[OVERVIEW]
Hydreigon is a decently powerful wallbreaker in the tier due to a solid Special Attack stat, a good STAB move in Dark Pulse, and great coverage options like Flash Cannon and Earth Power. Despite being a primarily offensive Pokemon, decent bulk, reliable recovery in Roost, and a unique typing allow it to check a number of Pokemon such as Heatran, Ash-Greninja before transformation, Reuniclus, and Blacephalon. Hydreigon's Speed tier, while good enough to outspeed Pokemon like Tapu Lele and Kyurem-B, unfortunately narrowly misses out on base 100s. Hydreigon is also aided by its useful ability Levitate, granting it an immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, meaning it doesn't have to use Roost as much as other Pokemon and making it a more reliable switch-in to Pokemon that pair well with these entry hazards such as Reuniclus. However, Hydreigon lacks the immediate power and Speed of other offensive wallbreakers and pivots in the tier like Ash-Greninja and Mega Latios. Additionally, it can be hard to justify the use of Hydreigon on a lot of teams because of how specific its niche in the tier is.
[SET]
name: Darkinium Z
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Roost
item: Darkinium Z
ability: Levitate
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 244 SpA / 32 SpD / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dark Pulse is Hydreigon's mandatory STAB move, packing a decent Base Power and 100% accuracy. Earth Power allows Hydreigon to deal heavy damage to Steel-types such as Heatran, Magearna, and Magnezone while also hitting Tyranitar. Flash Cannon punishes Fairy-types that try to switch into Hydreigon, namely Clefable and Tapu Bulu. Roost improves Hydreigon's longevity when it is needed to check certain Pokemon such as Heatran and Ash-Greninja.
Set Details
========
32 Special Defense EVs ensure Hydreigon isn't 2HKOed by Battle Bond Greninja's Hydro Pump after Stealth Rock. 232 Speed EVs in tandem with a Timid nature allow Hydreigon to outspeed base 95s, and the rest is dumped into Special Attack in order to keep Hydreigon's offensive presence intact. A Modest nature can be used instead if the extra damage dealt to Clefable and Tapu Bulu is deemed necessary, but the inability to outspeed Pokemon such as Z-Move Landorus-T, Tapu Lele, Kyurem-B, and Excadrill can be disappointing. Darkinium Z powers Dark Pulse up to a 160-Base Power Black Hole Eclipse, granting Hydreigon the ability to deal heavy damage to checks, including Ferrothorn, Zygarde, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor. Levitate is Hydreigon's only ability, but it is nonetheless a good one, giving it an immunity to Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and most Ground moves, although it should be noted that Hydreigon is a poor switch-in to the majority of Ground-types.
Usage Tips
========
Hydreigon can be used to check a number of Pokemon such as Heatran, Battle Bond Greninja, and Reuniclus due to its bulk and two immunities. However, you should be wary of switching it into Heatran and Greninja without knowing their sets, as Heatran can potentially OHKO Hydreigon with Corkscrew Crash or annoy it with Toxic, and Greninja can carry Ice Beam on Battle Bond sets or can be Protean, which Hydreigon fails to check at all. Also, if Hydreigon is needed to check something, you should make sure to keep it healthy with Roost so it can continue to do so throughout the match. Since Hydreigon is known to be a utilizer of both Choice Specs and Choice Scarf, it is reasonable for the opponent to suspect that Hydreigon could be using one of these items, so it can be valuable to bluff these sets to surprise Pokemon that could otherwise beat this set if it were locked into a move. If facing a Clefable or specially defensive Tapu Bulu, it is essential to attempt to predict them to switch in and hit them with a Flash Cannon, as otherwise Hydreigon is forced out by Moonblast or Superpower.
Team Options
========
This set can be used on offensive and balanced teams alike due to its reliability and ability to check dangerous Pokemon for such archetypes. Steel-types like Heatran and Celesteela are welcome teammates, as they have solid type synergy with Hydreigon, providing it a switch-in to Fairy and Ice-type moves that it would otherwise fold to. Similarly, Fairy-types and bulky Psychic-types including Clefable, Reuniclus, Mew, and Mega Slowbro are decent partners, as they can beat Fighting-types such as Mega Medicham and Hawlucha that tear through Hydreigon. Stealth Rock and especially Spikes setters such as Clefable, Ferrothorn, and Greninja help to wear down Hydreigon's checks. Pokemon that enjoy Fairy-types being weakened like Hawlucha, Mega Medicham, and Mega Lopunny are good partners, since Hydreigon can deal heavy damage to said Fairy-types with Flash Cannon. Tornadus-T is an exemplary teammate, as it can annoy Hydreigon checks such as Clefable, Toxapex, and Assault Vest Magearna with Knock Off and chip damage from U-turn, and it additionally forces in Heatran, which Hydreigon can take advantage of. Likewise, Tapu Bulu, Ferrothorn, and other Grass-types lure in Pokemon that Hydreigon can use to get free turns out of, like the aforementioned Heatran, Tangrowth, and Zapdos, while also wearing down Steel-types that check Hydreigon with repeated use of Leech Seed and boosted Superpowers.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hydreigon has an expansive movepool containing a number of solid moves including Fire Blast, U-turn, Taunt, and Defog, but it is difficult to fit such moves onto the set without making it less effective. Hydreigon is an effective user of Choice Specs due to its solid Special Attack stat and decent Speed tier; however, no Roost causes it to be worn down much more easily, resulting in it checking things less effectively.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Chansey** Chansey takes practically no damage from any of Hydreigon's moves and can freely get up Stealth Rock or poison it with Toxic.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types that either are faster than Hydreigon or can take one of its coverage moves such as Clefable, Tapu Bulu, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Fini pose huge threats to Hydreigon, as they can threaten it with their Fairy-type STAB moves or, in Tapu Bulu's case, Superpower.
**Bulky Steel-types**: While Hydreigon does carry Earth Power for Steel-types, some take very little damage from it or are immune to it, namely Ferrothorn, Assault Vest Magearna, and Celesteela, although the latter two are prone to being worn down over time.
**Fighting-types** Due to the lack of Draco Meteor, Fighting-types such as Mega Lopunny, Hawlucha, and Keldeo can come in without taking much damage and OHKO Hydreigon with their Fighting-type STAB moves.
**Bulky Water-types** Water-types with solid special bulk such as Toxapex, Gastrodon, and Mantine can easily take any of Hydreigon's moves and threaten it with Toxic or a Scald burn.
**Faster Pokemon** Pokemon that are faster than Hydreigon such as Mega Alakazam, Kartana, and Weavile can threaten to OHKO Hydreigon with their super effective moves.
Hydreigon is a decently powerful wallbreaker in the tier due to a solid Special Attack stat, a good STAB move in Dark Pulse, and great coverage options like Flash Cannon and Earth Power. Despite being a primarily offensive Pokemon, decent bulk, reliable recovery in Roost, and a unique typing allow it to check a number of Pokemon such as Heatran, Ash-Greninja before transformation, Reuniclus, and Blacephalon. Hydreigon's Speed tier, while good enough to outspeed Pokemon like Tapu Lele and Kyurem-B, unfortunately narrowly misses out on base 100s. Hydreigon is also aided by its useful ability Levitate, granting it an immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, meaning it doesn't have to use Roost as much as other Pokemon and making it a more reliable switch-in to Pokemon that pair well with these entry hazards such as Reuniclus. However, Hydreigon lacks the immediate power and Speed of other offensive wallbreakers and pivots in the tier like Ash-Greninja and Mega Latios. Additionally, it can be hard to justify the use of Hydreigon on a lot of teams because of how specific its niche in the tier is.
[SET]
name: Darkinium Z
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Roost
item: Darkinium Z
ability: Levitate
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 244 SpA / 32 SpD / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dark Pulse is Hydreigon's mandatory STAB move, packing a decent Base Power and 100% accuracy. Earth Power allows Hydreigon to deal heavy damage to Steel-types such as Heatran, Magearna, and Magnezone while also hitting Tyranitar. Flash Cannon punishes Fairy-types that try to switch into Hydreigon, namely Clefable and Tapu Bulu. Roost improves Hydreigon's longevity when it is needed to check certain Pokemon such as Heatran and Ash-Greninja.
Set Details
========
32 Special Defense EVs ensure Hydreigon isn't 2HKOed by Battle Bond Greninja's Hydro Pump after Stealth Rock. 232 Speed EVs in tandem with a Timid nature allow Hydreigon to outspeed base 95s, and the rest is dumped into Special Attack in order to keep Hydreigon's offensive presence intact. A Modest nature can be used instead if the extra damage dealt to Clefable and Tapu Bulu is deemed necessary, but the inability to outspeed Pokemon such as Z-Move Landorus-T, Tapu Lele, Kyurem-B, and Excadrill can be disappointing. Darkinium Z powers Dark Pulse up to a 160-Base Power Black Hole Eclipse, granting Hydreigon the ability to deal heavy damage to checks, including Ferrothorn, Zygarde, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor. Levitate is Hydreigon's only ability, but it is nonetheless a good one, giving it an immunity to Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and most Ground moves, although it should be noted that Hydreigon is a poor switch-in to the majority of Ground-types.
