How to Beat
Incineroar
VGC 2026
Incineroar is the highest-usage non-restricted Pokémon in VGC 2026. Fake Out, Intimidate, and Parting Shot form a three-layer disruption system. This guide explains how to systematically counter it at both the teambuilding and in-game levels.
Incineroar's Three Core Threats
Priority +3 Normal move — locks the target from acting this turn. Lets partner safely use setup or spread attacks.
Auto-drops both opponents' Attack -1 on switch-in. Parting Shot cycle triggers second Intimidate drop per switch.
Leaves the field after dropping both opponent Attack AND Sp.Atk by -1, bringing in a fresh partner. Repeatable every pivot.
Countering Fake Out: Four Direct Methods
Fake Out is Normal-type — Ghost is immune. Gholdengo (Steel/Ghost), Gengar (Poison/Ghost), Rabsca (Bug/Ghost), Flutter Mane (Fairy/Ghost) all act freely on the Fake Out turn. The cleanest solution with no resource cost.
Amoonguss or Jigglypuff's Rage Powder redirects Fake Out to themselves, protecting the partner. Note: Rage Powder cannot redirect to Ghost-types (immune = invalid target), but it protects any non-Ghost teammate from Fake Out.
Wide Guard blocks all spread moves for the team in that turn — including if Fake Out were spread (it's single target, but Wide Guard also blocks alongside spread attacks). On Fake Out + Rock Slide turns, Wide Guard blocks both.
Prankster Encore (Whimsicott) locks Incineroar into Fake Out; Misty Terrain prevents status moves including Parting Shot. Tools with setup costs but useful when no Ghost-type slot is available.
Countering Intimidate: Teambuilding Solutions
Intimidate only lowers Attack — Sp.Atk is unaffected. Special attackers (Flutter Mane, Iron Bundle, Gholdengo) completely ignore Intimidate and free you from needing counter measures.
Contrary (Tsareena, Shuckle) reverses stat changes — Intimidate triggers a +1 Attack raise instead of -1. A full 2-stage Attack difference vs Intimidate users.
White Herb restores lowered stats to base after the first drop. Blocks one Intimidate but not the second cycle if Parting Shot brings Incineroar back. Consumable.
Defiant and Competitive raise Atk/SpAtk by +2 whenever any stat is lowered — Intimidate triggers +2 Attack in return, turning the Intimidate cycle into a net +1 Attack boost for you.
Shutting Down the Parting Shot Cycle
Parting Shot lets Incineroar drop Atk + SpAtk then safely pivot out, triggering Intimidate on re-entry. If the opponent freely cycles Parting Shot, your entire team accumulates stat drops that make dealing damage impossible. Three directions to shut it down:
Whimsicott or Grimmsnarl's Prankster Taunt prevents Incineroar from using status moves next turn (Taunt blocks Parting Shot as it's a status move). Prankster +1 priority outpaces Parting Shot.
Good as Gold grants complete immunity to all status moves — including Parting Shot. Gholdengo directly blocks Parting Shot with no setup required. The single most reliable Parting Shot counter.
Misty Terrain prevents status conditions and also blocks most non-damaging status moves for grounded Pokémon, including Parting Shot's stat drops on grounded targets. Setup cost is the tradeoff.
Best Incineroar Counters
Good as Gold fully blocks Parting Shot; Ghost immunity to Fake Out; Steel bulk to take repeated hits
Fire-weak to Flamethrower coverage; watch for Ground moves
Supreme Overlord / Defiant counters Intimidate (+2 Atk from each Intimidate); high Atk Kowtow Cleave threatens OHKO
Low Speed means it acts after Incineroar; needs Fake Out cover to set up
Rage Powder redirects Fake Out; Spore removes Incineroar from acting; pairs with setups needing a safe turn
Incineroar resists Grass; Amoonguss has moderate bulk only
Prankster Taunt shuts down Parting Shot; Prankster Encore can lock Incineroar into Fake Out; Tailwind speed support
Dark moves super-effective; can't directly threaten Incineroar
Ghost immune to Fake Out; Special attacker ignoring Intimidate; Fairy/Ghost spread hits Incineroar neutral with Dazzling Gleam
Steel/Ghost/Dark moves threaten Flutter Mane back
Teambuilding Checklist: 3 Musts vs Incineroar
Include at least one Ghost-type or Rage Powder / Follow Me user so Fake Out cannot freely lock your critical setup turns.
Run at least one special attacker or Defiant/Competitive user so the Intimidate cycle cannot collapse your entire team's damage output.
Prepare a Parting Shot counter — Gholdengo's Good as Gold, Whimsicott's Prankster Taunt, or a Pokémon immune to status moves.