Pokémon Naganadel

Draskk

Draskk

Blast From The Past
Member
I think Naganadel has some serious potential for OU. Great movepool, solid typing, as well as good base stats. However, I've been having trouble finding the right teammates and movesets. Here are a few sample movesets:



Naganadel @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Wave
- Draco Meteor

This is probably the best Naganadel moveset. Dragonium Z allows Naganadel to break through walls and continue a massive sweep. Maximum EV investment in Special Attack and Speed are used to play off of Naganadel's already high Special Attack and Speed stats. Nasty Plot is a great way to set up on pesky walls like Chansey and provides a way of resetting your Special Attack after Draco Meteor. Flamethrower is great Fire-type coverage for things like Celesteela and Magearna. Sludge Wave and Draco Meteor are Naganadel's two most powerful STAB moves, and are pretty much nessescary on any Naganadel moveset.



Naganadel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Substitute
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave

This set is based around hiding behind Substitute and powering up with Nasty Plot. Black Sludge allows Naganadel to recover after using Substitute, and gives it more longevity. Maximum EV investment in Special Attack and Speed as well as Timid nature are used to strengthen Naganadel's already high Special Attack and Speed so that it can become a serious threat. Draco Meteor and Sludge Wave are two very powerful STAB moves that are hard to tank, especially after a Nasty Plot boost.



Naganadel @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-turn
- Thunderbolt
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave

This set uses Choice Specs to boost Naganadel's Special Attack as opposed to Nasty Plot. Once again, maximum investment in Special Attack and Speed as well as Timid nature are used to make Naganadel a serious threat. U-turn is nice to get Naganadel out of sticky situations when it hasn't been locked into a move with Choice Specs yet. Thunderbolt is good electric coverage. Draco Meteor and Sludge Wave are it's main attacks, since they are both STAB and have high base damage.

As for teammates for Naganadel, I'm kind of stumped. Anyone have any ideas? Anyways, let me know what you think of Naganadel! :)

EDIT: Added the Dragonium Z moveset. Thanks @TheNyanCatXD! :)
 
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If you have played on Pokemon Showdown, you would have probably seen Z-Draco Nagandel running around. That's currently the most popular set that's running around, (even yesterday, the OU chatroom on Showdown had a poll on what you would run on Naga if you couldn't run Z-Draco). This seems to be a common set:
Naganadel @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt

Personally, I think Nagandel is just one of those really, really good Pokemon, along the lines of Landorus. It actually has a lot of teammates, it pairs well with walls to wither away threats, pairs well with other offensive sweepers to help cleanup for whoever you decide to sweep with first, but if you want some specifics, i'll list a few:

Lando-T (weakens physical presence and has pivot move, which is vital for getting Nagandel into play.)

Lycanrock-Dusk (fantastic sweeper pair because of Accelerock. Lycandusk can do heavy damage to certain mons, and is very easy to switch out once done being used. Pair it with Lando-T and you have a really good pivot system.)

Chansey (a defensive wall that can help Nagandel check and weaken other threatening offensive sweepers that would otherwise mean the end for Nagandel. Especially helpful with the Z-Draco set, as you're not going to be running a Scarf. If you choose a Scarf route, Chansey is still a solid option.)

Golisopod (okay, I admit this is weird but Golisopod can do some heavy cleanup for Nagandel. Golisopod can stakeout potential checks like Mega Alakazam and hit them with a priority First Impression. Once again, a great partner for the Z-Draco set, but a solid option for other sets.)

The reason I think Nagandel is so good is because it has so many options. Fantastic defensive typing, amazing movepool, really good stat spread, this Pokemon has everything a Pokemon (especially poor Glaceon, with the worst defensive typing, a shallow movepool, and a lackluster stat spread :c) could ever dream of having. I'm gonna compare it to another Pokemon: Landorus-T, the undisputed king of Gen 7 OU. Check smogon, and just look at the amount of sets. That's a similar amount of valid sets you can make with Nagandel, each set serving a different purpose and focusing on something else. For example, you can run Scarf, Specs, Nasty Plot, Z-Draco, Z-Fire Blast, Life Orb, these are all sets that I have seen, and sets that have worked, heck, even some that I have personally used. And if you really, really need proof that Nagandel is good, take a look at what the recent smogon viability ranking thread says about it:
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-Nyan
 
I personally prefer the Black Sludge moveset you have going for Naganadel. I personally think its an awesome Pokémon (not my favourite new UB though) and I agree with you about its potential. I think it also has a decent home in VGC18. But anyway, best partner for this Pokémon is hands down Landorus Therian Forme. By running a bulky physical moveset you will have a very good duo that can exploit different weaknesses. I also concur that Landorus’ access to U-Turn makes it very handy.
 

Naganadel @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Nasty Plot
- Sludge Wave
- Draco Meteor

Tyranitar-Mega @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 160 HP / 32 Atk / 64 SpA / 252 SpD
Brave Nature
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 24 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Defog
- U-turn

Tapu Koko @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Iron Head
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Fleur Cannon

Greninja @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 176 Atk / 80 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Gunk Shot
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Low Kick

So, I started testing with this team and it's done insanely well for me. I have found Mega Tyranitar to be an amazing teammate for Naganadel; it's bulky and physically offensive, which are two things Naganadel isn't, and is great against opposing Naganadel. It is also a terrifying setup sweeper with Dragon Dance, checks alot of Naganadel's counters, and can soften things up for Naganadel with Sand. Landorus-Therian is basically mandatory on any team, it's just too good. Don't think I have to go into much detail there. Tapu Koko shines on this team, I've won many a game with it. Electric Terrain boosted Thunderbolt is crazy. Magearna is a great bulky pivot. Protean Greninja is a great revenge killer. Also, after further testing, I agree with @TheNyanCatXD that Dragonium Z is the optimal item for Naganadel. It makes Naganadel insanely hard to stop once it gets going. However, I do think Naganadel needs Nasty Plot to reset it's Special Attack after a Draco Meteor and give it the opportunity to set up on bulky threats. Will update the OP with this moveset.

What do you guys think of this team and moveset? Thanks! :)
 
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GekkisaiDaiNi said:

Naganadel @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Nasty Plot
- Sludge Wave
- Draco Meteor

Tyranitar-Mega @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 160 HP / 32 Atk / 64 SpA / 252 SpD
Brave Nature
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 24 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Defog
- U-turn

Tapu Koko @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Iron Head
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Fleur Cannon

Greninja @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 176 Atk / 80 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Gunk Shot
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Low Kick

So, I started testing with this team and it's done insanely well for me. I have found Mega Tyranitar to be an amazing teammate for Naganadel; it's bulky and physically offensive, which are two things Naganadel isn't, and is great against opposing Naganadel. It is also a terrifying setup sweeper with Dragon Dance, checks alot of Naganadel's counters, and can soften things up for Naganadel with Sand. Landorus-Therian is basically mandatory on any team, it's just too good. Don't think I have to go into much detail there. Tapu Koko shines on this team, I've won many a game with it. Electric Terrain boosted Thunderbolt is crazy. Magearna is a great bulky pivot. Protean Greninja is a great revenge killer. Also, after further testing, I agree with @TheNyanCatXD that Dragonium Z is the optimal item for Naganadel. It makes Naganadel insanely hard to stop once it gets going. However, I do think Naganadel needs Nasty Plot to reset it's Special Attack after a Draco Meteor and give it the opportunity to set up on bulky threats. Will update the OP with this moveset.

What do you guys think of this team and moveset? Thanks! :)
Click to expand...
Is Magearna even legal in OU?
 
Yup, it is a mainstay of the metagame, at least if what people have been telling me is to be believed ^w^
 
So, your team is great, but I decided to run the following Celesteela in place of Magearna (mostly because it says it is illegal in OU but its probably a bit better too):

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 12 HP / 56 Def / 252 SpA / 188 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leech Seed
- Flash Cannon
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain
 
joffreyspikes said:
So, your team is great, but I decided to run the following Celesteela in place of Magearna (mostly because it says it is illegal in OU but its probably a bit better too):

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 12 HP / 56 Def / 252 SpA / 188 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leech Seed
- Flash Cannon
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain
Click to expand...
I actually had Celesteela in the team instead of Magearna at first, but someone suggested Magearna and I ended up liking it better. Fleur Cannon is a very powerful move, Volt Switch is great, and it's ability Soul Heart can make it seriously threatening.
 
(this is coming from a tcg player who only really plays doubles ubers)
yo so i actually have used naganadel as a set up mon
the set i have on mine is:
Naganadel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tailwind
- Dragon Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Dark Pulse

he go fast and he make wind with he tail

i primarily use this as a starter with deoxys speed that i use to set up rocks with
 
Two UBs are better than one. Kartana and Blacephalon give each other great coverage with the exception of Fire types. That would make a great team. Naganadel will still be good in VGC18 obviously as well as Ubers. Landorus Naganadel = new meta. A lot of good players have been talking about him.
 
joffreyspikes said:
So, your team is great, but I decided to run the following Celesteela in place of Magearna (mostly because it says it is illegal in OU but its probably a bit better too):

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 12 HP / 56 Def / 252 SpA / 188 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leech Seed
- Flash Cannon
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain
Click to expand...
It's better that you use physical Celesteela over the special version because its special moves aren't strong enough. Celesteela is also the heaviest user of Heavy Slam and you're not taking advantage of that.
 
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