Cause I accidentally deleted my Flygon revamp, figured i might as well fix the whole damn thing now XD
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move1: Earthquake
move2: Outrage
move3: U-turn
move4: Fire Blast / Fire Punch / Stone Edge / Dragon Claw
item: Choice Band
nature: Lonely / Naughty / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 80 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Flygon is often forgotten in favor of Salamence or Kingdra, the Choice Bander can pose a huge threat to a lot of teams. Thanks to his excellent Dragon / Ground typing and Levitate, Flygon has many opportunities to switch in with his unique resistances to Rock, Ground, Fire, and Electric attacks.</p>
<p>All Choice Banders require prediction to use effectively, but this applies to Flygon more than most other Pokémon due to his risky STAB moves. A Choice Banded Earthquake is a great opportunity for something like Salamence or Gyarados to switch in; allowing these dangerous free switches can be problematic. Outrage, while hitting most everything for good damage, forces Flygon to remain in play for 2-3 turns, leaving him very vulnerable to revenge kills from Mamoswine or other fast Ice attackers. Despite this, many people underestimate the power of these STAB attacks coming from an Attack stat of 492, which allows you to 2HKO Vaporeon, most Swampert, and you even have a chance to 2HKO Bold Suicune if it takes Stealth Rock damage.</p>
<p>The necessary prediction needed to effectively use CB Flygon is one reason why U-turn is such a useful move. Not only does it wear down some common "Dragon counters" switching in, such as Cresselia and Celebi (who is OHKOed 20% of the time if it takes Stealth Rock damage), you also get the benefit of learning what your counter is as you damage them AND gain a turn on your opponent, keeping the momentum of the battle in your control. With risky STAB attacks, U-Turn is a huge blessing for Flygon and helps distinguish him from Choice Band Salamence who can hit significantly harder.</p>
<p>The choice for the final attack (and ultimately Flygon's EV spread) is dependent on which floating Steel type you wish to hit harder. Fire Punch will 2HKO most Bronzong and 3HKO Skarmory, while Fire Blast 3HKOs most Bronzong and 2HKOs Skarmory. Each Fire move has its own merits. Fire Punch is 100% accurate and doesn't require a minus Defense or minus Special Defense nature to use. Fire Blast's 2HKO on Skarmory may be more important than a 2HKO on Bronzong though as Skarmory packs a recovery move while Bronzong doesn't, and neither immediately threaten Flygon. Ultimately, the choice of Fire move is up to the Flygon user. If one has Magnezone support, Stone Edge or Dragon Claw can hurt Flying types and Levitators without locking Flygon into Outrage. If one opts for a physical attack, an Adamant nature is recommended with the Special Attack EVs placed in HP.</p>
<p>To demonstrate the efficacy of Flygon, some damage calculations are appropriate.</p>
<h3>Damage Calculations</h3>
<pre>
Outrage vs. max HP / max Def Suicune: 43.56%-51.49%
Outrage vs. max HP / max Def Vaporeon: 56.9%-67.03%
Outrage vs. max HP / max Def Swampert: 51.49%-60.64%
Outrage vs. max HP / max Def Zapdos: 55.99%-66.15%
Outrage vs. max HP / max Def Cresselia: 38.51% - 45.5%
Earthquake vs. max HP / max Def Jirachi: 79.95%-94.06%
Fire Punch vs. max HP / max Def Skarmory: 38.32% - 45.51%
Fire Punch vs. max HP / max Def Bronzong: 43.2% - 51.48%
Fire Blast vs. max HP / min SpD Skarmory: 63.47% - 74.85%
Fire Blast vs. max HP / 92 SpD Sassy Bronzong: 37.87% - 44.97%
</pre>
<p>The given EVs hit 280 Speed, enough to outrun Lucario and other base 90 Speed Pokemon. One can invest additional EVs into Speed (216 Speed EVs for beats Adamant Electivire), but a change to Jolly nature is not recommended as Flygon really needs the power boost Adamant gives him in order to ensure some important 2HKOes.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move1: Earthquake
move2: Outrage
move3: Stone Edge / Draco Meteor / Fire Blast
move4: U-Turn
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant / Naughty
evs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> Flygon's resistances and immunities give it plenty of opportunities to switch in and score some surprise kills. Earthquake and Outrage are your primary STAB options, resisted only by Levitate Bronzong, Skarmory, and Shedinja. Stone Edge allows you to revenge kill that Gyarados, and can pick off a weakened Zapdos. Draco Meteor allows Flygon to beat a weakened Physical wall and gets the jump on Salamence and Kingdra without locking yourself in. Fire Blast fries Skarmory for a 2HKO and is your best option against Bronzong.</p>
