Stats & Training
Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Hydreigon's Sp. Atk does the work, Defense pays the price. But you're still getting 3 Sp. Atk EVs per KO. Tough to catch, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.
There are a slew of stories about villages that were destroyed by Hydreigon. It bites anything that moves.
The three heads take turns sinking their teeth into the opponent. Their attacks won’t slow until their target goes down.
Hydreigon Weakness
Hydreigon's Dark/Dragon typing leaves it vulnerable to Fairy, Ice, Fighting, Bug, and Dragon. Fairy hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Psychic-type attacks completely. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Levitate grants an additional Ground immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Fairy |
| 2x (Weak) | Ice, Fighting, Bug, Dragon |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
In Sword & Shield, Blacephalon's Overheat hits Hydreigon for 40-47%. Zapdos deals 48-57% with Hurricane.
 | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityBeastboost ItemChoice Scarf NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Hydreigon View Blacephalon builds →Shadow Ball25-29% Flamethrower27-32% Overheat40-47% | ||
 | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityIron Barbs ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Hydreigon View Ferrothorn builds →Knock Off7-9% | ||
 | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityStatic ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Hydreigon View Zapdos builds →Hurricane48-57% Volt Switch15-18% Heat Wave14-16% | ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityDrizzle ItemDamprock NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Hydreigon View Pelipper builds →U Turn 2x18-22% Scald14-16% | ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Hydreigon View Slowbro builds →Scald14-17% | ||
Sword & Shield Evolution
The three-stage chain from Deino through Zweilous ends here at Hydreigon. Want more? Breed for Deino eggs. Plenty of partners available via one egg group. The evolution from Deino pushed Hydreigon to 600 total stats. Sp.Atk saw the largest single gain at +80. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Hydreigon to get Deino eggs using 63 partners from the Dragon egg group. Notable egg moves include Astonish, Belch, Double Hit and 1 more.
Sword & Shield Hydreigon Best Moveset
Hydreigon's locked into one move per switch-in with Choice Scarf, trading flexibility for speed patching through item lock. Dark Pulse is the go-to spam option, with Fire coverage keeping switch-ins honest.
Best Build
Hydreigon best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Revenge Killer Moveset
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- U Turn
- Flamethrower
Recommended Teammates
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Special Revenge Killer Moveset
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- Heat Wave
- Earth Power
Recommended Teammates
Moves
STAB runs through Outrage and Dragon Rush for the basics, but Hydreigon's real strength is the 14-type coverage spread. Normal and Flying hit common defensive types, and the movepool keeps going.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
How to Get Hydreigon in Sword & Shield
No wild encounters for Hydreigon. The 3-stage chain runs through Deino, which you can catch at moderate rates from the locations below. Evolve at level 64 once you've got the levels.
How to Obtain Hydreigon in Sword & Shield
Deino is your first catch on the way to Hydreigon. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 50-65 across 4 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Catch DeinoRoaring-Sea CavesOverworld Lv.60-65 Cave10%PostAll WeatherLake of OutrageGrass Lv.50-52 Water2%PostRaining
Step 2Catch or Evolve ZweilousLake of OutrageGrass Lv.50-52 Water2%PostThunderstormLake of OutrageOverworld Lv.55-58 Water2%PostSandstormor evolve from Deino (Step 1)
Step 3Hydreigon ✓
Hydreigon Guide
In the Sword & Shield meta, Hydreigon already has 600 BST going for it, and Levitate pushes the competitive value even higher. A-Tier wallbreaker on our tier list. Dark Pulse with Choice Scarf is the standard set.
In Sword & Shield, watch for Togekiss (Fairy), Lapras (Ice), and Hitmonlee (Fighting) when using Hydreigon. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Togekiss is the most dangerous since Fairy moves deal 4x damage. Bug and Dragon-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Hydreigon gets Levitate. But Levitate is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Hydreigon is a special attacker with base 125 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 98 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. Fits the wallbreaker role.
For Sword & Shield, Hydreigon has answers, but so do you. Status moves (Toxic, Will-O-Wisp) wear it down. Setup sweepers can use it as a boost opportunity. Physical attackers can break through.
Game Availability
Since Black & White, Hydreigon has been obtainable in 8 games. A Generation 5 debut means a shorter history, but Hydreigon has appeared steadily across every generation since.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BWDebut
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves