[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Flare Blitz
move 4: Morning Sun
item: Leftovers / Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe
tera type: Normal
[SET COMMENTS]
Arcanine is one of PU's strongest and most threatening sweepers and cleaners thanks to its great natural bulk, decent defensive typing, great ability in Intimidate, and Curse + Extreme Speed naturally synergizing together. Curse boosts Arcanine's physical stats, making it a stronger threat and a bulkier attacker while also naturally synergizing with Extreme Speed and Intimidate. Morning Sun provides recovery, allowing Arcanine to alleviate its Stealth Rock weakness and recover against more passive walls like Altaria and Wo-Chien. An alternative to Morning Sun is Close Combat, which prevents Arcanone from being walled by Coalossal and does more damage to Water-types than Extreme Speed before Terastallization; however, it severely cuts into Arcanine's longevity. Leftovers aids with Flare Blitz recoil, although it does leave Arcanine extremely weak to entry hazards. Heavy-Duty Boots is another viable option to make it completely immune to Stealth Rock and other entry hazards, although it does come at the cost of Arcanine solely relying on Morning Sun to recover off damage. The given EV spread allows Arcanine to outspeed Modest Toxtricity before a Curse. Tera Normal removes all of Arcanine's weaknesses, allowing it to set up on Pokemon like Decidueye and non-Clear Smog Gastrodon while also boosting Extreme Speed, enabling it to pick off faster attackers like Inteleon and Staraptor after a Curse.
Arcanine fits on a variety of teams but most commonly finds itself on hyper offense and balance teams looking for a powerful sweeper and setup threat. Arcanine struggles to deal with bulky physically defensive walls that can cripple it with status or phaze it like Bellibolt, Mudsdale, and Galarian Slowbro, so checks to these Pokemon like Golurk and Inteleon make excellent partners. Other physical attackers like Decidueye and Flamigo also make great partners, as they work together with Arcanine to chip away at their shared checks like Bellibolt and Houndstone. If Arcanine is using Leftovers as its item, entry hazard control from Pokemon like Tastugiri, Scyther, and Altaria can help alleviate Arcanine's Stealth Rock weakness to make it a more potent sweeper. As Arcanine struggles to set up against special attackers like Toxtricity, Inteleon, and Scream Tail, special walls like Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro and Milotic can provide a defensive backbone for Arcanine to fall back on.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/asa.400292/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hera.414072/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Flare Blitz
move 4: Morning Sun
item: Leftovers / Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe
tera type: Normal
[SET COMMENTS]
Arcanine is one of PU's strongest and most threatening sweepers and cleaners thanks to its great natural bulk, decent defensive typing, great ability in Intimidate, and Curse + Extreme Speed naturally synergizing together. Curse boosts Arcanine's physical stats, making it a stronger threat and a bulkier attacker while also naturally synergizing with Extreme Speed and Intimidate. Morning Sun provides recovery, allowing Arcanine to alleviate its Stealth Rock weakness and recover against more passive walls like Altaria and Wo-Chien. An alternative to Morning Sun is Close Combat, which prevents Arcanone from being walled by Coalossal and does more damage to Water-types than Extreme Speed before Terastallization; however, it severely cuts into Arcanine's longevity. Leftovers aids with Flare Blitz recoil, although it does leave Arcanine extremely weak to entry hazards. Heavy-Duty Boots is another viable option to make it completely immune to Stealth Rock and other entry hazards, although it does come at the cost of Arcanine solely relying on Morning Sun to recover off damage. The given EV spread allows Arcanine to outspeed Modest Toxtricity before a Curse. Tera Normal removes all of Arcanine's weaknesses, allowing it to set up on Pokemon like Decidueye and non-Clear Smog Gastrodon while also boosting Extreme Speed, enabling it to pick off faster attackers like Inteleon and Staraptor after a Curse.
Arcanine fits on a variety of teams but most commonly finds itself on hyper offense and balance teams looking for a powerful sweeper and setup threat. Arcanine struggles to deal with bulky physically defensive walls that can cripple it with status or phaze it like Bellibolt, Mudsdale, and Galarian Slowbro, so checks to these Pokemon like Golurk and Inteleon make excellent partners. Other physical attackers like Decidueye and Flamigo also make great partners, as they work together with Arcanine to chip away at their shared checks like Bellibolt and Houndstone. If Arcanine is using Leftovers as its item, entry hazard control from Pokemon like Tastugiri, Scyther, and Altaria can help alleviate Arcanine's Stealth Rock weakness to make it a more potent sweeper. As Arcanine struggles to set up against special attackers like Toxtricity, Inteleon, and Scream Tail, special walls like Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro and Milotic can provide a defensive backbone for Arcanine to fall back on.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/asa.400292/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hera.414072/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Last edited:
