Doubles Hydreigon

BLOOD TOTEM

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Overview
########

Hydreigon packs a great Special Attack stat which ties in nicely with its vast array of coverage choices. Hydreigon's Dark typing sets it apart from other Dragon-type Pokemon, as it can handle Pokemon such as Cresselia, Aegislash, and Bisharp better. Hydreigon can also support its team with Tailwind. Levitate makes Hydreigon immune to Earthquake, which, in conjunction with its typing and decent natural bulk, gives it quite a few switch-in opportunities. The biggest drawback to Hydreigon is its base 98 Speed. Because of it, Hydreigon finds itself slower than a variety of common offensive threats such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X, and Terrakion, so its team needs more speed control. Another drawback is the Special Attack drop caused by using Draco Meteor.

Special Attacker
########
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Tailwind
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
evs: 16 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 232 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

Draco Meteor is the best choice when Hydreigon needs to hit something hard. It has the power to break through Pokemon that don't resist it with ease and can even take a huge chunk from those that do. Dark Pulse is the secondary STAB move and hits most Trick Room setters for super effective damage. It is also super effective against Aegislash, which resists Draco Meteor. To help eliminate Steel-type Pokemon, Hydreigon makes use of Fire Blast, which easily OHKOes Pokemon such as Scizor and Ferrothorn. Instead of Fire Blast, Hydreigon may opt to run Tailwind, which helps make up for its low base Speed and support its teammates. Protect stalls out field conditions and gives teammates an opportunity to take out Pokemon that threaten Hydreigon.

Set Details
========

232 Speed EVs and a Timid nature are used to outspeed max Speed Kyurem-B. Special Attack is maxed out to allow Hydreigon to hit as hard as possible. 16 HP EVs are used to minimize Life Orb recoil, and the final few EVs are dropped into Special Defense. Life Orb is the preferred item to increase Hydreigon's damage output.

Usage Tips
========

Hydreigon can make use of its movepool and Special Attack stat to break down walls which threaten to take away your momentum. Dark Pulse allows Hydreigon to handle many Trick Room setters, including Cresselia. Hydreigon typically performs best against bulky offense teams because many faster threats can easily KO it with their STAB attacks. Against faster teams, problematic threats should be quickly eliminated, or speed control needs to be set by partners. Thanks to its typing and respectable bulk, Hydreigon switches in fairly well and can fire off a Draco Meteor before switching out to negate the effects of the Special Attack drop.

Team Options
========

Steel-type Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Mega Mawile can switch into Fairy- and Dragon-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon. Scizor also works well because it threatens Terrakion, a major threat to Hydreigon, with Bullet Punch. Aegislash has fantastic defensive synergy with Hydreigon. Fairy-type Pokemon, such as Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir, can take out opposing Dragon- and Fighting-types and appreciate Hydreigon's Fire Blast, which clears out the Steel-types that wall them. Choice Scarf Landorus-T is free to spam Earthquake without worrying about hurting its partner thanks to Hydreigon's Levitate and also easily beats Terrakion. Prankster Thunder Wave support from Thundurus helps Hydreigon handle faster threats, and Tailwind partners help in a similar fashion. A notable example is Togekiss, which can redirect Dragon- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon for almost no cost. Cresselia offers multiple forms of speed control in Icy Wind and Thunder Wave. It also provides Helping Hand support, which boosts Hydreigon's damage output. Jirachi resists many of Hydreigon's weaknesses and can also provide Follow Me support.

Other Options
########

Chople Berry can be used to lure Pokemon like Terrakion and Keldeo, whilst Haban can be used to handle faster Dragon-type Pokemon. Earth Power is a good option to quickly eliminate Heatran whilst also doing solid damage to Bisharp and other Steel-type Pokemon. Focus Blast hits Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, as well as Steel-types, though its low accuracy can prove to be problematic. Hydreigon can use Thunder Wave to cripple switch-ins and support its teammates. With Substitute, Hydreigon can become a problematic threat; however, the loss of coverage and team support makes this undesirable. With a Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can act as a pivot with U-turn and snipe Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios with Draco Meteor. Flamethrower is a weaker but more accurate option over Fire Blast, and Heat Wave, despite being the weakest of the three, can be used to hit both opponents. Flash Cannon and Iron Tail hit Fairy-type threats super effectively. Through the use of Choice Specs, Hydreigon can boost its damage output to very high levels and break bulky Pokemon much more easily.

Checks & Counters
########

**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Fairy-type Pokemon such as Mega Gardevoir and Sylveon easily tear through Hydreigon. Azumarill is a notable example as it resists all of Hydreigon's common attacks and can OHKO it with Play Rough. Faster Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios and Salamence can also take it out with ease. Bulky Fighting-types such as Assault Vest Conkeldurr and Hitmontop can sponge a hit and OHKO back, whilst faster Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Terrakion can outspeed and OHKO Hydreigon. Tyranitar in sand can tank all of Hydreigon's attacks and retaliate with Low Kick or Ice Beam.

**Speed**: Faster threats with super effective coverage, such as Choice Scarf Genesect, Choice Scarf Kyurem-B, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T, can easily force out Hydreigon. Having a lower Speed puts Hydreigon at risk from Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X, and Volcarona as well. However, none of these Pokemon can safely switch in on Hydreigon's coverage or Tailwind.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Audiosurfer

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hmm ok ill bite
  • list an alternate spread for those who dont wanna bother with timid since theyll be outsped by base 100s plus genesect. maybe to just outspeed like jolly breloom or something with a modest nature for more power
  • add sub and scarf to OO
  • mention megaboma in hail under c&c
  • in overview say how one of the tiers it misses is the important base 100 tier
  • in usage tips in the try to tear up walls part, also mention its great coverage
otherwise looks decent
qc 1/3
 

BLOOD TOTEM

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I figured Breloom is likely to Bullet Punch Hydreigon anyway so Pwenmon told me to go for a defensive benchmark rather than a speed one.
The best I could come up with was:
-1 252 Atk Terrakion Close Combat vs. 56 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 288-338 (84.9 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
if anyone has some better spreads pls let me know :>
 

Inspirited

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could U-Turn be mentioned somewhere? IK this is doubles, but it is still p useful imo and Hydra is one of the few Dragons that gets it.
 
Overview:
  • I would add to the part about its bad speed that Speed Control is almost 100% necessary when using it.
Set:
  • No need for Earth Power imo. Dark Pulse is a clean 3HKO and Heatran can't touch it back. The other moves are more important. You can put it in oo and say that it can be used if Heatran is 100% dick to its team and needs to be taken out quickly, but for the average team it is underwhelming.
  • Haban seems nichy too, because it only loses to Latios, Salamence, and Max Speed Hydreigon. I think life orb is fine alone.
Usage Tips:
  • With its typing, ok bulk, and ability it is relatively easy for it to spam draco meteor and switch in and out
  • Great vs bulky offense, but needs to be careful vs faster more offensive teams.
Team Options:
  • More Speed Control partners (Icy Wind, Tailwind users are great)
  • Fairies also beat Fighters that scare Hydreigon.
Good Work QC 2/3
 

Darkmalice

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Overview
-it's SpA isn't just good; it's great
-Mega Charizard X isn't the stellar example of a classic Pokemon to outspeed Hydreigon as it's not that common and it usually runs bulky spreads that Timid Hydriegon would outspeed. A better example would be Garchomp. You could then go on to stay that these threats hit Hydrieong hard either through raw power or thought exposiing Hydriegon's common weaknesses (it's common weaknesses should be mentioned in the Overview)
-"Speed control is almost mandatory for this reason" I've used it without speed control fine, but it is better with it. I would say very helpful instead of almost mandatory.
-mention respectable bulk and Tailwind somewhere

Set details
-state that max speed and a Timid nature is needed to outspeed KCube
-move 8 HP EVs into SpD, as this incurs less Life Orb recoil (currently on 331 HP, should be 329)

Team Options
-please give a specific mention to Aegislash for Steel-type partners. It has incredible defensive synergy with Hydreigon. All of the types that hit Aegislash for at least neutral damage are resisted by Hydreigon, and vice versa.
-Jirachi also deserves a mention for Follow Me to protect Hydriegon to tank most of its weaknesses

OO
-Add Flamethrower and Heat Wave. Better accuracy and spread respectively but less power.
-Add Flash Cannon for Fairies
-Add Specs for raw power

Checks and Counters
-Hydreigon is also handle by Fighting-type Pokemon such as Terrakion, Keldeo, and Assault Vest Conkeldurr.. Split into faster-FIghting-types like terrakion and keldeo or slower ones that can tank a hit and OHKO back like Conkeldurr and Hitmontop (yes it always survives Timid LO Draco Meteor)
-Add Volcarona. Outspeed and OHKO with STAB
-ates faster U-turn (Scarf Landoge) to wear Hydreigon down whilst simultanoeuly switching to a threat that resists Hydreigon's attack, Genesect may also OHKO with +1 U-turn
-Fairies. Specific mention to Togekiess for redirecting its STABs and either being immune to it or resisting it; it can also set up Tailwind or use TWave to provide speed control agianst Hydreigon, and specific mention to Azumarill for resisting all of Hydriegon's common attacks and even not being weak to the rare Flash Cannon
-Tyranitar can't be 2HKOed but 2HKoes back with Low Kick or Ice Beam on special sets
-Mention that Hydriegon is much easier to take down after it has incurred a Draco Meteor special drop, as its biggest threat is its raw power combined with coverage, which is much easier to tank after the drop

**Speed Control** Tailwind, Thunder Wave, and Trick Room all make Hydreigon easier to handle as it is outsped with ease and broken down.

Mention taht most of the users of these moves can be OHKoed by Hydreigon or hit-super effectively (Cresselia) with the correct move. A notable exception is Suicune.

No need for Earth Power imo. Dark Pulse is a clean 3HKO and Heatran can't touch it back. The other moves are more important. You can put it in oo and say that it can be used if Heatran is 100% dick to its team and needs to be taken out quickly, but for the average team it is underwhelming.
HP Ice sets (on some Shuca Berry sets) always 2HKO Hydreigon thanks to LO recoil and win 1v1. I agree with Earth Power remaining in OO though.



QC 3/3
 
Last edited:

frenzyplant

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Overview
########
(line breaks after each header help with readability but are not necessary)
Hydreigon packs a good Special Attack stat which ties in nicely with its vast array of coverage choices. Hydreigon's Dark-type STAB sets it apart from other Dragon-type Pokemon as it can hit Trick Room setters much harder. Hydreigon can tailor its coverage slot to the team's (apostrophe) needs making it a good choice to bind a team together. Levitate makes Hydreigon immune to Earthquake, (comma) which is a huge benefit in the Smogon Doubles metagame. The biggest drawback to Hydreigon is its 98 base Speed. Because of it, Hydreigon finds it slower than a variety of common offensive threats, (comma) such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X and Terrakion. Speed control is almost mandatory for this reason. Another drawback is the Special Attack drop caused by the use of Draco Meteor.

Special Attacker
########
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Tailwind
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
evs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

Draco Meteor is the best choice when Hydreigon needs to hit something hard. It has the power to easily break through Pokemon that don't resist it with ease and can even take a huge chunk from those who do. Dark Pulse is the secondary STAB move and hits most Trick Room setters for super effective damage. It is also powerful super effective against Aegislash, (comma) which resists Draco Meteor. To help eliminate Steel-type Pokemon, Hydreigon makes use of Fire Blast which easily OHKOes Pokemon such as Scizor and Ferrothorn. Hydreigon may opt to run Tailwind which helps it make up for its low base Speed and support its teammates. Protect stalls out field conditions and gives teammates an opportunity to take out Pokemon that threaten Hydreigon.

Set Details
========

232 Speed EVs are used to outspeed max Speed Kyurem-B. Special Attack is maxed out to hit as hard as possible. 16 HP EVs are used to minimize Life Orb recoil, (comma) and the final few EVs are dropped into Special Defense (you use 24 EVs above and don't invest in SpD though...). Life Orb is the preferred item to increase Hydreigon's damage output, but Expert Belt is a viable option.

Usage Tips
========

Hydreigon can make use of its movepool and Special Attack stat to break down walls which threaten to take away your momentum. Dark Pulse means Hydreigon should be used as a lead against Trick Room teams as it will deal huge damage to common Trick Room users such as Cresselia. Hydreigon typically performs best against bulky offense teams. Against faster teams, problematic threats should be eliminated before being too hasty with Hydreigon. Thanks to its typing and respectable bulk, Hydreigon switches in fairly well and can fire off a Draco Meteor before switching out to eliminate avoid the effects of the Special Attack drop.

Team Options
========

Steel-type Pokemon such as Scizor can switch in on Fairy-, (remove comma) and Dragon-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon. Scizor also threatens Terrakion with Bullet Punch. Aegislash is another example Pokemon which has great defensive synergy with Hydreigon. Fairy-type Pokemon such as Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir can take out opposing Dragon- (dash) and Fighting-types and appreciate Hydreigon's Fire Blast which clears out the Steel-types that wall them. Choice Scarf Landorus-T is free to spam Earthquake thanks to Hydreigon's Levitate. It also handles Terrakion which is a threat to Hydreigon. Prankster Thunder Wave support from Thundurus helps Hydreigon handle faster threats. Tailwind partners help in a similar fashion. A notable example is Togekiss, which can also redirect Dragon-, (remove comma) and Figthing-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon for almost no cost. Cresselia offers multiple forms of speed control in Icy Wind and Thunder Wave. It also provides Helping Hand which boosts Hydreigon's damage output. Jirachi resists many of Hydreigon's weaknesses and can also provide Follow Me support.

Other Options
########

Chople Berry can be used to lure Pokemon like Terrakion and Keldeo, while whilst Haban Berry can be used to handle faster Dragon-type Pokemon. Earth Power is a good option to quickly eliminate Heatran whilst also doing solid damage to Bisharp and other Steel-type Pokemon. Focus Blast hits Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan on top of Steel-types. The low accuracy can prove to be problematic, though. Hydreigon can use Thunder Wave to cripple switch-ins (dash) and support its teammates. Through Substitute, Hydreigon can become a problematic threat, however but the loss of coverage makes this undesirable. With a Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can act as a pivot with U-turn and snipe Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios with Draco Meteor. Heat Wave can be useful as a spread move which and is also more accurate than Fire Blast. Flash Canon provides Hydreigon with an attack that hits Fairy-type Pokemon super effectively. Through the use of Choice Specs, Hydreigon can boost its damage output to very high levels and break walls much more easily.

Checks & Counters
########

**Offensive Typing AdvantageSuper Effective Moves**: Fairy-type Pokemon such as Mega Gardevoir and Sylveon easily tear through Hydreigon. Azumarill is a notable example as it resists all of Hydreigon's common attacks and can OHKO with Play Rough. Faster Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios and Salamence can also take it out with ease. Bulky Fighting-types such as Assault Vest Conkeldurr and Hitmontop can sponge a hit and OHKO back whilst faster Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Terrakion can outspeed and OHKO Hydreigon.

**SpeedFaster Pokemon**: Faster threats can easily put in chip damage which will wear Hydreigon down quickly. Low base Speed puts Hydreigon at risk from Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan which can dish out heavy damage to it.

**Speed Control**: (colon) Tailwind, Thunder Wave, and Trick Room on the opposing side all make Hydreigon easier to handle as it is outsped with ease and broken down.
 

Darkmalice

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Hold GP checks off for now

Totem, you forgot to make quite a few of my changes. I've listed the ones below you forgot to change

Set details
-state that max speed and a Timid nature is needed to outspeed KCube. You need to state why you're using Timid after all, which isn't done in the analysis
-move 8 HP EVs into SpD, as this incurs less Life Orb recoil (currently on 331 HP, should be 329) When Pokemon like Latios lower their HP IVs to 29 specifically because of LO recoil, you know that it's not a good idea to reach 331 HP as a stat


