Best Counters for Incineroar in Pokémon Champions

Incineroar stands out as one of the most reliable and dangerous Pokémon in the current competitive meta. Its unique blend of offensive power and defensive utility makes it a staple on many teams. To gain an edge in Pokémon Champions, you need a solid plan to handle this Fire and Dark-type powerhouse. Here is a breakdown of this Pokémon’s strengths, its key weaknesses, and the best ways to counter it effectively.

Understanding Incineroar’s Strengths

Incineroar brings a lot to the table. Its Fire and Dark typing gives it excellent offensive coverage and key resistances. However, its true power comes from its ability, Intimidate, which drops the Attack stat of opposing Pokémon when it enters the field. Combined with moves like Fake Out for flinching and Parting Shot for pivoting, this Pokémon controls the pace of the battle. It excels at disrupting your physical attackers and keeping its own teammates safe.

Exploiting Weaknesses

Despite its bulky stats and great ability, this Pokémon has four major weaknesses: Water, Fighting, Ground, and Rock. It also suffers from a relatively low Speed stat. Because it relies heavily on Intimidate, special attackers entirely ignore its primary defensive trick.

Top Pokémon to Counter With

1. Competitive and Defiant Pokémon

Because this Pokémon loves to drop your stats with Intimidate and Parting Shot, Pokémon with the Competitive or Defiant abilities thrive against it.

• Milotic: As a Water-type with the Competitive ability, Milotic gets a massive Special Attack boost when hit by Intimidate. It can then easily knock out Incineroar with a powerful Scald or Surf.
• Annihilape: The Defiant ability sharply raises Annihilape’s Attack when Intimidated. Its Fighting-type moves will deal super-effective damage, making it a severe threat to any Incineroar player.

2. Fast Special Attackers

Special attackers bypass the Attack drop from Intimidate entirely. Fast Water or Rock-type special attackers can outspeed and overwhelm Incineroar before it has a chance to pivot.

• Walking Wake or Iron Bundle: These fast Paradox Pokémon pack strong Water-type moves. They easily outrun Incineroar and deal massive damage with attacks like Hydro Steam or Surf.
• Glimmora: A strong Power Gem from Glimmora targets Incineroar’s Rock weakness. Since Glimmora is a special attacker, Intimidate does not affect its damage output.

3. Clear Amulet Users

If you prefer physical attackers, giving your Pokémon a Clear Amulet is a great strategy. This item prevents the holder’s stats from being lowered. You can equip a powerful Ground or Fighting-type Pokémon, like Landorus or Urshifu, with a Clear Amulet. They will ignore Intimidate and hit Incineroar with full force.

Strategic Tips for the Matchup

• Predict the Fake Out: Your opponent will almost always uses Fake Out on its first turn to flinch one of your Pokémon. You can protect your key attacker with the move Protect, or switch to a Ghost-type that takes no damage from Normal-type moves. Don’t get faked out by Fake Out!
• Use Speed Control: This Pokémon is slow, but it often pairs with Pokémon that set up Tailwind or Trick Room. Use your own speed control to ensure your counters move first. The best defense is often a better offense. Don’t let your opponent get set up and put you in the blender.
• Set Up Hazards: Stealth Rock hurts Incineroar every time it switches in. Because Incineroar relies on switching out frequently with Parting Shot or U-turn, entry hazards will quickly drain its health. Set up traps to limit what your opponent can do.

Building a Balanced Team

To counter Incineroar consistently, build a team that does not rely solely on physical damage. We recommend mixing strong special attackers with physical attackers that carry a Clear Amulet. Include a sturdy Water or Ground-type Pokémon to take Incineroar’s Flare Blitz attacks safely. By planning your team synergy around stat-drop immunity and special damage, you will easily strip away Incineroar’s control over the battle.