[OVERVIEW]
* Goodra possesses titanic special bulk that lets it even take boosted super effective special attacks and retaliate back.
* Its massive movepool makes it very customizable to take on Pokemon the rest of its team is weak to.
* Goodra is also an effective check against most forms of weather, as rain, sun, and hail teams tend to mostly use special attacks that Goodra can shrug off.
* Sap Sipper allows it to come in for free on Grass-type attacks, and Goodra's movepool lets it immediately threaten their users.
* A mediocre Speed stat and a relatively poor Defense stat make Goodra very vulnerable to fast physical attackers, and if it isn't hitting foes super effectively, its damage output is relatively poor.
[SET]
name: Special Tank
move 1: Dragon Pulse / Draco Meteor
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Thunderbolt / Ice Beam
move 4: Flamethrower / Draco Meteor
item: Assault Vest
ability: Sap Sipper
nature: Modest
evs: 188 HP / 164 Def / 156 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Dragon Pulse and Draco Meteor are both good choices for the first move. Dragon Pulse is better if you want Goodra to stay on the field longer, as it offers good consistent damage that doesn't weaken its other moves, whereas Draco Meteor offers more damage output at the cost of leaving Goodra relatively exposed after it's used. If you don't need to use its wide selection of other coverage moves, Goodra can comfortably run both Dragon-type attacks, letting it use whichever is more appropriate in a battle.
* Sludge Bomb is not a strict requirement, but it lets Goodra check all of the Island Guardian Pokemon and whittle others down with poison damage, and very few Pokemon in the metagame resist both Dragon-type and Poison-type attacks.
* The remaining two moveslots are extremely customizable and should be used to fill holes in the rest of your team. Flamethrower lets Goodra check Steel- and Bug-type Pokemon like Kartana, Celesteela, and Vikavolt. Thunderbolt hits the popular Flying- and Water-types such as Celesteela, Milotic, and Pelipper. Ice Beam is used for Ground-types like Krookodile and Garchomp, and it can also score OHKOs on Dragon-types like Garchomp and Salamence if Goodra doesn't have Draco Meteor. Lastly, Power Whip may seem strange on a special attacker, but it allows Goodra to deal heavy damage to Gastrodon if the rest of your team can't handle it very well.
Set Details
========
* Sap Sipper gives Goodra an immunity to Grass-type attacks, which lets it switch in for free on moves like Celesteela's Leech Seed, Kartana's Leaf Blade, Tapu Bulu's Wood Hammer, and Lilligant's Sleep Powder.
* The Assault Vest is required for Goodra to perform its role as a check to most special attackers.
* The given EVs let Goodra survive two Smart Strikes from a Jolly 252 Atk Kartana 82% of the time and two Moonblasts from a Modest 252 Tapu Lele 75% of the time. The Special Attack EVs let Sludge Bomb OHKO 252 HP Tapu Lele 94% of the time considering the chance to poison, and the Modest nature lets Goodra's attacks hit harder.
* The EVs are very customizable, however, so it is a good idea to figure out what foes the rest of your team is weak to and change Goodra's bulk to survive these hits. It can be ran both more defensively or more offensively.
Usage Tips
========
* Goodra can be used both as a lead and in the back. As a lead, it can put immediate pressure on Pokemon you expect your opponent to lead with, as there are very few attacks that can OHKO Goodra, almost ensuring that it can get an attack off.
* Good prediction is important when using this Pokemon. If Goodra threatens a foe enough, try to predict what your opponent will switch it to, and pick the correct move to hit it super effectively!
* Goodra deals with opposing sun, rain, and hail teams well. A sun-boosted Eruption from Torkoal does not deal much damage to Goodra at all, and Sap Sipper means Goodra can't be put to sleep with Lilligant's Sleep Powder. Water-type attacks from rain attackers hardly dent Goodra, and it can easily strike back with a Thunderbolt. Goodra can also easily survive Ice-type attacks from Alolan Ninetales and Vanilluxe and KO back with a Flamethrower, but it has to watch out for Icicle Crash from Alolan Sandslash. Goodra does not deal with sand teams very well, however, as Gigalith is a physical attacker and the sand lets it take negligable damage from any of Goodra's attacks.
