This is a strategy guide for using Incineroar in competitive play for the games Pokemon Sword and Shield. Read on for tips on the best Nature, EV spreads, Movesets, and Held Items to use with Incineroar, as well as its strengths and weak points.

Incineroar - Related Guides
Evolution and Learnset	Build for Ranked Battle

Basic Information for Incineroar

Types and Abilities

Pokemon	Type 1	Type 2
Incineroar
Abilities
Blaze	Powers up Fire-type moves in a pinch
Intimidate (Hidden)	Lowers the foe's Attack stat.

Incineroar Weaknesses and Resistances

	Type
Takes 4x damage	-
Takes 2x damage
Takes 0.5x damage
Takes 1/4x damage	-
Takes 0x damage	-

What is Type Effectiveness?

Base Stats

HP	Attack	Defense	Sp. Atk	Sp. Def	Speed
95	115	90	80	90	60

Best Nature for Incineroar

Best Natures
Adamant (+Atk, -Sp.Atk)	Relaxed (+Def, -Spd)
Impish (+Def, -Sp.Atk)	Sassy (+Sp.Def, -Sp.Atk)

Singles Movesets for Incineroar

Defensive Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Relaxed (+Def, -Spd)
EV Spread	HP 132 / Def 252 / Sp.Def 124
Final Stat Values	HP 187 / Atk 135 / Def 156 / Sp.Def 126 / Spd 72
Ability	Intimidate
Held Item	Figy Berry Sitrus Berry
Moveset	・Burning Jealousy ・Protect ・Parting Shot ・Darkest Lariat

Incineroar is a surprisingly great offensive pivot, with its dual typing and Intimidate Ability letting it freely switch into the common Ghost, Dark, Grass, and Fire-types in the current metgame.

About Incineroar's Moves

Burning Jealousy is a great utility move that does decent damage and also inflicts a burn if the target has its stats raised. Protect lets its scout opposing moves and wait out while burn deals residual damage to the opponent.

Parting Shot is a great utility move that lowers the opponent's Attack and Special Attack by 1 stage as it's switching out of the battle. It's last move is Darkest Lariat and is a solid Dark-type STAB that ignored Defense and Evasion boosts.

About Incineroar's EV Spread

We're using a defensive EV spread and a speed hindering nature with full investment in Defense and 132 HP EVs and 124 Sp.Def EVs to make it as bulky as possible.

About Incineroar's Ability

Intimidate is Incineroar's best Ability, lowering the opposing Pokemon's Attack stat by 1 stage when it switches in.

About Incineroar's Held Item

Incineroar has two options for held item.

Figy Berry restores Incineroar's HP by 1/3 once its HP reaches 1/4 of its maximum.

Sitrus Berry restores Incineroar's HP by 25% of its maximum HP if its HP falls below 50%.

Other Viable Moves

Will-O-Wisp	A good alternative to Burning Jealousy that burns opposing Pokemon regardless of stat changes.
Taunt	A good alternative to Burning Jealousy that shuts down defensive and support Pokemon.
Flare Blitz	A powerful physical Fire-type STAB but deals recoil damage.
Flamethrower	A reliable special Fire-type STAB that can surprise physically defensive Pokemon.

Bulky Physical Attacker Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Adamant (+Atk, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread	HP 212 / Atk 252 / Sp.Def 4 / Spd 36
Final Stat Values	HP 197 / Atk 183 / Def 110 / Sp.Def 111 / Spd 85
Ability	Intimidate
Held Item	Sitrus Berry
Moveset	・Flare Blitz ・Darkest Lariat ・Drain Punch ・Swords Dance

Incineroar's respectable bulk and Intimidate make it a great offensive pivot and bulky physical attacker, and it can stay healthy throughout prolonged matches as long as it keeps attacking.

About Incineroar's Moves

Flare Blitz is Incineroar's strongest STAB move, but deals recoil damage at the end of every turn. Darkest Lariat supplements this - a Dark-type STAB that ignores the target's Defense and Evasion boosts.

Drain Punch is its main recovery move and provides great neutral STAB courtesy of it being a Fighting-type move.

Thanks to its Intimidate Ability and respectable STAB, Incineroar has plenty of opportunities to set up with Swords Dance to boost its offensive capabilities even further.

About Incineroar's EV Spread

We're using a bulkier physical attacking EV spread with 212 HP EVs and full investment in Attack. The remaining EVs are split between Sp.Def and Speed - 36 Spd EVs ensure it outruns slower walls, while 4 Sp.Def EVs round off its bulk.

About Incineroar's Ability

Intimidate is Incineroar's best Ability, lowering the opposing Pokemon's Attack stat by 1 stage when it switches in.

About Incineroar's Held Item

Sitrus Berry restores Incineroar's HP by 25% of its maximum HP if its HP falls below 50%.

