Celebi and Shaymin are good teammates as well, providing a bit of backup against bulky Water-types, especially those with Roar, such as Suicune.Īltaria reaches 354 HP and 339 Special Defense with the given EV spread, allowing it to wall a variety of special attackers when combined with its unique set of resistances, including Fire- and Grass-type moves. Hitmontop works as well, dealing with Ice-types wanting to get in an Ice Shard. Magneton again makes a solid teammate, trapping and KOing Steel-types which can easily get in Altaria's way with their resistance to Dragon-type moves. Altaria mostly sets up on Fire- and Grass-type Pokemon here, but can also do so on Fighting-types that lack Stone Edge or even Water-types with low Special Attack, as Altaria can actually heal off their damage by using Roost on an incoming Ice Beam.Īltaria can invest some EVs in Attack at expense of its Special Defense, but this is not recommended due to its defenses being so important on this set. It can't get rid of a status that's already there though, making it a bit risky. Safeguard has much higher PP, and can protect Altaria and its teammates from status for five turns. In the last slot, Heal Bell is reliable to heal status that Altaria may take while setting up, but has problems with low PP. Dragon Claw is chosen over Outrage as it is much more reliable, not forcing Altaria to be locked in or become confused. Dragon Dance and Roost are the crux of this set, allowing Altaria to set up and heal. Unlike the previous set, which aimed to deal damage quickly, this set aims to use Altaria's natural defenses to gain multiple boosts before sweeping with a reliable move. Lastly, Hitmontop can be a good check to Ice-types such as Mamoswine and Weavile who could stop Altaria's sweep with Ice Shard.
Magneton can trap and KO Escavalier, which can be troublesome otherwise, allowing it to be a good teammate as well. Kingdra and Flygon are good Dragon-types to consider. Altaria appreciates other Dragon-types as teammates, as they can wear down their similar counters and allow one another to sweep. Fire Blast could be used over Roost to hit Escavalier, who is neutral to Earthquake, but Escavalier isn't common enough to be worth a moveslot. Finally, Roost is used as Altaria's way to heal damage taken while sweeping, and its ability to take hits and heal off damage shouldn't be underestimated.Īdamant is the preferred nature since Altaria needs all the power it can get, but Jolly is an option for outspeeding base 130 Speed Pokemon such as Aerodactyl and Jolteon after just one Dragon Dance. Earthquake is Altaria's best coverage move, getting a good hit on Steel-types that resist Outrage. Outrage deals the most damage out of Altaria's physical Dragon-type moves, making it the primary option. Dragon Dance is Altaria's choice to boost its stats, reaching 393 Attack and 388 Speed with an Adamant nature after a single use.
Altaria takes quite an offensive approach with this set, aiming to deal damage hard and fast.