BLOOD TOTEM
braine damaged
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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. 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
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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, 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.
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