Other Viable Moves

Will-O-Wisp	A good support move that burns the target and halves their Attack.
Taunt	A good alternative to Burning Jealousy that shuts down defensive and support Pokemon.
U-Turn	Allows Icineroar to quickly pivot out from the battle while dealing damage.
Parting Shot	Allows Icineroar to quickly pivot out from the battle while lowering the opposing Pokemon's Attack and Special Attack by 1 stage.
Earthquake	A Ground-type move that provides neutral coverage and hits Heatran for 4x the damage.
Fake Out	Best used when using Incineroar as a lead. Has increased priorty and can potentially break an opponent's Focus Sash or Sturdy.
Thunder Punch	A great coverage move that allows Incineroar to hit Water-types like Gyarados.

Assault Vest Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Sassy (+Sp.Def, -Spd)
EV Spread	HP 244 / Ak 92 / Sp.Def 172
Final Stat Values	HP 201 / Atk 147 / Def 110 / Sp.Def 145 / Spd 72
Ability	Intimidate
Held Item	Assault Vest
Moveset	・U-Turn ・Darkest Lariat ・Bulldoze ・Flare Blitz

Incineroar can further boost its special defensive capabilities by wearing an Assault Vest, letting it freely switch into the many Ghost, Dark, Grass, and Fire-types in the current metgame.

About Incineroar's Moves

U-Turn is Incineroar's main pivoting move, letting it quickly switch out of a battle while dealing damage. Darkest Lariat is a Dark-type STAB that ignores the opposing Pokemon's Defense and Evasion boosts.

Bulldoze is a Ground-type coverage move that also lowers the opposing Pokemon's Speed stat by 1 stage. It's last move is Flare Blitz, which deals high damage but also inflicts recoil at the end of every turn.

About Incineroar's EV Spread

We're using a specially defensive EV spread and a speed hindering nature. 244 HP EVs and 172 Sp.Def EVs make it a bulky as possible on its special side, while 92 Atk EVs allow it to still hit hard with its STAB moves.

About Incineroar's Ability

Intimidate is Incineroar's best Ability, lowering the opposing Pokemon's Attack stat by 1 stage when it switches in.

About Incineroar's Held Item

This build relies on the Assualt Vest item, which boosts Icineroar's Special Defense by 50% but prevents it from using status moves.

Other Viable Moves

Earthquake	A Ground-type move that provides great neutral coverage.
Burning Jealousy	A great support move that deals damage and burns opposing Pokemon that had their stats increased.
Fake Out	A great support move for lead Incineroar, allowing it to scout the opposing team's moves.
Thunder Punch	An Electric-type coverage move that hits Water-types.
Iron Head	A Steel-type coverage move that hits Fairy-types.
Blaze Kick	Weaker and less accurate than Flare Blitz but doesn't deal recoil damage.

Doubles Movesets for Incineroar

Doubles Lead Support Moveset & Best Build

Moveset & Best Build for Incineroar
Nature	Impish (+Def, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Def 148 / Sp.Def 108
Final Stat Values	HP 202 / Atk 135 / Def 141 / Sp.Def 108 / Spd 80
Ability	Intimidate
Held Item	Safety Goggles
Moveset	・Fake Out ・Flare Blitz ・Taunt ・Parting Shot

Incineroar is one of the most commonly used lead support Pokemon in the Doubles metagame thanks to its great utility moves. In particular, it's Parting Shot move makes it a great answer to lead setup sweepers in the battle format.

About Incineroar's Moves

Fake Out lets Incineroar scouts the opposing team and can also break Focus Sash and Sturdy. It also interrupts setup sweepers, allowing Incineroar's partner overpower it during that turn. Flare Blitz is its main STAB move and deals great damage despite the lack of Attack investment.

It's last two moves are for support. Taunt prevents setup sweepers and defensive Pokemon from using status moves, while Parting Shot lowers the opposing Pokemon's Attack and Special Attack by 1 stage as it switches out.

About Incineroar's EV Spread

This build uses a mixed defensive set with a focus on its physical side. 252 HP EVs and 148 Def EVs make it as physically bulky as possible, while 108 Sp.Def EVs round off its special bulk.

About Incineroar's Ability

Intimidate is Incineroar's best Ability, lowering the opposing Pokemon's Attack stat by 1 stage when it switches in.

About Incineroar's Held Item

This build uses the Safety Goggles held item. Not only does this nullify the effects of powder moves like Spore and Rage Powder, it also protects Incineroar from residual damage dealt by Sandstorm and Hail.

Other Viable Moves

Snarl	A special Dark-type move that deals damage to both opposing Pokemon and lowers Special Attack by 1 stage.
Darkest Lariat	A strong Dark-type move that ignores Defense and Evasion boosts.
Assurance	A Dark-type move that deals increased damage to an opponent that has already received damage. Best used when partnered with a faster attacker.

