moves Arcanine can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Sword/Shield generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Arcanine.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Arcanine can perform in Sword/Shield. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive SS Move and Ability Combos for Arcanine
- Moves: Sunny day + Solar beam
- Moves: Safeguard + Outrage
- Moves: Safeguard + Thrash
- Moves: Endure + Reversal
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Substitute + Reversal
- Ability: Intimidate + Move: Will-o-wisp
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Moves with Priority: Endure, Helping Hand, Protect, Extreme Speed
- Moves that Break Screens: Psychic Fangs
- Moves that inflict status: Scorching Sands, Will-O-Wisp, Toxic
Moves that boost Arcanine's stats
- Agility
- Curse
- Flame Charge
- Howl
- Skull Bash
Most notable and possible best moves for Arcanine
- Bulldoze
- Burn Up
- Close Combat
- Dig
- Extreme Speed
- Flamethrower
- Flare Blitz
- Heat Wave
- Helping Hand
- Howl
- Morning Sun
- Protect
- Reflect
- Rest
- Safeguard
- Scorching Sands
- Snarl
- Teleport
- Toxic
- Wild Charge
- Will-O-Wisp
Common Effort Values for Arcanine in Sword and Shield
- Timid Nature ( 244/0/0/0/12/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 244/0/4/4/4/252 )
- Optimize Arcanine's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Sword and Shield
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
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Here are the best movesets for Arcanine. Top rated Arcanine Sword/Shield movesets. You can find Arcanine builds Sword/Shield. Arcanine movesets Sword/Shield are listed here. VGC Arcanine Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Arcanine in Sword/Shield along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution