[Overview]
<p>Dragonair is often overlooked in UU due to its mediocre stats and NFE status; however, it does have a few strong points. A movepool with a wide array of great
moves, and in addition to the sheer power
of STAB
Outrage, make up for
its Dragonair's not-so-great offensive attributes. The dragon snake is also a great choice for teams
which that need a wall-breaking partner or late-game sweeper.
Having Access to a priority attack in ExtremeSpeed, combined with the fact that
it Dragonair lacks a 4x weakness to Ice-type
attacks, gives it
reason to be used advantages over Altaria and Gabite. Overall,
Dragonair is a great example of a Pokemon that exhibits good Dragonair's excellent type coverage, powerful STAB attacks,
combined with its many
resistances, and lack
of a Stealth Rock
weakness, making it a foe that should not to weakness make it a powerful Pokemon that should not be underestimated.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
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 Atk / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite
having a wide array of moves its impressive movepool, Dragonair cannot
utilize them all to play various roles successfully utilize many of its potential moves due to its mediocre stats, typical of a
not fully evolved NFE Pokemon. Nevertheless, functioning as a physical sweeper with Dragon Dance
is the closest this Dragon gets to not being a liability on its teammates as allows Dragonair to function as a moderately powerful physical sweeper. Additionally, 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; everything up to positive-natured base
105s, a large majority of the UU metagame. The majority of Pokemon that outspeed Dragonair even after a Dragon
Dance boost, such as Dugtrio and Alakazam, are also fragile enough to be taken down by a boosted
ExtremeSpeed, such as Dugtrio and Alakazam. ExtremeSpeed. As stated above, ExtremeSpeed is one of the biggest reasons to consider Dragonair over other the Dragon-types in UU; it not only allows it to revenge kill
weakened, faster 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 to go astray due its poor accuracy, not to mention
the vital extra power that Outrage provides
is vital to Dragonair. Aqua Tail has unresisted coverage
with alongside 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 can only very rarely 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 with an Adamant nature
allows Dragonair to
drop the hammer on outspeed and crush 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 Dragonair to outrun even positive-natured base 125 Speed Pokemon after a Dragon
Dance, though Dragonair will miss out on the power provided by the listed EV spread.</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 shares an Ice-type weakness with the
Dragon dragon snake Pokemon, but it still makes a good teammate
as it can due to its ability to set up entry hazards, as well as utilize Rapid Spin to remove them from your side. Donphan
also deals can also deal with Steel-types that
Dragonair finds a hard time dealing with would otherwise trouble Dragonair, such as
Registeel, with its powerful STAB Earthquake. Venusaur is another great
comrade to teammate for 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 Dragonair's defensive stats are mediocre at best, so finding time to set up is quite a task. Dragonair can set up
on against Chansey and Clefable
at most, due to Seismic Toss
leaving sufficient health to get a late-game sweep out of being the main form of offense for the aforementioned Pokemon. Non-offensive Spiritomb are good set up bait as
well, since Shadow Sneak and Will-O-Wisp won't be doing much to Dragonair. Paralysis support is also invaluable to
Dragonair, as it finds it much easier to set up and sweep a crippled team. Uxie and Chansey have access to Thunder Wave, and are bulky enough to reliably
use it against several Pokemon utilize it throughout the match, as well as absorb powerful physical and special attacks aimed at Dragonair, respectively.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>What usually
hinders prevents Dragonair from sweeping are the
roaming omnipresent Steel-types of UU. Registeel and
even Steelix, though
it the latter is weak to Aqua Tail, can take several hits from Dragonair and retaliate with Iron Head and Gyro Ball (which nails an easy 2HKO on Dragonair), respectively. Magneton and Dugtrio are
the first that come in mind wonderful teammates for this reason, as they can trap the aforementioned walls and dispose of
them thanks to their abilities. Magneton also has
great defensive 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, Dugtrio shares an Ice-type weakness with Dragonair, so
another partner to absorb packing another Pokemon capable of absorbing Ice-type attacks is a must. Blaziken and Moltres are also good
partners teammates for Dragonair, as they do well against Steel-types and bulky physical walls in general, threatening them with their impressive
STABs STAB Fire-type moves. Bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Slowbro have impressive bulk, and can slowly wear down Registeel with Surf, while drowning Steelix and Aggron. Spiritomb can get rid of opposing Mismagius and Rotom with Pursuit,
doing Dragonair a big favour which is very helpful to Dragonair, as the aforementioned Ghosts are immune to ExtremeSpeed and can survive a +1 Aqua Tail, forcing Dragonair to lock itself in with
Outrage if it hopes to OHKO them.</p>
<p>
To use Dragonair to its maximum potential, entry hazards are a neccessary to make up for Dragonairs not-so-great stats Due to its below-average all-around stats, entry hazard support is neccessary for utilizing Dragonair to its full potential. Uxie and Omastar are great entry hazard users, the former being able to set
up both 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. Cloyster and Donphan can spin away
enemy the opponent's entry hazards, as well as setting up their
own and own; Donphan
can also get rid of opposing Steel-types with its STAB Earthquake. Dual screens are another effective way to
boost Dragonair's defenses temporarily provide support for Dragonair, 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. However, most of its viable options are limited due to its poor stats. Dragon Rush is an option if you dislike the prospect of being locked into Outrage for several turns, though 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 While many players think of Dragonair as a physical sweeper, it actually has an extensive special movepool. Fire Blast can be used on a special or mixed set, and it is the only way Dragonair can take on Registeel. Dragonair also learns Surf and Thunderbolt, the former annihilating Rock-types such as
Rhyperior, as well as dealing with Fire-types, while the latter can hit Water-type Pokemon for serious damage,
being able to land landing a 2HKO on Milotic after Stealth Rock damage (considering
maximum EV investment). Draco Meteor is Dragonair's strongest attack,
capable of picking off physical walls, as well as denting almost anything that does not resist
it and can pick off defensive walls such as Donphan and Slowbro. it.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Cloyster is one of the best counters thanks to its
sheer impressive physical bulk and 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 every attack Dragonair commonly carries bar Aqua Tail, which will not deal 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,
taking able to take repeated attacks and beating Dragonair with STAB Psychic, or Ice Beam.
Due to Donphan's sheer bulk and great
Attack, it can easily take boosted hits and finish off Dragonair
with a combination of Earthquake
+ and Ice Shard
combo. Torterra can take a boosted hit or two and retaliate with STAB Earthquake. Generally speaking, Pokemon that outspeed Dragonair and have powerful attacks can easily remove it from play. Good examples of
these such Pokemon
are include Choice Band Scyther and
Heracross, as they can take a boosted ExtremeSpeed and hit back with their powerful STAB attacks.</p>