<p> If you go with Draco Meteor, switch your nature to Naughty and distribute those 80 HP EVs into Special Attack. This will give you the power to revenge kill Kingdra and Salamence, as well as a guaranteed 2HKO on Skarmory. A Jolly nature can also be used to revenge kill a neutral Speed nature Dragon Danced Salamence, but the power drop makes it a poor option.</p>
[SET]
name: Toxic Stall
move1: Toxic
move2: Roost
move3: Earthquake
move4: Fire Blast
evs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe
nature: Timid
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> This set utilizes Levitate and Roost to their maximum potential in order to stall an opponent with increasing Toxic damage. 281 Speed is reached to outspeed 278 Speed Heatran, 279 Speed Lucario, and general 280 Speed Pokemon.</p>
<p>364 HP and 240 Defense isn't particularly bulky, but this Flygon isn't meant to absorb physical hits. Its purpose is to minimize residual damage as much as possible and Roost to keep its health up to let Toxic to take its toll on the opponent. The reason a Dragon move is not chosen is because Earthquake and Fire Blast hit all the Pokemon that are immune to Toxic for super effective damage (besides Weezing, Gengar and Crobat). Earthquake is chosen over Earth Power because it does more damage on average, and deals more damage to Heatran / Tentacruel, both of which resist Fire Blast and are immune to Toxic.</p>
<p>Flygon is unique in that it is the only Pokemon in the OU metagame that takes some sort of reduced damage from Fire, Electric, and Ground attacks, and this fact should be emphasized at all times when using Flygon. Its useful resistances are why Roost is such a quality move on it, as Roost allows the user to continually switch Flygon in to take Fire Blast, Earthquake, or Thunderbolt.</p>
[SET]
name: Screech
move1: Screech
move2: Dragon Claw / Stone Edge
move3: Earthquake
move4: Substitute / Roost / Fire Punch
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Screech is a really interesting attack for Flygon. At first it seems rather poor option: If you're lowering stats, won't your opponent just switch out? However, if you have the proper support, this isn't always a bad thing: You can use these switch outs in order to get some healing with Roost or a safety net through Substitute. Meanwhile, your opponent will be racking up Spikes damage through this constant switching. If your opponent has only one or two good answers to Flygon, this can spoil their plans quickly.</p>
<p>To effectively use this set, you'll need to predict your opponent's moves very well. If the opponent is staying in play, you'll want to attack. If they switch to something that is either slower than Flygon or not an immediate threat, you can Screech on the switch. If they switch to something like an Ice Sharder, you'll want to attack or Substitute. If you're unsure, use Substitute or switch out.</p>
<p>This set requires some support to work, most notably Spikes and Magnezone. Spikes are what make Screech usable as they force the opponent to rack up damage. Magnezone is less required as a Screech Fire Punch 2HKOs Skarmory, but it is still very useful. Not only does Magnezone allow Flygon to run Substitute, but Magnezone can execute a very similar strategy using Metal Sound.</p>
<p>Earthquake is Flygon's strongest usable STAB attack on this style of set. Outrage, Flygon's strongest attack, would force you to stop the Screech mind game and leaves yourself open for a revenge kill. Thus, Dragon Claw is recommended. However, there are certain Intimidating or defensive Flying types that don't take enough damage from a Screech Dragon Claw to be scared off. Thus, Stone Edge is an option for Zapdos, Gyarados, and some variants of Salamence.</p>
<p>The last attack is a toss-up. Substitute is probably the best as it gives you some insurance from mispredictions. Roost lets you play the Screech game for even longer, though, so it's useful if your opponent isn't packing Ice attacks. Fire Punch 2HKOs Skarmory and Bronzong after one Screech, so use it if you aren't packing Magnezone.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Choice Specs is decent, but Flygon doesn't have the raw attacking stats to pull it off effectively. Flygon could go Mixed, but the things that beat Specs Flygon (Blissey) aren't 2HKOed by Earthquake without a strong EV investment. However, a physically based mix may be useful to bait out Hippowdon, who doesn't like Draco Meteor at all. </p>
<p>ThunderPunch is an option for Gyarados if you are concerned about him taking an Outrage and KOing Flygon with Ice Fang or Avalanche.</p>
<p>Rest and Sleep Talk could work, as Flygon has good defensive typing, but Roost is almost always a better option.</p>
[EVs]
