What it does
Scald is a Water-type special move with 100% accuracy and a 30% chance to inflict Burn. In Champions, burn halves the target's physical Attack stat and deals residual damage each turn — so if you land burn on an opposing physical attacker, you have effectively cut its damage output in half for as long as it stays in.
That 30% is not a small number in practice. Over four or five uses it almost always triggers, and the looming threat forces opponents to weigh leaving a physical attacker exposed versus cycling it out. Either choice costs them something: stay in and risk the burn, or switch out and hand you a free turn of momentum.
In doubles, Scald is a single-target move — no spread effect. But the burn's value is field-wide: one physical attacker getting burned means your entire side takes less physical damage, which effectively increases your team's survivability without using a support slot.
Compared to alternatives: it trades some raw power versus Hydro Pump in exchange for 100% accuracy and the burn chance. Versus Surf, it's similar power but single-target in exchange for the burn. The tradeoff is almost always worth it when your primary opponent is a physical attacker.
Who runs it
Simipour at 87% is the highest adoption rate here and leans into the offensive side — decent Special Attack plus reliable Water STAB with burn threat on physical targets.
Vaporeon at 79% takes a more support-oriented approach. It sits on good Special Defense and recovery, and Scald lets it chip and potentially burn physical threats from behind its natural bulk.
Starmie at 63% can click it fast — its Speed lets it threaten burn before slower physical attackers can act. Slowking at 64% is the opposite: slow, but bulky, and uses Scald to grind out burns in a stall-adjacent game plan.
Milotic and Slowbro both use it as their primary attacking option in support builds — consistent damage and the ever-present burn threat are worth more than a raw power upgrade.
How to use it
Target physical attackers: Burn only cuts physical Attack, not Special Attack. Before clicking Scald, check whether your target hits physically or specially. Against a fully special attacker, the burn is just chip — against a physical attacker, it is a permanent debuff for the rest of the time it is on the field.
Pair with disruption in doubles: Slow Scald users like Slowbro work well behind Fake Out support. Partner locks one slot, Slowbro burns the other. If it lands, that physical attacker is half-power for the rest of the game.
Use 100% accuracy in decisive turns: When you cannot afford a miss — a turn where landing the hit matters more than raw power — Scald's perfect accuracy is what you want. Hydro Pump is more powerful but 10% misses hurt when the game is on the line.
Tips & strategy
Lum Berry reads: If the opponent has a Lum Berry, the first burn is immediately cured and the residual pressure disappears. Once you know or suspect a berry, either strip it with Knock Off first or redirect Scald at a target that does not carry one.
Ice-types are burn-immune: Ice-type Pokémon cannot be burned at all. Against Ice-types, Scald is purely Water-type damage with no secondary. Adjust your targeting — there is nothing to gain by fishing for burn here.
Scald vs. Surf in doubles: Surf hits both opposing Pokémon (×0.75 each in doubles), Scald hits one for full power plus burn. If you are facing two physical attackers and your partner will not be caught in the Surf's spread, Surf gives you more total value. If you are targeting one specific physical threat, Scald is stronger on that target and brings the burn threat. Read the board each turn.