Screw Druddigon.
[Pros]
<ul>
<li>Goodra has great attacking stats, with Special Attack on par with Latias and base 100 Attack to make strong physical moves usable.</li>
<li>It has loads of switch-in opportunities thanks to its huge Special Defense.</li>
<li>Its movepool stretches to the horizon, including incredible coverage moves such as Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, and Sludge Bomb.</li>
<li>Goodra has three great abilities to choose from: Gooey, Hydration, and Sap Sipper.</li>
</ul>
[Cons]
<ul>
<li>Goodra possesses below average Defense and Speed.</li>
<li>The nerf to Drizzle keeps it from using Hydration reliably.</li>
<li>It can be worn down relatively easily due to its lacks of reliable recovery.</li>
</ul>
[Set Recommendations]
<p>name: Special Attacker<br />
move 1: Draco Meteor<br />
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower<br />
move 3: Thunderbolt / Sludge Bomb<br />
move 4: Focus Blast / Dragon Tail<br />
ability: Gooey / Sap Sipper<br />
item: Choice Specs / Assault Vest<br />
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpA<br />
nature: Modest / Quiet</p>
<p>Goodra's fantastic bulk and high Special Attack allow for it to act as a hard-hitting tank. Thanks to its powerful STAB and great coverage, it is easily able to soften up the opponent so a teammate can come in and potentially clean up. When running Assault Vest, Goodra can act as an incredibly bulky pivot that can deal solid damage to the opponent in the process. Draco Meteor is an incredibly powerful STAB move that deals huge damage to anything that doesn't resist it, and can rip common offensive Pokemon such as Talonflame to shreds. Fire Blast provides this set with much-needed coverage against the likes of Ferrothorn and Excadrill, which can both switch into a Draco Meteor with relative ease and threaten to set up in Goodra's face. Flamethrower is a more accurate but significantly less powerful option over Fire Blast. Thunderbolt gives Goodra a much-needed coverage move against Togekiss and Azumarill, common Fairy-types that will oftentimes try to switch into a Draco Meteor. It's also useful for vaporizing bulky Water-types such as Gyarados, Vaporeon, and Tentacruel. Sludge Bomb hits the less prominent Fairy-types, such as Sylveon and Florges. Focus Blast rounds off this set's coverage by 2HKOing specially defensive Tyranitar, which can easily shrug off a Draco Meteor and threaten to 2HKO Goodra with Crunch. If choosing to run Assault Vest, Dragon Tail is a superior option for its ability to phaze out common switch-ins such as Tyranitar and Blissey, dealing solid damage to them in the process, especially with entry hazards up on the field. It can also prevent sweepers like Volcarona from setting up all over it.</p>
<p>The EVs are designed to give Goodra maximum power and bulk to become as much of a tank as possible. Because Assault Vest plays differently than Choice Specs, make sure to adjust Goodra's nature and moveset accordingly. Assault Vest Goodra should run a Quiet nature to boost the power of Dragon Tail, while Choice Specs should always run a Modest nature. The Assault Vest set also has the option of running a Sassy nature to give Goodra an even higher boost to its Special Defense, but without a boosting nature, its Special Attack is a bit underwhelming. Sap Sipper can be used if your team desperately hates Grass-types or lacks something to absorb Spore or Sleep Powder. Gengar is a great partner because it can eliminate Fairy-types that are immune to Goodra's STAB, allowing for Goodra to freely spam Draco Meteor. Aegislash can set up on most of the common Fairy-types in the tier, such as Azumarill, Florges, and Sylveon, as well as special walls like Blissey and Chansey. Lucario demolishes special walls like Tyranitar and Blissey that wall Goodra. A Rapid Spin user is nice because Goodra hates entry hazards; Tentacruel and Excadrill are both fantastic options because both of them can switch into a wide variety of Fairy-type moves and spin. The Assault Vest set appreciates entry hazards support because it has great synergy with Dragon Tail, while also making Goodra more threatening all-around. Skarmory, Forretress, Klefki, and Roserade are all good users of Spikes that have great defensive synergy with Goodra.</p>
<p>name: Specially Defensive<br />
move 1: Dragon Pulse<br />