How to Use Incineroar Effectively

A Great Offensive Pivot

Incineroar is overshadowed by stronger physical attackers, but it's of the best offensive pivots in the current metagame courtesy of its great selection of utility and support moves, as well as its Intimidate Ability.

It's best played in a more supportive role than a straightforward attacker. Even attacking varaints rely on its respectably bulk to differentiate it from other attackers in the metagame.

A Jealous Burn Spreader

Incineroar received Burning Jealousy in the Isle of Armor expansion pack, and is a great utility move that lets it inflict burns on Pokemon that have their stats raised.

This makes Incineroar a great answer to setup sweepers as it can easily burn them and stop their offensive momentum.

How to Build a Team with Incineroar

Incineroar is very easy to fit into different teams, although it often fills the role of a support or a bulky attacker.

A Bulky Pivot for Defensive Teams

Icineroar's plethora of support moves let it fit perfectly in more defensive-oriented teams, filling the role of a supporter and burn spreader.

Example Defensive Team

Lead Dynamax	Pivot/Support	Wish Support
Metagross	Incineroar	Vaporeon

This team leads with Metagross, who can Dynamax and bolster the team's defense and offenses with Max Steelspike and Max Knuckle respectively. It can also set up Psychic Terrain with Max Mindstorm to protect its teammates from priority moves.

Incineroar is this team's pivot and support Pokemon, spreading status with Burning Jealousy and lowering the opposing team's offenses with Parting Shot. Its typing also lets it cover Metagross' Fire, Dark, and Ghost-type Weakness.

Vaporeon rounds off this team by providing Wish support, with its great HP and Defense letting it easily switch into physical attacks that can wear down its teammates. It also synergizes well with Incineroar as both have typings that cover each others weakness.

How to Build a Defensive Team

A Bulky Hyper Offense Attacker

Example Bulky Lead + Hyper Offense Team

Lead Dynamax	Physical Attacker	Special Attacker
Incineroar	Garchomp	Venusaur

Incineroar makes a great bulky lead Dynamax, although it needs to setup Swords Dance first before Dynamaxing. It can then support its teammates with Max Darkness and Max Knuckle, and can also set up Sunny Day with Max Flare.

Garchomp is the team's main physical attacker and appreciates the Attack boost it gets with Max Knuckle, letting it immediately attack with its boosted moves without setting up.

Venusaur is this team's special attacker and really appreciates the Sunny Day Incineroar sets up, activating its Chlorophyll Ability and doubling its speed while also letting it instantly fire off Solar Beam.

How to Build an Offensive Team

A Lead Doubles Supporter

Example Doubles Lead + Balanced Team

Doubles Lead Support	Lead Dynamax
Incineroar	Dragonite
Redirection Support	Special Attacker
Amoonguss	Gardevoir

Incineroar serves as this team's scout and lead, using Fake Out to interrupt the opposing team's leads and setup sweepers and Taunt to shut down support Pokemon.

Dragonite appreciates this, letting it safely set up with Dragon Dance and Dynamax afterwards. It can also support its team with Max Airstream, boosting the entire team's Speed stat by 1 stage.

Amoonguss serves as this team's redirection support and is the teammate Incineroar should always directly switch into when it uses Parting Shot.

Gardevoir serves as this team's special attacker, easily switching into Dragon-type moves targetted at Dragonite.
How to Build a Doubles Team

Counters for Incineroar

Weakness

Overpower it with a Special Attacker

Even with investment, Incineroar is susceptible to special attacks - especially Water-type moves. Even neutral special attacks will eventually whittle down its HP.

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon	Description
Tapu Fini	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Resists both of Incineroar's dual STAB moves ・Can whittle down Incineroar's HP with Hydro Pump ・Misty Surge sets up Misty Terrain, preventing burns Moveset & Best Build for Tapu Fini
Zapdos	Ranking: ★★★★ ・Special attacking variants can KO Incineroar with Thunderbolt ・Defensive variants can cripple Incineroar with paralysis using Discharge Moveset & Best Build for Zapdos
Galarian Moltres	Ranking: ★★★★ ・Can set up with Nasty Plot and heavily damage Incineroar with Hurricane ・Can shut down defensive Incineroar with Taunt Moveset & Best Build for Galarian Moltres
Togekiss	Ranking: ★★★★ ・Faster and can flinch Incineroar with Serene Grace boosted Air Slash ・Can recover lost health with Roost Moveset & Best Build for Togekiss

Counter it with Bulky Water Pokemon

Both defensive and offensive variants have trouble dealing with bulky waters as even when inflicted with Taunt, they can deal considerable damage to Incineroar.

