Dragonite [battle spot singles]

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[OVERVIEW]

Dragonite faces stiff competition in Battle Spot Singles due to seemingly more powerful Dragon-types such as Mega Salamence, Garchomp, and Mega Charizard X running amok in the metagame. However, Dragonite has a few neat tricks up its sleeve that set it apart from these powerhouses; Multiscale gives it significant bulk when at full health, and it is the only Dragon-type with access to a priority move in Extreme Speed. Dragonite also has an expansive movepool, giving it coverage against almost anything that it wants to hit, which, when backed by its monstrous Attack and usable Special Attack, means that it can tailor its moveset to get past some of its common checks. Dragonite is also one of the best Choice Band users in the metagame, as the item gives immediate power to Outrage and Extreme Speed, allowing it to punch holes early or effectively clean up the opposing team. However, Dragonite hates status conditions, as they severely hinder its ability to sweep the opposing team; while a Lum Berry gives it a second chance when using the Dragon Dance set, the Choice Band set needs to look out for common Will-O-Wisp users such as Sableye, Gengar, Talonflame, and Rotom-W. Dragonite also has trouble fitting all the moves it needs onto one set, as its movepool is so large that it often has a hard time choosing exactly what it needs; this is especially true for the Dragon Dance set, which already has a moveslot taken up by Dragon Dance itself and needs to decide between great options such as Fire Punch, Roost, Substitute, and Iron Head. It is also quite hard to switch Dragonite into the battle, as taking damage nullifies Multiscale, and Dragonite is actually quite frail without it. Due to this, Dragonite should also be kept away from common Fake Out users such as Mega Lopunny, Weavile, Mega Medicham, and Mega Kangaskhan. Dragonite's 4x weakness to Ice-type moves is also easily exploitable, as those moves are very popular in the metagame to defeat popular threats such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence. Dragonite may seem like an underwhelming choice; however, because it doesn't require a Mega slot, it is able to set itself apart from Mega Salamence and Mega Charizard X and can fit on most teams very easily.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Punch
item: Lum Berry
ability: Multiscale
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Dragon Dance boosts Dragonite's Attack to monstrous levels and its Speed to a high enough level to outspeed threats such as Garchomp, Latios, Latias, Serperior, Raikou, and Greninja after only one boost. Outrage may seem too risky to lock into, but its monstrous power is well worth it. While Extreme Speed may seem redundant with Dragon Dance's Speed boosting capabilities, it allows Dragonite to go ahead of most other priority moves, most notably Ice Shard, meaning that Dragonite can pick off weakened users such as Mamoswine and Weavile instead of being KOed itself. It's also a great move in general and is great for picking something off if Dragonite hasn't yet boosted its Speed. Earthquake is the preferred coverage option, as it allows Dragonite to heavily damage the Steel-type Pokemon that resist Outrage, most notably Aegislash, Heatran, and Mawile. Fire Punch has the benefit of hitting Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Skarmory, but it leaves Dragonite walled by Heatran.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment is used to increase Dragonite's sweeping potential, and an Adamant nature boosts Dragonite's power even further. Jolly can be used instead to outspeed Mega Gengar at +1, but Dragonite appreciates the increase in power a lot more. A Lum Berry combines fantastically with Multiscale, practically guaranteeing Dragonite to boost with Dragon Dance at least once; it also cures the confusion inflicted by Outrage if it isn't used up before then. If you aren't worried about status conditions, you can try using a Weakness Policy instead. If Multiscale is intact, Dragonite can stomach most super effective hits and come out with a +3 in Attack if it boosts on the same turn, which will allow it to do devastatingly high amounts of damage to the foe.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Dragonite is one of the safest leads in the game, as it is very easy to grab a first-turn boost with Dragon Dance and then immediately go on the offensive. Against Fake Out leads such as Mega Lopunny or common status spammers such as Sableye and Thundurus, it is best to switch out to a teammate so that you can keep Multiscale and the Lum Berry intact. Despite being a fantastic lead, Dragonite can also function as a terrific cleaner, as it can pick off a weakened foe with Extreme Speed or take the opportunity to boost with Dragon Dance if the foe does not threaten it. While Dragonite may function exceptionally well at any time in a match, it desperately needs to keep its Multiscale active, as it isn't actually very bulky without it; accordingly, you need to be careful when switching, as taking unnecessary damage will void the Multiscale. For this reason, it is best to either lead with Dragonite or bring it in after a teammate has been KOed or with the aid of a slow Volt Switch or U-turn user. Once Dragonite is set up, you can start using Outrage for maximum damage against the foe. This is really only a risky play if the opponent has a Fairy-type Pokemon to switch to; if they don't, Dragonite is basically free to use Outrage. Earthquake should only be used if Dragonite is faced with a Steel-type that resists Outrage.

Team Options
========

Dragonite's most popular teammates are Hippowdon and Mega Lucario; these three are a very popular core amongst Japanese players. Hippowdon is used as a lead that can set up Stealth Rock to break opposing Focus Sashes, as well as put the foe to sleep with Yawn, and once Hippowdon has been KOed, you can bring in Dragonite at full health to set up a Dragon Dance. Mega Lucario is used to beat the Fairy- and Ice-type Pokemon that Dragonite has trouble with, and Dragonite helps against the Ground-types that Mega Lucario doesn't want to face. Dragonite can be paired with almost anything that takes care of opposing Fairy-, Ice-, and Dragon-types; these Pokemon include Suicune, Mawile, Metagross, Azumarill, Scizor, and Rotom-W. Notably, Mega Gengar can be used to trap and eliminate troublesome Fairy-type Pokemon for Dragonite. Porygon2 is a great bulky partner for Dragonite, being a great switch-in to Greninja, and provides valuable paralysis support with Thunder Wave, helping Dragonite against faster threats. Dragonite hates Stealth Rock, as it removes its Multiscale upon entering the field, so stopping it from being set up in the first place is the most feasible course of action. Mega Sableye is probably the best at doing this, as it can either make use of its non-Mega forme to quickly Taunt a foe trying to set up Stealth Rock or send it back onto their side of the field with Magic Bounce.


[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Multiscale
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Outrage is Dragonite's STAB move of choice, hitting for ridiculous amounts of power right from the get-go thanks to the Choice Band. Extreme Speed is what sets Dragonite apart from other Dragon-types, giving it a strong priority move with which to pick off faster threats. Earthquake hits troublesome Steel-types such as Heatran and Aegislash for super effective damage. Fire Punch rounds out Dragonite's coverage against Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Scizor. Iron Head or Iron Tail can be used over Fire Punch to hit Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Togekiss super effectively; however, it is usually best to just let a teammate deal with them.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment increases Dragonite's wallbreaking abilities as much as possible, and an Adamant nature is used to increase Dragonite's Attack even further. The Choice Band gives Dragonite immediate power equal to that of a Dragon Dance boost, allowing it to do large amounts of damage right away, such as OHKOing Thundurus, Mega Salamence (after Intimidate), maximum HP Mega Gengar, physically defensive Ferrothorn, physically defensive Mega Latias, and Mega Kangaskhan and 2HKOing physically defensive Zapdos, Cresselia, Suicune, Hippowdon, and Porygon2 lacking Trace.

While this EV spread is rather simple, it is possible to change Dragonite's EVs to be able to tank certain hits better at the cost of some power and speed. An alternative spread is 236 Atk / 212 SpD / 60 Spe. This allows Dragonite to still outspeed most Rotom-W and Suicune, as well as giving Dragonite a great chance at surviving Life Orb Greninja's Ice Beam as long as Multiscale is still active. Dropping the Attack EVs doesn't sacrifice too much power, as Dragonite can still OHKO Greninja and get the 2HKO on Rotom-W. However, Dragonite is usually better off leaving those Pokemon to its teammates, meaning you can stay with the original EV spread.

Usage Tips
========

Choice Band Dragonite acts as a great wallbreaker and late-game cleaner due to the immediate power of the Choice Band allowing it to easily finish weakened teams with Outrage and Extreme Speed. Because this Dragonite does not aim to spend a turn boosting, it is much easier to switch it into the battle without worrying about its Multiscale being broken; however, it still benefits greatly from having it intact to take on Pokemon such as Mega Salamence, Thundurus, Garchomp, Raikou, and Blaziken, so take this into account when switching. All of Dragonite's moves are easily exploitable by Pokemon that are immune to them, so be wary of any Fairy-, Ghost-, or Flying-type Pokemon or Levitate or Flash Fire users on the opponent's team, as they can easily use Dragonite for a free switch. Therefore, if you plan on sweeping with Choice Band Dragonite, it is of utmost important that you clear the field of any of these Pokemon before locking Dragonite into a certain move.

Team Options
========

Hippowdon and Mega Lucario are very popular teammates for Choice Band Dragonite. Hippowdon is used as a lead to set up Stealth Rock and put the foe to sleep with Yawn, and when it has been KOed, either Mega Lucario is brought in to set up with Swords Dance or Nasty Plot or Dragonite can come in to immediately start doing damage. If Mega Lucario is brought in after Hippowdon to set up, Dragonite acts as the cleaner with its powerful Extreme Speed, usually after Mega Lucario has been KOed itself so that Dragonite can maintain its Multiscale. Mega Lucario and Dragonite work brilliantly together, as Mega Lucario can effectively beat opposing Fairy-, Ice-, and Rock-type Pokemon for Dragonite, while Dragonite is immune to Ground-type moves and has a good matchup against Fire-type Pokemon. Choice Band Dragonite suffers from its average Speed stat, meaning that many faster Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X and Y, Serperior, and Mega Salamence can give it trouble. For this reason, paralysis support is really helpful, allowing Dragonite to go ahead of these Pokemon and pummel them with its powerful moves. Porygon2 is perhaps the best partner, as it is a great switch-in to these threats with its fantastic mixed bulk and ability to punish them with Thunder Wave. Serperior is also able to paralyze Ground-type Pokemon such as Garchomp and Landorus-T with Glare or just outright beat them with Leaf Storm. Choice Band Dragonite also benefits from teammates that can beat opposing Fairy-, Ice-, and Dragon-type Pokemon; good partners include Suicune, Mawile, Scizor, and Rotom-W.


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Dragon Dance Dragonite has a plethora of options; it can make use of Roost for recovery, Substitute or Safeguard to aid against status, and Superpower or Thunder Punch for coverage against Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Gyarados. The Dragon Dance set can be altered to use a Weakness Policy over Lum Berry and Agility over Dragon Dance. This set aims to quickly boost Dragonite's stats against a foe with a weaker super effective move, such as Mega Manectric with Hidden Power Ice, Serperior with Dragon Pulse, or Landorus-T with Rock Slide. However, relying on being hit with and surviving a super effective move to get the boost from the Weakness Policy is very risky. Dragonite can also make use of rain, either setting it up itself with Rain Dance or letting a teammate do it, as it has the perfect movepool for taking advantage of rain, with moves such as Hurricane, Thunder, Surf, and Waterfall; however, Dragonite absolutely needs rain to be set up in order for such a set to work, and keeping rain active is difficult. Dragon Claw and Dragon Rush are alternative STAB options to Outrage; however, the difference in power between Dragon Claw and Outrage is significant, and Dragon Rush's accuracy is quite unreliable. Dragonite can also use a Life Orb on either set, but it leaves the Dragon Dance set susceptible to status and is weaker than the Choice Band set. It also lowers Dragonite's health when an attack is used, which removes Multiscale if Dragonite is at full health.


Checks and Counters
===================

**Fairy-types**: Because Dragonite's main form of offense is Outrage, it should be wary of locking into it and having Pokemon such as Azumarill, Sylveon, and Togekiss come in for free and force Dragonite out.

**Ice-type Moves**: Even Multiscale can't save Dragonite from powerful moves such as Greninja's Ice Beam, Mamoswine's Icicle Spear, and Weavile's Fake Out + Icicle Crash combination. Even Kangaskhan can run Ice Punch and bypass Multiscale by hitting twice in the same turn.

**Removing Multiscale**: Dragonite actually isn't very bulky if it isn't at full health and can't make use of Multiscale. Stealth Rock users stop Dragonite from switching in freely, as they will break Multiscale upon entry. Fake Out users such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Lopunny, and Weavile can all break Multiscale and follow up with a KO with Ice Punch or, in Mega Kangaskhan's case, Double-Edge. U-turn and Volt Switch users can also break Dragonite's Multiscale while simultaneously switching to a counter.

**Status**: Dragonite is highly susceptible to status conditions, especially the Choice Band set, as it lacks the recovery of the Lum Berry. Will-O-Wisp users such as Sableye and Rotom-W can stop Dragonite from doing any significant damage, whereas Pokemon such as Thundurus, Klefki, and Liepard can inflict paralysis with Thunder Wave or even attempt to confuse Dragonite with Swagger.

**Physical Walls**: Defensive Pokemon with reliable recovery can outright stop Dragonite from doing much of anything; these include Suicune, Cresselia, Hippowdon, Skarmory, Slowbro, Quagsire, and Gliscor.

**Serperior**: While the Dragon Dance set is able to boost its Speed and beat Serperior, the Choice Band set is walled by physically defensive Serperior, which can set up Reflect and continue to heal with Synthesis until Dragonite succumbs to recoil from its Rocky Helmet.
 
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For hippowdon + mega lucario + dragonite, I've seen and used hippowdon with roar and stealth rock for chip damage as long as I can and special mega lucario to come in afterwards to make holes with dragon dance or choice band dragonite to usually clean up. Or I would wait for hippowdon's sand stream to be gone to deal blows with dragonite for mega lucario to clean. Either way, I much prefer choice band dragonite over dragon dance dragonite for this combination especially as a cleaner since I almost always use extremespeed only anyways.

edit: quick question, is running a physical steel type move for either sets worth it?
 
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ethan06

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Some QC as requested :]]

It might be useful to emphasise exactly what Dragonite has that sets it apart from the other Dragons in the format - it has very similar coverage to Garchomp but trade the neat speed tier and Ground typing for a different defensive ability, Dragon Dance, and Extreme Speed, whereas it also faces competition from Mega Salamence as a Dragon Dancer, once again trading higher stats and inferior neutral coverage for Extreme Speed. Other than that, you've covered everything that I know about Dragonite, the other QC members will probably have more to add but this looks solid enough for a first check


QC 1/3
 

Jibaku

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EVs shouldn't have max HP o_O

I feel like ExtremeSpeed shouldnt have a slash. It should just be its own slot because it's a huge reason why you're using Dragonite (else it's competing with Regular Salamence and that's already pretty bad). The sheer usage of the attack on the PGL site (97.3%) supports this.

