Trainers!
The mighty Rayquaza has finally gained mainstream relevance in the Master League meta! This is attributed to the introduction of a new charged move in its arsenal: Breaking Swipe.
The Dragon type move has finally given Rayquaza a definitive entry into PvP, particularly the Master League. Sure, Dragonite is still the better Dragon/ monster in this format due to its better bulk but that does not change the fact that Rayquaza is now a formidable threat. In fact, as highlighted by my colleague Teban54 in their brilliant article, Breaking Swipe may actually be better than Outrage in PvE!
So with Breaking Swipe being such a welcome move, it makes us wonder about the other Dragon types that can benefit from having Breaking Swipe. It is worth mentioning that Breaking Swipe would be a boon to nearly every Dragon type. But the purpose of this article is not to highlight Pokémon that would go bonkers with this move (take Dialga or Garchomp). Rather, the write-up would focus on dragons that really need Breaking Swipe to get better.
Before we start off with the lost, let’s check out Breaking Swipe first:
Breaking Swipe Stats
PvP
Power: 50
Energy: -35
Effect: Debuffs opponent’s ATK by 1 stage
PvE
Power: 35
Energy: -33
Cooldown: 0.80 sec
Comparison with Dragon Claw
PvP
When you look at the PvP stats, it is easy to see that Breaking Swipe is literally a Dragon Claw clone stat-wise. The only difference is the fact that Breaking Swipe is able to debuff the opponent’s ATK by -1. This clearly makes Breaking Swipe the winner here.
Dragon Claw is a very good move in itself but Breaking Swipe takes it a notch higher with the opponent’s ATK debuff. So even if your opponent shields, their ATK is going down. So it’s going to be easier for you to farm and/or survive longer till the opponent switches or is out of the bout. Huge W here for any mon that uses Breaking Swipe.
PvE
When you take the PvE side of things into account, it gets very interesting because Breaking Swipe and Dragon Claw aren’t clones here. But let’s see which one’s better, shall we?
For that, check out Dragon Claw’s PvE stats:
Power: 50
Energy: -33
Cooldown: 1.70 sec
At first glance, it looks like Dragon Claw is better. But wait… did you see the cooldown figures? Dragon Claw’s cooldown (1.70 sec) is more than twice that of Breaking Swipe’s (0.80 sec). So when you consider a raid battle where the clock is ticking, and DPS (Damage per second) is of utmost priority, we get the following:
DPS (Breaking Swipe) = 43.75
DPS (Dragon Claw) = 29.41
So once again, Breaking Swipe is clearly the better move. Another W here.
Breaking Swipe or Dragon Claw?
Well, we have our answer! Be it PvP or PvE, Breaking Swipe is better than Dragon Claw
Top 5 Dragons That Need Breaking Swipe
Now that we are all aware of Breaking Swipe’s shenanigans, here are the top Dragon types (in no particular order) that would go a long way with Breaking Swipe:
1. Haxorus
Even though I mentioned that the list does not have an order per se, it goes without saying that Haxorus is the first name that comes to mind when one talks about other dragons receiving Breaking Swipe.
Haxorus’ ATK stat is the same as Rayquaza’s at a staggering 284. Obviously, Ray is bulkier than Hax. But then again, Hax is pure Dragon and as such, Hax has a better type than Ray.
If Haxorus were to receive Breaking Swipe as its exclusive Community Day move, it would be excellent.
- In PvE, Breaking Swipe Haxorus would edge out the infamous Outrage Salamence! While it still wouldn’t reach the heights of Outrage or Breaking Swipe Rayquaza, Hax would definitely become one of the go-to Dragon types for raids.
- In PvP, Breaking Swipe Hax is lethal. It is already a dark horse in ML with its current moveset of Dragon Tail/Counter with Night Slash and Dragon Claw. With Breaking Swipe in the mix, Hax would appreciate lesser damage being inflicted upon it after the ATK debuff of the opponent. Plus, it would become dangerous if Hax is able to salvage both Night Slash’s ATK self-buff and Breaking Swipe’s opponent ATB debuff. Call it Breaking Sweep, y’all!
Dear Niantic, when it comes to Haxorus Community Day…
No Outrage 😡
No coverage move 😡
Breaking Swipe, please! 
2. Hydreigon
If Hydreigon can swing, why can’t it swipe?
Because it really needs to!
The Gen 5 pseudo legendary is a fearsome Pokémon that earned some respect in the meta after getting access to Brutal Swing. It is indeed a top-tier Dark type attacker in raids as well as the Master League.
But Hydreigon enthusiasts have a major issue. You see, the three-headed dragon doesn’t have a good second charged move to count on. In ML, Hydreigon suffers a lot due to this.
While Hydreigon isn’t touted to gain much in PvE due to the absence of Dragon Tail, it can do great in PvP with a reliable second charged move because the current ones are… erm, bad.
Flash Cannon? Fairies would chew it alive in the most charming way possible before Hydra can even think of using Flash Cannon. Fail Hydra!
Dragon Pulse? Oh please. The move has no pulse, it’s dead.
In fact, Hydreigon has an okayish win rate of around 40% with Brutal Swing and Flash Cannon in ML. With Breaking Swipe, the win rate shoots up to around 62%! And while it still won’t scratch the Fairy types, Hydreigon would have a complete end-to-end workable moveset. The ATK debuff it creates would work as a huge blessing for Hydreigon even in difficult matchups.
Hydreigon would justify its reputation with Breaking Swipe and become more of a threat in PvP.
3. Goodra
Some people say Goodra is good in the ML meta while some haven’t discovered its potential yet. Indeed, Goodra isn’t a bad Pokémon by any means and has potential. Goodra’s stats won’t let it make a mark in PvE but with a move like Breaking Swipe, it can actually draw more eyeballs.
You’ll be surprised to note that Goodra’s current ML win rate (with Muddy Water and Draco Meteor) is similar to that of Hydreigon with Brutal Swing. Breaking Swipe paired with Muddy Water is a legitimate headache. Add the fact that Goodra is the bulkiest pseudo legendary with mono-dragon typing, it is easy to see why the addition of Breaking Swipe would do it well. It is great to see your opponent’s ATK drop when you’re using a glassy mon like Haxorus. But the satisfaction of seeing the same when you use a bulky mon like Goodra is sublime!
Goodra will eventually have a Community Day and no one would complain about seeing Breaking Swipe as the exclusive move. In fact, it would actually end up being an event wherein the Pokémon would get more meta relevant across all leagues for that matter!
4. Palkia
Palkia is an extremely underrated Pokémon as it tends to live in the shadow of Dialga. But with Breaking Swipe, Palkia would make a niche for itself. See, Dialga doesn’t need Breaking Swipe because the Lord of Time would go super saiyan with that move. With Breaking Swipe, Dialga clocks a 93%+ win rate and it’s nearly unstoppable. So let’s focus on Palkia.
The Space Lord has an excellent typing of Water and Dragon that leaves it with only two weaknesses: Dragon and Fairy. Palkia can counter the dragons and with STAB Aqua Tail + high ATK of 280 (higher than Dialga), it can hit fairies quite hard. Moreover, Palkia is one of the few Dragon types to learn both Dragon Tail and Dragon Breath.
With Breaking Swipe, Palkia can dominate both PvP and PvE, making it a welcome mon to learn the move. In a nutshell, Dialga has always been regarded as the superior choice (which it technically is) but it’s high time (pun intended) to give Palkia a space (pun intended again) of its own with Breaking Swipe!
5. Salamence
Good ol’ Salamence is a wholesome PvE friend. But when it comes to PvP, it wears a dunce hat. You see, it has a 6.1% win rate against the ML meta. It can reliably beat Swampert and Mud Shot Groudon, and that’s about it.
But every dragon has its day. If Niantic lets it, obviously. Because if Salamence is equipped with the ‘fresh-as-hotcakes’ Breaking Swipe, it flies…. soars, actually…. to a win rate of 60.6%!! 😯
Salamence has good stats but it always lacked a worthy charged move for PvP when you consider that Dragon Tail is its only truly viable fast move. But that won’t matter when you give it Breaking Swipe. With this, Salamence starts getting wins against the likes of Girartina (both formes), Garchomp, Dragonite, Yveltal, Mewtwo, Mamoswine and Kyogre! Salemence would end up becoming a huge impact on the ML meta. Not to mention, it’s already a PvE beast. But Breaking Swipe would make Shadow Salamence deadlier than the Outrage counterpart. The prospects are amazing! Niantic just needs to make it happen.
6. Kommo-o
Kommo-o is a special case because unlike the dragons mentioned in this list, the Gen 7 pseudo legendary is already quite good in PvP. In fact, it’s viable in all three leagues. The addition of Breaking Swipe simply makes Kommo-o much better but the fighter dragon doesn’t need it direly. But nonetheless, the improvement is very appreciable and is worth the mention. So here we are!
Breaking Swipe is too good of a move in PvP as well as PvE to a certain degree! In PvP, it is a Dragon Claw clone in terms of stats but it also decreases the opponent’s ATK. This makes Breaking Swipe a clear upgrade over Dragon Claw for Kommo-o. In all three leagues, Breaking Swipes helps shoot up Kommo-o’s win rate appreciably and makes it a bigger threat (particularly in the Ultra League). Kommo-o has significant bulk and a move like Breaking Swipe would end up making the dragon a major problem to take out.
It is worth noting that Breaking Swipe Kommo-o can even beat the likes of:
- Dialga, Plakia, Metagross and Melmetal in ML
- Trevenant, Giratina (Altered), Dragon Breath Gyarados, Walrein, Charizard, Nidoqueen, Cofagrigus, Shadow Machamp, Aurorus and Umbreon in UL!!
- Alolan Marowak, Cofagrigus and Mandibuzz in GL
Conclusion
The fun of introducing a new move is giving it to more Pokémon. Breaking Swipe isn’t an exclusive move and loads of Dragon and non-Dragon Pokémon learn it. The move got a great intro in the game, making it available for the ever-popular Rayquaza while also making it viable in the Master League. Niantic can do the same for the dragons listed in this write-up and make the meta more enriching and fun.
For now, here’s hoping that Haxorus gets Breaking Swipe in its Community Day and others as part of a new GBL Season and corresponding move upgrades.
Until then, I wish you all get that amazing shiny Rayquaza with Breaking Swipe and have a great time with it.
Dracarys.
