Kingdra now has two physical STAB options to go with Dragon Dance in Waterfall and Outrage, so this set takes advantage of these. Any user of Dragon Dance and STAB Outrage is quite fearsome, and Kingdra is no different. Furthermore, Kingdra can use its unique typing to set up on opposing Pokemon that are unable to do significant damage to it, such as Starmie, Heatran and Vaporeon. Dragon / Water gives phenomenal type coverage, only resisted by Empoleon and Shedinja. When backed with STAB and Dragon Dance, Kingdra can be quite the impressive physical attacker. Substitute protects Kingdra from status moves that could otherwise ruin its sweep, and can help it set up on certain Pokemon such as Toxic Vaporeon. Although only a minor option, Yawn can replace Substitute as Yawning your opponent's first switch-in can result in forcing them to go to a Pokemon less equipped to deal with Kingdra (lest they allow their best Kingdra counter to be put to sleep). If they decide to save their Pokemon from sleep, Yawn has the added benefit of racking up residual damage on both opposing Pokemon. In addition, since their second switch-in to Kingdra will more than likely be unable to handle Kingdra to the same extent as their first, you might be able to pull off an extra Dragon Dance out of the deal. Leftovers is the preferred item as it allows you to recover damage lost from Substitute, as well as allowing Substitute to be used more times. Lum Berry is also a decent alternative though to firstly allow Kingdra to switch into Toxic Spikes without fear, or to prevent other status effects and the confusion from Outrage. The EVs are simple and straightforward; maximum Attack and Speed with rest thrown in HP. This way Kingdra will at worst Speed tie with opponent Kingdra as well as Heracross. After a Dragon Dance, Kingdra will outrun base 130 Speed Pokemon. You can opt for a slightly bulkier spread should you like to work with Kingdra's auspicious typing. While both abilities are viable, Swift Swim is arguably the greater option due to the ability to take advantage of opposing Rain Dance teams. Most Pokemon on Rain Dance teams are slower than Kingdra, so Outrage can rip through these teams once Steel-types are removed. This Kingdra has trouble with bulky physical walls with a phazing move, such as Skarmory, Suicune, and Swampert. Magnezone can trap Skarmory which lack Shed Shell, and its powerful STAB Thunderbolt will scare off Suicune. If you pack Hidden Power Grass, it can even beat Swampert. Rotom appliances can also do well; Rotom-C gets particular mention thanks to Leaf Storm scaring off Swampert. Celebi can make a nice partner, as it will appreciate Kingdra's Fire-type resistance, and can scare off Suicune and Swampert with its Grass-type attacks. Empoleon may not be as physically bulky as the aforementioned Pokemon but its 2x resistance to both of Kingdra’s STABs make it a good counter. With the right EV investment, it won’t be 2HKOed by a +1 Outrage, and can Roar Kingdra away. Packing a powerful Electric-type Pokemon such as Jolteon or Rotom-A can help in scaring off these defensive Empoleon. Celebi can do a decent job against Kingdra because of its bulk, but Substitute will block Thunder Wave so it must be careful it doesn’t give Kingdra too many free Dragon Dances. Some good options for dealing with Celebi are Scizor and Tyranitar. Specially defensive versions are the best ways to defeat Celebi as this almost ensures Scizor will survive Hidden Power Fire, barring ones from very offensive versions, and will make it easier for Tyranitar to take Grass Knot. They both have super effective moves at their disposal to take out Celebi, and even running is not an option for Celebi as it might take lethal damage from Pursuit. Faster Choice Scarf users such as Flygon, Naive Heatran, and Latias can cause Kingdra problems by revenge killing it as long as it only has one Dragon Dance and isn’t behind a Substitute. Scizor and Tyranitar can trap Latias by using Pursuit to help take it out. Having a Steel-type on your team can help in taking an Outrage from Flygon or a Dragon Pulse from Heatran. Heatran is probably your best bet to counter opposing Heatran since it only fears Earth Power, while you can revenge-kill it with your own Earth Power. Heatran can also revenge kill Flygon locked into Outrage with Dragon Pulse. You must also be wary of Steel-types switching into Outrage to revenge kill Kingdra. It is therefore useful to have Magnezone on your team as with a Choice Scarf; it can trap and kill most Steel-types thanks to Magnet Pull. Toxic Spikes support from Roserade can be useful to have an easier time with bulkier Pokemon such as Celebi, Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon. Roserade can also absorb the Toxic Spikes which could end your sweep.
This set takes a more offensive part than the Substitute Dragon Dance set. Kingdra still has its two powerful physical STAB options to in Waterfall and Outrage, but also takes advantage of a special attack to hit physical walls harder. This turns Kingdra into a truly fearsome Pokemon. Furthermore, Kingdra can use its unique typing to set up on opposing Pokemon that are unable to do significant damage to it, such as Starmie, Heatran and Vaporeon.
This still has the great coverage of Water / Dragon used on the last set. The big difference is that with Life Orb, Kingdra will hit a lot harder, but will not stay around as long. Hydro Pump may seem redundant, but it will do significantly more damage against physical walls. For example, many Skarmory will never be 2HKOed by a boosted Waterfall whereas Hydro Pump will 100% of the time. If used on a Rain Dance team, Skarmory will always be OHKOed by Hydro Pump after Stealth Rock damage. Draco Meteor, on the other hand, gives you a move to take out opposing Dragon-type Pokemon without locking yourselves into Outrage. This makes it harder to revenge kill Kingdra. The given Speed EVs allow Kingdra a stat of 264, enough to outrun base 130 Speed Pokemon after a Dragon Dance. The remaining EVs were placed into maximizing Attack and then into Special Attack. Swift Swim is arguably the preferred ability due to the ability to take advantage of opposing Rain Dance teams. This Kingdra can actually be a very good sweeper in a Rain Dance team. With doubled Speed and boosted Water-type attacks, it will be an absolute terror. Hydro Pump would be the best option in that case. Unlike the Substitute Dragon Dance set, the extra power makes this harder to counter, but easier to cripple. Bulky Water-types are the best options similarily to the last set. With Roar, Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon can phaze it out as long as they don’t switch into Outrage. Powerful Electric-types can deal with Pokemon, such as Celebi, who can otherwise do a decent job at countering Kingdra as long as they don’t switch into Outrage as that will likely 2HKO, even without a Dragon Dance. It can always Thunder Wave and Recover stall Kingdra as without Substitute, it will be unable to block this. Tyranitar and Scizor are therefore great partners to deal with Celebi. Defensive Empoleon is one of the best counters, since it is not 2HKOed by a +1 Outrage, and can Roar Kingdra out. Powerful Electric-types such as Jolteon and Rotom-A can do well, scaring it off with Thunderbolt (although Surf will hurt a lot). Should Kingdra use Draco Meteor over Hydro Pump, Skarmory can counter it by switching in and Whirlwinding it out. Again, powerful Electric-types come in handy. Similarly to the Substitute Dragon Dance set, fast Choice Scarf users are an annoyance unless you pack Rain Dance support. Scizor and Tyraintar can trap and kill Choice Scarf Latias with Pursuit. Steel-types can switch into Choice Scarf Flygon’s Outrage and take it out with an appropriate move. Magnezone is a good Pokemon to support it thanks to trapping Steel-types trying to switch into Outrage. Toxic Spikes can dramatically hinder Kingdra, therefore a Rapid Spinner or Poison-type to remove them is a good option. Roserade can do well; it can also incapacitate a Pokemon with Sleep Powder, and set up its own Toxic Spikes to give you an easier time with bulky Water-types and Celebi. Starmie can work here with Rapid Spin, but it does have a similar typing to Kingdra. Rain Dance support is an option. This set can work well on Rain Dance teams, acting as a mixed wall breaker and sweeper. Steel-types such as Bronzong, Jirachi, Magnezone, and Scizor are the best options for support Pokemon there as they resist Kingdra’s only weakness and can set up Rain Dance. Magnezone can also trap and kill Steel-types making it less dangerous to lock yourself into Outrage.
You have the same great Water / Dragon coverage of the previous sets, but also the ability to double your Speed in a flash, as well as power up Waterfall. Usually, the strategy is to Rain Dance first (in appropriate late game situations, you can omit or delay this step). Since Waterfall is your main attack, this is the equivalent of the boost from Dragon Dance, but it immediately doubles your Speed to outpace many Choice Scarf revenge killers. Rain Dance also clears other weather effects (thereby bringing Leftovers into play), and offers temporary protection from Fire-type attacks for the rest of your team. You can then attack or continue to set up with Dragon Dance. Note that Waterfall is 12.5% more powerful after one Dragon Dance in rain, than after two without rain. Each subsequent Dragon Dance increases this difference. Double Dance Kingdra is designed as a stand alone sweeper. It functions within a standard team without need for Rain Dance support, but will fit into Rain Dance teams as well. Damp Rock is an alternative held item, albeit minor one to Leftovers. When using this on a Rain Dance team Kingdra can not only sweep for three turns longer, but can also support your team better. 225 Speed beats bulky Gyarados and Adamant Tyranitar outright, but it also means you outrun base 100s after Dragon Dance; and neutral Choice Scarf base 100s after Rain Dance. The remaining EVs allow you to hit 336 HP (a Leftovers threshold). Four Attack EVs can be moved to HP to allow you an extra turn of survival when the only damage is residual. This is more relevant that you think, because entry hazards and poison all deal in 8ths/16ths; you will be surprised how often this sets up without taking any direct damage at all. When using Damp Rock, this Leftovers threshold isn’t so important so you can opt for more Speed to outrun more threats in the rain. This set has pretty much the same counters as the Substitute Dragon Dance set, but is slightly harder to revenge kill thanks to Rain Dance doubling its Speed. Empoleon, Skarmory, Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon are all good counters, and can phaze it out. When using this on a Rain Dance team, Ludicolo can make a great partner to deal with most of these threats thanks to STAB Grass-type attacks and a powerful Surf to destroy Skarmory. Ludicolo will outspeed and 2HKO offensive +2 Speed Empoleon with either energy Ball or Grass Knot. Outside of Rain Dance, powerful Electric-types such as Jolteon and Rotom-A can scare the aforementioned Pokemon off. Jolteon needs Hidden Power Grass for Swampert, though, and is very fragile so it can’t switch in. Rotom-A, however, can do very well. Rotom-C stands a an exceptional choice, since Swampert doesn't enjoy Leaf Storm. Celebi can make a nice partner for dealing with the bulky Water-types thanks to STAB Grass-type attacks and solid defenses. Latias and +Speed Flygon are still faster even in the rain so a Pursuiter such as Scizor or Tyranitar can be useful to trap Latias. Scizor can do well on Rain Dance teams as it can set up Rain Dance itself and deal with many problem Pokemon such as Abomasnow and Tyranitar. Tyranitar does stop the rain, though, and shouldn’t be used if this is a Rain Dance team, but otherwise it may not matter too much as due to Kingdra’s bulk and resistances, it can find many opportunities to set up the rain again. Roserade and Starmie can make nice partners for getting rid of Toxic Spikes which hinder Kingdra, and can both set up Rain Dance themselves. Bulky Steel-type Pokemon such as Bronzong, Jirachi, Magnezone, and Scizor can all make good partners. They can set up Rain Dance should you use this on a Rain Dance team, take the Dragon-type moves aimed at Kingdra, and also set up Stealth Rock in Bronzong and Jirachi’s case. Magnezone can even trap the Steel-types to give Kingdra a better chance of a sweep with Outrage.
This set is arguably Kingdra's most destructive set, capable of smashing through even the games most defensive Pokemon. It can work very well outside of Rain Dance, but generally is best used on a Rain Dance team. Outside of Rain Dance teams itplays much like the Dragon Dancer; bring Kingdra in on a Pokemon that it can force out like Heatran, Rain Dance on the switch, and start sweeping. Waterfall is your primary STAB, and with the rain boost it hits with the same power as a Dragon Danced Waterfall. Hydro Pump is the real selling point of the set, as it significantly outdamages Waterfall and demolishes the physically based OU metagame. Surf can be used as well, but it doesn't pack the sting that Hydro Pump does. Draco Meteor rounds out the set by allowing Kingdra to deliver a powerful hit to Grass and opposing Water Pokemon that resist your Water STAB. In Rain Dance teams, though, you will have other Pokemon to set up Rain Dance so you do not need it yourself. Signal Beam is therefore a great alternative to hit Celebi hard, KOing after it switches into Hydro Pump or Waterfall. Hidden Power Electric is an even lesser option but does get a 2HKO on offensive Empoleon as well as OHKOing Gyarados every time with Stealth Rock support barring the very odd Wacan Berry. The EVs generate enough Speed to outrun Naive Choice Scarf Heatran in the rain. Additional Speed can be used to beat specific Scarfed threats, but Salamence and Flygon are the only faster Scarfers capable of revenge killing a Kingdra in good health. 76 Speed EVs will outspeed neutral natured ones. Naughty nature is used as taking away from Defense would make Kingdra easier to revenge as physical priority moves are more common than special ones. Life Orb is the obvious item as without it, Kingdra wouldn’t have the destructive power it carries. To illustrate the efficiency of Mixed Kingdra, a few damage calculations have been listed below: Damage Calculations
Stealth Rock support is highly recommended when using this set as it gives it a better chance of getting many of these OHKOs. Azelf, Bronzong, Jirachi, and Swampert are the best options on Rain Dance teams as they all fit in well on Rain Dance teams by providing Rain Dance support and set up Stealth Rock reliably. The same Pokemon can also do well outside of Rain Dance as partners, although Swampert less so because of similar typing. Toxic Spikes wreck this set so having a Rapid Spinner such as Starmie can be useful to get rid of them. Starmie can also set up Rain Dance itself. Qwilfish and Roserade can absorb the Toxic Spikes, and Roserade can set up its own to help against the bulky Water-types and Celebi, while it can also set up Rain Dance. Qwilfish an make a deadly partner thanks to Swords Danced Waterfalls ripping through much of OU, and a deadly Explosion on one of Kingdra’s counters could prove useful. Celebi, Empoleon, Gyarados, Tentacruel, and most bulky Water-types can make good counters, although Hydro Pump + Draco Meteor can 2HKO many of them. Celebi must watch out for Signal Beam as well; after a Hydro Pump or Waterfall, it will KO. Fast Choice Scarf users such as Flygon and Latias make good revenge killers as well as faster opposing Kingdra’s with the Swift Swim ability as well. Scizor is the best option to deal with Latias, and can also revenge kill Flygon locked into Outrage with Bullet Punch. Since this is usually used on a Rain Dance team, Tyranitar is not such a good option for a partner, and even outside of Rain Dance teams, its ability will still annoy you. Other Steel-types can take out Flygon locked into Outrage, especially the ones with Rain Dance make good partners as they can support Kingdra in more than one way. Tyranitar and Abomasnow also do well against it by taking away its precious rain, and although Tyranitar is weak to Water-type moves, it won’t be OHKOed and can OHKO in return with a Choice Band Stone Edge. Abomasnow resists the Water-type moves and can survive Draco Meteor thanks to its solid Special Defense. Blizzard will also badly hurt Kingdra or Abomasnow could SubSeed stall Kingdra. Scizor therefore makes a great partner to deal with them thanks to its STAB, Technician boosted Bullet Punch. Choice Band Dugtrio can trap and OHKO Tyranitar with Earthquake, and finish off a weakened Abomasnow with Stone Edge. Swampert can counter Tyranitar so makes a nice partner for Kingdra.
