What it does
Flare Blitz is a Fire-type physical contact move with extremely high Base Power. The user takes 1/3 of the damage dealt as recoil. There's a chance to inflict Burn on the target. If the user is Freezefrozen, using Flare Blitz thaws them out.
The recoil is the defining cost. It scales with damage output — the harder you hit, the more you lose. A powerful strike against a frail target means significant HP loss on your side. In Champions, there's no Hyper Training stacking HP pools sky-high, so recoil adds up fast into a real survival problem.
Contact matters: opponent's Flame Body can burn you on the hit, and Rocky Helmet piles on extra chip. In doubles, both of those interactions stack on top of the recoil — calculate the full HP loss before committing.
Who runs it
Incineroar (89%) almost always runs this. Intimidate on switch-in drops the opponent's Attack, then Flare Blitz delivers a heavy physical hit — two things happening across one switch and one action. The recoil is acceptable because Incineroar isn't trying to play forever; it's trying to get maximum value per turn.
Arcanine (80%) pairs Intimidate with Flare Blitz similarly. Higher Speed than Incineroar shifts the timing of when it hits, but the offensive role is comparable.
Flareon (85%) has one of the highest base physical Attack stats in the game, making Flare Blitz its primary damage output. Flareon's low bulk means the recoil adds up quickly — managing HP is more critical here than on bulkier Fire-types.
Talonflame (48%) carries Flare Blitz as a Fire-type coverage option alongside its Flying STAB tools.
Ninetales (12%), Infernape (20%), and Scovillain (18%) each use it as their main physical Fire output within their respective roles.
How to use it
Every click decision comes down to: is this KO worth the HP cost? If the target is frail enough to go down in one hit, the recoil is worth it — opponent down, value secured. If the target tanks it and you've taken heavy recoil for nothing, that's a bad trade.
In doubles, a recoil-damaged user is immediately vulnerable next turn. If your Incineroar took significant recoil this turn, think about whether it can absorb a hit on the next — or whether a switch-out is better before it gets cleaned up.
The Burn chance on the target is a bonus. The more important use of Flare Blitz into frozen targets: it thaws out your own Pokémon if they're frozen, trading the freeze for a free attack.
Tips & strategy
Recoil tracking is the main skill with Flare Blitz. After each hit, note the remaining HP and estimate how many more turns of use you have. Not every game lets you click it four times — some games you get two hits and Incineroar is already low. Decide in advance: switch out and preserve it, or commit to the final strike.
Sun boosts Fire-type damage, so in sun weather Flare Blitz hits harder — but the recoil also scales with that boosted damage. Physical Fire attackers in sun need even tighter HP management.
Stack Life Orb on top and you're taking recoil plus 10% HP per attack. Most competitive Incineroar sets skip the Life Orb for exactly this reason.
Pokémon with Flash Fire are completely immune to Flare Blitz. When one is across the field, you need a different move or switch entirely.