Best Incineroar Build in Pokémon Champions: Moveset, Nature, Items & Team Comps

Why Incineroar Dominates in Pokémon Champions Doubles

Incineroar has been one of the most oppressive support Pokémon in competitive play for nearly a decade, and Pokémon Champions is no different. Its Intimidate ability alone makes it worth building around, every time it switches in, it drops the Attack stat of all opposing Pokémon by one stage. In Doubles, where you're facing two threats at once, that's an enormous swing in momentum that forces your opponent to react rather than attack.

But Intimidate is just the beginning. Incineroar's toolkit is built entirely around enabling your partner rather than being the star itself. Fake Out gives it a free turn on turn one, letting your damage dealer set up or attack without taking a hit. Parting Shot lets it dip out safely while debuffing the opposing team's Special Attack on the way out. When used properly, Incineroar is less of a Pokémon and more of a machine that generates free turns.

If you are playing Doubles in Champions, there is almost no reason not to run Incineroar. Its utility ceiling is that high.

The Best Incineroar Build

The core philosophy of this build is simple: survive long enough to Intimidate multiple times. Careful nature leans into Special Defense because Incineroar's physical bulk is already solid, and you want it to eat hits from both sides of the damage spectrum so it can keep cycling in and out.

Sitrus Berry gives it a one-time safety net when it drops into range, which pairs perfectly with the strategy of staying alive to proc Intimidate again after a Parting Shot cycle. The defensive stat spread (+32 HP, +19 Sp. Def, +15 Def) adds enough bulk to survive hits that would otherwise KO it before it gets to act a second time.

Best Moveset Explained

Fake Out is non-negotiable. It goes first almost every time, flinches the target, and gives your partner a completely free turn to set up, fire off a high-power move, or dodge a threat. On turn one it is essentially a free action, and in a format as fast as Doubles, free actions win games.

Parting Shot is Incineroar's second core tool and the reason it stays relevant mid-game. It lowers the Attack and Special Attack of the opposing Pokémon, and then switches Incineroar out, meaning you can bring in a fresh Intimidate drop on your next switch. The combination of Parting Shot into a fresh Intimidate entry is one of the most frustrating momentum loops in the game for opponents to deal with.

Flare Blitz is your primary STAB attack for when you actually need to do damage. It hits hard, and while the recoil is notable, Sitrus Berry can patch some of that up.

Darkest Lariat is the second STAB option and your answer to stat-boosted threats. Unlike most moves, Darkest Lariat ignores the target's Defense and Evasion boosts, so if something has set up several stages of Defense, you bypass all of it. Knock Off is a viable replacement if your team already handles boosted targets well and you want early item removal instead.

Best Team Partners

Incineroar's two strongest partners in Champions are Sneasler and Garchomp, and the reason is straightforward: Incineroar makes them nearly unkillable on their first turn.

Sneasler is one of the fastest and hardest-hitting physical attackers in the game. Pair it with an Incineroar Fake Out and Sneasler gets a completely uncontested turn to Poison the field or fire off a high-priority move with no retaliation. The two work together so naturally that if you see Incineroar on a team, there is a strong chance Sneasler is right behind it.

Garchomp brings raw power and speed to the duo. After Incineroar Intimidates both opposing Pokémon and Fake Outs the faster threat, Garchomp can outspeed nearly anything left standing and hit it with Earthquake, Dragon Claw, or whatever coverage move your team needs. The Intimidate drop means even physical attackers that survive the hit aren't threatening full damage back.

Both partners benefit directly from having Attack-lowered opponents, which is exactly what Intimidate provides. Build your remaining team around covering their weaknesses and you have the foundation of a very strong squad.

Does Incineroar Work in Singles?

Short answer: no. Incineroar is purpose-built for Doubles and most of what makes it special simply does not translate.

In Singles, Fake Out is still a nice chip turn but you only get it once against a single target, there is no partner to protect, so its value drops dramatically. Parting Shot is useful for pivot play but every competitive Singles team has at least one way to deal with it. And Intimidate, while still solid, only drops one opponent rather than two simultaneously.

On top of that, Incineroar's offensive stats are not strong enough to threaten Singles opponents on raw damage output alone. It does not have the Speed to outrun the format's fast threats, and without the Doubles toolkit to compensate, it just becomes a slow, mid-power Fire and Dark type that most Singles teams can handle without much trouble.

Stick to Doubles. That is where Incineroar is one of the best Pokémon in the game.