Community POTW #106

[Serebii]

Time for the next Pokémon of the Week and this week we're going to Unova!

It's Hydreigon!

Hydreigon #635 - Serebii.net Pokédex

Hydreigon Pokémon Serebii.net Pokédex providing all details on moves, stats, abilities, evolution data and locations for Pokémon Sword & Shield

www.serebii.net

 

[Yveltal91057]

To further celebrate the release of the Sinnoh remakes, shouldn’t Torterra be the next Pokémon of the Week (12/5/2021) followed by Infernape (12/12/2021) and Empoleon (12/19/2021)?

Hydreigon (Community POTW #109, Formerly 12/5/2021, now 12/26/2021) can wait to have a turn in the spotlight.

 

[XaelOstigian]

Oh how the mighty have fallen. What was once a premier threat back in gen 5 thanks to excellent stats, none of which were less than 90, superb typing both offensively and defensively, and an incredible attack movepool that gave Hydreigon everything it could need and more, Hydreigon has since taken a tumble.
So what happened? This happened:

The advent of the new Fairy type which was strong against Dragon AND Dark types suddenly meant Hydreigon joined the 4x weakness psuedo legendary club alongside Dragonite, Tyranitar, Salamence, and Garchomp (Also Kommo-O two generations later). And with so many competitive teams now running the spammable Fairy types, Hydreigon suddenly found its usage dwindling even in spite of gaining a few new tools like Dragon Dance and Nasty Plot in subsequent generations. That is not to say Hydreigon is now useless. It is far from that no thanks to the previously mentions pros. Just be weary of that major Fairy type con and Hydreigon will serve you well.

Nasty Naga
Ability: Levitate
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Timid (+Speed -Attack)
EVs: (HP 4) (Sp.Attack 252) (Speed 252)

Moves:
Nasty Plot
Dark Pulse
Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor
Flash Cannon/Fire Blast/Earth Power/Hydro Pump

Set Details:
A Nasty Plot sweeper set. Set up Nasty Plot, spam Dark Pulse as your main STAB, Dragon Pulse is for anything that resists Dark Pulse though you can sub in Draco Meteor if you want the extra power and can calculate around the stat drop, and finally we have your choice of coverage. Flash Cannon counters your glaring weakness to Fairy types, Fire Blast punishes the likes of Ferrothorn and the Bug/Steels, Earth Power has excellent type coverage, and Hydro Pump sound similar to "Hydra Pump" for lols and specific coverage. Life Orb grants extra power, and the EVs go into special attack but mostly speed given the weird speed tier Hydreigon sits at.

Hydra Dance
Ability: Levitate
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Jolly (+Speed -Sp.Attack)
EVs: (HP 4) (Attack 252) (Speed 252)

Moves:
Dragon Dance
Crunch/Throat Chop
Scale Shot/Outrage/Dragon Rush
Iron Tail/Earthquake/Fire Fang/Zen Headbutt

Set Details:
While the weaker of its two attack stats, 105 physical attack is still good. And with newfound access to Dragon Dance, Hydreigon can now patch up its weird speed and sweep like a Greek mythological monster. Set up Dragon Dance, use those hydra fangs well with Crunch as your main offense (Throat Chop is also doable if you fear sound moves) and slap on a Dragon STAB of choice. Scale Shot has inconsistent power but offers an extra speed boost (Possibly even letting you run an Adamant nature), Outrage has the most power but locking yourself into a move that confuses you after and can be sponged by Fairy types is a major gambit, and Dragon Rush is the moderate option with more consistent damage and power but at the cost of accuracy. Finally we have your choice of coverage with Iron Tail being your answer to Fairy types (Just watch that accuracy again), Earthquake has the best overall coverage against many types, Fire Fang is a giant "Bite Me" to Ferrothorn and the Bug/Steels, and Zen Headbutt is there for the Fighting types who think they will only have to worry about your Dragon STAB. Once again, offense and speed investment to the max with Life Orb providing the additional damage boost.

So don't let the intro of Fairy types be a deterrent to using Hydreigon. This ol' girl can still strike fear into the hearts of competitive players.

 

[Yveltal91057]

Oh how the mighty have fallen. What was once a premier threat back in gen 5 thanks to excellent stats, none of which were less than 90, superb typing both offensively and defensively, and an incredible attack movepool that gave Hydreigon everything it could need and more, Hydreigon has since taken a tumble.
So what happened? This happened:

The advent of the new Fairy type which was strong against Dragon AND Dark types suddenly meant Hydreigon joined the 4x weakness psuedo legendary club alongside Dragonite, Tyranitar, Salamence, and Garchomp (Also Kommo-O two generations later). And with so many competitive teams now running the spammable Fairy types, Hydreigon suddenly found its usage dwindling even in spite of gaining a few new tools like Dragon Dance and Nasty Plot in subsequent generations. That is not to say Hydreigon is now useless. It is far from that no thanks to the previously mentions pros. Just be weary of that major Fairy type con and Hydreigon will serve you well.

Nasty Naga
Ability: Levitate
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Timid (+Speed -Attack)
EVs: (HP 4) (Sp.Attack 252) (Speed 252)

Moves:
Nasty Plot
Dark Pulse
Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor
Flash Cannon/Fire Blast/Earth Power/Hydro Pump

Set Details:
A Nasty Plot sweeper set. Set up Nasty Plot, spam Dark Pulse as your main STAB, Dragon Pulse is for anything that resists Dark Pulse though you can sub in Draco Meteor if you want the extra power and can calculate around the stat drop, and finally we have your choice of coverage. Flash Cannon counters your glaring weakness to Fairy types, Fire Blast punishes the likes of Ferrothorn and the Bug/Steels, Earth Power has excellent type coverage, and Hydro Pump sound similar to "Hydra Pump" for lols and specific coverage. Life Orb grants extra power, and the EVs go into special attack but mostly speed given the weird speed tier Hydreigon sits at.

Hydra Dance
Ability: Levitate
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Jolly (+Speed -Sp.Attack)
EVs: (HP 4) (Attack 252) (Speed 252)

Moves:
Dragon Dance
Crunch/Throat Chop
Scale Shot/Outrage/Dragon Rush
Iron Tail/Earthquake/Fire Fang/Zen Headbutt

Set Details:
While the weaker of its two attack stats, 105 physical attack is still good. And with newfound access to Dragon Dance, Hydreigon can now patch up its weird speed and sweep like a Greek mythological monster. Set up Dragon Dance, use those hydra fangs well with Crunch as your main offense (Throat Chop is also doable if you fear sound moves) and slap on a Dragon STAB of choice. Scale Shot has inconsistent power but offers an extra speed boost (Possibly even letting you run an Adamant nature), Outrage has the most power but locking yourself into a move that confuses you after and can be sponged by Fairy types is a major gambit, and Dragon Rush is the moderate option with more consistent damage and power but at the cost of accuracy. Finally we have your choice of coverage with Iron Tail being your answer to Fairy types (Just watch that accuracy again), Earthquake has the best overall coverage against many types, Fire Fang is a giant "Bite Me" to Ferrothorn and the Bug/Steels, and Zen Headbutt is there for the Fighting types who think they will only have to worry about your Dragon STAB. Once again, offense and speed investment to the max with Life Orb providing the additional damage boost.

So don't let the intro of Fairy types be a deterrent to using Hydreigon. This ol' girl can still strike fear into the hearts of competitive players.

Why is everyone talking about Hydreigon when each of the fully evolved Sinnoh starters should be next in line for the Community POTW especially considering that BDSP have been out for over a week now?

 

[Mestorn]

Hydreigon as the Psuedo Legendary of the 5th Generation and ace of Ghestis' team, Hydreigon has a reputation as dark as its secondary typing. Initially Hydreigon was written off for its subpar below base 100 Speed in a generation ruled by faster Dragon and Fighting types, but its excellent defensive profile, its status as the first Specially Oriented Pseudo Legend, and monstrously wide movepool have enabled Hydreigon to raze a niche for itself throughout the generations.

