Naganadel Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Draco Meteor is Naganadel's strongest STAB option, allowing it to use a 195-Base Power Devastating Drake once, which, after a Nasty Plot boost, scores important OHKOs on Pokemon like Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, and Primal Kyogre without losing Special Attack. Sludge Wave offers great neutral coverage with Draco Meteor and lets Naganadel check threats such as Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy. Nasty Plot boosts Naganadel's Special Attack and allows it to function as a sweeper. A +2 Devastating Drake easily OHKOes bulkier threats like Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre, while a +2 Fire Blast OHKOes Bronzong and Celesteela and 2HKOes specially defensive Necrozma-DM and Magearna. Fire Blast hits Steel-types, the only Pokemon that resist Naganadel's STAB combination, hard. A +2 Fire Blast will OHKO Bronzong, Ferrothorn, and offensive Necrozma-DM. Dragon Pulse can be used over Draco Meteor for more consistent damage, but it is rather weak and the power drop on Devastating Drake is significant. Set Details Dragonium Z is required to turn Draco Meteor into Devastating Drake. Maximum Speed EVs with a Timid nature grant Naganadel Speed boosts through its ability Beast Boost while simultaneously letting it outspeed maximum Speed Arceus formes. Maximum Special Attack EVs allow Naganadel to hit as hard as possible. Usage Tips Switch in Naganadel via double switches or a predicted status move like Toxic or Recover. Instead of using Nasty Plot directly, attacking is usually safer, since faster attackers may switch in to prevent Naganadel from snowballing. Try not to switch Naganadel repeatedly on hazards and attacks, since it'll take massive damage from even resisted hits and then be in range for a priority user to KO it very quickly. Be wary of your opponent pivoting, since various Pokemon resist or are immune to Naganadel's attacks, such as Necrozma-DM. Against more offensive teams, Naganadel is best utilized as a wallbreaker that can chain Speed boosts due to their frail nature. The more passive the opposing team is, the more aggressively Naganadel can be played. Keep in mind that Naganadel can absorb Toxic Spikes and turn the most prominent Toxic Spikes setter, Toxapex, into setup fodder. Ideally, Naganadel wants to use Nasty Plot when faster attackers and priority users have been eliminated. It's best to chip down threats such as Primal Groudon, support Arceus formes, and Primal Kyogre before attempting a sweep, since after its Z-Move has been used, Naganadel fails to OHKO many healthy bulky attackers. Using Devastating Drake requires good prediction, since having a Dragon-type Z-Move means it can be completely wasted against Fairy-types, and without it, Naganadel is unable to break many threats such as Ho-Oh and Tyranitar. Team Options Entry hazard leads such as Excadrill, Deoxys-S, and Cloyster can help wear down Naganadel's checks. Marshadow checks common priority attackers like Mega Lucario, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Rayquaza, while Naganadel can take out checks like Arceus-Fairy and Toxapex. Primal Groudon sets up Stealth Rock, checks Primal Kyogre and Xerneas, and threatens Steel-types. Swords Dance Arceus-Ground checks Primal Groudon, Steel-types, and Ho-Oh. Xerneas is a great partner, since Naganadel can OHKO or at worst weaken checks like Primal Groudon, Magearna, and Necrozma-DM, thus helping Xerneas sweep late-game. Yveltal, specifically a Choice Scarf variant, appreciates Naganadel's ability to threaten Fairy-types, and in return, it deals with Psychic-types and Marshadow. Mega Salamence checks Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh, while Naganadel breaks Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water for it. Chople Berry Extreme Killer Arceus can lure in Marshadow and OHKO it with Shadow Claw for Naganadel. Wobbuffet can create setup opportunities for Naganadel with the combination of Shadow Tag and Encore.

Naganadel is largely unremarkable, though its access to Tailwind remedies this. Sludge Bomb is the main attacking move, while the options in the third move slot cover foes that resist it. Flamethrower is often preferred, although Hidden Power Ground covers Heatran. Focus Sash ensures Tailwind can be used when against Choice Scarf users, and guarantees Naganadel a hit afterwards. Life Orb and Poisonium Z give Naganadel the ability to OHKO Tapu Fini and Tapu Lele respectively. Fake Out users such as Mega Kangaskhan help provide the opportunity to use Tailwind. Mega Charizard Y appreciates the removal of the Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko and benefits greatly from Tailwind.

Moves Sludge Bomb is Naganadel's most reliable attack: a STAB move that does generally good damage and is also notably useful for hitting key threats in Tapu Fini and Tapu Bulu super effectively. Fire Blast allows Naganadel to smash Steel-types, primarily Mega Metagross but also Kartana, Mega Scizor, and Ferrothorn, which can take on Naganadel relatively unopposed otherwise. Tailwind lets Naganadel provide speed control support, helpful in keeping up the pressure its team applies, letting them outrun most foes unabated. Protect lets Naganadel defend itself, which is useful for positioning and stalling field effects; alternatively, Draco Meteor offers a secondary STAB move that provides Naganadel extra damage at a cost, hitting Kyurem-B and Ground-types like Zygarde and Landorus-T hard. Set Details Maximum Speed and Special Attack investment and a Timid nature are used to maximize Naganadel's offensive capability, notably also allowing it to outrun Mega Metagross and Mega Salamence. Life Orb is used in order to boost Naganadel's damage output, which is handy in getting KOs and generally pressuring threats. Naganadel can also take a slightly different route, instead utilitizng an Assault Vest set with U-turn in place of Tailwind. This sacrifices some field conditioning ability and damage in favor of pivoting utility. Even with an Assault Vest equipped, however, Naganadel isn't particularly bulky, and if it wants to invest enough to survive relevant attacks like Life Orb Kyurem-B's Ice Beam or Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Psychic without Terrain support, then Naganadel will have trouble getting KOs. Usage Tips As much as possible, Naganadel should be put in a position where it can threaten foes in an aggressive manner, as its role is to apply pressure and nothing else. In the early- to mid-game, it can be used as a way of putting instant pressure and momentum thanks to its high Speed and vast coverage. Later on, as the opposing team gets weakened, it can also be a handy way of cleaning up an opposing team. When Naganadel can't quite get the KO it needs or has done its job and is in a bad position, Tailwind is an option to fall back to; it doesn't matter if Naganadel gets KOed in the process, as this also provides a free switch, often giving you back the momentum as you get the chance to respond with the appropriate threat for free while also being considerably supported by Naganadel's last-ditch Tailwind effort. As Naganadel is quite frail and is chipped down over time by Life Orb recoil, care should be applied when it comes to its health, as it can get KOed easily; one should try to bring it in only on free switches or predicted weak hits such as Tapu Fini's Muddy Water. At times, it can be important to pay attention to Naganadel's Beast Boost ability, as it can be useful in allowing Naganadel to outrun otherwise faster key threats such as Tapu Koko, Deoxys-A, and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele; occasionally, this ability can also be nifty in allowing Naganadel to outrun opposing teams even if their Tailwind is up, so take note. Team Options Naganadel fits well in a team composition heavily based on applying overwhelming offensive pressure to win. With that in mind, Deoxys-A, the quintessential hyper offense Pokemon, works well with Naganadel, as it is capable of pressuring teams and handling the few unboosted threats faster than Naganadel, such as Tapu Koko and Mega Manectric, and has the coverage that lets it hit Tyranitar hard. On another note, Pokemon that generally appreciate having Tailwind support for their offensive jobs are good teammates, with generally strong attackers like Tapu Bulu, Choice Band Zygarde, and Mega Metagross all fitting the bill. Fire-type teammates are also good to have, as they can reliably punch through Steel-types, allowing Naganadel to use its STAB attacks more often; Mega Charizard Y is a good pick, as it also appreciates Naganadel's Tailwind allowing it to use its powerful sun-boosted Heat Wave more freely, while Volcanion can be nifty for also being able to threaten Tyranitar, Stakataka, and Heatran. Any checks to opposing Deoxys-A and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele are welcome additions; Steel-types such as Mega Metagross, Aegislash, and Genesect can reliably take their STAB moves quite handily and easily KO in return, while having your own Choice Scarf Tapu Lele can be useful enough in checking opposing Deoxys-A as well as other fast threats like Tapu Koko. As Naganadel is a liability in Trick Room, having teammates that can deal with the field condition are huge boons. Taunt users such as Tapu Koko and phazers such as Suicune can be handy to have for stopping Trick Room from being set up. However, if it does get set up, some handy bulky pivots such as Aegislash and Zygarde can be useful for playing around Trick Room and stalling it out. Tapu Koko, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Lele can make good partners for Naganadel, as they can remove the Misty Terrain that weakens its Draco Meteor.

With Nasty Plot and Beast Boost increasing its Speed after a KO, Naganadel is a fearsome sweeper against offensive and defensive teams alike. Sludge Wave is Naganadel's most reliable STAB attack, being able to bust through Fairy-types in particular. Draco Meteor's Special Attack drop can be troublesome, but it gives Naganadel a good amount of power without setting up and allows it to bust through bulkier foes when boosted. A Fire-type attack is needed for Naganadel to defeat most Steel-types. Fire Blast in particular will OHKO Aegislash after a boost, but Flamethrower's perfect accuracy can make it more reliable for late-game sweeps. If a team is desperate against Heatran and Stakataka, Hidden Power Ground can be used, but it usually isn't worth the loss in coverage against Ferrothorn and Celesteela. Dragonium Z is an excellent item for late-game sweeping and stallbreaking, letting Naganadel blast most defensive Pokemon with a +2 Devastating Drake. Just note that this item makes Naganadel often even more committed towards late-game sweeps. Focus Sash can leave Naganadel a bit weak, but it gives it a much easier time setting up Nasty Plot against offensive teams and can let Naganadel work as a solid revenge killer if Stealth Rock isn't up. Focus Sash also makes Naganadel easier to use early in the game. If Aegislash is a serious problem, Firium Z can be used to deal massive damage to Aegislash and Celesteela without needing a Special Attack boost, giving Naganadel another opportunity for boosting its Speed late-game via a KO. A Timid nature is highly recommended, as not only does it guarantee that Naganadel outspeeds Mega Salamence, it also ensures Beast Boost increases its Speed after a KO, preventing common Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Tapu Lele and Landorus-T from revenge killing Naganadel. A Modest nature can be used to boost Special Attack after a KO, but it requires much more support than Timid. The given EVs allow Naganadel to survive three uses of Chansey and Blissey's Seismic Toss, allowing Naganadel to set up three Nasty Plots more comfortably against stall teams. The Special Defense EVs ensure that Porygon2's Download will not boost its Special Attack. While difficult to get hold of, another option is to use Naganadel with 29 or 28 Defense IVs, which makes its Defense stat one point lower than its Special Defense stat, with an EV spread of 20 HP / 236 SpA / 252 Spe. This makes a minor difference in damage calculations overall, though. While Naganadel's excellent Speed tier makes it a good revenge killer, this set is for sweeping first and foremost, so it's best to keep this Naganadel for late-game if possible. Focus Sash variants are the exception, since they can surprise common setters of Stealth Rock such as Landorus-T. While Tapu Fini itself does poorly against Naganadel, its Misty Terrain will weaken Draco Meteor, which makes Naganadel easier to check, so consider running another Terrain setter to counteract this. Tapu Lele in particular is a good choice, since Psychic Terrain will block common priority attacks aimed at Naganadel, such as Ice Shard and Bullet Punch.

With Choice Scarf, Naganadel is notable for being among the few Pokemon that outspeeds +1 Mega Salamence, making it a great revenge killer. Sludge Wave is Naganadel's most reliable STAB attack, and it is key for slamming Fairy-types. Draco Meteor is Naganadel's most powerful attack. However, note that the Special Attack drop and the Choice lock can turn Naganadel into setup bait if it is used too early. A Fire-type attack is needed to punish Steel-type switch-ins. Fire Blast is usually the best for 2HKOing Aegislash, but Flamethrower's perfect accuracy makes it the more reliable option. Hidden Power Ground is a good choice for dealing severe damage to Heatran and Stakataka on the switch; however, U-turn is very useful early in the game for breaking Mimikyu's Disguise without staying in, and it also makes Naganadel a good scout. Timid is usually the best nature, as it ensures that Naganadel outspeeds Mega Salamence, and it is especially important on Choice Specs variants to get a Speed boost from Beast Boost. Modest is a reasonable alternative. While this does mean Naganadel will be unable to revenge kill Jolly +1 Mega Salamence, it does grant Naganadel a Special Attack boost with every KO, which can snowball into a surprise sweep. Carrying a Pokemon from the Tapu group is recommended to get rid of Misty Terrain, which weakens Draco Meteor. Tapu Lele in particular works well due to its Psychic Terrain blocking priority attacks.