The best Fire-type Pokémon in Sword and Shield

The eighth generation of Pokémon games introduced a couple of new powerful Fire-type Pokémon in the mix. But unfortunately for fans of the fiery creatuers, not all of them are quite useful in Sword and Shield.

Having a Fire-type on your team, however, can be quite crucial in some matches depending on which version of the game you have. They take half damage against the rampant Fairy-type Pokémon and have also been popular across the Pokémon community for some time now. Shiny breeders often add them to their party to help speed up egg hatching with the use of the Flame Body ability.

But when it comes down to battling, some Fire-types are definitely more valuable than others. Because of this, we have listed the best Fire-type Pokémon you should consider getting for your team in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Arcanine

Type: Fire

Arcanine is pretty much a go-to in every generation thanks to its ability Intimidate, which lowers the Attack stat of opposing Pokémon, as well as its access to a large move pool.

With this pool, you can make Arcanine fit any team composition that you need. You can have it be a swift fighter that attacks first with moves like Extremespeed, or have it assist your other Pokémon in competitive double battles.

With a lack of decent Fire-types in the game, Arcanine is just that much more viable as it is readily available to get from the start.

Charizard

Type: Fire/Flying

One of two Pokémon on this list with Gigantamax forms, Charizard isn’t available until the late game after finishing the story. But the Pokémon is definitely worth the wait nonetheless.

While not the strongest Fire-type ever, the lack of options available means it’s a choice between this and Salazzle. While the latter’s Poison coverage is tempting, Charizard’s Gigantamax form barely inches out in a competitive format that will be dominated by Dynamaxing.

It also helps that Charizard has access to a bunch of Dragon-type and other varying types of moves. Although it won’t win you games, it can surely set you off to a good start.

Chandelure

Type: Ghost/Fire

Chandelure can be a weird pick, since it has the largest number of weaknesses on this list. It takes double damage from Water, Ground, Rock, Ghost, and Dark-type moves, but it makes up for its cons in pure power.

The Ghost and Fire-type is the definition of a glass cannon Pokémon, one you can put all your chips in to take down a problematic opponent in an instant. It isn’t one you want to rely on for a long period, however. Chandelure excels in dealing a large amount of damage quickly before the opponent has any chance to react.

Considering even speedrunners are using its pre-evolution, Litwick, to help complete game as quickly as possible, Chandelure has the potential to be a powerhouse in competitive.

Turtonator

Type: Fire/Dragon

Turtonator made the list thanks to its Dragon-typing. It’s the only Dragon Pokémon in Sword and Shield that won’t quickly fall to powerful Fairy Pokémon due to its Fire-typing.

Turtonator is the ideal tank of the team due to its Shell Armor ability, which prevents the opponent from landing critical hits. Access to moves like Iron Defense and Shell Trap also makes it the ideal brick house that it should be in double battles.

That isn’t to say it can’t strike just as hard, though, so there’s still a lot of room for strategy and improvement with Turtonator on your team.

Centiskorch

Type: Fire/Bug

Centiskorch is the second Pokémon to have a Gigantamax form on this list, and its great typing means it’s only weak to three kinds of attacks.

It also has a wide pool of abilities to choose from to help any team composition, such as White Smoke, which makes Pokémon moves that lower stats have no effect. With the White Smoke ability, Centiskorch is a great counter to Arcanine and other Intimidate users.

It can also have the Flame Body ability, an added extra for those who will be breeding a lot of eggs for the perfect IV Pokémon for the upcoming World Championship.

Incineroar

Type: Fire/Dark

Incineroar has returned to the VGC meta since Pokémon Home became compatible with Sword and Shield. While the Pokémon isn’t as dominant as it was in prior generations after the emergence of more ways to counter Fake Out, Incineroar is still one of the strongest fire-types around. 

Incineroar is basically a souped-up version of Arcanine. It has better bulk, immunity to Prankster, and better attack stats. It also has access to Intimidate and Fake Out, which are still some of the best abilities your team can have, despite not being as strong as they used to be.

Coalossal

Type: Rock/Fire

Coalossal has become a more frequent addition in many top teams, especially after Wolfe Glick’s win in the Players Cup Two. 

It’s best used as a Dynamax tank coupled with Steam Engine, which rapidly boosts the Pokémon’s speed when hit by a fire or water-type move. Coalossal can also be a formidable defensive force if you equip it with Weakness Policy, which boosts the Pokémon’s attack and Sp. Attack stats when hit by a super effective move. 

Cinderace

Type: Fire

Cinderace is Sword and Shield’s poster child for fire-types, although the Pokémon’s strongest attribute is its versatility. With its hidden ability Libero, Cinderace can change its type to match the move it’s using, opening up an enormous amount of tactical flexibility. 

Libero is especially useful for Cinderace because of the variety of move-types it can learn, ranging from psychic, fighting, flying to bug. With its naturally high Speed and Attack stats, Cinderace is both a formidable fire-type and a chameleon of attributes.