Hydreigon

[bwebber]

I feel that there is little-to-no reason to run Flamethrower on the scarf set. I'd remove the slash but leave it in moves (you already stated why it is inferior to Fire Blast). However, on the main set, state that is should always be used if you are running LO as it actually does KO standard Ferrothorn (252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 52 SpD Ferrothorn: 224-265 (123.7 - 146.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO). I'd also remove the mention of Modest on the main set as it is too slow without scarf or a boost. Leave it for set details. I'd personally dash Fire Blast after Flamethrower on the main set, if only to 'align' it with Life Orb, making it obvious as to which move to use with each item.
Edit: Change the header of the scarf set to "Choice Scarf". It is mainly to make it obvious for people looking through the sets and what you have atm isn't very clear.

I use both Flamethrower and Fire Blast on the Scarf set, as they hit different things. Flamethrower already OHKOs Bisharp, Ferrothorn, Scizor (wouldn't wanna miss and have it X-Scissor you), and weakened Mawiles, while Fire Blast hits healthier Mawiles, Amoonguss, and Venusaur out of sun. I haven't missed U-Turn on it.

 

[Martin]

On the scarf set, I would just leave modest in the slashes but keep the mention of timid in set details. The power is too much to forgo realistically when the scarf effectively negates its need for Timid. Lets face it: the only notable difference is the ability to outpace opposing scarf Hydreigon and swift swim-boosted Ludicolo

 

[tofucocoa]

i think a spread of 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe is the way to go for modest hydreigon without LO or focus sash-- as well as some hydreigons that do carry LO. that spread lives jolly chomper dragon claw about 90% of the time and outspeeds jolly smeargle, which is basically the only thing worth outspeeding in that general speed tier. timid can use the same spread to outspeed base 100's (charizard/kang).

scarfed set should probably slash dragon pulse in with u-turn instead of dmeteor. there is no reason why dragon pulse should ever be over draco meteor because without it, scarf hydrei is significantly less threatening especially considering it can't even reliably ohko garchomp with a modest nature.

in OO, stone edge is probably the better option for hydreigon considering that RS can't ohko zard but if you don't want to get rid of it completely, just mention it in the same breath as rock slide. also mention that the two would probably work best on the scarf set to outspeed charizard/talonflames that dont brave bird.

in the overview, i don't think being weak to priority is as big of an issue in this meta right now since the most common priority besides fake out is sucker punch/brave bird.

these are p small changes though, so otherwise this looks good to me :)

QC 2/2 after changes/consideration

 

[Jonater]

i think a spread of 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe is the way to go for modest hydreigon without LO or focus sash-- as well as some hydreigons that do carry LO. that spread lives jolly chomper dragon claw about 90% of the time and outspeeds jolly smeargle, which is basically the only thing worth outspeeding in that general speed tier. timid can use the same spread to outspeed base 100's (charizard/kang).

scarfed set should probably slash dragon pulse in with u-turn instead of dmeteor. there is no reason why dragon pulse should ever be over draco meteor because without it, scarf hydrei is significantly less threatening especially considering it can't even reliably ohko garchomp with a modest nature.

in OO, stone edge is probably the better option for hydreigon considering that RS can't ohko zard but if you don't want to get rid of it completely, just mention it in the same breath as rock slide. also mention that the two would probably work best on the scarf set to outspeed charizard/talonflames that dont brave bird.

in the overview, i don't think being weak to priority is as big of an issue in this meta right now since the most common priority besides fake out is sucker punch/brave bird.

these are p small changes though, so otherwise this looks good to me :)

QC 2/2 after changes/consideration

Thanks LucarioJr! You didn't specify where to put your spread, so i guess i'll put it in OO. Adding your changes. I will write this up when i have the time and when im down procrastinating. :)

 

[bwebber]

Alright, so I tried U-Turn on the Scarf set for a little bit, and it... really sucks. I find that Scarf Hydreigon works best when you put it in the back and have it clean up late game, since there are enough things that wall it that you are putting yourself at risk when you lead Hydreigon, so there was never a situation where I needed U-Turn. I was just better off hitting the possible switch in or just outright attacking. Maybe if it was a special Dark or Dragon move it might be worthwhile since the chip damage might start to add up, but as it stands, U-Turn is just too weak to use it instead of switching or attacking and there is no purpose it really serves for Hydreigon. It's a waste of time and a waste of a move slot.

 

[Professor Birch]

Alright, so I tried U-Turn on the Scarf set for a little bit, and it... really sucks. I find that Scarf Hydreigon works best when you put it in the back and have it clean up late game, since there are enough things that wall it that you are putting yourself at risk when you lead Hydreigon, so there was never a situation where I needed U-Turn. I was just better off hitting the possible switch in or just outright attacking. Maybe if it was a special Dark or Dragon move it might be worthwhile since the chip damage might start to add up, but as it stands, U-Turn is just too weak to use it instead of switching or attacking and there is no purpose it really serves for Hydreigon. It's a waste of time and a waste of a move slot.

I agree here. U-Turn isnt really too great for the format and since you usually want to clean up with it and not lead, you wouldnt be switching it out. Also, following the late game cleaned idea, I think that Surf should be slashed with Dragon Pulse.

 

[bwebber]

I agree here. U-Turn isnt really too great for the format and since you usually want to clean up with it and not lead, you wouldnt be switching it out. Also, following the late game cleaned idea, I think that Surf should be slashed with Dragon Pulse.

Surf isn't very good because it also hits your ally and Water doesn't hit very many relevant things in the meta.

I would probably go:
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- Dragon Pulse / Fire Blast

Earth Power is an option as well if you wanna hit Tyranitar and Manectric without locking yourself into Draco. Also, Flamethrower > Fire Blast. The former already OHKOs most of the relevant things that you would need to with a Fire move, apart from healthy Mawiles (which Fire Blast doesn't even OHKO reliably, not to mention you shouldn't try to battle a healthy Mawile with Hydreigon), Amoonguss (Fire Blast doesn't OHKO either), and Venusaur out of Sun (rarely happens). Using two Fire moves is also viable, because Fire Blast hits Amoonguss harder while still having a 100% accurate Fire move, while Dragon Pulse is just there for Garchomp and Salamence (they'd probably need to be on the same team, as otherwise, you should probably just Draco).

 

[Martin]

Surf isn't very good because it also hits your ally

In what way does that make a move bad? and people often take advantage of their moves doing that. Think about Ludiclolo: it will often hold Absorb Bulb in order TO take advantage of it. Also many opkemon will use Water Absorb to heal off of it, such as (dare I say it) Lanturn who is argubly one of the best ways to deal with both Water-, Flying-, Fire- (without Grass-type coverage) and Rock-types simultaniously (give it an Air Balloon and it can deal with Ground-types too) and will usually prefer Water Absorb in doubles as Surf is much better than Discharge as it won't paralyze your teammate 30% of the time. This is why I think I would recommed slashing Surf in the last slot but maybe like this: Dragon Pulse / Surf / Fire Blast

Also, Flamethrower > Fire Blast. The former already OHKOs most of the relevant things that you would need to with a Fire move, apart from healthy Mawiles

Using 2 Fire-type moves is also viable

The latter is true, however the former is not for users of timid (seeing as it is staying as a slash):

252 SpA Hydreigon Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 52 SpD Ferrothorn: 172-204 (95 - 112.7%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO​

People who run timid are missing out the 2HKO on standard Ferrothorn 37.5% of the time, which is a big enough margin to say that it is unreliable (i mean come on: a 4x super effective move not guaranteeing an OHKO to a ferrothorn only 52 evs investment? I'm kinda suprised myself) This is the reasoning behind why Fire Blast is first on the list. But to add to your point about 2 Fire-type moves, I'd agree with you there, but (as mentioned before), looking more like this: Dragon Pulse / Surf / Fire Blast.

Jonater the moveset would look like this if you were to follow this:

move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Surf / Fire Blast

 

[bwebber]

In what way does that make a move bad? and people often take advantage of their moves doing that. Think about Ludiclolo: it will often hold Absorb Bulb in order TO take advantage of it. Also many opkemon will use Water Absorb to heal off of it, such as (dare I say it) Lanturn who is argubly one of the best ways to deal with both Water-, Flying-, Fire- (without Grass-type coverage) and Rock-types simultaniously (give it an Air Balloon and it can deal with Ground-types too) and will usually prefer Water Absorb in doubles as Surf is much better than Discharge as it won't paralyze your teammate 30% of the time. This is why I think I would recommed slashing Surf in the last slot but maybe like this: Dragon Pulse / Surf / Fire Blast



The latter is true, however the former is not for users of timid (seeing as it is staying as a slash):

252 SpA Hydreigon Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 52 SpD Ferrothorn: 172-204 (95 - 112.7%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO​

People who run timid are missing out the 2HKO on standard Ferrothorn 37.5% of the time, which is a big enough margin to say that it is unreliable (i mean come on: a 4x super effective move not guaranteeing an OHKO to a ferrothorn only 52 evs investment? I'm kinda suprised myself) This is the reasoning behind why Fire Blast is first on the list. But to add to your point about 2 Fire-type moves, I'd agree with you there, but (as mentioned before), looking more like this: Dragon Pulse / Surf / Fire Blast.

Jonater the moveset would look like this if you were to follow this:

move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Surf / Fire Blast

How many Pokemon exactly have Water Absorb? And to add to that, how many good Pokemon have Water Absorb? It doesn't make sense to have to force yourself to use Lanturn just to make the move viable, and there are so few situations where you'd actually want to use Surf (Water offers poor coverage).

Also, that's why you use Modest and not Timid. I've run into exactly one Scarf Hydreigon after about 160 battles on Battle Spot, and none on Showdown. The extra speed Timid nets you gets you nowhere.

 

[Martin]

How many Pokemon exactly have Water Absorb? And to add to that, how many good Pokemon have Water Absorb? It doesn't make sense to have to force yourself to use Lanturn just to make the move viable, and there are so few situations where you'd actually want to use Surf (Water offers poor coverage).

Also, that's why you use Modest and not Timid. I've run into exactly one Scarf Hydreigon after about 160 battles on Battle Spot, and none on Showdown. The extra speed Timid nets you gets you nowhere.

The water absorb comment was meant to be less emphasised. But the Ludicolo one is still sensible tbh. Also the timid point was there because it is on the thread.
Sorry if I sound argumentative. I don't want it to come across like that.

 

[Jonater]

Can I mention the spreads in my set comments or just leave them in OO?

 

[Professor Birch]

Can I mention the spreads in my set comments or just leave them in OO?

Alternate spreads go in OO if need be. Otherwise, the regular spread goes in set comments. Also, small nitpick here but the EVs are supposed to go in stat order of HP / Atk / Def / SpA / SpD / Spe. Therefore, the first spread should be listed as 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

 

[Jonater]

Alternate spreads go in OO if need be. Otherwise, the regular spread goes in set comments. Also, small nitpick here but the EVs are supposed to go in stat order of HP / Atk / Def / SpA / SpD / Spe. Therefore, the first spread should be listed as 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

my showdown simulator does what it wants. thanks ill go fix it

 

[dkkc19]

what about roost? I've been using Draco Meteor, Dark Pulse, Fire Blast Roost with Life Orb and roost helps Hydreigon maintaining some longevity.

 

[Martin]

what about roost? I've been using Draco Meteor, Dark Pulse, Fire Blast Roost with Life Orb and roost helps Hydreigon maintaining some longevity.

The main issue with Roost is that Hydra generally won't be lasting long enough to use it to its full effect, and it cant really afford to give up a moveslot for it as it basically requires Protect on non-choiced sets as it is.

 

[Jonater]

gp ready

 

[RotomPoison]

amcheck Jonater

Add
Remove
Comments

changes

Overview
#######

Once considered nearly uncounterable in the earlier years of VGC, Hydreigon has a difficult time of holding that title. Gaining a 4x weakness with the introduction of Fairy T-types, Hydreigon will haves a harder time staying alive. It's base 98 speed doesn't give it any favors either. It's Dark typing brings an extra Fighting and Bug weakness to the table, which lessens its longevity. Hydreigon also has stiff competition with faster and more bulkier dragons such as Salamence, Garchomp and even newer dragons such as Noivern and Goodra.
Don't count Hydreigon out just yet. Boasting a base 125 Special Attack, Hydreigon is the strongest specially based dragon in the metagame. Hydreigon is also able to hit Steel types with its buffed dark typing, giving it great coverage with it's stabs. Its typing and lLevitate ability gives it immunities to both gGround- and pPsychic-type moves. Hydreigon also has above average 92/90/90 bulk allowing it to take moderately powerful attacks. Hydreigon is quite versatile and has a vast movepool, allowing to run a physical or even mixed set to surprise its opponent. Even though its slower then its dragon brethren, Hydreigon's power will not disappoint.

Special Hydra
########
name: Special Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Protect
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
nature: Timid / Modest

Moves
========
This set abuses Hydriegon's strengths' and it's unparalleled power. Draco Meteor is Hydriegon's main stab and does a hefty amount to the majority of the metagame. Dragon Pulse can also be used over Draco Meteor if the Special Attack drop is unappealing, though the lack of power is noticable. Dark Pulse is Hydreigon's second stabSTAB move giving it good coverage on the majority of the tier bar Fairy T-types and pPokemon like Bisharp. Dark Puls, while give Hydreigon the ability to hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types and also grants a OHKO and 2HKO onlike Chandelure and Aegislash respectively. (you should list an example of a Psychic type) Fire Blast is Hydreigon's best way of getting pass of Steel types, damaging them heavily. Flamethrower is a more accurate option over Fire Blast for a more accurate move, but has less power and will not net a OHKO on Ferrothorn without a Modest nature. Protect is a useful utility move that allows Hydreigon to avoid getting double targeted and to give your teammate free turns.

Set Details
========
Max EV'sFull investment in Speed and Special Attack along with a Timid nature is designedallows it to be as fast as possible to attempt to overcome its awkward speed tier while also maximizing power. If you are not concerned about speed, Hydreigon can run a Modest nature to increase the power in its attacks. Life Orb is its main item to give Hydreigon an extra boost, but, if you're worried about Hydreigon going down too quickly, Focus Sash is acceptable too.

Usage Tips
========
Even though Hydriegon's power is unrivaled, it still needs to play conservatively to overcome its weakness to fFighting-, bBug-, and especially Fairy -types, the latter of which Hydreigon has a four times weakness too. If Fairy types aren't on the field, then Hydreigon can be played aggressively to attempt to obtain early OHKO's to cripple the opponent.

Team Options
========
Steel types such as Ferrothorn and Aegislash in particular are tremendously helpful in dealing with Fairy types. The former able to stall out threats such as Mawile with the conjunction of Leech Seed and Protect and the latter being immune and resistant to Hydreigon's other weaknesses, Fighting- and Bug -types respectively. However, Aegislash must be careful to play around Mawile's Sucker Punch. Amoongus pairs well with Hydreigon, providing useful Rage Powder support to redirect moves directaimed to Hydreigonat it and Spore to temporarily incapacitate the Oopponent's Pokemon, giving Hydreigon a free turn to deal heavy damage. Any Rotom form, especially Rotom-Heat can provide Thunder Wave support to help Hydreigon overcome its awkward speed tier and can also provide Screen support to help Hydreigon tank hits. Lastly, A ground type or any Pokemon with Earthquake can pair well with Hydreigon as its ability, Levitate allows Earthquake to be spammed without worry. (I removed EQ support because that's better in team options for a Ground-type, as EQ doesn't do too much for Hydreigon outside of TTar who always lives 1 anyway)

Scarf Hydra
########
name: Scarf Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: U-turn / Dragon Pulse
ability: Levitate
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
nature: Modest / Timid

Moves
========
Equipping a Choice Scarf allows Hydreigon to overcome its base 98 speed tier to outspeed threats it wouldn't have without it. Draco Meteor is Hydreigon's strongest stab and in-conjunction with its invested base 125 special attack, will hit hard. Dark Pulse is Hydreigon's safest stab as it has no noticeable drawbacks such as stat drops or low accuracy. Fire Blast is Hydreigon's main way of getting through the likes of steel types such as Mega-Mawile. Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast, but without a boosting item, it will not do significant damage. U-turn is used to switch out of bad situations while chipping away opposing pokemon's health. However, Dragon Pulse along with Dark Pulse can be used to clean up weakened teams.

Set Details
========
The EV spread with a Modest Nature emphasizes on power instead of speed because Hydreigon will not be outspeeding much with a speed boosting nature. Choice Scarf is the crux of the set which allows it to outspeed key threats to Hydreigon. (This is implied already so you should reword it to exactly what it outspeeds) If you are worried about speed tying with other sScarfed Hydreigons, a Timid nature is a perfectly fit choice instead.

Usage Tips
========
Hydreigon needs to be played carefully around Fairy types as it could possibly be locked into a Dragon type move into a Fairy type. Hydreigon should be used as a pseudo revenge killer to pick off weakened foes. If the situation is unfavorable, Hydreigon should U-Turn out and switch into a appropriate counter to deal with the threat. Also, you should abuse Hydreigon's immunity to ground types to safely switch into predicted Earthquakes to deal damage. Finally, before aggressively using Scarf Hydreigon, you should pick off faster Choice Scarf' users that can pick out Hydreigon before it can react.

Team Options
========
As Fairy types are especially problematic, a Steel or Poison type partner can be used to deal with them. Bisharp is especially helpful as it can easily deal with the majority of Fairy types in the meta while also providing Knock Off support to Knock Off sChoice Scarfves from faster pokemon. Obtaining increased sSpeed by Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can function as a Sscout with U-turn. Because of this, Intimidate support, such as Mawile, is quite handy to weaken physical attackers on the switch in. Gardevoir can aid Hydreigon by picking off faster sScarf dDragon-types such as the common Scarf Salamence.

Other Options
########
Hydreigon has a versatile movepool and can run a variety of moves to surprise its opponent. Hydreigon can run a mixed set with Stone Edge or Rock Slide to hit Charizard-Y and Talonflame, the former OHKOing and the latter 2HKOing the birds. It can also run a full physical set with moves such as Acrobatics, Earthquake and Crunch but Hydreigon unfortunately will have to rely on the inaccurate Dragon Rush or unpredictable Outrage for stab. Hydreigon also has a vast special movepool that it can work with such as Earth Power, Focus Blast and even Surf. Hydreigon can also run Flash Cannon to try to hit Fairy types, but generally it won't do enough damage to be significant. While it has a movepool as vast as the ocean, Hydreigon can also run a variety of Iitems and EV spreads to perform a specific niche. The most notable is running Choice Specs to provide more power for Hydreigon. It can also run Safety Goggles or Lum Berry to counter Charizard-Y and Venusaur teams by being immune to Sleep Powder. A Haban Berry with a spread of 236 SAtk / 140 Spd / 132 SDef with a Modest Nature can be used to tank a Timid Specs Salamence's Draco Meteor so that Hydreigon can retaliate with its own Draco Meteor while still outspeeding invested base 70's and below. Lastly, a bulkier spread of 68 Def / 216 Spd / 224 SAtk with a Timid nature can be used to survive Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw while still allowing Hydreigon outspeed invested base 92's and below.

Checks & Counters
########
While it may seem like Hydreigon is unpredictable, it does have some hard counters that can easily force it out. The most obvious counters are Fairy types as Hydreigon cannot do anything against them. Azumarill in particular resists both Hydreigon's stabs and coverage moves while only fearing the rare Hidden Powers. Faster dragons such as Salamence can OHKO Hydreigon before it can do anything. Assault Vest Conkeldurr can easily tank a Draco Meteor and OHKO Hydreigon and heal back up with Drain Punch. Specially Defensive Tyranitar can take any move Hydreigon has in store and retaliate back with a Brick Break. Another threat that can destroy Hydreigon is Mega Lucario, which both physical and special varieants can 2HKO with Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave respectively, though it should be wary about the Fire Blast. Mamoswine can also 2HKO with Ice Shard and can potentially OHKO with Icicle Crash, whichle only fearsing the rare Focus Blast.

copypaste

Overview
########
Once considered nearly uncounterable in the earlier years of VGC, Hydreigon has a difficult time holding that title. Gaining a 4x weakness with the introduction of Fairy-types, Hydreigon will has a harder time staying alive. It's base 98 speed doesn't give it any favors either. It's Dark typing brings an extra Fighting and Bug weakness to the table, which lessens its longevity. Hydreigon also has stiff competition with faster and more bulkier dragons such as Salamence, Garchomp and even newer dragons such as Noivern and Goodra.

Don't count Hydreigon out just yet. Boasting a base 125 Special Attack, Hydreigon is the strongest specially based dragon in the metagame. Hydreigon is also able to hit Steel types with its buffed dark typing, giving it great coverage with it's stabs. Its typing and Levitate ability give it immunities to both Ground- and Psychic-type moves. Hydreigon also has above average 92/90/90 bulk allowing it to take moderately powerful attacks. Hydreigon is quite versatile and has a vast movepool, allowing to run a physical or even mixed set to surprise its opponent. Even though its slower then its dragon brethren, Hydreigon's power will not disappoint.


Special Hydra
########
name: Special Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Protect
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
nature: Timid / Modest

Moves
========
This set abuses Hydriegon's strengths and it's unparalleled power. Draco Meteor is Hydriegon's main stab and does a hefty amount to the majority of the metagame. Dragon Pulse can also be used over Draco Meteor if the Special Attack drop is unappealing, though the lack of power is noticable. Dark Pulse is Hydreigons second STAB move giving it good coverage on the majority of the tier bar Fairy-types and Pokemon like Bisharp, while hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types like Chandelure and Aegislash. Fire Blast is Hydreigon's best way of getting pass of Steel types, damaging them heavily. Flamethrower is a more accurate option over Fire Blast for a more accurate move, but has less power and will not net a OHKO on Ferrothorn without a Modest nature. Protect is a useful utility move that allows Hydreigon to avoid getting double targeted and to give your teammate free turns.


Set Details
========
Full investment in Speed and Special Attack along with a Timid nature allows it to be as fast as possible to attempt to overcome its awkward speed tier while also maximizing power. If you are not concerned about speed, Hydreigon can run a Modest nature to increase the power in its attacks. Life Orb is its main item to give Hydreigon an extra boost, but, if you're worried about Hydreigon going down too quickly, Focus Sash is acceptable too.

Usage Tips
========

Even though Hydriegon's power is unrivaled, it still needs to play conservatively to overcome its weakness to Fighting-, Bug-, and Fairy-types, the latter of which Hydreigon has a four times weakness too. If Fairy types aren't on the field, then Hydreigon can be played aggressively to attempt to obtain early OHKO's.

Team Options
========

Steel types such as Ferrothorn and Aegislash in particular are tremendously helpful in dealing with Fairy types. The former able to stall out threats such as Mawile with the conjunction of Leech Seed and Protect and the latter being immune and resistant to Hydreigon's other weaknesses, Fighting- and Bug-types respectively. However, Aegislash must be careful to play around Mawile's Sucker Punch. Amoongus pairs well with Hydreigon, providing Rage Powder support to redirect moves aimed at it and Spore to temporarily incapacitate the opponent's Pokemon, giving Hydreigon a free turn to deal heavy damage. Any Rotom form, especially Rotom-Heat can provide Thunder Wave support to help Hydreigon overcome its awkward speed tier and can also provide Screen support to help Hydreigon tank hits.


Scarf Hydra
########
name: Scarf Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: U-turn / Dragon Pulse
ability: Levitate
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
nature: Modest / Timid


Moves
========

Equipping a Choice Scarf allows Hydreigon to overcome its base 98 speed tier to outspeed threats it wouldn't have without it. Draco Meteor is Hydreigon's strongest stab and in-conjunction with its invested base 125 special attack, will hit hard. Dark Pulse is Hydreigon's safest stab as it has no noticeable drawbacks such as stat drops or low accuracy. Fire Blast is Hydreigon's main way of getting through the likes of steel types such as Mega-Mawile. Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast, but without a boosting item, it will not do significant damage. U-turn is used to switch out of bad situations while chipping away opposing pokemon's health. However, Dragon Pulse along with Dark Pulse can be used to clean up weakened teams.

Set Details
========

The EV spread with a Modest Nature emphasizes on power instead of speed because Hydreigon will not be outspeeding much with a speed boosting nature. If you are worried about speed tying with other Scarfed Hydreigons, a Timid nature is a perfectly fit choice instead.

Usage Tips
========
Hydreigon needs to be played carefully around Fairy types as it could possibly be locked into a Dragon type move into a Fairy type. Hydreigon should be used as a pseudo revenge killer to pick off weakened foes. If the situation is unfavorable, Hydreigon should U-Turn out and switch into a appropriate counter to deal with the threat. Also, you should abuse Hydreigon's immunity to ground types to safely switch into predicted Earthquakes to deal damage. Finally, before aggressively using Scarf Hydreigon, you should pick off faster Choice Scarf users that can pick out Hydreigon before it can react.


Team Options
========

As Fairy types are especially problematic, a Steel or Poison type partner can be used to deal with them. Bisharp is especially helpful as it can easily deal with the majority of Fairy types in the meta while also providing Knock Off support to Knock Off Choice Scarves from faster pokemon. Obtaining increased Speed by Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can function as a scout with U-turn. Because of this, Intimidate support, such as Mawile, is quite handy to weaken physical attackers on the switch in. Gardevoir can aid Hydreigon by picking off faster Scarf Dragon-types such as the common Scarf Salamence.



Other Options
########

Hydreigon has a versatile movepool and can run a variety of moves to surprise its opponent. Hydreigon can run a mixed set with Stone Edge or Rock Slide to hit Charizard-Y and Talonflame, the former OHKOing and the latter 2HKOing the birds. It can also run a full physical set with moves such as Acrobatics, Earthquake and Crunch but Hydreigon unfortunately will have to rely on the inaccurate Dragon Rush or unpredictable Outrage for stab. Hydreigon also has a vast special movepool that it can work with such as Earth Power, Focus Blast and even Surf. Hydreigon can also run Flash Cannon to try to hit Fairy types, but generally it won't do enough damage to be significant. While it has a movepool as vast as the ocean, Hydreigon can also run a variety of items and EV spreads to perform a specific niche. The most notable is running Choice Specs to provide more power for Hydreigon. It can also run Safety Goggles or Lum Berry to counter Charizard-Y and Venusaur teams by being immune to Sleep Powder. A Haban Berry with a spread of 236 SAtk / 140 Spd / 132 SDef with a Modest Nature can be used to tank a Timid Specs Salamence's Draco Meteor so that Hydreigon can retaliate with its own Draco Meteor while still outspeeding invested base 70's and below. Lastly, a bulkier spread of 68 Def / 216 Spd / 224 SAtk with a Timid nature can be used to survive Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw while still allowing Hydreigon outspeed invested base 92's and below.

Checks & Counters
########

While it may seem like Hydreigon is unpredictable, it does have some hard counters that can easily force it out. The most obvious counters are Fairy types as Hydreigon cannot do anything against them. Azumarill in particular resists both Hydreigon's stabs and coverage moves while only fearing the rare Hidden Powers. Faster dragons such as Salamence can OHKO Hydreigon before it can do anything. Assault Vest Conkeldurr can easily tank a Draco Meteor and OHKO Hydreigon and heal back up with Drain Punch. Specially Defensive Tyranitar can take any move Hydreigon has in store and retaliate back with a Brick Break. Another threat that can destroy Hydreigon is Mega Lucario, which both physical and special variants can 2HKO with Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave respectively, though it should be wary about Fire Blast. Mamoswine can also 2HKO with Ice Shard and can potentially OHKO with Icicle Crash, while only fearing the rare Focus Blast.

 

[dkkc19]

The main issue with Roost is that Hydra generally won't be lasting long enough to use it to its full effect, and it cant really afford to give up a moveslot for it as it basically requires Protect on non-choiced sets as it is.

Why run Protect on Hydra? Hydreigon doesn't have the best defensive typing, but its not that frail.

 

[Professor Birch]

Why run Protect on Hydra? Hydreigon doesn't have the best defensive typing, but its not that frail.

Cause Protect is common in VGC. It can be used to stall turns out while your partner can get rid of other things that threaten you.

 

[Jonater]

shoot i accidentily deleted my skeleton. is there anyway of getting it back?

 

[Professor Birch]

shoot i accidentily deleted my skeleton. is there anyway of getting it back?

Sadly, I do not think so

 

[TheMantyke]

Here's your skeleton! Luckily, posts keep an edit history

Hide

Overview
########

• Strongest specially offensive dragon in the metagame.
• Gains a Buff to dark typing providing good coverage for everything except a couple of pokemon and Fairy types.
• Has a variety of coverage moves such as Fire Blast.
• Typing in conjunction with levitate grants two immunities to psychic and ground type moves.
• 4x weak to Fairy Moves
• Has a inadequate base 98 speed, falling short of the major base 100 speed tier.
• Weak to priority; primarily Mach Punch and Ice Shard.
• Outclassed by Salamence and Noivern in terms of utility.

Special Hydra
########
name: Special Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Protect
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
nature: Timid / Modest

Moves
========

• Draco Meteor for stab and hits many pokemon hard, outright OHKOing a good portion of the tier.
• Dark Pulse is secondary stab and provides good coverage with Draco Meteor. It allows Hydreigon to OHKO and 2HKO Chandelure and Aegislash, two big ghost type threats, respectively.
• Fire Blast is for pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Mawile, the latter of which resists Hydreigon's Stabs.
• Protect is to punish double target and can give a teammate a free turn to deal damage.
• Dragon Pulse can also be used if the Special Attack drop is unfavorable.
• Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast for perfect accuracy in exchange for power. (Flamethrower will still OHKO standard Ferrothorn but will fail to OHKO Mega Mawile.)

Set Details
========

• EV spread maximizes offensive power.
• Life Orb is used to boost Hydreigon's moves.
• Timid Nature is used to partially negate Hydriegon's awkward speed tier.
• Focus Sash can be used to guarantee survival from Fairy type attacks and lets it retaliate back with the appropriate coverage move.
• Modest Nature can be used for more power.

Usage Tips
========

• Play conservatively with Hydreigon if fairy types are on the field; otherwise, play aggressively.
• Aim for OHKOs in turn one or the early game to cripple the opponent.

Team Options
========

• Ferrothorn is an amazing teammate that can deal with Fairy Types.
• Aegislash is also a good teammate, just be careful for Mawile's Sucker Punch.
• Rotom-Heat or any Rotom form can provide much needed Thunder Wave support and can even provide Light Screen support for Hydreigon.
• Amoongus can provide Rage Powder support to direct Fighting and Fairy type moves away from Hydreigon.
• A ground type pokemon can pair well with Hydreigon due to Levitate and allows Earthquake to be more easily spammed.

Scarf Hydra
########
name: Scarf Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: U-turn / Dragon Pulse
ability: Levitate
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
nature: Modest / Timid

Moves
========

• Draco Meteor for stab and hits many pokemon hard, outright OHKOing a good portion of the tier.
• Dark Pulse is secondary stab and provides good coverage with Draco Meteor. It allows Hydreigon to OHKO and 2HKO Chandelure and Aegislash, two big ghost type threats, respectively.
• Fire Blast is for pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Mawile, the latter of which resists Hydreigon's Stabs.
• U-Turn is used to get out of unfavorable situations.
• Dragon Pulse can be used over u-turn to clean up weakened teams.
• Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast for perfect accuracy in exchange for power. (Flamethrower will not guarantee OHKO on standard Ferrothorn)

Set Details
========

• EV spread maximizes offensive power.
• Modest Nature is used for extra power.
• Choice Scarf is used to outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame.
• Timid Nature can be used to partially negate Hydriegon's awkward speed tier; however, keep note that Hydreigon will not outspeed much with a Timid Nature and a Scarf.

Usage Tips
========

• Play conservatively with Hydreigon if fairy types are on the field; otherwise, play aggressively. Be wary of locking Hydreigon into a dragon move on a fairy type.
• Use Hydreigon as a pseudo revenge killer to pick off weakened foes.
• U-turn out if the situation is not in your favor and switch into a appropriate counter.
• Pick off faster scarf users before aggressively using Hydreigon.

Team Options
========

• Ferrothorn is an amazing teammate that can deal with Fairy Types.
• Aegislash is also a good teammate, just be careful for Mawile's Sucker Punch.
• Rotom-Heat or any Rotom form can provide Light Screen support for Hydreigon. Thunder-Wave support is not as necessary due to the speed boost from Choice Scarf.
• Amoongus can provide Rage Powder support to direct Fighting and Fairy type moves away from Hydreigon.
• A ground type pokemon can pair well with Hydreigon due to Levitate and allows Earthquake to be more easily spammed.
• Gardevoir can be used to pick off opposing Scarfed Dragons (Especially Salamence).
• Pokemon with intimidate pair well with this set as Hydreigon will be U-turning out.

Other Options
########

• Choice Specs on Hydreigon can provide extra power.
• A Haban Berry with a spread of 236 SAtk / 140 Spd / 132 SDef with a Modest Nature can be used to tank a Timid Specs Salamence's Draco Meteor and retaliate back with it's own Draco Meteor while still outspeeding invested base 70's and below.
• A bulkier spread of 68 Def / 216 Spd / 224 SAtk with a Timid can be used to survive Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw while still outspeeding invested base 92's and below.
• A spread of 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe with a Modest Nature to survive Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw 90% while still outspeeding Jolly Smeargle.
• A mixed set or physical set with U-turn is viable as Hydreigon has the movepool for it.
• Stone Edge or Rock Slide can be used over U-Turn or Protect depending on the set to OHKO or 2HKO ,respectively, Charizard-Y and Talonflame.
• Safety Goggles or Lum berry can counter Charizard-Y and Venusaur by being immune/preventing to sleep powder.
• Earth Power can be used over Fire Blast.
• Rock Slide can be used over U-turn in conjunction with a Hasty or Mild Nature to 2HKO Charizard-Y and Talonflame. Hydreigon's Typing is more suited for taking Special attacks rather then Physical.

Checks & Counters
########

• Fairy Types deal heavy damage to Hydreigon
• Salamence and other faster dragon types can outspeed it and deal heavy damage.
• Assault Vest Conkeldurr can take anything from Hydreigon and can heal off and potentially OHKO with drain punch.
• Tyranitar in sand can take any hit from Hydreigon and can retaliate back with either a Ice Beam or can set up Dragon Dances against it.
• Both physical and special variants of Mega Lucario can 2HKO it with Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave respectively but must be careful of Fire Blast.
• Mamoswine 2HKOs Hydreigon with Ice Shard and can potentially OHKO with Icicle Crash.

 

[Professor Birch]

Here's your skeleton! Luckily, posts keep an edit history

Hide

Overview
########

• Strongest specially offensive dragon in the metagame.
• Gains a Buff to dark typing providing good coverage for everything except a couple of pokemon and Fairy types.
• Has a variety of coverage moves such as Fire Blast.
• Typing in conjunction with levitate grants two immunities to psychic and ground type moves.
• 4x weak to Fairy Moves
• Has a inadequate base 98 speed, falling short of the major base 100 speed tier.
• Weak to priority; primarily Mach Punch and Ice Shard.
• Outclassed by Salamence and Noivern in terms of utility.

Special Hydra
########
name: Special Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Protect
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
nature: Timid / Modest

Moves
========

• Draco Meteor for stab and hits many pokemon hard, outright OHKOing a good portion of the tier.
• Dark Pulse is secondary stab and provides good coverage with Draco Meteor. It allows Hydreigon to OHKO and 2HKO Chandelure and Aegislash, two big ghost type threats, respectively.
• Fire Blast is for pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Mawile, the latter of which resists Hydreigon's Stabs.
• Protect is to punish double target and can give a teammate a free turn to deal damage.
• Dragon Pulse can also be used if the Special Attack drop is unfavorable.
• Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast for perfect accuracy in exchange for power. (Flamethrower will still OHKO standard Ferrothorn but will fail to OHKO Mega Mawile.)

Set Details
========

• EV spread maximizes offensive power.
• Life Orb is used to boost Hydreigon's moves.
• Timid Nature is used to partially negate Hydriegon's awkward speed tier.
• Focus Sash can be used to guarantee survival from Fairy type attacks and lets it retaliate back with the appropriate coverage move.
• Modest Nature can be used for more power.

Usage Tips
========

• Play conservatively with Hydreigon if fairy types are on the field; otherwise, play aggressively.
• Aim for OHKOs in turn one or the early game to cripple the opponent.

Team Options
========

• Ferrothorn is an amazing teammate that can deal with Fairy Types.
• Aegislash is also a good teammate, just be careful for Mawile's Sucker Punch.
• Rotom-Heat or any Rotom form can provide much needed Thunder Wave support and can even provide Light Screen support for Hydreigon.
• Amoongus can provide Rage Powder support to direct Fighting and Fairy type moves away from Hydreigon.
• A ground type pokemon can pair well with Hydreigon due to Levitate and allows Earthquake to be more easily spammed.

Scarf Hydra
########
name: Scarf Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: U-turn / Dragon Pulse
ability: Levitate
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
nature: Modest / Timid

Moves
========

• Draco Meteor for stab and hits many pokemon hard, outright OHKOing a good portion of the tier.
• Dark Pulse is secondary stab and provides good coverage with Draco Meteor. It allows Hydreigon to OHKO and 2HKO Chandelure and Aegislash, two big ghost type threats, respectively.
• Fire Blast is for pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Mawile, the latter of which resists Hydreigon's Stabs.
• U-Turn is used to get out of unfavorable situations.
• Dragon Pulse can be used over u-turn to clean up weakened teams.
• Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast for perfect accuracy in exchange for power. (Flamethrower will not guarantee OHKO on standard Ferrothorn)

Set Details
========

• EV spread maximizes offensive power.
• Modest Nature is used for extra power.
• Choice Scarf is used to outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame.
• Timid Nature can be used to partially negate Hydriegon's awkward speed tier; however, keep note that Hydreigon will not outspeed much with a Timid Nature and a Scarf.

Usage Tips
========

• Play conservatively with Hydreigon if fairy types are on the field; otherwise, play aggressively. Be wary of locking Hydreigon into a dragon move on a fairy type.
• Use Hydreigon as a pseudo revenge killer to pick off weakened foes.
• U-turn out if the situation is not in your favor and switch into a appropriate counter.
• Pick off faster scarf users before aggressively using Hydreigon.

Team Options
========

• Ferrothorn is an amazing teammate that can deal with Fairy Types.
• Aegislash is also a good teammate, just be careful for Mawile's Sucker Punch.
• Rotom-Heat or any Rotom form can provide Light Screen support for Hydreigon. Thunder-Wave support is not as necessary due to the speed boost from Choice Scarf.
• Amoongus can provide Rage Powder support to direct Fighting and Fairy type moves away from Hydreigon.
• A ground type pokemon can pair well with Hydreigon due to Levitate and allows Earthquake to be more easily spammed.
• Gardevoir can be used to pick off opposing Scarfed Dragons (Especially Salamence).
• Pokemon with intimidate pair well with this set as Hydreigon will be U-turning out.

Other Options
########

• Choice Specs on Hydreigon can provide extra power.
• A Haban Berry with a spread of 236 SAtk / 140 Spd / 132 SDef with a Modest Nature can be used to tank a Timid Specs Salamence's Draco Meteor and retaliate back with it's own Draco Meteor while still outspeeding invested base 70's and below.
• A bulkier spread of 68 Def / 216 Spd / 224 SAtk with a Timid can be used to survive Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw while still outspeeding invested base 92's and below.
• A spread of 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe with a Modest Nature to survive Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw 90% while still outspeeding Jolly Smeargle.
• A mixed set or physical set with U-turn is viable as Hydreigon has the movepool for it.
• Stone Edge or Rock Slide can be used over U-Turn or Protect depending on the set to OHKO or 2HKO ,respectively, Charizard-Y and Talonflame.
• Safety Goggles or Lum berry can counter Charizard-Y and Venusaur by being immune/preventing to sleep powder.
• Earth Power can be used over Fire Blast.
• Rock Slide can be used over U-turn in conjunction with a Hasty or Mild Nature to 2HKO Charizard-Y and Talonflame. Hydreigon's Typing is more suited for taking Special attacks rather then Physical.

Checks & Counters
########

• Fairy Types deal heavy damage to Hydreigon
• Salamence and other faster dragon types can outspeed it and deal heavy damage.
• Assault Vest Conkeldurr can take anything from Hydreigon and can heal off and potentially OHKO with drain punch.
• Tyranitar in sand can take any hit from Hydreigon and can retaliate back with either a Ice Beam or can set up Dragon Dances against it.
• Both physical and special variants of Mega Lucario can 2HKO it with Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave respectively but must be careful of Fire Blast.
• Mamoswine 2HKOs Hydreigon with Ice Shard and can potentially OHKO with Icicle Crash.

Is this a moderator only thing?

 

[horyzhnz]

amcheck stuff
add
remove
comments

amchecky stuff

Overview
########
Once considered nearly uncounterable in the earlier years of VGC, Hydreigon now has a difficult time holding that title. Gaining a 4x weakness with the introduction of Fairy-types, Hydreigon will now has a harder time staying alive, It's and its base 98 speed doesn't give do it any favors either. It's Its Dark typing brings an extra Fighting- and Bug-type weaknesses to the table, which lessens its longevity. Hydreigon also has faces stiff competition with faster and more bulkier dragons such as Salamence, Garchomp,(AC) and even newer dragons such as Noivern and Goodra.

However, don't count Hydreigon out just yet. Boasting a base 125 Special Attack, Hydreigon is the strongest specially based dragon in the metagame. Hydreigon is also able to hit Steel types with its buffed Dark typing, giving it great coverage with it's its STABs. Its typing and Levitate ability also give it immunities to both Ground- and Psychic-type moves. Hydreigon also has above-average 92/90/90 bulk allowing it to take moderately powerful attacks. Hydreigon is quite versatile and has a vast movepool, allowing it to run a physical or even mixed set to surprise its opponent. Even though its it's slower then its dragon brethren, Hydreigon's power will not disappoint.


Special Hydra
########
name: Special Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Protect
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe (EVs are in the wrong order, Special Attack's abbreviation is SpA, not SAtk
nature: Timid / Modest

Moves
========
This set abuses Hydriegon's Hydreigon's strengths and it's its unparalleled power. Draco Meteor is Hydriegon's Hydreigon's main STAB and does a hefty amount to the majority of the metagame. Dragon Pulse can also be used over Draco Meteor if the Special Attack drop is unappealing, though the lack of power is noticable noticeable. Dark Pulse is Hydreigons Hydreigon's second STAB move attack,(AC) giving it good coverage on the majority of the tier bar Fairy-types and Pokemon like Bisharp, while hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types like such as Chandelure and Aegislash. Fire Blast is Hydreigon's best way of getting pass past of Steel-types, damaging them heavily hitting them for super-effective damage. Flamethrower is a more accurate option over Fire Blast for a more accurate move (redundant), but has less power and will not net a OHKO on Ferrothorn without a Modest nature. Protect is a useful utility move that allows Hydreigon to avoid getting double targeted and to potentially give your teammate free turns.


Set Details
========
Full investment in Speed and Special Attack along with a Timid nature allows it to be as fast as possible,(AC) to attempting to overcome its awkward speed tier while also maximizing power. If you are not concerned about speed, Hydreigon can run a Modest nature to increase the power in of its attacks. Life Orb is its main item to give Hydreigon an extra power boost, but, if you're worried about Hydreigon going down too quickly, Focus Sash is acceptable too another option.

Usage Tips
========

Even though Hydriegon's Hydreigon's power is unrivaled, it still needs to play conservatively to overcome its weaknesses to Fighting-, Bug-, and Fairy-types; the latter of which Hydreigon has a four times 4x weakness too. If Fairy-types (add hyphen) aren't on the field, then Hydreigon can be played aggressively to attempt to obtain early OHKO's OHKOs.

Team Options
========

Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Aegislash in particular are tremendously helpful in dealing with Fairy-types (add hyphen). The former is able to stall out threats such as Mawile with the conjunction combination of Leech Seed and Protect,(AC) and the latter being is immune and or resistant to Hydreigon's other weaknesses, Fighting- and Bug-types respectively. However, Aegislash must be careful to play around Mawile's Sucker Punch. Amoongus pairs well with Hydreigon, providing Rage Powder support to redirect moves aimed at it,(AC) and Spore to temporarily incapacitate the opponent's Pokemon, giving Hydreigon a free turn to deal heavy damage. Any Rotom form, especially Rotom-Heat,(AC) can provide Thunder Wave support to help Hydreigon overcome its awkward speed tier,(AC) and can also provide dual screens support to help Hydreigon tank hits.


Scarf Hydra
########
name: Scarf Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: U-turn / Dragon Pulse
ability: Levitate
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe (same problem as above)
nature: Modest / Timid


Moves
========

Equipping a Choice Scarf allows Hydreigon to overcome its base 98 speed tier to outspeed threats it otherwise wouldn't have without it. Draco Meteor is Hydreigon's strongest STAB and in-conjunction with its invested base 125 Special Attack, will hit hard. Dark Pulse is Hydreigon's safest STAB as it has no noticeable drawbacks such as stat drops or low accuracy. Fire Blast is Hydreigon's main way of getting through the likes of Steel-types (add hyphen) such as Mega-Mawile. Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast, but without a boosting item, it will not do significant damage. U-turn is used to switch out of bad situations while chipping away at the opposing Pokemon's health. However, Dragon Pulse along with Dark Pulse can be used to clean up weakened teams.