Purely special version of the previous set. You can't hurt Blissey much, but this has some advantage over the mixed version. You don't need Attack EVs, so you can max out Speed making revenge killing Kingdra a much harder task. Surf and Dragon Pulse hit everything except Shedinja and Empoleon for at least neutral damage. Hydro Pump can be used for some extra power, it does provide an OHKO on Swampert and Metagross, but Surf's reliability makes it the better choice. Signal Beam may seem over-specific, but scores some nice KOs against Celebi and Abomasnow after Stealth Rock. Hidden Power Electric is an alternative option if you don't particularly fear the aforementioned Grass-type Pokemon as it hits Empoleon; 2HKOing offensive versions, and does slightly more damage to other Water-types in comparison to STAB Dragon Pulse (140 vs. 135) and a lot more to Gyarados. Maximum Speed is used because Speed tying with opposing Kingdra can be game breaking. You also outspeed all common Choice Scarf users including the common Timid Choice Scarf Latias. Maximum Special Attack is obvious to hit as hard as possible with the rest thrown in HP. An alternative, slightly bulkier EV spread of 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe can be used though. These EVs generate 247 Speed, which allows you to outspeed Jolly Tyranitar before you Rain Dance, and positive natured Scarfed base 100s while it's raining. You will lose to Timid Choice Scarf Latias and most opposing Kingdra’s though. Life Orb is used for the power boost which makes Surf such a deadly attack. You could use Damp Rock, but generally this Kingdra should be sweeping not supporting. Similarily to the Mixed Rain Dance set, Stealth Rock support is recommended. Azelf, Bronzong, Jirachi, and Swampert are the best options for this on Rain Dance, and also do well outside of it, although Swampert less because of similar typing. Toxic Spikes wreck this set so having a Rapid Spinner such as Starmie can be useful to get rid of them. Starmie can also set up Rain Dance itself. Qwilfish and Roserade can absorb the Toxic Spikes, and Roserade can set up its own to help against the bulky Water-types and Celebi, while it can also set up Rain Dance. Qwilfish also makes a deadly Rain Dance sweeper so it makes a nice partner. This set is a lot harder to revenge kill, but there are still many Pokemon which cause it problems. Bulky Water-types with exception of Swampert can counter this set well as even Hidden Power Electric won’t 2HKO most of them. Ludicolo therefore makes an amazing partner to this on Rain Dance teams to deal with them using powerful STAB Grass-type attacks. Jolteon, Rotom-W, and Zapdos can also do well against the aforementioned Pokemon. This set has trouble against special walls such as Blissey and Snorlax. Choice Band Dugtrio can therefore make a nice partner to trap and 2HKO Blissey, as well as finishing off weakened Snorlax. Scizor can make a nice partner as Superpower takes care of Blissey and Snorlax. It can also do well against Tyranitar and Abomasnow who annoy this Kingdra by taking away its precious rain. Kingdra can hit Abomasnow with Signal Beam though, but it will still disrupt your momentum. The previously mentioned Choice Band Dugtrio can trap and OHKO the less bulky versions of Tyranitar with Earthquake as well as finishing off weakened Abomasnow with Stone Edge. Swampert can counter Tyranitar so it makes a nice partner for Kingdra.
While Kingdra may seem like it’s outclassed by Rayquaza, Dragon Dance Kingdra has two very significant advantages over Dragon Dance Rayquaza in Ubers. First of all, Kingdra’s typing grants it a neutrality to Ice-type attacks, Stealth Rock, and a resistance to Bullet Punch. Most importantly, the quality that truly makes Kingdra stand out as an Uber Dragon Dancer is Swift Swim. With only 176 Speed EVs and Kyogre’s eternal rain, Kingdra is able to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp, the fastest Dragon-type Pokémon commonly in Ubers. After a Dragon Dance, Kingdra will easily outspeed every single Pokémon in the Uber metagame! Waterfall is Kingdra’s main STAB attack, which, thanks to Kyogre’s rain, becomes just as powerful as Outrage. Outrage compliments Waterfall extremely well, allowing Kingdra to have nearly perfect type coverage (with only Shedinja not being hit at least neutrally). Even before a Dragon Dance, Waterfall is a useful move for revenge killing several threats simply because this Kingdra has a Speed stat of 500 in the rain. For instance, Darkrai has around a 92% chance of being OHKOed by an unboosted Waterfall after it takes Stealth Rock damage. While Kingdra is not as powerful as Rayquaza, its boosted Waterfalls and Outrages will still deal a massive amount of damage. For example, a +1 Outrage will always OHKO max HP Kyogre after it takes Stealth Rock damage, while a +1 Waterfall in the rain or Outrage will easily OHKO Mewtwo. The last slot is best occupied by Draco Meteor for two reasons: Draco Meteor will deal over 50% to most Groudon and Dialga switch-ins (barring specially defensive Dialga), meaning that next time Kingdra gets time to set up, Groudon will often be unable to switch in and take control of the weather without sacrificing itself, and Dialga that are not specially defensive will often be KOed by Outrage after being hit by Draco Meteor. Draco Meteor will also have enough power to OHKO Rayquaza, Garchomp, and Palkia, meaning that Kingdra can destroy them without getting locked into Outrage. Yawn is a reasonable option in the last slot if Groudon is not a problem for your team. Yawn can potentially put your opponent’s Kingdra check to sleep, or cause a switch that Kingdra can take advantage of by using Dragon Dance. When using Yawn over Draco Meteor, use an Adamant nature and relocate the 80 Special Attack EVs, because Kingdra will no longer be a mixed attacker. While even defensive Groudon may sometimes be 2HKOed by a +1 Outrage, it can switch in as Kingdra attempts to set up, and either cripple Kingdra with Thunder Wave, or deal a massive amount of damage with Dragon Claw or Earthquake (Dragon Claw will almost always OHKO Kingdra if Groudon holds a Life Orb). Additionally, Groudon’s sunlight will ruin both Waterfall’s power and Kingdra’s Swift Swim. Although Lugia is usually 2HKOed by a +1 Waterfall or Outrage, it can invest in more Defense EVs and then switch in on either Dragon Dance or Draco Meteor. Lugia can then use Reflect to survive the next Waterfall or Outrage, and stall Kingdra with Roost. Lugia can even use Whirlwind to foil any of Kingdra’s attempts to set up on it. If Dialga manages to switch into Dragon Dance, or is specially defensive and does not switch in on Outrage, it will barely survive Kingdra’s assaults (a Dialga with no EVs in HP and Defense will take around 85%-100% from a +1 Outrage), while Kingdra will be OHKOed by one of Dialga’s STAB Dragon-type attacks. Mixed Rayquaza makes an excellent teammate for Dragon Dance Kingdra. It will often lure in Groudon and Bold Lugia, and then 2HKO most Groudon with Draco Meteor, and 2HKO Lugia with Draco Meteor after it takes Stealth Rock damage. Choice Scarf Dialga will often switch in to mixed Rayquaza, expecting the Swords Dance set, only to be OHKOed by Draco Meteor after taking Stealth Rock damage. Support Dialga will also work well with Dragon Dance Kingdra for several reasons: Dialga can set up the vital Stealth Rock that allows Kingdra to gain several KOs. Dialga also lures in both Groudon and Lugia when holding Leftovers, meaning that Dialga is often able to cripple either of them with Toxic. Dialga’s Draco Meteor can put most Groudon into the KO range of Kingdra’s Draco Meteor or boosted Outrage. Like most set up sweepers, Kingdra will appreciate Wobbuffet’s support. Wobbuffet can Encore a Fire- or Water-type attack, a support move, or status move (and then use Safeguard) to allow Kingdra to have a free turn to use Dragon Dance. Wobbuffet can also revenge kill any Dialga that is restricted by Choice Scarf. Finally, Tickle Wobbuffet can be paired with a Pursuit user (such as Metagross or Scizor) to defeat Lugia. Scizor on its own makes a great teammate for Dragon Dance Kingdra due to its ability to function as a Dialga lure. If Choice Band Scizor uses Superpower as max HP Dialga switches in, it will have a 79% chance of being OHKOed after taking Stealth Rock damage. Additionally, Choice Band Scizor’s U-turn will do enough damage to minimum HP Dialga to put it into the KO range of a +1 Kingdra’s Outrage. Mewtwo can switch into Lugia, and use Taunt and Calm Mind to set up on it, while Darkrai can put Lugia to sleep with Dark Void, and threaten to set up a sweep with Nasty Plot.
Thanks to Kingdra’s Speed in the rain and Life Orb, Kingdra can easily become a powerful mixed attacker and revenge killer in one set. The most important choice to make is between using Surf or Hydro Pump. Surf is weaker than Hydro Pump, but the perfect accuracy often makes up for the power loss. In the rain, Surf will still do a massive amount of damage to any Pokémon that does not resist it. For example, Surf will OHKO Darkrai, while both Lugia and Calm Wobbuffet are 2HKOed when taking Stealth Rock damage and Leftovers recovery into account. Hydro Pump trades the reliable 100% accuracy for more power, which can be helpful in certain situations. For instance, offensive Mewtwo is always OHKOed by Hydro Pump (compared to Surf’s approximately 66% chance of achieving the same after Stealth Rock damage), and will also always 2HKO Lugia regardless of any entry hazards. Hydro Pump has a chance of putting specially defensive Groudon into the KO range of Draco Meteor after it takes Stealth Rock damage; something that Surf can never do. Aside from its poor accuracy, Hydro Pump also only has 8PP, meaning that it will run out fast in a metagame infested with such a high number of Pokémon with Pressure. Because of these setbacks, make sure you only use Hydro Pump over Surf if your team needs it. Draco Meteor is Kingdra’s most powerful attack against Pokémon that resist its STAB Water-type attacks, and will do almost as much damage as Surf in the rain! Draco Meteor will always OHKO every Dragon-type Pokémon that is weak to it with the exceptions of Giratina (who is OHKOed after taking Stealth Rock damage unless it is specially defensive), and Latias. Draco Meteor will also 2HKO most Groudon switch-ins after Stealth Rock damage, allowing your team to effectively take control of the weather. While Outrage may not pack as much of a punch as it did on the Dragon Dance set, it is still able to OHKO Latias, 2HKO Blissey, and 2HKO max HP Kyogre after it takes Stealth Rock damage. Finally, Waterfall’s main purpose is to 2HKO Blissey in the rain, and to always 2HKO Tyranitar. Because mixed Kingdra does not have Dragon Dance, it will have issues with several Pokémon that have the potential to out speed it, even in the rain. Although Rayquaza can only switch into Kingdra’s Water-type assaults, it can also outspeed and revenge kill Kingdra thanks to Air Lock and powerful, STAB Dragon-type attacks. Although none of them can switch into Kingdra’s attacks, fast Choice Scarf users such as Darkrai, Shaymin-S, and Mewtwo are capable of outspeeding Kingdra in the rain. While none of them OHKO Kingdra, Shaymin-S can flinch it with Air Slash or deal a massive amount of damage with Seed Flare. On the other hand, Darkrai can put Kingdra to sleep with Dark Void, and Mewtwo can either deal a massive amount of damage to it with Thunder, or sacrifice itself to OHKO Kingdra with Selfdestruct. Choice Scarf Jirachi is the best possible answer to Rayquaza, thanks to its Dragon-type and Normal-type resists, Ice Punch, and the ability to even out speed Dragon Dance Rayquaza. Choice Scarf Metagross can take care of Rayquaza in a similar fashion, but has the bonus of being able to switch into Shaymin-S’s Seed Flare without the fear of a Special Defense drop thanks to Clear Body. A Kyogre with Sleep Talk makes an excellent switch into Choice Scarf Darkrai’s Dark Void, while Scizor can handle Darkrai’s Dark Pulses and Shaymin-S’s Seed Flares. Dialga can take not only Shaymin-S’s Seed Flare, but it can also switch into Mewtwo’s Selfdestruct and Thunder with ease thanks to its resistances. Finally, Wobbuffet can revenge kill both Choice Scarf Shaymin-S and Choice Scarf Mewtwo at certain points in the match. Team OptionsOUStealth Rock support is very useful for all sets; especially the Rain Dance ones. Azelf, Bronzong, Jirachi, and Swampert are the best options for this on Rain Dance teams. As for non-Rain Dance ones, Azelf can still do well as it provides a nice quick Stealth Rock, and possibly also Dual Screens to help it Dragon Dance up. Heatran is a good one because of its useful synergy with Kingdra, resisting its Dragon-type weakness, while Kingdra resists Heatran’s Water-type resistance. Toxic Spikes support is very useful for Dragon Dance sets in dealing with Celebi and bulky Water-types. Roserade is the best option for this as it will appreciate the Fire-type resistance, and makes a nice lead to quickly set it up and possibly incapacitate an opponent’s Pokemon. Tentacruel and Forretress can also set them up, but Tentacruel’s similar tying makes it a lesser option, and Forretress is generally better on more defensive teams. Rain Dance support is almost a requirement for Mixed and Special Rain Dance sets as they work best on Rain Dance teams, but can also be useful for the Double Dance and 3 Attack Dragon Dance sets. Bronzong, Bronzong, Jirachi, Magnezone, and Scizor are the best options for Rain Dance support Pokemon in this case due to resisting Kingdra’s only weakness in addition to being reliable Rain Dance set up Pokemon. Dual Screens can be useful for the Dragon Dance sets in making them have an easier time setting up, and making it harder to break Kingdra’s Substitute. Azelf is probably the best option for this on hyper offense teams as it can set it up quickly at the start of the match, and also set up Stealth Rock, and Taunt slower leads. Bronzong, Cresselia, and Magnezone are other good options. Magnezone can easily set them up on a choice locked Scizor’s Bullet Punch and other moves, while Bronzong and Cresselia are very bulky so barring Taunt they should easly get both up. Cresselia can also provide Lunar Dance support to give a weakened Kingdra another chance to sweep. For offensive support Pokemon, Ludicolo is the best option on Rain Dance teams as it deals with the bulky Water-types which Kingdra hates. Kabutops and Qwilfish are other good partners on Rain Dance teams for ripping through your opponent’s team to create holes for Kingdra to abuse. Rotom formes make nice partners as they deal with bulky Water-types. Rotom-C can also scare off Swampert with Leaf Storm, while on Rain Dance teams, Rotom-W can abuse a powerful STAB 100% accurate Thunder and boosted Hydro Pump making them effective offensive partners. Jolteon is another Electric-type who can scare off bulky Water-types and has Hidden Power Grass for Swampert. Scizor and Tyranitar are other good offensive partners as Pursuit is a great tool to deal with many of Kingdra’s counters / checks such as Celebi and Choice Scarf Latias. For defensive support Pokemon, Steel-types are best for taking Kingdra’s Dragon-type weakness. The best examples are Bronzong, Heatran, Jirachi, Magnezone, Metagross, and Scizor. Most of them can also provide Rain Dance support should you be using Kingdra on a Rain Dance team. Celebi makes a nice partner as it can also deal with bulky Water-types, and it will appreciate the Fire-type resistance. Add in Heatran and you can have a nice defensive combo. Each of their weaknesses is covered by another. UbersLike most offensive Pokémon, it is highly recommended that you have a user of Stealth Rock on a team with Kingdra, as it allows it to have an easier time sweeping due to the vital KOs it helps Kingdra net. Rain is key to Kingdra’s success in the Uber metagame, thus Kingdra should always be paired with Kyogre. While offensive variants of Kyogre, such as Choice Specs and Calm Mind variants, are perfectly acceptable teammates for Kingdra, a set with Rest, Sleep Talk, and possibly Calm Mind is a particularly good choice. This is because in Ubers, Groudon is a common Pokémon, and will make the weather sunny; an unfavorable condition for Kingdra. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Kyogre will often be able to last for a much longer time than normal, so it will have more chances to set up the eternal rain that makes Kingdra such a deadly Pokémon in the Uber metagame. Dialga is one of the few Pokémon that can give both Kingdra sets problems. If Dialga is using its Bulk Up set, a Careful nature, and max HP and max Special Defense, Kingdra will have no chance of defeating it unless Kingdra is running max Attack and an Adamant nature, enabling it to potentially 2HKO Dialga. Additionally, Dialga is capable of revenge killing Kingdra if it is at near full health, due to it almost never being OHKOed by any of Kingdra’s attacks. If you know your opponent is using Bulk Up Dialga, Lucario can be used to defeat it. Even if Dialga uses Bulk Up, Outrage will not OHKO Lucario, while Adamant Lucario’s +2 Life Orb boosted Close Combat will easily OHKO a +1 Dialga. Lucario is also able to revenge kill most Dialga sets thanks to its ability to outspeed them. Generally, Dialga is notoriously hard to counter due to its versatility, thus it is best to either lure it in, or revenge kill it later in the match. Choice Band Scizor can make a great Dialga lure. With max Attack, Choice Band Scizor will have a 79% chance of OHKOing max HP Dialga that switch into Superpower after taking Stealth Rock damage. A Calm Mind Giratina-O with Aura Sphere can also be a useful Dialga lure. After one Calm Mind, Dialga will be unable to OHKO Giratina-O without a boosting item such as Life Orb or Choice Specs, while Giratina-O will be able to 2HKO even specially defensive Dialga with a boosted Aura Sphere. Although Choice Band Garchomp can not switch into Dialga’s attacks, it can revenge kill Dialga with Earthquake. Like most specially based Pokémon, Dialga will be unable to get past Blissey if it lacks physical moves. Finally, Groudon can scare off Bulk Up Dialga with the threat of Earthquake. Be warned though, Groudon’s sun will making Kingdra much less threatening than usual. The other Pokémon that can give both Kingdra sets problems is a specially defensive Groudon. Due to the sunny weather, it will even survive two Hydro Pumps from Kingdra 93% of the time after taking Stealth Rock damage, meaning that Groudon will then often be able to cripple it with Thunder Wave. The biggest issue Kingdra has with Groudon is the sun, which makes Kingdra much easier to stop. Thus, it is often a good idea to defeat Groudon by luring it in, so Kyogre can then take control of the weather. Mixed Rayquaza makes an excellent partner in this case. Many teams rely on Groudon to stop Rayquaza; mixed Rayquaza will deal such a huge amount of damage to Groudon with Draco Meteor that if it survives, it will no longer be able to stop Kingdra. Mixed Dialga can also work in a similar manner to mixed Rayquaza, especially if it is carrying Bulk Up, which will often attract Groudon switch-ins. Swords Dance Garchomp can also be a nasty surprise for Groudon switch-ins, as it is able to 2HKO even the most defensive Groudon. If Swords Dance Garchomp is carrying a Life Orb, it can even OHKO most defensive Groudon with a +2 Outrage. Finally, a mixed Metagross with Grass Knot can do a severe amount of damage to Groudon switch-ins, often putting Groudon at low enough health to be defeated by Kingdra. Kingdra’s typing leaves it only one weakness, which is unfortunately to the common Dragon-type. Because of this, Kingdra makes an excellent partner to Steel-types such as Scizor, Metagross, and Jirachi, since they can switch into the Dragon-type attacks that are often aimed at Kingdra, while Kingdra has no problems taking the Fire-type attacks that are aimed at them. Note that despite Kingdra’s 4x resistance to Water-type attacks, a full powered Water Spout from a Choice Specs Kyogre will still 2HKO Kingdra. Because of this, it is still best to use normal Kyogre switch-ins (such as Palkia and Latias) to defeat it. Other OptionsOUKingdra's movepool is fairly shallow and he doesn't have much in the way of other options. Flail is decent if you can get it off, but good luck pulling it off with Tyranitar, priority-move users and Stealth Rock everywhere. Kingdra can run a Choice Band set, but the lack of a decent physical movepool hinders its viability. RestTalk is a useful combination on Kingdra who is surprisingly bulky. With Sleep Talk, Kingdra can even use Outrage without getting locked into it. UbersKingdra is very capable of using a Choice Specs set in Ubers, which in conjunction with Swift Swim, can deal a huge amount of damage. However, it lacks the sweeping and/or the wall breaking capabilities the other sets possess due to being restricted by a Choice item. A Choice Band set may be tempting with Waterfall and Outrage, but Kingda’s physical move pool is too poor to support such a set. Substitute can be used on any of Kingdra's sets to scout out potential counters and to protect against status, however Kingdra's health will be drained fast if used with Life Orb. Dragon Pulse can be used as a more reliable special Dragon-type attack alongside Draco Meteor if needed. If using Dragon Pulse, make sure you use max Special Attack and a +Special Attack nature, as this will ensure that you will not only OHKO Rayquaza and Garchomp, but also OHKO Palkia after it takes Stealth Rock damage. Toxic can be used to cripple Lugia and Groudon switch-ins. Ice Beam can be used to 2HKO Groudon, but otherwise Draco Meteor is always the better move. EVsOUSpecific EVs are given for each set. Adamant, 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe is best for the Substitute Dragon Dance set, where as Adamant, 252 Atk / 24 SpA / 232 Spe is the best option for the Dragon Dance + 3 Attacks set. Double Dance set is best with Adamant, 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe, but can use Adamant, 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe if you want to outspeed +1 positive base 100s in the rain. Mixed Rain Dance set should use Naughty, 252 Atk / 240 SpA / 16 Spe to outspeed Choice Scarf Heatran in the rain, but Naughty, 192 Atk / 240 SpA / 76 Spe is a good alternative to outspeed +1 neutral natured base 100s at the slight cost of Attack. Special Rain Dance set should use either Modest 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe or Modest, 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe for a bit more bulk. Timid, 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe can even be used for surprise factor outside of rain, as well as outspeed almost all opposing Kingdra and +2 Jolly Gyarados in the rain. UbersWhen using Kingdra in Ubers, always use at least 176 Speed EVs, giving it a Speed stat of 250. This allows Kingdra to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp, which