Alright. Basically, I was looking through some analyses that could use some shortening, and that's when I stumbled upon Kingdra and quickly saw that it was pretty long in comparison to most of the other analyses.
Unlike the Heatran analyses, I only plan on making minor changes.
And here's the old peer edit that went along with the original analysis:
And finally... the changes below:
Substitute + Dragon Dance:
<p>From the additions provided by the transition from 3rd to 4th generation, Kingdra now has access to two physical STAB options to go with Dragon Dance: Waterfall and Outrage. Apart from Palkia, Kingdra is the only Water / Dragon type in the game, granting it two particularly unique traits: 1) Kingdra only has a weakness to Dragon-type attacks, and 2) the combination of Water and Dragon is only resisted by Empoleon (and Shedinja) in OU. As such, Kingdra gets multiple opportunities to set up, such as on Heatran locked into Fire Blast or on non-Toxic Vaporeon. Combined with a decent set of stats, Kingdra definitely has multiple opportunities to attempt a sweep.</p>
<p>The main gist of this set is to gain a few boosts through Dragon Dance and attempt a sweep. Waterfall and Outrage provide Kingdra with excellent flexibility in the offensive department, so they are irreplaceable options. For the last slot, Substitute serves the purpose of preventing Kingdra from being hit by status and easing prediction. Substitute is usually the best move to use when you are unsure of what your opponent is carrying to counter Kingdra. Another option is Yawn, which can also be used over Substitute to scout for the opponent's response to Kingdra and force a switch, else the opponent's counter being crippled for the rest of the match. As far as item choice goes, Leftovers allows for constant recovery while Lum Berry will cancel out the effects of Toxic Spikes and Outrage for one turn.</p>
<p>The given EVs allow Kingdra to outspeed base 130's after a Dragon Dance and to hit as hard as possible, but a bulkier spread can be used to complement Kingdra's typing. Swift Swim should be used over Sniper on the off chance you come across a Rain Dance team, which outweighs the benefits of the small chance of landing a critical hit.</p>
<p>Kingdra has trouble against Steel-types and bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Swampert, which take practically nothing from Waterfall and Outrage respectively. As such, an Electric-type such as Rotom-A is a good partner to this set. Rotom-A can hit both Steel- and Water-types with STAB Thunderbolt. Swampert can usually be crippled by Will-O-Wisp, but running Rotom-C gives you the option of using Leaf Storm against it. Another problem is Celebi due to its high defensive stats and access to STAB Grass Knot and Recover. Specially Defensive Scizor and Tyranitar can dispose of Celebi with STAB U-turn and Crunch / Pursuit respectively. Kingdra also sets up on the Fire-type attacks aimed at Celebi.</p>
<p>Other problems for this set are Choice Scarf users which outpace Kingdra after a Dragon Dance. The most common ones to look out for are Heatran, Latias, and Flygon, which have a Dragon-type attack to hit Kingdra for super effective. A Steel-type such as Scizor can switch into the Dragon-type attacks aimed at Kingdra and bypass any Speed boosts granted through Choice Scarf with Bullet Punch. If running the Choice Band set, Scizor also does a good job of luring out Heatran and using U-turn to go to Kingdra in what will hopefully be a free turn of set up. Finally, Toxic Spikes support from Roserade can be considered to weaken a majority of the aforementioned counters to this set.</p>
Dragon Dance + Three Attacks:
<p>This set takes a more offensive part than the Substitute Dragon Dance set. Kingdra still has its two powerful physical STAB options to in Waterfall and Outrage, but also takes advantage of a special attack to hit physical walls harder. This turns Kingdra into a truly fearsome Pokemon. Furthermore, Kingdra can use its unique typing to set up on opposing Pokemon that are unable to do significant damage to it, such as defensive Starmie, Heatran, and Vaporeon.</p>
<p>This set still has the great coverage of Water / Dragon used on the last set, but the addition of Life Orb makes it easier to break through walls at the cost of some longevity. Hydro Pump, although seemingly redundant, hurts physical walls much harder than Waterfall does; for example, Skarmory is always 2HKOed and will be OHKOed after Stealth Rock if rain is active. Draco Meteor, on the other hand, gives you a move to take out opposing Dragon-type Pokemon without locking yourself into Outrage, making it harder to revenge kill Kingdra.</p>
<p>The given Speed EVs give Kingdra a Speed stat of 264, enough to outrun base 130 Speed Pokemon after a Dragon Dance. The remaining EVs are allocated into Attack and then Special Attack. Swift Swim is arguably the preferred ability due to the ability to take advantage of opposing Rain Dance teams. This Kingdra can actually be a very good sweeper in a Rain Dance team. With doubled Speed and boosted Water-type attacks, it will be an absolute terror. Hydro Pump would be the best option (over Draco Meteor) in that case.</p>
<p>As with the previous set, bulky Water-types and Celebi will usually be the most effective counters to this set. Water-types can be taken care off by any strong Electric- or Grass-type attack; Rotom-A and Celebi are both effective options for completing such task. Celebi can be taken care off by any strong Pursuit user, such as Scizor or Tyranitar, or by preying on one of its seven weaknesses; for example, Heatran can switch into anything bar Thunder Wave and KO it with Fire Blast. Empoleon, unarguably the best counter to this set, is also beaten by any strong Electric- or Ground-type attack.</p>
<p>Additionally, Choice Scarf users can threaten this set. Scizor is a good partner to take on the Latias and Flygon you will most likely encounter trying to revenge kill you; Scizor has a handy resistance to the Dragon-type attacks aimed at Latias and can bypass the Speed boost from Choice Scarf with Bullet Punch. Carrying a Rapid Spin user is also a good idea if you are worried about Toxic Spikes, which can easily bring an end to a possible sweep. Forretress is a good choice since it covers Kingdra's weakness to Dragon-type attacks, which in turn switches to Fire-type attacks aimed at Forretress.</p>
<p>Rain Dance support is an option. This set can work well on Rain Dance teams, acting as a mixed wall breaker and sweeper. Steel-types such as Bronzong, Jirachi, Magnezone, and Scizor are the best options for support Pokemon there as they resist Kingdra’s only weakness and can set up Rain Dance. Magnezone can also trap and kill Steel-types, making Outrage's self-locking side effect less dangerous.</p>
Double Dance:
<p>This set, unlike the previous two, utilizes Rain Dance to boost your Speed and Waterfall's Base Power. With Rain Dance active, Kingdra is able to easily outspeed enemy Scarfers which other sets might have had trouble against. Of course, Dragon Dance is still here to further boost Kingdra's power. Rain Dance also clears the field of other weather effects and halves the damage taken from Fire-type attacks. It should also be noted that Waterfall will be stronger with Rain Dance active and one Dragon Dance boost that with simply two Dragon Dance boosts. This set can function well as a stand alone sweeper while also fitting nicely into Rain Dance teams.</p>
<p>The given Speed EVs allow you to outpace Bulky Gyarados and Adamant Tyranitar with no boosts, all base 100's with one Dragon Dance boost, and all neutral Choice Scarf base 100's after the boost from Swift Swim. The given HP EVs provide Kingdra with a stat of 336, optimal for Leftovers recovery. 4 Attack EVs can be allocated to HP to allow Kingdra to live through one extra turn of residual damage, either from weather or entry hazards. The rest of the EVs are placed in Attack to provide Kingdra with a better chance of sweeping. As far as item choice goes, Damp Rock is an option over Leftovers if you prefer longer-lasting rain over recovery.</p>
<p>Bulky Waters, Steels, and Celebi will give this set the most trouble (sound familiar?). On a Rain Dance team, Ludicolo is a good choice to combat all of Kingdra's main counters. Ludicolo can hit Water-types with Grass Knot, Steel-types with Hydro Pump (hitting them on their weaker Special Defense stat), and Celebi with Ice Beam. Outside of Rain Dance, Jolteon and Rotom-A are you best bets as partners. Rotom-A does have the advantage against Celebi, however, due to its access to STAB Shadow Ball. A Celebi of your own can also serve as a good partner to combat opposing Water-types.</p>
<p>Carrying a Pursuiter such as Scizor is also recommended for this set, as Choice Scarf Latias and Choice Scarf +Speed Flygon still outpace Kingdra even with Rain Dance active.Scizor can switch into the Dragon-type attacks aimed at Kingdra and Pursuit Latias and Flygon as they are forced to switch. Since Kingdra is effectively hindered by Toxic Spikes, carrying a Forretress or Roserade to eliminate them is also a good idea. Finally, a Rain Dance supporter in Bronzong, Jirachi, Scizor, and Magnezone should be considered if Kingdra is being used on a Rain Dance team. The former two can also set up Stealth Rock, making it easier for Kingdra to win against foes like Gyarados.</p>
Rain Dance (Mixed):
<p>This set is unarguably Kingdra's most destructive set, capable of smashing through even the most defensive of Pokemon. Kingdra can function both on a Rain Dance or non-Rain Dance team. On the latter, Kingdra plays much like the Dragon Dance sets: simply bring it in on something like Heatran (which will nearly always switch out), set up Rain Dance, and proceed to sweep. Waterfall is the main move of choice, hitting as hard as a Dragon Dance-boosted Waterfall. Hydro Pump should be utilized against physical defensive Pokemon; Surf can be used, but it lacks the raw power Hydro Pump provides. Finally, Draco Meteor serves the purpose of hitting the Grass- and Water-types which resist your Water STAB. On Rain Dance teams, Rain Dance can be replaced since you'll likely have teammates setting it up instead. Signal Beam and Hidden Power Electric are both worthwhile options to fill the slot; the former obliterates Celebi while the latter destroys Gyarados and Empoleon with little effort.</p>
<p>The EVs generate enough Speed to outrun Naive Choice Scarf Heatran in the rain. Additional Speed can be used to beat specific Scarfed threats, but Salamence and Flygon are the only faster Scarfers capable of revenge killing a Kingdra in good health. 76 Speed EVs will outspeed neutral natured ones. A Naughty nature is recommended to make Kingdra less susceptible to physical priority attacks, which are far more common than special ones. Life Orb is the obvious item, as without it, Kingdra wouldn’t have the destructive power it carries.</p>
<p>To illustrate the efficiency of Mixed Kingdra, a few damage calculations have been listed below:</p>
<h2><b>Damage Calculations:</b></h2>
<ul>
<li>Waterfall vs. 252 Def Blissey: 61% - 73%</li>
<li>Waterfall vs. Max HP Bronzong: 54-64%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP / 98 SpD: Bronzong 72-85%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Celebi: 38-45%</li>
<li>Draco Meteor vs. Max HP Celebi: 59-69%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP / Max SpD + Forretress: 85-100%</li>
<li>Draco Meteor vs. 216 HP Gyarados: 62-73%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Jirachi: 76-89%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Metagross: 91-100%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Skarmory: 100%</li>
<li>Waterfall vs. 160 HP / 136 Def Snorlax: 60-71%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Suicune: 34-39%</li>
<li>Draco Meteor vs. Max HP Suicune: 52-62%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. 240 HP Swampert: 82-98%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Scizor: 100%</li>
</ul>
<p>Stealth Rock support is highly recommended to give Kingdra a higher chance of attaining any of the above OHKOs. Azelf, Bronzong, and Jirachi are effective leads which can not only set up Stealth Rock, but also Rain Dance. Carrying a spinner such as Starmie or Forretress is also recommended to get rid of Toxic Spikes, which really hinder Kingdra's ability to sweep. Roserade and Qwilfish can also get rid of Toxic Spikes simply by switching into them, and both can easily take on most Water-types with Leaf Storm and Poison Jab / Explosion respectively.</p>
<p>Kingdra also has trouble against Choice Scarf Flygon and Latias, which outpace Kingdra even in the rain. Scizor is a good partner which can come in on both fairly easily and take them out with Bullet Punch and Pursuit respectively. Scizor also does a nice job of luring out Fire-types, providing Kingdra with many opportunities to attempt a sweep. Swampert also acts as a good partner for its ability to counter Tyranitar reliably, which can pose as a problem to Kingdra due to its Sand Stream ability. Abomasnow, on the other hand, can be taken out by Scizor as well.</p>
Rain Dance (Special):
<p>This set functions much like the previous set. In exchange for the ability to KO Blissey, Kingdra can now afford to run more Speed, making it less susceptible to being revenge killed by Scarfed Pokemon. Surf and Dragon Pulse hit everything for neutral damage, bar Empoleon and Shedinja. Hydro Pump is an option over Surf to OHKO Metagross and Swampert under active rain at the cost of decreased accuracy. For the last slot, Signal Beam serves the purpose of KO'ing Celebi and Abomasnow after residual damage from Stealth Rock, two Pokemon which cause trouble for this set. Hidden Power Electric can also be used to hit Empoleon for super effective and also deal slightly more damage to opposing Water-types.</p>
<p>Running max Speed with a Modest nature allows you to outspeed all common Choice Scarfed Pokemon, including Timid Choice Scarf Latias, while tying with neutral natured max Speed Kingdra at worst. Max Special Attack is used to hit as hard as possible, with the rest being thrown into HP. An alternative, slightly bulkier EV spread of 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe can also be used. These EVs generate 247 Speed, which allows you to outspeed Jolly Tyranitar before you Rain Dance, and positive natured Scarfed base 100s while it's raining. You will lose to Timid Choice Scarf Latias and most opposing Kingdra’s though. Life Orb is used over Leftovers for the power boost. You could use Damp Rock, but generally this Kingdra should be sweeping and not supporting.</p>
<p>Similarily to the Mixed Rain Dance set, Stealth Rock support is recommended. Azelf, Bronzong, Jirachi, and Swampert are the best options for this on Rain Dance, and also do well outside of it, although Swampert less so because of similar typing. Toxic Spikes wreck this set so having a Rapid Spinner such as Starmie can be useful to get rid of them. Starmie can also set up Rain Dance itself. Qwilfish and Roserade can absorb the Toxic Spikes, and Roserade can set up its own to help against bulky Water-types and Celebi, while it can also set up Rain Dance. Qwilfish also makes a deadly Rain Dance sweeper so it makes a nice partner.</p>
<p>Although this set is harder to revenge kill, many Pokemon will still cause you trouble. Among them are bulky Water-types, Blissey, and Tyranitar. On a Rain Dance team, Ludicolo is great at taking on both, as Ludicolo has a 4x resist to Water and has enough Special Defense to take repeated hits from them, while Tyranitar will not appreciate boosted Hydro Pumps or Grass Knots. Outside of Rain Dance, Electric-types such as Rotom-A and Zapdos work best at taking on Water-types, both of which have access to STAB Thunderbolt. Swampert can take on Tyranitar decently provided it avoids the rare Hidden Power Grass. Although quite extreme, Choice Band Dugtrio can be used to trap Tyranitar and Blissey and KO both with Earthquake. Similar, Scizor can dispose of both with U-turn and Superpower respectively, while also luring out Fire-type attacks for Kingdra to set up on.</p>
Ubers Dragon Dance:
<p>While Kingdra may seem like it’s outclassed by Rayquaza, Dragon Dance Kingdra has two very significant advantages over Dragon Dance Rayquaza in Ubers. First of all, Kingdra’s typing grants it a neutrality to Ice-type attacks, Stealth Rock, and a resistance to Bullet Punch. Most importantly, the quality that truly makes Kingdra stand out as an Uber Dragon Dancer is Swift Swim. With only 176 Speed EVs and Kyogre’s eternal rain, Kingdra is able to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp, the fastest Dragon-type Pokémon commonly in Ubers. After a Dragon Dance, Kingdra will easily outspeed every single Pokémon in the Uber metagame!</p>
<p>Waterfall is Kingdra's main attack, which becomes just as powerful as Outrage under rain. Outrage rounds out this set by providing nearly perfect type coverage along with Waterfall. In the rain, an unboosted Waterfall OHKOs Darkrai after Stealth Rock damage 92% of the time, while a +1 Waterfall OHKOs Mewtwo. Outrage OHKOes max HP Kyogre after both a Dragon Dance boost and residual damage from Stealth Rock. Draco Meteor is used to hit Groudon and Dialga, dealing over 50% to both on the initial switch-in (bar Specially Defensive Dialga). The next time Kingdra sets up, Groudon and Dialga will be unable to switch in without sacrificing themselves, as a +1 Outrage will kill both. Draco Meteor can also be used to revenge kill Garchomp, Rayquaza, and Palkia without locking yourself into Outrage. Yawn is an option which can force your opponent to switch out (giving you a free turn to set up), else their counter gets crippled by sleep. If using Yawn, move the given 80 Special Attack EVs to Attack and use an Adamant nature.</p>
<p>Groudon and Dialga are both a player's best bet against this set. Groudon can switch into any of Kingdra's attacks without being KOed and cripple Kingdra with Thunder Wave or Dragon Claw, which when boosted by Life Orb, will OHKO Kingdra after Stealth Rock damage. Dialga, although it has trouble taking two repeated neutral Outrages, can switch into Kingdra as it sets up Dragon Dance and KO with any of its STAB Dragon-type attacks. If Lugia invests heavily in Defense, it can also beat Kingdra quite decently, as it can set up Reflect and Roost off any damage taken. As such, Mixed Rayquaza is a good partner to this set. Rayquaza will commonly lure in all three of the above Pokemon, only to 2HKO them with Draco Meteor. A support Dialga of your own can be paired with Kingdra as well, as it is able to set up Stealth Rock and cripple Lugia and Groudon with Toxic. Wobbufett and Scizor both provide Kingdra with ample opportunity to set up, with the former being able to lock the opponent into a resisted or support attack with Encore and the latter luring out Fire-type attacks. Dialga will also be KOed by a +1 Outrage if Choice Band Scizor catches it off guard with Superpower, while minimum HP / Def version will be KOed if they switch into U-turn.</p>
Uber Mixed Attacker:
<p>Thanks to Kingdra’s Speed in the rain and Life Orb, Kingdra can easily become a powerful mixed attacker and revenge killer in one set.</p>
<p>The choice between Surf and Hydro Pump is mainly a preference of accuracy vs. power. Surf is the more recommend option, as it still obtains notable KOes, such as an OHKO on Darkrai and 2HKO on Wobbufett and Lugia after Stealth Rock damage. Hydro Pump should be used if Mewtwo and Specially Defensive Groudon are of concern to your team. The former will always be OHKOed while the latter will be occasionally KOed by Hydro Pump followed by Draco Meteor, assuming Stealth Rock is in play for both situations. However, Mewtwo does have a 66% chance of being OHKOed by Surf after Stealth Rock damage as well. Hydro Pump does have drawbacks though, namely a measly 8 PP (which can be quickly drained through Pressure) and a shaky 85% accuracy.</p>
<p>Draco Meteor is an attack which packs nearly as much power as Surf under active rain. Draco Meteor is used to OHKO every Dragon-type bar Latias, while also 2HKOing most Groudon switch-ins. Outrage serves the benefit of OHKOing Latias while 2HKOing Blissey and max HP Kyogre after Stealth Rock damage. Finally, Waterfall will also 2HKO Blissey and Tyranitar, even if rain is inactive (in the case of the latter).</p>
<p>This set will have the most trouble with Pokemon that are capable of outspeeding it. Thanks to Air Lock, Rayquaza can come in on Kingdra's Water-type attacks and force it out. Choice Scarf Mewtwo, Shaymin-S, and Darkrai are all capable of outspeeding Kingdra, even in the rain. Although none of them OHKO Kingdra, Shaymin-S can flinch Kingdra to death with Air Slash, Darkrai can put it to sleep with Dark Void, while Mewtwo will deal massive damage with Thunder or KO with Selfdestruct. Choice Scarf Jirachi is a good partner to check Rayquaza, which can switch into all variants and KO with Ice Punch (after Stealth Rock damage or Life Orb recoil), provided it avoids switching into Earthquake. A Kyogre with Sleep Talk is a decent check to Darkrai, while Specially Defensive Scizor is an effective counter to both Shaymin-S and Mewtwo, easily bypassing their high Speeds with Bullet Punch.</p>
Team Options:
<h2>OU</h2>
<p>Stealth Rock support is recommended for all of the sets, especially the Rain Dance ones. Azelf, Bronzong, and Swampert are all effective leads which can set up Stealth Rock and even Rain Dance. Toxic Spikes support can be used to weaken bulky Water-types and Celebi, both of which give Kingdra major problems; Roserade is a good choice for laying them down, especially since it can also wield Sleep Powder to cripple foes slower than it. Roserade also lures in Fire-type attacks for Kingdra to set up on. Dual screens can also be run on the team to make setting up Dragon Dance on Kingdra easier, considering it only has a weakness to Dragon-type attacks. Bronzong and Jirachi are both excellent transition Pokemon for accomplishing this task. Finally, Rain Dance support, although not obligatory, can be provided by the same Pokemon.</p>
<p>For offensive support Pokemon, Ludicolo is the best option on Rain Dance teams as it deals with the bulky Water-types which Kingdra hates. Kabutops and Qwilfish are other good partners on Rain Dance teams for ripping through your opponent’s team to create holes for Kingdra to abuse. Rotom formes make nice partners as they deal with bulky Water-types. Rotom-C can also scare off Swampert with Leaf Storm, while on Rain Dance teams, Rotom-W can abuse a powerful STAB 100% accurate Thunder and boosted Hydro Pump. Jolteon is another Electric-type who can scare off bulky Water-types, while also eliminating Swampert with Hidden Power Grass. Scizor and Tyranitar are other good offensive partners, as Pursuit is a great tool to deal with many of Kingdra’s counters / checks such as Celebi and Choice Scarf Latias.</p>
<p>For defensive support Pokemon, Steel-types are best for switching into Dragon-type attacks aimed at Kingdra. The best examples are Bronzong, Heatran, Jirachi, Magnezone, Metagross, and Scizor. Most of them can also provide Rain Dance support should you be using Kingdra on a Rain Dance team. Celebi makes a nice partner as it can also deal with bulky Water-types and will appreciate the Fire-type resistance. Add in Heatran and you can have a nice defensive combo, as each of their weaknesses is covered by the other.</p>
<h2>Ubers</h2>
<p>Like most offensive Pokémon, it is highly recommended that you have a user of Stealth Rock on a team with Kingdra, as it allows it to have an easier time sweeping due to the vital KOs it helps Kingdra net. Deoxys-S is a good partner for laying them down, as the only things that it fears are faster Choice Scarfed Pokemon.</p>