  • Set up a DD asap, don't bother against status spammers, especially Pranksters like Thundurus, Klefki, Sableye, Liepard
This is really risky. Dragon Dancers by nature are late game cleaners. You also made a bullet point earlier about leading with this set. You can't ever combine the two points together (unless you're facing a really bad opponent because Dragonite isn't hard to stop if it Dragon Dances on turn 1).

May want to mention Weakness Policy on the DD set.

The Choice Band set makes a better lead.

Weavile uses Icicle Crash, not Ice Punch

Serperior is a risky check to Dragonite as +1 Fire Punch does quite a bit and it can shrug off a glare with Lum Berry.
 

cant say

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EVs shouldn't have max HP o_O

I feel like ExtremeSpeed shouldnt have a slash. It should just be its own slot because it's a huge reason why you're using Dragonite (else it's competing with Regular Salamence and that's already pretty bad). The sheer usage of the attack on the PGL site (97.3%) supports this.

This is really risky. Dragon Dancers by nature are late game cleaners. You also made a bullet point earlier about leading with this set. You can't ever combine the two points together (unless you're facing a really bad opponent because Dragonite isn't hard to stop if it Dragon Dances on turn 1).

May want to mention Weakness Policy on the DD set.

The Choice Band set makes a better lead.

Weavile uses Icicle Crash, not Ice Punch

Serperior is a risky check to Dragonite as +1 Fire Punch does quite a bit and it can shrug off a glare with Lum Berry.
lol whoops. I CPd my Serp analysis over as a template and changed everything to Dragonite. Looks like I forgot to change the EVs twice!

Removed the slash on Extreme Speed as I totally agree. I added it late as an option but wasn't sure on it myself (that's why we have QC haha).

OK this is where I disagree. Lum Berry Dragonite is one of the best leads in the game since it can DD against most things and start doing damage right after that, or go right on the offensive if you predict a switch and switch out to save your Multiscale and set up later (like you suggested), which is why I suggest to try and DD asap. I've never used Band as a lead nor seen one against me so I'm not sure if it is a better lead like you suggest. I think it works better as a cleaner when the opponents team is weakened enough so you can either click Extreme Speed to revenge something or use Outrage / appropriate coverage against slower terms. He's pretty slow so I don't see the draw of leading unless you just wanna punch holes early and die or whatever...

Yeah I agree with Serp. Upon doing calcs I've seen he can't switch into anything, the Band set 2HKO's even with the second hit being weakened by Reflect, and if he DDs on the switch then he outspeeds the Reflect set up and OHKO's with Outrage, so I'll remove him.

Implemented everything apart from the lead /cleaner statements until we discuss further..
 

Jibaku

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Have you considered a bulkier CBNite spread by any chance? It would make him a better check to Blaziken and Volcarona, and can survive Greninja's Ice Beam and Kangaskhan Ice Punch. The spreads seem to be all over the place for this, and there does not appear to be a standard for a CBNite spread in general, but they do speed creep Rotom-W/Suicune at minimum.

Thinking Choice Band should be moved up as the primary set and Dragon Dance as the secondary. Also its killer strength should be mentioned - CB Outrage 2HKOes 252/252+ Cresselia (and Hippowdon, Suicune, Traceless P2, etc. Basically anything that doesn't resist it) and has a great shot of OHKOing 0/0 Mega Kangaskhan.
 

cant say

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Jibaku I have, but like you said, landing on an EV spread is really tough. I think the most common amount of speed that Suicune runs is 60, meaning that Nite needs 108 to outspeed. If we wanna avoid speed creep issues then we can go with 60 to outspeed 4 speed Rotom-W (and obviously slower Suicunes). However:

can survive Greninja's Ice Beam
To do this, while also outspeeding min Rotom-W + Suicune, you need to dip into attack which looks like:

52 HP / 212 Atk / 4 Def / 180 SpD / 60 Spe

Which gives these calcs:
  • 252 SpA Life Orb Protean Greninja Ice Beam vs. 52 HP / 180 SpD Multiscale Dragonite: 143-172 (82.6 - 99.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  • 212+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-W: 117-138 (74.5 - 87.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery (can beat you if carrying both Sitrus and Wisp)
  • 212+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Suicune: 109-130 (52.6 - 62.8%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
  • 212+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 109-129 (50.6 - 60%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
These are all pretty good. Except now you rely on damage rolls to 2HKO Cres and P2, however these two can T-wave and spam Moonlight / Recover on you anyway so it's not worth trying to beat them with Nite imo
  • 212+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Cresselia: 108-127 (47.5 - 55.9%) -- 79.3% chance to 2HKO
  • 212+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Porygon2: 87-103 (45.3 - 53.6%) -- 41.4% chance to 2HKO
Is this a good spread? I don't really like taking from attack on a Choice Band set. We can leave it with max attack but surviving Gren's Ice Beam requires a lucky roll in your favor and requires more SpD than HP, meaning you lose some physical bulk...
 

Jibaku

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How about 236 Atk / 212 SpD / 60 Spe. Still gives you 100% survival on Greninja Ice Beam and doesn't take much away from your Attack. Alternatively you could risk some chance of getting OHKOed for a bit more Speed Creep (which is awkward since this is something people will do and it'd be an ideal move but we can't support it in analyses). Anyways, like I said, the spreads on bulky Dragonite vary according to the team's needs so don't worry too much about it (especially since 252 speed does outrun a number of relevant things). I just wanted to get your thoughts on it since it does show up now and then.
 

cant say

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How about 236 Atk / 212 SpD / 60 Spe. Still gives you 100% survival on Greninja Ice Beam and doesn't take much away from your Attack. Alternatively you could risk some chance of getting OHKOed for a bit more Speed Creep (which is awkward since this is something people will do and it'd be an ideal move but we can't support it in analyses). Anyways, like I said, the spreads on bulky Dragonite vary according to the team's needs so don't worry too much about it (especially since 252 speed does outrun a number of relevant things). I just wanted to get your thoughts on it since it does show up now and then.
252 SpA Life Orb Protean Greninja Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 212 SpD Multiscale Dragonite: 140-166 (84.3 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

Are you maybe thinking about the 236 SpA mixed attacker Greninja?

Yeah like we've discussed before, aiming to outspeed min / max Pokemon is fine but we can't start aiming for things in between because then it gets weird.. I've only tried the 252 Atk / 252 Spe Band set myself (coz didn't need to retrain from DD, lol) so I can't say anything from actual experience, but I honestly think it's fine as the main spread. Maybe I could leave a note in set details saying that you can run a slower, more specially defensive spread to surprise Greninja by surviving an Ice Beam from full health and OHKOing in return with Outrage (baring the occasional Focus Sash)? Coz that's really the only thing that you really benefit from. Hidden Power Ices never OHKO frailer Nite's due to lower base power (and no STAB) and since the above spread is specially inclined you don't tank any physical ice moves any better.
 

Theorymon

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For the whole Bulky CB Nite thing, I think the best way to handle it is to make 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe the main spread, and on the set details section, we could have a paragraph dedicated to "milestones" you can hit bulkwise and speedwise. This way, we can sorta cover CBnites sorta complicated EV situation without too much issue.

I'm not sure about the placement of sets. Choice Band has actually often been the most used item. HOWEVER, when you combine Lum Berry and Weakness Policies usage, that goes over Choice Band. I personally find CB to be the more unique Dragonite set compared to Dragon Dance, but I don't think the order placement is too important here, since both are pretty good sets!

In the overview, I'd mention that Dragonite vs Mega Salamence is a bit of a double edged sword. Mega Salamence is more immeditly threatening, and is way faster than Dragonite, which does marganlize it a bit. HOWEVER, Dragonite doesn't need a Mega Stone to be useful. and as you mention, ExtremeSpeed is really boss!

I'd still mention using DD Dragonite late game as a good option. With multiscale in tow, setting up isn't too hard, which makes Dragonite a very effective cleaner! Its especially nice since then spaming Outrage is a lot easier.

A teammate I think deserves mention is Mega Sableye. Dragonite despises Stealth Rock, but as you know, Stealth Rock is very hard to get off in battle spot, so Mega Sableye is the closest to "getting rid of it" without using something crazy like Rapid Spin or Defog.

For Choice Band, I'd mention paralysis support in teammates, since it really helps patch up CB Dragonite's speed issues. Good mons for this include Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, Thundurus, etc. I think you know the usual paralysis mons :P

One final thing to mention: Maybe mention LO in other options. Yeah its really counter intuitive, but its the only other Item that sees decent usage on Dragonite, and it does give it a nice power boost. Maybe mention Draco Plate as well.

Otherwise I think you mostly covered what was needed so...

QC Approved 2/3
 
hey i would put the mention of the hippo/luc core into the DD set instead of band. and if you wanna talk about it that guy nouthuca explained it pretty well in the discussion thread, just needs to be summarized.

1,Choose the Hippowdon as the first Pokemon.
2,Hippowdon will be defeated by opponent after it use the Stealth Rock, Yawn.(Hippowdon will must be defeated by opponent.)
3,Select the Dragonite after the Hippowdon fell, and then select Dragon Dance. Since Dragonite is not yet damaged by Sand Stream, opponent's attack will be halved by the Multiscale. If the opponent did not attack, the function of Multiscale is lost at the end of the turn. In either case, Dragonite that rose Attack and Speed will be ready.
4,Dragonite is ready, and opponents that the function of FocusSash, Study and Multiscale are impaired by Stealth Rock are ready. After that Dragonite will defeat all of opponents.

Multiscale is sufficient that functionality to the one turn of Dragon Dance, and opponents to defeat Dragonite of Multiscale is not functioning with Dragon Dance will receive a lot of damage. Even if Dragonite did not defeat all of opponents, they that has been damaged will be defeated by Lucario.
As a more aggressive choices, players may give Life Orb to Dragonite.(Of course, Life Orb will impair the function of Multiscale.)
 
I think life orb could be an other option for the DD set. It's a more aggressive option, just mention you still have multiscale the turn you dd before life orb starts kicking in, so it's not too counterproductive with multiscale.

everything else is solid 3/3

also im a little late but
252 SpA Life Orb Protean Greninja Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 212 SpD Multiscale Dragonite: 140-166 (84.3 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

Are you maybe thinking about the 236 SpA mixed attacker Greninja?
Japanese EV things kinda different from other communities when it comes to surviving attacks. They basically ignore that 1/16 chance to ko because they view it as unlikely and they consider EVing for the guarantee like EVing for a crit(thanks to DragonWhale for telling me about this) and it takes up ~30 more evs to do so. So that spread jibaku gave wasn't too bad.
 

cant say

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oh yeah forgot to write about Life Orb, I'll add it into OO for sure.

that's really interesting about the EV stuff, so they don't mind about high damage rolls, just writing them off as unlucky? I suppose it is fair coz like you said, it saves a bunch of EVs. I may actually swap the alternate spread in the choice band section to jibas
 
Japanese EV things kinda different from other communities when it comes to surviving attacks. They basically ignore that 1/16 chance to ko because they view it as unlikely and they consider EVing for the guarantee like EVing for a crit(thanks to DragonWhale for telling me about this) and it takes up ~30 more evs to do so. So that spread jibaku gave wasn't too bad.
This isn't an exclusively Japanese option in EVing, and generalizing the way that Japan EVs Pokemon like this isn't putting the concept into context. The chance to be crit always exists, true, but EVing for a 15/16 survival chance against a non-crit attack is still doubling the chance to faint over a 16/16 survival (12.5% vs 6.25%), and so it's not an objectively superior option and should be taken on a case-by-case basis. Pokemon is a game where you're naturally exposed to a lot of risk, and exposing yourself to additional risk should be weighed against the benefits of doing so. In this instance, I do think it's appropriate to aim for a 15/16 survival because the benefit is a higher Attack stat, which is important for a physical sweeper. But if the cost for a 16/16 chance for survival didn't impede any goals, such as a loss of general bulk on the opposite defensive spectrum, then it makes sense to go for it.

Sorry if this is derailment.
 
This isn't an exclusively Japanese option in EVing, and generalizing the way that Japan EVs Pokemon like this isn't putting the concept into context. The chance to be crit always exists, true, but EVing for a 15/16 survival chance against a non-crit attack is still doubling the chance to faint over a 16/16 survival (12.5% vs 6.25%), and so it's not an objectively superior option and should be taken on a case-by-case basis. Pokemon is a game where you're naturally exposed to a lot of risk, and exposing yourself to additional risk should be weighed against the benefits of doing so. In this instance, I do think it's appropriate to aim for a 15/16 survival because the benefit is a higher Attack stat, which is important for a physical sweeper. But if the cost for a 16/16 chance for survival didn't impede any goals, such as a loss of general bulk on the opposite defensive spectrum, then it makes sense to go for it.

Sorry if this is derailment.
Yeah i was just explaining that eving for 15/16 is a thing that exists, since cant say thought the calc was wrong or something. Wasnt saying that every spread should be EV'd that way as i dont even always do it myself.
 

Lumari

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remove add (Capitalize / Fix) (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW] (unbold these please)

Dragonite faces stiff competition in Battle Spot Singles due to seemingly more powerful Dragon-types such as Mega Salamence, (remove hyphen) Garchomp, (AC) and Mega Charizard X (remove hyphen) running amok in the metagame. However, Dragonite has a few neat tricks up its sleeve which that set it apart from these powerhouses; (SC) Multiscale gives it significant bulk when at full health, and it is the only Dragon-type with access to a priority move in Extreme Speed. Dragonite also has an expansive movepool, giving it coverage against almost anything that it wants to hit, which, (AC) when backed by his its monstrous Attack and usable Special Attack means that it can tailor-build its moveset to get past some of its common checks. Dragonite is also one of the best Choice Band users in the metagame as it gives him immediate power to Outrage and Extreme Speed, allowing it to punch holes early or effectively clean up the opposing team. However, (AC) Dragonite hates status conditions, (AC) as they severely hinder its ability to sweep the opposing team; (SC) while a Lum Berry gives it a second chance when using the Dragon Dance set, however the Choice Band set needs to looks out for common Will-O-Wisp users such as Sableye, Gengar, Talonflame, (AC) and Rotom-W. Dragonite also has trouble fitting all the moves it needs onto one set, as his its movepool is so large that it often has a hard time choosing exactly what it needs; (SC) this is especially true for the Dragon Dance set, (AC) as it which already has a moveslot taken up by Dragon Dance itself and needs to decide between great options such as Fire Punch, Roost, Substitute, (AC) and Iron Head. (Tail?) It is also quite hard to switch Dragonite into the battle, (AC) as taking damage means you can't take advantage nullifies of Multiscale, and Dragonite is actually quite frail without it. Due to this, Dragonite should also be kept away from common Fake Out users such as Mega Lopunny, Weavile, Mega Medicham, (AC) and Mega Kangaskhan. Dragonite's 4x weakness to Ice-type moves is also easily exploitable, (AC) as those moves are very popular in the metagame to defeat popular threats such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, (AC) and Mega Salamence. Dragonite may seem like an underwhelming choice; (SC) however, since because it doesn't require a Mega Evolution slot, it is able to set itself apart from Mega Salamence and Mega Charizard X (remove hyphen) and can fit on most teams very easily.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance (this is boring what else can I call it?)
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Punch
item: Lum Berry
ability: Multiscale
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========


Dragon Dance is the defining move of this set, boosting boosts (this sentence and pretty much all variants thereof are useless filler in most cases) Dragonite's Attack to monstrous levels (RC) and its Speed to a high enough level to outspeed threats such as Garchomp, Latios, Latias, Serperior, Raikou, and Greninja after only one boost. Outrage may seem too risky to lock into, however but its monstrous power is well worth it. While Extreme Speed may seem redundant with Dragon Dance's Speed boosting capabilities, however it allows Dragonite to go ahead of most other priority moves, most notably Ice Shard, meaning that Dragonite can pick off weakened users such as Mamoswine and Weavile instead of being KO'd KOed itself. It's also a great move in general (RC) and is great for picking something off if Dragonite hasn't yet boosted its Speed. Earthquake is the preferred coverage option, (AC) as it gives valuable coverage against allows Dragonite to heavily damage the Steel-type Pokemon who that resist Outrage, namely most notably Aegislash, Heatran, (AC; serial comma) and Mawile. Fire Punch has the benefit of hitting Ferrothorn, Scizor, (AC) and Skarmory, however but it leaves you Dragonite walled by Heatran.

Set Details
========


Maximum Attack and Speed investment is used to increase Dragonite's sweeping potential, and an Adamant nature boosts Dragonite's Attack power even further. (period) Jolly can be used instead to outspeed Mega Gengar at +1 Speed, however but Dragonite appreciates the increase in power a lot more. A Lum Berry combines fantastically with Multiscale, practically guaranteeing Dragonite to boost with Dragon Dance at least once; (SC) it also cures the confusion inflicted by Outrage if it isn't used up before then. If you aren't worried about status conditions, you can try using a Weakness Policy instead. If Multiscale is intact, Dragonite can stomach most super effective hits and come out with a +3 in Attack if it boosted boosts on the same turn, which will allow it to do devastatingly high amounts of damage to the opponent foe.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Dragonite is one of the safest leads in the game, (AC) as it is very easy to grab a first-turn boost with Dragon Dance and then immediately go on the offensive. Against Fake Out leads such as Mega Lopunny (RC) or common status spammers such as Sableye and Thundurus, it is best to switch out to a teammate so that you can keep Multiscale and the Lum Berry intact. Despite being a fantastic lead, Dragonite can also function as a terrific cleaner, as it can pick off a weakened foe with Extreme Speed (RC) or take the opportunity to boost with Dragon Dance if the foe does not threaten it. While Dragonite may function exceptionally well at anytime in a match, however it desperately needs to keep its Multiscale active, (AC) as it isn't actually very bulky without it; (SC) so accordingly, (AC) you need to be careful when switching, as taking unnecessary damage will void the Multiscale. For this reason, it is either best to either lead with Dragonite (RC) or bring it in after a teammate has been KO'd, KOed or with the aid of a slow Volt Switch or U-turn user. Once Dragonite is set up, (AC) you can start using Outrage for maximum damage against the foe. This is really only a risky play if the opponent has a Fairy-type Pokemon to switch to; (SC) if they don't, (AC) then you are Dragonite is basically free to use Outrage. Earthquake should only be used if you are Dragonite is faced with a Steel-type that resists Outrage.

Team Options
========

Dragonite's most popular teammates are Hippowdon and Lucario; (SC) these three are a very popular core amongst Japanese players. Hippowdon is used as a lead which that can set up Stealth Rock to break opposing Focus Sashes, as well as put the foe to sleep with Yawn, and once Hippowdon has been KOed, (AC) you can bring in Dragonite at full health to set up a Dragon Dance. Lucario is used to beat the Fairy- and Ice-type Pokemon that Dragonite has trouble with, and Dragonite helps against the Ground-types that Lucario doesn't want to face. Dragonite can be paired with almost anything that takes care of opposing Fairy-, Ice- and Dragon-types; (SC) these Pokemon (or "this includes," but "anything" is singular) include Suicune, Mawile, Metagross, Azumarill, Scizor, (AC) and Rotom-W. Notably, (AC) Mega Gengar can be used to trap and eliminate troublesome Fairy-type Pokemon for Dragonite. Porygon2 is a great bulky partner for Dragonite, being a great switch-in for to Greninja, and provides valuable paralysis support with Thunder Wave, helping Dragonite against faster threats. Dragonite hates Stealth Rock, (AC) as it removes its Multiscale upon entering the field, so stopping it from being set(space)up in the first place is the most feasible course of action. Mega Sableye is probably the best at doing this, as it can either make use of its non-Mega base forme to quickly Taunt a foe trying to set up Stealth Rock (RC) or send it back onto their side of the field with Magic Bounce.


[SET]
name: Choice Band (give me a cool name)
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Multiscale
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========


Outrage is you Dragonite's STAB move of choice, (AC) which hits hitting for ridiculous amounts of power right from the get-go thanks to the Choice Band. Extreme Speed is what sets Dragonite apart from other Dragon-types, giving him it a strong priority move with which to pick off faster threats. Earthquake is Dragonite's first form of coverage, hitting hits troublesome Steel-types such as Heatran and Aegislash for super effective damage. Fire Punch rounds out Dragonite's coverage against Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, (AC) and Scizor. Iron Head or Iron Tail can be used over Fire Punch to hit Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Togekiss super effectively; (SC) however, (AC) it is usually best to just let a teammate deal with them.

Set Details
========


Maximum Attack and Speed investment to increases Dragonite's wall-breaking abilities as much as possible, and an Adamant nature is used to increase Dragonite's Attack even further. The Choice Band gives Dragonite immediate power (RC) equal to that of a Dragon Dance boost to its attack as soon as it has switched in, allowing it to do large amounts of damage right away, such as OHKOing Thundurus, Mega Salamence (after Intimidate), maximum HP Mega Gengar, physically defensive Ferrothorn, physically defensive Mega Latias, and Mega Kangaskhan (RC) and 2HKOing physically defensive Zapdos, Cresselia, Suicune, Hippowdon, (AC) and Porygon2 lacking Trace.

While this EV spread is rather simple, it is possible to change Dragonite's EVs to be able to tank certain hits better at the cost of some power and speed. An alternative spread is 236 Atk / 212 SpD / 60 Spe. This allows Dragonite to still outspeed most Rotom-W and Suicune, as well as giving Dragonite a great chance at surviving Life Orb Greninja's Ice Beam as long as Multiscale is still active. Dropping the Attack EVs doesn't sacrifice too much power, as you Dragonite can still OHKO Greninja (RC) and get the 2HKO on Rotom-W. However, Dragonite is usually better off leaving those Pokemon to its teammates, meaning you can stay with the original EV spread.

Usage Tips
========


Choice Band Dragonite acts as a great wall breaker wallbreaker and late-game (add hyphen) cleaner due to the immediate power of the Choice Band allowing it to easily pick finish weakened teams with Outrage and Extreme Speed. Since Because this Dragonite does not aim to spend a turn boosting, it is much easier to switch this Dragonite it into the battle without worrying about its Multiscale being broken; (SC) however, (AC) it still benefits greatly from having it intact to take on Pokemon such as Mega Salamence, Thundurus, Garchomp, Raikou, and Blaziken, (AC) so take this into account when switching, as a Dragonite with an intact Multiscale can take on and win against Pokemon such as Mega Salamence, Thundurus, Garchomp, Raikou and Blaziken. All of Dragonite's moves are easily exploitable by Pokemon who are immune to them, so be aware wart of any Fairy-, Ghost-, or Flying-type Pokemon (RC) or those with either Levitate or Flash Fire users on the opponent's team, as they can easily use Dragonite for a free switch. Therefore, if you plan on sweeping with Choice Band Dragonite, (AC) then it is of utmost important that you clear the field of any of these Pokemon before locking yourself into a certain move.

Team Options
========

Again, (no cross-set referencing) Hippowdon and Lucario make for great teammates. If using Choice Band Dragonite in this core then it is instead used as the cleaner, and Lucario comes out after Hippowdon has been KOed to start setting up. Dragonite is fantastic at this role as it can efficiently clean up with Extreme Speed if Lucario has done enough damage to the opposing team, or it can use Outrage if the team is generally slower. (ok so sets need to be independent because it should be possible to remove outdated sets without having to rewrite bits of other sets and because someone who wants to use CBNite shouldn't have to read TO for DDNite as well... so yeah please rewrite this bit to make it independent from the Hippo/Luke/Nite core as described in the DD set :[ feel free to tag me afterwards so I can quickly check that too) Choice Band Dragonite suffers due to his from its average Speed stat, meaning that many faster Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X and Y, Serperior, (AC) and Mega Salamence can give him it trouble. For this reason, paralysis support is really helpful, allowing Dragonite to go ahead of these and pummel them with his its powerful moves. Porygon2 is perhaps the best partner, as it is a great switch-in (add hyphen) to these threats with its fantastic mixed bulk and can ability to punish them with its Thunder Wave. Serperior is also able to paralyze Ground-type Pokemon such as Garchomp and Landorus-T with Glare (RC) or just outright beat them with its Leaf Storm. Choice Band Dragonite also benefits from having Pokemon teammates that can beat opposing Fairy-, Ice-, and Dragon-type Pokemon; (SC) good partners include Suicune, Mawile, Scizor and Rotom-W.


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============


Dragon Dance Dragonite has a plethora of options; (SC) it can make use of Roost for recovery, Substitute or Safeguard to aid against status, and Superpower or Thunder Punch for coverage against Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Gyarados respectively. The Dragon Dance set can be altered to instead use a Weakness Policy instead of a over Lum Berry (RC) and Agility instead of over (instead of -> over is p. much entirely subjective so your call on that one) Dragon Dance. This set aims to quickly boost Dragonite's stats against something a foe with a weaker super effective move, (AC) such as Mega Manectric with Hidden Power Ice, Serperior with Dragon Pulse, or Landorus-T with Rock Slide. However, relying on being hit with and surviving a super effective move to get the boost from the Weakness Policy is very risky. Dragonite can also make use of rain, either setting it up itself with Rain Dance or letting a teammate do it, (comma) Dragonite also as it has the perfect movepool for abusing taking advantage of rain, with moves such as Hurricane, Thunder, Surf, (AC) and Waterfall; (SC) however, (AC) Dragonite absolutely needs rain to be set up in order for such a set to work, and keeping rain active is difficult. Dragon Claw and Dragon Rush are alternative STAB options to Outrage; (SC) however, (AC) the difference in power between Dragon Claw and Outrage is significant, and Dragon Rush's accuracy is quite unreliable. Dragonite can also use a Life Orb on either set, however but it leaves the Dragon Dance set susceptible to status (RC) and is weaker than the Choice Band set. It also lower's lowers Dragonite's health when an attack is used, which removes Multiscale if Dragonite is at full health.


Checks and Counters
===================


**Fairy-types**: Since Because Dragonite's main source form of offense is Outrage, being locked into it means it should be wary of locking into it and having Pokemon such as Azumarill, Sylveon, (AC) and Togekiss can come in for free and force you it out

**Ice-type Moves**: Even Multiscale can't save Dragonite from powerful moves such as Greninja's Ice Beam, Mamoswine's Icicle Spear, or and Weavile's Fake Out + Icicle Crash combination. Even Kangaskhan can run Ice Punch and fight through bypass Multiscale due to it being able to hit by hitting twice in the same turn.

**Removing Multiscale**: Dragonite actually isn't very bulky if it isn't at full health and can't make use of Multiscale. Stealth Rock users stop Dragonite from switching in freely, (AC) as they will break Multiscale upon entry. Fake Out users such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Lopunny, (AC) and Weavile can all break Multiscale and follow up with a KO with Ice Punch or, (AC) in Mega Kangaskhan's case, (AC) Double-Edge from Kangskhan. U-turn and Volt Switch users can also break Dragonite's Multiscale while simultaneously switching to a counter.

**Status**: Dragonite is highly susceptible to status conditions, especially the Choice Band set, (AC) as it lacks the recovery of the Lum Berry. Will-O-Wisp users such as Sableye and Rotom-W can stop Dragonite from doing any significant damage, whereas Pokemon such as Thundurus, Klefki, (AC) and Liepard can inflict paralysis with Thunder Wave or even attempt to confuse Dragonite with Swagger. (AP)

**Physical Walls**: Defensive Pokemon with reliable recovery can outright stop Dragonite from doing much of anything; (SC) these include Cresselia, Hippowdon, Skarmory, Slowbro, Quagsire, (AC) and Gliscor.

**Serperior**: While the Dragon Dance set is able to boost its speed and beat Serperior, the Choice Band set is walled by physically defensive Serperior, (AC) as it which can set up Reflect and continue to heal with Synthesis until Dragonite has succumb to recoil from its Rocky Helmet.

 
Last edited:

Lumari

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Hippowdon and Lucario (these should probably all be "Mega Lucario." Same thing for TO of the DD set, oops) are very popular teammates for Choice Band Dragonite. Hippowdon is used as a lead to set up Stealth Rock and put the foe to sleep with Yawn, and when it has been KOed, either Lucario is brought in to set up with Swords Dance or Nasty Plot, or Dragonite can come in to immediately start doing damage. If Lucario is brought in second, then Dragonite acts as the cleaner with its powerful Extreme Speed. Lucario and Dragonite work brilliantly together, (AC) as Lucario can effectively beat opposing Fairy-, Ice-, (AC) and Rock-type Pokemon for Dragonite, while Dragonite itself has an immunity is immune to Ground-type moves and is has a good matchup against Fire-type Pokemon.
GP 1,01/2

also i'm noticing a lot of (AC) tags in the op so take those out please :>
 

P Squared

a great unrecorded history
is a Site Content Manageris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
make sure to fix the set names :P
2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Dragonite faces stiff competition in Battle Spot Singles due to seemingly more powerful Dragon-types such as Mega Salamence, Garchomp, and Mega Charizard X running amok in the metagame. However, Dragonite has a few neat tricks up its sleeve that set it apart from these powerhouses; Multiscale gives it significant bulk when at full health, and it is the only Dragon-type with access to a priority move in Extreme Speed. Dragonite also has an expansive movepool, giving it coverage against almost anything that it wants to hit, which, when backed by its monstrous Attack and usable Special Attack, (AC) means that it can tailor its moveset to get past some of its common checks. Dragonite is also one of the best Choice Band users in the metagame, (AC) as it the item gives immediate power to Outrage and Extreme Speed, allowing it to punch holes early or effectively clean up the opposing team. However, Dragonite hates status conditions, as they severely hinder its ability to sweep the opposing team; while a Lum Berry gives it a second chance when using the Dragon Dance set, the Choice Band set needs to look out for common Will-O-Wisp users such as Sableye, Gengar, Talonflame, and Rotom-W. Dragonite also has trouble fitting all the moves it needs onto one set, as its movepool is so large that it often has a hard time choosing exactly what it needs; this is especially true for the Dragon Dance set, which already has a moveslot taken up by Dragon Dance itself and needs to decide between great options such as Fire Punch, Roost, Substitute, and Iron Head. It is also quite hard to switch Dragonite into the battle, as taking damage nullifies Multiscale, and Dragonite is actually quite frail without it. Due to this, Dragonite should also be kept away from common Fake Out users such as Mega Lopunny, Weavile, Mega Medicham, and Mega Kangaskhan. Dragonite's 4x weakness to Ice-type moves is also easily exploitable, as those moves are very popular in the metagame to defeat popular threats such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence. Dragonite may seem like an underwhelming choice; however, because it doesn't require a Mega slot, it is able to set itself apart from Mega Salamence and Mega Charizard X and can fit on most teams very easily.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance (this is boring what else can I call it?)
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Punch
item: Lum Berry
ability: Multiscale
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Dragon Dance boosts Dragonite's Attack to monstrous levels and its Speed to a high enough level to outspeed threats such as Garchomp, Latios, Latias, Serperior, Raikou, and Greninja after only one boost. Outrage may seem too risky to lock into, but its monstrous power is well worth it. While Extreme Speed may seem redundant with Dragon Dance's Speed boosting capabilities, it allows Dragonite to go ahead of most other priority moves, most notably Ice Shard, meaning that Dragonite can pick off weakened users such as Mamoswine and Weavile instead of being KOed itself. It's also a great move in general and is great for picking something off if Dragonite hasn't yet boosted its Speed. Earthquake is the preferred coverage option, as it allows Dragonite to heavily damage the Steel-type Pokemon that resist Outrage, most notably Aegislash, Heatran, and Mawile. Fire Punch has the benefit of hitting Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Skarmory, but it leaves Dragonite walled by Heatran.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment is used to increase Dragonite's sweeping potential, and an Adamant nature boosts Dragonite's power even further. Jolly can be used instead to outspeed Mega Gengar at +1, but Dragonite appreciates the increase in power a lot more. A Lum Berry combines fantastically with Multiscale, practically guaranteeing Dragonite to boost with Dragon Dance at least once; it also cures the confusion inflicted by Outrage if it isn't used up before then. If you aren't worried about status conditions, you can try using a Weakness Policy instead. If Multiscale is intact, Dragonite can stomach most super effective hits and come out with a +3 in Attack if it boosts on the same turn, which will allow it to do devastatingly high amounts of damage to the foe.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Dragonite is one of the safest leads in the game, as it is very easy to grab a first-turn boost with Dragon Dance and then immediately go on the offensive. Against Fake Out leads such as Mega Lopunny or common status spammers such as Sableye and Thundurus, it is best to switch out to a teammate so that you can keep Multiscale and the Lum Berry intact. Despite being a fantastic lead, Dragonite can also function as a terrific cleaner, as it can pick off a weakened foe with Extreme Speed or take the opportunity to boost with Dragon Dance if the foe does not threaten it. While Dragonite may function exceptionally well at any time in a match, it desperately needs to keep its Multiscale active, as it isn't actually very bulky without it; accordingly, (lol tdp) you need to be careful when switching, as taking unnecessary damage will void the Multiscale. For this reason, it is best to either lead with Dragonite or bring it in after a teammate has been KOed or with the aid of a slow Volt Switch or U-turn user. Once Dragonite is set up, you can start using Outrage for maximum damage against the foe. This is really only a risky play if the opponent has a Fairy-type Pokemon to switch to; if they don't, Dragonite is basically free to use Outrage. Earthquake should only be used if Dragonite is faced with a Steel-type that resists Outrage.

Team Options
========

Dragonite's most popular teammates are Hippowdon and Mega Lucario; these three are a very popular core amongst Japanese players. Hippowdon is used as a lead that can set up Stealth Rock to break opposing Focus Sashes, as well as put the foe to sleep with Yawn, and once Hippowdon has been KOed, you can bring in Dragonite at full health to set up a Dragon Dance. Mega Lucario is used to beat the Fairy- and Ice-type Pokemon that Dragonite has trouble with, and Dragonite helps against the Ground-types that Mega Lucario doesn't want to face. Dragonite can be paired with almost anything that takes care of opposing Fairy-, Ice-, (AC) and Dragon-types; these Pokemon include Suicune, Mawile, Metagross, Azumarill, Scizor, and Rotom-W. Notably, Mega Gengar can be used to trap and eliminate troublesome Fairy-type Pokemon for Dragonite. Porygon2 is a great bulky partner for Dragonite, being a great switch-in to Greninja, and provides valuable paralysis support with Thunder Wave, helping Dragonite against faster threats. Dragonite hates Stealth Rock, as it removes its Multiscale upon entering the field, so stopping it from being set up in the first place is the most feasible course of action. Mega Sableye is probably the best at doing this, as it can either make use of its non-Mega forme to quickly Taunt a foe trying to set up Stealth Rock or send it back onto their side of the field with Magic Bounce.


[SET]
name: Choice Band (give me a cool name)
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Multiscale
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Outrage is Dragonite's STAB move of choice, hitting for ridiculous amounts of power right from the get-go thanks to the Choice Band. Extreme Speed is what sets Dragonite apart from other Dragon-types, giving it a strong priority move with which to pick off faster threats. Earthquake hits troublesome Steel-types such as Heatran and Aegislash for super effective damage. Fire Punch rounds out Dragonite's coverage against Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Scizor. Iron Head or Iron Tail can be used over Fire Punch to hit Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Togekiss super effectively; however, it is usually best to just let a teammate deal with them.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment to increases Dragonite's wallbreaking abilities as much as possible, and an Adamant nature is used to increase Dragonite's Attack even further. The Choice Band gives Dragonite immediate power equal to that of a Dragon Dance boost, allowing it to do large amounts of damage right away, such as OHKOing Thundurus, Mega Salamence (after Intimidate), maximum HP Mega Gengar, physically defensive Ferrothorn, physically defensive Mega Latias, and Mega Kangaskhan and 2HKOing physically defensive Zapdos, Cresselia, Suicune, Hippowdon, and Porygon2 lacking Trace.

While this EV spread is rather simple, it is possible to change Dragonite's EVs to be able to tank certain hits better at the cost of some power and speed. An alternative spread is 236 Atk / 212 SpD / 60 Spe. This allows Dragonite to still outspeed most Rotom-W and Suicune, as well as giving Dragonite a great chance at surviving Life Orb Greninja's Ice Beam as long as Multiscale is still active. Dropping the Attack EVs doesn't sacrifice too much power, as Dragonite can still OHKO Greninja and get the 2HKO on Rotom-W. However, Dragonite is usually better off leaving those Pokemon to its teammates, meaning you can stay with the original EV spread.

