Would a Mega Evolution be the only way to make Arcanine a viable option within competitive battles?

Question

Arcanine is my favourite Pokemon of all time. But I find it impossible to use competitively, even within a niche, which, barring Sunny Day/Morning Sun (which plain sucks in my opinion) I have not found one.

I'm really hoping that it receives a Mega Evolution boost with the release of the Hoenn remakes, if anything just to get those defenses up.

I understand that this could be seen as a subjective query, but if anyone knows of a decent method of using Arcanine as it is now, please let me know.

Cheers.

Comments

P.S - I would like to add that I have always, in my fanatic ways, wished for Gamefreak to allow Arcanine to further evolve, let alone mega evolve. Arking shall be its name, and it shall be glorious.

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If you're playing by Smogon rules, Arcanine is great in UU.

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I play by Smogon rules now and then, but not everybody does.

Answer 1

With the proper support and item it can definitely be viable. If you have a sticky web user on your team you can slow down your opponent and then add a choice band onto arcanine so it wil pack a hefty punch while out speeding your opponent due to sticky web. You can also use a defensive set with full investment in hp and defense or special defense whichever is more useful for your team with an attack boosting nature for some offenses or a a defense boosting nature for a full defensive set.