<p>On offensive sets, you'll want to maximize out Flygon's meager Attack. As far as Speed goes, you'll typically want Flygon to at least outrun neutral natured base 90 Speed Pokemon. Of course, running maximum Speed is always an option. The remaining EVs should be delegated towards Special Attack, if you use Fire Blast or Draco Meteor, or HP if you choose to only use physical moves. On more defensive sets, max out HP and leave a healthy portion of your EVs in Defense.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>In early DP Flygon was completely outclassed by Garchomp; however, with OU now lacking Garchomp, Flygon finally has time to shine. While Flygon is often viewed as one of the weaker Dragons he still brings a lot of unique options to the table when compared to Salamence or Kingdra. Flygon's completely different typing, unique pallette of resistances, and access to U-turn really help him stand out from his fellow Dragon-types.</p>
<p>Flygon's power is also somewhat underestimated. He can switch into many of OU's most prominent threats and be quite a threat with his Choice Band set, or he can surprise the opponent with a decently powered Draco Meteor. With a Choice Scarf, he can revenge kill many Pokémon with his good type coverage and STAB options.</p>
<p>While his fairly low stat total and average Attack are initially off-putting, don't forget this unique Dragon when building your team, as he can be a real asset when used correctly.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Not much can take repeated hits from the Choice Bander, so prediction is key. Cresselia is your best bet, not being 2HKOed by Outrage if very defensively EVed. Suicune and Vaporeon work reasonably well but both much watch out for Choice Band Outrage if they have taken residual damage. Hippowdon and Gliscor work similarly, although Ice Fang is required for them to be of any real threat to Flygon. A bulky Gyarados is an excellent counter with Intimidate, although Stealth Rock can hinder its ability to switch in. Bronzong, Skarmory, and Forretress can come in on any attack not of the Fire-type and set up something in Flygon's face. Most Steel-types can revenge kill a Flygon that's locked itself into Outrage too early into a match. Heatran and Metagross can easily come in on Outrage and OHKO with either Hidden Power Ice or Ice Punch, respectively. Many of these counters (Cresselia, Suicune, Vaporeon, Hippowdon, Gliscor) can handle hits from the Choice Scarf version as well, though the latter two should avoid Draco Meteor.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move1: Earthquake
move2: Outrage
move3: U-turn
move4: Fire Blast / Fire Punch / Stone Edge / Dragon Claw
item: Choice Band
nature: Lonely / Naughty / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 80 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Flygon is often forgotten in favor of Salamence or Kingdra, the Choice Bander can pose a huge threat to a lot of teams. Thanks to his excellent Dragon / Ground typing and Levitate, Flygon has many opportunities to switch in with his unique resistances to Rock, Ground, Fire, and Electric attacks.</p>
<p>All Choice Banders require prediction to use effectively, but this applies to Flygon more than most other Pokémon due to his risky STAB moves. A Choice Banded Earthquake is a great opportunity for something like Salamence or Gyarados to switch in; allowing these dangerous free switches can be problematic. Outrage, while hitting most everything for good damage, forces Flygon to remain in play for 2-3 turns, leaving him very vulnerable to revenge kills from Mamoswine or other fast Ice attackers. Despite this, many people underestimate the power of these STAB attacks coming from an Attack stat of 492, which allows you to 2HKO Vaporeon, most Swampert, and you even have a chance to 2HKO Bold Suicune if it takes Stealth Rock damage.</p>
<p>The necessary prediction needed to effectively use CB Flygon is one reason why U-turn is such a useful move. Not only does it wear down some common "Dragon counters" switching in, such as Cresselia and Celebi (who is OHKOed 20% of the time if it takes Stealth Rock damage), you also get the benefit of learning what your counter is as you damage them AND gain a turn on your opponent, keeping the momentum of the battle in your control. With risky STAB attacks, U-Turn is a huge blessing for Flygon and helps distinguish him from Choice Band Salamence who can hit significantly harder.</p>