OO
-Add Flamethrower


Checks and Counters
-Add Volcarona. Outspeed and OHKO with STAB, and always survives LO Draco Meteor. It's a counter
-Faster U-turn (Scarf Landoge) to wear Hydreigon down whilst simultaneously switching to a threat that resists Hydreigon's attack, Genesect may also OHKO with +1 U-turn
-Specific mention to Togekiess for redirecting its STABs and either being immune to it or resisting it; it can also set up Tailwind or use TWave to provide speed control agianst Hydreigon
-Tyranitar can't be 2HKOed but 2HKoes back with Low Kick or Ice Beam on special sets
**Speed Control** Mention that most of the users of these moves can be OHKoed by Hydreigon or hit-super effectively (Cresselia) with the correct move. A notable exception is Suicune.


Overview
-it's SpA isn't just good; it's great
-"Speed control is almost mandatory for this reason" I've used it without speed control fine, but it is better with it. I would say very helpful instead of almost mandatory.
-mention respectable bulk and Tailwind somewhere
 
Last edited:
I made the suggestions and moved stuff around, so if anybody wants to look at it, I will give you a few days. Otherwise, I already have the third stamp so I will not wait too long.
 

frenzyplant

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Overview
########
Hydreigon packs a great Special Attack stat which ties in nicely with its vast array of coverage choices. Hydreigon's Dark-type typing sets it apart from other Dragon-type Pokemon, (comma) as it can hit handle Pokemon such as Cresselia, Aegislash, and Bisharp better. Hydreigon can also tailor its coverage slot to support its team with Tailwind. Levitate makes Hydreigon immune to Earthquake, which in conjunction with its typing and decent natural bulk, (remove comma) gives it quite a few switch-in opportunities. The biggest drawback to Hydreigon is its 98 base 98 Speed. Because of it, Hydreigon finds itself slower than a variety of common offensive threats such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X, (comma) and Terrakion, so its team Hydreigon's team needs speed control for this reason. Another drawback is the Special Attack drop caused by using Draco Meteor.

Special Attacker
########
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Tailwind
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
evs: 16 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 232 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========
Draco Meteor is the best choice when Hydreigon needs to hit something hard. It has the power to break through Pokemon that don't resist it with ease and can even take a huge chunk from those who that do. Dark Pulse is the secondary STAB move and hits most Trick Room setters for super effective damage. It is also powerful super effective against Aegislash, (comma) which resists Draco Meteor. To help eliminate Steel-type Pokemon, Hydreigon makes use of Fire Blast, (comma) which easily OHKOes Pokemon such as Scizor and Ferrothorn. Instead of Fire Blast, Hydreigon may opt to run Tailwind, (comma) which helps make up for its low base Speed and support its teammates. Protect stalls out field conditions and gives teammates an opportunity to take out Pokemon that threaten Hydreigon.

Set Details
========
232 Speed EVs and a Timid nature are used to outspeed max Speed Kyurem-B. Special Attack is maxed out to allow Hydreigon to hit as hard as possible. 16 HP EVs are used to minimize Life Orb recoil, (comma) and the final few EVs are dropped into Special Defense. Life Orb is the preferred item to increase Hydreigon's damage output.

Usage Tips
========
Hydreigon can make use of its movepool and Special Attack stat to break down walls which threaten to take away your momentum. Dark Pulse allows Hydreigon to handle many Trick Room setters, (comma) including such as Cresselia. Hydreigon typically performs best against bulky offense teams because many faster threats can easily KO it with their STAB attacks. Against faster teams, problematic threats should be eliminated, (comma) or speed control should be set by partners need to set up Speed control. Thanks to its typing and respectable bulk, Hydreigon switches in fairly well and can fire off a Draco Meteor before switching out to avoid the effects of the Special Attack drop.

Team Options
========
Steel-type Pokemon such as Scizor can switch into on Fairy-, (remove comma) and Dragon-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon. Scizor also threatens Terrakion with Bullet Punch. Aegislash is another example which has great defensive synergy with Hydreigon. Fairy-type Pokemon such as Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir can take out opposing Dragon- (dash) and Fighting-types and appreciate Hydreigon's Fire Blast, (comma) which clears out the Steel-types that wall them. Choice Scarf Landorus-T is free to spam Earthquake thanks to Hydreigon's Levitate. It Landorus-T also hard-stops stops Terrakion, which is a major threat to Hydreigon. Prankster Thunder Wave support from Thundurus helps Hydreigon handle faster threats, and Tailwind partners help in a similar fashion. A notable example is Togekiss, which who can also redirect Dragon-, (remove comma) and Fighting-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon for almost no cost. Cresselia offers multiple forms of speed control in Icy Wind and Thunder Wave. It also provides Helping Hand which boosts Hydreigon's damage output. Jirachi resists many of Hydreigon's weaknesses and can also provide Follow Me support.

Other Options
########
Chople Berry can be used to lure Pokemon like Terrakion and Keldeo, (comma) whilst Haban can be used to handle faster Dragon-type Pokemon. Earth Power is a good option to quickly eliminate Heatran whilst also doing solid damage to Bisharp and other Steel-type Pokemon. Focus Blast hits Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, as well as on top of Steel-types, though its The low accuracy can prove to be problematic, though. Hydreigon can use Thunder Wave to cripple switch-ins and support its teammates. Through Substitute, Hydreigon can become a problematic threat; (comma to semicolon) however, (comma) the loss of coverage makes this undesirable. With a Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can act as a pivot with U-turn and snipe Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios with Draco Meteor. Flamethrower is a weaker, (remove comma) but more accurate option over Fire Blast, or and Heat Wave can be used which is even weaker but hits both opponents. Flash Cannon provides Hydreigon with an attack that hits allows Hydreigon to Fairy-type Pokemon super effectively. Through the use of Choice Specs, Hydreigon can boost its damage output to very high levels and break bulky Pokemon much more easily.

Checks & Counters
########

**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Fairy-type Pokemon such as Mega Gardevoir and Sylveon easily tear through Hydreigon. Azumarill is a notable example as it resists all of Hydreigon's common attacks and can OHKO it with Play Rough. Faster Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios and Salamence can also take it out with ease. Bulky Fighting-types such as Assault Vest Conkeldurr and Hitmontop can sponge a hit and OHKO back, (comma) whilst faster Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Terrakion can outspeed and OHKO Hydreigon. Tyranitar in sand can tank all of Hydreigon's attacks and retaliate with Low Kick or Ice Beam.

**Speed**: Faster threats can easily put in chip damage which will wear Hydreigon down quickly, (comma) such as Choice Scarf Genesect, Choice Scarf Kyurem-B, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T. Having a lower Speed puts Hydreigon at risk from Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X, and Volcarona.
 
Wow I must have not been paying attention when i read the latest comment, and I didn't even know I was ready to implement anything lol. This is edited, thank you.
 

Electrolyte

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Overview
########
Hydreigon packs a great Special Attack stat which ties in nicely with its vast array of coverage choices. Hydreigon's Dark typing sets it apart from other Dragon-type Pokemon, as it can handle Pokemon such as Cresselia, Aegislash, and Bisharp better. Hydreigon can also support its team with Tailwind. Levitate makes Hydreigon immune to Earthquake, which,(AC) in conjunction with its typing and decent natural bulk,(AC) gives it quite a few switch-in opportunities. The biggest drawback to Hydreigon is its base 98 Speed. Because of it, Hydreigon finds itself slower than a variety of common offensive threats such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X, and Terrakion, so its team needs more speed control. Another drawback is the Special Attack drop caused by using Draco Meteor.

Special Attacker
########
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Tailwind
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
evs: 16 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 232 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========
Draco Meteor is the best choice when Hydreigon needs to hit something hard. It has the power to break through Pokemon that don't resist it with ease and can even take a huge chunk from those that do. Dark Pulse is the secondary STAB move and hits most Trick Room setters for super effective damage. It is also super effective against Aegislash, which resists Draco Meteor. To help eliminate Steel-type Pokemon, Hydreigon makes use of Fire Blast, which easily OHKOes Pokemon such as Scizor and Ferrothorn. Instead of Fire Blast, Hydreigon may opt to run Tailwind, which helps make up for its low base Speed and support its teammates. Protect stalls out field conditions and gives teammates an opportunity to take out Pokemon that threaten Hydreigon.

Set Details
========
232 Speed EVs and a Timid nature are used to outspeed max Speed Kyurem-B. Special Attack is maxed out to allow Hydreigon to hit as hard as possible. 16 HP EVs are used to minimize Life Orb recoil, and the final few EVs are dropped into Special Defense. Life Orb is the preferred item to increase Hydreigon's damage output.

Usage Tips
========
Hydreigon can make use of its movepool and Special Attack stat to break down walls which threaten to take away your momentum. Dark Pulse allows Hydreigon to handle many Trick Room setters, including Cresselia. Hydreigon typically performs best against bulky offense teams because many faster threats can easily KO it with their STAB attacks. Against faster teams, problematic threats should be quickly eliminated, or speed control needs to be set by partners. Thanks to its typing and respectable bulk, Hydreigon switches in fairly well and can fire off a Draco Meteor before switching out to avoid negate the effects of the Special Attack drop.

Team Options
========
Steel-type Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Mega Mawile can switch into Fairy-,(RC) and Dragon-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon. Scizor also works well because it threatens Terrakion, a major threat to Hydreigon, with Bullet Punch. Aegislash, too, has fantastic defensive synergy with Hydreigon as well. Fairy-type Pokemon, such as Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir, can take out opposing Dragon- and Fighting-types and appreciate Hydreigon's Fire Blast, which clears out the Steel-types that wall them. Choice Scarf Landorus-T is free to spam Earthquake,(RC) without worrying about hurting its partner thanks to Hydreigon's Levitate,(RC) and also easily beats Terrakion. Prankster Thunder Wave support from Thundurus helps Hydreigon handle faster threats, and Tailwind partners help in a similar fashion. A notable example is Togekiss, which can redirect Dragon- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon for almost no cost. Cresselia offers multiple forms of speed control in Icy Wind and Thunder Wave. It also provides Helping Hand,(AC) which boosts Hydreigon's damage output. Jirachi resists many of Hydreigon's weaknesses and can also provide Follow Me support.

Other Options
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Chople Berry can be used to lure Pokemon like Terrakion and Keldeo, whilst Haban can be used to handle faster Dragon-type Pokemon. Earth Power is a good option to quickly eliminate Heatran whilst also doing solid damage to Bisharp and other Steel-type Pokemon. Focus Blast hits Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, as well as Steel-types, though its low accuracy can prove to be problematic. Hydreigon can use Thunder Wave to cripple switch-ins and support its teammates. Through With (correct terminology is "through the use of", but that's really wordy) Substitute, Hydreigon can become a problematic threat; however, the loss of coverage and team support makes this undesirable. With a Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can act as a pivot with U-turn and snipe Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios with Draco Meteor. Flamethrower is a weaker but more accurate option over Fire Blast, and Heat Wave, despite being the weakest of the three, can be used which is even weaker but hits to hit both opponents. Flash Cannon and Iron Tail hit Fairy-type threats super effectively. Through the use of Choice Specs, Hydreigon can boost its damage output to very high levels and break bulky Pokemon much more easily.

Checks & Counters
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**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Fairy-type Pokemon such as Mega Gardevoir and Sylveon easily tear through Hydreigon. Azumarill is a notable example as it resists all of Hydreigon's common attacks and can OHKO it with Play Rough. Faster Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios and Salamence can also take it out with ease. Bulky Fighting-types such as Assault Vest Conkeldurr and Hitmontop can sponge a hit and OHKO back, whilst faster Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Terrakion can outspeed and OHKO Hydreigon. Tyranitar in sand can tank all of Hydreigon's attacks and retaliate with Low Kick or Ice Beam.

**Speed**: Faster threats with super effective coverage can Hydreigon down quickly, such as Choice Scarf Genesect, Choice Scarf Kyurem-B, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T, can wear Hydreigon down quickly. Having a lower Speed puts Hydreigon at risk from Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X, and Volcarona as well. However, none of these Pokemon can safely switch in on Hydreigon's coverage.


GP 2/2
 
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