Pokémon Hydreigon

[supergoji18]

Looked through and didn't see anything regarding Hydreigon so here...
Also I am new to the forums so if this is the wrong place, sorry.

King Ghidorah
Hydreigon

Dark/Dragon
92/105/90/125/90/98
600

Ability: Levitate

Notable moves:
- Draco Meteor
- Crunch
- Dragon Pulse
- Outrage
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Flamethrower/Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
- U-Turn
- Dark Pulse
- Head Smash
- Superpower
- Tailwind
- Taunt

Analysis
Before you start shouting "Lati@s is better," hear me out! Hydreigon is actually a halfway decent pokemon! Unlike other Pseudo-Legendaries which focus on doing one thing and one thing only, this guy can pull off a number of sets. He can go mixed, he can go pure Physical/Special, he can support his team with Tailwind, etc. Plus, he hits like a truck with that base 125 special attack!
It of course has it's many flaws. The new Fairy type utterly wrecks it, possessing a resistance to both of its STABs and to its main form of coverage (Superpower), while hitting for 4x super effective damage. But that can be worked around. The biggest issue with Hydreigon is its poor... Poor... Poor poor poor poor poor poor speed. Base 98 is just... Just a sin! It it too slow to be truely useful in a Metagame where speed is pretty much everything. But it is also high enough that the rest of its base stats can't compensate for it like with Tyranitar or Conkeldurr. Plus, as you were all dying to say throughout this whole thing, it is overshadowed by the better special attacking dragons Latias and Latios. They both have the distinction of being significantly faster than Hydreigon while one has better bulk and the other hits harder. The only thing Hydreigon has on them is access to Flamethrower and Fire Blast and a resistance to Ghost Type. This, however, isn't so much when you realize Lati@s gets access to BoltBeam and has a resistance to the much deadlier Fighting type. Still, Hydreigon is good for its mixed attacking capabilities and its unpredictability. Try it out, you might be surprised!

Potential Movesets

Expert Belt/Choice Scarf Hydra
Hydreigon @ Expert Belt/Choice Scarf
Rash/Naive
4 Atk, 252 Special Attack, 252 speed
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower/Dark Pulse
- U-Turn
- Earthquake/Superpower

I remember using the scarf set last generation to great effect. It provided excellent momentum, and Draco Meteor hit like a nuke! This set is probably the best set for Hydreigon there is, as it takes advantage of Hydreigon's mixed attacking capabilities to their fullest, while also fixing Hydreigon's speed issue. You could opt for an Expert Belt instead, which allows you to switch moves and bluff a scarf.

Tailwind support
Hydreigon @ Life Orb/Expert Belt
Timid/Modest
252 special attack, 252 speed, 4 HP
- Tailwind
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower

So here is another way to get around the speed issue, this time providing support to your team as a whole. Tailwind doubles the speed of all pokemon on your side of the field for 5 turns, turning Mighty Glaciers into Lightning Bruisers.

So I guess all that is left is to discuss how this thing will do in XY OU. BEGIN DISCUSSION!

 

[Dododoggy]

I really like hydreigon but now with a 4x weakness to fairy and not to mention all the new fairy types in OU Clefable,azumarill,mawile,klefki, ect. I really can't see much of a use for him, He's just outclassed by much better dragons (Garchomp,Salamence *cough* cough*). However if you have a good fairy counter hydreigon can work very well on a team especially with his extremely high special attack and superior move pool but he's just not as good as he was last generation!

 

[midend]

Like u said hydreigon is still struggling with the nerf to dragon offensively, and defensively a shit ton of pokes like gengar are running fairy coverage, limiting its potential.

I like U-Turn on this thing as fairies are obvious switch ins for it. Most take near to nothing from flash cannon, so u turn gains momentum, allowing u to switch to a teammate like Scizor, which pairs very well with its bulk, type synergy and ability to threaten fairies while hydreigon can roast steel, take out psychics which run hp fire etc.

Scizor can also make use of the tailwind to setup and have one turn to use anything other than bullet punch. It itself also can u-turn to Hydreigon, making it a very nice doubleturn combo.

 

[Hrothgar]

This and lati have two different roles. I'm not sure anyone will compare the two. Hydreigon's 4x fairy weakness isn't much of an issue because fairies aren't much of an issue. It's doing quite fine IMO.

I prefer stallbreaker with taunt + three attacks. It naturally outspeeds most stalling mons and they can't really hurt him back.

 

[Dododoggy]

This and lati have two different roles. I'm not sure anyone will compare the two. Hydreigon's 4x fairy weakness isn't much of an issue because fairies aren't much of an issue. It's doing quite fine IMO.

I prefer stallbreaker with taunt + three attacks. It naturally outspeeds most stalling mons and they can't really hurt him back.

Ya hydreigon is faster than most fairys so I guess if it could maybe run flash cannon it could kill them? Thats just a little to gimmicky for me though..

 

[aVocado]

Hydreigon has been both buffed and nerfed. He REALLY likes spamming Dark Pulse now, muscling through walls left and right, but the introduction of fairies stops it at its tracks. Most of the time it can't even touch any fairy except with Flash Cannon on a predicted switch, and that's about it. While almost every single fairy relevant to OU can handle it.

I've been using a specs set for a long while and it's really been effective, it just needs fairies gone. And when they are, it can do some serious damage to anything that doesn't resist Dark Pulse, while Draco Meteor on the other hand just outright OHKOs shit.

Edit: It's also by no fucking way outclassed by the Lati@s twins, and I'll just give one strong reason: not Pursuit weak. Also resists Sucker Punch, and can actually run mixed with Superpower which can threaten its non-fairy counters sometimes, such as Blissey/Chansey and Tyranitar. Granted, it won't OHKO the blobs, but it'll still do respectable damage.

It also has U-turn if it's relevant.

 

[Dododoggy]

I really like all the good points you guys are making about hydreigon, maybe he isn't as bad as i thought.. Just wish he had higher speed though he's not only threatened by fairys seeing infernape,breloom,lucario, ect. can come in and 1HKO him so again he's not so "hot" in OU.

 

[midend]

I really like all the good points you guys are making about hydreigon, maybe he isn't as bad as i thought.. Just wish he had higher speed though he's not only threatened by fairys seeing infernape,breloom,lucario, ect. can come in and 1HKO him so again he's not so "hot" in OU.

His biggest flaw is actually not his speed imo, it's the weakness to mach punch and moonblast. His ability and typing does give him 2 immunities and resistance to fwg after all

 

[SmashBrosBrawl]

This thing shouldnt be using expert belt ever. Hydreigon's stabs hardly hit anything for super effective damage while flamethrower/superpower dont need a boost to ko their targets. Life orb mixed with draco meteor, dark pulse, superpower and iron tail is what it should be running to break walls. Choice scarf and specs with dmeteor, dpulse, u-turn, flamethrower are fine if you just want to spam dark pulse (which is one of hydreigon's biggest selling point). A sub set could also work due to its coverage and the fact that hazards cant wear it down.

 

[aVocado]

U-turn should never be used except on a scarf set. If you're going Specs, you should use one of either Earth Power or Focus Blast, or both if you really want. OHKOing Heatran and Ttar is just too good. With the other 2 moves being Draco Meteor and Dark Pulse, of course.

 

[SpaceFlare]

Why does no one mention Iron Head as an option for the mixed set over Superpower for coverage? Still hits Tyranitar fairly hard, and with the bulk of fairies being heavier on the special side, Flash Cannon doesn't dent them much so Iron Head is the superior fairy coverage move if you really need Hydreigon to hit them.

You lose the ability to hit the pink blobs hard, and you probably don't OHKO Tyranitar like with Superpower.

Still, the buff to its STABs actually means it gets really good neutral coverage with just spamming them.

 

[SmashBrosBrawl]

U-turn allows hydreigon to build momentum against the blobs/fairies and is one of the things hydreigon can do that other dragons cant (lol flygon). Heatran is mauled by dark pulse already and tyranitar isnt enjoying taking repeated u-turns+potential hazards+losing momentum. Theres no reason not to use it, specially when you want to replace it with an extremely unreliable move.

Why does no one mention Iron Head as an option for the mixed set over Superpower for coverage? Still hits Tyranitar fairly hard, and with the bulk of fairies being heavier on the special side, Flash Cannon doesn't dent them much so Iron Head is the superior fairy coverage move if you really need Hydreigon to hit them.

You lose the ability to hit the pink blobs hard, and you probably don't OHKO Tyranitar like with Superpower.

Still, the buff to its STABs actually means it gets really good neutral coverage with just spamming them.

Hydreigon doesnt learn iron head, it learns iron tail, but it needs both it and superpower to break through the blobs.

 

[aVocado]

Why does no one mention Iron Head as an option for the mixed set over Superpower for coverage? Still hits Tyranitar fairly hard, and with the bulk of fairies being heavier on the special side, Flash Cannon doesn't dent them much so Iron Head is the superior fairy coverage move if you really need Hydreigon to hit them.

You lose the ability to hit the pink blobs hard, and you probably don't OHKO Tyranitar like with Superpower.

Still, the buff to its STABs actually means it gets really good neutral coverage with just spamming them.

It doesn't learn it. It learns Iron Tail, though.

 

[El Coqui]

Hydra (and Haxorus) had the same syndrome of getting less usage by the end of 5th Gen. I think that, plus with the addition of Fairy-typing (note I didn't say Fairy-type pokemon) it will fall short of OU and be high UU.

Now with that said I still think its a fine pokemon to use. The 4x weakness to Fairy is as someone once said, "the reason you have 5 other pokes on your team." Granted, it is still a huge problem on paper since it only has Flamethrower and Earthquake to hit only a few of the upper tier Fairies. Flash Cannon is just a waste to carry and a Specs or LifeOrb set would rather the standard full coverage moveset. The other big problem is its weakness to Fighting types, especially MachPunch. Its 98speed is not really an issue if you are running Scarf but if it worries you try running StickyWeb to ensure you outspeed things.

On the brightside, you have 2 immunities and good number of resistances so Hydra still is decently okay. DarkPulse can now be spammed! It also has quite a movepool that it can mix and match between coverage, tailwind, and roost. You can even be adventurous and run a physical set though its outclassed by the special sets.

So maybe it has competition as being a heavy hitter but it does well enough in upper tiers.

 

[aVocado]

U-turn allows hydreigon to build momentum against the blobs/fairies and is one of the things hydreigon can do that other dragons cant (lol flygon). Heatran is mauled by dark pulse already and tyranitar isnt enjoying taking repeated u-turns+potential hazards+losing momentum. Theres no reason not to use it, specially when you want to replace it with an extremely unreliable move.

SpD Heatran is 4HKO'd by 252+ specs Dark Pulse, by the time you "maul" him he would have already gotten his rocks up, protected a few times, and Toxiced Hydreigon, but you're right. U-turn is good for keeping momentum but I still like Earth Power for the fact that it can take Heatran out.

On the other hand, I kind of really want to try some sort of SubRoost or a Stallbreaker set with Taunt, Roost and 2 attacks, but he kinda has shitty coverage with just its dual stabs.

 

[SmashBrosBrawl]

SpD Heatran is 4HKO'd by 252+ specs Dark Pulse, by the time you "maul" him he would have already gotten his rocks up, protected a few times, and Toxiced Hydreigon, but you're right. U-turn is good for keeping momentum but I still like Earth Power for the fact that it can take Heatran out.

Im talking about offensive heatran. Sp def heatran wont even be 2hkoed by focus blast (protect makes this pretty much moot) without a lot of luck and i am definitely not willing to lock myself in a ground type move in a tier where things like pinsir and thundurus are everywhere, but to each his own i guess.

