Taken over from habajiga
Overview
#######
Boasting an excellent Special Attack stat and a diverse movepool, Hydreigon is a solid offensive threat in the OU metagame. By virtue of its Dark / Dragon, typing which gives it numerous resistances, Hydreigon checks common threats such as Rotom-W and Slowbro. With the absence of Aegislash, bulky Psychic-types have become significantly more common, and Hydreigon has an easy time dealing with them. Hydreigon also has a niche over other Dragon-types, particularly Latios and Latias, in that it can easily revenge kill Bisharp due to its resistance to Sucker Punch. In addition, Hydreigon's respectable Attack stat and access to Superpower allow it to target Chansey, an important advantage it has over many special attackers. While Hydreigon is often outclassed as a wallbreaker, it finds a niche as a potent revenge killer when equipped with a Choice Scarf.
However, Hydreigon's average Speed leaves it susceptible to faster attackers such as Latios, Greninja, Keldeo, Terrakion, Mega Lopunny, Mega Gallade, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Pinsir. While Hydreigon can alleviate this issue by using a Choice Scarf, it then loses out on the ability to switch its attacks and becomes significantly weaker without a Life Orb. Unfortunately, Hydreigon's STAB moves are resisted by many common Pokemon in OU, leaving it reliant on hitting them with a coverage move or U-turn. Hydreigon also has many weaknesses, particularly Fighting, Dragon, Fairy, and Ice. To make matters worse, Fairy-types such as Azumarill, Sylveon, Clefable, and Mega Diancie threaten Hydreigon with a 4x super effective STAB move while resisting or being immune to Hydreigon's STAB moves.
Life Orb Attacker
#######
name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Flash Cannon / Fire Blast
move 4: Superpower / Earth Power
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Mild / Modest
Moves
=======
Draco Meteor is Hydreigon's strongest STAB move and deals massive damage to any Pokemon that is not a Fairy- or Steel-type or Chansey. Dark Pulse hits most Steel-types for neutral damage and provides important coverage against Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Mew, Jirachi, Celebi, and Mega Metagross. Flash Cannon targets Fairy-types such as Mega Altaria, Mega Diancie, Togekiss, and Clefable, which take little damage from Hydreigon's STAB moves, notably being able to 2HKO or OHKO all of them with some prior damage. Alternatively, Fire Blast hits Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Klefki, but most other Steel-types are hit hard enough by a Dark Pulse. Superpower deals heavy damage to specially bulky Pokemon such as Heatran, Tyranitar, and Chansey. Earth Power is an alternative coverage move that has a high chance to OHKO Choice Band or Belly Drum Azumarill variants, while also retaining coverage on most Steel-types.
Set Details
=======
A Mild nature and maximum Special Attack investment allows Hydreigon to hit as hard as possible while retaining the power of Superpower. A Mild nature is used over Rash to capitalize on Hydreigon's resistances to mostly specially based types, such as Water, Electric, Fire, Ghost, and Grass. If Superpower is not used, Hydreigon should opt for a Modest nature. However, a Hasty or Timid nature has some merit in being able to outspeed Adamant Mega Charizard X before a Dragon Dance. Maximum Speed investment is important to outspeed as many threats as possible, notably Jolly Mega Pinsir before Mega Evolving and neutral-natured Kyurem-B.
Usage Tips
=======
Hydreigon functions best as a hit-and-run attacker due to Draco Meteor's Special Attack drops. Due to its typing, Hydreigon can also act as an effective pivot into attacks it resists or is immune to, from the likes of Rotom-W, Slowbro, and Mega Venusaur. In addition, Levitate gives Hydreigon a helpful immunity to Ground-type attacks from Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Excadrill, Landorus-T, and Gliscor. However, most of these Pokemon have an alternate STAB or coverage move to hit Hydreigon with, so it must be careful when attempting to switch in. In most scenarios, firing off a Draco Meteor or Dark Pulse is not optimal due to the prevalence of Fairy- and Steel-types, so it is important to predict well and use the appropriate coverage move on the switch-in.
Team Options
=======
Steel-types such as Heatran, Magnezone, Mega Scizor, Mega Metagross, and Ferrothorn are great partners for Hydreigon, as they resist Fairy-, Dragon-, and Ice-type attacks. Heatran and Ferrothon provide Stealth Rock support to help Hydreigon achieve some important 2HKOs or OHKOs, but they compound your teams Fighting weakness. Fairy-types such as Clefable and Azumarill are good partners to switch into opposing Dragon-types. Cleaners such as Talonflame and Mega Metagross appreciate Hydreigon's wallbreaking ability and have decent synergy with Hydreigon.
