Koraidon, the Paradox Pokémon. This seems to be the Winged King mentioned in an old expedition journal. It was said to have split the land with its bare fists. This Pokémon resembles Cyclizar, but it is far burlier and more ferocious. Nothing is known about its ecology or other features.
Overview
Each generation introduces power creep, with new Pokémon pushing the envelope to higher heights than ever before, and few Pokémon encapsulate this better than Koraidon itself. Orichalcum Pulse is an absurd ability, combining both Drought and a slightly weaker pre-nerf Intrepid Sword into one. Both abilities on their own guarantee play for the Pokémon that have them, and in turn enable Koraidon as both immeasurable offense and team support. Koraidon can make great use of the power boost from Orichalcum Pulse as well; Dragon and Fighting are Fantastic STABs having wide neutral and Super Effective coverage respectively, and what isn’t covered by its STABs is instead covered by Koraidon’s movepool, giving it answers to all the Fairies that resist both. Base 135 Speed is insane, and STAB Scale Shot all but guarantees Koraidon is impossible to outspeed after a single use. Add in better raw bulk than Tyranitar, and Koraidon has it all.
No Pokémon is perfect, and that rings true for Koraidon as well. Base 135 Speed is a very crowded speed tier this generation, shared by dangerous Pokémon like Chien-Pao, opposing Koraidon, and Flutter Mane, all of whom can OHKO Koraidon with ease. Flutter Mane is especially distressing, given that its Protosynthesis is triggered by Koraidon’s Sun, enabling it to outspeed Koraidon. Koraidon’s Speed also falls short of many Choice Scarf attackers like Kyogre. This is especially distressing given Koraidon’s predilection for Scale Shot and Flare Blitz, common weaknesses, and exposure to hazards making it easy to chip down into KO range. Koraidon’s power is also reliant on the Sun, as out of the Sun, Koraidon’s Base 135 Attack starts missing KOs on many targets Koraidon desperately needs to OHKO. Even with these mitigating factors, our sandwich loving ride stands king among its peers.
Positives
Base 135 Attack fueled by Orichalcum Pulse is insane, hitting far harder than expected and ensuring Koraidon is almost never passive.
Dragon Fighting is impressive offensively, having wide Super Effective and neutral coverage, with Koraidon’s movepool easily covering the gaps.
Base 135 Speed is ludicrous, outspeeding most Pokémon already, and Koraidon can easily boost further with Scale Shot.
Orichalcum Pulse setting Sun is fantastic for disrupting Pokémon like Kyogre, and enabling partners like Flutter Mane.
Negatives
Dragon Fighting offers exploitable Dragon, Fairy and Ice weaknesses in an environment known to be laden with Dragon types.br />
Good bulk is belied by the recoil and defense dropping of Flare Blitz and Scale Shot, and general exposure to hazards.br />
Speed ties with many important threats make it a coin toss on whether or not you can get use out of Koraidon or have it prematurely eliminated.
Movesets
Scale Rider
-Scale Shot
-Swords Dance
-Low Kick
-Flare Blitz
Ability: Orichalcum Pulse
Item: Loaded Dice
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Koraidon’s game ending Double Dance set takes advantage of Scale Shot and Swords Dance alike for Koraidon to bowl over anything in its path. Scale Shot is an amazing Dragon STAB and setup in one move, enabling Koraidon to apply pressure even while setting up, and outspeed many of its checks after a single use. Swords Dance is great against more defensive teams, enabling Koraidon to muscle past opposing walls. Low Kick is the preferred Fighting STAB attack given the many insanely heavy Legendary Pokémon that take massive damage from Low Kick, as well as threatening Arceus, dissuading it from switching in freely. Flare Blitz is a pseudo third STAB, bolstered naturally by Sun, and hits Fairy types like Flutter Mane, Zacian Crowned and Arceus Fairy incredibly hard, even without being super effective.
Scale Shot Koraidon excels in the mid-to-late game, outright sweeping if its checks have been removed, or softening up targets to enable one of Koraidon’s partners to clean up.
Tera Types:
Tera Fire is the Tera Type of choice for Koraidon, providing vital resistances to Fairy and Ice attacks, immunity to Burn and turning the tables on most Fairy type switch-ins. Pseudo STAB Sun boosted Flare Blitz hits incredibly hard, easily 2HKOing even defensive Arceus Fairy. Tera Ghost is another excellent defensive option, preventing Koraidon from being revenge KO'd by Extreme Speed Arceus after setting up Scale Shot. Tera Steel is a niche option, giving resistances to Dragon, Ice, Fairy and Extreme Speed, as well as boosting Iron Head, but the power drop from Flare Blitz compared to Iron Head and the weaknesses to Ground is especially painful given the popularity of high Defense Ground types like Groudon and Landorus-Therian.
EVs and Items:
Standard Sweeper array of Max Attack and Speed to get the most out of both Scale Shot and Swords Dance. Considering Koraidon’s speed tie situation, it is extremely hard to justify anything less than max speed. Loaded Dice is strongly recommended, turning Scale Shot into an effective base 100 STAB attack, making it much more spammable than without. Life Orb is a tantalizing option given the power boost it provides, enabling OHKOs on Miraidon and Kyogre with Low Kick, as well as narrowing safe Terastalization options against Koraidon, but the Life Orb chip adds up incredibly quickly alongside Flare Blitz Recoil, entry hazards and Scale Shot’s Defense drops.
Partners:
Fairy types are a massive problem for this set given that they can block Scale Shot setup. As such, Zacian Crowned is a great partner, able to switch into a Fairy type that soaked the Scale Shot, and threaten them out with Behemoth Blade. Zacian’s immediate power is also fantastic for softening up physical walls that are called upon to handle both Zacian and Koraidon, weakening them for a future sweep.
Flutter Mane is an incredible partner for Koraidon regardless of set, loving the Sun that triggers its Protosynthesis. Flutter Mane’s typing is also ideal, enabling it to pivot into Arceus' Extreme Speed and opposing Dragon attacks without issue and threaten them out with Will-O-Wisp and Fairy STAB respectively.
Kyogre also works wonderfully with Koraidon. Despite the opposing weather, Kyogre’s complimentary offense is incredible for pushing through physically defensive Pokémon that Koraidon would need to Swords Dance to break through, like Groudon, Skeledirge, and Landorus-Therian. In turn, Koraidon easily dispatches special sponges like Clodsire and Blissey that give Kyogre some trouble.
Other Options:
Iron Head is a direct answer to Fairy and Tera Fairy targets, and synergizes well with Tera Steel, but struggles to outdamage Flare Blitz in the sun.
Taunt is potent disruption against more passive Pokémon like the various Arceus forms, preventing them from setting up Spikes, Calm Mind, etc.
Bulk Up, while lacking the immediate power of Swords Dance, offers a Defense buff that makes Koraidon significantly less susceptible to Arceus’ Extreme Speed./>
Poltergeist -if Last Respects isn't available, then this is Koraidon's best Ghost STAB.
Proto Rider
-Dragon Claw
-Low Kick
-Flare Blitz
-U-Turn
Ability: Orichalcum Pulse
Item: Choice Scarf
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Scarf Koraidon is a vicious revenge-killer, taking advantage of its insanely high base Speed to get ahead of the competition and grab easy KOs thanks to its wide coverage. Dragon Claw is an immensely important STAB given the many Dragons (Miraidon, Rayquaza, Giratina, Eternatus, other Koraidon) that Koraidon must contend with, nabbing revenge KOs at incredibly high percentages of Health. Low Kick is another great STAB option, hitting the many heavyweights of the tier, like Arceus, Kyogre, and Ting-Lu. Flare Blitz is a pseudo third STAB, obliterating Zacian Crowned and Calyrex Ice Rider, while hitting many targets hard for neutral damage regardless of weight. U-Turn rounds out the set as a great pivoting tool, countering predicted switches or Terastalizations with a pivot and chip damage to maintain momentum.
Tera Types:
Tera Fire is the gold standard once again, with Fire giving invaluable resistances to Fairy and Ice, immunity to burns, neutrality to other weaknesses, and boosting Flare Blitz into a lethal clean-up tool. Ghost provides good insurance against Extreme Speed Arceus, and most Dark types are loathe to handle Koraidon due to its Fighting STAB. Otherwise, Tera Fighting and Tera Dragon are standard offensive fallback options, giving boosts to its STABs to reach KOs on targets otherwise out of range.
EVs and Items:
Standard attacker’s array of max Speed and max Attack is recommended. You need as much Attack as possible to reach KOs with the largest margin, and Koraidon’s crowded Speed tier necessitates investing in as much Speed as possible. If Koraidon can run Choice Scarf, so can they, so beating, or at least tying, them in Speed is important. Choice Scarf is the namesake of this set, but Choice Band is a viable option to change Koraidon from revenge killer to wallbreaker.
Partners:
Miraidon’s pure power makes a great compliment to the speedy revenge killing Scarf Koraidon provides, punching holes that Koraidon can capitalize on later to clean up. The shared weaknesses the two Pokémon have is unfortunate, as they otherwise form an impressive VoltTurn duo, easily pivoting out of danger and chipping the opposing team while maintaining momentum.
Steel types like Zacian Crowned make for prime U-Turn targets, able to pivot into opposing Fairy, Ice and Dragon attacks while threatening Fairies with STAB. Zacian Crowned in turn enjoys Koraidon’s clean up duties for finishing off targets it failed to KO.
Hazard setters like Clodsire and Ting-Lu are vital partners for Scarf Koraidon; the Spikes and Stealth Rock they lay is invaluable in helping Koraidon reach KOs it would otherwise miss. Clodsire stands out especially for being able to pivot into non-Specs Miraidon and threaten with Earthquake.
Banded Koraidon loves Sticky Web support from Ribombee to resolve speed tie issues with other Koraidon, Miraidon and to a lesser extent Flutter Mane, giving Banded Koraidon more utility against offensive teams.
Other Options:
Collision Course is a stronger option against Arceus and Ting-Lu as well as being more consistent than Low Kick, but the high weights of most Uber Pokémon ensure that Low Kick outdamages Collision Course more often than not.
Close Combat is another Fighting STAB option, with a guaranteed base 120 power, but the defense dropping aspect can be painful when Koraidon is forced to take a hit.
Outrage is a powerful option that confirms a KO against healthy Eternatus, while being a guaranteed 2HKO against Giratina, but extremely punishable by a Fairy switch in.
Doubles and VGC Options
While Koraidon is currently not legal in VGC at the time of this writing, it would be a disservice not to speak on its incredible potential in a Doubles format. Weather based abilities are always more powerful in Doubles formats, and Scarlet and Violet introducing a plethora of Paradox Pokémon that thrive in the Sun means that it is stronger than ever before. On top of this, Koraidon’s blistering Speed and power all but ensures that it will be a defining force when it is allowed in VGC. However, the Speed tie issues it has with Miraidon and Chien-Pao are sure to be exacerbated, with multiple Pokémon with the same Speed meaning no one knows who is going to go first, and putting Speed control at a premium.
Ancient King
-Breaking Swipe
-Drain Punch
-Flare Blitz
-U-Turn
Ability: Orichalcum Pulse
Item: Assault Vest
Tera Type: Fire/Steel
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Assault Vest Koraidon combines the best of offense and defense, being a reliable pivot for its team while providing incredible damage and enabling a bevy of Sun users, while the added bulk from Assault Vest ensures Koraidon sticks around to help reestablish Sun. Breaking Swipe synergizes beautifully with Assault Vest, giving Koraidon a pseudo Intimidate that does appreciable damage given its high Attack and STAB. Drain Punch is equally vital for keeping Koraidon around longer, providing invaluable recovery and alternative STAB. Flare Blitz is effectively a third STAB thanks to the Sun Boost and is Koraidon's main form of offense, especially when terastalizing into Fire, as well as obliterating most Fairy types that can handle Koraidon's STABs. U-Turn is fantastic for pivoting, allowing Koraidon to counter predicted switches while doing decent damage to Psychic types like Cresselia and Indeedee.
Other Options & Partners:
Venusaur is the de facto best Chlorophyll user and is great for any sun setting partner, offering fast Sleep Powders, and Poison STAB for Fairy/Tera Fairy opponents that may threaten Koraidon.
Flutter Mane is another pre-eminent sun user greatly appreciating Koraidon opening up its item slot and offers significant pressure against opposing Koraidon and Miraidon in turn with its Fairy STABs
Groudon is the other key Sun Setter, Groudon loves Koraidon threatening Kyogre, and having both makes it very difficult for opponents to overwrite your weather.
Dragon Claw -doesn't offer the utility and spread of Breaking Swipe, but it does OHKO Miraidon.
Loaded Dice + Scale Shot -incredible STAB that boosts Koraidon's Speed.
Close Combat -Fighting STAB that can OHKO Miraidon if using Life Orb.
Swords Dance -counteracts Intimidate, and turns Koraidon into a threat that can't be ignored.
Protect -the best attack in Doubles, and great on any set not using Assault Vest.
Countering Koraidon
Fairy types are an obvious Achilles heel for Koraidon, resisting and being immune to Fighting and Dragon STAB respectively, and having a four times weakness to exploit when attacking. Being able to nullify setup with Scale Shot or immediately end Outrage by simply switching in further improves their matchup. Flutter Mane is especially problematic given that it is outright immune to both STABs, and Orichalcum Pulse triggering Protosynthesis ensures that speedy Flutter Mane will outspeed unboosted Koraidon. However, it is physically frail and cannot stomach Flare Blitz or Iron Head. Zacian Crowned naturally outspeeds Koraidon and can easily OHKO with Play Rough, but it too cannot endure a Flare Blitz. Arceus Fairy has the sheer bulk to tank an unboosted Flare Blitzes and OHKO back. It is important that Terastalization is used up before Koraidon hits the field as Koraidon will often have a Terastalization to answer opposing Fairy types.
Outside of Fairy types, checking Koraidon defensively is tricky given the wide coverage its STABs and Flare Blitz provide. Defensive Landorus Therian does well against unboosted Koraidon, only getting 3HKO'd by Flare Blitz at worst, and Rocky Helmet can wear down Koraidon quickly, while Intimidate blunts the damage Koraidon does. Skeledirge and Groudon also have the sheer bulk to avoid being 2HKO'd and can cripple with Will-O-Wisp, with the former doing well even against Swords Dance sets, though Banded Outrage can 2HKO. Toxapex is also notable for having the sheer bulk to survive a Swords Dance boosted Scale Shot and wipe away the boosts with Haze, though Choice Band Outrage cleanly 2HKOs.
Disrupting Koraidon’s Sun also goes a long way in reducing its threat level as its lower Attack is very much apparent when not boosted by Orichalcum Pulse. Kyogre, however, struggles to check Koraidon normally, with Low Kick easily 2HKOing even in Rain. Tera Fairy Kyogre walls Koraidon in the rain save for the rare Iron Head.
Offensive checks are a bit varied. Miraidon speed ties with Koraidon, so Scarf variants will outspeed unboosted Koraidon and easily KO with their Dragon STAB, but some chip damage is needed to KO with Draco Meteor if Koraidon terastalizes. Iron Bundle naturally outspeeds and all but KOs Koraidon with Ice Beam. Scarf Rayquaza also reliably OHKOs Koraidon with Dragon Ascent and can clean up a severely damaged Koraidon with Extreme Speed Arceus is likely the best answer to the Scale Shot set post setup, able to KO Koraidon if it is at half health.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Not in game
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Not in game
Black/White:
Not in game
Black 2/White 2:
Not in game
X/Y:
Not in game
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Not in game
Sun/Moon:
Not in game
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Not in game
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Not in game
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Not in game
Legends: Arceus:
Not in game
Scarlet/Violet:
Poco Path, Area Zero
Anime Appearences
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Koraidon has yet to make an appearance in the anime
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