Set Details
========

The EV spread with a Modest nature emphasizes on power instead of speed because Hydreigon will not be outspeeding much with a speed boosting nature. If you are worried about speed tying with other Scarfed Hydreigons, a Timid nature is a perfectly fit reasonable choice instead.

Usage Tips
========
Hydreigon needs to be played carefully around Fairy-types (add hyphen) as it could possibly be locked into a Dragon-type move into on a Fairy-type (hyphens again). Hydreigon should be used as a pseudo revenge killer to pick off weakened foes. If the situation is unfavorable, Hydreigon should U-turn out and switch into an appropriate counter to deal with the threat. Also, you should abuse Hydreigon's immunity to Ground-type attacks to safely switch into predicted Earthquakes to deal damage. Finally, before aggressively using Scarf Hydreigon aggressively, you should pick off faster Choice Scarf users that can pick knock out Hydreigon before it can even react.


Team Options
========

As Fairy-types (add hyphen) are especially problematic, a Steel- or Poison-type (hyphens) partner can be used to deal with them. Bisharp is especially helpful as it can easily deal with the majority of Fairy types in the meta while also providing Knock Off support to Knock Off remove Choice Scarves from faster Pokemon. Obtaining increased Speed With the Speed increase granted by Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can function as a scout with U-turn. Because of this, Intimidate support, users such as Mawile, is are quite handy to weaken physical attackers on the switch-in (hyphen). Gardevoir can aid Hydreigon by picking off faster Scarfed Dragon-types such as the common Scarf Salamence.



Other Options
########

Hydreigon has a versatile movepool and can run a variety of moves to surprise its opponent. Hydreigon can run a mixed set with Stone Edge or Rock Slide to hit Charizard-Y and Talonflame, the former OHKOing and the latter 2HKOing the birds two. It can also run a full physical set with moves such as Acrobatics, Earthquake,(AC) and Crunch but Hydreigon unfortunately will unfortunately have to rely on the inaccurate Dragon Rush or the unpredictable Outrage for a STAB attack. Hydreigon also has a vast special movepool that it can work with,(AC) including attacks such as Earth Power, Focus Blast,(AC) and even Surf. Hydreigon can also run Flash Cannon to try to hit Fairy-types (hyphen), but generally it won't do enough damage to be significant. While it has In addition to having a movepool as vast as the ocean, Hydreigon can also run a variety of items and EV spreads to perform a specific niche. The most notable is running Choice Specs to provide more power for Hydreigon. It can also run Safety Goggles or Lum Berry to counter Charizard-Y and Venusaur teams by being immune to Sleep Powder. A Haban Berry with a spread of 236 SAtk / 140 Spd / 132 SDef 236 SpA / 132 SpD / 140 Spe with a Modest nature can be used to tank a Timid Specs Salamence's Draco Meteor so that Hydreigon can retaliate with its own Draco Meteor while still outspeeding invested base 70's and below (redundant). Lastly, a bulkier spread of 68 Def / 216 Spd / 224 SAtk 68 Def / 224 SpA / 216 Spe with a Timid nature can be used to survive Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw while still allowing Hydreigon outspeed invested base 92's and below.

Checks & Counters
########

While it may seem like Hydreigon is unpredictable, it does have some hard counters that can easily force it out. The most obvious counters are Fairy-types (hyphen) as Hydreigon cannot do anything against them. Azumarill in particular resists both of Hydreigon's STABs and as well as most of its coverage moves,(AC) while only fearing the rare Hidden Powers. Faster Dragon-types such as Salamence can OHKO Hydreigon before it can do anything. Assault Vest Conkeldurr can easily tank a Draco Meteor and OHKO Hydreigon and while healing back up with Drain Punch. Specially Defensive Tyranitar can take any move Hydreigon has in store and retaliate back with a Brick Break. Another threat that can destroy Hydreigon is Mega Lucario, which as both physical and special variants can 2HKO with Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave respectively, though it should be wary about of Fire Blast. Mamoswine can also 2HKO with Ice Shard and can potentially OHKO with Icicle Crash, while only fearing the rare Focus Blast.

tbh I think these paragraphs are kinda jumbled up and don't really flow, and a lot of them can be linked together but get a GP checker's opinion on this. but good work on the calcs tho

 

[bugmaniacbob]

GP check on request

REMOVE
ADD
COMMENT

chex

Overview
########
Once In the earlier years of VGC, Hydreigon was considered nearly uncounterable,(comma) in the earlier years of VGC, Hydreigon yet it now has a difficult time holding that title maintaining this status. Hydreigon gained Gaining a 4x weakness with the introduction of Fairy-types, and consequently, it Hydreigon now has a harder time staying alive, and its base 98 Speed, which falls short of the 100 base Speed tier, is now even more problematic than it was in the last generation speed doesn'tdo it any favors either. Its Dark typing also brings extra Fighting- and Bug-type weaknesses to the table.(full stop) ,(remove) which lessens its longevity. On top of all this, it's not the only dragon available; Hydreigon also faces stiff competition with from faster and more bulkier dragons,(comma) including old rivals such as Salamence,(remove) and Garchomp, and even as well as newer dragons such as Noivern and Goodra.

However, don't count Hydreigon out just yet. Boasting a Thanks to its base 125 Special Attack stat, Hydreigon is the strongest specially-based dragon in the metagame. Hydreigon is also able to hit Steel types with its STAB moves, as Dark-type moves are no longer resisted by Steel-types, with its buffed Dark typing, giving it great coverage with its STABs alongside its Dragon-type attacks. Its typing and Levitate ability also give it immunities to both Ground- and Psychic-type moves,(comma) which combined with its .(remove) Hydreigon also has above average 92/90/90 bulk and slew of resistances means it can take an attack or two along the way allowing it to take moderately powerful attacks. Finally, Hydreigon is quite versatile and has a vast movepool, allowing it to run a physical or even mixed set to surprise its opponent if need be. Even though it's slower then than its dragon brethren, Hydreigon's raw power will not disappoint.

[A bunch of stuff from your skeleton was completely left out. Was this intentional? This overview seems somewhat bare-bones as it is]

Special Hydra
########
name: Special Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Protect
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest

[are you allowed to make up set names like this? Wouldn't "Special Attacker" be more appropriate?]

Moves
========
This set abuses uses Hydreigon's strengths to their fullest, particularly with regard to and its unparalleled power. Draco Meteor is Hydreigon's main STAB move and does a hefty amount of damage to the majority of the metagame. Alternatively, Dragon Pulse can also be used over Draco Meteor if the Special Attack drop is unappealing, though the lack of decrease in power is noticeable. Dark Pulse is Hydreigon's second STAB attack, giving and gives it good coverage on against the majority of the tier;(semicolon) between its two STAB moves, Hydreigon only hits bar Fairy-types and select Pokemon like Bisharp for anything less than neutral damage.(full stop) Dark Pulse also allows Hydreigon to hit ,(remove) while hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Chandelure and Aegislash for super effective damage [why did you leave out the bit about OHKOs and 2HKOs?]. Fire Blast hits Steel-types for super effective damage and is Hydreigon's best way of getting past them,(comma) Steel-types,(remove) hitting them for super-effective damage. as while Flamethrower is a more accurate option,(comma) over Fire Blast, but it has less power and will not net a an OHKO on Ferrothorn without a Modest nature. Protect is a useful utility move that allows Hydreigon to avoid getting double targeted and to potentially give your teammate free turns [I surmise that what you're trying to say is that if Hdgon is double-targeted then this means that your other Pokemon gets a free turn, but this in no way is due to Protect so this statement is misleading; feel free to explain what you mean in more detail if you wish but the statement is far too nebulous as is].