Revenge Killer
#######
name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
=======
Draco Meteor is Hydreigon's strongest STAB move and OHKOes many offensive Pokemon after some prior damage. Dark Pulse is a strong secondary STAB move to hit Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Jirachi, Mew, Celebi, and Mega Metagross with. Earth Power provides important coverage against Steel- and Fairy-types such as Mega Diancie, Klefki, Tyranitar, Bisharp, Heatran, and Empoleon. U-turn keeps up offensive momentum and gets off important chip damage on the switches that Hydreigon often forces due to its offensive typing and power. Fire Blast can be used to hit Scizor and Ferrothorn much harder than Earth Power, but it leaves Hydreigon unable to significantly damage Mega Diancie and Heatran. Focus Blast is able to OHKO Mega Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage but does not have much use outside of that.
Set Details
=======
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment allows Hydreigon to outspeed as many offensive Pokemon as possible. A Modest nature is preferred to OHKO Mega Lopunny, Mega Metagross, and Mega Diancie with the appropriate coverage move after Stealth Rock damage. A Timid nature allows Hydreigon to outspeed other Choice Scarf users such as Landorus-T, but the decrease in power is unwelcome.
Usage Tips
=======
Equipped with a Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can revenge kill many faster offensive Pokemon such as Mega Sceptile, Greninja, and Latios. U-turn is generally the safest attack to go for early on, as it keeps up offensive momentum and gets off important chip damage. Hydreigon should not use Draco Meteor early on, as plenty of Pokemon resist it and bulky setup sweepers can take advantage of the Special Attack drops. Hydreigon should use the appropriate coverage move when revenge killing a foe, such as targeting a Mega Metagross with Dark Pulse or hitting a frailer Pokemon such as Greninja with Draco Meteor.
Team Options
=======
Volt Switch users such as Rotom-W, Raikou, and Magnezone are great partners to form a VoltTurn core with Hydreigon, which is important for offensive pressure. In addition, Magnezone traps the Steel-types not hit by Hydreigon's Earth Power, such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Scizor. Other bulky Steel-types such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Scizor are good teammates to switch into Fairy-, Bug-, Dragon-, and Ice-type attacks. The former two provide Stealth Rock support, which helps Hydreigon achieve some important OHKOs or 2HKOs, but they compound your team's Fighting weakness. Fairy-types such as Azumarill and Clefable are also good partners to sponge hits from opposing Dragon-types. Nasty Plot + Baton Pass Celebi is a great partner that can pass Special Attack boosts to Hydreigon and has good synergy with it, as it can check some Fighting- and Fairy-types such as Azumarill, Terrakion, and Clefable.
Other Options
#######
Hydreigon has a variety of other moves at its disposal. Taunt prevents defensive Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Heatran from setting up entry hazards or using status moves, but having coverage moves is more important for Hydreigon. Tailwind can be used to somewhat alleviate Hydreigon's below average Speed, while also supporting the team. Iron Tail 2HKOes Sylveon as opposed to Flash Cannon, but the accuracy is very unreliable. Roost is an option for the mixed set, but is generally not worth sacrificing a coverage move.
Checks & Counters
#######
**Faster Attackers**: Greninja, Keldeo, Terrakion, and Mega Gardevoir can outspeed non-Choice Scarf Hydreigon and OHKO it with their respective STAB moves. The former three can switch in on a Dark Pulse but must be careful of a Draco Meteor.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: With the attack drops from Superpower, Hydreigon can't 2HKO Chansey, which can stall it out. Assault Vest users such as Azumarill and Conkeldurr can stomach Hydreigon's attacks and retaliate with a super effective STAB move.
**Priority**: Hydreigon has a weakness to two very strong forms of priority. A common example is Life Orb Breloom's Mach Punch, which can OHKO Hydreigon. Weavile's and Mamoswine's Ice Shard can also do this. Assault Vest Conkeldurr gets a special mention, because unlike the aforementioned threats it can actually switch in on Hydreigon's attacks.
**Fairy-types**: Hydreigon's best checks are Fairy-types as they are immune to and resist Hydreigon's STAB moves. Azumarill is the most notable one, as it avoids the 2HKO from all of Hydreigon's moves with an Assault Vest and can OHKO in return with Play Rough. Other Fairy-types such as Clefable and Mega Diancie can also switch into Hydreigon's STAB moves, but they must be wary of a Life Orb-boosted Flash Cannon.
