Adamant is the nature to run on Arcanine in Gen 9 singles. In Smogon’s October 2026 statistics it makes up 92% of Arcanine’s sets on the PU ladder, 75% on NU and 97% on RU, and it is still the top nature on OU and National Dex OU. Jolly’s case is 28 extra Speed (317 against 289 at 252 EVs). The speed tables below show that buys a place ahead of 11 more percentage points of the PU field than a max-Speed Adamant gets, while Adamant’s extra 31 Attack lowers the guaranteed number of hits in 20 of the 50 matchups we calculated. Intimidate belongs in that argument, but as the reason Arcanine can afford to take the first hit, not as a reason to pick Jolly.
Quick Start: Pick Your Arcanine in 30 Seconds
- Playing singles (PU, NU, RU, OU)? Run Adamant, 252 Attack, Tera Normal, Intimidate (RU sets mostly run Flash Fire instead), and Flare Blitz, Extreme Speed, Morning Sun plus Curse or Close Combat.
- Running Curse? Keep Speed EVs low. The most-used PU spread is 152 HP / 252 Atk / 104 Speed (26.2% of sets), and Curse drops a Speed stage anyway.
- Running Choice Band? This is the one set where Smogon’s PU analysis picks Jolly, 252 Atk / 252 Speed.
- Playing doubles or VGC? That is a different Arcanine: Timid Choice Specs on Smogon’s Doubles OU ladder, and a Modest, Jolly, Careful, Adamant split in Pokémon Champions. Jump to the format section.
- Own a Hisuian Arcanine? It is a separate Pokémon (Fire/Rock, Rock Head) whose Smogon UU and OU sets are Jolly.
What a Nature Changes at Level 100
Arcanine’s base stats are 90 HP / 110 Atk / 80 Def / 100 SpA / 80 SpD / 95 Spe, a total of 555, according to Pokémon Database, and its abilities are Intimidate, Flash Fire and the hidden Justified. A nature adds 10% to one stat and removes 10% from another, as Bulbapedia’s Nature page describes. Put through the Generation III-onward formula on Bulbapedia’s Stat page (level 100, 31 IVs), the numbers that matter are:
- Attack with 252 EVs: 319 with a neutral nature, 350 with Adamant. That is +31, or +9.7%.
- Speed with 252 EVs: 289 neutral, 317 with Jolly. That is +28.
- Speed with the common PU Adamant spread (104 Speed EVs): 252. With no Speed EVs: 226.
Those four Speed values (317, 289, 252, 226) are what the speed table below tests.
Which Nature Wins on Each Ladder
Adamant is the most-used nature on five of the seven singles ladders we checked, and the three ladders where Arcanine actually lives (PU, NU and RU) are the three where it dominates. Each share below adds up every Arcanine spread by nature, not just the single most popular one.
| Ladder (Arcanine’s usage rank) | Top nature | Next |
|---|---|---|
| PU (#11, 13.4% usage) | Adamant 91.6% | Jolly 3.8% |
| NU (#37, 5.7%) | Adamant 74.8% | Careful 16.3% |
| RU (#74, 1.7%) | Adamant 96.6% | Jolly 2.6% |
| OU (#193, 0.18%) | Adamant 53.9% | Jolly 19.3% |
| National Dex OU (#358, 0.03%) | Adamant 45.4% | Jolly 27.7% |
| UU (#209, 0.05%, 368 sets) | Jolly 54.0% | Hardy 24.5% |
| Ubers (#236, 0.05%, 476 sets) | Bold 65.4% | Jolly 18.0% |
The takeaway: Jolly only leads on UU, where the sample is 368 sets, and Bold only leads on Ubers, where it is 476. In PU the six most-used spreads on the PU moveset page (26.2%, 21.3%, 15.4%, 5.5%, 4.1% and 3.7%) are all Adamant. The ratings cut-off is 1630 on every ladder in the table except OU, which uses 1500.