is the fastest Dragon-type commonly seen in the Uber metagame, in the rain. Although not recommended, you can give Kingdra 228 Speed EVs (giving Kingdra a Speed stat of 263) to outspeed the rare Choice Scarf Latios, thus outspeeding every single Dragon-type in the game in the rain. If you are willing to give up the power +Attack or +Special Attack natures give Kingdra, a +Speed nature is viable to outspeed faster threats. With 224 Speed EVs and a +Speed nature, Kingdra is able to out speed Timid Choice Scarf Darkrai, while 240 Speed EVs and a +Speed nature will allow Kingdra to outspeed Timid Choice Scarf Shaymin-S. With a +Speed nature, Kingdra will also have the bonus of being able to out speed Adamant Rayquaza. On the Dragon Dancer, use max Attack, 80 Special Attack EVs, and either a Lonely nature or a Naughty nature. This will ensure that Kingdra’s Outrages will always OHKO max HP Kyogre after Stealth Rock, while the Special Attack EVs will maximize Draco Meteor’s power. Although Lonely will allow Kingdra to take Surfs from Palkia more easily, a Naughty nature will allow Kingdra to be less easily revenge killed by Rayquaza’s ExtremeSpeed. If using Yawn over Draco Meteor, use an Adamant nature instead, and feel free to allocate the extra 80 EVs into Speed and HP. On the mixed attacker, use a Mild nature with max Special Attack and 80 Attack EVs. This will ensure that Kingdra’s special attacks do a massive amount of damage to most Ubers, while the 80 Attack EVs will allow Kingdra to always 2HKO Max HP Tyranitar with Waterfall, 2HKO max HP Kyogre after it takes Stealth Rock damage with Outrage, and always 2HKO Blissey with either Outrage or Waterfall in the rain. OpinionOUIn the past, Kingdra has been bashed a lot for its poor movepool. In the fourth generation, like most other Pokémon, Kingdra got a huge helping of new moves to help it out, in particular receiving the fantastic addition of Outrage. While Kingdra's movepool still isn't anything to write home about, it has a few very interesting options that do work well and Kingdra has changed from quite the mundane sweeper to a Pokemon that many teams will have significant problems with due to its ability to run quite a few sets, bulky stats, and excellent offensive (not to mention defensive) typing. UbersStat wise, Kingdra may seem like it is outclassed by Dragon-types such as Palkia and Rayquaza. However, Kingdra’s ability, Swift Swim, puts it in a class of its own. With Kyogre’s eternal rain, Kingdra becomes an excellent revenge killer, and either a powerful mixed attacker, or a sweeper that is incredibly difficult to revenge kill. In the rain, Kingdra will outspeed even Choice Scarf Garchomp and Choice Scarf Palkia, and will easily OHKO both with its powerful, STAB Dragon-type attacks. No other Dragon-type is capable of doing this in Ubers, often making Kingdra a deadly surprise for most teams that rely on Choice Scarfed Dragon-type Pokémon to stop sweeps from Rayquaza. Overall, Kingdra is an excellent Pokémon in Ubers, and is the prime candidate to base an Uber rain team around. CountersOUEmpoleon easily walls most mixed and special Kingdra sets, fearing only the occasional Hidden Power Electric, but when it comes to the Dragon Dancer, Empoleon has to focus its EVs into Defense or it will be 2HKOed by boosted Outrages. Celebi and Tangrowth also do decently at stopping the Dragon Dancer, but still have to be wary of Life Orbed variants as Outrage can 2HKO both of them. Milotic, Ludicolo, Suicune, and Vaporeon are also effective at stopping the mixed and special sets as well due to their Water resistance and good Special Defense, although hits from Draco Meteor will still take their toll while Blissey, Snorlax and Regice will beat the special based Rain Dance set. Tyranitar and Abomasnow also can annoy the Rain Dance sets by taking away their rain and hitting back hard. UbersBecause of Kingdra’s Dragon-typing and Speed in the rain, it is extremely difficult to counter in the Uber metagame. A Dialga with max HP, max Special Defense, and a Careful nature is the closest thing to a true Kingdra counter in Ubers. This Dialga will never be 2HKOed by any of Kingdra’s attacks, barring a max attack Outrage. Dialga can then easily OHKO Kingdra with Outrage. All other Dialga variants will have difficulty switching in, but they will be able to revenge kill Kingdra due to almost never being OHKOed by Kingdra’s assaults. Although Choice Scarf Rayquaza cannot switch into Kingdra, it can easily revenge kill it thanks to Air Lock. If Kingdra does not have a Dragon Dance boost, Rayquaza will not even need a Choice Scarf to outspeed Kingdra. A specially defensive Groudon will be able to take most of Kingdra’s attacks thanks to the sunlight, even being able to survive two Surfs from the mixed attacker, and then cripple Kingdra with Thunder Wave. Be warned, Kingdra can KO Groudon with the combination of Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor if you attempt to switch Groudon directly into Kingdra. Groudon’s eternal sun will make Kingdra much easier to deal with in Ubers, causing Kingdra to be walled by common Steel-types such as Scizor, and negating Swift Swim’s Speed boost, allowing for an easier revenge kill. While Kingdra is extremely difficult to revenge kill in the rain, there is a tactic that can be employed to defeat it. Since Kingdra is forced to KO Dragon-type Pokémon with Outrage if it has used Draco Meteor once, a good way to defeat Kingdra is to lure it into Outrage. When lured into Outrage, powerful, Steel-type attackers such as Scizor and Metagross can deal a severe amount of damage to it with their physical attacks. Jirachi in particular can use this time to paralyze Kingdra with Thunder Wave. |
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