AG Choice Scarf (Koraidon) [QC 0/2]

[Adhiraj8202]

[OVERVIEW]
Koraidon is one of the most prominent and omnipresent threat in Anything Goes thanks to its great Speed tier, boosted Attack stat with its ability Orichalcum Pulse, Koraidon cements itself as not only an effective wallbreaker, but also an amazing revenge killer. Koraidon is able to overcome its defensive checks with the help of its broad movepool and option of running a Swords Dance set paired with Scale Shot, setting it apart from its competitors in physical attackers. However, Koraidon is not without its flaws. Its natural bulk is not very good, limiting it from switching in aggressively and setting up on defensive Pokemon. Koraidon also struggles with Choice Scarf Calyrex-S, which can even outspeed it when Koraidon is at +1 Speed. Koraidon also struggles with defensive walls in Ho-Oh and bulky Arceus formes. Hence Koraidon prefers teammates in Ho-Oh and Ting-Lu, who are able to check Calyrex-S and opposing Ho-Oh.

[SET]
Choice Scarf] (Koraidon) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Orichalcum Pulse
Tera Type: Fire / Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Low Kick / Close Combat
- U-turn
- Outrage / Dragon Claw

[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Scarf Koraidon is one of the best speed control options in the metagame. Flare Blitz with an Adamant Nature lets Koraidon OHKO Calyrex-S, Zacian-C, and hit past Necrozma-DM. Low Kick is 120 Base Power against the majority of the metagame without the drawback of Close Combat, and allows Koraidon to hit through Arceus, Ting-Lu, Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water. Both Outrage and Dragon Claw allow Koraidon to OHKO Miraidon and opposing Koraidon, but Outrage is generally preferred over Dragon Claw because of its ability to 2HKO Ho-Oh and Calyrex-S, while 2HKOing Arceus-Water after minimal chip damage, though it makes Koraidon prone to getting revenge killed by opposing Fairy-types like Arceus-Fairy and Zacian-C. An Adamant Nature allows Koraidon to 2HKO Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water after Stealth Rock damage, and ensures a guaranteed OHKO on Calyrex-S. Tera Fire boosts Flare Blitz to monumental levels, effectively making Koraidon a Fire-type and allowing it to OHKO Necrozma-DM, 2HKO Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground, and provides Koraidon with a burn immunity while making Koraidon neutral to Psychic STABS from Calyrex-S and Necrozma-DM. One downside of Tera Fire is that it makes Koraidon weak to Stealth Rock, drastically limiting Koraidon’s ability to switch onto the field repeatedly. Tera Ghost allows Koraidon to flip the tables on opposing Koraidon and Extreme Killer Arceus thanks to the Fighting and Normal immunity Tera Ghost provides. Furthermore, it makes Koraidon neutral to Psychic- and Dragon-type attacks from Necrozma-DM, Calyrex-S, and Eternatus respectively. The only downside of Tera Ghost is that it makes Koraidon insanely weak to Calyrex-S’s Astral Barrage.

Koraidon is an absolute potent addition on every balance and bulky offense team as every team appreciates Koraidon’s game-defining pivoting and wallbreaking capabilities. Koraidon struggles with bulky Arceus formes such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water, while also struggling with defensive Ho-Oh. This is the reason why Koraidon really appreciates Choice Band Ho-Oh, which is able to muscle through the aforementioned threats thanks to its dual STAB moves and hazards and Koraidon is able to reliably bring Ho-Oh in via U-turn. Koraidon appreciates Calyrex-S muscling through Koraidon’s checks thanks to its unmatched Special Attack and Speed Stat. Physical attackers such as Arceus-Ground and Necrozma-DM are of major help as they help beat Ho-Oh, and constantly pressurize bulky Arceus formes. Lastly but not the least, Koraidon benefits from entry hazard setters such as Ting-Lu, Landorus-T, and Eternatus that not only provide hazards such as Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Stealth Rock but are also able to check major threats such as Calyrex-S, opposing Koraidon, and Kyogre respectively.


[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adhiraj8202.631210/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options

Koraidon can opt to go for more of counter teaming option in Dual Wingbeat, which prevents Ribombee from setting up webs albeit at the cost of becoming heavily matchup reliant and losing its important STAB coverage in Outrage, which makes it worse into Arceus-Water and Ho-Oh. Tera Fighting allows Koraidon to brute force through its checks, 3HKOing defensive Ho-Oh, 2HKOing defensive Necrozma-DM and bulky Arceus formes such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water.

