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plaza athénée
RBY LC Dragon
[Overview]
<p>With the transition to BW2, other Little Cup Dragon-types such as Axew got new moves to use from tutors. Dratini's stats are also disappointing when compared to the other Dragon-types. However, Dratini enjoys some exclusive features other Dragon-types can't even dream of having; Shed Skin, a great ability for a setup sweeper, permits Dratini to virtually ignore status, and ExtremeSpeed gives it a unique tool to pick off opposing threats. Despite not getting new tutor moves like Axew and the other Dragon-types, Dratini already has all it needs in a movepool almost the size of its big brother, Dragonite. In spite of Dratini's low base stats and hatred of getting locked into Outrage, it has many advantages that can earn it a spot on your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: ExtremeSpeed
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Shed Skin
nature: Lonely / Hasty
evs: 244 Atk / 36 SpA / 196 Spe
ivs: 0 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With this set, Dratini can act as an excellent sweeper, using the perfect coverage of Outrage accompanied by Fire Blast to steamroll through teams. ExtremeSpeed is the move that sets Dratini apart from other Dragon-types, allowing it to pick off faster Choice Scarf users that either have been weakened or are frail. Shed Skin allows it to set up without fear of status conditions. Life Orb is the item of choice here to maximize Dratini's offensive potential. If the Life Orb makes it difficult to set up however, you can run Eviolite instead. The additional bulk gives Dratini more setup opportunities against various Grass-, Fire-, and Water-type attacks. However, this comes at the cost of lower damage output, which means Dratini needs more Dragon Dance boosts to sweep.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Lonely is generally the preferable nature when holding a Life Orb because it still enables Dratini to attain 14 Speed before Dragon Dance, which means that at +1, it hits the special number, 21, needed to outspeed all unboosted Pokemon in the metagame. Hasty is always an option in order to outspeed Choice Scarf Pokemon that also aim to hit 21 Speed. However, Hasty is best when using Eviolite because ExtremeSpeed cannot KO Choice Scarf Snover without Life Orb and Lonely. Keep in mind that when using Life Orb, using 0 HP IVs is necessary in order to reduce Life Orb damage to 1 HP per hit instead of 2.</p>
<p>As with most setup sweepers, Dratini greatly appreciates entry hazard support, so Pokemon such as Dwebble aid greatly in the sweeping process. When holding Life Orb, Dratini especially likes dual screen support in order to set up more often without worrying about being KOed. Knock Off is also very important because it removes the high defensive ability of certain threats by getting rid of Eviolite, letting Dratini make up for the KOs it lacks when using Eviolite itself due to not carrying Life Orb. Because Dratini uses Fire Blast as coverage and it is not boosted by Dragon Dance, it prefers having Steel-types weakened if they have the bulk to take a Fire Blast.</p>
<p>Following this idea of weakening common answers to Dratini, wallbreaking support is also useful to enhance Dratini's sweeps. For example, the most common wallbreaker in the tier, the dreaded MixKrow, aids this set a lot by punching holes in common defensive cores and weakening them to the point where Dratini can just sweep at +1.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Eviolite
nature: Jolly
ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 108 HP / 4 Atk / 76 Def / 196 SpD / 116 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set can be very dangerous due to its ability to accumulate Dragon Dance boosts thanks to Dratini's top-notch bulk and resistances. The key to Dratini's ease in setting up lies in part in its Dragon typing, which resists several common attacks. Marvel Scale, however, is the real gem of the set. When using Rest, Marvel Scale sends Dratini's Defense sky-high, allowing it to shrug off many physical moves. Because of this, setting up on many common Pokemon, such as Lileep and RestTalk Chinchou, is a breeze. This set is a mono-attacking set, but getting locked into Outrage is irritating despite how powerful it is. This set is an excellent choice to deal with Fire / Water / Grass cores due to its resistances and focus on bulk, allowing it to shut down a lot of defensive cores.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With the given EVs, Dratini takes hits like a champ, making its setup job easier. Because this is a mono-attacking set, it really likes having Steel-types out of the way or weakened. Thus, one of the best support Pokemon for this set is Magnemite, which traps and removes Steel-types easily. If Magnemite is not used, Knock Off is helpful to weaken Steel-types so they crumple in the face of +6 Outrages. Other useful Pokemon to pair with this Dratini set are hazard setters, which generally have a field day setting up in the face of Steel-types that switch into Dratini. One excellent hazard setter that partners well with Dratini is Ferroseed, as this set can switch into Fire-type attacks easily, and Ferroseed handles its Dragon-type weakness.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A mixed Dratini set can be employed thanks to its decent offensive stats as well as its access to ExtremeSpeed. Another possibility is a defensive set that fully takes advantage of Dratini's excellent mono-Dragon typing. A parashuffling set is quite viable, seeing as Dratini has access to both Thunder Wave and Dragon Tail. Dratini can also make more use of its resistances on the offensive Dragon Dance set and run a bulkier EV spread instead.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to Outrage and Fire Blast's unresisted coverage, Dratini is very hard to counter. However, as with all Dragon-types, once it is locked into Outrage, any Steel-type with some bulk can easily take a hit and then take it out, with Bronzor being a great example of such. Along these lines, massively physically bulky Pokemon such as Hippopotas can also take a hit and then Whirlwind Dratini out or deal massive damage with a STAB move. Two specific Pokemon that don't care about any of Dratini's moves are Aron and Shieldon, thanks to their bulk and neutrality to Fire Blast, making them near perfect counters.</p>
<p>Dratini has a few checks that are actually quite common. The most common of these is the standard pivot Mienfoo, which has enough bulk to survive a +1 Outrage and can use a combination of Fake Out and Drain Punch to take Dratini out. The other checks are generally bulkier Choice Scarf Pokemon that outspeed Dratini at +1, which is not a hard task, and that can take an ExtremeSpeed. Thus, Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Misdreavus are excellent answers to Dratini.</p>
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