[SET]
Name: Nasty Plot
Move 1: Draco Meteor / Fickle Beam
Move 2: Giga Drain
Move 3: Earth Power
Move 4: Nasty Plot
Item: Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability Regenerator
Nature: Modest
Evs: 248 HP / 96 Def / 164 SpA
Tera type: Steel
[SET COMMENTS]
Hydrapple serves as a solid balance breaker in the meta, using its bulk and offensive prowess to handle Pokemon like Excadrill and Dragon Dance Kommo-o while also being scary for things like Tornadus-T and Metagross with a Nasty Plot up. It also has Regenerator to heal off any damage it took while doing so, allowing it to potentially repeat this process later in the game. Heavy-Duty Boots serves to make healing from Regenerator more effective while improving longevity by removing its vulnerability to entry hazards as it commonly has to utilize its great typing to switch into powerful wallbreakers like Excadrill, Ogerpon, and Barraskewda in rain. The EV spread allows Hydrapple to withstand two Secret Swords from Choice Specs Keldeo while also giving it very good odds to OHKO Assault Vest Tornadus-T at +2 after Stealth Rock with Draco Meteor. Fickle beam is an alternative move over Draco Meteor if you want to avoid the SpA drop while having a chance to deal more damage than Draco Meteor, allowing it to maintain boosts from Nasty Plot to remain a big threat after firing it off. However using Fickle Beam means you can miss out on KOs against things like Zapdos or Tornadus-T if the boost doesn't activate. Tera Steel improves its matchup against Ogerpon-C while also giving a Toxic immunity which is helpful against Toxapex and Mandibuzz, a Flying resist for setting up a Nasty Plot in front of tornadus-therian, and a Fairy resist useful for dodging an OHKO from a Choice Banded Azumarill's Play Rough in case of emergency. However doing so makes you weak to Excadrill, as by using Tera Steel you give up your Ground resistance for a weakness to it, and removes your quad resistance to Water and Electric, making it not as effective into rain and certain Volt Switch users such as Sandy Shocks and Rotom-W.
Hydrapple acts as a solid breaker for balance and bulky offensive playstyles, using its defensive profile to get in on things that are normally quite offensively threatening or tough to break and then being a threat on its own. Slowking is a nice partner for it, forming a double Regenerator core that helps work around some problems for Hydrapple such as Tornadus-T and Tinkaton, while acting a second water resist in the event Hydrapple needs to tera. It also slow pivots to it with Chilly Reception after soaking up a hit, allowing Hydrapple to either be a bigger threat due to having more health or get its health back from Regenerator easier. Zapdos is also a good teammate for it, defensively answering Scizor and Lokix who can pose problems with their strong U-turns should they get in on Hydrapple. Other teammates that Hydrapple appreciates are ones that can help wear down Tinkaton into Earth Power range such as Lokix or Tornadus-T, things that can help pressure or defensively answer Flying types such as Tyranitar or Rhyperior, or things that can set Stealth Rock like Cobalion or the previously mentioned Rhyperior to get targets for boosted attacks into range easier. Both rain and sand teams appreciate Hydrapple's defensive profile in tandem with Regenerator, it can use an Eject Button on rain teams to provide a safe pivot to the more offensive rain threats like Barraskewda, Greninja, or Zapdos, while on sand it acts as a resist for attacks from things like opposing Excadrill and Keldeo which can be scary for sand teams otherwise.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/thatoneapple.620325/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/twilight.344575/
Grammar checked by:
Name: Nasty Plot
Move 1: Draco Meteor / Fickle Beam
Move 2: Giga Drain
Move 3: Earth Power
Move 4: Nasty Plot
Item: Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability Regenerator
Nature: Modest
Evs: 248 HP / 96 Def / 164 SpA
Tera type: Steel
[SET COMMENTS]
Hydrapple serves as a solid balance breaker in the meta, using its bulk and offensive prowess to handle Pokemon like Excadrill and Dragon Dance Kommo-o while also being scary for things like Tornadus-T and Metagross with a Nasty Plot up. It also has Regenerator to heal off any damage it took while doing so, allowing it to potentially repeat this process later in the game. Heavy-Duty Boots serves to make healing from Regenerator more effective while improving longevity by removing its vulnerability to entry hazards as it commonly has to utilize its great typing to switch into powerful wallbreakers like Excadrill, Ogerpon, and Barraskewda in rain. The EV spread allows Hydrapple to withstand two Secret Swords from Choice Specs Keldeo while also giving it very good odds to OHKO Assault Vest Tornadus-T at +2 after Stealth Rock with Draco Meteor. Fickle beam is an alternative move over Draco Meteor if you want to avoid the SpA drop while having a chance to deal more damage than Draco Meteor, allowing it to maintain boosts from Nasty Plot to remain a big threat after firing it off. However using Fickle Beam means you can miss out on KOs against things like Zapdos or Tornadus-T if the boost doesn't activate. Tera Steel improves its matchup against Ogerpon-C while also giving a Toxic immunity which is helpful against Toxapex and Mandibuzz, a Flying resist for setting up a Nasty Plot in front of tornadus-therian, and a Fairy resist useful for dodging an OHKO from a Choice Banded Azumarill's Play Rough in case of emergency. However doing so makes you weak to Excadrill, as by using Tera Steel you give up your Ground resistance for a weakness to it, and removes your quad resistance to Water and Electric, making it not as effective into rain and certain Volt Switch users such as Sandy Shocks and Rotom-W.
Hydrapple acts as a solid breaker for balance and bulky offensive playstyles, using its defensive profile to get in on things that are normally quite offensively threatening or tough to break and then being a threat on its own. Slowking is a nice partner for it, forming a double Regenerator core that helps work around some problems for Hydrapple such as Tornadus-T and Tinkaton, while acting a second water resist in the event Hydrapple needs to tera. It also slow pivots to it with Chilly Reception after soaking up a hit, allowing Hydrapple to either be a bigger threat due to having more health or get its health back from Regenerator easier. Zapdos is also a good teammate for it, defensively answering Scizor and Lokix who can pose problems with their strong U-turns should they get in on Hydrapple. Other teammates that Hydrapple appreciates are ones that can help wear down Tinkaton into Earth Power range such as Lokix or Tornadus-T, things that can help pressure or defensively answer Flying types such as Tyranitar or Rhyperior, or things that can set Stealth Rock like Cobalion or the previously mentioned Rhyperior to get targets for boosted attacks into range easier. Both rain and sand teams appreciate Hydrapple's defensive profile in tandem with Regenerator, it can use an Eject Button on rain teams to provide a safe pivot to the more offensive rain threats like Barraskewda, Greninja, or Zapdos, while on sand it acts as a resist for attacks from things like opposing Excadrill and Keldeo which can be scary for sand teams otherwise.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/thatoneapple.620325/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/twilight.344575/
Grammar checked by:
Last edited:
