Competitive Information for Arcanine [X/Y]
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 adjacent 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 X/Y Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the X/Y metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Discover the strength of Arcanine, a spectacular Pokémon known for its Fire typing! It's a sight to see Arcanine out in the 6th generation battlefield. It is weak to Ground, Rock, and Water-typed attacks. Ready to elevate your game with Arcanine's movesets? They're right below!
Item: Shell Bell / Expert Belt
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Flare Blitz / Fire Fang
- Wild Charge / Iron Head
- Outrage
- Close Combat
In single battles, Arcanine is known as a wonderful Physical Sweeper. It's designed to overwhelm foes with intense physical moves. Expert Belt boosts the damage of Arcanine's super effective moves by 20%. 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. Wild Charge or Iron Head are added to provide additional threat coverage.
◆ Fire Fang is a physical STAB-boosted 65-base power Fire-type move (10% chance to burn. 10% chance to flinch).
◆ Wild Charge is a physical 90-base power Electric-type move (has 1/4 recoil).
◆ Iron Head is a physical 80-base power Steel-type move (30% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Outrage is a physical 120-base power Dragon-type move (lasts 2-3 turns. Confuses your Arcanine afterwards).
◆ 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/iaa3b
Item: Life Orb / Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Overheat / Flamethrower
- Dragon Pulse
- Hyper Beam / Round
- Solar Beam
Arcanine proves to be an interesting Special Sweeper for single battles. It is meant to crush rivals using lethal special moves. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Arcanine's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. 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.
◆ Flamethrower is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Fire-type move (10% chance to burn the target).
◆ Dragon Pulse is a special 85-base power Dragon-type move that deals a substantial amount of damage.
◆ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Arcanine cannot move next turn).
◆ Round is a special 60-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if others used round this turn).
◆ Solar Beam is a special 120-base power Grass-type move (charges turn 1. Hits turn 2. No charge in sunlight).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/iba3b
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk
Moveset:
- Bulldoze
- Flame Charge
- Close Combat
- Aerial Ace
Arcanine stands out as a high-quality Physical Tank in single battles. It's primary goal is to absorb physical damage and return fire with decent force. 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/ica3b
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
For those intense single battles, Arcanine is an exceptional Physical Sweeper. This moveset is tailored to overwhelm foes with lethal physical moves. With Intimidate, on switch-in Arcanine lowers the attack of adjacent 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/ida3b
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 remarkable Physical Sweeper. This strategy is built to crush rivals using destructive physical moves. 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/iea3b
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Arcanine? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive X/Y 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 X/Y metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Shell Bell / Expert Belt
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Flare Blitz / Fire Fang
- Outrage
- Wild Charge / Bulldoze
- Close Combat
Ready for double battles? Arcanine is a stupendous Physical Sweeper. It's primary goal is to crush rivals using intense physical power. Expert Belt boosts the damage of Arcanine's super effective moves by 20%. 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. Wild Charge or Bulldoze are added to provide additional threat coverage.
◆ 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).
◆ Wild Charge is a physical 90-base power Electric-type move (has 1/4 recoil).
◆ Bulldoze is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon 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).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/jaa3b
Item: Life Orb / Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Heat Wave / Incinerate
- Snarl
- Dragon Pulse
- Hyper Beam / Round
Arcanine is a first-rate Special Sweeper to use for double battles. It tries to crush rivals using heavy-hitting special moves. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Arcanine's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. 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.
◆ Incinerate is a special STAB-boosted 60-base power Fire-type move (destroys the foes berry/gem).
◆ 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.
◆ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Arcanine cannot move next turn).
◆ Round is a special 60-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if others used round this turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/jba3b
Movepool
Want to know what moves Arcanine can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon X/Y 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 X/Y. 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 XY 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 inflict status: Will-O-Wisp, Toxic
Moves that boost Arcanine's stats
- Agility
- Flame Charge
- Howl
Most notable and possible best moves for Arcanine
- Howl
- Protect
- Rest
- Snarl
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Arcanine in X and Y
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
- Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
- Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
- Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
- Optimize Arcanine's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon X and Y
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 X/Y movesets. You can find Arcanine builds X/Y. Arcanine movesets X/Y are listed here. VGC Arcanine Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Arcanine in X/Y along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution