[OVERVIEW]
Dragonite's excellent all-around stats and large movepool may make it seem like a top-tier Pokemon. Unfortunately, Dragonite lacks a good and reliable STAB move, which hampers its offensive prowess significantly and makes other wallbreakers like Nidoking and Machamp some serious competition. Additionally, Dragonite's 4x Ice weakness is very exploitable for some powerhouses like Zapdos, Raikou, and once again Nidoking.
Nonetheless, Dragonite still has some perks that make it worth using. Its excellent offensive stats and its solid bulk and typing give it a much more favorable matchup against bulky threats like Snorlax, Vaporeon, and non-Ice Beam Suicune than most of its competitors, most notably Nidoking. Furthermore, its defensive stats coupled with its resistances and Haze make Dragonite a usable defensive Pokemon.
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Thunder Wave / Double-Edge
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Dynamic Punch
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Offensive Dragonite is often underprepared for and can be extremely painful to face for some teams. Thunder Wave inflicts paralysis, which is crucial against some bulky Pokemon like Raikou, Zapdos, Umbreon, and even Snorlax, as it allows Dragonite and its teammates to potentially defeat their supposed answers by outspeeding them or forcing them to use Rest. Double-Edge forgoes paralysis support in exchange for a decently powerful and reliable physical attack, which can be very helpful in some scenarios, for instance against a weakened Snorlax or Machamp. Ice Beam 3HKOes Zapdos and does a nice amount of damage to Exeggutor, Marowak, Nidoking, Rhydon, and Golem. Thunder deals over 85% to Cloyster, 2HKOes Skarmory and Starmie, and 3HKOes Suicune, Tentacruel, and Vaporeon. Thunder notably makes Dragonite a pretty nice check to Vaporeon and also has a chance to inflict paralysis, although its accuracy is iffy. Dynamic Punch is even less reliable, but Fighting-type coverage is invaluable on this set, since it hits important targets like Tyranitar very hard and 3HKOes Snorlax, Umbreon, and Miltank, all of which have to beware of the potential 2HKO after Spikes damage. The added confusion effect can be very awkward for the opponent, especially in tandem with the paralysis induced by Dragonite's other moves.
Team Options
========
Dragonite greatly appreciates Spikes support from Cloyster and Forretress, as it secures some notable KOs mentioned above, while additional chip damage makes Dragonite more threatening in general. Even though it can cripple them via Thunder Wave and Ice Beam, Dragonite still needs some support against Raikou and to a lesser extent Zapdos, so typical Electric-type answers like Steelix, Snorlax, and Raikou itself as well as Explosion users like Cloyster, Exeggutor, and Gengar make good partners. However, Dragonite can perform pretty well with other Pokemon that also struggle against Electric-types like Vaporeon and Tentacruel, since they can weaken or paralyze their common nemeses, which may end up leaving them overwhelmed by trying to check two offensive threats. Other notable Thunder Wave targets include Snorlax, Umbreon, Miltank, Suicune, Misdreavus, and Heracross, most of which have to be wary of Dragonite's coverage moves as well. Dangerous Pokemon like Snorlax, Marowak, and Nidoking will have a much easier time breaking through the opposing team once Dragonite has paralyzed these annoyances.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Haze
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk / Body Slam / Dragon Breath
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Dragonite is gifted with very solid all-around bulk, useful resistances to Water and Fighting, and an immunity to Ground, making a defensive set perfectly usable, albeit very passive, as it struggles to fit an attacking move. Haze is a key move to this set's success, as unlike phazing moves it isn't plagued with negative priority, allowing Dragonite to erase all stat changes before slower Pokemon like Snorlax, Vaporeon, Machamp, Marowak, and -1 Heracross have a chance to hit it with a boosted attack. This makes Dragonite one of the best available answers to the fearsome Belly Drum Snorlax. Reflect is another important move, since the boost in Defense is invaluable against most of the aforementioned Pokemon. It also enables Dragonite to shrug off most Explosions, helps its teammates switch in more safely, gives it some insurance while it is asleep, and makes it almost unbreakable with physical attacks—even Rock Slide from Rhydon fails to 4HKO Dragonite behind Reflect most of the time. Rest is Dragonite's sole form of recovery. It can be paired with Sleep Talk so Dragonite can serve as a pretty reliable sleep absorber against Exeggutor and Lovely Kiss Snorlax without becoming dead weight while asleep. However, this comes at the cost of not having any offensive move and makes Dragonite extremely passive and reliant on PP stalling, although it will win PP wars thanks to Haze's high PP count more often than not. Choosing Body Slam or Dragon Breath instead makes the use of Rest much riskier but permits Dragonite to actually damage its foe and potentially spread paralysis. Body Slam deals a bit more damage in general aside from some Pokemon like Marowak and Exeggutor, whereas Dragon Breath ensures that Dragonite isn't completely helpless against Ghost-types.
Team Options
========
This Dragonite variant fits on most stall teams, which can afford to pack very passive Pokemon. They often include cleric support from Blissey and Miltank, which can cure Dragonite's sleep status and reduce the need for Sleep Talk, essentially freeing up the last moveslot. Blissey can also sponge attacks from Raikou, Zapdos, Gengar, and Jynx aimed at Dragonite, whereas Miltank deals nicely with Nidoking and Porygon2. Other Pokemon like Raikou, Steelix, and Umbreon that check most of the aforementioned threats can also be considered. Umbreon and Tyranitar can provide Pursuit support, something that can be very helpful if Dragonite is unable to touch Gengar and Misdreavus because it stops them from coming in on it fearlessly. Aside from these, having additional answers to offensive threats such as Snorlax is useful, since Dragonite usually can't do much back to its foe and will therefore often have to take numerous hits, making it susceptible to critical hits.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Light Screen improves Dragonite's matchup against Electric-types, as it turns 2HKOs from attacks like Hidden Power Ice from Zapdos and Raikou into 4HKOs. However, it takes up an important moveslot and doesn't guarantee that Dragonite will beat them, as they can simply use Rest and Sleep Talk and stall until the effect of Light Screen goes away. Fire Blast invalidates Heracross as a check to the offensive variant while dealing more damage to Steelix and Exeggutor than any other move in Dragonite's arsenal. Hidden Power Flying provides a physical STAB attack without significant drawbacks that OHKOes Heracross, 2HKOes Machamp, and 3HKOes Misdreavus and Gengar. However, dropping one of the standard coverage options for these will result in losing super effective coverage against key Pokemon like Zapdos, Tyranitar, or Water-types.
Checks and Counters
==================
**Electric-types**: Raikou is Dragonite's biggest threat, as it doesn't fear any of Dragonite's coverage moves, outspeeds it, and 2HKOes it with Hidden Power Ice. Zapdos also threatens Dragonite in the same manner, although it has to be wary of Ice Beam, which can 3HKO it. Neither like being paralyzed by Thunder Wave but they can heal it off with Rest afterwards.
**Defensive Typing Advantage**: Heracross and Misdreavus are 4HKOed at best by Dragonite's usual attacking moves and can slowly wear it down while recovering with Rest and Pain Split. However, the former is completely countered by defensive Dragonite, whereas the latter wants to avoid Thunder Wave.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Suicune, Snorlax, Miltank, Umbreon, and Porygon2 all force Dragonite to rely on its inaccurate moves to threaten them and can reduce its threat level by crippling it with status or reducing its Attack, or otherwise KO it outright. However, bar Suicune, which needs Sleep Talk and Ice Beam to reliably check Dragonite, all of the listed Pokemon can be 2HKOed by Dynamic Punch after Spikes, and Thunder Wave hinders them all. Steelix deserves a special mention, as it is immune to Thunder Wave and can survive three Dynamic Punches, but most of the time it lacks a move other than Explosion that can beat Dragonite, so it should be used as a pivot.
**Faster Pokemon with Ice-type Coverage**: Although it has trouble switching into Dragonite, Jynx swiftly OHKOes it with Ice Beam. Nidoking and Gengar have more opportunities to come in and dent it with their Ice-type attacks, but Nidoking takes a lot from Ice Beam and Gengar is badly crippled by Thunder Wave.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Wenderz, 331114]]
- Quality checked by: [[Lavos, 129513], [Fear, 2005]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Rabia, 336073]]
Dragonite's excellent all-around stats and large movepool may make it seem like a top-tier Pokemon. Unfortunately, Dragonite lacks a good and reliable STAB move, which hampers its offensive prowess significantly and makes other wallbreakers like Nidoking and Machamp some serious competition. Additionally, Dragonite's 4x Ice weakness is very exploitable for some powerhouses like Zapdos, Raikou, and once again Nidoking.
Nonetheless, Dragonite still has some perks that make it worth using. Its excellent offensive stats and its solid bulk and typing give it a much more favorable matchup against bulky threats like Snorlax, Vaporeon, and non-Ice Beam Suicune than most of its competitors, most notably Nidoking. Furthermore, its defensive stats coupled with its resistances and Haze make Dragonite a usable defensive Pokemon.
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Thunder Wave / Double-Edge
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Dynamic Punch
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Offensive Dragonite is often underprepared for and can be extremely painful to face for some teams. Thunder Wave inflicts paralysis, which is crucial against some bulky Pokemon like Raikou, Zapdos, Umbreon, and even Snorlax, as it allows Dragonite and its teammates to potentially defeat their supposed answers by outspeeding them or forcing them to use Rest. Double-Edge forgoes paralysis support in exchange for a decently powerful and reliable physical attack, which can be very helpful in some scenarios, for instance against a weakened Snorlax or Machamp. Ice Beam 3HKOes Zapdos and does a nice amount of damage to Exeggutor, Marowak, Nidoking, Rhydon, and Golem. Thunder deals over 85% to Cloyster, 2HKOes Skarmory and Starmie, and 3HKOes Suicune, Tentacruel, and Vaporeon. Thunder notably makes Dragonite a pretty nice check to Vaporeon and also has a chance to inflict paralysis, although its accuracy is iffy. Dynamic Punch is even less reliable, but Fighting-type coverage is invaluable on this set, since it hits important targets like Tyranitar very hard and 3HKOes Snorlax, Umbreon, and Miltank, all of which have to beware of the potential 2HKO after Spikes damage. The added confusion effect can be very awkward for the opponent, especially in tandem with the paralysis induced by Dragonite's other moves.
Team Options
========
Dragonite greatly appreciates Spikes support from Cloyster and Forretress, as it secures some notable KOs mentioned above, while additional chip damage makes Dragonite more threatening in general. Even though it can cripple them via Thunder Wave and Ice Beam, Dragonite still needs some support against Raikou and to a lesser extent Zapdos, so typical Electric-type answers like Steelix, Snorlax, and Raikou itself as well as Explosion users like Cloyster, Exeggutor, and Gengar make good partners. However, Dragonite can perform pretty well with other Pokemon that also struggle against Electric-types like Vaporeon and Tentacruel, since they can weaken or paralyze their common nemeses, which may end up leaving them overwhelmed by trying to check two offensive threats. Other notable Thunder Wave targets include Snorlax, Umbreon, Miltank, Suicune, Misdreavus, and Heracross, most of which have to be wary of Dragonite's coverage moves as well. Dangerous Pokemon like Snorlax, Marowak, and Nidoking will have a much easier time breaking through the opposing team once Dragonite has paralyzed these annoyances.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Haze
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk / Body Slam / Dragon Breath
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Dragonite is gifted with very solid all-around bulk, useful resistances to Water and Fighting, and an immunity to Ground, making a defensive set perfectly usable, albeit very passive, as it struggles to fit an attacking move. Haze is a key move to this set's success, as unlike phazing moves it isn't plagued with negative priority, allowing Dragonite to erase all stat changes before slower Pokemon like Snorlax, Vaporeon, Machamp, Marowak, and -1 Heracross have a chance to hit it with a boosted attack. This makes Dragonite one of the best available answers to the fearsome Belly Drum Snorlax. Reflect is another important move, since the boost in Defense is invaluable against most of the aforementioned Pokemon. It also enables Dragonite to shrug off most Explosions, helps its teammates switch in more safely, gives it some insurance while it is asleep, and makes it almost unbreakable with physical attacks—even Rock Slide from Rhydon fails to 4HKO Dragonite behind Reflect most of the time. Rest is Dragonite's sole form of recovery. It can be paired with Sleep Talk so Dragonite can serve as a pretty reliable sleep absorber against Exeggutor and Lovely Kiss Snorlax without becoming dead weight while asleep. However, this comes at the cost of not having any offensive move and makes Dragonite extremely passive and reliant on PP stalling, although it will win PP wars thanks to Haze's high PP count more often than not. Choosing Body Slam or Dragon Breath instead makes the use of Rest much riskier but permits Dragonite to actually damage its foe and potentially spread paralysis. Body Slam deals a bit more damage in general aside from some Pokemon like Marowak and Exeggutor, whereas Dragon Breath ensures that Dragonite isn't completely helpless against Ghost-types.
Team Options
========
This Dragonite variant fits on most stall teams, which can afford to pack very passive Pokemon. They often include cleric support from Blissey and Miltank, which can cure Dragonite's sleep status and reduce the need for Sleep Talk, essentially freeing up the last moveslot. Blissey can also sponge attacks from Raikou, Zapdos, Gengar, and Jynx aimed at Dragonite, whereas Miltank deals nicely with Nidoking and Porygon2. Other Pokemon like Raikou, Steelix, and Umbreon that check most of the aforementioned threats can also be considered. Umbreon and Tyranitar can provide Pursuit support, something that can be very helpful if Dragonite is unable to touch Gengar and Misdreavus because it stops them from coming in on it fearlessly. Aside from these, having additional answers to offensive threats such as Snorlax is useful, since Dragonite usually can't do much back to its foe and will therefore often have to take numerous hits, making it susceptible to critical hits.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Light Screen improves Dragonite's matchup against Electric-types, as it turns 2HKOs from attacks like Hidden Power Ice from Zapdos and Raikou into 4HKOs. However, it takes up an important moveslot and doesn't guarantee that Dragonite will beat them, as they can simply use Rest and Sleep Talk and stall until the effect of Light Screen goes away. Fire Blast invalidates Heracross as a check to the offensive variant while dealing more damage to Steelix and Exeggutor than any other move in Dragonite's arsenal. Hidden Power Flying provides a physical STAB attack without significant drawbacks that OHKOes Heracross, 2HKOes Machamp, and 3HKOes Misdreavus and Gengar. However, dropping one of the standard coverage options for these will result in losing super effective coverage against key Pokemon like Zapdos, Tyranitar, or Water-types.
Checks and Counters
==================
**Electric-types**: Raikou is Dragonite's biggest threat, as it doesn't fear any of Dragonite's coverage moves, outspeeds it, and 2HKOes it with Hidden Power Ice. Zapdos also threatens Dragonite in the same manner, although it has to be wary of Ice Beam, which can 3HKO it. Neither like being paralyzed by Thunder Wave but they can heal it off with Rest afterwards.
**Defensive Typing Advantage**: Heracross and Misdreavus are 4HKOed at best by Dragonite's usual attacking moves and can slowly wear it down while recovering with Rest and Pain Split. However, the former is completely countered by defensive Dragonite, whereas the latter wants to avoid Thunder Wave.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Suicune, Snorlax, Miltank, Umbreon, and Porygon2 all force Dragonite to rely on its inaccurate moves to threaten them and can reduce its threat level by crippling it with status or reducing its Attack, or otherwise KO it outright. However, bar Suicune, which needs Sleep Talk and Ice Beam to reliably check Dragonite, all of the listed Pokemon can be 2HKOed by Dynamic Punch after Spikes, and Thunder Wave hinders them all. Steelix deserves a special mention, as it is immune to Thunder Wave and can survive three Dynamic Punches, but most of the time it lacks a move other than Explosion that can beat Dragonite, so it should be used as a pivot.
**Faster Pokemon with Ice-type Coverage**: Although it has trouble switching into Dragonite, Jynx swiftly OHKOes it with Ice Beam. Nidoking and Gengar have more opportunities to come in and dent it with their Ice-type attacks, but Nidoking takes a lot from Ice Beam and Gengar is badly crippled by Thunder Wave.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Wenderz, 331114]]
- Quality checked by: [[Lavos, 129513], [Fear, 2005]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Rabia, 336073]]
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