Checks and Counters

**Kyogre**: Kyogre’s Drizzle nullifies Koraidon’s sun, and thanks to Kyogre’s amazing Special Attack stat, it is able to 2HKO Koraidon via Ice Beam. Kyogre can also paralyze Koraidon with Thunder Wave and effectively make its Choice Scarf useless.

**Calyrex-S**: Calyrex-S is able to outspeed Koraidon and is able to OHKO it with Psychic. Once Koraidon is chipped with entry hazard damage,, Astral Barrage with the help of Tera Ghost revenge kills past Koraidon.

**Bulky Arceus formes**: Bulky Arceus formes such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water are able to keep Koraidon in check, while blocking its Scale Shot and being immune or resistant to its STAB moves, which makes Koraidon have external partners to help with the same.

**Entry Hazard Setters**: Although Koraidon beats both Ting-Lu and Eternatus, both are able to set entry hazards in the form of Spikes and Toxic Spikes, greatly limiting Koraidon’s longevity and effective wallbreaking capabilities.

**Zacian-C**: Zacian-C can easily pivot in on Koraidon once it's locked into Outrage and OHKO it with Play Rough. Also, Zacian-C being faster than Koraidon means that it forces Koraidon to switch out because of Play Rough.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adhiraj8202.631210/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/

 

[Fc]

Its natural bulk is not very good, limiting it from switching in aggressively and setting up on defensive Pokemon.

Koraidon's natural bulk is actually insane, it's physically bulkier than zacian-c and only very slightly less specially bulky, and I'd say zacian-c has some of the most absurd defensive stats for an offensive pokemon. The issues with it taking hits is moreso that it's almost never immune to hazards since it doesn't use boots and it likes clicking flare blitz.

Koraidon also struggles with defensive walls in Ho-Oh and bulky Arceus formes.

I'd expand on this just a bit since I think it's kinda downplaying how strong Koraidon is. With tera and setup it has a way around pretty much everything that counters it, but it can't deal with all of them at once and would cost that tera to do so. It's not weak enough to just say it struggles with physical walls since while it does it can find ways through without too much trouble if it needs to.

Hence Koraidon prefers teammates in Ho-Oh and Ting-Lu, who are able to check Calyrex-S and opposing Ho-Oh.

Just re-order your examples since as is this reads like ting can check ho-oh. Just change to like "teammates in ho-oh and ting-lu who are able to check opposing ho-oh and calyrex-s respectively" or something along those lines.

I don't like ada being the only nature here at all, I think Jolly is usually just better. You're slower than ada DD NDM at +1 on webs builds, max speed arc which can exist on HO with CM variants or just DD groundceus trying to creep stuff, as well as just never having a chance against scale korai / other scarf bikes since you're always slower. I think Jolly should be first slash or the only one tbh, but if you really want to argue for ada I'd hear it out on disc I just definitely don't think it's the only one. You almost always OHKO calyrex-s anyway and it's a roll on absolute max max arcs with just rocks, with a spike too it's no different which nature you are or just a single u-turn out. Would also slash ghost tera first but not a huge issue, I just think it has better use cases for a revenge killer.

Outrage is generally preferred over Dragon Claw because of its ability to 2HKO Ho-Oh and Calyrex-S

I assume this is supposed to say and OHKO calyrex-s

though it makes Koraidon prone to getting revenge killed by opposing Fairy-types like Arceus-Fairy and Zacian-C.

Tera is also important to talk about, tera fairy ho-oh is one of the most common ways to beat scarf korai.

allowing it to OHKO Necrozma-DM, 2HKO Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground

When there's no difference in type matchup you don't have to list both arceus forms, it just bloats things a bit. Can just say neutral effective arceus forms or something similar.

Tera Fighting allows Koraidon to brute force through its checks, 3HKOing defensive Ho-Oh, 2HKOing defensive Necrozma-DM and bulky Arceus formes such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water.

Same thing here but also tera fight anything doesn't come close to 2hko'ing fairyceus so I'm not sure exactly what to change it to.

**Bulky Arceus formes**: Bulky Arceus formes such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water are able to keep Koraidon in check, while blocking its Scale Shot and being immune or resistant to its STAB moves, which makes Koraidon have external partners to help with the same.

Just specify a bit that both types don't block scale shot only fairyceus does, and that they resist different moves. They require slightly different play and teras with their different type mu's into korai.

Would also mention ho-oh and maybe some stall mons like dondozo / gliscor in checks, ho-oh especially is probably the most common pivot into it but the stall mons are seen quite a bit recently.

QC 1/2