Hydreigon (Uber Analysis)

trickroom said:

. Genosect is outrun by Hydreigon but it can come in on any non Fire move and threaten Hydreigon with U-turn or Ice Beam.</p>

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Great Sage said:

Hydreigon is surprisingly underwhelming, but this set works. Why couldn't Game Freak had just made it physical and given it Dragon Dance...

QC APPROVED 2/2

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Lugia isn't 2HKOed by anything and can Roost stall Hydreigon with, then Toxic or Ice Beam it to death

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[Overview]

<p>Hydreigon is one of the few Dragons that, although very capable of going mixed, will more often than not run a special attacking set. Hydreigon is the only Dragon that is also a Dark-type, and the addition of Levitate gives it numerous opportunities to switch in in and do some damage. It is It's also one of two Dragons that can learn U-Turn, giving it a niche as a Choice Scarf user. Its average Speed will usually be its bane, considering that a good amount of things in Ubers will be able to revenge kill Hydreigon. In the Uber tier, It also has to compete with a long list of extremely powerful Dragons such as Rayquaza and Palkia. However, Hydreigon's unique typing and Levitate gives it the ability to function as a decent revenge killer even in the Uber tier. STAB Dark Pulse and Draco Meteor are wonderful weapons to have in Ubers tier where so many Psychic- and Dragon-types roam. It is also infamous for its ability to ignore Wobbuffet thanks to its Dark typing which grants it immunity to Psychic attacks, including Mirror Coat. Hydreigon can even pummel Wobbuffet with Dark Pulse for the 2HKO.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Surf / Dark Pulse / Head Smash
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid / Naive
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

<p>Hydreigon's decent Speed coupled with great Special Attack as well as the auspicious Dragon STAB makes Hydreigon a very efficient user of Choice Scarf. Dragon / Dark gives it a good amount of resistances to common moves like Fire, Water, and Electric, as well as an immunity to Psychic and Ground moves. It also grants him a very important Dark resistance, which means it won't have the weakness to Pursuit that troubles the majority of the Choice users. The Dark resistance also allows Hydreigon to come in on Darkrai's Dark Pulse and OHKO it with Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock damage. Being a Dark-type means Hydreigon has nothing to fear from Wobbuffet because it is immune to Mirror Coat. Hydreigon is can also boast being the only Choice Scarfer who can come in on Mewtwo's Psystrike without fear. Hydreigon also resists Shadow Ball and Fire Blast as well, but Aura Sphere and Ice Beam will probably end Hydreigon's life. U-turn is one of the greatest moves to have on a Choice user in order to keep momentum on your favor side. U-turn is also one of the main reasons you are using Hydreigon over other Ubers Scarfers users such as Palkia and Dialga. Levitate allows Hydreigon to ignore Toxic Spikes and Spikes, which is an advantage over most Scarfers commonly seen in Ubers. Surf works decently if you are using Kyogre on your team. With Surf, Hydreigon can act as a check to Ground Arceus. Dark Pulse smacks Ghost- and Psychic-types hard and 2HKOes all of them bar Lugia or Giratina, who possess titanic defenses. Hydreigon can 2HKO Giratina with Draco Meteor, but should never come in directly on Giratina due to the fear of Dragon Tail or possibly an Outrage. Head Smash seems like a poor option utterly laughable option, but it can be used to take care of Ho-Oh who otherwise laughs at the set. Eliminating Ho-Oh in one shot is something other specially offensive Scarfers can only dream of.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>Hydreigon needs a Choice Scarf to work well in Ubers. It can be used to revenge kill a good amount of sweepers commonly seen in Ubers such as Mewtwo, Darkrai, some Groudon, Ho-Oh (when using Head Smash), non-Choice Scarf Palkia, Rayquaza, Reshiram, Zekrom, and Wobbuffet. Flamethrower is usable over Fire Blast, although the loss in power can be crucial, but it's a way to avoid untimely misses. Keep in mind, though, that Flamethrower does not 2HKO Groudon and is a lot weaker in general. Surf is a good option on the last slot due to the ability to hit Ground- and Rock-types such as Tyranitar or Ground Arceus. Surf is also a good move to smack Heatran with as long as Sun is not present. (You already mentioned Surf in the set comments, so I don't see why you mentioned it here.) Dragon Pulse also has its merits, by for hitting Dragons and weakened Pokemon without having to get locked into Draco Meteor or a coverage move. Max Speed with a Timid nature lets Hydreigon outspeed a good amount of Pokemon, which means even if the Scarf is lost, it can still do a good job as a team player. A huge selling point is that Hydreigon is part of an exclusive group of Choice Scarf users who do not fear Wobbuffet coming in to trap it, since it's immune to Mirror Coat. Dark Pulse also 2HKOes Wobbuffet. Outrage can be used to 3HKO bulky Kyogre if Hydreigon invests heavily in Attack, which also powers up Head Smash and U-Turn. This is not advised, however, as Hydreigon needs all the power it can get, and splitting the EVs between both attacking stats would hinder it. Earth Power gets a special mention since it can almost OHKO standard defensive Ubers Heatran and 2HKO less bulky Dialga variants.</p>

<p>Hydreigon should be paired with things that enjoy sweepers gone. It can cause many switches by acting as a pivot or a scout, so entry hazard support is recommended when using Hydreigon. Hydreigon can act as a lure to scout the opponent's team and possibly weakening them to open a sweep for a more dangerous sweeper such as Rayquaza. Swords Dance Rayquaza wants Garchomp and Mewtwo gone. Hydreigon can reliably check Mewtwo and Garchomp without Choice Scarf or even scout the next possible switch-in with U-turn. Groudon also makes a good partner to Hydreigon for checking Terrakion, Salamence, and Scarf Garchomp. The infinite sun Groudon brings also powers up Fire Blast. Groudon does share an Ice weakness with Hydreigon, however. Giratina-O resists Hydreigon's weakness to Fighting and Bug while can Hydreigon can weaken Lugia for Giratina-O. Unfortunately, they share Ice and Dragon weaknesses. Kyogre can drown Ho-Oh, Garchomp, and Groudon for Hydreigon, and can come in on Ice Beams targeted at Hydreigon for free. Drizzle can boost Hydreigon's Surf. Ho-Oh is a decent partner because it checks special walls such as Chansey and Blissey easily. Skarmory provides Spikes support and Dragon and Bug resistances for Hydreigon. Ferrothorn and Forretress can do the same. although Ferrothorn shares a Fighting weakness with Hydreigon though and lacks a Bug resistance. Forretress also resists Ice and can also launch Toxic Spikes onto the field or provide Rapid Spin support. Scizor is can act as a partner for Hydreigon and can weaken walls with U-turn for Hydreigon to finish off later. Scizor also resists Ice and Dragon.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Work Up can be used on a mixed set, but it rarely will do will rarely do anything as Hydreigon's biggest problem is its average Speed. A mixed set in Ubers is largely outclassed by Rayquaza, who possesses much higher offenses and more bulk. You can run an alternative spread with a Hasty Nature and 28 Atk / 228 SpA / 232 Spe, giving it a slightly stronger U-Turn, and also letting it outspeed Rayquaza, but it this is not recommended since the extra attack doesn't do anything significant. A Choice Specs can be used, but it is outclassed by Dialga and Palkia who have higher offenses, and either bulk or Speed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Due to it's its average Speed, Hydreigon will more often than not get revenge killed, opposed to something switching in on an attack and instantly threatening to KO. Fighting-types such as Terrakion are Hydreigon's bane, since most of them will easily OHKO the hydra. Heracross has double STABs to OHKO Hydreigon with. Lucario can come in on Dark Pulse or a weakened Draco Meteor and threaten to OHKO with Close Combat. Lucario and Heracross do not like taking a Fire Blast to the face, though, while Terrakion absolutely hates Draco Meteor or Surf. Scizor can switch in on Hydreigon (watch out for a Fire move), and then threaten to KO with a powerful U-turn or Superpower. Ferrothorn and Skarmory also fear nothing except Fire moves, and if they switch in on the right move, they can set up on Hydreigon.</p>

<p>Faster Dragon-types like Garchomp and Palkia can switch in on anything Hydreigon uses except for a Dragon move. Palkia can survive a Dragon Pulse and OHKO with Spacial Rend or Draco Meteor. Heatran can take on anything Hydreigon commonly uses, but it has to be cautious of Earth Power or Surf in the rain. Dialga can survive any attack and finish Hydreigon with its own Draco Meteor. Lugia isn't 2HKOed by anything and can Roost stall Hydreigon with Toxic or Ice Beam it to death. Ho-Oh fears nothing but Head Smash and can easily 2HKO with Brave Bird. Defensive Arceus walls Hydreigon easily and can KO it with Ice Beam or Return. Fighting Arceus can easily dispatch Hydreigon with a simple Judgement. Bug Arceus can take any attack not named Fire Blast in the sun and KO Hydreigon with Judgement. Chansey and Blissey can laugh at whatever Hydreigon throws at them and reply with status.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Hydreigon gained gains nothing from Dream World. Shadow Tag Chandelure does make a good partner to Hydreigon though because they resist each other's weaknesses and Chandelure can remove any Steel type not named Heatran or defensive Dialga with Overheat. With the removal of Steel-types, Hydreigon can fire off powerful Draco Meteors with great ease. Genesect outruns Hydreigon and it can come in on any non Fire move while threatening Hydreigon with U-turn or Ice Beam.</p>

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