Incinerawr Analysis



Largely overshadowed by Arcanine in 2017, Incineroar aims to make its mark on the 2018 metagame. Arguably one of the best Fire Types in the format, Incineroar makes a great Fake Out support that can also dish out reliable damage with Flare Blitz. Combined with its solid bulk and aesthetic design, Incineroar is my favorite Pokemon to use this format.



Pros
*95 / 90 / 90 Bulk allows Incineroar to survive a multitude of physical and special attacks even without much investment
*115 Attack is fairly decent, allowing Incineroar to also become an offensive threat
*Fire / Dark typing allows Incineroar to check common threats in the metagame with super effective attacks, such as Cresselia, Aegislash, and Celesteela
*60 Speed allows Incineroar the ability to abuse Trick Room even if not running a -Speed Nature
*If you run - Speed 0 IVs, you can actually underspeed Tyranitar in Trick Room
*Decent movepool allows Incineroar the option to perform a more supportive role
Cons
*Incineroar was overshadowed by Arcanine in 2017 because it lacked Intimidate; it still does not have access to its Hidden Ability
*Landorus-T, while not able to outright KO Incineroar without Z Move, is still a common threat that neuters Incineroar’s damage with Intimidate
*Incineroar can often be 2HKOd if not running Pinch Berry, yet Assault Vest is necessary to survive strong Z moves
*Incineroar often KO’s itself with recoil from Flare Blitz
Set - Standard Tiger
Incineroar @ Assault Vest / Pinch Berry  
Ability: Intimidate  
Level: 50  
EVs: 204 HP / 220 Atk / 4 Def / 60 SpD / 20 Spe  
Adamant Nature  
- Flare Blitz  
- Knock Off  
- Fake Out
- Low Kick / Snarl / Protect
*A modified version of TheRazer’s spread, this Incineroar spread can fulfill mostly the same roles and survive the same attacks
*Flare Blitz and Knock Off are essential moves for Incineroar; I highly discourage ever changing these moves to something else.
*Some people do run Darkest Lariat > Knock Off, however the ability to Knock Off Pinch Berries in this format is too useful. Knock Off essentially deals an extra 50% HP of damage
*Fake Out is the main reason Incineroar sees so much usage, as it often allows allies a free turn of movement while stopping opponents in their tracks.
*Depending on what role you want Incineroar to fulfill, Low Kick, Snarl, and Protect are all solid choices for the fourth moveslot.
*Low Kick allows Incineroar to heavily damage Pokemon such as Snorlax and Heatran, while outright KO’ing Tyranitar
*Snarl is useful particularly in Trick Room teams, where you can often Snarl offensive threats before they get an attack off. It also serves as a pseudo check to Calm Mind
*Protect is ran in this slot if you are not Assault Vested.
*+220 Attack allows Incineroar to threaten KO’s on a variety of Pokemon:
*+220 Atk Incineroar Flare Blitz KO’s 4/0 Metagross 56.3% of the time
*+220 Atk Incineroar Knock Off KO’s 4/0 Mega Gengar 87.5% of the time
*+220 Atk Incineroar Flare Blitz KO’s 220/4 Celesteela 93.8% of the time
*+220 Atk Incineroar Low Kick deals 60-70% of 68/188 Snorlax, a 2HKO
*-1 +220 Atk Incineroar Low Kick KO’s 4/0 Incineroar 81.3% of the time
*204 / 4 Defense allows Incineroar to survive
*+252 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake 100% of the time
*252 Atk Metagross Stomping Tantrum 100% of the time, and likely procs Pinch Berry
*252 Atk Kartana Sacred Sword 100%, and procs Pinch Berry
*-1 252 Atk Tyranitar Rock Slide is a 3HKO, a 4HKO with berry
*204 / 60 Special Defense allows Incineroar to survive all super effective Special attacking moves barring Z moves, Specs, and Random Life Orbs
*With Assault Vest, Incineroar notably survives 100% of the time
*252 SpA Helping Hand Tapu Koko Gigavolt Havoc in Electric Terrain
*+164 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Hydro Pump
*252 SpA Life Orb Nihilego Power Gem
*+252 SpA Sheer Force Mega Camerupt Earth Power
*+252 SpA Pelipper Scald in the Rain
*+252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Heat Wave in the Sun is a 5HKO
*20 Speed EVs are meant to speed creep everyone using TheRazer’s Incineroar spread
Using Incineroar
*Incineroar, because of its typing and coverage, serves as a great check against MetaLele and Trick Room teams
*It can often lead into Metagross and Tapu Lele, forcing the opponents to Stomping Tantrum + Moonblast Incineroar
*If running Pinch Berry, it is likely Incineroar will actually survive both
*Incineroar is a decent check to Trick Room teams with both Fake Out and Knock Off
*Because of its dark typing, Incineroar also is an excellent lead into Gengar Whimsicott leads, as Incineroar can not be touched by Gengar nor encored by Whimsicott
*Incineroar enjoys pairing with Cresselia, allowing Cresselia to either set up Trick Room or threaten Ice moves against Landorus
*Incineroar and Tapu Fini also cover each other’s weaknesses nicely; Fake Out allows Tapu Fini to get off a free Calm Mind
*Incineroar also pairs well with Tapu Bulu and Tapu Koko, as they remove terrain and allow Incineroar to get off Fake Out
*Grassy Terrain also further weakens Landorus, and both can threaten KO’s on bulky waters
*Incineroar does not fare well into Sand or Rain Teams
*However, Fake Out can still be crucial in allowing your allies to set up some form of Speed Control, and Flare Blitz KO’s the common Ferrothorn on both archetypes
*Incineroar can often take one or two hits even with Weather boost, and cycle out for another Fake Out at a later point

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