Salamence

Salamence is a very versatile defensive and offensive presence. Its typing, natural bulk, and Intimidate allow it to check common threats such as Excadrill, Zarude, Scizor, and Conkeldurr. It's also a solid Defogger, matching up well against entry hazard setters such as Excadrill, Skarmory, and Cobalion. Salamence can utilize its solid Special Attack, decent Speed tier, and powerful moves like Hurricane and Draco Meteor as a strong special attacker, or it can sweep teams with Dragon Dance and Moxie. That, coupled with coverage in Flamethrower and Earthquake, makes Salamence difficult to predict and revenge kill. However, its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots means Salamence does not appreciate Knock Off from Pokemon it’s supposed to check, such as Tangrowth and Scizor. Bulky Fairy-types like Hatterene and Primarina can easily take a hit and KO Salamence, while many other threats like Keldeo, Gyarados, and Nidoking carry Ice-type coverage. Offensive threats such as Thundurus-T and Nihilego outspeed it, and Dragon Dance sets are also vulnerable to revenge killers with priority such as Mamoswine and Lycanroc-D. Salamence also faces fierce competition from Hydreigon; Hydreigon's higher Special Attack stat alongside Dark-type STAB moves lets it better deal with popular defensive stalwarts such as Slowking, and it has greater item versatility by virtue of its neutrality to Stealth Rock. However, Salamence has a far better matchup against Pokemon such as Conkeldurr and Scizor, and it's able to outspeed and revenge kill opposing Hydreigon.