<p>Rain is key to Kingdra’s success in the Uber metagame, thus Kingdra should always be paired with Kyogre. While offensive variants of Kyogre, such as Choice Specs and Calm Mind variants, are perfectly acceptable teammates for Kingdra, a set with Rest, Sleep Talk, and possibly Calm Mind is a particularly good choice. This is because in Ubers, Groudon is a common Pokémon, and will make the weather sunny, an unfavorable condition for Kingdra. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Kyogre will often be able to last for a much longer time than normal, so it will have more chances to set up the eternal rain that makes Kingdra such a deadly Pokémon in the Uber metagame.</p>
<p>The biggest threats to Kingdra are Specially Defensive Dialga and Specially Defensive Groudon. Given Dialga's incredible versatility, it is often best to take it out by using a lure such as Scizor or Calm Mind Giratina-O with Aura Sphere. Choice Band Scizor can OHKO max HP Dialga with Superpower 79% of the time if it has switched into Stealth Rock, while Giratina-O will always survive one of Dialga's unboosted Dragon-type attacks and 2HKO back with Aura Sphere (assuming it has a Calm Mind set up). In other situation, both Lucario and Garchomp can easily KO Dialga with Close Combat and Earthquake respectively. As for Groudon, it can easily survive even 2 Hydro Pumps, thanks to Drought, and cripple Kingdra with Thunder Wave. As with Dialga, using a lure is a good way of taking it out. Mixed Rayquaza and Swords Dance Garchomp, two Pokemon Groudon normally expects to counter, can 2HKO Groudon with Draco Meteor and +2 Earthquake respectively. Metagross with Grass Knot is not a particularly bad idea either, especially since it also covers Kingdra's weakness to Dragon-type attacks.</p>
<p>Kingdra’s typing leaves it only one weakness, which is unfortunately to the common Dragon-type. Because of this, Kingdra makes an excellent partner to Steel-types such as Scizor, Metagross, and Jirachi, since they can switch into the Dragon-type attacks that are often aimed at Kingdra, while Kingdra has no problems taking the Fire-type attacks that are aimed at them. Note that despite Kingdra’s 4x resistance to Water-type attacks, a full powered Water Spout from a Choice Specs Kyogre will still 2HKO Kingdra. Because of this, it is still best to use normal Kyogre switch-ins (such as Palkia and Latias) to defeat it.</p>
Other Options:
<h2>OU</h2>
<p>Kingdra's movepool is fairly limited, and as such, there really isn't much else to run other than what is listed. Perhaps the most interesting choice in this category would be to run a set consisting of Rest, Sleep Talk, Dragon Dance, and Outrage. Although Kingdra does gain increased durability from this set, as well as being able to bypass both Outrage's locking ability and confusion-causing side effect, Kingdra's coverage remains extremely limited. Sadly, Steel-types are able to wall such a set with ease and can potentially set up on Kingdra as well.</p>
<p>Other available options include a Choice Band set, which, given Kingdra's subpar Attack stat, is outclassed by the Dragon Dance set, which has the ability to switch between attacks. Flail can be used with a combination of Substitute and a Liechi or Salac Berry, but Gyarados pulls off the set better due to its higher Attack stat. Ice Beam can be used on special sets to hit Grass-types for super effective, but Draco Meteor is usually a more effective options, despite its Special Attack-lowering consequence.</p>
<h2>Ubers</h2>
<p>Kingdra is very capable of using a Choice Specs set in Ubers, which in conjunction with Swift Swim, can deal a huge amount of damage. However, it lacks the sweeping and/or the wall breaking capabilities the other sets possess due to it being restricted by a Choice item. A Choice Band set may be tempting with Waterfall and Outrage, but Kingdra’s physical movepool is too poor to support such a set. Substitute can be used on any of Kingdra's sets to scout out potential counters and to protect against status; however, Kingdra's health will be drained too fast if used in conjunction with Life Orb.</p>
<p>Dragon Pulse can be used as a more reliable special Dragon-type attack alongside Draco Meteor if needed. If using Dragon Pulse, make sure you use max Special Attack and a +Special Attack nature, as this will ensure that you will not only OHKO Rayquaza and Garchomp, but also OHKO Palkia after it takes Stealth Rock damage. Toxic can be used to cripple Lugia and Groudon switch-ins. Ice Beam can be used to 2HKO Groudon, but otherwise Draco Meteor is always the better move.</p>
EVs:
<h2>OU</h2>
<p>Specific EVs are given for each set. Adamant, 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe is best for the Substitute Dragon Dance set, whereas Adamant, 252 Atk / 24 SpA / 232 Spe is the best option for the Dragon Dance + 3 Attacks set. Double Dance set is best with Adamant, 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe, but can use Adamant, 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe if you want to outspeed +1 positive base 100s in the rain. Mixed Rain Dance set should use Naughty, 252 Atk / 240 SpA / 16 Spe to outspeed Choice Scarf Heatran in the rain, but Naughty, 192 Atk / 240 SpA / 76 Spe is a good alternative to outspeed +1 neutral natured base 100s at the slight cost of Attack. Special Rain Dance set should use either Modest 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe or Modest, 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe for a bit more bulk. Timid, 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe can even be used for surprise factor outside of rain, as well as to outspeed almost all opposing Kingdra and +2 Jolly Gyarados in the rain.</p>
<h2>Ubers</h2>
<p>When using Kingdra in Ubers, always use at least 176 Speed EVs, giving it a Speed stat of 250. This allows Kingdra to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp, which is the fastest Dragon-type commonly seen in the Uber metagame, in the rain. Although not recommended, you can give Kingdra 228 Speed EVs (giving Kingdra a Speed stat of 263) to outspeed the rare Choice Scarf Latios, thus outspeeding every single Dragon-type in the game in the rain. If you are willing to give up the power +Attack or +Special Attack natures give Kingdra, a +Speed nature is viable to outspeed faster threats. With 224 Speed EVs and a +Speed nature, Kingdra is able to outspeed Timid Choice Scarf Darkrai, while 240 Speed EVs and a +Speed nature will allow Kingdra to outspeed Timid Choice Scarf Shaymin-S. With a +Speed nature, Kingdra will also have the bonus of being able to outspeed Adamant Rayquaza.</p>
<p>On the Dragon Dancer, use max Attack, 80 Special Attack EVs, and either a Lonely nature or a Naughty nature. This will ensure that Kingdra’s Outrages will always OHKO max HP Kyogre after Stealth Rock, while the Special Attack EVs will maximize Draco Meteor’s power. Although Lonely will allow Kingdra to take Surfs from Palkia more easily, a Naughty nature will allow Kingdra to be less easily revenge killed by Rayquaza’s ExtremeSpeed. If using Yawn over Draco Meteor, use an Adamant nature instead, and feel free to allocate the extra 80 EVs into Speed and HP. On the mixed attacker, use a Mild nature with max Special Attack and 80 Attack EVs. This will ensure that Kingdra’s special attacks do a massive amount of damage to most Ubers, while the 80 Attack EVs will allow Kingdra to always 2HKO Max HP Tyranitar with Waterfall, 2HKO max HP Kyogre after it takes Stealth Rock damage with Outrage, and always 2HKO Blissey with either Outrage or Waterfall in the rain.</p>
Opinion:
<h2>OU</h2>
<p>In the past, Kingdra has been bashed a lot for its poor movepool. In the fourth generation, like most other Pokémon, Kingdra got a huge helping of new moves to help it out, in particular receiving the fantastic addition of Outrage. While Kingdra's movepool still isn't anything to write home about, it has a few very interesting options that do work well and Kingdra has changed from quite the mundane sweeper to a Pokemon that many teams will have significant problems with due to its ability to run quite a few sets, bulky stats, and excellent offensive (not to mention defensive) typing.</p>
<h2>Ubers</h2>
<p>Stat wise, Kingdra may seem like it is outclassed by Dragon-types such as Palkia and Rayquaza. However, Kingdra’s ability, Swift Swim, puts it in a class of its own. With Kyogre’s eternal rain, Kingdra becomes an excellent revenge killer, and either a powerful mixed attacker, or a sweeper that is incredibly difficult to revenge kill. In the rain, Kingdra will outspeed even Choice Scarf Garchomp and Choice Scarf Palkia, and will easily OHKO both with its powerful, STAB Dragon-type attacks. No other Dragon-type is capable of doing this in Ubers, often making Kingdra a deadly surprise for most teams that rely on Choice Scarfed Dragon-type Pokémon to stop sweeps from Rayquaza. Overall, Kingdra is an excellent Pokémon in Ubers, and is the prime candidate to base an Uber rain team around.</p>
Counters:
<h2>OU</h2>
<p>Empoleon easily walls most mixed and special Kingdra sets, fearing only the occasional Hidden Power Electric, but when it comes to the Dragon Dancer, Empoleon has to focus its EVs into Defense or it will be 2HKOed by boosted Outrages. Celebi and Tangrowth also do decently at stopping the Dragon Dancer, but still have to be wary of Life Orbed variants as Outrage can 2HKO both of them. Milotic, Ludicolo, Suicune, and Vaporeon are also effective at stopping the mixed and special sets as well due to their Water resistance and good Special Defense, although hits from Draco Meteor will still take their toll while Blissey and Snorlax will beat the special based Rain Dance set. Tyranitar and Abomasnow also can annoy the Rain Dance sets by taking away their rain and hitting back hard.</p>
<h2>Ubers</h2>
<p>Because of Kingdra’s Dragon-typing and Speed in the rain, it is extremely difficult to counter in the Uber metagame. A Dialga with max HP, max Special Defense, and a Careful nature is the closest thing to a true Kingdra counter in Ubers. This Dialga will never be 2HKOed by any of Kingdra’s attacks, barring a max attack Outrage. Dialga can then easily OHKO Kingdra with Outrage. All other Dialga variants will have difficulty switching in, but they will be able to revenge kill Kingdra due to almost never being OHKOed by Kingdra’s assaults. Although Choice Scarf Rayquaza cannot switch into Kingdra, it can easily revenge kill it thanks to Air Lock. If Kingdra does not have a Dragon Dance boost, Rayquaza will not even need a Choice Scarf to outspeed Kingdra.</p>
<p>A specially defensive Groudon will be able to take most of Kingdra’s attacks thanks to the sunlight, even being able to survive two Surfs from the mixed attacker, and then cripple Kingdra with Thunder Wave. Be warned, Kingdra can KO Groudon with the combination of Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor if you attempt to switch Groudon directly into Kingdra. Groudon’s eternal sun will make Kingdra much easier to deal with in Ubers, causing Kingdra to be walled by common Steel-types such as Scizor, and negating Swift Swim’s Speed boost, allowing for an easier revenge kill.</P>
<p>While Kingdra is extremely difficult to revenge kill in the rain, there is a tactic that can be employed to defeat it. Since Kingdra is forced to KO Dragon-type Pokémon with Outrage if it has used Draco Meteor once, a good way to defeat Kingdra is to lure it into Outrage. When lured into Outrage, powerful, Steel-type attackers such as Scizor and Metagross can deal a severe amount of damage to it with their physical attacks. Jirachi in particular can use this time to paralyze Kingdra with Thunder Wave.</p>
---
Updates:
Anyways, some basic changes I made was just clearing up some stuff that didn't make a lot of sense of the original analysis while also condensing some stuff I felt was extraneous.
I appreciate the time anyone takes to proofread this!
Unlike the Heatran analyses, I only plan on making minor changes.
And here's the old peer edit that went along with the original analysis:
Code:
[SET]
name: Substitute Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Substitute
item: Leftovers / Lum Berry
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Kingdra now has two physical STAB options to go with Dragon Dance in Waterfall and Outrage, so this set takes advantage of these. Any user of Dragon Dance and STAB Outrage is quite fearsome, and Kingdra is no different. Furthermore, Kingdra can use its unique typing to set up on opposing Pokemon that are unable to do significant damage to it, such as Starmie, Heatran and Vaporeon.</p>
<p>Dragon / Water gives phenomenal type coverage, only resisted by Empoleon and Shedinja. When backed with STAB and Dragon Dance, Kingdra can be quite the impressive physical attacker. Substitute protects Kingdra from status moves that could otherwise ruin its sweep, and can help it set up on certain Pokemon such as Toxic Vaporeon. Although only a minor option, Yawn can replace Substitute as Yawning your opponent's first switch-in can result in forcing them to go to a Pokemon less equipped to deal with Kingdra (lest they allow their best Kingdra counter to be put to sleep). If they decide to save their Pokemon from sleep, Yawn has the added benefit of racking up residual damage on both opposing Pokemon. In addition, since their second switch-in to Kingdra will more than likely be unable to handle Kingdra to the same extent as their first, you might be able to pull off an extra Dragon Dance out of the deal. Leftovers is the preferred item as it allows you to recover damage lost from Substitute, as well as allowing Substitute to be used more times. Lum Berry is also a decent alternative though to firstly allow Kingdra to switch into Toxic Spikes without fear, or to prevent other status effects and the confusion from Outrage.</p>
<p>The EVs are simple and straightforward; maximum Attack and Speed with rest thrown in HP. This way Kingdra will at worst Speed tie with opponent Kingdra as well as Heracross. After a Dragon Dance, Kingdra will outrun base 130 Speed Pokemon. You can opt for a slightly bulkier spread should you like to work with Kingdra's auspicious typing. While both abilities are viable, Swift Swim is arguably the greater option due to the ability to take advantage of opposing Rain Dance teams. Most Pokemon on Rain Dance teams are slower than Kingdra, so Outrage can rip through these teams once Steel-types are removed.</p>
[COLOR=blue]<p>This Kingdra has trouble with bulky physical walls with a phazing move, such as Skarmory, Suicune, and Swampert. Magnezone can trap Skarmory which lack Shed Shell, and its powerful STAB Thunderbolt will scare off Suicune. If you pack Hidden Power Grass, it can even beat Swampert. Rotom appliances can also do well; Rotom-C gets particular mention thanks to Leaf Storm scaring off Swampert. Celebi can make a nice partner, as it will appreciate Kingdra's Fire-type resistance, and can scare off Suicune and Swampert with its Grass-type attacks. Empoleon may not be as physically bulky as the aforementioned Pokemon but its 2x resistance to both of Kingdra’s STABs make it a good counter. With the right EV investment, it won’t be 2HKOed by a +1 Outrage, and can Roar Kingdra away. Packing a powerful Electric-type Pokemon such as Jolteon or Rotom-A can help in scaring off these defensive Empoleon. Celebi can do a decent job against Kingdra because of its bulk, but Substitute will block Thunder Wave so it must be careful it doesn’t give Kingdra too many free Dragon Dances. Some good options for dealing with Celebi are Scizor and Tyranitar. Specially defensive versions are the best ways to defeat Celebi as this almost ensures Scizor will survive Hidden Power Fire, barring ones from very offensive versions, and will make it easier for Tyranitar to take Grass Knot. They both have super effective moves at their disposal to take out Celebi, and even running is not an option for Celebi as it might take lethal damage from Pursuit.</p>[/COLOR]
[COLOR=blue]<p>Faster Choice Scarf users such as Flygon, Naive Heatran, and Latias can cause Kingdra problems by revenge killing it as long as it only has one Dragon Dance and isn’t behind a Substitute. Scizor and Tyranitar can trap Latias by using Pursuit to help take it out. Having a Steel-type on your team can help in taking an Outrage from Flygon or a Dragon Pulse from Heatran. Heatran is probably your best bet to counter opposing Heatran since it only fears Earth Power, while you can revenge-kill it with your own Earth Power. Heatran can also revenge kill Flygon locked into Outrage with Dragon Pulse. You must also be wary of Steel-types switching into Outrage to revenge kill Kingdra. It is therefore useful to have Magnezone on your team as with a Choice Scarf; it can trap and kill most Steel-types thanks to Magnet Pull. Toxic Spikes support from Roserade can be useful to have an easier time with bulkier Pokemon such as Celebi, Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon. Roserade can also absorb the Toxic Spikes which could end your sweep.</p>[/COLOR]
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance + Three Attacks
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Hydro Pump / Draco Meteor
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 24 SpA / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes a more offensive part than the Substitute Dragon Dance set. Kingdra still has its two powerful physical STAB options to in Waterfall and Outrage, but also takes advantage of a special attack to hit physical walls harder. This turns Kingdra into a truly fearsome Pokemon. Furthermore, Kingdra can use its unique typing to set up on opposing Pokemon that are unable to do significant damage to it, such as Starmie, Heatran and Vaporeon.<p>
<p>This still has the great coverage of Water / Dragon used on the last set. The big difference is that with Life Orb, Kingdra will hit a lot harder, but will not stay around as long. Hydro Pump may seem redundant, but it will do significantly more damage against physical walls. For example, many Skarmory will never be 2HKOed by a boosted Waterfall whereas Hydro Pump will 100% of the time. If used on a Rain Dance team, Skarmory will always be OHKOed by Hydro Pump after Stealth Rock damage. Draco Meteor, on the other hand, gives you a move to take out opposing Dragon-type Pokemon without locking yourselves into Outrage. This makes it harder to revenge kill Kingdra.</p>
<p>The given Speed EVs allow Kingdra a stat of 264, enough to outrun base 130 Speed Pokemon after a Dragon Dance. The remaining EVs were placed into maximizing Attack and then into Special Attack. Swift Swim is arguably the preferred ability due to the ability to take advantage of opposing Rain Dance teams. This Kingdra can actually be a very good sweeper in a Rain Dance team. With doubled Speed and boosted Water-type attacks, it will be an absolute terror. Hydro Pump would be the best option in that case.</p>
[COLOR=blue]<p>Unlike the Substitute Dragon Dance set, the extra power makes this harder to counter, but easier to cripple. Bulky Water-types are the best options similarily to the last set. With Roar, Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon can phaze it out as long as they don’t switch into Outrage. Powerful Electric-types can deal with Pokemon, such as Celebi, who can otherwise do a decent job at countering Kingdra as long as they don’t switch into Outrage as that will likely 2HKO, even without a Dragon Dance. It can always Thunder Wave and Recover stall Kingdra as without Substitute, it will be unable to block this. Tyranitar and Scizor are therefore great partners to deal with Celebi. Defensive Empoleon is one of the best counters, since it is not 2HKOed by a +1 Outrage, and can Roar Kingdra out. Powerful Electric-types such as Jolteon and Rotom-A can do well, scaring it off with Thunderbolt (although Surf will hurt a lot). Should Kingdra use Draco Meteor over Hydro Pump, Skarmory can counter it by switching in and Whirlwinding it out. Again, powerful Electric-types come in handy.</p>[/COLOR]
[COLOR=blue]<p>Similarly to the Substitute Dragon Dance set, fast Choice Scarf users are an annoyance unless you pack Rain Dance support. Scizor and Tyraintar can trap and kill Choice Scarf Latias with Pursuit. Steel-types can switch into Choice Scarf Flygon’s Outrage and take it out with an appropriate move. Magnezone is a good Pokemon to support it thanks to trapping Steel-types trying to switch into Outrage. Toxic Spikes can dramatically hinder Kingdra, therefore a Rapid Spinner or Poison-type to remove them is a good option. Roserade can do well; it can also incapacitate a Pokemon with Sleep Powder, and set up its own Toxic Spikes to give you an easier time with bulky Water-types and Celebi. Starmie can work here with Rapid Spin, but it does have a similar typing to Kingdra.</p>[/COLOR]
[COLOR=blue]<p>Rain Dance support is an option. This set can work well on Rain Dance teams, acting as a mixed wall breaker and sweeper. Steel-types such as Bronzong, Jirachi, Magnezone, and Scizor are the best options for support Pokemon there as they resist Kingdra’s only weakness and can set up Rain Dance. Magnezone can also trap and kill Steel-types making it less dangerous to lock yourself into Outrage.</p>[/COLOR]
[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Rain Dance
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Leftovers
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant
evs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>You have the same great Water / Dragon coverage of the previous sets, but also the ability to double your Speed in a flash, as well as power up Waterfall. Usually, the strategy is to Rain Dance first (in appropriate late game situations, you can omit or delay this step). Since Waterfall is your main attack, this is the equivalent of the boost from Dragon Dance, but it immediately doubles your Speed to outpace many Choice Scarf revenge killers. Rain Dance also clears other weather effects (thereby bringing Leftovers into play), and offers temporary protection from Fire-type attacks for the rest of your team. You can then attack or continue to set up with Dragon Dance. Note that Waterfall is 12.5% more powerful after one Dragon Dance in rain, than after two without rain. Each subsequent Dragon Dance increases this difference. Double Dance Kingdra is designed as a stand alone sweeper. It functions within a standard team without need for Rain Dance support, but will fit into Rain Dance teams as well. Damp Rock is an alternative held item, albeit minor one to Leftovers. When using this on a Rain Dance team Kingdra can not only sweep for three turns longer, but can also support your team better.</p>
<p>225 Speed beats bulky Gyarados and Adamant Tyranitar outright, but it also means you outrun base 100s after Dragon Dance; and neutral Choice Scarf base 100s after Rain Dance. The remaining EVs allow you to hit 336 HP (a Leftovers threshold). Four Attack EVs can be moved to HP to allow you an extra turn of survival when the only damage is residual. This is more relevant that you think, because entry hazards and poison all deal in 8ths/16ths; you will be surprised how often this sets up without taking any direct damage at all. When using Damp Rock, this Leftovers threshold isn’t so important so you can opt for more Speed to outrun more threats in the rain.</p>
[COLOR=blue]<p>This set has pretty much the same counters as the Substitute Dragon Dance set, but is slightly harder to revenge kill thanks to Rain Dance doubling its Speed. Empoleon, Skarmory, Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon are all good counters, and can phaze it out. When using this on a Rain Dance team, Ludicolo can make a great partner to deal with most of these threats thanks to STAB Grass-type attacks and a powerful Surf to destroy Skarmory. Ludicolo will outspeed and 2HKO offensive +2 Speed Empoleon with either energy Ball or Grass Knot. Outside of Rain Dance, powerful Electric-types such as Jolteon and Rotom-A can scare the aforementioned Pokemon off. Jolteon needs Hidden Power Grass for Swampert, though, and is very fragile so it can’t switch in. Rotom-A, however, can do very well. Rotom-C stands a an exceptional choice, since Swampert doesn't enjoy Leaf Storm. Celebi can make a nice partner for dealing with the bulky Water-types thanks to STAB Grass-type attacks and solid defenses.</p>[/COLOR]
