Naganadel, the Poison Pin Pokémon. It stores hundreds of liters of poisonous liquid inside its body. It is one of the organisms known as Ultra Beasts. One kind of Ultra Beast, it fires a glowing, venomous liquid from its needles. This liquid is also immensely adhesive.
Overview
Naganadel, one of the famed Ultra Beats introduced in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon has had a bit of a fall from grace. The loss of Z-Moves has hurt Naganadel immensely, now no longer having a reliable out to dedicated special walls like Blissey and Heatran as well as lacking a reliable way to proc an easy Beast Boost. Additionally, the introduction of Eternatus has given Naganadel some serious competition in its niche, as Eternatus has comparable Speed and Attack and far superior defenses while possessing the same excellent typing + Flamethrower coverage and fits on a wide variety of teams.
Naganadel is not without its merits however. Its ability to snowball out of control is unparalleled. Beast Boost is flexible in whether it can boost Speed or Special Attack, and natural access to Nasty Plot means it is not left wanting for either speed or power. STAB Max Ooze synergizes beautifully with Beast Boost, giving Naganadel a Special Dragon Dance if it scores a KO with Max Ooze. As alluded to before, Poison Dragon STAB + Flamethrower is nearly unresisted, so once Naganadel snowballs, there is very little that can stop it.
Positives
Excellent STAB combination and coverage nearly hitting everything in the game for at least neutral damage.
Impressive Base 127 Special Attack and access to numerous boosting options ensures Naganadel hits hard.
Base 127 Speed is already very difficult to outspeed even before considering potential Beast Boosts.
Negatives
Below Average 78 defenses across the board means Naganadel struggles to take hits
Common weaknesses
Outclassed in most ways by Eternatus
Movesets
Vespa Draco
-Nasty Plot
-Sludge Wave
-Draco Meteor
-Flamethrower
Item Attached: Focus Sash
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Naganadel makes its name as a setup sweeper that goes out of control quickly, ideally used once an opponent’s special walls have been weakened or knocked out. One Nasty Plot brings its already high Special Attack to blistering heights, and with Beast Boost escalating Naganadel’s Speed, it can get out of hand very quickly. Draco Meteor has immense power and wide neutral coverage -while the Accuracy is less than ideal and the Special Attack Drop is unfortunate, this punches holes in all but the bulkiest targets. Sludge Wave compliments Draco Meteor as the spammable STAB of choice, having perfect accuracy and covers Fairy types that otherwise blank Draco Meteor. Flamethrower rounds out the set, giving Nagandel a reliable answer to Steel types that otherwise resist both its STABs.
DYNAMAX:
Naganadel loves Dynamaxing. The bulk Boost is greatly appreciated, and thanks to Max Ooze, Naganadel can immediately go for the sweep without needing to setup with Nasty Plot, with a KO from Max Ooze acting as a Special Dragon Dance for Naganadel thanks to Beast Boost. What is even more important is that Dynamax fixes the issues with Draco Meteor, removing its imperfect accuracy and Special Attack drops, so Naganadel doesn’t need to setup again or switch out if forced to Draco Meteor.
EVs and Items:
Standard Sweeper array of Max Speed and Special attack to get the most out of Naganadel’s boosting. Nature is especially important here -Naganadel’s Speed and Special Attack have the same base stat, so Nature is extremely determinative in what stat gets boosted by Beast Boost. Naganadel’s speed boosting options are limited and not as versatile as its Special Attack boosting options, so a Speed boosting Nature is preferred in nearly every instance. Focus Sash ensures that Naganadel lives to setup a Nasty Plot, though Life Orb can give it more power and Lum Berry is an effective buffer against Paralysis post setup.
Partners:
Ground types like Landorus Therian and Quagsire make great partners for Naganadel, answering problematic Steel types like Heatran and Zacian Crowned. Landorus Therian and Quagsire can both drop the attack of opposing targets via Intimidate or Scald, giving it more opportunities to setup. Ho-oh also fits most of the same benefits thanks to the high Burn chance Sacred Fire and access to Earthquake for Heatran.
Other Options:
Air Slash -Naganadel can go for a pure Dynamax set and use Max Airstream to boost its Speed instead of Beast Boost, allowing Naganadel to go for the extra power in Modest and Beast Boost its special attack instead.
Thunderbolt -Naganadel’s boost option against Heatran.
Choice Scarf -Another reason for Special Attack boosting Naganadel, Naganadel can turn into a terrifying revenge killer that escalates out of control thanks to Beast Boost.
U-Turn -Lackluster damage, but unparalleled for its ability to scout out switches.
Fire Blast -more damaging, but less accurate than Flamethrower
Countering Naganadel
Heatran is a big thorn in Naganadel’s side, being one of the few Pokémon that completely resists its STABs while not being bothered by Fire coverage and able to maim Naganadel with Earth Power.
Zacian Crowned Sword is another problematic Pokémon, being a Steel type that naturally outspeeds Naganadel and easily threatens the OHKO while Nagadel can only reach that with a boosted Fire Blast.
Blissey and Chansey just sit on Naganadel having more than enough bulk to take even boosted Dynamax attacks, though they are forced to chip away with Seismic Toss. Lugia and Ho-oh possess similar bulk, the former phazing out Naganadel with Whirlwind or Dragon Tail while that latter just outright OHKO’s with Earthquake or Brave Bird.
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:
Evolve Poipole
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Evolve Poipole
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Not in game
Legends: Arceus:
Not in game
Anime Appearences
