[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 5 onwards
**Price Range**: 12-13 points
**Overview**: Hydreigon operates as a powerful wallbreaker, boasting a very wide offensive movepool, paired with dangerous set up options and diverse coverage moves to break through its typical checks. Thanks to Levitate, it avoids Earthquake and Spikes damage, giving it valuable pivoting opportunities against common Ground types. Beyond its offensive presence, Hydreigon can also take on utility roles, setting Stealth Rock or using Taunt + Thunder Wave to disrupt opponents. However, its middling speed tier and reliance on Terastallization to patch up weaknesses, often holds it back in Draft, especially since teams may prefer to reserve their Tera slot for higher-tier captains.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Revenge Killer**: With a Choice Scarf, Hydreigon is capable of picking off weakened foes and allowing its teammates to clean. Without it, its Speed is easy to take advantage of.
**Wallbreaker**: Hydreigon can use its respectable base Special Attack to be an immediate threat to teams without setup. Thanks to its easily spammable STAB and coverage moves, it can wear down opposing teams, which can be made easier with damage-boosting items. It can also help build momentum by pivoting out with U-turn against checks and other unfavorable matchups.
**Setup Sweeper**: Nasty Plot, combined with Hydreigon’s extensive special movepool, makes Hydreigon a dangerous setup sweeper. Substitute can further enhance these sets by shielding Hydreigon from status moves such as Thunder Wave, and punishing faster Pokemon that could otherwise OHKO Hydreigon, by forcing them to break the Substitute first. However, even with this combination, Nasty Plot sets are still prone to being defeated by revenge killers due to its average Speed, so Dragon Dance sets can allow it to outspeed faster threats while still functioning as a strong sweeper, even possibly baiting in specially defensive Pokemon.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Draco Meteor, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Crunch, Outrage, Scale Shot, Throat Chop
**Setup Moves**: Nasty Plot, Dragon Dance
**Utility Moves**: U-turn, Taunt, Roar, Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, Substitute, Dragon Tail, Snarl, Breaking Swipe
**Coverage**: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Heat Wave, Flash Cannon, Earth Power, Surf, Hydro Pump, Focus Blast, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Zen Headbutt, Tera Blast, Head Smash, Dual Wingbeat, Acrobatics
Niche Moves
========
**Endure**: With Salac Berry and Nasty Plot, Hydreigon can use Endure to guarantee a boost to Speed, enabling a potential sweep late-game.
**Fire Spin**: Fire Spin allows Hydreigon to trap potential checks and either set up or utilize Tera to beat them.
**Tailwind**: In matchups where specially offensive Hydreigon must outspeed revenge killers without being Choice locked, it can potentially use Tailwind for short term speed control.
**Belch**: In conjunction with Endure + Salac Berry, or Roseli Berry, Belch gives Hydreigon an out against very specially defensive Fairy types, when Flash Cannon won’t do enough to pick up the KO.
**Head Smash**: While generally overlooked, Head Smash can be used on Dragon Dance sets, allowing Hydreigon to OHKO Ice-types that would normally threaten it out. With Tera Rock, Head Smash can also catch bulky Fairy-types on a switch in, picking up surprise KOs. However, its low accuracy and massive recoil make it a very situational option at best.
Common Items
========
**Choice Scarf**: With its Speed being average at best, Hydreigon appreciates the boost Choice Scarf provides, using it to either get a big hit off first or pivot out from an unfavorable matchup.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Damage-boosting items such as Life Orb can be incredibly useful for matchups where Hydreigon wants to spam multiple coverage moves without switching. Hydreigon can also use Dragon Fang or Black Glasses to get an additional boost on its STAB moves. At the cost of being locked into a move, it is additionally able to use Choice Specs to maximize its damage output and threaten foes with a boosted Draco Meteor.
**Leftovers**: Extra longevity through passive healing can do a lot for Hydreigon, especially if it's going to be on the battlefield for many turns or is taking on a bulkier role. For sets using Substitute or Nasty Plot, Leftovers provides extra longevity to make them truly thrive.
Niche Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Despite its immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes thanks to Levitate, Hydreigon can still appreciate Heavy-Duty Boots negating any Stealth Rock damage on pivot sets.
**Resistance Berries**: With its good natural bulk, Hydreigon can utilize different types of resistance Berries, such as Haban and Roseli Berry, to catch its counters and hit back with either strong coverage or Thunder Wave.
**Lum Berry**: Hydreigon can be prone to status conditions from various threats. Lum Berry provides a one-time cure to any of these status ailments that could otherwise impede its abilities.
**Assault Vest**: With its respectable bulk, Hydreigon can make use of Assault Vest to survive multiple hits from specially-biased teams.
**Eject Pack**: Hydreigon can use its powerful STAB Draco Meteor as a one-time pivoting move to avoid becoming setup fodder and maintain momentum in a battle. This can be helpful in faster battles in which Hydreigon cannot fit U-turn into its moveset.
Tera
========
Hydreigon can benefit from Terastallization for both offensive and defensive purposes. Defensive Tera types such as Tera Poison and Steel give it a way to handle Fairy-types, which are normally among its most threatening checks, while Levitate ensures it doesn’t need to worry about Ground coverage. Tera Fire is another option to shed its Fairy weakness while also empowering Fire-type coverage to help beat Steel-types, though this comes at the cost of a Stealth Rock weakness. Alternatively, Tera Ground provides a similar offensive benefit, letting Hydreigon break through Steel-types such as Heatran and Kingambit while also hitting opposing Poison-types, giving it strong coverage without stacking a Rock weakness. Tera Dragon and Tera Dark can simply amplify its STAB moves, letting it push through neutral targets more effectively.
Importantly, Hydreigon often functions as a team’s primary breaker when it receives the Tera slot, using the boost to push past its checks and open games for its late-game focused teammates. However, if your roster already features premier special wallbreakers such as Volcarona, Raging Bolt, or Iron Valiant, Hydreigon should almost never be designated as your Tera Captain, since those options usually demand the spotlight more effectively.
One of Hydreigon’s more unique Tera choices is Tera Electric, which when paired with Levitate leaves it with no weaknesses. Combined with its solid natural bulk, this allows Hydreigon to act as a bulky breaker that can absorb hits from faster offensive Pokémon while still maintaining the Speed to outpace and pressure slower, bulkier threats. This makes Tera Electric a strong option for drafts that want a resilient, versatile breaker rather than a pure glass cannon.
Draft Strategy
========
Hydreigon is a good complementary piece of an offensive core. While it does have great Special Attack, its average Speed is just not fast enough for it to be the main attraction of an offensive core, and it should be treated as such. Teammates that can reliably pivot and help chip down opposing threats help make Hydreigon's role on the field much easier.
**Bulky Pivots**: Hydreigon appreciates having slower pivots to help it get into battles without taking many hits. Galarian Slowking, Rotom-W, and Uxie all can tank hits and pivot into Hydreigon while offering other utility that it benefits from. More offensive pivots like Assault Vest Primarina or Iron Treads pair well too, helping check the Dragon and Fairy types it struggles against.
**Fairy-type Checks**: Fairy-type Pokemon and attacks are Hydreigon's biggest weaknesses. Strong Steel-types like Scizor, Metagross, and Heatran, along with grounded Poison-types like Sneasler, Dragalge, or and Iron Moth make solid teammates, as Levitate on Hydreigon allows it to be a Ground-type check for them in return for dealing with Fairy-types.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Extra chip damage on foes is always appreciated. In a similar sense, being able to keep entry hazards off its side of the field helps Hydreigon’s longevity. Pokemon like Iron Treads, Excadrill, and Glimmora, which can both set hazards and act as hazard removal, make for useful teammates. Spinblockers like Gholdengo and Skeledirge also help keep hazards on the opponent’s side of the field while having complementary typing with Hydreigon.
**Physical Attackers**: Having teammates that threaten special walls that Hydreigon may have a hard time taking out can help it either clean up matches or wallbreak for another cleaner. Pokemon such as Palafin, Iron Boulder, and Sneasler can put heavy pressure on most special tanks while also providing valuable switch-ins to Hydreigon's checks.