[COLOR=blue]<p>Latias and +Speed Flygon are still faster even in the rain so a Pursuiter such as Scizor or Tyranitar can be useful to trap Latias. Scizor can do well on Rain Dance teams as it can set up Rain Dance itself and deal with many problem Pokemon such as Abomasnow and Tyranitar. Tyranitar does stop the rain, though, and shouldn’t be used if this is a Rain Dance team, but otherwise it may not matter too much as due to Kingdra’s bulk and resistances, it can find many opportunities to set up the rain again. Roserade and Starmie can make nice partners for getting rid of Toxic Spikes which hinder Kingdra, and can both set up Rain Dance themselves. Bulky Steel-type Pokemon such as Bronzong, Jirachi, Magnezone, and Scizor can all make good partners. They can set up Rain Dance should you use this on a Rain Dance team, take the Dragon-type moves aimed at Kingdra, and also set up Stealth Rock in Bronzong and Jirachi’s case. Magnezone can even trap the Steel-types to give Kingdra a better chance of a sweep with Outrage.</p>[/COLOR]
[SET]
name: Rain Dance (Mixed)
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 4: Draco Meteor
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 240 SpA / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is arguably Kingdra's most destructive set, capable of smashing through even the games most defensive Pokemon. It can work very well outside of Rain Dance, but generally is best used on a Rain Dance team. Outside of Rain Dance teams itplays much like the Dragon Dancer; bring Kingdra in on a Pokemon that it can force out like Heatran, Rain Dance on the switch, and start sweeping. Waterfall is your primary STAB, and with the rain boost it hits with the same power as a Dragon Danced Waterfall. Hydro Pump is the real selling point of the set, as it significantly outdamages Waterfall and demolishes the physically based OU metagame. Surf can be used as well, but it doesn't pack the sting that Hydro Pump does. Draco Meteor rounds out the set by allowing Kingdra to deliver a powerful hit to Grass and opposing Water Pokemon that resist your Water STAB. In Rain Dance teams, though, you will have other Pokemon to set up Rain Dance so you do not need it yourself. Signal Beam is therefore a great alternative to hit Celebi hard, KOing after it switches into Hydro Pump or Waterfall. Hidden Power Electric is an even lesser option but does get a 2HKO on offensive Empoleon as well as OHKOing Gyarados every time with Stealth Rock support barring the very odd Wacan Berry.</p>
<p>The EVs generate enough Speed to outrun Naive Choice Scarf Heatran in the rain. Additional Speed can be used to beat specific Scarfed threats, but Salamence and Flygon are the only faster Scarfers capable of revenge killing a Kingdra in good health. 76 Speed EVs will outspeed neutral natured ones. Naughty nature is used as taking away from Defense would make Kingdra easier to revenge as physical priority moves are more common than special ones. Life Orb is the obvious item as without it, Kingdra wouldn’t have the destructive power it carries.</p>
<p>To illustrate the efficiency of Mixed Kingdra, a few damage calculations have been listed below:</p>
<h3>Damage Calculations</h3>
<p>
Waterfall vs. 252 Def Blissey: 61% - 73%
<br />
Waterfall vs. Max HP Bronzong: 54-64%
<br />
Hydro Pump vs. Max HP / 98 SpD: Bronzong 72-85%
<br />
Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Celebi: 38-45%
<br />
Draco Meteor vs. Max HP Celebi: 59-69%
<br />
Hydro Pump vs. Max HP / Max SpD + Forretress: 85-100%
<br />
Draco Meteor vs. 216 HP Gyarados: 62-73%
<br />
Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Jirachi: 76-89%
<br />
Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Metagross: 91-100%
<br />
Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Skarmory: 100%
<br />
Waterfall vs. 160 HP / 136 Def Snorlax: 60-71%
<br />
Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Suicune: 34-39%
<br />
Draco Meteor vs. Max HP Suicune: 52-62%
<br />
Hydro Pump vs. 240 HP Swampert: 82-98%
<br />
Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Scizor: 100%
</p>
[COLOR=blue]<p>Stealth Rock support is highly recommended when using this set as it gives it a better chance of getting many of these OHKOs. Azelf, Bronzong, Jirachi, and Swampert are the best options on Rain Dance teams as they all fit in well on Rain Dance teams by providing Rain Dance support and set up Stealth Rock reliably. The same Pokemon can also do well outside of Rain Dance as partners, although Swampert less so because of similar typing. Toxic Spikes wreck this set so having a Rapid Spinner such as Starmie can be useful to get rid of them. Starmie can also set up Rain Dance itself. Qwilfish and Roserade can absorb the Toxic Spikes, and Roserade can set up its own to help against the bulky Water-types and Celebi, while it can also set up Rain Dance. Qwilfish an make a deadly partner thanks to Swords Danced Waterfalls ripping through much of OU, and a deadly Explosion on one of Kingdra’s counters could prove useful.</p>[/COLOR]
[COLOR=blue]<p>Celebi, Empoleon, Gyarados, Tentacruel, and most bulky Water-types can make good counters, although Hydro Pump + Draco Meteor can 2HKO many of them. Celebi must watch out for Signal Beam as well; after a Hydro Pump or Waterfall, it will KO. Fast Choice Scarf users such as Flygon and Latias make good revenge killers as well as faster opposing Kingdra’s with the Swift Swim ability as well. Scizor is the best option to deal with Latias, and can also revenge kill Flygon locked into Outrage with Bullet Punch. Since this is usually used on a Rain Dance team, Tyranitar is not such a good option for a partner, and even outside of Rain Dance teams, its ability will still annoy you. Other Steel-types can take out Flygon locked into Outrage, especially the ones with Rain Dance make good partners as they can support Kingdra in more than one way. Tyranitar and Abomasnow also do well against it by taking away its precious rain, and although Tyranitar is weak to Water-type moves, it won’t be OHKOed and can OHKO in return with a Choice Band Stone Edge. Abomasnow resists the Water-type moves and can survive Draco Meteor thanks to its solid Special Defense. Blizzard will also badly hurt Kingdra or Abomasnow could SubSeed stall Kingdra. Scizor therefore makes a great partner to deal with them thanks to its STAB, Technician boosted Bullet Punch. Choice Band Dugtrio can trap and OHKO Tyranitar with Earthquake, and finish off a weakened Abomasnow with Stone Edge. Swampert can counter Tyranitar so makes a nice partner for Kingdra.</p>[/COLOR]
[SET]
name: Rain Dance (Special)
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move 3: Dragon Pulse
move 4: Signal Beam / Hidden Power Electric
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Purely special version of the previous set. You can't hurt Blissey much, but this has some advantage over the mixed version. You don't need Attack EVs, so you can max out Speed making revenge killing Kingdra a much harder task. Surf and Dragon Pulse hit everything except Shedinja and Empoleon for at least neutral damage. Hydro Pump can be used for some extra power, it does provide an OHKO on Swampert and Metagross, but Surf's reliability makes it the better choice. Signal Beam may seem over-specific, but scores some nice KOs against Celebi and Abomasnow after Stealth Rock. Hidden Power Electric is an alternative option if you don't particularly fear the aforementioned Grass-type Pokemon as it hits Empoleon; 2HKOing offensive versions, and does slightly more damage to other Water-types in comparison to STAB Dragon Pulse (140 vs. 135) and a lot more to Gyarados.</p>
<p>Maximum Speed is used because Speed tying with opposing Kingdra can be game breaking. You also outspeed all common Choice Scarf users including the common Timid Choice Scarf Latias. Maximum Special Attack is obvious to hit as hard as possible with the rest thrown in HP. An alternative, slightly bulkier EV spread of 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe can be used though. These EVs generate 247 Speed, which allows you to outspeed Jolly Tyranitar before you Rain Dance, and positive natured Scarfed base 100s while it's raining. You will lose to Timid Choice Scarf Latias and most opposing Kingdra’s though. Life Orb is used for the power boost which makes Surf such a deadly attack. You could use Damp Rock, but generally this Kingdra should be sweeping not supporting.</p>
[COLOR=blue]<p>Similarily to the Mixed Rain Dance set, Stealth Rock support is recommended. Azelf, Bronzong, Jirachi, and Swampert are the best options for this on Rain Dance, and also do well outside of it, although Swampert less because of similar typing. Toxic Spikes wreck this set so having a Rapid Spinner such as Starmie can be useful to get rid of them. Starmie can also set up Rain Dance itself. Qwilfish and Roserade can absorb the Toxic Spikes, and Roserade can set up its own to help against the bulky Water-types and Celebi, while it can also set up Rain Dance. Qwilfish also makes a deadly Rain Dance sweeper so it makes a nice partner.</p>[/COLOR]
[COLOR=blue]<p>This set is a lot harder to revenge kill, but there are still many Pokemon which cause it problems. Bulky Water-types with exception of Swampert can counter this set well as even Hidden Power Electric won’t 2HKO most of them. Ludicolo therefore makes an amazing partner to this on Rain Dance teams to deal with them using powerful STAB Grass-type attacks. Jolteon, Rotom-W, and Zapdos can also do well against the aforementioned Pokemon. This set has trouble against special walls such as Blissey and Snorlax. Choice Band Dugtrio can therefore make a nice partner to trap and 2HKO Blissey, as well as finishing off weakened Snorlax. Scizor can make a nice partner as Superpower takes care of Blissey and Snorlax. It can also do well against Tyranitar and Abomasnow who annoy this Kingdra by taking away its precious rain. Kingdra can hit Abomasnow with Signal Beam though, but it will still disrupt your momentum. The previously mentioned Choice Band Dugtrio can trap and OHKO the less bulky versions of Tyranitar with Earthquake as well as finishing off weakened Abomasnow with Stone Edge. Swampert can counter Tyranitar so it makes a nice partner for Kingdra.</p>[/COLOR]
[Team Options]
[COLOR=blue]<p>Stealth Rock support is very useful for all sets; especially the Rain Dance ones. Azelf, Bronzong, Jirachi, and Swampert are the best options for this on Rain Dance teams. As for non-Rain Dance ones, Azelf can still do well as it provides a nice quick Stealth Rock, and possibly also Dual Screens to help it Dragon Dance up. Heatran is a good one because of its useful synergy with Kingdra, resisting its Dragon-type weakness, while Kingdra resists Heatran’s Water-type resistance. Toxic Spikes support is very useful for Dragon Dance sets in dealing with Celebi and bulky Water-types. Roserade is the best option for this as it will appreciate the Fire-type resistance, and makes a nice lead to quickly set it up and possibly incapacitate an opponent’s Pokemon. Tentacruel and Forretress can also set them up, but Tentacruel’s similar tying makes it a lesser option, and Forretress is generally better on more defensive teams. Rain Dance support is almost a requirement for Mixed and Special Rain Dance sets as they work best on Rain Dance teams, but can also be useful for the Double Dance and 3 Attack Dragon Dance sets. Bronzong, Bronzong, Jirachi, Magnezone, and Scizor are the best options for Rain Dance support Pokemon in this case due to resisting Kingdra’s only weakness in addition to being reliable Rain Dance set up Pokemon. Dual Screens can be useful for the Dragon Dance sets in making them have an easier time setting up, and making it harder to break Kingdra’s Substitute. Azelf is probably the best option for this on hyper offense teams as it can set it up quickly at the start of the match, and also set up Stealth Rock, and Taunt slower leads. Bronzong, Cresselia, and Magnezone are other good options. Magnezone can easily set them up on a choice locked Scizor’s Bullet Punch and other moves, while Bronzong and Cresselia are very bulky so barring Taunt they should easly get both up. Cresselia can also provide Lunar Dance support to give a weakened Kingdra another chance to sweep.</p>[/COLOR]
[COLOR=blue]<p>For offensive support Pokemon, Ludicolo is the best option on Rain Dance teams as it deals with the bulky Water-types which Kingdra hates. Kabutops and Qwilfish are other good partners on Rain Dance teams for ripping through your opponent’s team to create holes for Kingdra to abuse. Rotom formes make nice partners as they deal with bulky Water-types. Rotom-C can also scare off Swampert with Leaf Storm, while on Rain Dance teams, Rotom-W can abuse a powerful STAB 100% accurate Thunder and boosted Hydro Pump making them effective offensive partners. Jolteon is another Electric-type who can scare off bulky Water-types and has Hidden Power Grass for Swampert. Scizor and Tyranitar are other good offensive partners as Pursuit is a great tool to deal with many of Kingdra’s counters / checks such as Celebi and Choice Scarf Latias.</p>[/COLOR]
[COLOR=blue]<p>For defensive support Pokemon, Steel-types are best for taking Kingdra’s Dragon-type weakness. The best examples are Bronzong, Heatran, Jirachi, Magnezone, Metagross, and Scizor. Most of them can also provide Rain Dance support should you be using Kingdra on a Rain Dance team. Celebi makes a nice partner as it can also deal with bulky Water-types, and it will appreciate the Fire-type resistance. Add in Heatran and you can have a nice defensive combo. Each of their weaknesses is covered by another.</p>[/COLOR]
[Other Options]
<p>Kingdra's movepool is fairly shallow and he doesn't have much in the way of other options. Flail is decent if you can get it off, but good luck pulling it off with Tyranitar, priority-move users and Stealth Rock everywhere. Kingdra can run a Choice Band set, but the lack of a decent physical movepool hinders its viability. RestTalk is a useful combination on Kingdra who is surprisingly bulky. With Sleep Talk, Kingdra can even use Outrage without getting locked into it.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Specific EVs are given for each set. Adamant, 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe is best for the Substitute Dragon Dance set, where as Adamant, 252 Atk / 24 SpA / 232 Spe is the best option for the Dragon Dance + 3 Attacks set. Double Dance set is best with Adamant, 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe, but can use Adamant, 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe if you want to outspeed +1 positive base 100s in the rain. Mixed Rain Dance set should use Naughty, 252 Atk / 240 SpA / 16 Spe to outspeed Choice Scarf Heatran in the rain, but Naughty, 192 Atk / 240 SpA / 76 Spe is a good alternative to outspeed +1 neutral natured base 100s at the slight cost of Attack. Special Rain Dance set should use either Modest 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe or Modest, 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe for a bit more bulk. Timid, 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe can even be used for surprise factor outside of rain, as well as outspeed almost all opposing Kingdra and +2 Jolly Gyarados in the rain.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>In the past, Kingdra has been bashed a lot for its poor movepool. In the fourth generation, like most other Pokémon, Kingdra got a huge helping of new moves to help it out, in particular receiving the fantastic addition of Outrage. While Kingdra's movepool still isn't anything to write home about, it has a few very interesting options that do work well and Kingdra has changed from quite the mundane sweeper to a Pokemon that many teams will have significant problems with due to its ability to run quite a few sets, bulky stats, and excellent offensive (not to mention defensive) typing.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Empoleon easily walls most mixed and special Kingdra sets, fearing only the occasional Hidden Power Electric, but when it comes to the Dragon Dancer, Empoleon has to focus its EVs into Defense or it will be 2HKOed by boosted Outrages. Celebi and Tangrowth also do decently at stopping the Dragon Dancer, but still have to be wary of Life Orbed variants as Outrage can 2HKO both of them. Milotic, Ludicolo, Suicune, and Vaporeon are also effective at stopping the mixed and special sets as well due to their Water resistance and good Special Defense, although hits from Draco Meteor will still take their toll while Blissey, Snorlax and Regice will beat the special based Rain Dance set. Tyranitar and Abomasnow also can annoy the Rain Dance sets by taking away their rain and hitting back hard.</p>Substitute + Dragon Dance:
<p>From the additions provided by the transition from 3rd to 4th generation, Kingdra now has access to two physical STAB options to go with Dragon Dance: Waterfall and Outrage. Apart from Palkia, Kingdra is the only Water / Dragon type in the game, granting it two particularly unique traits: 1) Kingdra only has a weakness to Dragon-type attacks, and 2) the combination of Water and Dragon is only resisted by Empoleon (and Shedinja) in OU. As such, Kingdra gets multiple opportunities to set up, such as on Heatran locked into Fire Blast or on non-Toxic Vaporeon. Combined with a decent set of stats, Kingdra definitely has multiple opportunities to attempt a sweep.</p>
<p>The main gist of this set is to gain a few boosts through Dragon Dance and attempt a sweep. Waterfall and Outrage provide Kingdra with excellent flexibility in the offensive department, so they are irreplaceable options. For the last slot, Substitute serves the purpose of preventing Kingdra from being hit by status and easing prediction. Substitute is usually the best move to use when you are unsure of what your opponent is carrying to counter Kingdra. Another option is Yawn, which can also be used over Substitute to scout for the opponent's response to Kingdra and force a switch, else the opponent's counter being crippled for the rest of the match. As far as item choice goes, Leftovers allows for constant recovery while Lum Berry will cancel out the effects of Toxic Spikes and Outrage for one turn.</p>
<p>The given EVs allow Kingdra to outspeed base 130's after a Dragon Dance and to hit as hard as possible, but a bulkier spread can be used to complement Kingdra's typing. Swift Swim should be used over Sniper on the off chance you come across a Rain Dance team, which outweighs the benefits of the small chance of landing a critical hit.</p>
<p>Kingdra has trouble against Steel-types and bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Swampert, which take practically nothing from Waterfall and Outrage respectively. As such, an Electric-type such as Rotom-A is a good partner to this set. Rotom-A can hit both Steel- and Water-types with STAB Thunderbolt. Swampert can usually be crippled by Will-O-Wisp, but running Rotom-C gives you the option of using Leaf Storm against it. Another problem is Celebi due to its high defensive stats and access to STAB Grass Knot and Recover. Specially Defensive Scizor and Tyranitar can dispose of Celebi with STAB U-turn and Crunch / Pursuit respectively. Kingdra also sets up on the Fire-type attacks aimed at Celebi.</p>
<p>Other problems for this set are Choice Scarf users which outpace Kingdra after a Dragon Dance. The most common ones to look out for are Heatran, Latias, and Flygon, which have a Dragon-type attack to hit Kingdra for super effective. A Steel-type such as Scizor can switch into the Dragon-type attacks aimed at Kingdra and bypass any Speed boosts granted through Choice Scarf with Bullet Punch. If running the Choice Band set, Scizor also does a good job of luring out Heatran and using U-turn to go to Kingdra in what will hopefully be a free turn of set up. Finally, Toxic Spikes support from Roserade can be considered to weaken a majority of the aforementioned counters to this set.</p>
Dragon Dance + Three Attacks:
<p>This set takes a more offensive part than the Substitute Dragon Dance set. Kingdra still has its two powerful physical STAB options to in Waterfall and Outrage, but also takes advantage of a special attack to hit physical walls harder. This turns Kingdra into a truly fearsome Pokemon. Furthermore, Kingdra can use its unique typing to set up on opposing Pokemon that are unable to do significant damage to it, such as defensive Starmie, Heatran, and Vaporeon.</p>
<p>This set still has the great coverage of Water / Dragon used on the last set, but the addition of Life Orb makes it easier to break through walls at the cost of some longevity. Hydro Pump, although seemingly redundant, hurts physical walls much harder than Waterfall does; for example, Skarmory is always 2HKOed and will be OHKOed after Stealth Rock if rain is active. Draco Meteor, on the other hand, gives you a move to take out opposing Dragon-type Pokemon without locking yourself into Outrage, making it harder to revenge kill Kingdra.</p>
<p>The given Speed EVs give Kingdra a Speed stat of 264, enough to outrun base 130 Speed Pokemon after a Dragon Dance. The remaining EVs are allocated into Attack and then Special Attack. Swift Swim is arguably the preferred ability due to the ability to take advantage of opposing Rain Dance teams. This Kingdra can actually be a very good sweeper in a Rain Dance team. With doubled Speed and boosted Water-type attacks, it will be an absolute terror. Hydro Pump would be the best option (over Draco Meteor) in that case.</p>
<p>As with the previous set, bulky Water-types and Celebi will usually be the most effective counters to this set. Water-types can be taken care off by any strong Electric- or Grass-type attack; Rotom-A and Celebi are both effective options for completing such task. Celebi can be taken care off by any strong Pursuit user, such as Scizor or Tyranitar, or by preying on one of its seven weaknesses; for example, Heatran can switch into anything bar Thunder Wave and KO it with Fire Blast. Empoleon, unarguably the best counter to this set, is also beaten by any strong Electric- or Ground-type attack.</p>
<p>Additionally, Choice Scarf users can threaten this set. Scizor is a good partner to take on the Latias and Flygon you will most likely encounter trying to revenge kill you; Scizor has a handy resistance to the Dragon-type attacks aimed at Latias and can bypass the Speed boost from Choice Scarf with Bullet Punch. Carrying a Rapid Spin user is also a good idea if you are worried about Toxic Spikes, which can easily bring an end to a possible sweep. Forretress is a good choice since it covers Kingdra's weakness to Dragon-type attacks, which in turn switches to Fire-type attacks aimed at Forretress.</p>
<p>Rain Dance support is an option. This set can work well on Rain Dance teams, acting as a mixed wall breaker and sweeper. Steel-types such as Bronzong, Jirachi, Magnezone, and Scizor are the best options for support Pokemon there as they resist Kingdra’s only weakness and can set up Rain Dance. Magnezone can also trap and kill Steel-types, making Outrage's self-locking side effect less dangerous.</p>
Double Dance:
<p>This set, unlike the previous two, utilizes Rain Dance to boost your Speed and Waterfall's Base Power. With Rain Dance active, Kingdra is able to easily outspeed enemy Scarfers which other sets might have had trouble against. Of course, Dragon Dance is still here to further boost Kingdra's power. Rain Dance also clears the field of other weather effects and halves the damage taken from Fire-type attacks. It should also be noted that Waterfall will be stronger with Rain Dance active and one Dragon Dance boost that with simply two Dragon Dance boosts. This set can function well as a stand alone sweeper while also fitting nicely into Rain Dance teams.</p>
<p>The given Speed EVs allow you to outpace Bulky Gyarados and Adamant Tyranitar with no boosts, all base 100's with one Dragon Dance boost, and all neutral Choice Scarf base 100's after the boost from Swift Swim. The given HP EVs provide Kingdra with a stat of 336, optimal for Leftovers recovery. 4 Attack EVs can be allocated to HP to allow Kingdra to live through one extra turn of residual damage, either from weather or entry hazards. The rest of the EVs are placed in Attack to provide Kingdra with a better chance of sweeping. As far as item choice goes, Damp Rock is an option over Leftovers if you prefer longer-lasting rain over recovery.</p>
<p>Bulky Waters, Steels, and Celebi will give this set the most trouble (sound familiar?). On a Rain Dance team, Ludicolo is a good choice to combat all of Kingdra's main counters. Ludicolo can hit Water-types with Grass Knot, Steel-types with Hydro Pump (hitting them on their weaker Special Defense stat), and Celebi with Ice Beam. Outside of Rain Dance, Jolteon and Rotom-A are you best bets as partners. Rotom-A does have the advantage against Celebi, however, due to its access to STAB Shadow Ball. A Celebi of your own can also serve as a good partner to combat opposing Water-types.</p>
<p>Carrying a Pursuiter such as Scizor is also recommended for this set, as Choice Scarf Latias and Choice Scarf +Speed Flygon still outpace Kingdra even with Rain Dance active.Scizor can switch into the Dragon-type attacks aimed at Kingdra and Pursuit Latias and Flygon as they are forced to switch. Since Kingdra is effectively hindered by Toxic Spikes, carrying a Forretress or Roserade to eliminate them is also a good idea. Finally, a Rain Dance supporter in Bronzong, Jirachi, Scizor, and Magnezone should be considered if Kingdra is being used on a Rain Dance team. The former two can also set up Stealth Rock, making it easier for Kingdra to win against foes like Gyarados.</p>
Rain Dance (Mixed):
<p>This set is unarguably Kingdra's most destructive set, capable of smashing through even the most defensive of Pokemon. Kingdra can function both on a Rain Dance or non-Rain Dance team. On the latter, Kingdra plays much like the Dragon Dance sets: simply bring it in on something like Heatran (which will nearly always switch out), set up Rain Dance, and proceed to sweep. Waterfall is the main move of choice, hitting as hard as a Dragon Dance-boosted Waterfall. Hydro Pump should be utilized against physical defensive Pokemon; Surf can be used, but it lacks the raw power Hydro Pump provides. Finally, Draco Meteor serves the purpose of hitting the Grass- and Water-types which resist your Water STAB. On Rain Dance teams, Rain Dance can be replaced since you'll likely have teammates setting it up instead. Signal Beam and Hidden Power Electric are both worthwhile options to fill the slot; the former obliterates Celebi while the latter destroys Gyarados and Empoleon with little effort.</p>
