[OVERVIEW]
Flygon is a decent Pokemon thanks to its offensive and defensive traits that suit the metagame well. For one, its incredible typing and ability provide a resistance to Rock and immunities to sand, Spikes, and Electric- and Ground-type attacks. These traits improve longevity and make it one of, if not the, best counter to Dragon Dance Tyranitar in the entire tier and a good check to Hidden Power Grass Zapdos lacking Toxic, Jolteon, and Aerodactyl. Its offenses are also quite good, as its Earthquake is strong enough to hit offensive Pokemon quite hard, and its coverage makes the majority of the offensive metagame think twice before coming in. This offensive prowess is furthered by Flygon's very good base 100 Speed, which lets it outspeed common Pokemon like Heracross, Metagross, some Zapdos variants, and bulky Dragon Dance Tyranitar at +1. However, Flygon has some major shortcomings that prevent it from being considered a top-tier threat. While it has great defensive merit, its typing leaves it vulnerable to Ice-type coverage from the likes of Gengar, Zapdos, Jolteon, Blissey, and offensive Water-types. It also often relies on trapping support from Magneton and Pursuit Tyranitar, as Skarmory and Gengar are unfazed by Flygon and can use it to generate free turns. While it's quite strong, Pokemon like defensive Swampert, Skarmory, and Milotic are able to take Flygon's attacks and recover them off. Its matchup against most common Toxic + Sandstorm + Spikes teams featuring SkarmBliss cores requires quite a bit of support from Spikes and trapping due to those teams being able to take Flygon's hits easily and even use it for free turns. Flygon also faces stiff competition from Swampert; despite Flygon being Spikes immune and not having to worry about being lured in and removed by sets like Hidden Power Grass Zapdos and Jolteon, Swampert's typing and greater bulk let it answer a lot more of the overall metagame and make it easier to fit on teams. As a result, Flygon is a more specialized, matchup-based pick in comparison.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Hidden Power Bug
move 4: Substitute / Fire Blast
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Offensive Flygon sports a unique combination of speed, power, and defensive utility. Its unique typing, Spikes immunity, and decent bulk allow it to pivot into threatening attacks like Tyranitar's Rock Slide and Zapdos's Thunderbolt at any point in the game, making Flygon one of the few Pokemon that can turn the momentum around against offensive teams. It can be difficult to pivot into, because it can punishes physical walls with its powerful Earthquake especially with Spikes on the field, and has the appropriate coverage moves for hovering checks. As Flygon outspeeds most of the metagame and can hold its ground against several faster Pokemon like Hidden Power Grass Jolteon and Aerodactyl, it can frequently sweep weakened teams too.
Earthquake can take out most Tyranitar and Metagross variants with a little bit of chip damage. Rock Slide hits Zapdos, Moltres, Salamence, Aerodactyl, and Gyarados hard while also doing relatively solid damage to Gengar as it switches in. Hidden Power Bug does a lot of damage to Celebi and hits Claydol quite hard, preventing these common switch-ins from being totally safe, and also preventing Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi from freely passing boosts. Substitute is preferred in the fourth moveslot, as it punishes switches and certain Choiced-locked Pokemon, lets Flygon evade status from status spreaders like Zapdos and Milotic, and allows it to fire off at least one free attack. Fire Blast can be run over Substitute if Skarmory and Forretress are a bigger concern and denies them from setting up Spikes, which helps against Spikes-centric builds and makes Flygon less reliant on a potential Magneton partner while also doing decent damage to Gengar and Celebi on the switch. A Jolly nature is preferred to outspeed Timid Moltres and offensive Celebi and at worst Speed tie with Zapdos and Jirachi rather than risk being outsped. An Adamant nature lets Flygon threaten the bulky teams it's supposed to more effectively but makes it unable to outspeed a large fraction of offensive Celebi and tie with offensive Jirachi, making it an overall inferior choice on most teams. When using Fire Blast, Naive and Naughty should be used over Jolly and Adamant to preserve the much needed power on Fire Blast.
Team Options
========
Pursuit Tyranitar is a fantastic partner because it brings sand to wear down Pokemon like Zapdos, Snorlax, Suicune, Celebi, and Gengar so Flygon's damage sticks while also trapping the aforementioned Gengar, which is a massive nuisance to this set, and it can even slam Swampert with Hidden Power Grass so Flygon can more easily take it out. Magneton is another good partner, as it traps Skarmory, Forretress, and Choice Band Metagross not locked into Earthquake, which is a move that Flygon can dissuade thanks to Levitate, so Flygon can more easily threaten teams that rely on Skarmory for handling Ground-types and drop Fire Blast for Substitute more reliably. In return, Flygon can force Skarmory and Forretress to come in so Magneton can come in on a double switch to trap them, as well as handle Tyranitar and come in on many Choice Band Pokemon that rely on Earthquake to take out Magneton, like Metagross, Aerodactyl, and Tyranitar.
Spikes setters like Skarmory and Forretress are great to have, as they make Flygon's attacks sting even more, especially since some of Flygon's best answers, namely Milotic, Swampert, and Blissey, are very vulnerable to Spikes and Spikes synergize well in tandem with the sand likely to be up. These two also bring some much-needed defensive stops to Pokemon like non-Hidden Power Fire Metagross and physical Salamence. This Flygon is also able to threaten spinners like Claydol and opposing Forretress if it has Fire Blast, keeping the Spikes up and letting the Spikes setter on Flygon's team come in less often, helping it stay healthy to check what it needs to. Flygon is also able to wall Pokemon like Aerodactyl and physical Tyranitar in tandem with these Pokemon because they bait Rock Slide from these and let Flygon get safely in, compensating for its lack of bulk. Flygon can even force in a potential Porygon2 so the Spiker can set Spikes on it. Gengar makes for a good partner, since it can spread residual damage through Will-O-Wisp burns and check Salamence, Heracross, and Snorlax while taking advantage of Flygon checking Pursuit Tyranitar lacking Ice Beam. It can even take advantage of the holes Flygon breaks in the opposing team to sweep late-game, and it even fits on many of the same Spikes-based teams that this Flygon is meant to be on. They can also both pivot around many Pokemon with their defensive synergy, namely Choice Band users and weakened Hidden Power Grass Zapdos.
