[Overview]
<p>Here we have Dratini, a scarred veteran of LC. At first glance, Dratini seems outclassed by other Dragon-types, such as Axew and Bagon, as its Attack stat is lower and its Speed stat leaves something to be desired. This might make you wonder: why isn't Dratini largely neglected? The answer to that lies in its ability and the size of its movepool, both of which far surpass Axew's and Bagon's. In addition, Dratini is far and away the cutest Dragon Dance user in the history of Pokemon, which alone should warrant it some usage.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Rest
move 4: Fire Blast / Sleep Talk
item: Eviolite
ability: Shed Skin
nature: Jolly
evs: 28 HP / 4 Atk / 236 Def / 196 SpD / 36 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes advantage of Dratini's respectable bulk to set up multiple Dragon Dances. Dragon Dance is the crux of the set, and is the "crème de la crème" of any physical sweeper's movepool. Outrage is Dratini's strongest physical move, and after a couple of boosts, it OHKOes almost anything that doesn't resist it. Rest is Dratini's only form of recovery, but when paired with Shed Skin, it gives Dratini the chance to accumulate even more boosts, as well as getting rid of troublesome status and completely restoring Dratini's HP. Fire Blast gives Dratini perfect coverage alongside Outrage, as it destroys the Steel-types such as Bronzor that would otherwise stand in Dratini's way. Sleep Talk is also an option if you want Dratini to set up or attack while it is asleep.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread grants Dratini solid 21/21/21 defenses after factoring in Eviolite, which means that dratini is surprisingly hard to 2HKO with a defensive pokemon, letting dratini continue to stack its boosts with rest. A Jolly nature lets Dratini reach the coveted 19 Speed tier after a boost, tying with Misdreavus, Taillow, and Murkrow. It also lets Dratini outspeed popular Choice Scarf users, such as Chinchou and Mienfoo, after two boosts. Eviolite is the preferred item on this bulky set as it boosts Dratini's defenses, thus, allowing it to take hits even better. This set doesn't rely heavily on team support to function, as with its bulk, Dratini can take hits when it needs to. Good teammates includes ones that resist Ice-type attacks and can retain offensive pressure, or lure in Pokemon, such as Chinchou and Ponyta, that Dratini can set up on. Larvesta is an excellent choice as it does both and can get Dratini in safely with U-turn. Pokemon that can deal with Koffing and Hippopotas are also useful, as they wall this set. Frillish is another good choice as it resists Dratini's Ice-type weakness and easily handles Dratini's common checks such as Hippopotas and Koffing, provided it doesn't get the receiving end of a Toxic. Entry hazard support isn't strictly necessary for this set to function as this set can often grab another boost if it needs to if you know you can't KO the opposing pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: ExtremeSpeed
item: Life Orb
ability: Shed Skin
nature: Lonely / Hasty
evs: 244 Atk / 36 SpA / 196 Spe
ivs: 0 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Once Dratini's flagship set, offensive Dragon Dance Dratini has fallen from favor. However, it can still be very dangerous, especially to offensive teams that lack a counter to Dragon-types. Dragon Dance is the crux of the set, boosting Dratini's Attack and Speed to very high levels. Outrage is the standard STAB attack of choice, and deals huge amounts of damage after a boost. Fire Blast is also standard fare, as it does heavy amounts of damage to Steel-types, such as Bronzor, that resist Dratini's STAB move. ExtremeSpeed is what makes this set so fearsome, as it makes Dratini extremely difficult to revenge kill. Although Eviolite gives Dratini usable bulk and sometimes the opportunity to grab a boost or two, the lack of power right off the bat is very noticeable when using Eviolite, making Life Orb the best option most of the time. However, Eviolite is still viable and can occasionally give Dratini an extra boost to its defenses when it really needs it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Lonely nature lets Dratini hit 21 Speed after a boost, outspeeding all non-boosted Pokemon in LC. However, if you feel Pokemon that hit 14 Speed and commonly carry a Choice Scarf, such as Shellder, are an issue, Hasty is a viable alternative as it enables Dratini to outspeed Shellder and beat it with Outrage. It should be noted that Choice Scarf Snover is not a problem for this set as Dratini is guaranteed to OHKO it with a +1 ExtremeSpeed after Stealth Rock damage. This set requires a lot of team support to pull off a sweep. A safe switch-in is essential, so any slow Pokemon with U-turn or Volt Switch, such as Nosepass, are useful to get Dratini in safely. Dratini will also appreciate the support of Substitute-passers such as Mienfoo. This grants Dratini a safe switch-in and greatly helps it set up safely. Be sure that all members of the opponent's team that can take a hit from Dratini and and KO it in return are weakened to KO range or are taken out, as this Dratini setreally can't afford to take a hit due to its frailty. Entry hazard support, particularly Stealth Rock, is vital for this set to function as it lets a +1 extreme speed KO things that would otherwise threaten it, such as the aforementioned Choice Scarf Snover or Murkrow.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Dratini has a vast movepool, but due to its slightly mediocre stats, it struggles to use a lot of its moves effectively. A mixed attacking set using Draco Meteor, ExtremeSpeed, Fire Blast, and Ice Beam with some hefty investment in Special Attack is probably Dratini's most viable option that isn't listed, as it defeats many of Dratini's common counters, such as Hippopotas and Koffing. However, it is reliant on surprise and, once your opponent knows that Dratini is a special attacker, it becomes much easier to counter than the listed sets. Dratini gets Dragon Rush as another other physical STAB option, but its good secondary effect and the fact that it doesn't lock you into a move still don't make up for its poor accuracy. A support set consisting of Dragon Tail, Thunder Wave/ Toxic, Light Screen, and Rest is reasonably effective, but is often let down by Dratini's middling defenses. Aqua Tail and Surf are options on either of the sets if you feel paranoid about Aron, and also deals a good amount of damage to Hippopotas without the binding effect of Outrage, but Dratini usually won't have space for such a niche move.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Dratini is usually not too difficult to counter. Physically defensive behemoths that can tank a Fire Blast, such as Koffing and Hippopotas, make for great counters, only fearing the odd mixed set as they can easily take a boosted Outrage and retaliate. Physically bulky Pokemon such as Lickitung and Timburr also make quite good counters as they also have the bulk to take an Outrage or two rather comfortably and hit back with their strong STAB attacks (or in Lickitung's case, Dragon Tail). Physically bulky Mienfoo in particular deserves a special mention as it is very easy to keep healthy thanks to its ability, Regenerator, and so can discourage Dratini to set up for almost as long as you like. Due to ExtremeSpeed, Dratini is much harder to revenge kill with offensive Pokemon. Fast Choice Scarf users that are immune to ExtremeSpeed, such as Misdreavus and Gastly, can take Dratini out with relative ease, but will have to be wary of Outrage as they switch in. Croagunk can check Dratini quite nicely with Fake Out and Vacuum Wave. As for more specialized counters, the best you can get would be Aron and Heat Proof Bronzor. Aron takes a pittance from any of Dratini's attacks, bar Aqual Tail or Surf, and can hit back hard with Head Smash. Bronzor resists Outrage, has the Special Defense to take a Fire Blast, and can set up on Dratini with Calm Mind or hurt it with Hidden Power Ice. If you have no dedicated counter to Dratini, the best way to take it out is simply to force it to use Outrage, and revenge kill it with a faster Pokemon.</p>