<p>The EVs generate enough Speed to outrun Naive Choice Scarf Heatran in the rain. Additional Speed can be used to beat specific Scarfed threats, but Salamence and Flygon are the only faster Scarfers capable of revenge killing a Kingdra in good health. 76 Speed EVs will outspeed neutral natured ones. A Naughty nature is recommended to make Kingdra less susceptible to physical priority attacks, which are far more common than special ones. Life Orb is the obvious item, as without it, Kingdra wouldn’t have the destructive power it carries.</p>
<p>To illustrate the efficiency of Mixed Kingdra, a few damage calculations have been listed below:</p>
<h2><b>Damage Calculations:</b></h2>
<ul>
<li>Waterfall vs. 252 Def Blissey: 61% - 73%</li>
<li>Waterfall vs. Max HP Bronzong: 54-64%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP / 98 SpD: Bronzong 72-85%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Celebi: 38-45%</li>
<li>Draco Meteor vs. Max HP Celebi: 59-69%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP / Max SpD + Forretress: 85-100%</li>
<li>Draco Meteor vs. 216 HP Gyarados: 62-73%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Jirachi: 76-89%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Metagross: 91-100%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Skarmory: 100%</li>
<li>Waterfall vs. 160 HP / 136 Def Snorlax: 60-71%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Suicune: 34-39%</li>
<li>Draco Meteor vs. Max HP Suicune: 52-62%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. 240 HP Swampert: 82-98%</li>
<li>Hydro Pump vs. Max HP Scizor: 100%</li>
</ul>
<p>Stealth Rock support is highly recommended to give Kingdra a higher chance of attaining any of the above OHKOs. Azelf, Bronzong, and Jirachi are effective leads which can not only set up Stealth Rock, but also Rain Dance. Carrying a spinner such as Starmie or Forretress is also recommended to get rid of Toxic Spikes, which really hinder Kingdra's ability to sweep. Roserade and Qwilfish can also get rid of Toxic Spikes simply by switching into them, and both can easily take on most Water-types with Leaf Storm and Poison Jab / Explosion respectively.</p>
<p>Kingdra also has trouble against Choice Scarf Flygon and Latias, which outpace Kingdra even in the rain. Scizor is a good partner which can come in on both fairly easily and take them out with Bullet Punch and Pursuit respectively. Scizor also does a nice job of luring out Fire-types, providing Kingdra with many opportunities to attempt a sweep. Swampert also acts as a good partner for its ability to counter Tyranitar reliably, which can pose as a problem to Kingdra due to its Sand Stream ability. Abomasnow, on the other hand, can be taken out by Scizor as well.</p>
Rain Dance (Special):
<p>This set functions much like the previous set. In exchange for the ability to KO Blissey, Kingdra can now afford to run more Speed, making it less susceptible to being revenge killed by Scarfed Pokemon. Surf and Dragon Pulse hit everything for neutral damage, bar Empoleon and Shedinja. Hydro Pump is an option over Surf to OHKO Metagross and Swampert under active rain at the cost of decreased accuracy. For the last slot, Signal Beam serves the purpose of KO'ing Celebi and Abomasnow after residual damage from Stealth Rock, two Pokemon which cause trouble for this set. Hidden Power Electric can also be used to hit Empoleon for super effective and also deal slightly more damage to opposing Water-types.</p>
<p>Running max Speed with a Modest nature allows you to outspeed all common Choice Scarfed Pokemon, including Timid Choice Scarf Latias, while tying with neutral natured max Speed Kingdra at worst. Max Special Attack is used to hit as hard as possible, with the rest being thrown into HP. An alternative, slightly bulkier EV spread of 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe can also be used. These EVs generate 247 Speed, which allows you to outspeed Jolly Tyranitar before you Rain Dance, and positive natured Scarfed base 100s while it's raining. You will lose to Timid Choice Scarf Latias and most opposing Kingdra’s though. Life Orb is used over Leftovers for the power boost. You could use Damp Rock, but generally this Kingdra should be sweeping and not supporting.</p>
<p>Similarily to the Mixed Rain Dance set, Stealth Rock support is recommended. Azelf, Bronzong, Jirachi, and Swampert are the best options for this on Rain Dance, and also do well outside of it, although Swampert less so because of similar typing. Toxic Spikes wreck this set so having a Rapid Spinner such as Starmie can be useful to get rid of them. Starmie can also set up Rain Dance itself. Qwilfish and Roserade can absorb the Toxic Spikes, and Roserade can set up its own to help against bulky Water-types and Celebi, while it can also set up Rain Dance. Qwilfish also makes a deadly Rain Dance sweeper so it makes a nice partner.</p>
<p>Although this set is harder to revenge kill, many Pokemon will still cause you trouble. Among them are bulky Water-types, Blissey, and Tyranitar. On a Rain Dance team, Ludicolo is great at taking on both, as Ludicolo has a 4x resist to Water and has enough Special Defense to take repeated hits from them, while Tyranitar will not appreciate boosted Hydro Pumps or Grass Knots. Outside of Rain Dance, Electric-types such as Rotom-A and Zapdos work best at taking on Water-types, both of which have access to STAB Thunderbolt. Swampert can take on Tyranitar decently provided it avoids the rare Hidden Power Grass. Although quite extreme, Choice Band Dugtrio can be used to trap Tyranitar and Blissey and KO both with Earthquake. Similar, Scizor can dispose of both with U-turn and Superpower respectively, while also luring out Fire-type attacks for Kingdra to set up on.</p>
Ubers Dragon Dance:
<p>While Kingdra may seem like it’s outclassed by Rayquaza, Dragon Dance Kingdra has two very significant advantages over Dragon Dance Rayquaza in Ubers. First of all, Kingdra’s typing grants it a neutrality to Ice-type attacks, Stealth Rock, and a resistance to Bullet Punch. Most importantly, the quality that truly makes Kingdra stand out as an Uber Dragon Dancer is Swift Swim. With only 176 Speed EVs and Kyogre’s eternal rain, Kingdra is able to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp, the fastest Dragon-type Pokémon commonly in Ubers. After a Dragon Dance, Kingdra will easily outspeed every single Pokémon in the Uber metagame!</p>
<p>Waterfall is Kingdra's main attack, which becomes just as powerful as Outrage under rain. Outrage rounds out this set by providing nearly perfect type coverage along with Waterfall. In the rain, an unboosted Waterfall OHKOs Darkrai after Stealth Rock damage 92% of the time, while a +1 Waterfall OHKOs Mewtwo. Outrage OHKOes max HP Kyogre after both a Dragon Dance boost and residual damage from Stealth Rock. Draco Meteor is used to hit Groudon and Dialga, dealing over 50% to both on the initial switch-in (bar Specially Defensive Dialga). The next time Kingdra sets up, Groudon and Dialga will be unable to switch in without sacrificing themselves, as a +1 Outrage will kill both. Draco Meteor can also be used to revenge kill Garchomp, Rayquaza, and Palkia without locking yourself into Outrage. Yawn is an option which can force your opponent to switch out (giving you a free turn to set up), else their counter gets crippled by sleep. If using Yawn, move the given 80 Special Attack EVs to Attack and use an Adamant nature.</p>
<p>Groudon and Dialga are both a player's best bet against this set. Groudon can switch into any of Kingdra's attacks without being KOed and cripple Kingdra with Thunder Wave or Dragon Claw, which when boosted by Life Orb, will OHKO Kingdra after Stealth Rock damage. Dialga, although it has trouble taking two repeated neutral Outrages, can switch into Kingdra as it sets up Dragon Dance and KO with any of its STAB Dragon-type attacks. If Lugia invests heavily in Defense, it can also beat Kingdra quite decently, as it can set up Reflect and Roost off any damage taken. As such, Mixed Rayquaza is a good partner to this set. Rayquaza will commonly lure in all three of the above Pokemon, only to 2HKO them with Draco Meteor. A support Dialga of your own can be paired with Kingdra as well, as it is able to set up Stealth Rock and cripple Lugia and Groudon with Toxic. Wobbufett and Scizor both provide Kingdra with ample opportunity to set up, with the former being able to lock the opponent into a resisted or support attack with Encore and the latter luring out Fire-type attacks. Dialga will also be KOed by a +1 Outrage if Choice Band Scizor catches it off guard with Superpower, while minimum HP / Def version will be KOed if they switch into U-turn.</p>
Uber Mixed Attacker:
<p>Thanks to Kingdra’s Speed in the rain and Life Orb, Kingdra can easily become a powerful mixed attacker and revenge killer in one set.</p>
<p>The choice between Surf and Hydro Pump is mainly a preference of accuracy vs. power. Surf is the more recommend option, as it still obtains notable KOes, such as an OHKO on Darkrai and 2HKO on Wobbufett and Lugia after Stealth Rock damage. Hydro Pump should be used if Mewtwo and Specially Defensive Groudon are of concern to your team. The former will always be OHKOed while the latter will be occasionally KOed by Hydro Pump followed by Draco Meteor, assuming Stealth Rock is in play for both situations. However, Mewtwo does have a 66% chance of being OHKOed by Surf after Stealth Rock damage as well. Hydro Pump does have drawbacks though, namely a measly 8 PP (which can be quickly drained through Pressure) and a shaky 85% accuracy.</p>
<p>Draco Meteor is an attack which packs nearly as much power as Surf under active rain. Draco Meteor is used to OHKO every Dragon-type bar Latias, while also 2HKOing most Groudon switch-ins. Outrage serves the benefit of OHKOing Latias while 2HKOing Blissey and max HP Kyogre after Stealth Rock damage. Finally, Waterfall will also 2HKO Blissey and Tyranitar, even if rain is inactive (in the case of the latter).</p>
<p>This set will have the most trouble with Pokemon that are capable of outspeeding it. Thanks to Air Lock, Rayquaza can come in on Kingdra's Water-type attacks and force it out. Choice Scarf Mewtwo, Shaymin-S, and Darkrai are all capable of outspeeding Kingdra, even in the rain. Although none of them OHKO Kingdra, Shaymin-S can flinch Kingdra to death with Air Slash, Darkrai can put it to sleep with Dark Void, while Mewtwo will deal massive damage with Thunder or KO with Selfdestruct. Choice Scarf Jirachi is a good partner to check Rayquaza, which can switch into all variants and KO with Ice Punch (after Stealth Rock damage or Life Orb recoil), provided it avoids switching into Earthquake. A Kyogre with Sleep Talk is a decent check to Darkrai, while Specially Defensive Scizor is an effective counter to both Shaymin-S and Mewtwo, easily bypassing their high Speeds with Bullet Punch.</p>
Team Options:
<h2>OU</h2>
<p>Stealth Rock support is recommended for all of the sets, especially the Rain Dance ones. Azelf, Bronzong, and Swampert are all effective leads which can set up Stealth Rock and even Rain Dance. Toxic Spikes support can be used to weaken bulky Water-types and Celebi, both of which give Kingdra major problems; Roserade is a good choice for laying them down, especially since it can also wield Sleep Powder to cripple foes slower than it. Roserade also lures in Fire-type attacks for Kingdra to set up on. Dual screens can also be run on the team to make setting up Dragon Dance on Kingdra easier, considering it only has a weakness to Dragon-type attacks. Bronzong and Jirachi are both excellent transition Pokemon for accomplishing this task. Finally, Rain Dance support, although not obligatory, can be provided by the same Pokemon.</p>
<p>For offensive support Pokemon, Ludicolo is the best option on Rain Dance teams as it deals with the bulky Water-types which Kingdra hates. Kabutops and Qwilfish are other good partners on Rain Dance teams for ripping through your opponent’s team to create holes for Kingdra to abuse. Rotom formes make nice partners as they deal with bulky Water-types. Rotom-C can also scare off Swampert with Leaf Storm, while on Rain Dance teams, Rotom-W can abuse a powerful STAB 100% accurate Thunder and boosted Hydro Pump. Jolteon is another Electric-type who can scare off bulky Water-types, while also eliminating Swampert with Hidden Power Grass. Scizor and Tyranitar are other good offensive partners, as Pursuit is a great tool to deal with many of Kingdra’s counters / checks such as Celebi and Choice Scarf Latias.</p>
