Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players say it’s “Arcan-over” as returning favorite gets huge buffs
The Pokemon CompanyWith the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s The Indigo Disk DLC and the return of various Pokemon, competitive players are lamenting the end of Hisuian Arcanine’s impressive run.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet just got a major new content drop with the release of The Indigo Disk, the second half of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero expansion.
The Indigo Disk brings back plenty of older Pokemon that were previously unavailable in Scarlet and Violet, including all of the starters from past generations.
Of course, the reintroduction of old Pokemon, many of which have received buffs, nerfs and moveset changes, is bound to shake up the competitive scene – and VGC players are already expecting Hisuian Arcanine to take a hit.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet DLC makes Incineroar even more powerful
For a while now, Hisuian Arcanine has been one of the most consistent Pokemon in the VCG. It’s earned first place at six of the last seven major tournaments. This is largely thanks to its Intimidate ability and access to the moves Rock Slide and Flare Blitz, both of which get a STAB boost, making it a good Support.
However, Hisuian Arcanine does have some downsides. For one, its 4x weakness to Water and Ground-type moves makes it vulnerable. It also relies quite a bit on a Tailwind strategy in which another Pokemon uses the Flying-type move to boost the team’s Speed.
With The Indigo Disk bringing back Incineroar, though, players suspect Hisuian Growlithe’s time is over.
Not only is Incineroar a Fire-type Intimidate Pokemon with a great VCG history that has more versatility than Hisiuan Growlithe, but it’s also received some buffs in Generation 9.
Incineroar now has access to the moves Helping Hand, Knock Off and Temper Flare via TM, making what many considered to be the best Support even better. Helping Hand boosts an ally’s damage, Knock Off does STAB damage and removes the target’s item, and Temper Flare gets double power if the user’s previous move missed or failed.
Even if you exclude Temper Flare, which is pretty circumstantial, Incineroar has plenty of old and new options that make its return to the competitive scene as a popular Support or Offensive ‘mon inevitable – likely at Hisuian Arcanine’s expense.
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