 

[skies]

Ok, don't shoot me down right away, but what about a Choice Band set:
Hydreigon @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Superpower
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- U-turn / Iron Tail (yes, Iron Tail) / Crunch

This set trades the raw power of Choice Specs Draco Meteor or the immediate Speed of Choice Scarf in return for a way to muscle through its usual counters and has just as muh power as other sets. Yes, it doesn't even need a Dark type move as it's other three moves get perfect coverage bar Shedinja (lol), Togekiss (which is why you have U-Turn / Iron Tail), and Whimsicott (lol again). Superpower is what the niche of this set is, destroying the blobs. Outrage is for that great Dragon STAB, while Earthquake just provides great neutral coverage amongst Fire-types and Electric-types. The last moveslot is up to you, if you like to get out of Fairies amongst other things, then go for U-Turn. If you want a Dark STAB, use Crunch (too bad it doesn't learn Knock Off!). Now, Iron Tail may seem gimmicky, but look:
252 Atk Choice Band Hydreigon Iron Tail vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Togekiss: 294-348 (78.6 - 93%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
This alone warrants Iron Tail imo, it may have shaky accuracy but still. How this thing doesn't get Iron Head is beyond me, I mean it has three heads for crying out loud. Here are some more calcs:
252 Atk Choice Band Hydreigon Superpower vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 612-722 (93.8 - 110.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Hydreigon Superpower vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 448-528 (69.7 - 82.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Hydreigon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 536-632 (138.8 - 163.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Hydreigon Outrage vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Venusaur: 211-250 (57.9 - 68.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Hydreigon Superpower vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Lucario: 376-444 (133.8 - 158%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Adaptability Mega Lucario Vacuum Wave vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Hydreigon: 204-240 (62.7 - 73.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Hydreigon Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 177-208 (41.7 - 49%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Hydreigon Superpower vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tyranitar: 456-540 (112.8 - 133.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Tyranitar never survives.

 

[aVocado]

Chesnaught what does it have over running LO mixed with Superpower to OHKO things like mega luke and ttar?

 

[Salemance]

I love how he gets crapped on yet is still good in many ways.

The ability to now spam Dark Pulse at certain steel types (while being able to destroy Aegislash and not be threatened by it, like two certain twins....) and having access to great coverage is very nice. Do you think that Hydreigon may get some use of new sets other than his usual all out attacking sets (like that one suggested a little while ago) as I believe it could work very well.

Well I only ask as I was looking at its stats, and it actually has better overall bulk than Zados (5 more base points in defense) and then ya look at the weaknesses:

Hydreigon-
x2: Fight, Dragon, Ice
x4: Fairy
.5: Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Ghost (which is nice this gen), Dark
Immunities: Ground (via ability), Psychic

Zapdos-
x2: Ice, Rock
x4: None
.5: Grass, Fighting, Flying, Bug, Steel
Immunities: Ground

Now the x4 weakness might be the deal breaker, but a resist to both Dark and Ghost is really what I think makes it appealing. Combine that with recovery, I think it can be quite evil, and since Dragon Pulse would make it walled by steel types, I think this set might be best:

NOTE- I sorta just took Defensive Dos' set and slapped it on Hydreigon, and I think Special Defense set would be best, but I will post the appropriate EVs for that as well.

Hydreigon with Leftovers

252 HP / 236 Def (or) 236 SDef / 24 Speed
Calm Nature

Dark Pulse
Roost
Toxic/Fire Blast
Sub/Fire Blast

The given spread allows you to take a great deal of punishment, as you are able to greatly take even a +1 from Genescet and retaliate back, and outspeed a few certain things as Zapdos, with a base speed of 100, was able to outspeed Bisharp, which, if you still concern yourself with, can be slightly adjusted to ensure you beat the metal ninja as well. With this set, you are notably walled by Bisharp if lacking Fire Blast which is why I put it as a slash over Sub over Fire Blast if you decided to take Toxic as well. AV Drapion will wall as well, possibly Azumarill if lacking sub along with Ttar and Houndoom and Gyarados, Kfeki if lacking Fire Blast, Terrakion (who you should never be up against regardless), and Shed Skin Scrafty.

Is he perfect? Nah, but I think he has a valuable niche or role in that way and I think it might be highly viable.

 

[Zebstrika]

Hydreigon and Aegislash are the only pair of pokemon to resist every type in gen 6 (by extension, they also cover each other's weaknesses perfectly). So they make a nice pair.

 

[FlyThai]

Hydreigon gets alot of shit but i love using him. Personally I run Sub + 3 attacks with great success

Modest
Leftovers/Expert Belt
Substitute
Dragonpulse
Dark Pulse
Flash Connanon

This is a set i ran on Showdown with great success. With great team chemistry it can destroy stall teams and punish offensive teams alike.

 

[Ixeilon]

yes Hydreigon is under appreciated, he is still very hard to switch into and will wreck your team if given an opportunity. That said, getting that opportunity is another matter due to speed issues. I like an LO set on him, coverage is preference.

Modest 252 S.Atk 252 Speed

Dark Pulse
Draco Meteor
Fire Blast/Focus Blast
Earth Power/Flash Cannon

 

[PrincessDerpy]

I
Well I only ask as I was looking at its stats, and it actually has better overall bulk than Zados (5 more base points in defense) and then ya look at the weaknesses:

Hydreigon-
x2: Fight, Dragon, Ice
x4: Fairy
.5: Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Ghost (which is nice this gen), Dark
Immunities: Ground (via ability), Psychic

Zapdos-
x2: Ice, Rock
x4: None
.5: Grass, Fighting, Flying, Bug, Steel
Immunities: Ground

Now the x4 weakness might be the deal breaker, but a resist to both Dark and Ghost is really what I think makes it appealing. Combine that with recovery, I think it can be quite evil, and since Dragon Pulse would make it walled by steel types, I think this set might be best:

My thought is if you want to try this kind of defensive ploy, working from behind a sub with HP/SPecial/SPeed spreads (I don't know offhand what our hydra friend needs to outrun, I just know it needs to outrun some things) would probably be better. Akin to Kyurem-B's sub set. Hydra just has too many attractive weaknesses to nail for big damage, even if you run full defense. For example, AV Conk still destroys him with that kind of set. Better to be an offensive threat that either is extremely threatening OR can soak a hit due to sub.

Sub will also screw with people expecting the usual Specs set and it makes using him in a hostile environment much safer.

 

[Salemance]

My thought is if you want to try this kind of defensive ploy, working from behind a sub with HP/SPecial/SPeed spreads (I don't know offhand what our hydra friend needs to outrun, I just know it needs to outrun some things) would probably be better. Akin to Kyurem-B's sub set. Hydra just has too many attractive weaknesses to nail for big damage, even if you run full defense. For example, AV Conk still destroys him with that kind of set. Better to be an offensive threat that either is extremely threatening OR can soak a hit due to sub.

Sub will also screw with people expecting the usual Specs set and it makes using him in a hostile environment much safer.

I figured weaknesses to fighting and the ilk might be what broke the camel's back, as it is super common for something to be carrying a non stab fighting move for coverage. Tbt I just sorta wonder if in theory it could work as a Ghost/Dark wall really as in a way but even then its probably outclassed by Mandi.

Ah well, can't blame a thought.

 

[supergoji18]

I love how he gets crapped on yet is still good in many ways.

The ability to now spam Dark Pulse at certain steel types (while being able to destroy Aegislash and not be threatened by it, like two certain twins....) and having access to great coverage is very nice. Do you think that Hydreigon may get some use of new sets other than his usual all out attacking sets (like that one suggested a little while ago) as I believe it could work very well.

I admit I didn't think about how valuable taking on Aegislash could be. Just did some calculations and apparently it can 2HKO Aegislash-Shield, while just being able to survive Sacred Sword from Aegislash-Blade.

And then there is what the next person said:

Hydreigon and Aegislash are the only pair of pokemon to resist every type in gen 6 (by extension, they also cover each other's weaknesses perfectly). So they make a nice pair.

I had no idea they had such amazing type synergy. I might end up making a team based around these two.