<p>The choice for the final attack (and ultimately Flygon's EV spread) is dependent on which floating Steel type you wish to hit harder. Fire Punch will 2HKO most Bronzong and 3HKO Skarmory, while Fire Blast 3HKOs most Bronzong and 2HKOs Skarmory. Each Fire move has its own merits. Fire Punch is 100% accurate and doesn't require a minus Defense or minus Special Defense nature to use. Fire Blast's 2HKO on Skarmory may be more important than a 2HKO on Bronzong though as Skarmory packs a recovery move while Bronzong doesn't, and neither immediately threaten Flygon. Ultimately, the choice of Fire move is up to the Flygon user. If one has Magnezone support, Stone Edge or Dragon Claw can hurt Flying types and Levitators without locking Flygon into Outrage. If one opts for a physical attack, an Adamant nature is recommended with the Special Attack EVs placed in HP.</p>
<p>To demonstrate the efficacy of Flygon, some damage calculations are appropriate.</p>
<h3>Damage Calculations</h3>
<pre>
Outrage vs. max HP / max Def Suicune: 43.56%-51.49%
Outrage vs. max HP / max Def Vaporeon: 56.9%-67.03%
Outrage vs. max HP / max Def Swampert: 51.49%-60.64%
Outrage vs. max HP / max Def Zapdos: 55.99%-66.15%
Outrage vs. max HP / max Def Cresselia: 38.51% - 45.5%
Earthquake vs. max HP / max Def Jirachi: 79.95%-94.06%
Fire Punch vs. max HP / max Def Skarmory: 38.32% - 45.51%
Fire Punch vs. max HP / max Def Bronzong: 43.2% - 51.48%
Fire Blast vs. max HP / min SpD Skarmory: 63.47% - 74.85%
Fire Blast vs. max HP / 92 SpD Sassy Bronzong: 37.87% - 44.97%
</pre>
<p>The given EVs hit 280 Speed, enough to outrun Lucario and other base 90 Speed Pokemon. One can invest additional EVs into Speed (216 Speed EVs for beats Adamant Electivire), but a change to Jolly nature is not recommended as Flygon really needs the power boost Adamant gives him in order to ensure some important 2HKOes.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move1: Earthquake
move2: Outrage
move3: Stone Edge / Draco Meteor / Fire Blast
move4: U-Turn
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant / Naughty
evs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> Flygon's resistances and immunities give it plenty of opportunities to switch in and score some surprise kills. Earthquake and Outrage are your primary STAB options, resisted only by Levitate Bronzong, Skarmory, and Shedinja. Stone Edge allows you to revenge kill that Gyarados, and can pick off a weakened Zapdos. Draco Meteor allows Flygon to beat a weakened Physical wall and gets the jump on Salamence and Kingdra without locking yourself in. Fire Blast fries Skarmory for a 2HKO and is your best option against Bronzong.</p>
<p> If you go with Draco Meteor, switch your nature to Naughty and distribute those 80 HP EVs into Special Attack. This will give you the power to revenge kill Kingdra and Salamence, as well as a guaranteed 2HKO on Skarmory. A Jolly nature can also be used to revenge kill a neutral Speed nature Dragon Danced Salamence, but the power drop makes it a poor option.</p>
[SET]
name: Toxic Stall
move1: Toxic
move2: Roost
move3: Earthquake
move4: Fire Blast
evs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe
nature: Timid
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> This set utilizes Levitate and Roost to their maximum potential in order to stall an opponent with increasing Toxic damage. 281 Speed is reached to outspeed 278 Speed Heatran, 279 Speed Lucario, and general 280 Speed Pokemon.</p>
<p>364 HP and 240 Defense isn't particularly bulky, but this Flygon isn't meant to absorb physical hits. Its purpose is to minimize residual damage as much as possible and Roost to keep its health up to let Toxic to take its toll on the opponent. The reason a Dragon move is not chosen is because Earthquake and Fire Blast hit all the Pokemon that are immune to Toxic for super effective damage (besides Weezing, Gengar and Crobat). Earthquake is chosen over Earth Power because it does more damage on average, and deals more damage to Heatran / Tentacruel, both of which resist Fire Blast and are immune to Toxic.</p>
<p>Flygon is unique in that it is the only Pokemon in the OU metagame that takes some sort of reduced damage from Fire, Electric, and Ground attacks, and this fact should be emphasized at all times when using Flygon. Its useful resistances are why Roost is such a quality move on it, as Roost allows the user to continually switch Flygon in to take Fire Blast, Earthquake, or Thunderbolt.</p>
[SET]
name: Screech
move1: Screech
move2: Dragon Claw / Stone Edge
move3: Earthquake
move4: Substitute / Roost / Fire Punch
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Screech is a really interesting attack for Flygon. At first it seems rather poor option: If you're lowering stats, won't your opponent just switch out? However, if you have the proper support, this isn't always a bad thing: You can use these switch outs in order to get some healing with Roost or a safety net through Substitute. Meanwhile, your opponent will be racking up Spikes damage through this constant switching. If your opponent has only one or two good answers to Flygon, this can spoil their plans quickly.</p>
