If you’re planning on using Centiskorch in Pokemon Sword & Shield, you’ll want to know the best moveset and build to aim for. Centiskorch is a brand new fire/bug pokemon who makes a strong option for a fire type if players didn’t pick Cinderace as their starter. It’s a decently powerful pokemon that will hold its own throughout the game.
- Related Content:
10 Best Pokemon Worth Grabbing in Sword & Shield
Pokemon Sword & Shield: Best Cinderace Build
Pokemon Sword & Shield: Best Obstagoon Build
Other Pokemon Sword & Shield Build Guides
Best Nature
Centiskorch has a surprising amount of bulk and longevity due to its access to Rest and balanced stats. It will never be a fast Pokemon, so it’s no use trying to boost its speed. You should either try to increase its attack with Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack) or its Special Defense with Careful (+Special Defense, -Special Attack).
Best Ability
Of Centiskorch’s three abilities, Flash Fire is the best. It gives it full immunity to fire attacks and situationally increases its offensive abilities. The other options, Flame Body (which occasionally burns physical attackers) and White Smoke (which grants immunity to stat reduction) don’t make much of an impact.
Best Held Item
In tournaments and competitive play, you’ll want to use the Heavy-Duty Boots, as Centiskorch is particularly susceptible to Stealth Rock and will lose half its HP if it switches into that particular entry hazard. Otherwise, during the course of a normal game, Charcoal or Leftovers are perfectly fine.
Centiskorch Build Moveset
Centiskorch’s moveset focuses around survivability and self-sustain in order to take advantage of its stat-downs and average stats:
Fire Lash
Lunge/Knock Off
Rest
Sleep Talk
Fire Lash is a reliable fire STAB attack that reduces opponents’ Defense, making it deal increasingly more damage every time it’s cast. Lunge, likewise, is a reliable bug STAB that lowers opponents’ attack power. Fire Lash is more important than Lunge, since attack reduction is more situational and Fire has better coverage than Bug.
In tournaments and competitive play, you’ll most likely want to swap out Lunge for Knock Off, which will allow you to use Centiskorch to break through any walls you may encounter by knocking off their Leftovers and lowering their defense with Fire Lash. Since walls typically aren’t capable of huge damage, Centiskorch should be able to outlast them by Resting whenever it gets to low HP and switching to Sleep Talk for its main source of damage.
Centiskorch Moveset Conclusion
Centiskorch is a reliable fire pokemon and is likely the fire pokemon you’re going to use if you don’t start the game with Cinderace. It’s above average and it’s capable of finding its own niche in dismantling the defenses of bulky pokemon and outlasting them while it slowly takes them down over several turns.
That about covers it when it comes to the best Centiskorch build in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Be sure to check out the Games Section for more articles like this and click here for more game guides for Pokemon Sword and Shield.