move 2: Flamethrower / Fire Blast<br />
move 3: Thunderbolt<br />
move 4: Toxic / Dragon Tail<br />
ability: Gooey / Sap Sipper<br />
item: Leftovers<br />
evs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD<br />
nature: Calm / Sassy</p>
<p>Goodra has a godlike Special Defense stat, so it comes to no surprise that it can run a very successful specially defensive set. With this set, Goodra can check a wide range of special attackers that litter the tier, such as Rotom-W, Gengar, Alakazam, and Volcarona. Dragon Pulse gives Goodra a reliable STAB move to use against pretty much anything that isn't already hit super effectively by one of its coverage moves. Flamethrower allows Goodra to hit Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Forretress, Aegislash, and Skarmory before they all attempt to set up on it, while Fire Blast is a more powerful, less accurate option. Thunderbolt rounds off this set's coverage by hitting Tentacruel, Gyarados, and Vaporeon, while nailing Azumarill and Togekiss, which are the more common Fairy-types that Goodra will be going up against. The last moveslot is merely personal preference, but both moves have their own advantages. Toxic is great for crippling Rotom-W and Volcarona, two things that Goodra will commonly be walling but can't really deal with them reliably otherwise. It also cripples Tyranitar and specially defensive Hippowdon, which wall Goodra completely. Dragon Tail allows it to phaze common switch-ins like Blissey and Tyranitar, while preventing setup sweepers from setting up on Goodra. Dragon Tail should really only be used when Goodra is paired with entry hazard support, or else Toxic is superior overall.</p>
<p>The EVs are to give Goodra as much Special Defense and bulk as possible. A Sassy nature is a better alternative to Calm if you choose to run Dragon Tail over Toxic, as it will appreciate the extra Attack power. Goodra's movepool is massive, so there are a lot of other moves that it could potentially run, but most of them are inferior to the ones listed above for various reasons. Sludge Bomb hits the less prevalent Florges and Slyveon, allowing Goodra to hit all of the Fairy-types for super effective damage, but it's not worth giving up the extra coverage that Thunderbolt gives. Focus Blast hits Tyranitar harder than anything else, but Goodra is better off crippling it with Toxic. The choice between abilities is merely personal preference; Sap Sipper being more useful on teams weak to the Grass type or in need of a Spore absorber, while Gooey is the best option overall for its ability to lower the Speed of the opposing Pokemon when hit by a contact move. Physical attackers such as Mega Lucario, Aegislash, and Scizor are great partners because they can deal with most of the special walls in the tier that can sponge Goodra's moves, like Blissey, Tyranitar, and Chansey. Pairing this set with Pokemon that have access to entry hazards is a great idea, as it allows Goodra to take more advantage of Dragon Tail and potentially wrack up a lot more residual damage. Skarmory, Klefki, Forretress, and Roserade have good defensive synergy with Goodra, and they all have access to Spikes. Rapid Spin support is highly recommended because this set lacks any sort of passive or reliable recovery, meaning that entry hazards can wear Goodra down very easily, so pairing it with Forretress, Excadrill, or Tentacruel is a good idea.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to Goodra's gigantic movepool, it's always risky trying to switch something in on its plethora of coverage moves. Because of this, special walls like Blissey, Chansey, and Tyranitar are probably the best options, because they don't really fear any of its coverage moves and can easily switch into a Choice Specs-boosted Draco Meteor. Sylveon and Florges's massive Special Defense allow for them to avoid the 2HKO from Sludge Bomb and retaliate back with a STAB Fairy-type move. Powerful physical attackers such as Garchomp, Salamence, Mega Charizard X, Mega Lucario, and Mega Kangaskhan can all OHKO Goodra with their respective STAB move, making them great checks. Entry hazards are great at limiting Goodra's switch-in opportunities, as it is vulnerable to all forms, and it can be worn down easily due to its lack of reliable recovery.</p>
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