ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

I admit that I do not have the latest Pokémon Sword or Shield games. Heck, I don’t even own a Nintendo Switch. Pokémon used to be a big game for me. My brother and I had most of the handheld games from the originals through to Ultra Sun and Moon.

• Pokémon Red
• Pokémon Blue
• Pokémon Yellow
• Pokémon Gold
• Pokémon Silver
• Pokémon Ruby
• Pokémon Sapphire
• Pokémon Emerald
• Pokémon Diamond
• Pokémon Pearl
• Pokémon Platinum
• Pokémon Black
• Pokémon White
• Pokémon Black 2
• Pokémon White 2
• Pokémon Heart Gold
• Pokémon Soul Silver
• Pokémon Omega Ruby
• Pokémon Alpha Sapphire
• Pokémon X
• Pokémon Y
• Pokémon Sun
• Pokémon Moon
• Pokémon Ultra Moon

The only one missing off that list is Pokémon Ultra Sun. I clocked countless hours throughout many years playing the Pokémon handheld games. I distinctly recall breaking over 900 hours on Pokémon Emerald alone. I bred a perfect 31 IV Dugtrio in Emerald, and back in those days, that was not a straightforward accomplishment. After breeding millions of eggs throughout the years, I finally lucked out and scored a perfect Dugtrio, which travelled through many regions and eventually ended up on my Pokémon Ultra Moon game, where, unfortunately, his journey ended.

Although I do not have the latest Pokémon games, I can still battle using the online simulator Pokémon Showdown. I was always in for the Overused Single Battles, and below I will showcase my team, Overdark Dragon!

Overdark Dragon

Hydreigon @ Life Orb 

Ability: Levitate 

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe 

Timid Nature 

– Draco Meteor / Flamethrower

– Dark Pulse 

– Flash Cannon 

– Nasty Plot 

My boy Hydra is back in action and stronger than ever! I have always run Hydreigon on my team, despite him going through some rough times with the advent of Fairy type Pokemon. The current metagame has been incredibly friendly to the Hydra, however, and he is truly a threatening menace.

With a Timid nature, you outspeed a lot of Pokemon, yet you have the sheer destructive power to obliterate the sturdier Pokemon in the metagame also. This presents a nightmare scenario for the opponent, as once Hydreigon sets up a Nasty Plot, he has virtually no defensive checks.

And Nasty Plot is so straightforward to set up with the Hydra, as his reliable Dark/Dragon typing prevents him from taking much damage or his mere presence scares off many Pokemon in the first instance. In either case, both of these situations provide Hydreigon with an opportunity to set up a Nasty Plot.

I used to run Flamethrower over Draco Meteor but have recently realised that once you get a single Nasty Plot up, Dark Pulse shreds Bisharp. Ferrothorn might live, but you can just set up two Nasty Plots if need be, should it choose to stay in. Putting Ferrothorn aside, Flamethrower was also significant to one-shot Excadrill before it could do anything. The raw, devastation that Draco Meteor provides is too good to pass up, however, as it creams bulky neutral targets such as Mandibuzz and Seismitoad.

Dark Pulse is a mandatory move which unlike Draco Meteor, can consistently be used to deal reliable damage to most Pokemon, and Flash Cannon is exclusively reserved for Fairy Types and potentially Tyranitar.

Dragapult @ Light Clay 

Ability: Cursed Body / Infiltrator

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe 

Jolly Nature 

– Dragon Tail 

– U-turn 

– Light Screen 

– Reflect 

Dragapult is a fantastic partner in crime for Hydreigon as they form a very threatening double Dragon pairing. However, I have opted for a Dual Screen support set with Dragapult. I have had success with a Choice Specs set and even Dragon Dance to a degree, but I like this Dual Screen support role. With blazingly fast speed, Dragapult will almost assuredly set up the appropriate screen before getting hit with an attack. These screens provide valuable support to the rest of the team and also better helps Dragapult in spin blocking Excadrill with boosted defences.

Dragon Tail provides further team support by phasing set up sweepers, and U-turn rounds the set to provide pivotal support. I have opted for Cursed Body because with the HP investment and Screen Support, Dragapult should be able to take a few hits and give the chance to disable a move. Infiltrator is a solid alternative, however, as it allows you to phase non Fairy threats behind a Substitute with Dragon Tail. I will probably spend some time testing Infiltrator in the future to see what I ultimately prefer.

Dracovish @ Choice Band 

Ability: Strong Jaw 

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe 

Adamant Nature 

– Outrage 

– Fishious Rend 

– Psychic Fangs 

– Crunch 

The Fish. What more do I even need to say? This guy hits like an absolute truck with a Choice Band, smashing through even resisted Pokemon with its signature move Fishious Rend. I have never tested a Choice Scarf, but I imagine it would also be advantageous. I opted for Psychic Fangs and Crunch for coverage moves as they also get boosted with Strong Jaw.