<p>For defensive support Pokemon, Steel-types are best for switching into Dragon-type attacks aimed at Kingdra. The best examples are Bronzong, Heatran, Jirachi, Magnezone, Metagross, and Scizor. Most of them can also provide Rain Dance support should you be using Kingdra on a Rain Dance team. Celebi makes a nice partner as it can also deal with bulky Water-types and will appreciate the Fire-type resistance. Add in Heatran and you can have a nice defensive combo, as each of their weaknesses is covered by the other.</p>
<h2>Ubers</h2>
<p>Like most offensive Pokémon, it is highly recommended that you have a user of Stealth Rock on a team with Kingdra, as it allows it to have an easier time sweeping due to the vital KOs it helps Kingdra net. Deoxys-S is a good partner for laying them down, as the only things that it fears are faster Choice Scarfed Pokemon.</p>
<p>Rain is key to Kingdra’s success in the Uber metagame, thus Kingdra should always be paired with Kyogre. While offensive variants of Kyogre, such as Choice Specs and Calm Mind variants, are perfectly acceptable teammates for Kingdra, a set with Rest, Sleep Talk, and possibly Calm Mind is a particularly good choice. This is because in Ubers, Groudon is a common Pokémon, and will make the weather sunny, an unfavorable condition for Kingdra. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Kyogre will often be able to last for a much longer time than normal, so it will have more chances to set up the eternal rain that makes Kingdra such a deadly Pokémon in the Uber metagame.</p>
<p>The biggest threats to Kingdra are Specially Defensive Dialga and Specially Defensive Groudon. Given Dialga's incredible versatility, it is often best to take it out by using a lure such as Scizor or Calm Mind Giratina-O with Aura Sphere. Choice Band Scizor can OHKO max HP Dialga with Superpower 79% of the time if it has switched into Stealth Rock, while Giratina-O will always survive one of Dialga's unboosted Dragon-type attacks and 2HKO back with Aura Sphere (assuming it has a Calm Mind set up). In other situation, both Lucario and Garchomp can easily KO Dialga with Close Combat and Earthquake respectively. As for Groudon, it can easily survive even 2 Hydro Pumps, thanks to Drought, and cripple Kingdra with Thunder Wave. As with Dialga, using a lure is a good way of taking it out. Mixed Rayquaza and Swords Dance Garchomp, two Pokemon Groudon normally expects to counter, can 2HKO Groudon with Draco Meteor and +2 Earthquake respectively. Metagross with Grass Knot is not a particularly bad idea either, especially since it also covers Kingdra's weakness to Dragon-type attacks.</p>
<p>Kingdra’s typing leaves it only one weakness, which is unfortunately to the common Dragon-type. Because of this, Kingdra makes an excellent partner to Steel-types such as Scizor, Metagross, and Jirachi, since they can switch into the Dragon-type attacks that are often aimed at Kingdra, while Kingdra has no problems taking the Fire-type attacks that are aimed at them. Note that despite Kingdra’s 4x resistance to Water-type attacks, a full powered Water Spout from a Choice Specs Kyogre will still 2HKO Kingdra. Because of this, it is still best to use normal Kyogre switch-ins (such as Palkia and Latias) to defeat it.</p>
Other Options:
<h2>OU</h2>
<p>Kingdra's movepool is fairly limited, and as such, there really isn't much else to run other than what is listed. Perhaps the most interesting choice in this category would be to run a set consisting of Rest, Sleep Talk, Dragon Dance, and Outrage. Although Kingdra does gain increased durability from this set, as well as being able to bypass both Outrage's locking ability and confusion-causing side effect, Kingdra's coverage remains extremely limited. Sadly, Steel-types are able to wall such a set with ease and can potentially set up on Kingdra as well.</p>
<p>Other available options include a Choice Band set, which, given Kingdra's subpar Attack stat, is outclassed by the Dragon Dance set, which has the ability to switch between attacks. Flail can be used with a combination of Substitute and a Liechi or Salac Berry, but Gyarados pulls off the set better due to its higher Attack stat. Ice Beam can be used on special sets to hit Grass-types for super effective, but Draco Meteor is usually a more effective options, despite its Special Attack-lowering consequence.</p>
<h2>Ubers</h2>
<p>Kingdra is very capable of using a Choice Specs set in Ubers, which in conjunction with Swift Swim, can deal a huge amount of damage. However, it lacks the sweeping and/or the wall breaking capabilities the other sets possess due to it being restricted by a Choice item. A Choice Band set may be tempting with Waterfall and Outrage, but Kingdra’s physical movepool is too poor to support such a set. Substitute can be used on any of Kingdra's sets to scout out potential counters and to protect against status; however, Kingdra's health will be drained too fast if used in conjunction with Life Orb.</p>
<p>Dragon Pulse can be used as a more reliable special Dragon-type attack alongside Draco Meteor if needed. If using Dragon Pulse, make sure you use max Special Attack and a +Special Attack nature, as this will ensure that you will not only OHKO Rayquaza and Garchomp, but also OHKO Palkia after it takes Stealth Rock damage. Toxic can be used to cripple Lugia and Groudon switch-ins. Ice Beam can be used to 2HKO Groudon, but otherwise Draco Meteor is always the better move.</p>
EVs:
<h2>OU</h2>
<p>Specific EVs are given for each set. Adamant, 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe is best for the Substitute Dragon Dance set, whereas Adamant, 252 Atk / 24 SpA / 232 Spe is the best option for the Dragon Dance + 3 Attacks set. Double Dance set is best with Adamant, 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe, but can use Adamant, 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe if you want to outspeed +1 positive base 100s in the rain. Mixed Rain Dance set should use Naughty, 252 Atk / 240 SpA / 16 Spe to outspeed Choice Scarf Heatran in the rain, but Naughty, 192 Atk / 240 SpA / 76 Spe is a good alternative to outspeed +1 neutral natured base 100s at the slight cost of Attack. Special Rain Dance set should use either Modest 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe or Modest, 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe for a bit more bulk. Timid, 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe can even be used for surprise factor outside of rain, as well as to outspeed almost all opposing Kingdra and +2 Jolly Gyarados in the rain.</p>
<h2>Ubers</h2>
<p>When using Kingdra in Ubers, always use at least 176 Speed EVs, giving it a Speed stat of 250. This allows Kingdra to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp, which is the fastest Dragon-type commonly seen in the Uber metagame, in the rain. Although not recommended, you can give Kingdra 228 Speed EVs (giving Kingdra a Speed stat of 263) to outspeed the rare Choice Scarf Latios, thus outspeeding every single Dragon-type in the game in the rain. If you are willing to give up the power +Attack or +Special Attack natures give Kingdra, a +Speed nature is viable to outspeed faster threats. With 224 Speed EVs and a +Speed nature, Kingdra is able to outspeed Timid Choice Scarf Darkrai, while 240 Speed EVs and a +Speed nature will allow Kingdra to outspeed Timid Choice Scarf Shaymin-S. With a +Speed nature, Kingdra will also have the bonus of being able to outspeed Adamant Rayquaza.</p>
<p>On the Dragon Dancer, use max Attack, 80 Special Attack EVs, and either a Lonely nature or a Naughty nature. This will ensure that Kingdra’s Outrages will always OHKO max HP Kyogre after Stealth Rock, while the Special Attack EVs will maximize Draco Meteor’s power. Although Lonely will allow Kingdra to take Surfs from Palkia more easily, a Naughty nature will allow Kingdra to be less easily revenge killed by Rayquaza’s ExtremeSpeed. If using Yawn over Draco Meteor, use an Adamant nature instead, and feel free to allocate the extra 80 EVs into Speed and HP. On the mixed attacker, use a Mild nature with max Special Attack and 80 Attack EVs. This will ensure that Kingdra’s special attacks do a massive amount of damage to most Ubers, while the 80 Attack EVs will allow Kingdra to always 2HKO Max HP Tyranitar with Waterfall, 2HKO max HP Kyogre after it takes Stealth Rock damage with Outrage, and always 2HKO Blissey with either Outrage or Waterfall in the rain.</p>
Opinion:
<h2>OU</h2>
<p>In the past, Kingdra has been bashed a lot for its poor movepool. In the fourth generation, like most other Pokémon, Kingdra got a huge helping of new moves to help it out, in particular receiving the fantastic addition of Outrage. While Kingdra's movepool still isn't anything to write home about, it has a few very interesting options that do work well and Kingdra has changed from quite the mundane sweeper to a Pokemon that many teams will have significant problems with due to its ability to run quite a few sets, bulky stats, and excellent offensive (not to mention defensive) typing.</p>
<h2>Ubers</h2>
<p>Stat wise, Kingdra may seem like it is outclassed by Dragon-types such as Palkia and Rayquaza. However, Kingdra’s ability, Swift Swim, puts it in a class of its own. With Kyogre’s eternal rain, Kingdra becomes an excellent revenge killer, and either a powerful mixed attacker, or a sweeper that is incredibly difficult to revenge kill. In the rain, Kingdra will outspeed even Choice Scarf Garchomp and Choice Scarf Palkia, and will easily OHKO both with its powerful, STAB Dragon-type attacks. No other Dragon-type is capable of doing this in Ubers, often making Kingdra a deadly surprise for most teams that rely on Choice Scarfed Dragon-type Pokémon to stop sweeps from Rayquaza. Overall, Kingdra is an excellent Pokémon in Ubers, and is the prime candidate to base an Uber rain team around.</p>
Counters:
<h2>OU</h2>
<p>Empoleon easily walls most mixed and special Kingdra sets, fearing only the occasional Hidden Power Electric, but when it comes to the Dragon Dancer, Empoleon has to focus its EVs into Defense or it will be 2HKOed by boosted Outrages. Celebi and Tangrowth also do decently at stopping the Dragon Dancer, but still have to be wary of Life Orbed variants as Outrage can 2HKO both of them. Milotic, Ludicolo, Suicune, and Vaporeon are also effective at stopping the mixed and special sets as well due to their Water resistance and good Special Defense, although hits from Draco Meteor will still take their toll while Blissey and Snorlax will beat the special based Rain Dance set. Tyranitar and Abomasnow also can annoy the Rain Dance sets by taking away their rain and hitting back hard.</p>
<h2>Ubers</h2>
<p>Because of Kingdra’s Dragon-typing and Speed in the rain, it is extremely difficult to counter in the Uber metagame. A Dialga with max HP, max Special Defense, and a Careful nature is the closest thing to a true Kingdra counter in Ubers. This Dialga will never be 2HKOed by any of Kingdra’s attacks, barring a max attack Outrage. Dialga can then easily OHKO Kingdra with Outrage. All other Dialga variants will have difficulty switching in, but they will be able to revenge kill Kingdra due to almost never being OHKOed by Kingdra’s assaults. Although Choice Scarf Rayquaza cannot switch into Kingdra, it can easily revenge kill it thanks to Air Lock. If Kingdra does not have a Dragon Dance boost, Rayquaza will not even need a Choice Scarf to outspeed Kingdra.</p>
<p>A specially defensive Groudon will be able to take most of Kingdra’s attacks thanks to the sunlight, even being able to survive two Surfs from the mixed attacker, and then cripple Kingdra with Thunder Wave. Be warned, Kingdra can KO Groudon with the combination of Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor if you attempt to switch Groudon directly into Kingdra. Groudon’s eternal sun will make Kingdra much easier to deal with in Ubers, causing Kingdra to be walled by common Steel-types such as Scizor, and negating Swift Swim’s Speed boost, allowing for an easier revenge kill.</P>
<p>While Kingdra is extremely difficult to revenge kill in the rain, there is a tactic that can be employed to defeat it. Since Kingdra is forced to KO Dragon-type Pokémon with Outrage if it has used Draco Meteor once, a good way to defeat Kingdra is to lure it into Outrage. When lured into Outrage, powerful, Steel-type attackers such as Scizor and Metagross can deal a severe amount of damage to it with their physical attacks. Jirachi in particular can use this time to paralyze Kingdra with Thunder Wave.</p>
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Updates:
- 01/04/10 - DJX09's edit
Anyways, some basic changes I made was just clearing up some stuff that didn't make a lot of sense of the original analysis while also condensing some stuff I felt was extraneous.
I appreciate the time anyone takes to proofread this!