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon	Description
Quagsire	Ranking: ★★★★ ・Boasts high defense, ignores stat boosts with Unaware, and threatens Incineroar with Earthquake ・Can recover lost health with Slack Off Moveset & Best Build for Quagsire
Milotic	Ranking: ★★★ ・Gets a 50% Defense boost when inflicted with a burn thanks to its Marvel Scale Ability ・Can recover lost health with Recover or Life Dew Moveset & Best Build for Milotic
Toxapex	Ranking: ★★★ ・Boasts great mixed defenses and can wear down Incineroar ・Can recover lost health with Recover Moveset & Best Build for Toxapex

Related Links

All Competitive Builds for Ranked Battle

Competitive Guides for Pokemon Sword and Shield

Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides
Tier List		Best Builds		Series 10 List of Contenders
Doubles Tier List		Team Building		Rental Teams

Best Builds for Returning Pokemon

Movesets & Best Builds for Returning Pokemon
Mimikyu	Wash Rotom	Gyarados
Ferrothorn	Aegislash	Excadrill
Tyranitar	Hydreigon	Heat Rotom
Arcanine	Mamoswine	Toxapex
Togekiss	Cloyster	Durant
Snorlax	Charizard	Sylveon
Lucario	Hippowdon	Umbreon
Conkeldurr	Quagsire	Gastrodon
Lapras	Whimsicott	Rhyperior
Goodra	Haxorus	Glaceon
Mow Rotom	Type: Null	Gengar
Milotic	Gardevoir	Flygon
Chandelure	Lanturn	Torkoal
Bisharp	Seismitoad	Silvally
Butterfree	Primarina	Incineroar
Blastoise	Decidueye	Venusaur
Darmanitan	Alolan Ninetales	Gothitelle
Crawdaunt	Clefable	Reuniclus
Kommo-o	Terrakion	Cobalion
Virizion	Noivern	Fan Rotom
Toxicroak	Pelipper	Jellicent
Celebi	Clefairy	Hitmontop
Diggersby	Ditto	Raichu
Hawlucha	Shiftry	Tsareena
Ludicolo

All Competitive Builds for Ranked Battle ## Competitive Guides for Pokemon Sword and Shield

Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides
Tier List		Best Builds		Series 10 List of Contenders
Doubles Tier List		Team Building		Rental Teams

Best Builds for Returning Pokemon

Movesets & Best Builds for Returning Pokemon
Mimikyu	Wash Rotom	Gyarados
Ferrothorn	Aegislash	Excadrill
Tyranitar	Hydreigon	Heat Rotom
Arcanine	Mamoswine	Toxapex
Togekiss	Cloyster	Durant
Snorlax	Charizard	Sylveon
Lucario	Hippowdon	Umbreon
Conkeldurr	Quagsire	Gastrodon
Lapras	Whimsicott	Rhyperior
Goodra	Haxorus	Glaceon
Mow Rotom	Type: Null	Gengar
Milotic	Gardevoir	Flygon
Chandelure	Lanturn	Torkoal
Bisharp	Seismitoad	Silvally
Butterfree	Primarina	Incineroar
Blastoise	Decidueye	Venusaur
Darmanitan	Alolan Ninetales	Gothitelle
Crawdaunt	Clefable	Reuniclus
Kommo-o	Terrakion	Cobalion
Virizion	Noivern	Fan Rotom
Toxicroak	Pelipper	Jellicent
Celebi	Clefairy	Hitmontop
Diggersby	Ditto	Raichu
Hawlucha	Shiftry	Tsareena
Ludicolo

All Competitive Builds for Ranked Battle ## Competitive Guides for Pokemon Sword and Shield

Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides
Tier List		Best Builds		Series 10 List of Contenders
Doubles Tier List		Team Building		Rental Teams

Best Builds for Returning Pokemon

Movesets & Best Builds for Returning Pokemon
Mimikyu	Wash Rotom	Gyarados
Ferrothorn	Aegislash	Excadrill
Tyranitar	Hydreigon	Heat Rotom
Arcanine	Mamoswine	Toxapex
Togekiss	Cloyster	Durant
Snorlax	Charizard	Sylveon
Lucario	Hippowdon	Umbreon
Conkeldurr	Quagsire	Gastrodon
Lapras	Whimsicott	Rhyperior
Goodra	Haxorus	Glaceon
Mow Rotom	Type: Null	Gengar
Milotic	Gardevoir	Flygon
Chandelure	Lanturn	Torkoal
Bisharp	Seismitoad	Silvally
Butterfree	Primarina	Incineroar
Blastoise	Decidueye	Venusaur
Darmanitan	Alolan Ninetales	Gothitelle
Crawdaunt	Clefable	Reuniclus
Kommo-o	Terrakion	Cobalion
Virizion	Noivern	Fan Rotom
Toxicroak	Pelipper	Jellicent
Celebi	Clefairy	Hitmontop
Diggersby	Ditto	Raichu
Hawlucha	Shiftry	Tsareena
Ludicolo