The generational shifts were initially very kind to Hydreigon. The removal of the Tapus, various Megas like Mega Mawile, Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham took a lot of heat off of Hydreigon, and the addition of Nasty Plot gave Hydreigon a powerful boosting option. Dynamax enabled Hydreigon to push its power to even greater heights thanks to how Synergistic STAB Max Darkness was with Hydreigon on top of buffing its already above average HP. Knock Off's buff was also a boon for Hydreigon, as it naturally resisted the move and thus had more switch in opportunities.

However, as the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra released, more and more foes, old and new were introduced into the game. The Tapus returned and Urshifu and Galarian Zapdos replaced the terrifying Mega Evolutions Hydreigon had to contest with in the past. And again, Hydreigon's middling speed compared to many of the faster Pokémon that threaten it can leave it little more than a dead slot against faster more offensive teams. In the end, Hydreigon is a foe that you must respect, lest this King Gidorah knock off raze your team to the ground.

4 Heads are Better than 3
Hydreigon
Ability: Still Levitate
Item: Assault Vest
-Dark Pulse
-Snarl
-Earth Power
-Draco Meteor
Nature: Jolly (+SPE, -SATK)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SATK / 252 SPE

Hydreigon is a bit of a niche pick in Doubles. It has a great matchup against most of the common core (Incineroar, Rillaboom, Regieleki) but loses hard to Urshifu, fares poorly against Grimmsnarl and Whimsicott, and struggles against many restricted Pokémon like Calyrex Ice Rider, Zacian Crowned, and Eternatus. However, its defensive typing combined with Assault Vest makes Hydreigon frustratingly difficult to out. Dark Pulse is reliable STAB of choice, hitting many Restricted Pokémon (Calyrex, Necrozma, Solgaleo, Lunala) for massive damage, while having great neutral coverage against the many non Dark/Fighting/Fairy pokémon running around. Snarl is Hydreigon's best support option, and while much weaker than Dark Pulse, still hurts a lot coming from a Hydreigon and in conjunction with Assault Vest makes it very resilient vs special attacks. Earth Power hits Incineroar, and Zacian Crowned hard, while providing just good all around coverage. Draco Meteor rounds out the set as a devastating one time nuke and utterly blistering Max Wyrmwinds if you choose to Dynamax Hydreigon.

Other Options
Flamethrower/Heat Wave -works well on Sun teams and also checks Zacian, but leaves you prone to being walled by Incineroar.
U-Turn -counters predicted switching
Flash Cannon -checks most Fairies, except Zacian.
Choice Scarf -more offensive set that offset's Hydreigon's sometimes lacking speed.

Preferred Partners
Landorus Therian -uses Intimidate which compliments Hydreigon's Snarl, and has Max Airstream which both improves Hydreigon's speed and checks the Fighting types that threatens it.
Fairies -Ironically as much as Fairies are Hydreigon's bane, they are also its best partners. They check opposing Dragon types, many of whom outspeed Hydreigon and Fighting types that otherwise trouble Hydreigon. Zacian Crowned stands out for also being a reliable pivot into Ice moves, while Grimmsnarl makes Hydreigon insanely bulky with Screens while providing excellent Speed Control.

 

[BillyBobJoe]

Good Coverage Moves:

• Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Heat Wave (Fire Fang, Head Smash, Rock Slide, Stone Edge)- Ice/Bug
• Flash Cannon (Steel Wing, Iron Tail)- Ice/Fairy
• Focus Blast (Superpower)- Ice
• (Acrobatics, Dual Wingbeat)- Fighting/Bug
• (Zen Headbutt)- Fighting

 

[Divine Retribution]

Why is everyone talking about Hydreigon when each of the fully evolved Sinnoh starters should be next in line for the Community POTW especially considering that BDSP have been out for over a week now?

If I had to guess, and bear with me because this is kind of a long shot, but perhaps it's because this thread is about Hydreigon, and last as I checked you weren't the one who decided which Pokemon get featured in the POTW.

 

[Yveltal91057]

If I had to guess, and bear with me because this is kind of a long shot, but perhaps it's because this thread is about Hydreigon, and last as I checked you weren't the one who decided which Pokemon get featured in the POTW.

Don’t be a royal jerk about it. Your post has been reported for harassing another member of the forums and that’s all I have to say.