<p>To effectively use this set, you'll need to predict your opponent's moves very well. If the opponent is staying in play, you'll want to attack. If they switch to something that is either slower than Flygon or not an immediate threat, you can Screech on the switch. If they switch to something like an Ice Sharder, you'll want to attack or Substitute. If you're unsure, use Substitute or switch out.</p>
<p>This set requires some support to work, most notably Spikes and Magnezone. Spikes are what make Screech usable as they force the opponent to rack up damage. Magnezone is less required as a Screech Fire Punch 2HKOs Skarmory, but it is still very useful. Not only does Magnezone allow Flygon to run Substitute, but Magnezone can execute a very similar strategy using Metal Sound.</p>
<p>Earthquake is Flygon's strongest usable STAB attack on this style of set. Outrage, Flygon's strongest attack, would force you to stop the Screech mind game and leaves yourself open for a revenge kill. Thus, Dragon Claw is recommended. However, there are certain Intimidating or defensive Flying types that don't take enough damage from a Screech Dragon Claw to be scared off. Thus, Stone Edge is an option for Zapdos, Gyarados, and some variants of Salamence.</p>
<p>The last attack is a toss-up. Substitute is probably the best as it gives you some insurance from mispredictions. Roost lets you play the Screech game for even longer, though, so it's useful if your opponent isn't packing Ice attacks. Fire Punch 2HKOs Skarmory and Bronzong after one Screech, so use it if you aren't packing Magnezone.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Choice Specs is decent, but Flygon doesn't have the raw attacking stats to pull it off effectively. Flygon could go Mixed, but the things that beat Specs Flygon (Blissey) aren't 2HKOed by Earthquake without a strong EV investment. However, a physically based mix may be useful to bait out Hippowdon, who doesn't like Draco Meteor at all. </p>
<p>ThunderPunch is an option for Gyarados if you are concerned about him taking an Outrage and KOing Flygon with Ice Fang or Avalanche.</p>
<p>Rest and Sleep Talk could work, as Flygon has good defensive typing, but Roost is almost always a better option.</p>
[EVs]
<p>On offensive sets, you'll want to maximize out Flygon's meager Attack. As far as Speed goes, you'll typically want Flygon to at least outrun neutral natured base 90 Speed Pokemon. Of course, running maximum Speed is always an option. The remaining EVs should be delegated towards Special Attack, if you use Fire Blast or Draco Meteor, or HP if you choose to only use physical moves. On more defensive sets, max out HP and leave a healthy portion of your EVs in Defense.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>In early DP Flygon was completely outclassed by Garchomp; however, with OU now lacking Garchomp, Flygon finally has time to shine. While Flygon is often viewed as one of the weaker Dragons he still brings a lot of unique options to the table when compared to Salamence or Kingdra. Flygon's completely different typing, unique pallette of resistances, and access to U-turn really help him stand out from his fellow Dragon-types.</p>
<p>Flygon's power is also somewhat underestimated. He can switch into many of OU's most prominent threats and be quite a threat with his Choice Band set, or he can surprise the opponent with a decently powered Draco Meteor. With a Choice Scarf, he can revenge kill many Pokémon with his good type coverage and STAB options.</p>
<p>While his fairly low stat total and average Attack are initially off-putting, don't forget this unique Dragon when building your team, as he can be a real asset when used correctly.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Not much can take repeated hits from the Choice Bander, so prediction is key. Cresselia is your best bet, not being 2HKOed by Outrage if very defensively EVed. Suicune and Vaporeon work reasonably well but both much watch out for Choice Band Outrage if they have taken residual damage. Hippowdon and Gliscor work similarly, although Ice Fang is required for them to be of any real threat to Flygon. A bulky Gyarados is an excellent counter with Intimidate, although Stealth Rock can hinder its ability to switch in. Bronzong, Skarmory, and Forretress can come in on any attack not of the Fire-type and set up something in Flygon's face. Most Steel-types can revenge kill a Flygon that's locked itself into Outrage too early into a match. Heatran and Metagross can easily come in on Outrage and OHKO with either Hidden Power Ice or Ice Punch, respectively. Many of these counters (Cresselia, Suicune, Vaporeon, Hippowdon, Gliscor) can handle hits from the Choice Scarf version as well, though the latter two should avoid Draco Meteor.</p>
