QC Checks: Lolk, Audiosurfer, Darkmalice
GP Checks: fleurdyleurse, Ender, Calm Pokemaster
(I couldn't decide...they all look so cool, lol)
Overview
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Goodra is an underrated Dragon in Doubles. It has a stellar base 150 Special Defense stat backed by base 100 Attack and base 110 Special Attack. It also has a decent base 80 Speed stat. Goodra's large offensive movepool includes moves such as Draco Meteor, Power Whip, and Muddy Water. Its ability, Sap Sipper, allows it to wall Pokemon such as Venusaur and Amoonguss. Thanks to its superb special bulk, it is a great sun and rain check, walling Mega Charizard Y, Ludicolo, Politoed, and more.
While Goodra looks good on paper, it has some flaws that keep it from being used over other Dragons. Goodra's base 70 Defense allows powerful physical hits to tear through it. Although its Speed is decent, it isn't the best, and many offensive Pokemon outspeed it and hit it hard. Goodra also has a hard time getting around Fairies such as Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir, as it usually needs to rely on neutral coverage to hit them.
Special Tank
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Name: Special Tank
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Thunderbolt / Ice Beam
move 4: Protect
ability: Sap Sipper
item: Life Orb
evs: 72 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is Goodra's hardest hitting STAB move. Fire Blast hits the Steel-types that resist Goodra's STAB moves super effectively. Thunderbolt grabs the third slot, 2HKOing Mega Charizard Y; Goodra is capable of taking any hit from it back. It also 2HKOes Azumarill, which is immune to Draco Meteor and resists Fire Blast. Ice Beam can be used over Thunderbolt to nail Pokemon that are 4x weak to Ice-type attacks, such as Landorus, Garchomp, and Shaymin-S, but do not the combination of Draco Meteor, Fire Blast, and Thunderbolt is not resisted by any Pokemon. The last slot is for Protect, which stalls field effects out and gives Goodra's ally a free turn to attack the opponent.
Set Details
========
252 Special Attack EVs allow Goodra to hit as hard as possible. 176 Speed EVs let Goodra outspeed Adamant Breloom and Bisharp, both of which it can nail with Fire Blast. 72 EVs are put into HP to minimize Life Orb recoil. The last 8 EVs are dumped into Defense, as Goodra already has a gigantic Special Defense stat. Modest is preferred so Goodra hits harder, but Timid allows Goodra to get the jump on fully invested Pokemon with base 70 Speed. Sap Sipper is the best ability, as it ensures that Pokemon such as Breloom, Venusaur, and Amoonguss are not able to put Goodra to sleep. Assault Vest is an option to let Goodra handle weather even better, in addition to helping it take Ludicolo's Ice Beam and even Kingdra's Draco Meteor more easily. It also lets Goodra take Draco Meteor from Hydreigon and Latios, after which it can KO them with a Draco Meteor of its own. Assault Vest, however, doesn't let Goodra hit as hard, and this can result in a loss of momentum. If Assault Vest is used, it is recommended to shift the Speed EVs into HP to allow Goodra to take hits better.
Usage Tips
========
Goodra has good 90 / 70 / 150 bulk, but it must watch out for powerful physical hits, which can put it out of commission. Its bulk and useful resistances allow it to tank hits, and its ability lets it easily absorb sleep. Goodra is a great offensive pivot, allowing it to keep up the momentum against your opponent.
Team Options
========
Goodra is more of a pivot and less of a sweeper, so Speed control helps it to outspeed faster threats. Cresselia is a decent partner, as its bulk allows it to survive for most of the match, and it can help Goodra secure OHKOs with Helping Hand. Follow Me or Rage Powder support is useful; in particular, Jirachi makes a great partner, as it resists Fairy- , Dragon- , and Ice-type moves. Intimidate and Will-O-Wisp support are also great for Goodra, as they patch up its weaker Defense stat. Hitmontop, Scrafty, and Rotom-W can make sure physical attackers have a harder time taking Goodra down, allowing it to continue to do its job. Bisharp and Mega Gengar can KO Fairy-types easily, allowing Goodra to spam Draco Meteor. Speaking of Fairies, Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir get a mention as they are immune to Dragon-type moves that might be aimed at Goodra.
Other Options
########
Dragon Pulse is an alternative STAB attack that doesn't lower Goodra's Special Attack. Flamethrower is an option over Fire Blast for accuracy over power. Sludge Bomb is a viable option to get around Fairies, although most Fairies can tank a Sludge Bomb and end up crippling Goodra in the process. Power Whip is an alternative that allows Goodra to OHKO Rotom-W after one Sap Sipper boost. In this case, a Quiet nature should be used to compromise neither Goodra's Attack nor defenses. However, this is situational, as Goodra tanks hits from Rotom-W and Rotom-W cannot hurt Goodra anyway. In addition to being powerful spread moves, Muddy Water and Earthquake can be used to lure in and hit Heatran hard. Hidden Power Ground is also an option to hit Heatran harder than Earthquake or Muddy Water. Gooey can help check some physical attackers, but Goodra shouldn't rely on this ability due to its lack of Defense. Bisharp also gets a +2 Attack boost from the Speed drop. Hydration + rain is nice for status absorbing and setting rain up for teammates. However, the only status Goodra must worry about is sleep, which is covered by Sap Sipper. Additionally, Rest is a momentum sapper in this fast-paced metagame. Feint can help Goodra break Protects, Wide Guards, and Quick Guards so that Goodra's ally can hit the opponent and catch them off-guard.
Checks and Counters
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**Defensive Typing Advantage**: Assault Vest users such as Conkeldurr and Scrafty can take hits from Goodra and hit it on its weaker defensive stat. Cresselia can also take any hit Goodra dishes out, with its gigantic bulk, allowing it to wear down Goodra with Life Orb recoil and Psyshock / Moonblast. Heatran takes all of Goodra's attacks, though it cannot deal much damage to Goodra in return, so it needs Leftovers to win one-on-one.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Fairies such as Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir, and Togekiss can play around Goodra; they are immune to its STAB moves and can hit hard with their own Fairy STAB moves. Dragons such as Latios, Hydreigon, Kyurem-B, and Garchomp can check Goodra, as they are faster and can OHKO with their STAB moves. However, they cannot switch into Goodra's Life Orb-boosted Draco Meteor. Weavile is faster and has super effective STAB moves that can OHKO Goodra. Mamoswine can OHKO Goodra with Icicle Crash. A Timid Goodra will outspeed Adamant Mamoswine and OHKO with Draco Meteor; however, weakened ones can be KOed with Ice Shard.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Goodra's middling Defense leaves it prone to strong physical attacks. Terrakion outspeeds Goodra and has a 93.8% to OHKO it with a Life Orb-boosted Close Combat. Kangaskhan is also likely to OHKO (guaranteed with an Adamant nature) and has the bulk to withstand a Draco Meteor.
GP Checks: fleurdyleurse, Ender, Calm Pokemaster
(I couldn't decide...they all look so cool, lol)
Overview
########
Goodra is an underrated Dragon in Doubles. It has a stellar base 150 Special Defense stat backed by base 100 Attack and base 110 Special Attack. It also has a decent base 80 Speed stat. Goodra's large offensive movepool includes moves such as Draco Meteor, Power Whip, and Muddy Water. Its ability, Sap Sipper, allows it to wall Pokemon such as Venusaur and Amoonguss. Thanks to its superb special bulk, it is a great sun and rain check, walling Mega Charizard Y, Ludicolo, Politoed, and more.
While Goodra looks good on paper, it has some flaws that keep it from being used over other Dragons. Goodra's base 70 Defense allows powerful physical hits to tear through it. Although its Speed is decent, it isn't the best, and many offensive Pokemon outspeed it and hit it hard. Goodra also has a hard time getting around Fairies such as Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir, as it usually needs to rely on neutral coverage to hit them.
Special Tank
########
Name: Special Tank
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Thunderbolt / Ice Beam
move 4: Protect
ability: Sap Sipper
item: Life Orb
evs: 72 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is Goodra's hardest hitting STAB move. Fire Blast hits the Steel-types that resist Goodra's STAB moves super effectively. Thunderbolt grabs the third slot, 2HKOing Mega Charizard Y; Goodra is capable of taking any hit from it back. It also 2HKOes Azumarill, which is immune to Draco Meteor and resists Fire Blast. Ice Beam can be used over Thunderbolt to nail Pokemon that are 4x weak to Ice-type attacks, such as Landorus, Garchomp, and Shaymin-S, but do not the combination of Draco Meteor, Fire Blast, and Thunderbolt is not resisted by any Pokemon. The last slot is for Protect, which stalls field effects out and gives Goodra's ally a free turn to attack the opponent.
