This is how to get and build Gigantamax Cinderace in Pokemon

Cinderace is one of the most powerful Pokemon in Sword and Shield, but how do players get a Gigantamax Cinderace?

Cinderace is one of the most popular and deadly additions to the Pokedex from Pokemon Sword and Shield. Its great stat distribution, large move pool, and access to the Libero ability make it a very powerful Pokemon in both singles and doubles. It hits hard, moves fast, and enjoys massive bulkiness when Dynamaxed. Cinderace is such a big deal that the release of a Gigantamax form was heavily promoted by The Pokemon Company as a part of the Isle of Armor DLC.

It’s also one of the Pokemon that has a special Gigantamax form, with Cinderace’s signature fireball growing alongside the rabbity starter. Here’s how to get a Gigantamax Cinderace in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and what it actually does.

How to get Gigantamax Cinderace in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Players can get a Gigantamax Cinderace in Pokemon Sword and Shield by feeding Max Soup to a regular Cinderace.

The Isle of Armor DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield introduced the idea of Max Soup. Max Soup allows players to toggle whether a Pokemon will be able to Dynamax or Gigantamax. Though one might assume that Gigantamax is preferable to Dynamax, certain G-Max moves aren’t as good, flexible, or situationally useful.  Players may wish to turn a Gigantamax Pokemon into a Dynamax Pokemon, or vice versa.

Players gain the ability to do this on the Isle of Armor. The main quest of the first DLC is getting a Kubfu, evolving it into Urshifu, and transforming it into a Gigantamax Urshifu. This is done by feeding the Pokemon Max Soup.

After feeding Urshifu Max Soup, the player has the ability to create more and feed it to different Pokemon. This allows players to unlock a Pokemon’s Gigantamax form during battle, or revert a Gigantamax-ready Pokemon back to only Dynamax. 

Max Soup is made in the dojo’s kitchen. Players can do so using Max Mushrooms, which are collected across the Isle of Armor. They appear in random locations after completing Max Raid battles.

Why is Cinderace so good?

Cinderace has naturally high speed and attack, alongside a large move pool. This makes it a very strong Pokemon in Sword and Shield for both doubles and singles.

Cinderace has 119 base speed and 116 base attack, both of which are very strong totals. Its defense totals are mediocre, but Cinderace can compensate for that using Dynamax or Gigantamax. After activating this, Max Knuckle and Max Airstream can be used to amplify those speed and attack stats even further.

If Cinderace can get three stat boosts, the Pokemon becomes a deadly sweeper amplified further by Libero’s guaranteed STAB attacks. The cherry on top is that Cinderace’s unique G-Max Fireball ignores opponents’ abilities. This makes it a hard counter to Mimikyu and allows it to hit Pokemon with the Flash Fire ability.

What moves should I teach Cinderace?

The best moves for Cinderace are Bounce, High Jump Kick, and Pyro Ball. The move set can be rounded out with Iron Head or U-Turn.

A Cinderace built around Dynamax usage is best served by having Bounce, High Jump Kick, and Pyro Ball. Bounce gives Cinderace access to Max Airstream for speed boosts, while High Jump Kick’s Max Knuckle boosts attack. G-Max Fireball is a powerful attack that hard counters Mimikyu and ignores abilities that neutralize fire moves.

Worth noting is that High Jump Kick is an egg move, meaning players will have to breed it onto a baby Pokemon. Several potential male parents of Cinderace learn the move via level up including Hawlucha, Scrafty, and Hitmonlee.

Past that is just a matter of coverage with Iron Head and U-Turn being the best options. Iron Head gives Cinderace the ability to hit supereffective moves on fairy types which is helpful depending on Cinderace’s allies. U-Turn is just a generally great attack for fast physical attackers. Gunk Shot and Zen Headbutt are also theoretically possible.