Statistics
|
Stat |
| HP |
91
|
385 |
| Atk |
134
|
366 |
| Def |
95
|
288 |
| SpA |
100
|
298 |
| SpD |
100
|
298 |
| Spe |
80
|
258 |
This set takes advantage of Dragonite's awesome offensive capabilities. Surf will waste Rock and Ground-types that might be a pain and is a nice OHKO on Rhydon. If they want to try a Water-type to counter, Thunderbolt will hit them hard (it's also great for Skarmory). On the physical side of things, the Fighting move will put a dent in the special sponges (Umbreon, Snorlax, and Blissey), and lastly Wing Attack gets STAB and will hit the things that the other three attacks won't (Heracross and Exeggutor mainly). Needs a good deal of prediction, but this is mean late game. Thunder Wave can be used with Ice Beam, because Ice Beam covers many of the Pokémon Wing Attack would hit, so it's not as important, unless you're afraid of Heracross.
This set is almost painfully simple, but it's definitely a good helper against physical attackers, especially those that set up. Come in when the opponent does whatever, and Reflect. Behind this wall you can now Haze and pacify your opponent whilst they can't do much—Dragonite has the Defense and HP to take a load of hits. When you have an opportune moment, Rest off the damage it sustains—or if you don't feel comfortable running Rest on it, choose a special attack. Double-Edge, a very general attack, will hit most things for neutral damage (which might be a good deal, considering Dragonite's monster Attack). This set is especially helpful for things utilizing Curse and even Swords Dance, even more for things that use these in conjunction with Roar, Rest (and by association, Sleep Talk), and / or Substitute.
Other Options
Dragonite learns a load of useful moves, that's for sure. Fire Blast is an alternate special attack and hits Steel-types and the occasional Bug and Grass-type with ease. Other attacks you could use are Hidden Power Ground (for Raikou and other Electrics) and Body Slam (mainly for paralysis). Extremespeed is also of note. While generally scoffed at in GSC, Extremespeed can finish off stuff that is at low health and faster than Dragonite—Zapdos, for example. In addition, if you need support, Dragonite also learns Light Screen, which is generally a rare move.
Opinion
Dragonite's power lies in its ability to hit hard from both ends of the spectrum, and it has the resistances to take a few hits. It learns a ton of useful moves and they can be combined in a vast number of ways. If you want an attacker, it can hang with the best of them. If you need something to tank hits or paralyze with Thunder Wave, it can do that too. Don't underestimate it because that is when it will come out of nowhere to mess you up somehow.
Counters
Electrics like Raikou and Ampharos have little to fear from Dragonite's special attacks, although they take quite a bit of damage from Double-Edge; from there, it's a matter of chipping away with Thunderbolt. Suicune is weak to Thunderbolt, but otherwise is great for scouting Dragonite's moveset. Misdreavus switches in easily on Fighting and Normal attacks and runs its Perish trapping routine on Dragonite, and Umbreon traps it and passes off to something else. Most everything with Ice Beam will 2HKO Dragonite because of its quadruple Ice weakness.