Rhyperior @ Leftovers 

Ability: Solid Rock 

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD 

Impish Nature 

– Earthquake 

– Rock Blast / Body Press

– Swords Dance / Iron Defense

– Stealth Rock 

Tribute to the Rocket Boss. In recent generations I have included Rhyperior in my team, and he is doing decent in the current metagame. I tested Counter and Metal Coat with varying degrees of success, but I have found that a Swords Dance or Iron Defence boosting set is best. Rhyperior is a weird Pokemon in that it can set up Stealth Rock, but he can effectively function as a setup sweeper as well.

Swords Dance allows Rhyperior to hit extremely hard, and with reliable coverage in Ground and Rock, not much is going to withstand its attacks. Fire Punch is an option over Stealth Rock if you want even more coverage and have another Pokemon, which can set up the rocks.

If your opponent is left with only physical sweepers, they are in serious trouble because, after a single Iron Defense, Rhyperior will shrug off even super effective hits with relative ease, thanks to Solid Rock. The defensive boost also doubles up to boost Body Press, which then arguably becomes your main attacking move. Earthquake, even unboosted, is still a very formidable attack and should be used if you cannot find time to set up an Iron Defense.

Swords Dance and Iron Defense both have their merits, but my preference is Swords Dance, as it allows Rhyperior more excellent offensive coverage. It seems like a waste not to make the best use of his fantastic attack stat.

Weezing-Galar @ Black Sludge 

Ability: Levitate / Neutralizing Gas

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD 

Modest Nature 

IVs: 0 Atk 

– Sludge Wave / Thunderbolt

– Strange Steam 

– Fire Blast 

– Toxic Spikes 

This is a very unorthodox Weezing, but it has worked pretty well for me. I have tested Neutralizing Gas extensively, and the results were interesting. Neutralizing Gas helps spread poison with Toxic Spikes by hitting Levitators if they switch into Weezing. Unfortunately, while on paper, this appears good, in practice, I have found that this rarely occurred. Other niche benefits include breaking Magic Guard on Clefable, thwarting Magic Bounce on Hatterine, removing Strong Jaw from Dracovish, and cancelling weather. I think Levitate is just a more consistent and overall superior ability to Neutralizing Gas, as, without Levitate, Weezing struggles to keep threats like Conkeldurr and Kommo-o at bay. I have found that I have missed Levitate more often than I have missed Neutralizing Gas.

As for moveset, I have made this Weezing quite offensive with three offensive moves and Toxic Spikes to provide some utility. Strange Steam is a great move and is really what has allowed Weezing to take on the role of a bulky special sweeper. It hits Fighting-types and Dragons hard and also theoretically enables you to win against Mandibuzz, in the sense that you should be able to get a Critical Hit and/or cause Mandibuzz to hurt itself in confusion before Strange Steam misses.

I used to run Thunderbolt to zap Gyarados and Pelliper as well as put some pressure on Toxapex, but I think Sludge Wave is better, in general, to beat Cinderace and put pressure on Fairies which I often bring Weezing in on. Fire Blast is needed to roast the Steel-types which resist both of your stab moves. Ferrothorn is incinerated, and you two shot Excadrill and Corvinight.

Toxic Spikes is a fantastic move for Weezing to have. He gets excellent opportunities to set them up, and a single layer is all that is required in most cases. Toxic Spikes helps break down bulky Pokémon like Seismitoad, Hatterine, Kommo-o, and others.

Bisharp @ Black Glasses 

Ability: Defiant 

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe 

Adamant Nature 

– Throat Chop 

– Sucker Punch 

– Iron Head 

– Swords Dance 

 The final member, last and not least, Bisharp! I dabbled with this Pokemon in previous generations but preferred Magnezone as my Steel type of choice. Bisharp puts in serious work in Overdark Dragon, however. Defiant is a great ability that deters defoggers, and he hits hard even without an attack boost. With a Swords Dance or Defiant boost under his belt, he can shred through entire teams with a combination of Sucker Punch and skillful predicting. The rest of his moveset is pretty straightforward. Dual Stab with Sucker Punch included bypassing Bisharp’s less than ideal speed stat.

Conclusion

A key element of Overdark Dragon is that it should use 2-3 Dragon-type Pokemon and 2-3 Dark-type Pokemon.

This is non-negotiable.

I used to have an additional self-imposed rule which banned Fairy type Pokemon being on the team, but have you seen the look of Grimmsnarl and Galarian Weezing? I made an exception for them.

The general idea behind the team is to set Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes, maybe get up a Screen or two and then protect these assets with Dragapult via Spin Blocking and Bisharp via Defiant. I wish Dragapult learned Taunt but alas. Once the necessary groundwork has been laid, so to speak, the offensive threats within the team can come out and play. You want to try and force lots of switches, Poison as many of your opponent’s Pokemon as possible while keeping the pressure on with the various offensive Pokemon on the team.

I have prepared three matches which you can watch below.

1. Match One
2. Match Two
3. Match Three

I like to think of this version of Overdark Dragon as a bulky offensive team. Anyway, if you ever want a game on Showdown, let me know!

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.