Fire is one of Pokemon's staple types. That remains true in the competitive space, being one of the best offensive types in the game thanks to its excellent movepool and positive matchup against other important types like Grass, Steel, and Fairy.
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The best Fire-type Pokemon for competitive battles have managed to get around their weaknesses to Stealth Rock and the abundance of Ground- and Water-types, and have become some of the best offensive Pokemon out there. These fifteen are the best of the best at setting other teams ablaze.
Note: This will not include Pokemon currently banned to Ubers.
15 Arcanine
Despite having the stats for a typical wallbreaker (110 Attack, 100 Special Attack) and having played that role in previous generations, Arcanine is surprisingly getting some run as a pivot in Generation VIII. For a Pokemon of its mold, it has surprisingly solid bulk and access to support moves like Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, Morning Sun, and even Teleport.
That said, it's perfectly capable of playing a more offense-oriented role, with attacking moves like Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, and Extreme Speed in its arsenal. It's somewhat lacking in the Speed department, though (95).
14 Salazzle
Generally speaking, Salazzle's main draw is its Corrosion ability, which allows it to poison Steel-types and fellow Poison-types. While that isn't a game-changing niche competitively, Salazzle has other qualities that make it a choice Fire-type.
It has amazing 117 Speed, which allows it to play a solid utility role, with moves like Toxic, Thunder Wave, and Will-O-Wisp in its arsenal. It's a set-up sweeper at its core, though, with 110 Special Attack, and access to Nasty Plot and strong STAB moves. Naturally, its bulk is terrible, so avoid getting hit when setting up.
13 Entei
Entei is usually considered the worst of the Legendary beasts, competitively speaking, but it's still solid enough to be a threat in lower tiers. It's done so as a physical wallbreaker with surprisingly decent bulk and good enough Speed to beat out most walls.
It's the only other Pokemon other than Ho-Oh to have access to Sacred Fire, a move that deals excellent damage while also burning the target 50% of the time. Aside from that, though, its coverage is not that great, only having access to Stone Edge and Iron Head as viable non-STAB moves.
12 Darmanitan
While all the current meta's attention has been going to its Galarian regional variant, the standard Unovan Darmanitan isn't too shabby competitively either. It's not broken by any stretch, but it's still one of the most powerful Pokemon on paper at 140 Attack.
Unovan Zen Mode isn't good for competitive, so you should only really be running with Sheer Force. That's not a bad ability to have, though; the already high base power Flare Blitz gets a boost from it. That said, it's as powerful as it is frail with just 55 in each defensive stat.
11 Incineroar
This Alolan Starter's versatility as a utility Pokemon in VGC translates decently well to the Singles meta, having access to tons of support moves such as Taunt, Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, Knock Off, U-Turn, and a unique Dark-type pivoting move: Parting Shot.
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It's a solid enough attacker, too, employing its Fire-typing with moves like Flare Blitz and Overheat. While it's pretty slow for that purpose at 60 Speed, it has decent enough bulk to take a few hits at 90 in both defenses and 95 HP, though it lacks any sort of recovery option to add longevity.
10 Alolan Marowak
All things considered, Alolan Marowak is quite flawed. It has a terrible 30 Speed stat and its good defenses are cancelled out by a measly 60 HP. In spite of all that, it's managed to make a name for itself as one of the most feared wallbreakers in its tier.
While it carries just base 80 Attack by itself, the exclusive Thick Club held item doubles it and makes Marowak deadly, especially with the Alolan variant's wide movepool. It has its choice between three solid abilities, though its best is clearly Lightning Rod, which is effectively an extra immunity.
9 Volcanion
Pokemon Volcanion Powering Up Attack
This Generation VI Mythical is a very unique wallbreaker, mainly due to its typing. While Volcanion utilizes the Water-typing with the signature Scald upgrade, Steam Eruption, it has the usual selection of special moves for its Fire-typing, as well as some extra utility moves like Defog and Toxic.
Its excellent 130 Special Attack is complemented by great bulk (80 HP, 120 Defense, 90 Special Defense) and an extra immunity from Water Absorb. Its worst stat is a somewhat modest 70 Speed, which can be taken advantage of by faster wallbreakers.
8 Chandelure
Chandelure is essentially a special version of Alolan Marowak: Fire/Ghost-type, good coverage, solid defenses but low HP, and relatively low Speed tier for a wallbreaker (though 80 is a lot compared to 30). Its wide selection of excellent special moves works great in conjunction with a very high 145 Special Attack.
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It also has access to some good utility moves like Taunt, Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, and Pain Split, which makes it less predictable and one-dimensional. Similarly to Marowak, it doesn't fare great against Dark-types and Water-types, and its Speed can cause a few problems.
7 Rotom-Heat
Rotom-Heat will always carry some inherent viability thanks to its unique typing; Electric/Fire with Levitate does wonders offensively and defensively. It's good in multiple roles, but it's very commonly seen as a pivot with extra utility.
Volt Switch is a staple, and Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, and Defog are great support choices. Overheat is a great offensive option, though it could really use a Nasty Plot boost. Despite its immunity to Ground-types defensively, it can't do much to them offensively, especially since they completely wall Volt Switch. A teammate that can check them and special walls is recommended.
6 Moltres
With a pair of Heavy-Duty Boots to circumvent its deathly allergy to Stealth Rock, Moltres can be a high-level utility Pokemon. It's one of the most popular Defog users in the metagame, and its ability to comfortably switch into commonly used Steel-types, Grass-types, and even Ground-types is super valuable.
Its offensive capabilities are solid, too, with Hurricane and the standard gamut of Fire-type moves as a nice offensive core. It still has a few glaring weaknesses to Water- and Electric-types, though, and Rock-type coverage isn't too rare either. Be aware of where that offense might come from.
5 Blaziken
Truth be told, Blaziken's past its prime. In a metagame trending toward better defenses and more immediate offense, there are just too many checks for Blaziken to truly thrive in big league competition.
Still, in comparison to the entire Pokemon field, it's a great set-up sweeper with Speed Boost. It has great offensive potential, with moves like Flare Blitz and Close Combat dealing high amounts of damage with the help of a Life Orb or turn of Swords Dance. Just be aware of any potential priority offense or type-advantaged walls on the opposing team, especially after a fresh switch-in.
4 Victini
Generation V's regularly scheduled 100-across-the-board-stats Mythical is probably the most viable of that kind in the current meta. That's thanks in large part to its versatility as either a physical, special, or mixed attacker.
It has access to great STAB and coverage moves for any of those builds, including two signature moves: the physical V-Create and the special Searing Shot. Since none of its stats really jump off the screen, it's probably best to boost one of them to the max with a Choice item; any between the Scarf, Band, and Specs will do.
3 Blacephalon
UB Burst is one of the deadliest special attackers out there, bar none, as its 151 Special Attack will tell you. Pairing the Fire-type with Ghost also gives it excellent offensive coverage, and its very good 107 Speed makes it truly elite.
Its Beast Boost ability makes it even more dangerous, should you choose to use it for sweeping, as it can snowball into an unbeatable boosted Special Attack given a slight uptick in Speed. That said, it sorely lacks in viable options against Water-types, of which there exists an overabundance in higher tiers.
2 Volcarona
This Generation V Bug-type lives up to its somewhat lionized status in the Pokemon community, being one of the strongest Fire-types and arguably the strongest Bug-type competitively.
It has access to one of the most fabled Bug-type moves and set-up moves ever: Quiver Dance. To accompany that and its STAB moves, it has excellent coverage options like Psychic, Hurricane, and Giga Drain. The very latter and Roost also work as excellent recovery options, which is rare for a Fire-type. Its one Achilles heel is its overwhelming weakness to Stealth Rock, making Heavy-Duty Boots a requirement.
1 Heatran
While it looks somewhat unassuming compared to other Legendary Pokemon, competitive players know Heatran as one of the best wallbreakers in the game. The Fire/Steel-typing is incredible, and it carries a lot of firepower with its 130 Special Attack and movepool. It has also great bulk and isn't the slowest thing in the world, either.
It has a choice between its signature Magma Storm and pseudo-signature Lava Plume — two incredible Fire-type moves. Other offensive staples include Earth Power and Flash Cannon, though it's at its best also playing some support, with Toxic, Taunt, and Will-O-Wisp as options.
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