http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/dragonair
QC 2/2
Let me start by saying that although Dragonair has no significant impact in the UU metagame and is seemingly outclassed in many ways, fragile, an analysis has to be written on it and the 'Dragon Dance' set is by far the best regarding what Dragonair has to offer.
[Overview]
<p>Dragonair is often overlooked in UU
, no thanks due to its mediocre stats and
not fully evolved NFE status; however, it does have a few strong points. A movepool
filled with a wide array of great moves and the sheer power of Outrage make up for its not-so-great offensive attributes. The dragon snake is also a great choice for teams which need a wall-breaking partner or
a late-game sweeper. Having a priority attack in ExtremeSpeed
, combined with the fact that it lacks a 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks gives it reason to be used over Altaria and Gabite. Overall, Dragonair is a great example of a Pokemon that exhibits good coverage, powerful STAB attacks
, combined with its many resistances and lack of Stealth Rock weakness, making it a foe not to be underestimated.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dancer
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: ExtremeSpeed
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Aqua Tail
ability: Shed Skin
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 52 HP / 252 Att / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite having a wide array of moves, Dragonair
unfortunately cannot utilize them all
to play various roles at once due to its mediocre stats
, which are typical of a not fully evolved Pokemon. Nevertheless
, functioning as a Dragon
Dancer sweeper is the closest this Dragon gets to not being a liability on its
team. mates as Unlike other sweepers, Dragonair does not fear getting inflicted by status thanks to its
awesome ability, Shed Skin.</p>
<p>After a single Dragon Dance, Dragonair hits a respectable 341 Speed, outspeeding a huge majority of the metagame.
The majority of Pokemon
with a base Speed of 110 or more still that outspeed Dragonair
although the majority of them are fragile enough to be taken down by a boosted ExtremeSpeed, such as Dugtrio and Alakazam. As stated above, ExtremeSpeed is one of the biggest reasons why Dragonair is to be considered over other Dragon-types in UU
; it not only allows it to revenge kill weakened fast threats
, but also prevents itself from being revenge killed by priority moves after it has set up a Dragon Dance or two. Outrage is Dragonair's most reliable physical STAB move, since Dragon Rush
can cause a potential sweep go astray due its unimpressive has poor accuracy, not to mention the extra power that Outrage provides is vital to Dragonair. Aqua Tail has unresisted coverage with Outrage and helps Dragonair deal with bulky Ground- and Steel-types, hitting the likes of Registeel for neutral damage. One of the primary reasons Aqua Tail is used over Waterfall is that it can OHKO 140 HP / 0 Def Rhyperior after Stealth Rock, something Waterfall cannot accomplish.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread set is tailored to outspeed specific Pokemon as well as
giving Dragonair maximum power. 204 Speed
EVs are invested into with an Adamant nature
allows Dragonair to drop the hammer on the likes of Mismagius and Manectric after a single Dragon Dance boost. If 341 Speed is not sufficient for you, a Jolly nature combined with 232 Speed
EVs allow
s Dragonair to outrun positive base 125 Speed Pokemon after a Dragon Dance
boost.</p>
<p>Due to Dragonair's mediocre offensive
stats, entry hazard support is greatly appreciated. Omastar and Qwilfish have good synergy with Dragonair and can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes respectively. Donphan
despite shares an Ice-type weakness with the Dragon,
is though it makes a good teammate as it can set up
and dispose of entry hazards,
while Rapid Spin can remove them. with Rapid Spin as well as Donphan also deals with Steel-types such as Registeel that Dragonair finds a hard time dealing with. Venusaur is a great comrade to Dragonair as it can put opposing Pokemon to sleep, thereby granting Dragonair a safe switch-in and possibly a few turns to set up. Bulk is something Dragonair lacks, so finding set up bait is quite a task. Dragonair can
set up
a Dragon Dance or two on against Chansey and Clefable at most, due to Seismic Toss
, although that should be leaving sufficient
health to get a late-game sweep. Non-offensive Spiritomb are good set up bait as Shadow Sneak and
Will-O-Wisp won't be doing much. Paralysis support is also invaluable to Dragonair as it finds it much easier to set up and sweep a crippled team. Uxie and Chansey are bulky enough to
get of status several
times in the match of the opponent's team, and
can absorb powerful
physical and special attacks aimed at Dragonair respectively.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>What
usually hinders Dragonair from
attempting a successful sweeping are the roaming Steel-types in UU. Registeel and even Steelix whom is weak to Aqua Tail can take several hits and
in return retaliate with Gyro Ball (which nails an easy 2HKO on Dragonair
after a Dragon Dance.)