Usage Tips
========
Hydreigon can be used to check a number of Pokemon such as Heatran, Battle Bond Greninja, and Reuniclus due to its bulk and two immunities. However, you should be wary of switching it into Heatran and Greninja without knowing their sets, as Heatran can potentially OHKO Hydreigon with Corkscrew Crash or annoy it with Toxic, and Greninja can carry Ice Beam on Battle Bond sets or can be Protean, which Hydreigon fails to check at all. Also, if Hydreigon is needed to check something, you should make sure to keep it healthy with Roost so it can continue to do so throughout the match. Since Hydreigon is known to be a utilizer of both Choice Specs and Choice Scarf, it is reasonable for the opponent to suspect that Hydreigon could be using one of these items, so it can be valuable to bluff these sets to surprise Pokemon that could otherwise beat this set if it were locked into a move. If facing a Clefable or specially defensive Tapu Bulu, it is essential to attempt to predict them to switch in and hit them with a Flash Cannon, as otherwise Hydreigon is forced out by Moonblast or Superpower.
Team Options
========
This set can be used on offensive and balanced teams alike due to its reliability and ability to check dangerous Pokemon for such archetypes. Steel-types like Heatran and Celesteela are welcome teammates, as they have solid type synergy with Hydreigon, providing it a switch-in to Fairy and Ice-type moves that it would otherwise fold to. Similarly, Fairy-types and bulky Psychic-types including Clefable, Reuniclus, Mew, and Mega Slowbro are decent partners, as they can beat Fighting-types such as Mega Medicham and Hawlucha that tear through Hydreigon. Stealth Rock and especially Spikes setters such as Clefable, Ferrothorn, and Greninja help to wear down Hydreigon's checks. Pokemon that enjoy Fairy-types being weakened like Hawlucha, Mega Medicham, and Mega Lopunny are good partners, since Hydreigon can deal heavy damage to said Fairy-types with Flash Cannon. Tornadus-T is an exemplary teammate, as it can annoy Hydreigon checks such as Clefable, Toxapex, and Assault Vest Magearna with Knock Off and chip damage from U-turn, and it additionally forces in Heatran, which Hydreigon can take advantage of. Likewise, Tapu Bulu, Ferrothorn, and other Grass-types lure in Pokemon that Hydreigon can use to get free turns out of, like the aforementioned Heatran, Tangrowth, and Zapdos, while also wearing down Steel-types that check Hydreigon with repeated use of Leech Seed and boosted Superpowers.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hydreigon has an expansive movepool containing a number of solid moves including Fire Blast, U-turn, Taunt, and Defog, but it is difficult to fit such moves onto the set without making it less effective. Hydreigon is an effective user of Choice Specs due to its solid Special Attack stat and decent Speed tier; however, no Roost causes it to be worn down much more easily, resulting in it checking things less effectively.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Chansey** Chansey takes practically no damage from any of Hydreigon's moves and can freely get up Stealth Rock or poison it with Toxic.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types that either are faster than Hydreigon or can take one of its coverage moves such as Clefable, Tapu Bulu, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Fini pose huge threats to Hydreigon, as they can threaten it with their Fairy-type STAB moves or, in Tapu Bulu's case, Superpower.
**Bulky Steel-types**: While Hydreigon does carry Earth Power for Steel-types, some take very little damage from it or are immune to it, namely Ferrothorn, Assault Vest Magearna, and Celesteela, although the latter two are prone to being worn down over time.
**Fighting-types** Due to the lack of Draco Meteor, Fighting-types such as Mega Lopunny, Hawlucha, and Keldeo can come in without taking much damage and OHKO Hydreigon with their Fighting-type STAB moves.
**Bulky Water-types** Water-types with solid special bulk such as Toxapex, Gastrodon, and Mantine can easily take any of Hydreigon's moves and threaten it with Toxic or a Scald burn.
**Faster Pokemon** Pokemon that are faster than Hydreigon such as Mega Alakazam, Kartana, and Weavile can threaten to OHKO Hydreigon with their super effective moves.
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