Usage Tips
========

Choice Band Dragonite acts as a great wallbreaker and late-game cleaner due to the immediate power of the Choice Band allowing it to easily finish weakened teams with Outrage and Extreme Speed. Because this Dragonite does not aim to spend a turn boosting, it is much easier to switch it into the battle without worrying about its Multiscale being broken; however, it still benefits greatly from having it intact to take on Pokemon such as Mega Salamence, Thundurus, Garchomp, Raikou, and Blaziken, so take this into account when switching. All of Dragonite's moves are easily exploitable by Pokemon who that are immune to them, so be wart wary of any Fairy-, Ghost-, or Flying-type Pokemon or Levitate or Flash Fire users on the opponent's team, as they can easily use Dragonite for a free switch. Therefore, if you plan on sweeping with Choice Band Dragonite, it is of utmost important that you clear the field of any of these Pokemon before locking yourself Dragonite into a certain move.

Team Options
========

Hippowdon and Mega Lucario are very popular teammates for Choice Band Dragonite. Hippowdon is used as a lead to set up Stealth Rock and put the foe to sleep with Yawn, and when it has been KOed, either Mega Lucario is brought in to set up with Swords Dance or Nasty Plot, (RC) or Dragonite can come in to immediately start doing damage. If Mega Lucario is brought in second (hm, a little ambiguous whether this means second to Hippowdon (aka send in Luke after Hippo) or second to Dnite (aka send in Luke after Dnite). could you be a little more explicit?), Dragonite acts as the cleaner with its powerful Extreme Speed. Mega Lucario and Dragonite work brilliantly together, as Mega Lucario can effectively beat opposing Fairy-, Ice-, (AC) and Rock-type Pokemon for Dragonite, while Dragonite is immune to Ground-type moves and has a good matchup against Fire-type Pokemon. Choice Band Dragonite suffers from its average Speed stat, meaning that many faster Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X and Y, Serperior, and Mega Salamence can give it trouble. For this reason, paralysis support is really helpful, allowing Dragonite to go ahead of these Pokemon and pummel them with its powerful moves. Porygon2 is perhaps the best partner, as it is a great switch-in to these threats with its fantastic mixed bulk and ability to punish them with Thunder Wave. Serperior is also able to paralyze Ground-type Pokemon such as Garchomp and Landorus-T with Glare or just outright beat them with Leaf Storm. Choice Band Dragonite also benefits from teammates that can beat opposing Fairy-, Ice-, and Dragon-type Pokemon; good partners include Suicune, Mawile, Scizor, (AC) and Rotom-W.


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Dragon Dance Dragonite has a plethora of options; it can make use of Roost for recovery, Substitute or Safeguard to aid against status, and Superpower or Thunder Punch for coverage against Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Gyarados. The Dragon Dance set can be altered to use a Weakness Policy over Lum Berry and Agility over Dragon Dance. This set aims to quickly boost Dragonite's stats against a foe with a weaker super effective move, such as Mega Manectric with Hidden Power Ice, Serperior with Dragon Pulse, or Landorus-T with Rock Slide. However, relying on being hit with and surviving a super effective move to get the boost from the Weakness Policy is very risky. Dragonite can also make use of rain, either setting it up itself with Rain Dance or letting a teammate do it, as it has the perfect movepool for taking advantage of rain, with moves such as Hurricane, Thunder, Surf, and Waterfall; however, Dragonite absolutely needs rain to be set up in order for such a set to work, and keeping rain active is difficult. Dragon Claw and Dragon Rush are alternative STAB options to Outrage; however, the difference in power between Dragon Claw and Outrage is significant, and Dragon Rush's accuracy is quite unreliable. Dragonite can also use a Life Orb on either set, but it leaves the Dragon Dance set susceptible to status and is weaker than the Choice Band set. It also lowers Dragonite's health when an attack is used, which removes Multiscale if Dragonite is at full health.


Checks and Counters
===================

**Fairy-types**: Because Dragonite's main form of offense is Outrage, it should be wary of locking into it and having Pokemon such as Azumarill, Sylveon, and Togekiss come in for free and force Dragonite out.

**Ice-type Moves**: Even Multiscale can't save Dragonite from powerful moves such as Greninja's Ice Beam, Mamoswine's Icicle Spear, and Weavile's Fake Out + Icicle Crash combination. Even Kangaskhan can run Ice Punch and bypass Multiscale by hitting twice in the same turn.

**Removing Multiscale**: Dragonite actually isn't very bulky if it isn't at full health and can't make use of Multiscale. Stealth Rock users stop Dragonite from switching in freely, as they will break Multiscale upon entry. Fake Out users such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Lopunny, and Weavile can all break Multiscale and follow up with a KO with Ice Punch or, in Mega Kangaskhan's case, Double-Edge. U-turn and Volt Switch users can also break Dragonite's Multiscale while simultaneously switching to a counter.

**Status**: Dragonite is highly susceptible to status conditions, especially the Choice Band set, as it lacks the recovery of the Lum Berry. Will-O-Wisp users such as Sableye and Rotom-W can stop Dragonite from doing any significant damage, whereas Pokemon such as Thundurus, Klefki, and Liepard can inflict paralysis with Thunder Wave or even attempt to confuse Dragonite with Swagger.

**Physical Walls**: Defensive Pokemon with reliable recovery can outright stop Dragonite from doing much of anything; these include Suicune, Cresselia, Hippowdon, Skarmory, Slowbro, Quagsire, and Gliscor.

**Serperior**: While the Dragon Dance set is able to boost its Speed and beat Serperior, the Choice Band set is walled by physically defensive Serperior, which can set up Reflect and continue to heal with Synthesis until Dragonite has succumbs to recoil from its Rocky Helmet.
 
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cant say

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in regards to the TO section which you had comments on:

Team Options
========

Hippowdon and Mega Lucario are very popular teammates for Choice Band Dragonite. Hippowdon is used as a lead to set up Stealth Rock and put the foe to sleep with Yawn, and when it has been KOed, either Mega Lucario is brought in to set up with Swords Dance or Nasty Plot, (RC) or Dragonite can come in to immediately start doing damage. If Mega Lucario is brought in second (hm, a little ambiguous whether this means second to Hippowdon (aka send in Luke after Hippo) or second to Dnite (aka send in Luke after Dnite). could you be a little more explicit?), Dragonite acts as the cleaner with its powerful Extreme Speed. Mega Lucario and Dragonite work brilliantly together, as Mega Lucario can effectively beat opposing Fairy-, Ice-, (AC) and Rock-type Pokemon for Dragonite, while Dragonite is immune to Ground-type moves and has a good matchup against Fire-type Pokemon. Choice Band Dragonite suffers from its average Speed stat, meaning that many faster Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard X and Y, Serperior, and Mega Salamence can give it trouble. For this reason, paralysis support is really helpful, allowing Dragonite to go ahead of these Pokemon and pummel them with its powerful moves. Porygon2 is perhaps the best partner, as it is a great switch-in to these threats with its fantastic mixed bulk and ability to punish them with Thunder Wave. Serperior is also able to paralyze Ground-type Pokemon such as Garchomp and Landorus-T with Glare or just outright beat them with Leaf Storm. Choice Band Dragonite also benefits from teammates that can beat opposing Fairy-, Ice-, and Dragon-type Pokemon; good partners include Suicune, Mawile, Scizor, (AC) and Rotom-W.
Should I instead say: "If Mega Lucario is brought in after Hippowdon to set up, Dragonite acts as the cleaner with its powerful Extreme Speed, usually after Mega Lucario has been KOed itself so that it can maintain its Multiscale." ?
 

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