. Magneton and Dugtrio come first in mind as they can trap the aforementioned walls and dispose of them. Magneton can switch in on Ice Punch or Gyro Ball, use Magnet Rise
, and work from there.
It Magneton also has great synergy with Dragonair, resisting both Ice- and Dragon-type attacks, making them a great duo. Dugtrio is also a good option thanks to its ability
, Arena Trap
, allowing it to trap pesky Steel-types and hit them with STAB Earthquake. Unfortunately
both it and Dragonair they share an Ice-type weakness, so another partner to absorb Ice-type attacks is a must. Blaziken and Moltres
again are good partners here,
as they do well against Steel-types and bulky physical walls in general, threatening them with STAB Fire- or Fighting-type move respectively. Bulky
Waters such as Milotic and Slowbro have impressive bulk, and can slowly wear down Registeel with Surf while the likes of Steelix and Aggron are drowned by
STAB Surf it. Spiritomb can get rid of opposing Mismagius and Rotom with Pursuit, doing Dragonair a big favour as the aforementioned
Ghosts are immune to
its priority attack ExtremeSpeed.</p>
<p>To use this set to its maximum potential, entry hazards are
a neccessary to make up for Dragonairs not-so-great stats. Uxie and Omastar are great entry hazard users, the former being able to set up Stealth Rock and Spikes, while the latter
, despite only being able to set up Stealth Rock, can provide paralysis support which can greatly aid Dragonair when attempting to sweep
or set up. Cloyster and Donphan can spin away enemy hazards as well as setting up their own and
Donphan can
both get rid of opposing Steel-types with
their its STAB
attacks Earthquake. Dual
screens is another effective way to boost Dragonair's defenses temporarily, allowing it to set up without taking too much damage. Both Uxie and Mespirit are excellent candidates for this role due to their bulk.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Dragonair has been blessed with a huge movepool which
sadly is held back
thanks due to its poor stats. Dragon Rush is an option if you dislike the prospect of being locked into
a single move Outrage for several turns
, although
as stated before, its inferior power and accuracy are unattractive. Return has little reason to be considered as it has poor coverage alongside Outrage. Moving onto its
special movepool, Dragonair has a considerable amount of viable moves to choose from. Fire Blast can be used on a special or mixed set
, and is the only way Dragonair can take on Registeel. Other moves Dragonair can learn are Surf and Thunderbolt, the former move annihilating Rock-types such as Rhyperior as well as dealing with Fire-types
, while the latter
although admittedly less useful, can hit Water-type Pokemon for serious damage, being able to land a 2HKO on Milotic after Stealth Rock damage (Considering a
Modest nature in combination with 252 Special Attack EVs
.). Draco Meteor is Dragonair's strongest attack, severely denting almost anything that does not resist it and can pick off defensive walls such as Donphan and Slowbro.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Due to the typical not fully evolved stats Dragonair has, it has a very limited amount of Pokemon it can scare away in order for it to set up Dragon Dance. Cloyster is one of the best counters
there is thanks to its sheer bulk and
can easily dispose of Dragonair with its STAB Ice-type attacks. Bulky Pokemon such as Milotic and Omastar can 2HKO
Dragonair with Ice Beam and can take a boosted Outrage pretty well. Registeel resists anything on this set bar Aqua Tail, which will not
even deal
too much damage after a boost
, and can temporarily hinder Dragonair with Thunder Wave and proceed to finish it
off with Ice Punch or Iron Head. Slowbro falls in the same category,
being able to taking repeated attacks and
take down beating Dragonair with STAB Psychic
, or Ice Beam.
Donphan's with its sheer bulk
in addition to and its great
Attack, can easily take boosted hits and finish off Dragonair with
an Earthquake + Ice Shard combo. Torterra can take a boosted hit or two and
can retaliate with STAB Earthquake. Generally speaking
, Pokemon that outspeed Dragonair and have powerful attacks can easily remove it from play, although the majority of them are fragile and need to switch-in safely. Good examples of these Pokemon are Choice Band Scyther and Heracross.</p>