Overview
#######
Boasting an excellent Special Attack stat and a diverse movepool, Hydreigon is a solid offensive threat in the OU metagame. By virtue of its Dark / Dragon, typing which gives it numerous resistances, Hydreigon checks common threats such as Rotom-W and Slowbro. With the absence of Aegislash, bulky Psychic-types have become significantly more common, and Hydreigon has an easy time dealing with them. Hydreigon also has a niche over other Dragon-types, particularly Latios and Latias, in that it can easily revenge kill Bisharp due to its resistance to Sucker Punch. In addition, Hydreigon's respectable Attack stat and access to Superpower allow it to target Chansey, an important advantage it has over many special attackers. While Hydreigon is often outclassed as a wallbreaker, it finds a niche as a potent revenge killer when equipped with a Choice Scarf.
However, Hydreigon's average Speed leaves it susceptible to faster attackers such as Latios, Greninja, Keldeo, Terrakion, Mega Lopunny, Mega Gallade, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Pinsir. While Hydreigon can alleviate this issue by using a Choice Scarf, it then loses out on the ability to switch its attacks and becomes significantly weaker without a Life Orb. Unfortunately, Hydreigon's STAB moves are resisted by many common Pokemon in OU, leaving it reliant on hitting them with a coverage move or U-turn. Hydreigon also has many weaknesses, particularly Fighting, Dragon, Fairy, and Ice. To make matters worse, Fairy-types such as Azumarill, Sylveon, Clefable, and Mega Diancie threaten Hydreigon with a 4x super effective STAB move while resisting or being immune to Hydreigon's STAB moves.
Life Orb Attacker
#######
name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Flash Cannon / Fire Blast
move 4: Superpower / Earth Power
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Mild / Modest
Moves
=======
Draco Meteor is Hydreigon's strongest STAB move and deals massive damage to any Pokemon that is not a Fairy- or Steel-type or Chansey. Dark Pulse hits most Steel-types for neutral damage and provides important coverage against Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Mew, Jirachi, Celebi, and Mega Metagross. Flash Cannon targets Fairy-types such as Mega Altaria, Mega Diancie, Togekiss, and Clefable, which take little damage from Hydreigon's STAB moves, notably being able to 2HKO or OHKO all of them with some prior damage. Alternatively, Fire Blast hits Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Klefki, but most other Steel-types are hit hard enough by a Dark Pulse. Superpower deals heavy damage to specially bulky Pokemon such as Heatran, Tyranitar, and Chansey. Earth Power is an alternative coverage move that has a high chance to OHKO Choice Band or Belly Drum Azumarill variants, while also retaining coverage on most Steel-types.
Set Details
=======
A Mild nature and maximum Special Attack investment allows Hydreigon to hit as hard as possible while retaining the power of Superpower. A Mild nature is used over Rash to capitalize on Hydreigon's resistances to mostly specially based types, such as Water, Electric, Fire, Ghost, and Grass. If Superpower is not used, Hydreigon should opt for a Modest nature. However, a Hasty or Timid nature has some merit in being able to outspeed Adamant Mega Charizard X before a Dragon Dance. Maximum Speed investment is important to outspeed as many threats as possible, notably Jolly Mega Pinsir before Mega Evolving and neutral-natured Kyurem-B.
Usage Tips
=======
Hydreigon functions best as a hit-and-run attacker due to Draco Meteor's Special Attack drops. Due to its typing, Hydreigon can also act as an effective pivot into attacks it resists or is immune to, from the likes of Rotom-W, Slowbro, and Mega Venusaur. In addition, Levitate gives Hydreigon a helpful immunity to Ground-type attacks from Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Excadrill, Landorus-T, and Gliscor. However, most of these Pokemon have an alternate STAB or coverage move to hit Hydreigon with, so it must be careful when attempting to switch in. In most scenarios, firing off a Draco Meteor or Dark Pulse is not optimal due to the prevalence of Fairy- and Steel-types, so it is important to predict well and use the appropriate coverage move on the switch-in.
Team Options
=======
Steel-types such as Heatran, Magnezone, Mega Scizor, Mega Metagross, and Ferrothorn are great partners for Hydreigon, as they resist Fairy-, Dragon-, and Ice-type attacks. Heatran and Ferrothon provide Stealth Rock support to help Hydreigon achieve some important 2HKOs or OHKOs, but they compound your teams Fighting weakness. Fairy-types such as Clefable and Azumarill are good partners to switch into opposing Dragon-types. Cleaners such as Talonflame and Mega Metagross appreciate Hydreigon's wallbreaking ability and have decent synergy with Hydreigon.
