[OVERVIEW]
Bagon has access to powerful tools like Dragon Dance, a high base 75 Attack stat, and a typing that brings resistances to extremely common Electric-, Fire-, and Water-type moves, meaning it should theoretically find many opportunities to set up. Unfortunately, a few major downsides offset these positive traits. Most Water- and Electric-types in the tier carry either Thunder Wave or Ice-type coverage moves that shut down Bagon, and it has no physical STAB, instead being reliant on a recoilless Double-Edge thanks to its ability Rock Head. This leaves it unable to pose much of a threat at +1 Attack to healthy teams, and even at +2 Attack, (add comma) walls such as Wailmer or Koffing shrug it off with ease. However, with support in the form of Spikes and teammates capable of wearing down the physical walls of the tier, Bagon can shine as a late-game sweeper.
[SET]
Dragon Dance (Bagon) @ Sitrus Berry
Level: 5
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 76 HP / 76 Atk / 40 Def / 200 SpD / 116 Spe
Careful Nature
- Double-Edge
- Brick Break
- Hidden Power Ghost
- Dragon Dance
[SET COMMENTS]
The EVs are meant to maximize the amount of setup opportunities for Bagon while taking advantage of its ability to raise its Speed using Dragon Dance. 22 HP and 13 Special Defense allow Bagon to survive Ice Beam from Staryu and Porygon and Ice Punch from Elekid a majority of the time, and 13 Speed allows it to outspeed Doduo and Gastly after a Dragon Dance. Bagon having both one of the highest Attack stats in the tier and access to Dragon Dance makes up for the lack of investment. Double-Edge is the strongest physical move Bagon has access to, and it inflicts no recoil thanks to Rock Head. Brick Break is the best option for hitting Porygon, Magnemite, and or Anorith. Hidden Power Ghost hits Duskull and Gastly, which would otherwise wall Bagon with their immunities to Normal and Fighting. Dragon Dance is one of the best setup moves in the game, and Bagon is able to find opportunities to use it fairly easily against prevalent Pokemon such as specially defensive Diglett, Houndour, and Porygon lacking Thunder Wave. After one Dragon Dance, a healthy Porygon faints to a combination of Double-Edge into Brick Break, the first attack not activating Sitrus Berry and the follow-up (hyphen) attack doing enough damage to KO. Aside from this, frailer Pokemon like Diglett are OHKOed by +1 Double-Edge. After two Dragon Dance boosts, Bagon is able to outspeed the likes of Staryu, Voltorb and Elekid and OHKO them with Double-Edge. Getting two Dragon Dance boosts is far more difficult to pull off, (add comma) however, as it leaves Bagon vulnerable to priority from Doduo and Trapinch and being revenge killed by walls that it does not OHKO if they are healthy such as Porygon and or Koffing.
Bagon should be the focal point of teams it is on, as it needs a lot of support to set up and sweep. Dragon Dance Larvitar is one of the ideal teammates, benefiting from a lot of the same support Bagon enjoys, as well as softening up checks for each other. Duskull with Memento provides more safe opportunities to get Bagon in to set up Dragon Dance. Spikes from Cacnea, Pineco Snorunt provides necessary chip throughout the game to help Bagon score OHKOs on Pokemon at +1 Attack, though this removes the previously mentioned route to 2HKO Porygon at +1. Diglett and Trapinch switch into and remove Voltorb and Elekid, which could otherwise come in and outspeed +1 Bagon and use either Explosion or Thunder Wave to stop the sweep. Thunder Wave users such as Chinchou and Snubbull can slow down some of the faster Pokemon in the tier, such as Abra and Voltorb, allowing Bagon to always outspeed them.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Bagon can opt for a spread of 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe with an Adamant nature to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame at +1 while hitting as hard as possible. However, this makes it much more difficult to find setup opportunities, with Bagon now being OHKOed by Water-types carrying Ice Beam and Elekid carrying Ice Punch while still being unable to OHKO walls such as Porygon or Wailmer even after an Attack boost. Substitute is an option to avoid status, as well as Explosion and Self-Destruct from the likes of Wailmer and Voltorb, but Bagon is very reliant on all of its coverage moves to clean up teams.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physical Walls**: Porygon, Koffing, and Wailmer present massive issues to a Bagon attempting to sweep, easily tanking +2 Double-Edge and finishing off a worn down Bagon. At +1 Attack, however, it is possible to 2HKO Porygon and Wailmer through proper sequencing of Double-Edge and Brick Break to avoid activating Sitrus Berry.
**Voltorb**: Voltorb can switch into any of Bagon's attacks at +1, outspeeds it, and can either OHKO Bagon with Self-Destruct or paralyze it with Thunder Wave.
**Priority**: Attempting to set up Dragon Dance multiple times to sweep will typically leave Bagon in range to get KOed by Meowth's Fake Out and Doduo and Trapinch's Quick Attack.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kaboom.300935/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/grape-tylenol.593128/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/reggg.588561/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aurora.109385/
Bagon has access to powerful tools like Dragon Dance, a high base 75 Attack stat, and a typing that brings resistances to extremely common Electric-, Fire-, and Water-type moves, meaning it should theoretically find many opportunities to set up. Unfortunately, a few major downsides offset these positive traits. Most Water- and Electric-types in the tier carry either Thunder Wave or Ice-type coverage moves that shut down Bagon, and it has no physical STAB, instead being reliant on a recoilless Double-Edge thanks to its ability Rock Head. This leaves it unable to pose much of a threat at +1 Attack to healthy teams, and even at +2 Attack, (add comma) walls such as Wailmer or Koffing shrug it off with ease. However, with support in the form of Spikes and teammates capable of wearing down the physical walls of the tier, Bagon can shine as a late-game sweeper.
[SET]
Dragon Dance (Bagon) @ Sitrus Berry
Level: 5
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 76 HP / 76 Atk / 40 Def / 200 SpD / 116 Spe
Careful Nature
- Double-Edge
- Brick Break
- Hidden Power Ghost
- Dragon Dance
[SET COMMENTS]
The EVs are meant to maximize the amount of setup opportunities for Bagon while taking advantage of its ability to raise its Speed using Dragon Dance. 22 HP and 13 Special Defense allow Bagon to survive Ice Beam from Staryu and Porygon and Ice Punch from Elekid a majority of the time, and 13 Speed allows it to outspeed Doduo and Gastly after a Dragon Dance. Bagon having both one of the highest Attack stats in the tier and access to Dragon Dance makes up for the lack of investment. Double-Edge is the strongest physical move Bagon has access to, and it inflicts no recoil thanks to Rock Head. Brick Break is the best option for hitting Porygon, Magnemite, and or Anorith. Hidden Power Ghost hits Duskull and Gastly, which would otherwise wall Bagon with their immunities to Normal and Fighting. Dragon Dance is one of the best setup moves in the game, and Bagon is able to find opportunities to use it fairly easily against prevalent Pokemon such as specially defensive Diglett, Houndour, and Porygon lacking Thunder Wave. After one Dragon Dance, a healthy Porygon faints to a combination of Double-Edge into Brick Break, the first attack not activating Sitrus Berry and the follow-up (hyphen) attack doing enough damage to KO. Aside from this, frailer Pokemon like Diglett are OHKOed by +1 Double-Edge. After two Dragon Dance boosts, Bagon is able to outspeed the likes of Staryu, Voltorb and Elekid and OHKO them with Double-Edge. Getting two Dragon Dance boosts is far more difficult to pull off, (add comma) however, as it leaves Bagon vulnerable to priority from Doduo and Trapinch and being revenge killed by walls that it does not OHKO if they are healthy such as Porygon and or Koffing.
Bagon should be the focal point of teams it is on, as it needs a lot of support to set up and sweep. Dragon Dance Larvitar is one of the ideal teammates, benefiting from a lot of the same support Bagon enjoys, as well as softening up checks for each other. Duskull with Memento provides more safe opportunities to get Bagon in to set up Dragon Dance. Spikes from Cacnea, Pineco Snorunt provides necessary chip throughout the game to help Bagon score OHKOs on Pokemon at +1 Attack, though this removes the previously mentioned route to 2HKO Porygon at +1. Diglett and Trapinch switch into and remove Voltorb and Elekid, which could otherwise come in and outspeed +1 Bagon and use either Explosion or Thunder Wave to stop the sweep. Thunder Wave users such as Chinchou and Snubbull can slow down some of the faster Pokemon in the tier, such as Abra and Voltorb, allowing Bagon to always outspeed them.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Bagon can opt for a spread of 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe with an Adamant nature to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame at +1 while hitting as hard as possible. However, this makes it much more difficult to find setup opportunities, with Bagon now being OHKOed by Water-types carrying Ice Beam and Elekid carrying Ice Punch while still being unable to OHKO walls such as Porygon or Wailmer even after an Attack boost. Substitute is an option to avoid status, as well as Explosion and Self-Destruct from the likes of Wailmer and Voltorb, but Bagon is very reliant on all of its coverage moves to clean up teams.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physical Walls**: Porygon, Koffing, and Wailmer present massive issues to a Bagon attempting to sweep, easily tanking +2 Double-Edge and finishing off a worn down Bagon. At +1 Attack, however, it is possible to 2HKO Porygon and Wailmer through proper sequencing of Double-Edge and Brick Break to avoid activating Sitrus Berry.
**Voltorb**: Voltorb can switch into any of Bagon's attacks at +1, outspeeds it, and can either OHKO Bagon with Self-Destruct or paralyze it with Thunder Wave.
**Priority**: Attempting to set up Dragon Dance multiple times to sweep will typically leave Bagon in range to get KOed by Meowth's Fake Out and Doduo and Trapinch's Quick Attack.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kaboom.300935/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/grape-tylenol.593128/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/reggg.588561/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aurora.109385/
Last edited: