Arcanine — Abilities, Weaknesses & Best Builds
"Arcanine is a balanced attacker built around physical attacks (110 Attack). It can trade hits at a competitive speed tier, and it's commonly used because its fire typing resists 6 attack types but you'll need to play around 3 weaknesses."
✅ Strong against
Resisted or immune to these attack types
⚠️ Watch out for
These attack types deal extra damage
How to actually play it
- 1
Open Arcanine into a favorable type matchup using its fire STAB.
- 2
Pick the move that does the most damage to the most likely switch-in, not just the current Pokémon.
- 3
Pivot out once the opponent brings in a counter — don't get walled and lose a turn.
What new players get wrong
- ✕
Switching Arcanine into water and ground attacks — it's a fast way to lose half your team's plan.
- ✕
Locking into the wrong move. Always read the opponent's switch-in before clicking.
Why we rate Arcanine the way we do
- Multiple abilities to choose between
Base Stats
Total: 555Use EVs to amplify the highest two — that's usually where this Pokémon's job lives.
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| Move | Type | Cat | Pwr | Acc | PP | How |
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Where Arcanine shows up
#122
Usage ~1.76% · Win rate ~51.95%
#98
Usage ~2.17% · Win rate ~52.55%
Arcanine FAQ
- What are Arcanine's abilities in Pokémon Champions?
- Arcanine can run intimidate, flash-fire, justified. The competitive default is usually intimidate — see the abilities section above for the trade-offs.
- What is Arcanine weak to in Pokémon Champions?
- Arcanine takes extra damage from water, ground, rock. The full weakness breakdown is in the Weaknesses section, including any 4× type matchups.
- What is the best moveset for Arcanine?
- The best moveset for Arcanine depends on whether you're running it in Singles or Doubles. The Best Moveset section above lists the standard competitive set used at the top of the Pokémon Champions ladder.
- What counters Arcanine in Pokémon Champions?
- The most reliable counters to Arcanine are Pokémon with strong water, ground, rock attacks that outspeed it. See the Best Counters section for specific picks.
- Is Arcanine good in the current Pokémon Champions meta?
- Arcanine's usage and win rate in M-B Singles and Doubles are shown in the Format Snapshot section. Cross-reference with the Champions Lab tier list for full context.