Revenge Killer
#######
name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
=======
Draco Meteor is Hydreigon's strongest STAB move and OHKOes many offensive Pokemon after some prior damage. Dark Pulse is a strong secondary STAB move to hit Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Jirachi, Mew, Celebi, and Mega Metagross with. Earth Power provides important coverage against Steel- and Fairy-types such as Mega Diancie, Klefki, Tyranitar, Bisharp, Heatran, and Empoleon. U-turn keeps up offensive momentum and gets off important chip damage on the switches that Hydreigon often forces due to its offensive typing and power. Fire Blast can be used to hit Scizor and Ferrothorn much harder than Earth Power, but it leaves Hydreigon unable to significantly damage Mega Diancie and Heatran. Focus Blast is able to OHKO Mega Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage but does not have much use outside of that.
Set Details
=======
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment allows Hydreigon to outspeed as many offensive Pokemon as possible. A Modest nature is preferred to OHKO Mega Lopunny, Mega Metagross, and Mega Diancie with the appropriate coverage move after Stealth Rock damage. A Timid nature allows Hydreigon to outspeed other Choice Scarf users such as Landorus-T, but the decrease in power is unwelcome.
Usage Tips
=======
Equipped with a Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can revenge kill many faster offensive Pokemon such as Mega Sceptile, Greninja, and Latios. U-turn is generally the safest attack to go for early on, as it keeps up offensive momentum and gets off important chip damage. Hydreigon should not use Draco Meteor early on, as plenty of Pokemon resist it and bulky setup sweepers can take advantage of the Special Attack drops. Hydreigon should use the appropriate coverage move when revenge killing a foe, such as targeting a Mega Metagross with Dark Pulse or hitting a frailer Pokemon such as Greninja with Draco Meteor.
Team Options
=======
Volt Switch users such as Rotom-W, Raikou, and Magnezone are great partners to form a VoltTurn core with Hydreigon, which is important for offensive pressure. In addition, Magnezone traps the Steel-types not hit by Hydreigon's Earth Power, such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Scizor. Other bulky Steel-types such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Scizor are good teammates to switch into Fairy-, Bug-, Dragon-, and Ice-type attacks. The former two provide Stealth Rock support, which helps Hydreigon achieve some important OHKOs or 2HKOs, but they compound your team's Fighting weakness. Fairy-types such as Azumarill and Clefable are also good partners to sponge hits from opposing Dragon-types. Nasty Plot + Baton Pass Celebi is a great partner that can pass Special Attack boosts to Hydreigon and has good synergy with it, as it can check some Fighting- and Fairy-types such as Azumarill, Terrakion, and Clefable.
Other Options
#######
Hydreigon has a variety of other moves at its disposal. Taunt prevents defensive Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Heatran from setting up entry hazards or using status moves, but having coverage moves is more important for Hydreigon. Tailwind can be used to somewhat alleviate Hydreigon's below average Speed, while also supporting the team. Iron Tail 2HKOes Sylveon as opposed to Flash Cannon, but the accuracy is very unreliable. Roost is an option for the mixed set, but is generally not worth sacrificing a coverage move.
Checks & Counters
#######
**Faster Attackers**: Greninja, Keldeo, Terrakion, and Mega Gardevoir can outspeed non-Choice Scarf Hydreigon and OHKO it with their respective STAB moves. The former three can switch in on a Dark Pulse but must be careful of a Draco Meteor.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: With the attack drops from Superpower, Hydreigon can't 2HKO Chansey, which can stall it out. Assault Vest users such as Azumarill and Conkeldurr can stomach Hydreigon's attacks and retaliate with a super effective STAB move.
**Priority**: Hydreigon has a weakness to two very strong forms of priority. A common example is Life Orb Breloom's Mach Punch, which can OHKO Hydreigon. Weavile's and Mamoswine's Ice Shard can also do this. Assault Vest Conkeldurr gets a special mention, because unlike the aforementioned threats it can actually switch in on Hydreigon's attacks.
**Fairy-types**: Hydreigon's best checks are Fairy-types as they are immune to and resist Hydreigon's STAB moves. Azumarill is the most notable one, as it avoids the 2HKO from all of Hydreigon's moves with an Assault Vest and can OHKO in return with Play Rough. Other Fairy-types such as Clefable and Mega Diancie can also switch into Hydreigon's STAB moves, but they must be wary of a Life Orb-boosted Flash Cannon.
Last edited:
