Pokemon of the Week #3 - Flygon

Flygon (Tier BL)

Ability:

Levitate
Flygon is unaffected by ground type attacks. Flygon is also immune to spikes and not affected by arena traps.


Statistics:

Statistics	Min-	Min	Max	Max+
HP 80	-	301	364	-
Atk 100	212	236	299	328
Def 80	176	196	259	284
SpA 80	176	196	259	284
SpD 80	176	196	259	284
Spe 100	212	236	299	328

1st Set: Subsitute

Nature: Adamant/Naughty

Moveset:
Substitute
Earthquake
Dragon Claw
Stone Edge / Fire Blast

Recomended Item: Leftovers
Recomended Ev. Spread: 80 HP, 252 Atk, 176 Spd

Flygon has good resistances, meaning its easy for Flygon to switch in and use substitute. Steels like Bronzong and Skarmory wall Flygon, so if you want to use Fire Blast, use a Naughty nature.

2nd Set: Choice Scarf

Nature: Naughty

Moveset:
Earthquake
Stone Edge
U turn
Draco Meteor

Recomended Item: Choice Scarf
Recomended Evs Spread: 252 Atk, 112 SpAtk, 144 Spd

Flygon makes for a good choice scarfer and a powerful hitter. Draco Meteor hits physical walls extremely hard, and U turn helps Flygon to escape from things like Forretress and Skarmory. 144 speed gives her 272 speed, which allows Flygon to outspeed everything with 270 speed and under with choice scarf like Heracross.

3th Set: Choice Specs user

Nature: Modest

Moveset:
Earthpower
Giga Drain
Draco Meteor
Flamethrower


Recomended Item: Choice Specs
Recomended Ev. Spread: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

A basic Choice Specs set. Giga Drain suprises stuff like Swampert who would usually like to switch into Flygon. Special walls such as Snorlax and Blissey wall this set pretty easily.

4th Set: Life Orb user

Nature: Jolly

Moveset:
Earthquake
Screech
Roost
Dragon Claw / Fire Punch


Recomended Item: Life Orb
Recomended Ev. Spread: 252 Atk, 40 Def, 216 Spd

This set can hurt quite a few pokemon. Screech can hurt comman physical walls badly, allowing for most of them to be 2ohko by Earthquake. Fire Punch 2kos Skamory after a Screech and ohkos Forretress after one. Unfortunately, Fire Punch is an emerald tutor move, so you might have to just go with Dragon Claw. In that case, stuff like Skarmory of course walls you completely.

Other Options:
Not much other then what is listed. Crunch could be useful for things like Cresselia. Screech can cripple a pokemon on the switch in and make it easier to kill.

Opinion:
Flygon is in a similar postition it was in last generation. A good pokemon, but outclassed by the other dragons such as Salamence and Dragonite. Now, Nintendo has even created Garchomp, which is better then Flygon in almost every single way. U turn is a good move that Flygon now has, but until it gets something like Dragon Dance, it wont be outshining any of those three dragons in any kind of way.

Counters:

Like most dragons, Flygon has a 4x ice weaknesses. Any type of ice attack will kill Flygon easily. Unfortunately for Flygon, it doesn't have good enough attack power to scare off most of the common physical tanks and walls. Skarmory, Bronzong, and Forretress handle Flygon very easily outside of a fire type attack. Bulky waters like Suicune and Swampert can take any attack and scare Flygon off with an Ice Beam. Gyarados will have no problems with it outside of a Stone Edge. Flygon is also almost useless against Cresselia and Dusknoir.