Set Details
========
252 Special Attack EVs allow Goodra to hit as hard as possible. 176 Speed EVs let Goodra outspeed Adamant Breloom and Bisharp, both of which it can nail with Fire Blast. 72 EVs are put into HP to minimize Life Orb recoil. The last 8 EVs are dumped into Defense, as Goodra already has a gigantic Special Defense stat. Modest is preferred so Goodra hits harder, but Timid allows Goodra to get the jump on fully invested Pokemon with base 70 Speed. Sap Sipper is the best ability, as it ensures that Pokemon such as Breloom, Venusaur, and Amoonguss are not able to put Goodra to sleep. Assault Vest is an option to let Goodra handle weather even better, in addition to helping it take Ludicolo's Ice Beam and even Kingdra's Draco Meteor more easily. It also lets Goodra take Draco Meteor from Hydreigon and Latios, after which it can KO them with a Draco Meteor of its own. Assault Vest, however, doesn't let Goodra hit as hard, and this can result in a loss of momentum. If Assault Vest is used, it is recommended to shift the Speed EVs into HP to allow Goodra to take hits better.
Usage Tips
========
Goodra has good 90 / 70 / 150 bulk, but it must watch out for powerful physical hits, which can put it out of commission. Its bulk and useful resistances allow it to tank hits, and its ability lets it easily absorb sleep. Goodra is a great offensive pivot, allowing it to keep up the momentum against your opponent.
Team Options
========
Goodra is more of a pivot and less of a sweeper, so Speed control helps it to outspeed faster threats. Cresselia is a decent partner, as its bulk allows it to survive for most of the match, and it can help Goodra secure OHKOs with Helping Hand. Follow Me or Rage Powder support is useful; in particular, Jirachi makes a great partner, as it resists Fairy- , Dragon- , and Ice-type moves. Intimidate and Will-O-Wisp support are also great for Goodra, as they patch up its weaker Defense stat. Hitmontop, Scrafty, and Rotom-W can make sure physical attackers have a harder time taking Goodra down, allowing it to continue to do its job. Bisharp and Mega Gengar can KO Fairy-types easily, allowing Goodra to spam Draco Meteor. Speaking of Fairies, Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir get a mention as they are immune to Dragon-type moves that might be aimed at Goodra.
Other Options
########
Dragon Pulse is an alternative STAB attack that doesn't lower Goodra's Special Attack. Flamethrower is an option over Fire Blast for accuracy over power. Sludge Bomb is a viable option to get around Fairies, although most Fairies can tank a Sludge Bomb and end up crippling Goodra in the process. Power Whip is an alternative that allows Goodra to OHKO Rotom-W after one Sap Sipper boost. In this case, a Quiet nature should be used to compromise neither Goodra's Attack nor defenses. However, this is situational, as Goodra tanks hits from Rotom-W and Rotom-W cannot hurt Goodra anyway. In addition to being powerful spread moves, Muddy Water and Earthquake can be used to lure in and hit Heatran hard. Hidden Power Ground is also an option to hit Heatran harder than Earthquake or Muddy Water. Gooey can help check some physical attackers, but Goodra shouldn't rely on this ability due to its lack of Defense. Bisharp also gets a +2 Attack boost from the Speed drop. Hydration + rain is nice for status absorbing and setting rain up for teammates. However, the only status Goodra must worry about is sleep, which is covered by Sap Sipper. Additionally, Rest is a momentum sapper in this fast-paced metagame. Feint can help Goodra break Protects, Wide Guards, and Quick Guards so that Goodra's ally can hit the opponent and catch them off-guard.
Checks and Counters
########
**Defensive Typing Advantage**: Assault Vest users such as Conkeldurr and Scrafty can take hits from Goodra and hit it on its weaker defensive stat. Cresselia can also take any hit Goodra dishes out, with its gigantic bulk, allowing it to wear down Goodra with Life Orb recoil and Psyshock / Moonblast. Heatran takes all of Goodra's attacks, though it cannot deal much damage to Goodra in return, so it needs Leftovers to win one-on-one.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Fairies such as Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir, and Togekiss can play around Goodra; they are immune to its STAB moves and can hit hard with their own Fairy STAB moves. Dragons such as Latios, Hydreigon, Kyurem-B, and Garchomp can check Goodra, as they are faster and can OHKO with their STAB moves. However, they cannot switch into Goodra's Life Orb-boosted Draco Meteor. Weavile is faster and has super effective STAB moves that can OHKO Goodra. Mamoswine can OHKO Goodra with Icicle Crash. A Timid Goodra will outspeed Adamant Mamoswine and OHKO with Draco Meteor; however, weakened ones can be KOed with Ice Shard.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Goodra's middling Defense leaves it prone to strong physical attacks. Terrakion outspeeds Goodra and has a 93.8% to OHKO it with a Life Orb-boosted Close Combat. Kangaskhan is also likely to OHKO (guaranteed with an Adamant nature) and has the bulk to withstand a Draco Meteor.
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