Set Details
========
Full investment in Speed and Special Attack along with a Timid nature allows it makes Hydreigon to be as fast as possible, attempting hopefully negating the impact of its to overcome its awkward speed Speed tier,(comma) while Special Attack is also maximized for obvious reasons while also maximizing power. If you are not concerned about speed Speed, Hydreigon can run a Modest nature instead to increase the power of its attacks even further. Life Orb is its main recommended for the item in order to give Hydreigon an extra power boost, but,(remove) if you're worried about Hydreigon going down too quickly, Focus Sash is another option.

Usage Tips
========

Even though Hydreigon's power is unrivaled, it still needs to play conservatively to overcome its weaknesses to Fighting-, Bug-, and Fairy-types; especially as Fairy-types can switch in for free on its Dragon-type attacks. the latter of which Hydreigon has a 4x weakness to. If Fairy-types aren't on the field, then Hydreigon can be played more aggressively to attempt to obtain early OHKOs.

Team Options
========

Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Aegislash in particular are tremendously helpful in dealing with Fairy-types. The former is able to stall out threats such as Mawile with the combination of Leech Seed and Protect, and the latter is immune or resistant to all of Hydreigon's other weaknesses. However, Aegislash must be careful in order to play around Mawile's Sucker Punch. Amoongus Amoonguss pairs well with Hydreigon, providing thanks to its access to Rage Powder,(comma) support to redirect moves aimed at it Hydreigon towards itself, and Spore,(comma) to temporarily incapacitate the opponent's Pokemon.(full stop) This means that it can provide Hydreigon with the free turns it needs ,(remove) giving Hydreigon a free turn in which to deal heavy damage. Any Rotom form forme, especially Rotom-Heat, can provide Thunder Wave support to help Hydreigon overcome its awkward speed Speed tier,and can also provide dual screens screen support to help Hydreigon tank take hits more easily.

Scarf Hydra
########
name: Scarf Hydra
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: U-turn / Dragon Pulse
ability: Levitate
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid

Moves
========

Equipping a Choice Scarf allows Hydreigon to overcome bypass the ill effects of its base 98 speed Speed tier,(comma) thus allowing it to outspeed threats it otherwise wouldn't be able to. Draco Meteor is Hydreigon's strongest STAB move and even without a boosting item hits exceptionally hard off a with its invested base 125 Special Attack stat ,(remove) will hit hard. Dark Pulse is Hydreigon's safest secondary, reliable STAB attack, and can be used where Draco Meteor would be unnecessary as it has no noticeable drawbacks such as stat drops or low accuracy. Fire Blast is Hydreigon's main way of getting through Steel-types such as Mega Mawile. Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast, but without a boosting item, it will not do significant damage to its intended targets. U-turn is used to switch out of bad situations while chipping away at the opposing Pokemon's health. However, If you are wholly averse to Draco Meteor, then Dragon Pulse can be used along with Dark Pulse, which makes Hydreigon better at cleaning can be used to clean up weakened teams.

Set Details
========

The EV spread with a Modest nature emphasizes power instead of speed Speed,(comma) because thanks to the Choice Scarf, Hydreigon will not be outspeeding much with a speed-boosting nature that it couldn't without. If you are worried about speed Speed tying with other Scarfed Hydreigons opposing Choice Scarf Hydreigon, a Timid nature is a perfectly reasonable choice instead.

Usage Tips
========
Hydreigon needs to be played carefully around Fairy-types,(comma) as it could possibly be locked into a Dragon-type move on a Fairy-type. Hydreigon should ideally be used as a pseudo-revenge killer to pick off weakened foes. If the situation is unfavorable, Hydreigon should U-turn out and switch into an appropriate counter to deal with the threat. Also, you should abuse make use of Hydreigon's immunity to Ground-type attacks to safely switch into predicted Earthquakes to deal damage. Finally, before using Choice Scarf Hydreigon aggressively, you should pick off faster Choice Scarf users that can knock out Hydreigon before it can even react move.

Team Options
========

As Fairy-types are especially problematic, a Steel- or Poison-type partner can should be used in order to deal with them. Bisharp is especially helpful as it can easily deal with the majority of Fairy types in the meta metagame while also providing Knock Off support to remove Choice Scarves Choice Scarf from faster opposing Pokemon. With the Speed increase granted by Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can function as a scout with U-turn. Because of this, Intimidate users such as Mawile,(remove) are quite handy in order to weaken physical attackers on the switch-in. Gardevoir can aid Hydreigon by picking off faster Scarfed Choice Scarf Dragon-types such as the common Choice Scarf Salamence.

Other Options
########

Hydreigon has a versatile movepool and can run a variety of moves to surprise its opponent. For example, Hydreigon can run a mixed set with Stone Edge or Rock Slide to hit Charizard-Y and Talonflame, the former OHKOing and the latter 2HKOing the two. It can also run a physical set with moves such as Acrobatics, Earthquake, and Crunch,(comma) but Hydreigon will unfortunately have to rely on the inaccurate Dragon Rush or the unpredictable Outrage for a Dragon-type STAB attack. Hydreigon also has a vast special movepool that it can work with, including attacks such as Earth Power, Focus Blast, and even Surf. Hydreigon can also run Flash Cannon to try to hit Fairy-types, but generally it won't do enough damage to be significant [calcs?]. In addition to having a movepool as vast as the ocean, Hydreigon can also run a variety of items and EV spreads to perform a specific niche. The most notable is running Choice Specs to provide even more power for Hydreigon. It can also run Safety Goggles or Lum Berry to counter Charizard-Y and Venusaur teams by being immune to Sleep Powder. A Haban Berry with a spread of 236 SpA / 132 SpD / 140 Spe with a Modest nature can be used to tank a Timid Specs Salamence's Draco Meteor so that Hydreigon can retaliate with its own Draco Meteor while still outspeeding invested base 70s. Lastly, a bulkier spread of 68 Def / 224 SpA / 216 Spe with a Timid nature can be used to survive Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw while still allowing Hydreigon outspeed invested base 92s.

Checks & Counters
########

While it may seem like Hydreigon is unpredictable, it does have some hard counters that can easily force it out. The most obvious counters are Fairy-types,(comma) as Hydreigon really cannot do anything against them. Azumarill in particular resists both of Hydreigon's STABs STAB moves as well as Fire Blast and most of its other coverage moves, and only fears fearing the rare Hidden Power Powers. Faster Dragon-types such as Salamence can OHKO Hydreigon before it can do anything. Assault Vest Conkeldurr can easily tank a Draco Meteor and OHKO Hydreigon while healing back up with Drain Punch. Specially Defensive Tyranitar can take any move Hydreigon has in store bar a Life Orb Focus Blast and retaliate back with a Brick Break. Another threat that can destroy Hydreigon is Mega Lucario, as both physical and special variants can 2HKO with Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave respectively, though it should be wary of Fire Blast. Mamoswine can also 2HKO with Ice Shard and can potentially OHKO with Icicle Crash, and like Tyranitar it only fears the rare while only fearing the rare Focus Blast.

[I thought this was meant to look like a threatlist but meh I prefer paragraphs]

This turned into something of a christmas tree; there are quite a few simple errors, repeated phrases, and wonky prose choices. More to the point, it seems like a lot of information from the skeleton never appeared in the final write-up, I don't recall set names allowing nicknames before, and there are other assorted complaints in the text. I feel like it would be best if I refrained from stamping this for the time being; once you've implemented this check (there were a lot of spacing errors in the write-up, so pay attention when you implement this check) let me know and I'll check it once more and give you the stamp.