As the resident pseudo-legendary of the Unova region, Hydreigon is not only cool looking but one of Generation 5’s strongest Pokémon. Unsurprisingly, it’s become a viable partner for Pokémon Go players, be it competitively or for taking part in raids. If you want to succeed in battles with your own Hydreigon, you need the best moveset for it.
Described as the Brutal Pokémon, Hydreigon is a Dark/Dragon type, and typically can’t be caught in the wild. If you’ve yet to obtain one for yourself, you’ll need to catch a Deino and feed it enough Candy to evolve it into Zweilous and then Hydreigon.
Best moves for Hydreigon in Pokémon Go
Like with most other Pokémon in Pokémon Go, Hydreigon has a small list of moves to work with, so it’s easy to experiment and see which work best. However, we believe the two best moves to use are Bite, for its Fast Attack, and Brutal Swing, for its Charged Attack. Both are Dark type attacks, which limits Hydreigon’s coverage, but they also benefit from STAB (same type attack bonus), ensuring they’ll do extra damage even against opponents that aren’t weak to Dark attacks.
Alternatively, Dragon Breath is a suitable replacement to Bite if you prefer since both attacks have the exact same stats and STAB benefits, but the former is only super effective against other Dragon types.
The one problem, however, is that Brutal Swing isn’t a move Hydreigon can learn naturally. It’s an exclusive move that can only be taught to Hydreigon during certain events. Those events were, at the time of writing, the June 2022 Community Day, the December 2022 Community Day, and the December 2023 Community Day.
Dedicated players will already have a Hydreigon with Brutal Swing, but if you’re a newcomer, there’s unfortunately no other way to teach Brutal Swing to your own Hydreigon. It’s a shame since Brutal Swing is easily Hydreigon’s best Charged Attack. Although its base damage is weaker than its other Charged Attacks, it enjoys STAB and has a low energy cost in both PvE and PvP.
It’s recommended you keep an eye on any and all future Pokémon Go Community Day events, since they could provide an opportunity to gain Brutal Swing. Until then, your next best option is either Dark Pulse or Dragon Pulse since these can benefit from STAB too. You can unlock a second Charged Attack slot, but it requires 75,000 Stardust and 75 Candies. It’s well worth the price, though, since you can then equip your Hydreigon with both Dark Pulse and Dragon Pulse for better coverage. If you do have/get Brutal Swing, you can then pair it with Bite and Dragon Pulse, so you have two Dark type attacks and a Dragon type attack.
