Flygon

Flygon, The Mystic Pokémon. The flapping of its wings sounds something like singing. Those lured by the sound are enveloped in a sandstorm, becoming Flygon’s prey. This Pokémon hides in the heart of sandstorms it creates and seldom appears where people can see it.

Overview

Flygon is the embodiment of power creep and its effect on some Pokémon. Flygon was a powerful threat and wallbreaker for the generation 3 and 4, boosting solid offensive stats, but has slowly fallen from grace since 5th gen. However, Flygon is a powerful threat in tier, even getting new support in this gen with Dragon Dance.Positives
+ Dragon/Ground give neutral coverage on most Pokémon bar Steel/Flying and Fairy/Flying, which is nothing to scoff at
+ 100 base Speed is a solid tier, being the OU standard, giving it a solid edge in lower tiers

Negatives
- 80 Health, Defense, and Special Defense give mediocre bulk, making it a little hard to get in as you will lose a chunk of health
- Levitate is good, but Flygon would like another ability to help either its power or bulk/getting in easier or staying alive

Abilities

Levitate - Gain immunity to Ground moves - Flygon's only ability, but is still a good ability, giving Flygon an immunity helping it get in for free

Movesets

Dragon Dance

-Dragon Dance
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Iron Tail/Fire Punch
Item Attached: Dragonium Z/Groundium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs and Nature:
252Atk/4Def/252Spd
Jolly Nature

With access to Dragon Dance, Flygon becomes a powerful sweeper, giving it a new role. With its good speed tier and Attack stat, Flygon can pressure a lot of threats at +1, using Earthquake as its main stab move, hitting a lot of threats hard. Outrage becomes the secondary stab and acts as the strongest possible Dragon move for Dragonium Z, but Dragon Claw can be used if you opt for the Groundium Z. Lastly, Iron Tail can be used to break through Fairies(Togekiss) or Fire Punch for Steels(Bronzong).

Choiced Pivot

-U-turn
-Earthquake
-Outrage
-Fire Blast
Item Attached: Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs and Nature:
252Atk/4SAtk/252Spd
Jolly Nature

An old set, Flygon has a lot of tools making it a solid Choice Scarf user, solid speed tier and U-Turn. This makes Flygon a revenge killer or pressure maintainer with its solid coverage. Earthquake is the safest stab move as you don't get locked into like Outrage, which should be used as your Dragon stab for power. Fire Blast tends to be the last option but Fire Punch can be used to maintain bulk or Iron Tail to hurt Fairy switch ins.

Choiced Pivot

-U-Turn
-Defog/Iron Tail
-Earthquake
-Draco Meteor/Outrage/Fire Blast
Item Attached: Dragonium Z/Groundium Z/Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs and Nature:
252Atk/4SpAtk/252Spd
Naive Nature

With its access to U-Turn, Flygon can act as a pivot for the team, similar to Hydreigon in UU. Defog also is a solid option as Flygon resist Stealth Rocks and immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Earthquake is your Ground stab for its power while Draco Meteor or Outrage are the Dragon Stab, Draco Meteor hurting Physical walls while Outrage is just solid. Iron Tail and Fire Blast can be used for coverage as well to maintain pressure on threats, making Life Orb a solid option, otherwise Dragonium Z or Groundium Z are the best.

Other Options

Life Orb - Life Orb can be used to add power to Dragon Dance sets instead of a Z-crystals but you lose longevity and the one use power move so its personal preference.
Mixed - An older set, Flygon can go mixed in its own tier, RU, as in UU it does get outclassed by Hydreigon. However it can be a surprise gimmick similar to Dragon Dance Latios to beat Tyranitar back in Gen 5 due to its speed tier and Ground stab.

Possible Partners

Rotom Heat - Rotom Heat works well with Flygon being a second half to a Volt-Turn combo, resisting Fairies that Flygon brings in. Outside U-turn, Rotom Heat can create a switch in for Flygon or cripple a wall with Trick and/or Will-O-Wisp.
Virizion - With its solid boosting moves, Virizion likes Flygon's ability to create a free switch in with U-turn, or its ability to chunk some Fairies with the Dragon Dance set. Virizion also enjoys the bulky waters that Flygon tends to bait in, as they are easy to boost on, and go for a sweep.
Salazzle - Salazzle likes the Fairies that Flygon tends to bait in, as it's a free switch in for Salazzle, while Salazzle breaks walls that Flygon struggles to get through. Also, U-turn gives Salazzle a free switch in which it appreciates.

VGC, Double, & Triple Battle Options

This fan-favorite dragon is not commonly found in VGC and doubles formats, but Sun and Moon have given it some new gifts to play with. Just like in singles, Flygon faces major competition from Garchomp, as well as other ground types. Flygon is inferior to Garchomp in stats, but unlike Garchomp, it is immune to Earthquake and Tectonic Rage. Speaking of which, z moves have helped Flygon become more viable, but unfortunately Garchomp and other ground-types like Landorus-T (where it is legal) also have access to them too, and are overall better options. Fortunately for Flygon, generation 7 gave it access to Dragon Dance, and this setup move gives Flygon the power to separate itself from the competition.

Stormfly

-Earthquake
-Rock Slide / Dragon Claw
-Dragon Dance / Dragon Claw
-Protect
Item Attached: Groundium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature

Flygon may not quite be on Garchomp’s level, but its access to Dragon Dance lets it perform similarly to Gyarados and Salamence in VGC 2017 to get to +1 in attack and speed before firing off a powerful z move. Maximum attack is necessary to get as much out of Flygon’s base 100 attack as possible, while maximum speed helps it attack first. Depending on the nature you choose, a bit less speed can be run, especially if you can use Dragon Dance safely. For example, 220 EVs in speed outrun Tapu Lele and Arcanine with similar natures. The rest can be invested in HP for a bit of bulk if desired. 4 EVs are put into special defense on the 252/252 spread in order to give opposing Download Porygon2 an attack boost. Groundium Z is the item of choice to give Flygon a powerful attack in Tectonic Rage. Levitate is the only ability, but a good way where Earthquake is so powerful, and can let Flygon wall some sets of opposing Garchomp.

Earthquake is very strong in doubles, and gives Flygon access to Tectonic Rage. Rock Slide gives coverage against Pokemon immune to ground attacks, but Dragon Claw is strong as another STAB move. Dragon Dance gives Flygon boosts to make it formidable, but Protect is necessary on this set to allow a teammate to take out a threat like Alolan Ninetales, or stall out an opponent’s speed control.

Other Options & Team Ideas

-Choice Scarf is an option to fix Flygon’s only “decent” speed. Special variants are often seen on this set, and Flygon is able to outspeed and OHKO Tapu Koko, Garchomp, and Kartana
-Speaking of the special set, it is actually the more common than a physical set currently. It is not very good in my opinion due to Flygon’s unremarkable base 80 special attack, but sets with Groundium Z and Life Orb (as well as the previously mentioned Choice Scarf set) have been used. Earth Power, Draco Meteor, and either Flamethrower or Fire Blast are three common moves on the set.
-Superpower gives Flygon fighting type coverage.
-U-turn is typically seen on the Choice Scarf set for momentum, while Stone Edge is a stronger rock-type attack with a high chance to crit.
-Bulldoze and Rock Tomb offer speed control, while Dragon Tail can stop Trick Room (assuming the user is not a fairy like Mimikyu). Feint is rare but gives Flygon some priority and breaks Protect, so it may be useful for some teams.
-A variety of ORAS move tutor moves gives Flygon some more options in Battle Spot Doubles. Tailwind is very useful on a support set. Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, and even Iron Tail (possibly paired with the z crystal so it has perfect accuracy) give physical sets some much needed coverage, while special sets can use a spread move in Heat Wave, a weaker dragon STAB that will not reduce Flygon’s stats in Dragon Pulse, and some additional coverage (and recovery) in Giga Drain.

-Fake Out support can help Flygon use Dragon Dance safely. Redirection may be another option to do this.
-Competitive or Defiant Pokemon like Milotic and Braviary help deter Intimidate away from Flygon.
-Weather control is useful against Alolan Ninetales so that it cannot spam Blizzard with perfect accuracy.

Countering Flygon

Bronzong - Bronzong is one of the best answers to Flygon, having Levitate to negate Flygon's Ground stab and resisting its Dragon stab. Bronzong then can pressure Flygon with Gyro Ball or Hidden Power Ice offensively, or status moves, having access to both Toxic and Will-O-Wisp.
Mantine - With its new access to Roost and stat buff, Mantine can wall Flygon quite well, being immune to Earthquake. Mantine also brings Scald to the table, burning and crippling Flygon for the rest of the game. Other bulky waters work well against Flygon as well such as Milotic and Slowbro.
Florges - With its good defensive stats and Fairy typing, Florges does a solid job at walling Flygon, healing off damage and spreading status through the team.

Locations in Games

Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game

Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Evolve Vibrava

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/XD/Colosseum

Colosseum/XD:
Evolve Vibrava

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Vibrava (Diamond/Pearl)
Trade from Diamond/Pearl/HeartGold/SoulSilver (Platinum)

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Vibrava

Black/White:
Evolve Vibrava (White)
Trade from White/Black 2/White 2 (Black)

Black 2/White 2:
Evolve Vibrava

X/Y:
Evolve Vibrava

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Vibrava

Sun/Moon:
Evolve Vibrava

Animé Appearences

Flygon has made a fair few appearances in the anime. Most notably, one was used by Drew during his Pokémon Contest challenges

# -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics
M6 Jirachi - Wish Maker The Wishing Star of Seven Nights - Jirachi Pics
336 Delcatty Got Your Tongue! Skitty & Delcatty! Enter the Legendary Pokémon Co-Ordinator! Pics
400 Rhapsody In Drew Decisive Battle! Grand Festival! (3)! Pics
416 On Cloud Arcanine Rival Confrontation! VS Arcanine! Pics
451 Going for Choke! May VS Jessie! The Final Contest! Pics
457 Thinning the Hoard May VS Harley! Double Battle On Stage!! Pics
458 Channeling the Battle Zone May VS Drew! The Final Battle! Pics
M13 Zoroark - Master of Illusions Phantom Champion Zoroark Pics
849 The Clumsy Crier Quiets the Chaos! The Clumsy Wigglytuff VS the Rampaging Salamence! Pics
1004 A Mission of Ultra Urgency! Set Off! You Are Our Ultra Guardians!! Pics
1012 Rise and Shine, Starship! Shine On, Starship Celesteela! Pics
1021 Twirling with a Bang! Ultra Beast Clash! Operation: Boom Boom Crackle!! Pics
1026 Dummy, You Shrunk the Kids! Ash Becomes Tiny Pics
1028 The Long Vault Home! Leap 'n' Climb: Stakataka! Pics
1029 I Choose Paradise! I Choose Here! The Pokémon Steam Paradise!! Pics
1030 Filling the Light with Darkness! Crisis in Alola! The Darkness that Eats Radiance!! Pics
1031 Full Moon and Many Arms! Lunala VS UB: BLACK! A Battle at Full Moon!! Pics
1032 The Prism Between Light and Darkness! A Prism of Light and Darkness: Its name is Necrozma! Pics
1033 Securing the Future! Connect to the Future! The Legend of the Blinding One!! Pics
1038 Sparking Confusion! Wela Volcano: The Golem, the Graveler and the Hikers! Pics
1046 Heart of Fire! Heart of Stone! A Passionate Heart That Smashes Even Rocks! Olivia and Brock!! Pics
1057 Beauty is Only Crystal Deep! Beauty and the Meowth Pics
1067 Living on the Cutting Edge! Perfect Sharpness! Kartana has Arrived! Pics
1083 Z-Move Showdown! Guzzlord Attacks! Decisive Z-Move Battle!! Pics
1087 From Z to Shining Z! The Greatest Z in Alola! Tapu Koko VS Pikachu! Pics
1089 Thank You, Alola! The Journey Continues! Thank You, Alola! Respective Departures!! Pics
1094 Mind-Boggling Dynamax! Snorlax Grows Gigantic?! The Mystery of Dynamax!! Pics
1125 Making Battles in the Sand! Crawl Out of the Sand Tomb, Ash and Goh! Pics
1129 A Crackling Raid Battle! VS Zapdos! Legendary Raid Battle Pics
1134 Sword and Shield: The Legends Awaken! Sword & Shield IV: Ultimate Sword & Shield Pics
M22 Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle Pokémon: Koko  
1139 A Pinch of This, a Pinch of That! Galar Fossils! Stick 'em Together!! Pics
1143 Sobble Spies a Stealthy Strategy! Sobble In Possible Pics
1160 Leaping Towards the Dream! Let's Go! Project Mew!! Pics
1173 An Adventure of Mega Proportions! The Lucarionite! Adventure on Mega Island!! Pics
1179 Showdown at the Gates of Warp! Dialga & Palkia! The Decisive Space-time Battle!! Pics
1182 It's all in the Name! Your Name is Francois Pics
1183 Suffering the Flings and Arrows! The Heracross Loss and the Pinsir in Love Pics
1198 Aim for the Eight! VS Raihan! A Fight with Masters Eight on the Line!! Pics
1202 Chasing to the Finish! Last Mission! Get Regieleki & Regidrago!! Pics
1224 Heroes Unite! Pokémon! I Am Glad I Got To Meet You Pics
1225 These Could be the Start of Something Big! Ash and Goh! Setting Off Anew!! Pics
1 The Pendant That Starts It All: Part One The Pendant It All Started With! (Part 1) Pics
25 TBC Rivals in the Moonless Night Pics