"Arcanine and PvP - A combination of Defensive-typing and Offensive coverage."

#PokemonGO: Arcanine ArtWhile I know PvP doesn't truly exist in Pokemon GO, I am in the process of developing a Pseudo-PvP format we can participate in now. In doing so, I've been taking a look at Pokemon that may dominate the format and could be powerful in Gen 3, and by extension could be powerful in a future "real" PvP. 1 unique Pokemon that is coming up time and time again is Arcanine, not by the merit of it being OP on its own, but how well it functions against the meta.As it stands, Dragonite is the top most threat in this meta, calling for multiple checks and counters. The best of these counters include DT/OR Gyarados, Lapras, and Fairy-type Pokemon, all of which struggle against Wild Charge Arcanine more than they do with vanilla Electric-types alone.Arcanine's Fire defensive-typing allows it to tank both Ice and Fairy-type hits like no other. Wild Charge is the icing on top, having stupidly broken DPS, allowing Arcanine to compete with Electric-types for Electric-type damage. The choice of quick move is relatively inconsequential since Arcanine's performance is coming from its typing and charge move. Fire Fang would allow it to perform better against Fairy and Ice-type threats, while Snarl/Bite will allow it to have more neutral coverage.In the future of this "Psuedo-PvP" we will have Metagross, Aggron, Gardevoir, and Salamence hitting the scene as threats. Here I could see Arcanine still functioning in its niche role as a Fairy/Ice resistor, the Dragon-type counter's counter, adding these Steel-type Pokemon to its list of things to resist.On its own, Arcanine isn't exactly vulnerable either. Right now Dragonite weighs on this theoretical meta and beats down on Arcanine pretty well. Vaporeon is also a top threat that can rip through Arcanine relatively quickly. Both have to be wary of the threat of Wild Charge (SE on Vape, and wearing down Dragonite, the one attacker you don't want to faint early). The only viable Pokemon that can really approach Arcanine with impunity are Tyranitar and Golem, both of which are brought in to check Dragonite and Gyarados and are susceptible to wear-down (having only 1 Pokemon to counter multiple threats is a quick way to lose them as an attacker).While it is fun to play pretend, analyzing this type of meta could prove useful if/when real PvP becomes a reality or if this Pseudo-PvP format picks up steam. Regardless of what the future holds, it could be worthwhile to make sure you have a Wild Charge Arcanine in your roster before Gen 3 shakes up movesets again. via /r/TheSilphRoad http://ift.tt/2ydTpw2