Mega Dragalge
Type: Poison/Dragon -> Poison/Dragon
Ability: Poison Point/Poison Touch/Adaptability -> Looming (+1 priority to all Dragon-type moves)
New Moves: Acid Spray
HP: 65 -> 65
Atk: 75 -> 72 (+0)
Def: 90 -> 120 (+30)
SpA: 97 -> 127 (+30)
SpD: 123 -> 153 (+30)
Spe: 44 -> 34 (-10)
Flavor Concept: Dragalge becomes even more spindly and terrifying and grows many more fake leaves.
Competitive Concept: Mega Goodra is a Dragon mon specializing in Special Defense, and has a BST of 700 to Mega Dragalge’s 594 (including a far superior HP stat). This isn’t the first time Dragalge has been shafted: we’re talking about a pokemon whose final level-up move is, erm, Twister. What’s a Mock Kelp to do?
I gave a lot of consideration to a lot of abilities Dragalge could get. Protean came to mind as a flavor-filled defensive tool, but it’s just too slow to use properly and would end up similar to Color Change Kecleon, gimmicky and easily outplayed by the opponent. An ability that automatically poisons opponents on the switch or guaranteed poison on contact sounded promising, allowing it a niche of near-guaranteed Venom Drench and Venoshock, but even that didn’t sound good enough for this poor soul (I do want to try it on something else, though).
But then I thought, hey, this is a camouflage-based sea pokemon, but it’s also an incredibly deadly predator. In the wild, such predators can stay perfectly slow and still and blend into their surroundings, but when they strike it’s hard and it’s fast.
So, to give Dragalge a considerable niche over its slimy cousin, I’ve given it Looming, the Dragon-type Gale Wings. And holy crow does it do wonders. Even at a wretched base 34 speed, nothing says terror like priority Draco Meteor off a base 127 Special Attack. Dragalge is a dragon that eats other dragons for breakfast, and can singlehandedly turn the tide against the likes of Charizard and Garchomp. Moreover, its STAB Sludge Bomb/Wave takes care of the Fairies that laugh at Dragon type moves, and Flamethrower/Fire Blast handles Steel. But that’s not all: with Scald, Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Dragon Tail, and Haze, Dragalge can have all sorts of utility fun once its Special Attack is whittled away. Of course, Dragon Pulse is also an option for sustained attacks, but the sheer power of Draco Meteor is too good to pass up.
While Sludge Bomb/Wave does take care of Fairies better, I've also gifted Dragalge with Acid Spray to seriously mess with opponents. Whenever Dragalge switches in, it certainly might attack with Draco Meteor's might, but it could also predict a switch and, assuming no Steels are there to ruin your day (thank god for Steels keeping Dragalge from being OP) it can use Acid Spray to make the switch-in hit even harder by Draco Meteor. With hazards on the stage (including potentially Toxic Spikes, which Dragalge itself can lay) Dragalge is a serious terror on the field. A set like Draco Meteor/Acid Spray/Focus Blast/Toxic Spikes could make for some wonderful mindfuckery.
Dragalge is kept at bay by the aforementioned Steel type, but also its terrible speed, inability to boost or heal itself, and weakness to common moves like Earthquake and Ice Beam that, even with its great bulk, eventually take their toll. But regardless, let me repeat: priority Draco Meteor. We needed something radical to distinguish it from Goodra, and by god, radical is what we’ve got.
(Oh, also, fun fact: if the programming gives EVERY Dragon move +1 priority, then Dragalge’s Dragon Tail joins Prankster Roar/Whirlwind among the fastest phaze moves in the game, for whatever that’s worth.)