Speed investment follows the tier. Only 28% of PU spreads and 12% of NU spreads put 200 or more EVs in Speed, against about 59% in both OU and National Dex OU, where more of the field is fast. Game8’s Arcanine page (last updated April 2024) rates an Impish, Tera Fire “Intimidate Burn” build five stars and Adamant Extreme Speed three; Impish is 10.0% of OU spreads, 7.2% of National Dex and 1.8% of PU, so it is a minority pick, not the consensus. You can see the rating on Game8’s page.
The Speed Math: What Jolly’s 28 Extra Speed Outruns
Jolly (317) moves before 83.4% of the weighted PU field. A max-Speed Adamant (289) beats 72.3%, the common 104-EV Adamant (252) beats 66.3%, and an Adamant with no Speed EVs (226) beats 60.7%. So Jolly’s edge over max-Speed Adamant is 11.1 percentage points of the field (9.7 on NU and 12.0 on National Dex, below).
How we got those numbers: we took the 69 PU Pokémon above 2% usage, read their base Speed from the Pokémon Showdown Pokédex data, computed the Speed stat of every spread each one runs, and weighted by how often each Pokémon appears and runs each spread. Choice Scarf, weather and Tailwind are not counted, and ties are not counted as wins. On NU (51 Pokémon above 3%) the four values are 73.3%, 63.6%, 55.6% and 47.4%. On National Dex (39 Pokémon above 5%) they are 67.1%, 55.1%, 47.4% and 36.8%.
| Foe’s Speed | Common PU and NU threats (Speed of their most-used spread) | Arcanine that moves first |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 225 | Rhydon 116, Hoopa 158, Milotic 198, Golurk 209, Trevenant 211 | Every build |
| 227–251 | Emboar 229, Decidueye 239, Hitmontop 239, Honchkrow 241, Venusaur 247, Braviary-Hisui 251 | Adamant with 104 Speed EVs, max-Speed Adamant, Jolly |
| 253–288 | Basculegion 255, Overqwil 269, Florges 273, Passimian 284 | Max-Speed Adamant, Jolly |
| 289 exactly | Bombirdier, Tatsugiri, Hisuian Typhlosion | Jolly wins; max-Speed Adamant ties |
| 290–316 | Heracross 295, Toxicroak 295, Qwilfish-Hisui 295, Tentacruel 297, Primeape 297, Rotom-Mow 298, Meloetta 303, Flamigo 306, Bruxish 311 | Jolly only |
| 317 exactly | Houndoom, Uxie | Jolly ties |
| 318 and up | Shaymin 328, Flygon 328, Staraptor 328, Zoroark 339, Scyther 339, Ambipom 361 | Nobody. Only Extreme Speed’s priority goes first |
The takeaway: the Pokémon Jolly gains on a max-Speed Adamant are the ones between 290 and 316, plus the three that tie at 289. Foes at exactly 226 or 252 tie the matching Adamant build. Everything faster than that beats both natures, and Extreme Speed has +2 priority from Generation V onward, according to Bulbapedia’s Extreme Speed page. That is the mechanism behind the ladder data: the move Arcanine uses to finish things ignores Speed, so Speed only decides whether Flare Blitz or Close Combat gets in before the foe acts.
The Damage Math: What Adamant’s Extra 31 Attack Buys
Adamant raises Attack from 319 to 350, and in 20 of the 50 move-matchups we calculated it lowers the guaranteed number of hits needed (the count at the lowest damage roll) by one. In 8 of those 20, Jolly needed four hits or fewer. The same Attack-gap arithmetic is worked through for another Speed-versus-power choice in our Sceptile nature guide.
Inputs, so you can reproduce it in the Smogon damage calculator (version 0.12.0): level 100 Arcanine, 252 Attack, 4 HP, Tera Normal, no damage item, Flare Blitz and Extreme Speed, against 27 defenders hand-picked from the top 20 PU and top 15 NU users: PU — Slowbro-Galar, Rhydon, Hoopa, Milotic, Florges, Decidueye-Hisui, Araquanid, Mudsdale, Porygon2, Glastrier, Chansey, Sandslash-Alola, Heracross, Tentacruel, Bombirdier; NU — Swampert, Bellibolt, Duraludon, Flygon, Tsareena, Gligar, Incineroar, Vaporeon, Scyther, Munkidori, Chandelure, Dudunsparce. Each defender runs its most-used spread, ability and item from the October 2026 files, without Terastallizing. Four of the 54 move-matchups deal no damage (Hoopa and Tsareena take nothing from Extreme Speed, Chandelure takes nothing from either move), leaving 50.
| Matchup | Adamant | Jolly |
|---|---|---|
| Flare Blitz vs Scarf Florges (PU) | 87.9–103.4%; 25% chance to KO in one hit | 79.8–94.3%; never KOs in one hit |
| Flare Blitz vs Scarf Munkidori (NU) | 85.2–100.3%; 6.3% chance to KO in one hit | 77.6–91.2%; two hits guaranteed |
| Flare Blitz vs Choice Band Araquanid (PU) | 30.3–36.2%; 46.2% chance of three hits | 27.4–32.6%; four hits guaranteed |
| Extreme Speed vs Flygon (NU) | 51.2–60.8%; two hits guaranteed | 46.8–55.1%; 69.5% chance of two hits |
| Extreme Speed vs Bombirdier (PU) | 52.3–61.9%; two hits guaranteed | 48.0–56.6%; 85.9% chance of two hits |
| Extreme Speed vs Swampert (NU) | 24.5–29.0%; 99.4% chance of four hits | 22.5–26.7%; 23.2% chance of four hits |
The takeaway: the extra Attack only matters near a breakpoint. The Flygon and Bombirdier rows change the guaranteed hit count; the other four change the odds of a faster KO. Flare Blitz into Scarf Florges is the cleanest case, because Adamant’s roll range crosses 100% and Jolly’s never does. Plenty of matchups do not move at all: Hoopa is a two-hit KO either way, and Tsareena (Careful, 252 HP) dies to Flare Blitz in one hit on both natures. That is why Adamant wins on average without winning every matchup.
Intimidate: What It Removes, and Why It Does Not Argue for Jolly
Intimidate lowers the Attack of every adjacent opponent by one stage when Arcanine enters, which is a 2/3 multiplier on their physical damage in Generation III and later (Bulbapedia’s Intimidate page, stat modifier page). Each physical hit lands about a third lighter until the foe switches out.
| Incoming hit on a 252 HP, 0 Def Arcanine (no Tera) | Before Intimidate | After Intimidate |
|---|---|---|
| Bombirdier Brave Bird (Jolly, 252 Atk) | 52.3–61.7%; two hits | 35.2–41.4%; three hits |
| Flygon Earthquake (Jolly, 252 Atk) | 85.9–101.6%; 12.5% chance to KO in one hit | 56.8–67.7%; two hits guaranteed |
The takeaway: a Flygon Earthquake that could have KO’d Arcanine outright becomes a hit it survives, and a Brave Bird that took two hits takes three. That buys the slower nature room to take the first blow and answer, the same trade our Gyarados moveset guide makes for another Intimidate user. It does not remove the need for bulk: Careful is 16.3% of NU spreads for a reason.
Three limits. First, Intimidate does nothing to special attackers, to targets behind a Substitute, or to Pokémon with Clear Body, Hyper Cutter or White Smoke, and since Generation VIII also not to Oblivious, Own Tempo, Inner Focus or Scrappy; Guard Dog turns it into an Attack boost, and it triggers Rattled. Second, it only works while the ability is Intimidate: Smogon’s data shows it on 97% of PU sets and 99% of NU sets, but 82% on OU, 70% on National Dex and just 4% on RU, where 96% of Arcanine sets run Flash Fire. Third, it is a one-time effect on entry, not a standing bulk boost.
The Moveset: Flare Blitz or Extreme Speed?
Run both. On the PU ladder Flare Blitz is on 98.0% of Arcanine sets and Extreme Speed on 97.8%, so the real choice is the last two slots.
| Factor | Flare Blitz | Extreme Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Power and type | 120, Fire (STAB) | 80, Normal (STAB through Tera Normal) |
| Priority | 0 | +2 |
| Cost | Recoil of 1/3 of damage dealt: about 19% of a 322 HP Arcanine on average, across the 22 benchmark defenders it does not KO in one hit | None |
| Damage | Reference | 77% of Flare Blitz on average, across the 24 defenders both moves damage |
| What stops it | Flash Fire (Chandelure), Water, Rock, Fire and Dragon resists | Ghost types (Hoopa), Queenly Majesty (Tsareena), Rock and Steel resists |
The takeaway: Extreme Speed is the safer move and Flare Blitz the stronger one, and Flare Blitz hits the Ghost types and Queenly Majesty users that stop Extreme Speed. Recoil is one third of damage dealt according to Bulbapedia’s Flare Blitz page, and Queenly Majesty blocks priority moves aimed at its holder. Tera Normal (95.7% of PU sets) is what gives Extreme Speed its 1.5x STAB, because a Terastallized Pokémon keeps STAB on its original types and gains it on the Tera type, per Bulbapedia’s Terastal page. Without it Extreme Speed’s 77% would drop to about 51%.
Slots three and four. Morning Sun (73.4% of PU sets, 95.2% of NU) heals half of Arcanine’s HP in no weather, according to Bulbapedia, which covers the recoil. Curse (66.2% of PU, 84.5% of NU) is a TM in Scarlet and Violet for the regular form only, and Bulbapedia lists it as +1 Attack, +1 Defense and -1 Speed for a non-Ghost user. One Curse takes a 317-Speed Jolly to 211, below an uninvested Adamant’s 226 before it has Cursed, which is why the Curse set does not want Jolly. Smogon’s PU analysis lists exactly that split: an Adamant Curse set (160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Speed) and a Jolly Choice Band set (Flare Blitz, Close Combat, Extreme Speed, Raging Fury). Close Combat is on 27.9% of PU sets and 52.8% of National Dex sets; Wild Charge is on 25.3% of PU sets and hits Water types.
Items. Heavy-Duty Boots is 63.2% of PU sets and 77.4% of NU sets, Leftovers is 9.7% of PU and 17.6% of NU sets, and Choice Band is 22.7% of PU sets.
Doubles, Pokémon Champions and Hisuian Arcanine
Doubles OU. This Arcanine leans special. Of 3,629 Arcanine sets, 42.1% use one Timid spread (4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Speed) and 42.1% hold Choice Specs, Flamethrower is the top move at 60.8%, and Flare Blitz and Extreme Speed sit at 29.7% and 27.7%. Intimidate is 95.8% and Tera Grass is 60.3%, according to the October 2026 Doubles OU file.
Pokémon Champions. In Regulation M-B ranked play, Pikalytics shows Arcanine at rank 110 with a 47.95% win rate. Modest is 36.7% of sets, Jolly 25.8%, Careful 18.3% and Adamant 18.3%. Protect (92.5%), Will-O-Wisp (85.8%), Flare Blitz (60.0%) and Snarl (53.3%) lead the moves, and Extreme Speed is only 20.8%. Percentages move in steps of about 0.8 points, which suggests a sample near 120 sets, so read it as a tendency. Our Charizard nature guide found the same pattern for another Fire-type: the Showdown ladder and the Champions ladder prefer different natures.
Hisuian Arcanine. It is Fire/Rock with 95 / 115 / 80 / 95 / 80 / 90 stats and Rock Head as its hidden ability, per Pokémon Database. Rock Head removes recoil damage (Bulbapedia), so Flare Blitz has no recoil, and its UU and OU sets in Smogon’s set data are Jolly. Our ranking of dog Pokémon by competitive tier placed it first.
Which Build Fits Your Playstyle
| Player | Build | Why |
|---|---|---|
| PU ladder player | Adamant, 252 Atk, 96–104 Speed EVs, Boots, Curse and Morning Sun | Matches the Smogon Curse set; Curse costs a Speed stage anyway |
| NU ladder player | Adamant, 252 HP / 252 Atk, Boots, Curse and Morning Sun | That spread is 53.8% of NU sets, and only 12% of NU spreads put 200 or more EVs in Speed |
| Revenge killer | Jolly, 252 Atk / 252 Speed, Choice Band | Smogon’s PU Band set; Speed decides who lands Flare Blitz first |
| OU or National Dex builder | Adamant, 252 Atk / 252 Speed | About 59% of spreads there put 200 or more EVs in Speed |
| Doubles or VGC player | Timid Specs (Smogon) or Intimidate, Snarl, Will-O-Wisp, Protect (Champions) | Support moves lead the Champions sets, and Extreme Speed is only 20.8% there |
FAQ
Is Adamant or Jolly better for Arcanine?
Adamant for most singles sets. It is 92% of PU, 75% of NU and 97% of RU spreads, and it shortens the guaranteed KO count in 20 of 50 calculated matchups. Jolly is the right call for a Choice Band set that needs Flare Blitz to land first.
Does Intimidate mean I can skip Speed investment?
It lets you spend fewer Speed EVs, though that is our inference from the Curse and ladder data, not a Smogon recommendation. Intimidate takes about a third off the physical hits Arcanine faces after it enters, until the foe switches out, and Extreme Speed’s priority finishes weakened foes without Speed. Intimidate does nothing against special attackers, Substitute or the listed immune abilities, so it does not replace bulk.
Should I use Flare Blitz or Extreme Speed first?
Use Extreme Speed when a foe is low or faster than you, and Flare Blitz when you need the damage and can pay recoil (about 19% of Arcanine’s HP on average in our benchmarks). Ghost types and Queenly Majesty users make Extreme Speed useless, so keep Flare Blitz for those.
Is the Impish Intimidate Burn build worth running?
Only if your team needs a defensive Arcanine. Game8 rates it five stars, but its page was last updated in April 2024, and Impish is 10.0% of OU spreads and 1.8% of PU spreads in the October 2026 data.
The Verdict
Run Adamant with Flare Blitz, Extreme Speed, Morning Sun and Curse on singles ladders, and switch to Jolly only for a Choice Band set where Flare Blitz has to beat the Pokémon between 290 and 316 Speed. Intimidate is why that first trade is affordable.
Verified Against Current Data
Usage figures are Smogon’s October 2026 statistics (ratings cut-off 1630, OU 1500, Doubles OU 1695). Mechanics come from the Bulbapedia pages linked above. Ladder data shifts every month, so re-check before committing EVs.
Sources
- Smogon. Usage statistics, October 2026 (chaos files and PU moveset page): Gen 9 PU, NU, RU, OU, National Dex OU, UU, Ubers, Doubles OU. Smogon
- Smogon. Strategy dex set data for Arcanine and Arcanine-Hisui (pkmn.github.io/smogon). Smogon
- Pokémon Showdown. Pokédex data (base stats). Pokémon Showdown
- Pokémon Database. Arcanine. Pokémon Database
- Bulbapedia. Stat. Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Nature. Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Stat modifier. Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Intimidate (Ability). Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Extreme Speed (move). Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Flare Blitz (move). Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Morning Sun (move). Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Curse (move). Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Terastal phenomenon. Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Queenly Majesty (Ability). Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Rock Head (Ability). Bulbapedia
- Bulbapedia. Arcanine (Pokémon). Bulbapedia
- Pikalytics. Arcanine, Pokémon Champions VGC 2026 Regulation M-B ranked data. Pikalytics
- Game8. Arcanine, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Game8
- Smogon. Damage calculator (@smogon/calc 0.12.0). Smogon
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.