Team Options
========
* Goodra greatly appreciates teammates that can weaken the opposing Pokemon's attacks to let it survive longer. Pokemon with Intimidate such as Arcanine and Gyarados pair up well with it, as they help weaken the physical attacks that Goodra can't take as well. Snarl helps Goodra take even super effective special attacks without breaking a sweat, letting it survive for a long time.
* Chip damage can build up on Goodra fairly easily, so ways to recover its health such appreciated, such as through Tapu Bulu's Grassy Terrain or Tapu Fini's Heal Pulse.
* Tapu Fini's Misty Terrain can help Goodra better deal with opposing Dragon-type attacks, although Goodra's own Dragon-type attacks will also be weakened.
* Fire-types pair well with Goodra, as they help against the three types that are super effective against Dragon-type. Arcanine and Incineroar are particularly useful, as they have access to moves like Snarl and Will-O-Wisp, and Arcanine even has Intimidate.
* Steel-type teammates such as Kartana, Magnezone, and Celesteela are also useful, as they do well against Fairy- and Ice-type foes.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Muddy Water is an option if your team has issues with Fire-, Ground-, or Rock-types, but its damage output is low and its accuracy is unreliable.
* Fire Blast can be ran over Flamethrower for the extra power, but it can miss when you need it most. Thunder and Blizzard could be used on rain and hail teams respectively, but effective use of them requires the weather to be up at all times, so they are not reliable.
* Goodra's physical movepool is also fairly expansive, offering coverage moves such as Aqua Tail and Earthquake, but overall these moves will hit fewer Pokemon super effectively than its special moves. Power Whip should only be used to hit Gastrodon, as it is weaker than Thunderbolt on anything else without significant Attack investment.
* Dragonium Z, Life Orb, or other offensive items might seem enticing to let Goodra get off huge attacks or hit even harder, but the lack of an Assault Vest significantly cuts into Goodra's bulk and makes it easy to knock out.
* A healing Berry such as Iapapa Berry can be used to achieve similar levels of effective bulk and let Goodra run Protect, but Goodra loses both a coverage move and the ability to survive certain absurd special hits such as a Moonblast from Life Orb Tapu Lele.
* Gooey might seem enticing to punish the physical attacks directed at Goodra, but Goodra shouldn't be getting hit by many physical attacks in the first place, and you lose the ability to check the popular Grass-type moves in the format.
* The combination of Hydration and Rest might seem effective on a rain team, but not only do you lose the immunity to Grass-type moves, but Goodra is also now more vulnerable to opposing forms of weather, as Rest can't be used with an Assault Vest.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Strong Physical Attackers**: These are Goodra's biggest problem, as even neutral physical attacks will deal heavy damage to Goodra, and certain unresisted Z-moves will even OHKO it. Garchomp is especially good at pressuring Goodra, as both its Dragon Claw and Tectonic Rage will deal heavy damage to it. Alolan Sandslash can come in easily on most of Goodra's attacks and deal heavy damage back, but has to watch out for Flamethrower.
**Specially Bulky Tanks**: Opposing Pokemon with high Special Defense that aren't easily knocked out by any of Goodra's attacks can be a problem, especially if they have access to a recovery move. Pokemon like Porygon2 and Milotic with Recover and Arcanine with Morning Sun can slowly whittle down Goodra's HP.
**Knock Off**: Goodra really needs its Assault Vest to function well, and a Knock Off from Pokemon like Alolan Muk and Hariyama can cripple it for the rest of the battle.
**Snarl**: Goodra's Special Attack isn't that high to begin with, as it mostly relies on hitting foes super effectively to deal significant damage, so Snarl from Pokemon like Arcanine and Alolan Persian can reduce Goodra's offensive pressure to ignorable levels.
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