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Hey guys!
A while back, in my Arcanine related question, Radicool21 brought up a really good moveset for it saying that, eventually, Arcanine is so flexible that it could be used even defensively.

Now I'd like to ask two things.
I'm not much into the Meta of the games, so Tiers and Roles are somewhat new to me.
I do understand the basics tho, so I know what a Wall, a Sweeper (Physical, Special and Mixed) ecc ecc are.
So, what I'd like to ask first is:

What's the difference between a Wall and a Defensive Pokémon?
Aren't they the same thing after all?

Now, moving on to Defensive Arcanine.
Smogon gives us this set for Arcanine:

Arcanine
Arcanine @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Morning Sun
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flare Blitz
- Extreme Speed

Is this still a good set?
Do you think it could be improved? And if so, how?

Let me know DB!

Smogon's Arcanine page
Arcanine's moves

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I'm pretty sure the difference between a wall and defensive is that a wall is hard to kill overall, and that defensive makes it impossible to kill with some types of attacks.

IMO, that set is not good though. Moves like Toxic and Stealth Rocks, along with stray special attackers (that water types love being) can OBLITERATE that dog
rock types would probably be more dangerous because they resist extreme speed.
I think a defensive set is meant to survive longer while still doing attack damage, while a wall is meant to last for ages and cause status and stuff. I tried running defensive Arcanine once, it's a little gimicky. And IMO that set is kinda outdated. Maybe it's useful within its tier?

1 Answer

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Best answer

Defensive and Wall are not the same thing, but they are similar.

Usually, you can make a Pokemon either Defensive or Offensive based on its move set, ability, item, and EVs. In this case, a Defensive Arcanine uses status moves to help it play defensively. Intimidate is also a nice ability to help it switch into physical attacks. It can also wear down opponents with either passive damage (ex: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp) and attacks (ex: Flare Blitz). A Defensive Pokemon doesn't necessarily need to have high HP / Def / Sp. Def. Basically, a Defensive set is meant to survive a bit longer, but still dish out some attacks.

Unlike a Defensive Pokemon, a Wall is specifically meant for taking hits consistently over a battle as well as wear down the opponent by PP stalling or passive damage (note that it doesn't try to wear down opponents with direct attacks). It must have high HP and / or Defense and / or Sp. Def in order to perform its role successfully.

So, Defensive Pokemon and a Wall are alike, but they aren't the same.

Looking at your Arcanine move set, I would probably say that it is good enough. You could try using Toxic, but Will-O-Wisp is more important for dealing with physical attackers. I wouldn't try putting both moves on the same set because it would be a waste of a move slot. Roar is also nice for dealing with set up sweepers, but it isn't essential if you don't have any trouble with those sweepers.

Hope I helped!

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Thanks for the answer Mech!
No problem.