After all this I realize I probably should've looked for an offensive mon because goddamn it's hard to tank this thing.
I've been waiting for a few of them. So far the only ones are ...AV Infernape and Cobalion (which is probably one of the best offensive answers to Hydreigon in its own right). However I feel the serious need to break the trend of Fairy-types/AV abusers being listed as dedicated checks to this guy. I wanted to see if anybody else was gonna take this mon for a while because I kinda don't really want to enter this too often (especially when I'm the one who determines what wins each week after discussing it with a few others), but I think this one slipped over most you guys' heads:
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
- Defog
SpD Empoleon is one of the best
checks to Hydreigon, thanks to its great fully-invested base 101 SpD stat and typing. Despite the Steel nerf, Dark Pulse fails to come close to even doing a 2HKO, and thanks to its resistance to Dragon, Draco Meteor also does very little. Fire Blast, due to lacking STAB, doesn't do much either. And Iron Tail...4x resisted, so yeah. Not that big an issue. Its resistance to Stealth Rock also ensures that Hydreigon's pretty much not going to do much more than have a higher chance at 3HKOing with any move bar Superpower. Ice Beam even with minimal investment, is able to 2HKO Hydreigon easily, meaning Empoleon can switch in, tank a hit, use Ice Beam, and threaten to KO it should it go for another attack, which it should be allowed to survive, thanks to recovery from Leftovers. Empoleon maintains its utility for your team by being able to set up and clear hazards for its teammates, while checking various other Pokemon, especially if backed by Wish support to keep it healthy. Superpower is literally the ONLY move Empoleon has to fear from this Hydreigon set, but that's exactly what relegates it as a solid
check, as opposed to a
counter, which I feel some of you guys are trying to make most of the Pokemon you post into:
"
-To be considered a check, a Pokemon must be able to switch into at least one but not all of the opponent's moves under normal battle conditions, including taking damage from Stealth Rock, and reliably KO the opponent before the counter is KOed itself"
I feel the need to re-emphasize this because based on some of the sets I'm seeing, you're trying to take Pokemon, some of whom are still checks at best, and making them into catch-alls who can come in on any of its moves...And still be checks at best. I understand the reasoning behind this, because you want to ensure reliability above all else...but bear in mind Hydreigon's slashes indicate it isn't using all 6 moves listed. It's picking choices, and a Pokemon can be a solid or a shaky check to it based on the choices it runs. With the Empoleon I posted, it's an otherwise terrible check if the Hydreigon in question carries Superpower; if not, then it pretty much beats it one-on-one. There's a lot of Pokemon, even offensive ones I'm certain, who meet these same credentials if you dig hard enough. Just...less things you know you would not use in this metagame carrying an Assault Vest, please and thank you.
Next thing you know Blame Truth himself is gonna post in this thread
Calcs:
252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 96-113 (25.8 - 30.3%) -- 1.2% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 118-140 (31.7 - 37.6%) -- 0.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 109-129 (29.3 - 34.6%) -- 99.9% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 Atk Life Orb Hydreigon Superpower vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Empoleon: 263-309 (70.6 - 83%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 SpA Empoleon Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Hydreigon: 156-184 (48 - 56.6%) -- 84.8% chance to 2HKO
4 SpA Empoleon Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Hydreigon: 172-204 (52.9 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
