So, a bit of time has passed, and I've tried a few more variations of the dark dragon, and learned a few things.
Firstly, I'm utterly convinced that any serious measure of speed is a waste. All the base 100 speeders are running speed boosting natures, you can't outspeed them. The next best thing for you to outspeed is Rotom-W/Heracross/Pinsir Standard (ie before mega evolution). Instead, opt for bulk: With 92/90/90 defenses and a large HP investment, Hydreigon is going to be able to come in for you again and again throughout a game.
It's been said quite a few times that there are better mons for Specs, or a Scarf, and I couldn't agree more. Hydreigon's speed tier is a disadvantage compared to other common scarf/specs pokemon. Instead, I believe Hydreigon's real niche in OU is this: A bulky, powerful special attacker with a great typing and a decent speed tier. Pretty much all of the pokemon Hydreigon beats are slower than it. It has a great movepool which can be tailored to certain threats your team faces. It's best used as a Pivot.
So, what's good about the Hydra this gen?
It's Dark/Ghost resistances are much more valuable. It's previously unfortunate speed tier is less detrimental because of the slight shift towards Bulky offense and priority. It outspeeds every common OU fairy + wall. And most importantly, It has excellent type synergy with a vast amount of top OU mons. Nearly every pokemon in S and A tiers.
Hydreigon (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power/Dark Pulse/U-turn/Flash Cannon/Superpower
- Roost
After large amounts of experimentation, this is the best Hydreigon set I could find. The immediate absence of Dark Pulse might be surprising, but it tends to miss out on a lot of 2HKO's without specs on. Draco meteor is your main spam attack and Fire blast is your primary coverage move. Earth power is on my set for Heatran, but that's the way my team is set up and can be replaced by any of the slashes. Roost is essential, cancelling LO recoil and is a great way to capitalise on the switches that Hydreigon forces.
Uturn is nifty, but works out better on paper than in practice. It does low damage, and most of the things that force Hydreigon out (Scarfers, other dragons, Greninja, Starmie, Char-X, Terrakion, Landorus) are faster than it, meaning you have to hard switch anyway. Flash Cannon has limited use, but there are much better ways to kill fairies and it really needs Specs to grab vital 2HKO's. Superpower is a great choice and lets Hydreigon blow past Tyranitar while still doing good damage to Heatran, Kyube and Mega Gyarados.
Firstly, I'm utterly convinced that any serious measure of speed is a waste. All the base 100 speeders are running speed boosting natures, you can't outspeed them. The next best thing for you to outspeed is Rotom-W/Heracross/Pinsir Standard (ie before mega evolution). Instead, opt for bulk: With 92/90/90 defenses and a large HP investment, Hydreigon is going to be able to come in for you again and again throughout a game.
It's been said quite a few times that there are better mons for Specs, or a Scarf, and I couldn't agree more. Hydreigon's speed tier is a disadvantage compared to other common scarf/specs pokemon. Instead, I believe Hydreigon's real niche in OU is this: A bulky, powerful special attacker with a great typing and a decent speed tier. Pretty much all of the pokemon Hydreigon beats are slower than it. It has a great movepool which can be tailored to certain threats your team faces. It's best used as a Pivot.
So, what's good about the Hydra this gen?
It's Dark/Ghost resistances are much more valuable. It's previously unfortunate speed tier is less detrimental because of the slight shift towards Bulky offense and priority. It outspeeds every common OU fairy + wall. And most importantly, It has excellent type synergy with a vast amount of top OU mons. Nearly every pokemon in S and A tiers.
Hydreigon (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power/Dark Pulse/U-turn/Flash Cannon/Superpower
- Roost
After large amounts of experimentation, this is the best Hydreigon set I could find. The immediate absence of Dark Pulse might be surprising, but it tends to miss out on a lot of 2HKO's without specs on. Draco meteor is your main spam attack and Fire blast is your primary coverage move. Earth power is on my set for Heatran, but that's the way my team is set up and can be replaced by any of the slashes. Roost is essential, cancelling LO recoil and is a great way to capitalise on the switches that Hydreigon forces.
Uturn is nifty, but works out better on paper than in practice. It does low damage, and most of the things that force Hydreigon out (Scarfers, other dragons, Greninja, Starmie, Char-X, Terrakion, Landorus) are faster than it, meaning you have to hard switch anyway. Flash Cannon has limited use, but there are much better ways to kill fairies and it really needs Specs to grab vital 2HKO's. Superpower is a great choice and lets Hydreigon blow past Tyranitar while still doing good damage to Heatran, Kyube and Mega Gyarados.
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