[OVERVIEW]
Kingdra marks its niche in DPP OU by being the best rain sweeper and an all around vicious attacker. Kingdra's excellent Water / Dragon typing, balanced stat distribution, and Swift Swim make it a terrific Choice Specs user. Kingdra is terrifying under rain and even outside of it, as its strong Water and Dragon STAB moves hits everything neutrally in OU besides Empoleon, it has a decent Speed tier, and bulky Pokemon such as Jirachi, Metagross, and Gyarados struggle to take it on. With rain support, Kingdra outspeeds everything in the tier and a rain boosted Choice Specs Hydro Pump is really only stomached well by Blissey and Water Absorb Pokemon such as Quagsire and Vaporeon. Even specially bulky Water-resistant Pokemon such as defensive Latias (who is OHKOed by Draco Meteor) and specially defensive Empoleon are 3HKOed. Kingdra's speed and power under rain almost single handedly makes creating a rain infrastructure worth it, as it can mow down offensive teams that don't pack weather changers like Tyranitar and Abomasnow due to outspeeding all relevant Choice Scarf users, being bulky enough to survive priority, and easily 2HKOing even bulkier offensive Water-resistant Pokemon like Gyarados, Dragonite, and Suicune with Hydro Pump.
Kingdra's also has access to Dragon Dance and excellent physical offensive options in Waterfall and Outrage. Kingdra's bulk and 4x resistance to Water- and Fire-type moves makes it a great choice on hyper offensive teams alongside Magnezone, as Kingdra can wear down answers to sweepers such as Gyarados and Swords Dance Gliscor and help absorb the defensive burden. Its naturally great coverage in two moves allows it to have a number of different utility moves such as Substitute, Rest, Rain Dance, and even Yawn. Kingdra can also manually set up Rain Dance on more specially offensive sets to act as a weather clearer and power through offensive Pokemon with rain boosted attacks and the ability to switch moves.
Kingdra is held back by its relatively mediocre stats, reliance on moves with low accuracy or heavy drawbacks, and vulnerability to residual damage. While Kingdra has overall solid stats, it unfortunately isn't outstanding in any department. Base 95 offensive stats really hurts it when trying to use Dragon Dance, as it simply isn't strong enough to overcome walls or even offensive Pokemon that it doesn't hit super effectively. Physically defensive Skarmory, Zapdos, and Celebi all withstand multiple hits from +1 Kingdra, while Metagross, Scizor, and Magnezone can all take at least two hits from it and retaliate—especially if it locks itself into Outrage against these Steel-types. Kingdra's Speed tier at +1 is also mediocre, as it is outsped by most common Choice Scarf users such as Flygon, Rotom-A, Jirachi, Heatran, and Latias and is dealt with accordingly. Its lack of power stat also hurts it on the special side, as it is forced to use moves such as Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor. While using these moves can work when trying to wallbreak, Kingdra unfortunately just isn't strong enough to sweep using the weaker Surf and Dragon Pulse against bulkier targets such as specially defensive Skarmory, Jirachi, and Passho Berry Tyranitar, even when boosted by Choice Specs. This forces it to use more powerful options with drawbacks, where the inevitable miss or being forced out due to the stat drops is catastrophic. Kingdra also is vulnerable to all entry hazards, status, and sand, meaning that if it is forced to switch out it can struggle to get going again, both as a rain sweeper or with Dragon Dance.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Surf
move 3: Draco Meteor
move 4: Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Specs
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Kingdra’s STAB options have near perfect coverage on their own, meaning it doesn’t have to run additional coverage. This allows it to have the luxury of running both stronger options (Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor) and safer ones (Surf and Dragon Pulse). Hydro Pump hits extremely hard, OHKOing offensive Tyranitar in sand and 2HKOing even bulky neutral targets such as Clefable. Rain powers this up even further, as Kingdra can OHKO even bulkier Pokemon not resistant to Water such as defensive Jirachi, Bronzong, and Swampert. Surf is helpful when the power of Hydro Pump isn't needed or when Kingdra can't risk a miss, such as against Heatran and frailer offensive Pokemon such as Lucario and Gengar.
Draco Meteor is in a similar situation as Hydro Pump, as while it is Kindra's strongest option, the stat drop immediately forces Kingdra out. Draco Meteor OHKOes many Pokemon resistant to Water, such as Latias, Starmie, and Gyarados after Stealth Rock. Dragon Pulse, while much weaker, still has a good chance to OHKO defensive Latias after Stealth Rock, still 2HKOes many Water-types, and is the best option against Pokemon such as Milotic that can survive Draco Meteor and heal off the damage.
Set Details
========
Kingdra sits at a valuable Speed tier and should not run less than 228 Speed EVs so it can outspeed Breloom and neutral-natured Gyarados. This also lets it outspeed the fastest common Choice Scarf Pokemon, Latias, in rain. Kingdra needs as much Special Attack as it can get due to its mediocre base stat, meaning a Modest nature and maximum Special Attack EVs. Kingdra can use a Timid nature to outspeed Heatran and KO it before it uses Explosion, but this greatly reduces its power. Kingdra should always use Swift Swim even if not used in rain, as the speed boost if the opponent sets up rain is more valuable than the situational 3x boost for a critical hit. Kingdra already OHKOes almost everything in the tier anyway with a critical hit and the extra boost is gratuitous—an example of its absurd power is a Sniper critical hit Draco Meteor OHKOes Blissey.
Usage Tips
========
Kingdra’s 4x resistance to Water and Fire gives it great opportunities to in on Starmie, most Gyarados, Choiced Latias using Surf, and Heatran and bring some pain. Kingdra also can switch in on entry hazards and some set up moves such as Gyarados’s Dragon Dance, Suicune’s Calm Mind, and Scizor’s Swords Dance and if not KO, heavily weaken the foe due to its bulk and power. Kingdra can get a lot of value predicting switches, as only Pokemon such as specially defensive Empoleon, Milotic, and Blissey avoid getting 2HKOed by the appropriate move. OHKOing Latias with Draco Meteor or devastating Steel-types or Clefable with Hydro Pump can really open up defensive and offensive teams alike for Kingdra and its teammates.
In the context of a rain team, Kingdra generally is the first rain sweeper to bring out once rain is set up, as it hits insanely hard and can open up the opposing team for other rain sweepers. Kingdra should generally just use Hydro Pump or Surf, as the additional rain boost nails even offensive Water-resistant foes and hits Tyranitar and Hippowdon extremely hard should they try to change the weather. Try to keep Kingdra away from Protect users and paralysis, as it it easily revenge killed when rain ends or it doesn’t have a speed boost. If Kingdra has the opportunity to sweep, knowing the damage ranges of Surf so it doesn’t have to risk missing Hydro Pump is quite valuable.
Team Options
========
Kingdra is excellent as either a general wallbreaker or as a rain threat. Outside of a rain context, Kingdra doesn’t need much support, as its goal is to wallbreak and act as a utility counter with its bulk, power, and Speed. Additional Water-types such as Gyarados, Empoleon, Swampert, and Suicune are good partners for it, as they can take advantage of the holes it creates. Kingdra really enjoys teammates that bait in Fire- and Water-type attacks. Some of its best partners are Steel-types and Tyranitar that not only can switch into Dragon-type moves, but also entice Choice Specs Latias to use Surf. Heatran, Metagross, Jirachi, Scizor, and Bronzong are fantastic choices. Offensive Focus Sash Heatran is a particular adept partner, as it can use Explosion on special walls and appreciates the support against Water-types. Kingdra also is good alongside Choice Scarf Latias, as it can batter Steel-types and enjoys Latias giving it a fail safe should foes try to set up on -2 Draco Meteor. Other Pokemon that appreciate Kingdra’s resistance palette and wall breaking include Breloom, Gliscor, and Gengar.
For rain teams, Kingdra really appreciates bulky supporters that switch into Dragon-type moves to set up rain and additional rain sweepers. Bronzong is its most common partner on these teams due to its bulk and resistances, but Uxie, Azelf, Cresselia, Jirachi, and Scizor are all good partners. Kingdra can support a diverse array of offensive teammates, as their primary goal should be to both remove Tyranitar and bulky pivots into Water-type moves. Qwilfish and Ludicolo are the most common rain sweepers alongside Kingdra, as Qwilfish absorbs Toxic Spikes, has a diverse movepool, and is a strong physical compliment to Kingdra. On the other hand, Ludicolo’s strong Grass-type coverage hits Quagsire and other Water-types extremely hard. For non-Swift Swim Pokemon Heatran, Latias, Metagross, Rotom-W, and Machamp are all solid partners, whereas Substitute Gyarados and Suicune appreciate Kingdra power through Water-resistant foes and weather clear.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Substitute / Rest / Rain Dance
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Kingdra’s bulk, lack of weaknesses, and offensive threat level generally lets it get a Dragon Dance. As special Kingdra especially outside of rain is more common, this potentially lets Kingdra surprise foes with speed and power. Waterfall is Kingdra’s only physical Water-type attack and is the most reliable option. It also has a prominent flinch chance, letting Kingdra potentially bypass bulkier answers like Metagross and Scizor. Outrage makes up for Kingdra’s mediocre Attack stat by hitting neutral targets very hard, 2HKOing most bulky Pokemon such as physically Zapdos and Swampert. While Kingdra doesn’t generally OHKO foes at +1 or even +2, its bulk generally affords it the opportunity to get another attack off.
Kingdra’s lack of good physical options outside of these STAB moves and good coverage affords it many other utility moves. The most prominent of these is Substitute, as the ability to both block status and potentially get a Substitute when a foe tries to bait Kingdra to use Outrage is excellent. Rest is another good option, as Kingdra can take quite a bit of residual damage setting up and can wake itself up with the Lum Berry. Rain Dance acts as a pseudo-second Dragon Dance, as the boost in Speed and Waterfall is more than using Dragon Dance again and also clears the weather.
Set Details
========
Kingdra should in general run at least 228 Speed EVs and as much Attack EVs as possible to outspeed Choice Latias at +2 and make up for its mediocre Attack stat. However, especially with Rest, Kingdra can invest in its bulk to get more Dragon Dances before it needs to use Rest and better check offensive Water-types such as offensive Suicune and Starmie. An example EV spread that does this is 136 HP / 140 Atk / 228 Spe. Note that Kingdra can run as low as 164 Speed EVs to outspeed Choice Scarf Tyranitar at +1 and Choice Scarf Flygon at +2, but the prospect of being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Latias is underwhelming.
The item of choice is most often Lum Berry, as it not only cures confusion from Outrage, but also lets Kingdra set up on faster status users with Substitute as well as wake it up from Rest. However, Leftovers is another great option with Substitute to mitigate residual damage. Kingdra can also use a Chesto Berry with Rest so it doesn’t burn the Berry before it needs to Rest.
Usage Tips
========
While Kingdra can sweep, it typically trades damage with physical walls, sponges Fire- and Water-type attacks, and can potentially absorb status if played carefully with Substitute or Rest. To that end, Kingdra wants to stay relatively healthy, as switch in opportunities such as Heatran or offensive Calm Mind Suicune can still hit it hard if they predict Kingdra coming in. To that end, Kingdra often baits these Pokemon to trade with it, potentially opening up another Pokemon such as Gyarados or Scizor. The reason for this is that the only two revenge killers faster than Kingdra that can OHKO it without Explosion are Choice Scarf Flygon and Latias, both of whom risk being OHKOed by Outrage on the switch in or struggle with Rain Dance Kingdra. Additionally, Kingdra is a rather committal attacker; once it starts using Dragon Dance, it often will stay in until it faints, as it can struggle to set up again due to residual damage.
Against more defensive teams, Kingdra enjoys Steel-types either heavily weakened or removed first, as its STAB combination simply doesn't hit hard enough to threaten them. Jirachi, Metagross, Scizor, and Empoleon all can absorb Kingdra's even boosted attacks and either phaze it out or KO it. Once these are gone, opponents typically try to beat Kingdra either with Explosion (giving you a chance to block it with Substitute) or by trading a physical wall such as Swampert or Zapdos with it. Take advantage of this to open up attackers such as Metagross or Gengar.
Team Options
========
Dragon Dance Kingdra is almost always used alongside Magnezone, as physical Kingdra struggles broadly to beat Steel-types. Skarmory, Jirachi, and Metagross are the big ones, but most bulkier Steel-types can survive multiple +1 Waterfalls and retaliate. Lum Berry Kingdra also generally struggles to beat bulkier Pokemon, as it doesn’t hit very hard even when boosted. An example is that Kingdra isn’t even guaranteed to OHKO physically defensive Zapdos with Outrage at +3. Using Kingdra alongside other stallbreakers such as Will-O-Wisp Gengar and Taunt + Dragon Dance Tyranitar as well as good offensive Pokemon such as Metagross, Gyarados, and Swords Dance Gliscor helps a lot, while Kingdra is great against offensive Water-types there Pokemon often struggle against.
Kingdra also appreciate teammates that bait in Fire- and Water-type moves to give Kingdra a chance to set up. Steel-types such as Jirachi, Scizor, and Heatran. Kingdra can work on rain infrastructures, most often alongside Magnezone and a bulky win condition such as Heal Bell + Dragon Dance Dragonite to take advantage of trapped Steel-types and clear the weather. Leftovers Substitute + Dragon Dance Kingdra can also work as a win condition on Magnezone stall teams alongside teammates such as physically defensive Celebi and Clefable, as it provides a strong Water- and Fire-type resist, but it is hard to fit all of the support it needs.
[SET]
name: Rain Dance
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Draco Meteor
move 4: Signal Beam / Hidden Power Electric
item: Life Orb / Mystic Water
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Kingdra can manually set up rain itself, as this gives it the flexibility of taking advantage of frailer teams without bulky Water-resistant Pokemon while being able to switch moves. A rain boosted Hydro Pump is really strong, OHKOing Tyranitar without bulk after Stealth Rock and 2HKOing bulkier Steel-types such as Metagross, Jirachi, and Scizor. Kingdra can use Surf for reliability, but sorely misses the power and doesn't have a lot of survivability anyway. Unlike other Water-types such as Suicune, Gyarados, and Empoleon, Kingdra can nail most Water-resistant Pokemon with move in Draco Meteor, which obliterates common Pokemon such as Latias, Abomasnow, and Starmie. Kingdra needs the power of Draco Meteor over Dragon Pulse, as these Pokemon all survive one Dragon Pulse and can either KO or status Kingdra.
The last move slot is reserved for ways Water-resistant Pokemon without relying on Draco Meteor. The most common option is Signal Beam, as it OHKOes Celebi after Stealth Rock, something none of its other moves can accomplish. Another option is Hidden Power Electric, as it is Kingdra's strongest move against Gyarados and Empoleon. Note that Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor often outdamage Hidden Power Electric except against these specific targets.
Set Details
========
Kingdra needs all the power and Speed it can get, especially since it needs to use a turn setting up Rain Dance. The best item for Kingdra is often Life Orb, as really appreciates the extra power to OHKO Starmie and Gyarados after Stealth Rock with Draco Meteor. Kingdra can leverage its natural bulk to mitigate the residual damage, and once it sets up Rain Damage, often only takes damage from priority. Mystic Water is another option to preserve Kingdra's bulk, but it really misses the boost to Draco Meteor and Hydro Pump at the same time.
Usage Tips
========
Kingdra wants to come in relatively unscathed and use Rain Dance, as it gets chipped very easily by entry hazards, Life Orb recoil, and sand. Try to get Kingdra in on predicted switches, weaker Fire- and Water-type attacks, and on sacrifices. Once Kingdra has set up Rain Dance, it outspeeds everything in the tier and hits very hard. However, Kingdra needs to be very careful about when it uses Draco Meteor, as if it is used at the right time, it'll heavily weaken a threat. However, it also is forced out immediately due to the stat drop and Kingdra already struggles with residual damage whenever it comes in again. This sets up a situation where Kingdra both wants to wait until it hits the ideal target with Draco Meteor all the while it is getting worn down and doesn't have many turns of rain to begin with. This leads to a situation where Kingdra typically only gets one or at most two shots with Rain Dance, so try to mitigate potential threats to it before it comes in, such as weakening Tyranitar, Hippowdon, and Abomasnow and Water-resistant foes that make it use Draco Meteor. Note that if Kingdra can remove these weather Pokemon and then set up rain, it can permanently remove the weather and potentially accomplish its task.
Team Options
========
Rain Dance Kingdra generally fits best outside of full rain structures as an offensive weather clearer, as it both lets up momentum too easily when it uses Draco Meteor and is vulnerable to being revenge killed by priority once it is chipped down via Life Orb and residual damage. Some of Kingdra best partners are sand vulnerable Pokemon such as Substitute Machamp and Suicune, as these Pokemon really enjoy their Leftovers recovery and can synergistically KO weather Pokemon with Kingdra. Additionally, strong offensive Pokemon such as Heatran and Gengar can potentially bait in special walls such as Clefable and KO them with Explosion or strong attacks. Both Heatran and Gengar are potentially strong against the Steel-types that absorb Kingdra's attacks, as Heatran directly counters most of them and Gengar can chip them enough so that Hydro Pump OHKOes them. Kingdra also works well alongside Water-types such as Agility Empoleon, Gyarados and offensive Suicune, as it can synergistically weaken their checks to allow one of them to sweep.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Kingdra has many other offensive options alongside Rain Dance, such as going mixed or using Dragon Dance alongside special moves. Mixed sets allow Kingdra to get past Steel-types its physical sets struggle with and nail special walls with Waterfall. Unfortunately, Kingdra doesn’t have the raw offensive stats to pull off a mixed set well and it will need to eat into its good bulk to do it, as Life Orb is necessary for power. Focusing on either physical or special sets is often the best. Kingdra has a devastating Dragon Dance + RestTalk set, as its lack of weaknesses and not locking into Outrage when using Sleep Talk makes it great against defensive teams once Steel-types are gone, but it is difficult to fit all the support it needs. Kingdra is one of the best users of Yawn + Protect in the tier, as it has the coverage between Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor to afford it and it hits very hard with Life Orb boosted attacks. Kingdra's physical movepool is rather small, with niche options such as Iron Head and Bounce, but these are almost always not worth it.
Kingdra can try to take advantage of Sniper, as with Scope Lens and Focus Energy, it has a 50% of getting a critical hit and mitigating the stat drop of Draco Meteor, but this generally requires too much set up to be worth it.
Checks and Counters
========
**Bulky Water-resistant Pokemon**: While Kingdra can hit very hard on both sides of the spectrum, it generally struggles against bulkier Pokemon who aren’t 2HKOed by Choice Specs rain boosted Hydro Pump and can retaliate. Empoleon, Celebi, Milotic, Quagsire, and Suicune can survive the attack and at least weaken or status Kingdra. Latias and Starmie do too but are obliterated by Draco Meteor. Empoleon is the only OU Pokemon that resists its STABs and can hit hard with Grass Knot or phaze Kingdra out. Other choices such as Gyarados, Dragonite, Roserade, and Slowbro can also survive one rain boosted Hydro Pump and either KO or heavily weaken Kingdra. Note that almost all of these Pokemon can deal with Dragon Dance or Rain Dance Kingdra too.
**Residual Damage**: Kingdra is vulnerable to all entry hazards, status, and sand, meaning it can be chipped very easily into range of priority or other attacks. This also means that once it is forced out, it probably won't be sweeping again.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Kingdra's offensive stats let it down against generally bulky Pokemon, especially if rain is not up. Blissey is a fantastic Choice Specs Kingdra answer, while Clefable can live any one hit and neuter it. Without rain, Kingdra generally hits bulk Pokemon such as Metagross, Machamp, Zapdos, and Swampert very hard but it doesn't KO them, allowing them to retaliate. Addtionally, even Pokemon weak to Water such as Heatran and Tyranitar can survive a hit with Passho Berry and either KO or heavily weaken Kingdra.
**Changing the weather**: Robbing Choice Specs Kingdra of rain is highly useful, as it has middling Speed and can’t overwhelm Water-resistant Pokemon nearly as easily. Of Abomasnow, Tyranitar, and Hippowdon, Abomasnow is by far the best, as it takes Kingdra Water-type attacks well and hits hard in return, but does not enjoy Signal Beam or Draco Meteor. Passho Berry Tyranitar can survive any one hit and hit hard in return, while specially defensive Hippowdon has good odds to survive a Choice Specs Surf.
**Protect**: Stalling out rain or knowing what move Choice Specs Kingdra is going to use helps a lot in switching in the correct Pokemon. Common users include Jirachi, Clefable, and Bronzong.
**Steel-types**: While most Steel-types do not enjoy a rain boosted Hydro Pump, they at least can switch into Draco Meteor and Outrage and either force Kingdra out or KO it as it is locked into Outrage. Most Steel-types such as Metagross, Jirachi, Skarmory, Magnezone, and Bronzong are comparably very good at answering physical Kingdra, as they are bulky enough to take Waterfall well, but offensive variants of these Pokemon do not enjoy Waterfall flinches.
**Faster Revenge Killers**: Kingdra outspeeds all relevant Choice Scarf users in rain, but most common Choice Scarf users outspeed Dragon Dance Kingdra. Latias, Flygon, Rotom-A, Lucario, and Jirachi all outspeed it and can either heavily weaken or KO it, but all of these Pokemon need to be careful, as Kingdra can OHKO Latias and Flygon on the switch, while Rotom-A, Lucario, and Jirachi cannot OHKO it. If Kingdra hasn't set up, most of the offensive metagame such as Latias, Gengar, and Heatran outspeed it and can heavily weaken it.
[CREDITS]
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