KORAIDON KRUSH PUNY WEAKLINGS!
[SET]
Swords Dance (Koraidon) @ Loaded Dice / Lum Berry / Clear Amulet
Ability: Orichalcum Pulse
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Tera Type: Fire
- Swords Dance
- Collision Course / Drain Punch
- Flare Blitz / Flame Charge
- Scale Shot / Flame Charge
[SET COMMENTS]
* With Swords Dance, Koraidon's already volcanic power crushes almost everything in its path. Only physically defensive Unaware Pokemon like Dondozo and Skeledirge, Tera Fairy Pokemon with Flash Fire like Ceruledge and Heatran, and the rare Dachsbun have any hope of walling it!
* **Collision Course versus Drain Punch**: Collision Courses's lack of drawbacks make it an easy choice over Close Combat, especially since Koraidon is rather bulky even without investment, and after Swords Dance, it still deals over 50% to Hippowdon even without Orichalcum Pulse kicking in. Drain Punch trades a lot of that power against Hippowdon in particular in exchange for healing, which suits Koraidon's reasonable bulk.
* **Flare Blitz versus Flame Charge**: Flare Blitz offers brutal power beyond imagination, usually making it the prime choice. However, boosted Flame Charge with Tera Fire still does good damage, and can be paired with Outrage to muscle through certain targets such as Ho-Oh and Toxapex more easily
* **Scale Shot with Loaded Dice versus Flame Charge**: Koraidon will want a way to boost its Speed to keep revenge killers like Calyrex-S and Choice Scarf Landorus-T at bay. Scale Shot works great as both a multi-hit move to shred common users of Focus Sash like Chien-Pao and Calyrex-S after a boost. Flame Charge trades ripping through Focus Sash and power for reliability, hitting Fairy-types, and not making Koraidon more vulnerable to priority from foes like Choice Band Dragonite.
Other Options
========
* **Outrage**: Outrage offers vicious power on the level of Flare Blitz, making it a decent alternative when using Flame Charge to deal heavier damage to defensive foes like Dondozo and Ho-Oh. However, it leaves Koraidon very vulnerable to being revenge killed by Fairy-types such as Flutter Mane, Zacian-C, and Tera Fairy Calyrex-S.
Items
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* **Loaded Dice**: If using Scale Shot, Loaded Dice is a must for more consistently pummeling Focus Sash foes after a boost.
* **Lum Berry**: Lum Berry is a fantastic option against Yawn users like Hippowdon and Ursaluna-B, as well as stopping Flutter Mane from sneaking a Thunder Wave in.
* **Clear Amulet**: Clear Amulet ensures that debuff tactics such as Intimidate and Rock Tomb will bounce off Koraidon like pebbles, as well as stopping Charm from Flutter Mane.
* **Life Orb**: Life Orb boosts Koraidon's power to K-T extinction levels, with Tera Fire Flare Blitz even having around a 50% shot of OHKOing Toxapex after Swords Dance!
Tera Types
========
* **Tera Dependency - Medium**: Terastallization is a great way to keep common revenge killers like Flutter Mane and Ice Shard Chien-Pao from stopping Koraidon cold.
* **Fire**: Tera Fire offers the best combination of offense and defense, turning the devastating Fairy-type weakness into a resistance, and letting Flare Blitz blast foes back to the stone age. Even bulky resistances like Toxapex are actually 2HKOed by a boosted Flare Blitz in the sun!
* **Steel**: Tera Steel is a niche alternative to Fire, providing no offensive benefit but flipping Koraidon's Dragon, Fairy, and Psychic weaknesses on their head, as well as protecting it from Toxic Spikes and Toxic users like Gliscor and Toxapex. Just note that the Fire weakness is especially problematic due to Koraidon setting up sunny weather.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Sun Teammates
========
Koraidon's scorching sun does more than drive it into a primal frenzy, it's great support for a wide variety of teammates! Almost any Fire-type will appreciate the sun, so consider the below as important examples rather than an exhaustive list.
* **Flutter Mane and Protosynthesis**: While other Protosynthesis Pokemon like Roaring Moon and Walking Wake love Koraidon's sun and have niches, Flutter Mane is so unmatched with its combination of Speed and power that it's almost a requirement to run it with Koraidon!
* **Ogerpon-H**: Ogerpon-H is a notable Fire-type teammate thanks to its ferocious Ivy Cudel in the sun and using Mold Breaker to slice through Dondozo.
* **Chi-Yu**: Chi-Yu becomes a truly ruinous revenge killer or wallbreaker with Koraidon's sun. In particular, Choice Specs Chi-Yu can now 2HKO Blissey with Flamethrower!
Speed EV Benchmarks
======
* **Jolly Nature with maximum Speed**: Investing in more power with Adamant may seem tempting, but Koraidon's contentious speed ties with Flutter Mane and Choice Scarf Miraidon even after a Speed boost, in addition to Chien-Pao with no boosts, means speed ties can easily decide who gets KOed. Dropping Speed usually only makes sense on bulkier sets instead.
* **20 Spe: This outspeeds Jolly Landorus-T.**
* **68 Spe**: This outspeeds Jolly Urshifu formes and Jolly Mimikyu.
* **100 Spe**: This outspeeds Timid Chi-Yu.
* **60+ Spe or 188 Spe**: This outspeeds Jolly Ogerpon formes, Timid Iron Moth, and Timid Alolan Ninetales. Note that Alolan Ninetales will overwrite the sun with snow if Koraidon outspeeds it.
* **124+ Spe**: This outspeeds Neutral Nature Koraidon, Miraidon, Chien-Pao, and Flutter Mane.
* **140+ Spe**: This outspeeds Jolly Snealser that have not activated Unburden.
* **220+ Spe**: This outspeeds Timid Eternatus.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theorymon.29010/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/derpysux.528485/
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