Dratini
Quality Control 2/2 [Crux, Aerrow]
Grammar Prose 2/2 [Fatecrashers, Zystral]
[Overview]
<p>Dratini is still a great Pokemon in Little Cup. Not too much has changed for it in the new generation; Dratini still has access to a great priority move in the form of ExtremeSpeed and is still an incredible force with its many great moves and options. When you add in its great abilities, such as Shed Skin and Marvel Scale, you have a great sweeper who can can either run a physical set or mixed set.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Waterfall / Fire Blast
move 4: ExtremeSpeed
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Shed Skin
nature: Adamant / Jolly / Naughty
evs: 244 Atk / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
ivs: 0 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The bread and butter of any Dragon-type Pokemon is access to Dragon Dance. The idea is to get a boost from Dragon Dance and wreak havoc with Dratini's excellent movepool. Life Orb will maximize the damage Dratini is doing, where as Eviolite helps ensure Dratini is getting at least one boost safely. Outrage is Dratini's main attacking move. ExtremeSpeed is an excellent priority move that keeps Dratini from being easily picked off by revenge killers. The choice between Waterfall and Fire Blast is the main concern, as they both provide good coverage. Waterfall will be doing more damage whereas Fire Blast lets you pummel through opposing Ferroseed and other Steel-type Pokemon. A 0 HP IV is optimal in providing you with minimal recoil from Life Orb.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Fire Blast is the recommended option due to the abundance of Ferroseed in Little Cup, as it will otherwise wall you if you decide to use Waterfall. Magnemite makes a good partner to Dratini as it can capture and remove Steel-type Pokemon for Dratini to be able to sweep through the opponent's team more efficiently. Stealth Rock and Spikes can be very useful in turning some of Dratini's attacks into OHKOs. Pokemon such as Dwebble can set these up. Wynaut with Encore can help open up opportunities for Dratini to safely acquire a Dragon Dance. When using an Adamant nature Dratini hits a very respectable 17 Attack stat using 244 EVs. This makes Adamant an attractive choice as you plan to boost Dratini's Speed through Dragon Dance anyway.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Outrage / Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Substitute / Draco Meteor
move 4: ExtremeSpeed
item: Life Orb
ability: Shed Skin
nature: Naughty
EVs: 244 Atk / 116 SpA / 116 Spe
IVs: 0 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mixed Dratini is a great choice for breaking down walls. Dratini's STAB Dragon-type move followed by a coverage move with a boost from Life Orb can take out a large majority of Pokemon, making Dratini very difficult to switch into. ExtremeSpeed gives you reliable priority to pick off your opponent's weakened Pokemon. The 0 HP IV lets Dratini get the most out of Life Orb as it reduces recoil to a meager 1 HP loss per use. You can opt for two Dragon-type moves instead of Substitute, as it allows Dratini to hit extra hard from both the physical and special sides. Fire Blast gives you great coverage along with Dragon-type STAB. Once the opponent's Steel-type Pokemon is removed, Draco Meteor and Outrage can hammer anything whilst keeping the pressure at a maximum.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread allows Dratini to deal plenty of damage from both of its attacking stats. Shed Skin helps keep Dratini protected from status. Outrage deals a lot of damage but leaves you open to being revenge killed. Draco Meteor hits really hard, but Dratini may have to switch out after the attack, which may allow your opponent to set up. If you opt for both, it will leave your opponent less opportunity to set up, but Dratini will be easier to revenge and more open to taking hits without the protection from Substitute.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Dratini has access to other moves, such as Dragon Rush, although with poor accuracy it is advised to stick with Outrage. Other special attacking options include Surf and Ice Beam. Both of these moves can take out Gligar, but Gligar usually doesn't switch into Dratini due to the fact that it is 2HKOed by Outrage on the Dragon Dance set and Draco Meteor from the mixed set. Dratini also can use Thunderbolt, although it has a hard time finding a move slot as Thunderbolt doesn't offer much coverage Dratini doesn't already have. Thunder Wave and Toxic are nice support options. Utilizing Shed Skin to remove Sleep from Dratini after using Rest is viable, but unreliable.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Dratini can be difficult to counter due to its unpredictability. Ferroseed is normally a reliable switch in for the Dragon Dance set, but it needs to be wary of Dratini carrying Fire Blast. Faster Pokemon with an Ice- or Dragon-type move can easily revenge kill Dratini. Steel-type Pokemon can switch in on an Outrage and beat Dratini. A bulky Pokemon with Eviolite that can survive a boosted move from Dratini is the best way to handle it without worry of losing your Steel-type Pokemon to a potential Fire Blast.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Marvel Scale is Dratini's Dream World ability. While it makes Dratini a very reliable tank and allows Dratini to safely take a super effective attack and OHKO back threats to your team, it is difficult to utilize and activate reliably outside of Rest.</p>
