In Pokemon, Fire-type Pokemon are incredibly popular. They have more resistance than almost all other Pokemon and are especially dangerous against Steel and Grass-types. There are few Fire-type Pokemon in the series at the very beginning outside the starter Pokemon. Players will usually have to seek them out in specific climates. They often throw out OHKOs against the types they are Super Effective against.
Those who play competitive Pokemon stand the chance of running into Ground and Water-types, so players will want to ensure that they have the strongest Fire-types possible. Fire-types use lots of Special and Physical moves. Some of their contact moves could even leave their targets with burns, so they're guaranteed to give damage somehow. With that in mind, it really does pay to seek out the best Fire-type Pokemon for competitive battles.
Updated April 19, 2023, by Taylor Pittman: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet welcomed a new era of competitive Pokemon battles in both Ranked and VGC matches. The Pokemon VGC has embraced many Generation 9 concepts, such as Paradox Pokemon and Terastallizing to the metagame. There are also over 100 new Pokemon for players to add to their teams to create unique combinations and strategies. Of course, Fire Pokemon are still common within most teams, so this discussion has been updated to include the best Fire-types for VGC matches from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Armarouge
HP |
85 |
---|---|
Attack |
60 |
Defense |
100 |
Sp. Atk |
125 |
Sp. Def |
80 |
Speed |
75 |
Armarouge is a Generation 9 dual Fire/Psychic-type Pokemon exclusive with Pokemon Scarlet. Its most notable stats are a high Defense and Sp. Atk, with the latter being common with Psychic-types. Some of its best moves include special attacks such as Flamethrower, Expanding Force, and Armor Cannon. Armor Cannon, while incredibly powerful, is a risk as it lowers Armarouge's defenses, but players reset them with Clear Smog.
Expanding Force paired with Psychic Terrain becomes a double-targeted move and receives a boost in power, so it is a solid choice among Pokemon VGC competitors. They can also utilize some of Armarouge's support moves if they have a different strategy. For example, Sunny Day is great for setting up Sun teams, or it can be a screen setter with both Reflect and Light Screen.
Iron Moth
HP |
80 |
---|---|
Attack |
70 |
Defense |
60 |
Sp. Atk |
140 |
Sp. Def |
110 |
Speed |
110 |
Iron Moth is a special phenomenon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet called a Paradox Pokemon. It is a dual Fire/Poison Pokemon, and despite there being no relation, it looks like Volcarona. Its typing gives it resistance to popular types like Fire and Steel, and a Tera type of Grass takes care of its 4X weakness to Ground.
Because of its high Speed and Sp. Atk, Iron Moth works great as a glass cannon on competitive teams. Additionally, players can equip it with Choice Scarf to boost its Speed even more, so it has time to land some hits before taking too much damage. Its best moves are Sludge Wave and Fiery Dance, both of which deal STAB (same type attack bonus) damage.
Skeledirge
HP |
104 |
---|---|
Attack |
75 |
Defense |
100 |
Sp. Atk |
110 |
Sp. Def |
75 |
Speed |
66 |
Skeledirge is Generation 9's Fuecoco's final form. It has a unique typing as a Ghost/Fire-type Pokemon, as there are only seven in the entire game series. Ghost-types have several powerful offensive moves and Skeledirge's high Sp. Atk means players can take full advantage of this. Its Fire-type moves can't be ignored either because of its ability Blaze, which doubles them in power. Torch Song, in particular, is hard to withstand, and it boosts its Sp. Atk even more.
Skeledirge's moves like Will-O-Wisp, Sing, and Lick bring Status Conditions to the table to stall or damage opponents. Players will have to time it right because it lacks in Speed, but its defensive bulk is enough to back it up through a few hits.
Heatran
HP |
91 |
---|---|
Attack |
90 |
Defense |
106 |
Sp. Atk |
130 |
Sp. Def |
106 |
Speed |
77 |
Heatran is a Legendary from Generation 4 with fantastic dual Fire/Steel-typing. Steel means it's resistant to lots of types and has immunity to Poison. The only thing it does have to watch out for is Ground-types as it has four times weakness to them. Nonetheless, Heatran has great bulk with 91/106/106 Defense stats.
Heatran can hold down the field long enough to use its Fire-type moves such as Lava Plume, Heat Wave, and Magma Storm. Magma Storm is very similar to Fire Spin in that it traps the target in a fire whirlpool for passive damage. Of course, it also has powerful Steel-type moves to choose from, like Iron Head and Heavy Slam. It can be used supportively as well on offensive teams because it gives damage about as well as it takes it.
Chandelure
HP |
60 |
---|---|
Attack |
55 |
Defense |
90 |
Sp. Atk |
145 |
Sp. Def |
90 |
Speed |
80 |
Chandelure was first seen in Generation 5 and is a dual-type Ghost/Fire Pokemon. Its Sp. Atk stands out among its stats, so many of its Ghost or Fire-type STAB moves are hard hitters. These moves include Shadow Ball, Overheat, and Mythical Fire, all of which have a chance to be OHKO.
Because it has Will-O-Wisp in its movepool and the ability Flame body, it's almost guaranteed to burn its opponent. Players should be wary of Stealth Rock switching it in, as it can be pretty damaging to Chandelure. If players want to provide it with any support, they will do well with an Electric or a Dragon-type to cover its weaknesses.
Arcanine
HP |
90 |
---|---|
Attack |
110 |
Defense |
80 |
Sp. Atk |
100 |
Sp. Def |
80 |
Speed |
95 |
Arcanine is a Fire-type Legendary Pokemon from Generation 1, known as the canine Pokemon. Its Attack stats are above average, and its Speed gives it priority more often than not. Arcanine is an offensive Pokemon with excellent STAB moves such as Flare Blitz, Fire Fang, and Raging Fury. Additionally, it has some good Normal-type moves, including Extreme Speed, Retaliate, and Take Down.
It does have some support moves for players who would like to take that route. Helping Hand and Roar, in particular, are helpful in Double Battles. Furthermore, its best ability is Intimidate, which gives it and its team an edge over the competition just by switching into the field.
Incineroar
HP |
95 |
---|---|
Attack |
115 |
Defense |
90 |
Sp. Atk |
80 |
Sp. Def |
90 |
Speed |
60 |
Incineroar is a dual-type Dark/Fire from Generation 6. In the VGC, players can use it well offensively and defensively. One strategy is its support moveset consists of stall moves like Protect or Fake Out, which can cause flinching unless they have a counteractive Ability. Likewise, players could get passive burn damage from Will-O-Wisp. Incineroar uses Intimidate as well so that Attack decrease will come in handy during battle.
Players can use moves like Darkest Lariat, Throat Chop, and Flare Blitz when it goes on the attack. All those moves are physical, so its Attack stat gives it OHKO potential. Its Speed is lacking compared to its other stats, but players can alleviate this with a faster ally.
Charizard
HP |
78 |
---|---|
Attack |
84 |
Defense |
78 |
Sp. Atk |
109 |
Sp. Def |
85 |
Speed |
100 |
Charizard is one of the most iconic Pokemon in the entire series. Although it looks like a dragon, its typing is dual Fire/Flying. Its high Speed and Sp. Atk. could classify it as a Sweeper in competitive battles. This role is further cemented by its ability Blaze, which increases Fire-type moves by 50% when its HP gets low. If Sun is active on the field, its power is boosted even more so it can take out a good chunk of an opponent's team without breaking a sweat.
Being a Flying-type means it is now weak to Electric-types and has a 4X weakness to Rock-type Pokemon. Charizard would benefit significantly from a Grass-type support Pokemon like Rillaboom or Venusaur. Players should also watch out for entry hazards like Stealth Rock and give some recovery options.