**Speed Control**: It is important to have Pokemon with high base Speed that can revenge kill quicker Pokemon so Hydreigon is not pigeonholed into running Choice Scarf every match to make up for slow teams, as a Choice-locked Hydreigon can give foes free setup opportunities. Examples include Ogerpon, Iron Valiant, and Serperior.
**Sticky Web**: While not essential, Sticky Web support greatly improves Hydreigon’s effectiveness by compensating for its middling Speed tier. With webs on the field, Hydreigon can outspeed and pressure many of the faster offensive threats that would normally revenge kill it. Sticky Web also pressures opponents into running Heavy-Duty Boots, which can make team prep easier for Hydreigon by reducing the risk of being countered by opposing Choice Scarf users.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fairy-types**: While Hydreigon does have options for Fairy-type Pokemon, there will often be matchups where it can’t fit Flash Cannon, needs a different type of Tera Blast, or cannot reliably KO the opponent’s Fairy-type. Bulkier Fairy-types like Florges and Sylveon can usually survive a hit, while faster Fairy-types like Enamorus and Iron Valiant can revenge kill with their faster STAB options.
**Faster Pokemon**: Hydreigon’s base Speed leaves a lot to be desired. Even with a Choice Scarf, faster threats such as Iron Valiant, Enamorus, Sneasler, and Walking Wake can consistently come in and revenge kill it. In addition, faster pivots can immediately threaten it with super effective U-turns, dealing key damage while getting a check in with minimal risk.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Specially defensive Fairy-types, as previously stated, and even bulky Tera Fairy Pokemon can come in on Hydreigon and threaten it fairly easily, while Assault Vest users like Ursaluna-B, Tornadus-T, and Palafin can also deal devastating damage while comfortably taking hits from Hydreigon sets without Choice Specs.
[credits]
Originally written by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/literallyjustian.659612/ and https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/
Originally quality checked by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sablolol.466715/ and https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/princess-autumn.564960/
Originally gammer checked by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/itsjustmat.689725/
Quality Checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.200000
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.300000
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.400000
**Draft Order**: Round 5 onwards
**Price Range**: 12-13 points
**Overview**: Hydreigon operates as a powerful wallbreaker, boasting a very wide offensive movepool, paired with dangerous set up options and diverse coverage moves to break through its typical checks. Thanks to Levitate, it avoids Earthquake and Spikes damage, giving it valuable pivoting opportunities against common Ground types. Beyond its offensive presence, Hydreigon can also take on utility roles, setting Stealth Rock or using Taunt + Thunder Wave to disrupt opponents. However, its middling speed tier and reliance on Terastallization to patch up weaknesses, often holds it back in Draft, especially since teams may prefer to reserve their Tera slot for higher-tier captains.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Revenge Killer**: With a Choice Scarf, Hydreigon is capable of picking off weakened foes and allowing its teammates to clean. Without it, its Speed is easy to take advantage of.
**Wallbreaker**: Hydreigon can use its respectable base Special Attack to be an immediate threat to teams without setup. Thanks to its easily spammable STAB and coverage moves, it can wear down opposing teams, which can be made easier with damage-boosting items. It can also help build momentum by pivoting out with U-turn against checks and other unfavorable matchups.
**Setup Sweeper**: Nasty Plot, combined with Hydreigon’s extensive special movepool, makes Hydreigon a dangerous setup sweeper. Substitute can further enhance these sets by shielding Hydreigon from status moves such as Thunder Wave, and punishing faster Pokemon that could otherwise OHKO Hydreigon, by forcing them to break the Substitute first. However, even with this combination, Nasty Plot sets are still prone to being defeated by revenge killers due to its average Speed, so Dragon Dance sets can allow it to outspeed faster threats while still functioning as a strong sweeper, even possibly baiting in specially defensive Pokemon.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Draco Meteor, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Crunch, Outrage, Scale Shot, Throat Chop
**Setup Moves**: Nasty Plot, Dragon Dance
**Utility Moves**: U-turn, Taunt, Roar, Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, Substitute, Dragon Tail, Snarl, Breaking Swipe
**Coverage**: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Heat Wave, Flash Cannon, Earth Power, Surf, Hydro Pump, Focus Blast, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Zen Headbutt, Tera Blast, Head Smash, Dual Wingbeat, Acrobatics
Niche Moves
========
**Endure**: With Salac Berry and Nasty Plot, Hydreigon can use Endure to guarantee a boost to Speed, enabling a potential sweep late-game.
**Fire Spin**: Fire Spin allows Hydreigon to trap potential checks and either set up or utilize Tera to beat them.
**Tailwind**: In matchups where specially offensive Hydreigon must outspeed revenge killers without being Choice locked, it can potentially use Tailwind for short term speed control.
**Belch**: In conjunction with Endure + Salac Berry, or Roseli Berry, Belch gives Hydreigon an out against very specially defensive Fairy types, when Flash Cannon won’t do enough to pick up the KO.
**Head Smash**: While generally overlooked, Head Smash can be used on Dragon Dance sets, allowing Hydreigon to OHKO Ice-types that would normally threaten it out. With Tera Rock, Head Smash can also catch bulky Fairy-types on a switch in, picking up surprise KOs. However, its low accuracy and massive recoil make it a very situational option at best.
Common Items
========
**Choice Scarf**: With its Speed being average at best, Hydreigon appreciates the boost Choice Scarf provides, using it to either get a big hit off first or pivot out from an unfavorable matchup.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Damage-boosting items such as Life Orb can be incredibly useful for matchups where Hydreigon wants to spam multiple coverage moves without switching. Hydreigon can also use Dragon Fang or Black Glasses to get an additional boost on its STAB moves. At the cost of being locked into a move, it is additionally able to use Choice Specs to maximize its damage output and threaten foes with a boosted Draco Meteor.
**Leftovers**: Extra longevity through passive healing can do a lot for Hydreigon, especially if it's going to be on the battlefield for many turns or is taking on a bulkier role. For sets using Substitute or Nasty Plot, Leftovers provides extra longevity to make them truly thrive.
Niche Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Despite its immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes thanks to Levitate, Hydreigon can still appreciate Heavy-Duty Boots negating any Stealth Rock damage on pivot sets.
**Resistance Berries**: With its good natural bulk, Hydreigon can utilize different types of resistance Berries, such as Haban and Roseli Berry, to catch its counters and hit back with either strong coverage or Thunder Wave.
**Lum Berry**: Hydreigon can be prone to status conditions from various threats. Lum Berry provides a one-time cure to any of these status ailments that could otherwise impede its abilities.
**Assault Vest**: With its respectable bulk, Hydreigon can make use of Assault Vest to survive multiple hits from specially-biased teams.
**Eject Pack**: Hydreigon can use its powerful STAB Draco Meteor as a one-time pivoting move to avoid becoming setup fodder and maintain momentum in a battle. This can be helpful in faster battles in which Hydreigon cannot fit U-turn into its moveset.
Tera
========
Hydreigon can benefit from Terastallization for both offensive and defensive purposes. Defensive Tera types such as Tera Poison and Steel give it a way to handle Fairy-types, which are normally among its most threatening checks, while Levitate ensures it doesn’t need to worry about Ground coverage. Tera Fire is another option to shed its Fairy weakness while also empowering Fire-type coverage to help beat Steel-types, though this comes at the cost of a Stealth Rock weakness. Alternatively, Tera Ground provides a similar offensive benefit, letting Hydreigon break through Steel-types such as Heatran and Kingambit while also hitting opposing Poison-types, giving it strong coverage without stacking a Rock weakness. Tera Dragon and Tera Dark can simply amplify its STAB moves, letting it push through neutral targets more effectively.
Importantly, Hydreigon often functions as a team’s primary breaker when it receives the Tera slot, using the boost to push past its checks and open games for its late-game focused teammates. However, if your roster already features premier special wallbreakers such as Volcarona, Raging Bolt, or Iron Valiant, Hydreigon should almost never be designated as your Tera Captain, since those options usually demand the spotlight more effectively.
One of Hydreigon’s more unique Tera choices is Tera Electric, which when paired with Levitate leaves it with no weaknesses. Combined with its solid natural bulk, this allows Hydreigon to act as a bulky breaker that can absorb hits from faster offensive Pokémon while still maintaining the Speed to outpace and pressure slower, bulkier threats. This makes Tera Electric a strong option for drafts that want a resilient, versatile breaker rather than a pure glass cannon.
Draft Strategy
========
Hydreigon is a good complementary piece of an offensive core. While it does have great Special Attack, its average Speed is just not fast enough for it to be the main attraction of an offensive core, and it should be treated as such. Teammates that can reliably pivot and help chip down opposing threats help make Hydreigon's role on the field much easier.
**Bulky Pivots**: Hydreigon appreciates having slower pivots to help it get into battles without taking many hits. Galarian Slowking, Rotom-W, and Uxie all can tank hits and pivot into Hydreigon while offering other utility that it benefits from. More offensive pivots like Assault Vest Primarina or Iron Treads pair well too, helping check the Dragon and Fairy types it struggles against.
**Fairy-type Checks**: Fairy-type Pokemon and attacks are Hydreigon's biggest weaknesses. Strong Steel-types like Scizor, Metagross, and Heatran, along with grounded Poison-types like Sneasler, Dragalge, or and Iron Moth make solid teammates, as Levitate on Hydreigon allows it to be a Ground-type check for them in return for dealing with Fairy-types.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Extra chip damage on foes is always appreciated. In a similar sense, being able to keep entry hazards off its side of the field helps Hydreigon’s longevity. Pokemon like Iron Treads, Excadrill, and Glimmora, which can both set hazards and act as hazard removal, make for useful teammates. Spinblockers like Gholdengo and Skeledirge also help keep hazards on the opponent’s side of the field while having complementary typing with Hydreigon.
**Physical Attackers**: Having teammates that threaten special walls that Hydreigon may have a hard time taking out can help it either clean up matches or wallbreak for another cleaner. Pokemon such as Palafin, Iron Boulder, and Sneasler can put heavy pressure on most special tanks while also providing valuable switch-ins to Hydreigon's checks.
**Speed Control**: It is important to have Pokemon with high base Speed that can revenge kill quicker Pokemon so Hydreigon is not pigeonholed into running Choice Scarf every match to make up for slow teams, as a Choice-locked Hydreigon can give foes free setup opportunities. Examples include Ogerpon, Iron Valiant, and Serperior.
**Sticky Web**: While not essential, Sticky Web support greatly improves Hydreigon’s effectiveness by compensating for its middling Speed tier. With webs on the field, Hydreigon can outspeed and pressure many of the faster offensive threats that would normally revenge kill it. Sticky Web also pressures opponents into running Heavy-Duty Boots, which can make team prep easier for Hydreigon by reducing the risk of being countered by opposing Choice Scarf users.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fairy-types**: While Hydreigon does have options for Fairy-type Pokemon, there will often be matchups where it can’t fit Flash Cannon, needs a different type of Tera Blast, or cannot reliably KO the opponent’s Fairy-type. Bulkier Fairy-types like Florges and Sylveon can usually survive a hit, while faster Fairy-types like Enamorus and Iron Valiant can revenge kill with their faster STAB options.
**Faster Pokemon**: Hydreigon’s base Speed leaves a lot to be desired. Even with a Choice Scarf, faster threats such as Iron Valiant, Enamorus, Sneasler, and Walking Wake can consistently come in and revenge kill it. In addition, faster pivots can immediately threaten it with super effective U-turns, dealing key damage while getting a check in with minimal risk.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Specially defensive Fairy-types, as previously stated, and even bulky Tera Fairy Pokemon can come in on Hydreigon and threaten it fairly easily, while Assault Vest users like Ursaluna-B, Tornadus-T, and Palafin can also deal devastating damage while comfortably taking hits from Hydreigon sets without Choice Specs.
[credits]
Originally written by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/literallyjustian.659612/ and https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/
Originally quality checked by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sablolol.466715/ and https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/princess-autumn.564960/
Originally gammer checked by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/itsjustmat.689725/
Quality Checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.200000
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.300000
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.400000