http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/pokemon/dragalge
Overview
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- ADAPTABILITY = godsend from ORAS
- Solid typing both defensively and offensively
- Base 97 Special Attack + Draco Meteor + ADAPTABILITY
- About the only Toxic Spikes user for offensive teams
- Secondary STAB bones Fairies
- Has Focus Blast and HP Fire for Steels; H-Pump for Rhyperior and SpDef Gligar
- Kinda slow
- No reliable recovery, so easy to wear down
- Common weaknesses to Ground, Psychic, and Dragon (Ice too, but not as common)
- Great wallbreaker that doesn't need much support
- Did I mention ADAPTABILITY?!?
Choice Specs
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name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Dragon Pulse
move 4: Focus Blast / Hidden Power Fire
ability: Adaptability
item: Choice Specs
evs: 200 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
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- Break walls. Use Draco
- Sludge Bomb is for Fairies wanting to block your Dracos
- Dragon Pulse allows Alge to stay in while using its Dragon STAB
- Focus Blast hits Registeel much harder while also nailing Zong for the same damage as HP Fire
- HP Fire is still nice if you want to lure in Escavalier. Does shit to Registeel though.
- Sleep Talk is an option if you don't need coverage on Steel-types or a secondary Dragon STAB.
- Shadow Ball is an option to hit Bronzong with. Catching it with this ensures it can't survive 2 Draco Meteors later, which can be helpful
Set Details
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- EVs outspeed base 50s, allowing Alge to beat Registeel if it predicts with Focus Blast
- Faster spread to outspeed Mola, but you destroy it anyway. It can prevent Wishes and Scald burns though
- Choice Specs gives insane power on top of Adaptability
- Life Orb is plausible if you want the ability to switch moves, but you're using Draco 80% of the time anyway. Use it if you support Dragalge with Trick Room
Usage Tips
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- Just click Draco if there isn't a Fairy-type. Even support Cobalion is taking 70%+ from it
- If there's no Poison resists and the opponent has no way to OHKO Alge, Sludge Bomb is fantastic
- Use Focus Blast or HP Fire to nail incoming Steels if needed. Frailer ones (Cobal, Durant) still die to Draco though.
- Try to switch Dragalge into resisted special attacks to minimize chip damage it takes
Team Options
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- AV Eelektross and Lanturn can provide slow Volt Switches to get Alge in more easily
- Fast special attackers. Scarf Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, Mega Sceptile, and Jolteon are all reliable options
- Double Dragon is a thing. Tyrantrum, Druddigon, and aforementioned Mega Sceptile are the best options for this
- Wish support on balance teams. Aromatisse and Alomomola work like a charm. Mola in particular can handle EQs and lure in Grass and Electric moves for Dragalge to come in on
- Cleric support as Dragalge loathes passive damage from burns. Aromatisse and Audino can cover you here
- Hazard control as Alge will switch out a lot. Gligar, Hitmonlee, and Kabutops can provide this admirably
- Hazard support, especially Spikes, to wear down Steel- and Fairy-types. Cobalion and Rhyperior can cover Rocks. Qwilfish and Accelgor are solid for Spikes.
- Trick Room support from Aromatisse, Slowking, and Reuniclus can make up for Dragalge's low Speed. Reduce Speed IV to 0 (or 2 if using HP Fire) change the nature to Quiet and move Speed EVs to HP if you choose this route of support.
Offensive Toxic Spikes
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name: Offensive Toxic Spikes
move 1: Toxic Spikes
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hydro Pump
ability: Adaptability
item: Draco Plate / Black Sludge
evs: 200 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
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- Uses Dragalge's menacing offensive presence to set up Toxic Spikes
- Draco Meteor still is able to nuke stuff thanks to Draco Plate
- Sludge Bomb murders Fairies and Alge's ability to switch moves can allow it to catch them off-guard after they switch into Draco
- HP Fire nails Steels, including Escavalier.
- Hydro Pump can hammer Rhyperior and Gligar if Steel-type coverage isn't needed
- Focus Blast is an option for Steels, but the accuracy can hurt
Set Details
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- EVs outpace base 50s and maximize Special Attack
- Draco Plate is the primary hold item to boost the power of Draco Meteor and bluff a Choice Specs
- Black Sludge is an option to keep Dragalge from getting worn down too easily.
- More defensive spread with Black Sludge is plausible, but lowers damage output
- Life Orb is an option for more power, but it can wear down Dragalge too quickly at times
- Why would you not use Adaptability?
Usage Tips
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- Switch Dragalge into resisted special attacks when possible
- Don't use Toxic Spikes if there are grounded Poison-types on the opposing team (Skuntank, opposing Dragalge, Amoonguss)
- If there are Fairy-types, click Draco to try and lure them in for a timely Sludge Bomb
- Use HP Fire on predicted Steel-types and Hydro Pump on predicted Gligar switch-ins
Team Options
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- Offensive Pokemon that can pressure Poison-types and take advantage of Toxic Spikes
- SubCM Meloetta and SubCM Cresselia are solid
- Wish support from Alomomola or Aromatisse is nice, especially if Dragalge uses Draco Plate
- Still wallbreaks pretty nicely, so fast special attackers can clean up. Mega Sceptile, Jolteon, Scarf Moltres, and Mega Pidgeot are most ideal
- Rapid Spin to remove Rocks and Spikes. Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, and Kabutops are your best bets. Only use Defog (Gligar or Shiftry are best) if you simply can't fit a spinner on the team.
Defensive Toxic Spikes
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name: Defensive Toxic Spikes
move 1: Toxic Spikes
move 2: Dragon Pulse
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Scald / Protect
ability: Adaptability
item: Black Sludge
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
nature: Bold
- Focuses on Dragalge's defensive typing to set up Toxic Spikes and check dangerous threats, such as Hitmonlee, Jolteon, Rotom-C, and Houndoom
- Dragon Pulse and Sludge Bomb are still pretty strong thanks to Adaptability
- Scald can spread burns and deter Gligar from using Defog at will.
- Protect is an option over Scald should you want to scout for dangerous Choice attackers like Meloetta, opposing Dragalge, and Pangoro. Also provides extra Black Sludge recovery
Set Details
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- Maximizes physical bulk to get the most out of Dragalge's Fighting resistance
- Can use a more Specially Defensive spread to better handle Scarf Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, and Nasty Plot Houndoom
- Don't use anything other than Black Sludge. It's Dragalge's only reliable form of recovery
Usage Tips
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- Switch Dragalge into resisted attacks and begin setting up Toxic Spikes if the opponent lacks a grounded Poison-type
- Throw out Scald or Sludge Bomb if you suspect a spinner or Defogger as most don't appreciate burns or poison
- If running Protect, use it when you need to scout for dangerous Choice attackers or if you need the extra recovery to get out of KO range of a certain attack to KO back
- If there is a grounded Poison-type, burning it with Scald is very helpful to wear it down faster. If it's a Dragalge, catch it with Dragon Pulse if possible
Team Options
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- More defensive teammates are preferred due to the defensive nature of this set
- Wish support from Aromatisse and Alomomola can keep Dragalge healthy
- A spinblocker is nice to keep Toxic Spikes on the field. Gourgeist-XL and Cofagrigus are the best defensive Ghosts in RU
- Spin support from Hitmontop or Sandslash is nice to keep Rocks and Spikes from wearing down Dragalge too quickly
- SubCM Cresselia, MonoCM Mega Audino, and SubCM Meloetta can easily take advantage of Toxic Spikes support by stalling out the opposition while setting up a sweep
- Hazard support can be nice to give more chip damage alongside Toxic Spikes. Mega Steelix and Regirock are great defensive Rocks users. Qwilfish is about the only defensive Spikes user if you have the room on your team
Other Options
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- Loads of coverage options, but few are helpful
- Haze can remove stat modifications, including the SpA drops incurred from using Draco Meteor
- ChestoRest can give Alge recovery and psuedo status immunity
- Physical moves and Choice Band. Terrible physical movepool and lackluster Attack. Plus there's Tyrantrum and Druddigon for physical attacks
- Sludge Wave isn't worth the 5 extra BP. Don't use it over Sludge Bomb
- Assault Vest?
- RestTalk
Checks and Counters
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**Steel-types**: More specifically, Registeel, Bronzong, and Escavalier take most attacks from Dragalge. Just be wary of stray Focus Blasts and HP Fires
**Special Walls**: Cresselia can take a Draco Meteor and recover off most of the damage. More specially defensive variants of Golbat and Gligar can do the same, but they lack Leftovers to gain extra passive recovery.
**Fairy-types**: Aromatisse and Whimsicott are the most common ones. They must be wary of Sludge Bomb, but they're immune to Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
**Revenge Killers**: Almost any Pokemon with a super effective physical move and more Speed than base 50s, the target Dragalge usually hits, can typically revenge kill Dragalge. Dugtrio is most notable thanks to Arena Trap and STAB EQ, ensuring Dragalge can't escape its fate
Special mention to Mawile for being immune to both of Dragalge's STAB options, the only Pokemon in RU that can boast this. It can't do a ton in return however.
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