Being one of the core elemental types in the best mainline Pokémon games, Fire-types and their moves are some of the most popular options for Special Attack-oriented species. Their overall Base Attack stats are steadily reliable, with some notable heavy-hitters if players are willing to take some calculated risks.
Though Fire-type Pokémon will obviously benefit from these the most through STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus), some moves are widely accessible with a variety of types. Fire attacks are also some of the most reliable when it comes to inflicting bonus effects, like Burn and stat debuffs, making these moves a good overall package for battling.
Mystical Fire
Introduced in Generation 6 with X and Y, and then given a buff in 8 for Sword and Shield, Mystical Fire is an offensive Fire-type move that is a good balance of power, reliability, and accessibility. While Fire Punch is another popular attack that can be taught to many kinds of Pokémon, Mystical Fire packs more punch being a Special move, as opposed to Physical, as well as having better side effects to inflict.
It has a respectable 75 Base Attack and 100 percent Accuracy stats. But something else to sweeten the deal is that it's guaranteed to lower the target's Special Attack stats by a stage once it connects. This can prove useful when battling and defending against another Pokémon whose main power draw is in Special Attack.
Overheat
Similar to moves like Eruption, Overheat is a high damage-dealing move that has a notable risk to be weighed before committing to using it. It has a stunning 130 BP and 90 Accuracy, but it lowers the 's Special Attack by two stages every use, making this perhaps not a good option for glass cannon Pokémon.
This guarantees that not only will repeat uses of Overheat be weaker, but any other Special attacks the has will be also. It's one of the bigger calculated risk attacks but, with some hit-and-run tactics, it can definitely find some use if given to a Fire-type with an immense Special Attack stat against especially defensive opponents.
Heat Wave
Heat Wave is one of the Fire Type's more hard-hitting attacks that is also free of any notable drawbacks. It has a BP of 95 and 90 Accuracy stat and even has a base total of 10 PP (Power Points) uses. Player's can get plenty of mileage out of this move in one battle for something that is this strong, plus it has a 10 percent chance of inflicting Burn on the opponent.
Heat Wave is particularly useful in Double Battle formats, as it hits all the opponents on the field -- no risk of hitting a teammate. It may not have the raw power of Eruption, but it deals a hefty level of damage on its own and is a safe move for cleaning up the opponent's side of the field if they're already hanging on by a thread.
Lava Plume
Another great, safe move to use to deal large amounts of damage when it comes to raw output and extra bonuses is Lava Plume. A popular move to see on the likes of Typhlosion, it's a Special attack that has a BP of 80 and 100 in Accuracy -- and also has a great number of uses with 10 PP. On top of the solid damage, though, if the move connects, it has a strong 30 percent chance of inflicting Burn on the opponent.
As far as potential status ailments go, a 30 percent shot is pretty sizeable in these games. Lava Plume has some specific effects in Doubles, in that it hits all adjacent Pokémon. So, unlike Heat Wave, some strategic planning will be needed for players to avoid hitting their teammates.
Flare Blitz
If players are willing to get bolder when on the offense, Flare Blitz is among the best candidates for the job. It's a Physical Attack that has little trouble sweeping targets that can't resist the Fire typing well enough, even with its caveat. Its BP is 120 with 100 in Accuracy, 10 percent chance to Burn, and a surprising 15 in PP. The tradeoff is that it has recoil damage that's 1/3 of the damage dealt.
And, though very situational, Flare Blitz can thaw the out of ice if afflicted with Freeze. Including Mega Evolutions, Flare Blitz is an easy pick on Mega Charizard X's moveset, given its heavy lean into Physical Attack. Pair it with Roost, and players will have trouble getting rid of such an offensive force.
Sunny Day
Shifting gears into non-damaging, stat-boosting Pokémon moves is Sunny Day. It's one of the weather moves, and it alters the stage for a scorching sun to affect everyone on the field. Where the stat boost comes in is that all Fire-type attacking moves get a huge 50 percent boost to their BP, while Water gets a 50 percent decrease.
It lasts for a total of five turns, and that is lots of time for Fire attacks to sweep opponents with some proper planning. Sunny Day can provide special advantages in Doubles, too, as teammates -- both non-Fire and Fire -- can benefit and help attacks like the Grass-type Solar Beam to fire off in a single turn. Plus, the healing moves Synthesis, Moonlight, and Morning Sun heal for 50 percent more.
Will-O-Wisp
Though many offensive Fire-type moves have a bonus chance of inflicting Burn, Will-O-Wisp is a good move that's dedicated to guaranteeing status affliction as long as it hits. As of Gen 8, its Accuracy has been boosted to 85. This move is particularly useful because it's quite accessible, allowing a wide range of different Pokémon to learn it by different means, including many Ghost and Psychic-types.
The versatility is what makes this a worthwhile status ailment move, and it's also worth noting that Burn has a subtle extra effect by halving the opponent's Physical attacks in of damage dealt.
Eruption
There's a massive gulf in of a power jump from Mystical Fire to Eruption, but it's important to note that the drawbacks to the latter are why it might not be worth the risk in a competitive situation. Starting with the major positives, Eruption has a whopping Base Attack of 150 and 100 in Accuracy. That's the ceiling for power, though, as it can only deal that kind of damage if the is at full HP, and after using it, it drops in power according to what the 's remaining HP is at.
This is definitely a caveat, along with only a handful of species capable of learning it, but pair this move and some of the best Fire-type Pokémon with high Special Attack -- which are many in number -- and this could make for a great attack if the is faster than the opponent and uses Eruption on the first turn.
Flamethrower
One of the classics, going back to Generation 1, is Flamethrower, and its sturdy stats make it easy to see why. The BP is at 90 with an Accuracy of 100 and a reasonable 10 percent chance to Burn. On top of that, it has a base PP of 15 -- an easy move to repeat in a battle.
Using Flamethrower isn't a hard sell, as there aren't any statistical or HP tradeoffs for using it. With Sunny Day active, it gives even more reason to use it if available. And available it is, because a large pool of Pokémon of varying typings can learn it via TM or otherwise, so accessibility makes this move even more enticing.
Fire Blast
Along with Flamethrower, Fire Blast is the other one of the earliest Fire-type classics and is essentially the heavy-duty version of the former. As far as risks and compromises go, this is arguably among the attacks with the least serious tradeoffs. Fire Blast has a BP of 110 but an Accuracy of 85, making using it a bit of a gamble as far as the games' RNG goes.
And, as expected, it has a low base PP of five uses. But taking all this into , plus the typical 10 percent Burn chance, there isn't much drawback to using Fire Blast compared to other high-damage attacks.