Bulky Water-types like Suicune, Milotic, and Swampert are able to switch into physical attackers like Metagross, MixMence, and Swampert and potentially even spread status for residual damage, while Flygon can break down their checks with its powerful attacks, namely Celebi, Zapdos, Snorlax, and Jolteon. Defensive Swampert, in particular, is a good partner because it can take the pressure off Flygon to handle physical Tyranitar and Aerodactyl, which can often overwhelm this Flygon set due to its lack of bulk investment and Protect. It also helps that all three of these Water-types fit on the same Spikes-based builds Flygon does. Zapdos is able to take on Water-types, Skarmory, Heracross, and spread status so Flygon can have an easier time making damage stick while even having the potential to run Baton Pass to get Flygon in safely. Flygon can also switch into Rock Slides for Zapdos to gain offensive momentum and potentially do a lot of damage to Pokemon like Snorlax and Celebi so Zapdos has an easier time spamming Thunderbolt late-game while also acting as backup Ground-type check so Zapdos isn't as pressured to come into them. Metagross is a great partner for this Flygon because it can elect to run a mixed or bulky physical attacker Leftovers set if Flygon is running Fire Blast, which can help to lure in and remove Skarmory, and more bulk on Metagross means Flygon is relied on less to take on Rock-types. Meanwhile, Choice Band sets can use Explosion on Skarmory or Swampert and wallbreak so Flygon can clean through weakened walls.
Specially defensive Celebi is able to handle Gengar and Water-types while piling on the residual damage to get Pokemon in range of Flygon's attacks with Leech Seed (which can also give Flygon extra longevity that it wouldn't have), while Flygon can offensively handle Metagross and pivot into Rock Slide, Earthquake, or Hidden Power Bug from Aerodactyl or Tyranitar well. Blissey can pivot into many special attackers, including Zapdos, Jolteon, Jirachi, Moltres, certain Gengar variants, and Water-types, while even potentially passing Wishes to keep Flygon healthy so it can threaten the bulky teams it's supposed to. Meanwhile, Flygon can offensively handle Pokemon that wall and use Blissey for free turns, like Tyranitar, as well as come in on some resisted hits that are often targeted at Blissey, namely Rock Slide and Earthquake, to get a chance to fire off a free hit. Moltres can roast Skarmory, Celebi, and Forretress and spread burns with Will-O-Wisp for residual damage so Flygon's damage sticks better, while Flygon can switch into physical Tyranitar, Aerodactyl, and Salamence and start wallbreaking on top of wearing down Water-types with its powerful Earthquake so they're more hesitant to come into Moltres. Moltres also improves the Metagross matchup quite a bit, which teams featuring Flygon over Swampert can often struggle switching into due to Flygon's lack of a Meteor Mash resistance.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Protect
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide / Fire Blast
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 28 SpD / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Defensive Flygon is a good Spikes-immune check to common threats like physical Tyranitar, Aerodactyl, and Electric-types lacking Hidden Power Ice or Toxic. It also bolsters the team's resilience against Metagross and Dragon Dance Salamence.
Protect allows Flygon to receive a free turn of Leftovers recovery, scout Choice Band users, and rack up potential poison and sand damage. Rock Slide gives nearly perfect coverage in tandem with Earthquake and hits Zapdos, Moltres, Salamence, and Aerodactyl hard while also not giving Gengar entirely free entry, wearing it down over time. Fire Blast can be used if getting good damage on Skarmory and Forretress and relying less on Magneton to handle them is preferred, but it's usually better to just pair this set with Magneton because Rock Slide's coverage is too valuable to pass up on a lot of the time. Toxic cripples Pokemon like non-Refresh Swampert, Zapdos, Porygon2, Suicune, non-Refresh Claydol, and opposing Flygon. It also forces Celebi to switch at some point to remove poison, which can give you a free turn as it switches. The EVs let Flygon outspeed maximum Speed positive-natured Tyranitar, allow it to survive two hits from Metagross, help it take Tyranitar's uninvested Ice Beam, and help it handle physical attackers as well as possible.
Team Options
========
Pursuit Tyranitar is this set's best partner, as its sand is important to negate Leftovers from many foes, namely defensive Zapdos, Gengar, Celebi, and Suicune. Pursuit trapping Gengar and Celebi so Flygon can more effectively spread poison with Toxic is absolutely crucial as well, and Tyranitar can even lure in and destroy Swampert, Skarmory, Forretress, and Claydol with the appropriate coverage. Physical sets are able to check and take out Blissey, Ice Punch Jirachi, and Hidden Power Ice Zapdos. In return, Flygon can pivot into Earthquakes from Pokemon like Claydol and Tyranitar while also being able to pivot around Electric-types and Aerodactyl in tandem with Tyranitar, as they can wall Zapdos and Jolteon when played properly.
Gengar makes for a good partner, as it can spread residual damage through Will-O-Wisp burns and threaten bulkier teams that Flygon struggles with via Taunt + Will-O-Wisp sets while also taking out Skarmory and taking advantage of Flygon checking Pursuit Tyranitar lacking Ice Beam. They can also both pivot around many Pokemon with their defensive synergy, namely Choice Band users and weakened Hidden Power Grass Zapdos and are both Spikes immune, making them fit on similar structures. Skarmory can set Spikes to help Flygon get lasting damage on the opposing team as a lot of Flygon's defensive answers, like Milotic, Swampert, and Blissey, are very vulnerable to Spikes and will likely be taking damage from sand and Toxic poison from Flygon too. Skarmory also provides a switch-in to Pokemon like Snorlax lacking Fire Blast and defensive Swampert. In return, Flygon can take on Electric-types like Zapdos and Jolteon as well as scout Fire-type coverage from Pokemon that run it, namely Metagross, Salamence, and Tyranitar. Flygon even poisons Spikes-immune Pokemon like Claydol, Zapdos, and Moltres with Toxic.
Flygon fits very well on teams that have many Spikes-immune Pokemon to minimize the control Spikes have on the game, reducing the need for Magneton support in the process. With these things in mind, Zapdos is a great partner because it's able to take on Water-types, Skarmory, and Heracross and spread its own status in tandem with Flygon while contributing to the anti-Spikes idea this Flygon often fits on so well. Moltres improves the Metagross matchup quite a bit, which these teams can often struggle switching into due to Flygon's lack of a Meteor Mash resistance, while Flygon can spread poison with Toxic on bulky Water-types and pivot into Rock- and Electric-types well. Specially defensive Jirachi can take Ice-type moves from Pokemon like Gengar, opposing Jirachi, and Suicune, which these teams can sometimes struggle to take, and passes Flygon and its other teammates Wish to keep sustain throughout the game. This is especially important given many Pokemon on these teams can't recover with Leftovers due to being vulnerable to sand. It can even potentially spread paralysis or Toxic poison of its own to suffocate the opposing team in tandem with Flygon. In return, Flygon switches into Earthquakes and strong physical attackers that may overwhelm Jirachi on its own. Plus, most synergistic specially defensive cores in ADV cover Electric-types and Water-types, so the combination of Flygon + Zapdos + Jirachi makes a good specially defensive core without having a dedicated special wall. They can also wall Zapdos completely in tandem with each other because Jirachi handles Hidden Power Ice variants and Flygon stonewalls Thunder Wave variants, as they run Hidden Power Grass. Aerodactyl takes advantage of the residual damage Flygon spreads to make late-game sweeps more easily accomplished while providing these teams with a good form of speed control and even being Spikes and sand immune, making it fit on these structures even better.
Specially defensive Celebi is able to handle Gengar and Water-types while piling on the residual damage in tandem with Flygon with Leech Seed, while Flygon can handle weakened Metagross and pivot into Aerodactyl. Blissey can pivot into many special attackers, including Zapdos, Jolteon, Jirachi, Moltres, certain Gengar variants, and Water-types, in a similar way to Celebi. It can even potentially pass Wishes to keep Flygon healthy. Meanwhile, Flygon can pressure and potentially force out physical attackers that scare Blissey, like Metagross, Salamence, Aerodactyl, and Tyranitar. Zapdos is able to take on Water-types, Skarmory, Heracross, and spread its own status in tandem with Flygon.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Hidden Power Bug
move 4: Gust / Toxic / Fire Blast
item: Choice Band
ability: Levitate
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Choice Band Flygon is a wallbreaker that can easily get onto the field due to its unique typing and its immunity to Spikes and Sand. It boasts the strongest Earthquake in the metagame, severely threatening even the most resilient physical walls.
Earthquake OHKOes some Tyranitar and Metagross variants from full thanks to Choice Band, takes out pretty much all of them after a layer of Spikes, and gets good damage on Suicune and Milotic, especially if sand is up. Rock Slide hits Zapdos, Moltres, Salamence, Aerodactyl, Gengar, and Gyarados really hard. Hidden Power Bug smashes Celebi and hits Claydol really hard, preventing these common switch-ins from being safe with proper prediction. Gust takes out Heracross and Breloom, which teams with this Flygon set often have a very rough matchup against. Alternatively, Toxic cripples Porygon2, offensive Swampert, Zapdos, and Moltres and makes them incapable of coming in as safely or staying in for long periods of time. Fire Blast can also be run to hit Skarmory and Forretress and denies them from setting up Spikes; it also does decent damage to Gengar and forces Celebi to use Recover. A Jolly nature is preferred because it lets Flygon outspeed Timid Moltres and offensive Celebi and at worst Speed tie with Zapdos and Jirachi rather than risk being outsped. However, Adamant is better for some teams, as it allows Flygon to threaten the bulky teams it's supposed to more effectively.
Team Options
========
Pursuit Tyranitar is an essential partner, as it brings sand to wear down Pokemon like Zapdos, Snorlax, Suicune, Celebi, and Gengar so Flygon's damage sticks while also trapping Gengar and Celebi and even threatening Zapdos with a potential Ice Beam so Flygon can begin to more freely throw around Earthquakes. It can even slam Swampert with Hidden Power Grass so Flygon can more easily take it out later in the game with Earthquake. Magneton is another almost mandatory partner, as it traps Skarmory and Forretress, two Pokemon that can take Flygon's attacks with ease and use it for free turns. Flygon can force Skarmory and Forretress to come in so Magneton can come in on a double switch to trap them. Conversely, Flygon can come in on many Choice Band Pokemon that rely on Earthquake to take out Magneton like Metagross, Aerodactyl, Salamence, and Tyranitar. If Magneton is not used as a partner, other measures of dealing with Skarmory's Spikes will be necessary. Forretress is great partner in this regard not only because of its ability to spin and lay its own Spikes, but also because it synergizes with Pursuit Tyranitar.
Skarmory acts as a more reliable answer to Rock-types, Salamence, and Celebi while also setting Spikes so Flygon can wallbreak even more effectively. It's often worth running Drill Peck on the types of teams this Flygon fits on, as they're often weak to Heracross, which Flygon can sometimes have a tendency to let come in. Flygon is able to take on Electric-types relatively well in return while even doing a ton of damage to the spinners of the tier, so Spikes are likelier to stay up. Specially defensive Celebi is able to handle Gengar and Water-types while netting residual damage to get Pokemon in range of Flygon's attacks with Leech Seed, which can also give Flygon extra longevity that it wouldn't have, while Flygon can offensively handle Metagross and pivot into Rock Slide, Earthquake, or Hidden Power Bug from Aerodactyl or Tyranitar well. It also fits on many of the Spikes-based builds this set does.
Metagross is able to run a bulkier Protect set to handle Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Salamence, and Aerodactyl, as Flygon is unable to handle these Pokemon reliably due to lacking Leftovers. Milotic works well on the same builds this Flygon can, stops non-Choice Band Salamence, Claydol, Tyranitar, and Skarmory, and forces Suicune to use Rest, while Flygon threatens Snorlax, Celebi, and Zapdos for it. It can even come in on Rock Slide from Tyranitar, which Milotic often encourages it to do for free damage. Suicune can do largely the same thing as Milotic except it gives up reliability in countering threats in the long run for more initial bulk and more of an offensive presence. Defensive Swampert is a particularly good partner, as it can take the pressure off Flygon to handle Rock-types, which can overwhelm this Flygon set due to its lack of bulk investment and Leftovers; it can even wall Electric-types in tandem with Flygon, as they can take the Hidden Power the other can't. Because of this more reliable backbone and decreased offensive pressure, Flygon is able to come in more sparingly throughout games and keep healthy so it can be a threat in the long run.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hidden Power Ghost can be used to hit Gengar harder than any other move and does decent damage to Celebi, which makes Flygon less reliant on a Pursuit Tyranitar partner. However, this is all it does, and it's a more situational move than Hidden Power Bug on sets that run it. Hidden Power Flying can be used on teams that have issues dealing with Heracross. However, this is all it does, and Heracross can be pressured in other ways, usually via overloading it with offense. Hidden Power Grass or Giga Drain can be run on a special attacking set to lure in and take a large chunk out of Swampert and do more to Skarmory with fully invested Fire Blast. However, this usually isn't very effective because Flygon's Special Attack stat is quite mediocre, Swampert can heal off Giga Drain over time anyway, and having a weaker Earthquake hurts the Tyranitar and Metagross matchups. A pinch Berry set utilizing Liechi Berry with Substitute or Salac Berry with Endure can be used to help give Flygon some extra cleaning ability late-game; a Salac Berry + Endure set can also act as a failsafe against fast Pokemon and setup sweepers, giving Flygon an extra hit before going down. However, this comes at the cost of the increased longevity granted by Leftovers, making Flygon a less reliable check to Rock-types. Pinch berry sets are hence most appropriate for short games.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Suicune, Milotic, and Swampert are able to take Flygon's hits well and threaten it out with strong Water- or Ice-type coverage. Defensive Swampert in particular is a fantastic answer, as, in tandem with being able to heal in sand with Leftovers and use Protect, it also isn't too bothered by Toxic due to Refresh. However, Suicune and Milotic are both vulnerable to sand, so Flygon's damage is going to stick, and Suicune lacks any recovery outside of Rest. Choice Band sets can also pressure all of these Pokemon if they directly switch in, especially in sand for the former two and if Spikes are down for all three of them. Offensive Swampert also takes a lot from Earthquake and is completely crippled by Toxic.
**Gengar**: Gengar is immune to Earthquake, isn't hit that hard by any of Leftovers Flygon's moves depending on its physical bulk investment, and can OHKO Flygon with Ice Punch. It can also use Will-O-Wisp, crippling either Flygon or whatever switches into Gengar as Flygon gives Gengar a free turn. However, multiple Rock Slide in sand can start to sting from Leftovers Flygon, and Choice Band sets do a ton of damage, leaving Gengar unable to fulfill other potential defensive duties throughout the game. Gengar is also very vulnerable to Pursuit Tyranitar, a common Flygon partner.
**Ice-type Coverage**: Pokemon Flygon is typically meant to counter or at least check, like Tyranitar, Zapdos, and Jolteon, are all able to potentially lure it in and take it out with Ice Beam or Hidden Power Ice. However, these moves can be scouted with smart play. Ice-type coverage can also be seen on other Pokemon like Jirachi, Porygon2, Starmie, and Blissey.
**Porygon2**: Porygon2 is able to come into Flygon thanks to copying Levitate with Trace, taking little damage from Flygon's coverage options, and having longevity thanks to Recover. It's also able to use Ice Beam on Flygon to take it out and can cripple potential switch-ins with Thunder Wave. While Toxic is a good stop to it in most cases, Porygon2 can trace a Natural Cure user to heal the poison. However, Porygon2 gives free turns to common Flygon partners, namely Spikers, especially when Porygon2 has to recover.
**Status**: Will-O-Wisp on Pokemon like Moltres and especially Gengar makes Flygon have to switch out, as burns remove any offensive threat it may have while chipping it beyond what Leftovers heals. Toxic poison ruins Flygon, as it forces Flygon out more often and makes it take constant chip damage so it can't counter or check what it's meant to. This is compounded on when Protect users are on the opposing team, which they very often are. Paralysis from Body Slam Jirachi means Flygon is outsped by the entire metagame.
**Skarmory**: Skarmory doesn't take much from any attack Flygon has besides Fire Blast, and if it lacks said move, Skarmory is free to lay up Spikes in Flygon's face and take its attacks with ease. However, Fire Blast will sting Skarmory, and Choice Band-boosted Rock Slide can do some noticeable damage. It also doesn't help Magneton can easily be employed to remove it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ophion, 433215]]
- Earlier version by: [[kd24, 16144]]
- Quality checked by: [[Triangles, 118250], [vapicuno, 5454]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Flygon is a decent Pokemon thanks to its offensive and defensive traits that suit the metagame well. For one, its incredible typing and ability provide a resistance to Rock and immunities to sand, Spikes, and Electric- and Ground-type attacks. These traits improve longevity and make it one of, if not the, best counter to Dragon Dance Tyranitar in the entire tier and a good check to Hidden Power Grass Zapdos lacking Toxic, Jolteon, and Aerodactyl. Its offenses are also quite good, as its Earthquake is strong enough to hit offensive Pokemon quite hard, and its coverage makes the majority of the offensive metagame think twice before coming in. This offensive prowess is furthered by Flygon's very good base 100 Speed, which lets it outspeed common Pokemon like Heracross, Metagross, some Zapdos variants, and bulky Dragon Dance Tyranitar at +1. However, Flygon has some major shortcomings that prevent it from being considered a top-tier threat. While it has great defensive merit, its typing leaves it vulnerable to Ice-type coverage from the likes of Gengar, Zapdos, Jolteon, Blissey, and offensive Water-types. It also often relies on trapping support from Magneton and Pursuit Tyranitar, as Skarmory and Gengar are unfazed by Flygon and can use it to generate free turns. While it's quite strong, Pokemon like defensive Swampert, Skarmory, and Milotic are able to take Flygon's attacks and recover them off. Its matchup against most common Toxic + Sandstorm + Spikes teams featuring SkarmBliss cores requires quite a bit of support from Spikes and trapping due to those teams being able to take Flygon's hits easily and even use it for free turns. Flygon also faces stiff competition from Swampert; despite Flygon being Spikes immune and not having to worry about being lured in and removed by sets like Hidden Power Grass Zapdos and Jolteon, Swampert's typing and greater bulk let it answer a lot more of the overall metagame and make it easier to fit on teams. As a result, Flygon is a more specialized, matchup-based pick in comparison.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Hidden Power Bug
move 4: Substitute / Fire Blast
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Offensive Flygon sports a unique combination of speed, power, and defensive utility. Its unique typing, Spikes immunity, and decent bulk allow it to pivot into threatening attacks like Tyranitar's Rock Slide and Zapdos's Thunderbolt at any point in the game, making Flygon one of the few Pokemon that can turn the momentum around against offensive teams. It can be difficult to pivot into, because it can punishes physical walls with its powerful Earthquake especially with Spikes on the field, and has the appropriate coverage moves for hovering checks. As Flygon outspeeds most of the metagame and can hold its ground against several faster Pokemon like Hidden Power Grass Jolteon and Aerodactyl, it can frequently sweep weakened teams too.
Earthquake can take out most Tyranitar and Metagross variants with a little bit of chip damage. Rock Slide hits Zapdos, Moltres, Salamence, Aerodactyl, and Gyarados hard while also doing relatively solid damage to Gengar as it switches in. Hidden Power Bug does a lot of damage to Celebi and hits Claydol quite hard, preventing these common switch-ins from being totally safe, and also preventing Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi from freely passing boosts. Substitute is preferred in the fourth moveslot, as it punishes switches and certain Choiced-locked Pokemon, lets Flygon evade status from status spreaders like Zapdos and Milotic, and allows it to fire off at least one free attack. Fire Blast can be run over Substitute if Skarmory and Forretress are a bigger concern and denies them from setting up Spikes, which helps against Spikes-centric builds and makes Flygon less reliant on a potential Magneton partner while also doing decent damage to Gengar and Celebi on the switch. A Jolly nature is preferred to outspeed Timid Moltres and offensive Celebi and at worst Speed tie with Zapdos and Jirachi rather than risk being outsped. An Adamant nature lets Flygon threaten the bulky teams it's supposed to more effectively but makes it unable to outspeed a large fraction of offensive Celebi and tie with offensive Jirachi, making it an overall inferior choice on most teams. When using Fire Blast, Naive and Naughty should be used over Jolly and Adamant to preserve the much needed power on Fire Blast.
Team Options
========
Pursuit Tyranitar is a fantastic partner because it brings sand to wear down Pokemon like Zapdos, Snorlax, Suicune, Celebi, and Gengar so Flygon's damage sticks while also trapping the aforementioned Gengar, which is a massive nuisance to this set, and it can even slam Swampert with Hidden Power Grass so Flygon can more easily take it out. Magneton is another good partner, as it traps Skarmory, Forretress, and Choice Band Metagross not locked into Earthquake, which is a move that Flygon can dissuade thanks to Levitate, so Flygon can more easily threaten teams that rely on Skarmory for handling Ground-types and drop Fire Blast for Substitute more reliably. In return, Flygon can force Skarmory and Forretress to come in so Magneton can come in on a double switch to trap them, as well as handle Tyranitar and come in on many Choice Band Pokemon that rely on Earthquake to take out Magneton, like Metagross, Aerodactyl, and Tyranitar.
Spikes setters like Skarmory and Forretress are great to have, as they make Flygon's attacks sting even more, especially since some of Flygon's best answers, namely Milotic, Swampert, and Blissey, are very vulnerable to Spikes and Spikes synergize well in tandem with the sand likely to be up. These two also bring some much-needed defensive stops to Pokemon like non-Hidden Power Fire Metagross and physical Salamence. This Flygon is also able to threaten spinners like Claydol and opposing Forretress if it has Fire Blast, keeping the Spikes up and letting the Spikes setter on Flygon's team come in less often, helping it stay healthy to check what it needs to. Flygon is also able to wall Pokemon like Aerodactyl and physical Tyranitar in tandem with these Pokemon because they bait Rock Slide from these and let Flygon get safely in, compensating for its lack of bulk. Flygon can even force in a potential Porygon2 so the Spiker can set Spikes on it. Gengar makes for a good partner, since it can spread residual damage through Will-O-Wisp burns and check Salamence, Heracross, and Snorlax while taking advantage of Flygon checking Pursuit Tyranitar lacking Ice Beam. It can even take advantage of the holes Flygon breaks in the opposing team to sweep late-game, and it even fits on many of the same Spikes-based teams that this Flygon is meant to be on. They can also both pivot around many Pokemon with their defensive synergy, namely Choice Band users and weakened Hidden Power Grass Zapdos.
Bulky Water-types like Suicune, Milotic, and Swampert are able to switch into physical attackers like Metagross, MixMence, and Swampert and potentially even spread status for residual damage, while Flygon can break down their checks with its powerful attacks, namely Celebi, Zapdos, Snorlax, and Jolteon. Defensive Swampert, in particular, is a good partner because it can take the pressure off Flygon to handle physical Tyranitar and Aerodactyl, which can often overwhelm this Flygon set due to its lack of bulk investment and Protect. It also helps that all three of these Water-types fit on the same Spikes-based builds Flygon does. Zapdos is able to take on Water-types, Skarmory, Heracross, and spread status so Flygon can have an easier time making damage stick while even having the potential to run Baton Pass to get Flygon in safely. Flygon can also switch into Rock Slides for Zapdos to gain offensive momentum and potentially do a lot of damage to Pokemon like Snorlax and Celebi so Zapdos has an easier time spamming Thunderbolt late-game while also acting as backup Ground-type check so Zapdos isn't as pressured to come into them. Metagross is a great partner for this Flygon because it can elect to run a mixed or bulky physical attacker Leftovers set if Flygon is running Fire Blast, which can help to lure in and remove Skarmory, and more bulk on Metagross means Flygon is relied on less to take on Rock-types. Meanwhile, Choice Band sets can use Explosion on Skarmory or Swampert and wallbreak so Flygon can clean through weakened walls.
Specially defensive Celebi is able to handle Gengar and Water-types while piling on the residual damage to get Pokemon in range of Flygon's attacks with Leech Seed (which can also give Flygon extra longevity that it wouldn't have), while Flygon can offensively handle Metagross and pivot into Rock Slide, Earthquake, or Hidden Power Bug from Aerodactyl or Tyranitar well. Blissey can pivot into many special attackers, including Zapdos, Jolteon, Jirachi, Moltres, certain Gengar variants, and Water-types, while even potentially passing Wishes to keep Flygon healthy so it can threaten the bulky teams it's supposed to. Meanwhile, Flygon can offensively handle Pokemon that wall and use Blissey for free turns, like Tyranitar, as well as come in on some resisted hits that are often targeted at Blissey, namely Rock Slide and Earthquake, to get a chance to fire off a free hit. Moltres can roast Skarmory, Celebi, and Forretress and spread burns with Will-O-Wisp for residual damage so Flygon's damage sticks better, while Flygon can switch into physical Tyranitar, Aerodactyl, and Salamence and start wallbreaking on top of wearing down Water-types with its powerful Earthquake so they're more hesitant to come into Moltres. Moltres also improves the Metagross matchup quite a bit, which teams featuring Flygon over Swampert can often struggle switching into due to Flygon's lack of a Meteor Mash resistance.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Protect
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide / Fire Blast
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 28 SpD / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Defensive Flygon is a good Spikes-immune check to common threats like physical Tyranitar, Aerodactyl, and Electric-types lacking Hidden Power Ice or Toxic. It also bolsters the team's resilience against Metagross and Dragon Dance Salamence.
Protect allows Flygon to receive a free turn of Leftovers recovery, scout Choice Band users, and rack up potential poison and sand damage. Rock Slide gives nearly perfect coverage in tandem with Earthquake and hits Zapdos, Moltres, Salamence, and Aerodactyl hard while also not giving Gengar entirely free entry, wearing it down over time. Fire Blast can be used if getting good damage on Skarmory and Forretress and relying less on Magneton to handle them is preferred, but it's usually better to just pair this set with Magneton because Rock Slide's coverage is too valuable to pass up on a lot of the time. Toxic cripples Pokemon like non-Refresh Swampert, Zapdos, Porygon2, Suicune, non-Refresh Claydol, and opposing Flygon. It also forces Celebi to switch at some point to remove poison, which can give you a free turn as it switches. The EVs let Flygon outspeed maximum Speed positive-natured Tyranitar, allow it to survive two hits from Metagross, help it take Tyranitar's uninvested Ice Beam, and help it handle physical attackers as well as possible.
Team Options
========
Pursuit Tyranitar is this set's best partner, as its sand is important to negate Leftovers from many foes, namely defensive Zapdos, Gengar, Celebi, and Suicune. Pursuit trapping Gengar and Celebi so Flygon can more effectively spread poison with Toxic is absolutely crucial as well, and Tyranitar can even lure in and destroy Swampert, Skarmory, Forretress, and Claydol with the appropriate coverage. Physical sets are able to check and take out Blissey, Ice Punch Jirachi, and Hidden Power Ice Zapdos. In return, Flygon can pivot into Earthquakes from Pokemon like Claydol and Tyranitar while also being able to pivot around Electric-types and Aerodactyl in tandem with Tyranitar, as they can wall Zapdos and Jolteon when played properly.
Gengar makes for a good partner, as it can spread residual damage through Will-O-Wisp burns and threaten bulkier teams that Flygon struggles with via Taunt + Will-O-Wisp sets while also taking out Skarmory and taking advantage of Flygon checking Pursuit Tyranitar lacking Ice Beam. They can also both pivot around many Pokemon with their defensive synergy, namely Choice Band users and weakened Hidden Power Grass Zapdos and are both Spikes immune, making them fit on similar structures. Skarmory can set Spikes to help Flygon get lasting damage on the opposing team as a lot of Flygon's defensive answers, like Milotic, Swampert, and Blissey, are very vulnerable to Spikes and will likely be taking damage from sand and Toxic poison from Flygon too. Skarmory also provides a switch-in to Pokemon like Snorlax lacking Fire Blast and defensive Swampert. In return, Flygon can take on Electric-types like Zapdos and Jolteon as well as scout Fire-type coverage from Pokemon that run it, namely Metagross, Salamence, and Tyranitar. Flygon even poisons Spikes-immune Pokemon like Claydol, Zapdos, and Moltres with Toxic.
Flygon fits very well on teams that have many Spikes-immune Pokemon to minimize the control Spikes have on the game, reducing the need for Magneton support in the process. With these things in mind, Zapdos is a great partner because it's able to take on Water-types, Skarmory, and Heracross and spread its own status in tandem with Flygon while contributing to the anti-Spikes idea this Flygon often fits on so well. Moltres improves the Metagross matchup quite a bit, which these teams can often struggle switching into due to Flygon's lack of a Meteor Mash resistance, while Flygon can spread poison with Toxic on bulky Water-types and pivot into Rock- and Electric-types well. Specially defensive Jirachi can take Ice-type moves from Pokemon like Gengar, opposing Jirachi, and Suicune, which these teams can sometimes struggle to take, and passes Flygon and its other teammates Wish to keep sustain throughout the game. This is especially important given many Pokemon on these teams can't recover with Leftovers due to being vulnerable to sand. It can even potentially spread paralysis or Toxic poison of its own to suffocate the opposing team in tandem with Flygon. In return, Flygon switches into Earthquakes and strong physical attackers that may overwhelm Jirachi on its own. Plus, most synergistic specially defensive cores in ADV cover Electric-types and Water-types, so the combination of Flygon + Zapdos + Jirachi makes a good specially defensive core without having a dedicated special wall. They can also wall Zapdos completely in tandem with each other because Jirachi handles Hidden Power Ice variants and Flygon stonewalls Thunder Wave variants, as they run Hidden Power Grass. Aerodactyl takes advantage of the residual damage Flygon spreads to make late-game sweeps more easily accomplished while providing these teams with a good form of speed control and even being Spikes and sand immune, making it fit on these structures even better.
Specially defensive Celebi is able to handle Gengar and Water-types while piling on the residual damage in tandem with Flygon with Leech Seed, while Flygon can handle weakened Metagross and pivot into Aerodactyl. Blissey can pivot into many special attackers, including Zapdos, Jolteon, Jirachi, Moltres, certain Gengar variants, and Water-types, in a similar way to Celebi. It can even potentially pass Wishes to keep Flygon healthy. Meanwhile, Flygon can pressure and potentially force out physical attackers that scare Blissey, like Metagross, Salamence, Aerodactyl, and Tyranitar. Zapdos is able to take on Water-types, Skarmory, Heracross, and spread its own status in tandem with Flygon.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Hidden Power Bug
move 4: Gust / Toxic / Fire Blast
item: Choice Band
ability: Levitate
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Choice Band Flygon is a wallbreaker that can easily get onto the field due to its unique typing and its immunity to Spikes and Sand. It boasts the strongest Earthquake in the metagame, severely threatening even the most resilient physical walls.
Earthquake OHKOes some Tyranitar and Metagross variants from full thanks to Choice Band, takes out pretty much all of them after a layer of Spikes, and gets good damage on Suicune and Milotic, especially if sand is up. Rock Slide hits Zapdos, Moltres, Salamence, Aerodactyl, Gengar, and Gyarados really hard. Hidden Power Bug smashes Celebi and hits Claydol really hard, preventing these common switch-ins from being safe with proper prediction. Gust takes out Heracross and Breloom, which teams with this Flygon set often have a very rough matchup against. Alternatively, Toxic cripples Porygon2, offensive Swampert, Zapdos, and Moltres and makes them incapable of coming in as safely or staying in for long periods of time. Fire Blast can also be run to hit Skarmory and Forretress and denies them from setting up Spikes; it also does decent damage to Gengar and forces Celebi to use Recover. A Jolly nature is preferred because it lets Flygon outspeed Timid Moltres and offensive Celebi and at worst Speed tie with Zapdos and Jirachi rather than risk being outsped. However, Adamant is better for some teams, as it allows Flygon to threaten the bulky teams it's supposed to more effectively.
Team Options
========
Pursuit Tyranitar is an essential partner, as it brings sand to wear down Pokemon like Zapdos, Snorlax, Suicune, Celebi, and Gengar so Flygon's damage sticks while also trapping Gengar and Celebi and even threatening Zapdos with a potential Ice Beam so Flygon can begin to more freely throw around Earthquakes. It can even slam Swampert with Hidden Power Grass so Flygon can more easily take it out later in the game with Earthquake. Magneton is another almost mandatory partner, as it traps Skarmory and Forretress, two Pokemon that can take Flygon's attacks with ease and use it for free turns. Flygon can force Skarmory and Forretress to come in so Magneton can come in on a double switch to trap them. Conversely, Flygon can come in on many Choice Band Pokemon that rely on Earthquake to take out Magneton like Metagross, Aerodactyl, Salamence, and Tyranitar. If Magneton is not used as a partner, other measures of dealing with Skarmory's Spikes will be necessary. Forretress is great partner in this regard not only because of its ability to spin and lay its own Spikes, but also because it synergizes with Pursuit Tyranitar.
Skarmory acts as a more reliable answer to Rock-types, Salamence, and Celebi while also setting Spikes so Flygon can wallbreak even more effectively. It's often worth running Drill Peck on the types of teams this Flygon fits on, as they're often weak to Heracross, which Flygon can sometimes have a tendency to let come in. Flygon is able to take on Electric-types relatively well in return while even doing a ton of damage to the spinners of the tier, so Spikes are likelier to stay up. Specially defensive Celebi is able to handle Gengar and Water-types while netting residual damage to get Pokemon in range of Flygon's attacks with Leech Seed, which can also give Flygon extra longevity that it wouldn't have, while Flygon can offensively handle Metagross and pivot into Rock Slide, Earthquake, or Hidden Power Bug from Aerodactyl or Tyranitar well. It also fits on many of the Spikes-based builds this set does.
Metagross is able to run a bulkier Protect set to handle Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Salamence, and Aerodactyl, as Flygon is unable to handle these Pokemon reliably due to lacking Leftovers. Milotic works well on the same builds this Flygon can, stops non-Choice Band Salamence, Claydol, Tyranitar, and Skarmory, and forces Suicune to use Rest, while Flygon threatens Snorlax, Celebi, and Zapdos for it. It can even come in on Rock Slide from Tyranitar, which Milotic often encourages it to do for free damage. Suicune can do largely the same thing as Milotic except it gives up reliability in countering threats in the long run for more initial bulk and more of an offensive presence. Defensive Swampert is a particularly good partner, as it can take the pressure off Flygon to handle Rock-types, which can overwhelm this Flygon set due to its lack of bulk investment and Leftovers; it can even wall Electric-types in tandem with Flygon, as they can take the Hidden Power the other can't. Because of this more reliable backbone and decreased offensive pressure, Flygon is able to come in more sparingly throughout games and keep healthy so it can be a threat in the long run.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hidden Power Ghost can be used to hit Gengar harder than any other move and does decent damage to Celebi, which makes Flygon less reliant on a Pursuit Tyranitar partner. However, this is all it does, and it's a more situational move than Hidden Power Bug on sets that run it. Hidden Power Flying can be used on teams that have issues dealing with Heracross. However, this is all it does, and Heracross can be pressured in other ways, usually via overloading it with offense. Hidden Power Grass or Giga Drain can be run on a special attacking set to lure in and take a large chunk out of Swampert and do more to Skarmory with fully invested Fire Blast. However, this usually isn't very effective because Flygon's Special Attack stat is quite mediocre, Swampert can heal off Giga Drain over time anyway, and having a weaker Earthquake hurts the Tyranitar and Metagross matchups. A pinch Berry set utilizing Liechi Berry with Substitute or Salac Berry with Endure can be used to help give Flygon some extra cleaning ability late-game; a Salac Berry + Endure set can also act as a failsafe against fast Pokemon and setup sweepers, giving Flygon an extra hit before going down. However, this comes at the cost of the increased longevity granted by Leftovers, making Flygon a less reliable check to Rock-types. Pinch berry sets are hence most appropriate for short games.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Suicune, Milotic, and Swampert are able to take Flygon's hits well and threaten it out with strong Water- or Ice-type coverage. Defensive Swampert in particular is a fantastic answer, as, in tandem with being able to heal in sand with Leftovers and use Protect, it also isn't too bothered by Toxic due to Refresh. However, Suicune and Milotic are both vulnerable to sand, so Flygon's damage is going to stick, and Suicune lacks any recovery outside of Rest. Choice Band sets can also pressure all of these Pokemon if they directly switch in, especially in sand for the former two and if Spikes are down for all three of them. Offensive Swampert also takes a lot from Earthquake and is completely crippled by Toxic.
**Gengar**: Gengar is immune to Earthquake, isn't hit that hard by any of Leftovers Flygon's moves depending on its physical bulk investment, and can OHKO Flygon with Ice Punch. It can also use Will-O-Wisp, crippling either Flygon or whatever switches into Gengar as Flygon gives Gengar a free turn. However, multiple Rock Slide in sand can start to sting from Leftovers Flygon, and Choice Band sets do a ton of damage, leaving Gengar unable to fulfill other potential defensive duties throughout the game. Gengar is also very vulnerable to Pursuit Tyranitar, a common Flygon partner.
**Ice-type Coverage**: Pokemon Flygon is typically meant to counter or at least check, like Tyranitar, Zapdos, and Jolteon, are all able to potentially lure it in and take it out with Ice Beam or Hidden Power Ice. However, these moves can be scouted with smart play. Ice-type coverage can also be seen on other Pokemon like Jirachi, Porygon2, Starmie, and Blissey.
**Porygon2**: Porygon2 is able to come into Flygon thanks to copying Levitate with Trace, taking little damage from Flygon's coverage options, and having longevity thanks to Recover. It's also able to use Ice Beam on Flygon to take it out and can cripple potential switch-ins with Thunder Wave. While Toxic is a good stop to it in most cases, Porygon2 can trace a Natural Cure user to heal the poison. However, Porygon2 gives free turns to common Flygon partners, namely Spikers, especially when Porygon2 has to recover.
**Status**: Will-O-Wisp on Pokemon like Moltres and especially Gengar makes Flygon have to switch out, as burns remove any offensive threat it may have while chipping it beyond what Leftovers heals. Toxic poison ruins Flygon, as it forces Flygon out more often and makes it take constant chip damage so it can't counter or check what it's meant to. This is compounded on when Protect users are on the opposing team, which they very often are. Paralysis from Body Slam Jirachi means Flygon is outsped by the entire metagame.
**Skarmory**: Skarmory doesn't take much from any attack Flygon has besides Fire Blast, and if it lacks said move, Skarmory is free to lay up Spikes in Flygon's face and take its attacks with ease. However, Fire Blast will sting Skarmory, and Choice Band-boosted Rock Slide can do some noticeable damage. It also doesn't help Magneton can easily be employed to remove it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ophion, 433215]]
- Earlier version by: [[kd24, 16144]]
- Quality checked by: [[Triangles, 118250], [vapicuno, 5454]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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