B+UP #10
Written by: Fusion
Editor: Terradude
Illustrator: Diddgery
Pokémon Pick: Flygon
You have to feel some pity for Flygon. It was fairly popular in RSE due to its unique typing, but when D/P came out it got completely sidelined by Garchomp. And then Garchomp was effectively banned, and still Flygon gets sidelined, this time by Salamence (which itself is potentially facing the banhammer) and the improved Dragonite. Still, even if it's not on par with the pseudolegendaries, Flygon still has a lot going in its favor.
Typing: Ground/Dragon is amazing on the offensive; only a levitating Bronzong or Skarmory can defend against both attack types. Defensively... you only have two weaknesses, but one of them's 4x to Ice. However, being part-Ground does give you the advantage of resistance to Stealth Rock and Sandstorm immunity.
Stats: Flygon's stats are lower than Salamence or Garchomp, but its total stats are equal to Starmie, which I hold in high regard. Straight 80's across the board, except for 100 Attack and Speed. It may not be as powerful as its rivals, but it's every bit as fast.
Moves: Flygon gets quite a few good moves to work with. For physical attacks, you've got Earthquake, Dragon Claw, Outrage, Return, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, U-Turn, Fire Punch, Thunderpunch, and Flail. If you hold back its evolution from Trapinch for a while, you can also get Crunch. While it runs off the lower Special Attack, Fire Blast or Flamethrower can take care of Bronzong or Skarmory that attempt to wall you, and you do have access to Draco Meteor, although it's not as powerful as the one used by Salamence. Flygon also has access to Roost for healing.
Ability: Levitate is always good; it's a free Ground immunity and protects you against Spikes. It's up to you whether it's as good as Dragonite's flinching immunity or Salamence's ability to cut the opponent's attack by a third.
Additional Comments: Flygon pairs very well with Tyranitar or Hippowdon, due to its sandstorm immunity.
Summary: Flygon may be an inferior version of Garchomp, but if I had to pick a Pokémon to be an inferior version of, why not the one that got banned for being heavily overpowered?
Fail of the Week: Altaria
I don't know why GameFreak attempts to make defensive Pokémon out of typings that aren't suitable for the job. Rock/Steel's crippling 4x weakness to Fighting and Ground, Mantine's inability to take a Thunderbolt, the endless fail that is Magcargo... Well, someone tried to make a defensive Dragon/Flying. Yes, the typing that everyone carries around an Ice Beam for.
Typing: As far as dual-types go, Dragon/Flying isn't perfect, but it's not horrible. Once you get past the glaring 4x weakness to Ice and the vulnerability to Stealth Rock, you have Ground immunity and resistance to a lot of common types.
Stats: As I said when commenting on Mantine, having a lot of Special Defense doesn't really help you if you have a 4x weakness to a common special attack. In Mantine's case it was Thunderbolt, in Altaria's case it's Ice Beam. And unfortunately, Altaria has nowhere near as much Special Defense as the kite had. Altaria has 90 defense, but with Ice having picked up on the physical side too (Mamoswine and Weavile say hi), Altaria's hopes of being a defensive Pokémon are about as well-founded as my hopes of making a career out of this. And with a stat total of 490, those defenses came at the cost of any attacking capability Altaria may have ever had.
Moves: Well, both of Altaria's attacking stats are equal, so it can do either physical or special. For Dragon-type attacks alone you've got Dragon Claw, Dragon Pulse, Outrage, and Draco Meteor. For other physical attacks, you've got Aerial Ace, Earthquake, Return, and Pursuit. For special attacks, you've got Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Heat Wave, Ice Beam and Solarbeam. For support you have Roar, Toxic, Agility, and Roost.
Ability: I'm not really going to pick on Natural Cure, mostly because I sung its praises when talking about Roserade and Starmie.
Additional Comments: Altaria is extremely light and has a 4x resistance to Grass, so it's ideal for switching in on Grass Knot.
Summary: It's a defensive Pokémon that happens to be utterly sabotaged by its typing. Again.
Team Strategy: Supporting Your Dragon-Type
If you're going to consider using a Dragon-type on your competitive team, make sure your team has elements that can support it. Elements you may want to include are:
Stealth Rock: Ice attacks are the main threat to your Dragon-type (unless you're using Kingdra, and even then it's a problem if the attack's strong enough). However, if your opponent's Ice user is Ice-type, such as Weavile or Froslass, you can take off 25% of their health when they switch in using Stealth Rock, which might be enough to keep them away or deny them the one extra turn they need to KO you.
Rapid Spin: Most Dragons used in competition are part-Flying, making them vulnerable to Stealth Rock. A Rapid Spin will help clear the way for you to switch in.
A Ghost-type: As Rapid Spin is a normal-type move, it is ineffective against Ghosts. As such, by having a Ghost-type in play, you can prevent the opponent from removing your Stealth Rock or other entry hazards.
Something to counter Steel-types: The only type that can resist Dragon-types is Steel. A strong Earthquake user should handle everything short of Bronzong and Skarmory, and most Dragons can handle those two with Fire Blast.
Something to tank Ice attacks: Water-types and Steel-types resist Ice attacks. Empoleon is extremely useful in this regard; triple-digit special defense and 4x resistance to Ice.
Something to tank status effects: A Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp can cripple your attempt to sweep, so you may want something that can afford to have a status effect on it. Anything with the Natural Cure or Guts ability is desirable here, as is something like Electivire or Arcanine that can absorb status moves you know are coming.
An example team:
Dragonite (main Dragon)
Aerodactyl (sets up Stealth Rock, can use Earthquake against Steels)
Magnezone (Steel counter, resists Ice and other Dragons)
Starmie (Rapid Spin support, uses Natural Cure to tank status, resists Ice)
Dusknoir (prevents opponent's Rapid Spin)
Heracross (benefits from status effects due to Guts)