In-battle formes
| Type | |
|---|---|
| Abilities | |
| Tier |
| HP: | 91 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack: | 134 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defense: | 95 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Atk: | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Def: | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Speed: | 80 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Overview
Dragonite fills a niche in OU as a dangerous sweeper thanks to its Multiscale ability allowing for easy opportunities to set up with Dragon Dance and sweep through opposing teams. Its typing and good bulk allow it to find setup opportunities against common threats for offense such as Mega Charizard Y, Volcarona, and Ash-Greninja, as well as balance staples like Gliscor and Heatran. Extreme Speed provides it with a solid priority move and revenge killing tool, letting it stand out compared to other Dragon Dance users such as Gyarados, Mega Charizard X, and Kommo-o. It can also select between Flyinium Z and Dragonium Z, providing it with strong Z-Moves to blow past targets such as Clefable and Rotom-W, respectively. Unfortunately, Dragonite is held back by its subpar Speed tier, with Pokemon like Kyurem-B outspeeding it before a boost and Pokemon like Mega Alakazam and most Choice Scarf users outspeeding it after a boost. Its typing also leaves it vulnerable to Stealth Rock, which both removes Multiscale's effect and takes away a chunk of Dragonite's HP. As a result, Dragonite needs a lot of support, especially entry hazard removal, to utilize its full potential, and it faces competition from other Dragon Dance users such as Mega Charizard X and Gyarados.
Dragon Dance
| Move 1 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Move 3 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Move 4 |
|
Moves
Dragon Dance lets Dragonite take advantage of the setup opportunities provided thanks to Multiscale. Supersonic Skystrike blows through neutral targets like Ferrothorn, Clefable, and Tapu Fini. Devastating Drake lures in and tears through Flying-resistant neutral targets like Zapdos and Rotom-W at the cost of having to tread carefully against Fairy-types like Tapu Fini and Tapu Lele. Earthquake OHKOes Heatran and Tapu Koko and 2HKOes Toxapex, Mega Mawile, and Magearna. Extreme Speed picks off weakened revenge killers like Weavile and Mega Alakazam. Substitute protects Dragonite against status users like Thunder Wave Ferrothorn and Toxic Slowbro and lets it freely setup against Pokemon that cannot easily break its Substitute such as Heatran and defensive Landorus-T. Superpower gives Dragonite an option to better pressure Rotom-W and Celesteela while hitting Mega Tyranitar harder.
Set Details
An Adamant nature is useful for maximizing Dragonite's damage output, guaranteeing an OHKO on Clefable with +1 Supersonic Skystrike and on Slowbro with +1 Devastating Drake after Stealth Rock. A Jolly nature is also possible to outspeed Tapu Koko, Ash-Greninja, and Mega Lopunny at +1, Choice Scarf Kartana at +2, and Timid Heatran before a boost. Alternatively, Adamant variants can run 152 Speed EVs to outspeed Kartana and Mega Latias at +1, allowing them to invest more EVs into bulk.
Usage Tips
A fundamental part of using Dragonite is deciding right at the beginning what its optimal role for the match is. Dragonite can be a wallbreaker able to punch holes in the opposing team to help its teammates to clean, or it can be a threatening sweeper that benefits from its teammates' previous offensive efforts to clean up late-game, but it will likely be unable to perform both jobs. Once its role is decided, you should be aware of some major aspects that heavily influence its impact. Since Dragonite particularly wants to be at full health for Multiscale, managing entry hazards is important and, ideally, the field must be free of them to allow Dragonite to do its job. The best way to achieve this is to make good use of removal options like Defog and Rapid Spin and disruption like Taunt and Magic Bounce, pressure entry hazard setters, and play aggressively enough to force a fast-paced game where the opposing hazard setter doesn't get a safe opportunity. Another aspect to understand is that Dragonite is also quite dependent on its single usage of Supersonic Strike or Devastating Drake to beat its initial checks. Thus, the opponent will try to waste the Z-Move, allowing one of their defensive Pokemon to now beat Dragonite. However, this dynamic also creates opportunities to further the aggression with correct reads; setting up an additional Dragon Dance while predicting a sacrifice can put the opponent in an even more dire position, opening up Dragonite to spiral out of control. Finally, before setting up a Dragon Dance, Dragonite lacks immediate impact, and its turn of setup could be enough for the opponent to deal with it. Therefore, weakening foes beforehand, with entry hazards and offensive partners, is required to provide those essential turns.
Team Options
Dragonite is best suited for hyper offense and offense teams thanks to the fast-paced games they set the tone for and their capability to break through opposing checks to allow Dragonite to clean up late-game. Entry hazard removal is a top priority, so it enjoys being paired with a Defogger such as Serperior or Tapu Fini. Serperior has the benefit of providing paralysis support with Glare, crippling faster threats such as Tornadus-T and Mega Latias, while Tapu Fini provides a solid answer to Dragonite's offensive checks such as Weavile and Mega Charizard X. A dedicated lead such as Excadrill, Taunt Mew, or Imprison Landorus-T is appreciated on hyper offense teams, as they can prevent opposing entry hazards and can follow up by setting their own. Finally, Dragonite loves the support of Mega Diancie's Magic Bounce. When it comes to offensive partners, Fire-type threats such as Victini and Volcarona offer additional offensive pressure on Steel- and Fairy-types, greatly helping Dragonite to wallbreak and clean. Mega Pinsir can form a Flying-type spam core alongside Dragonite that's able to overwhelm shared checks like Zapdos and Celesteela. Magearna has great synergy with Dragonite, since it provides a good check to the likes of Weavile and Mega Alakazam, and Magearna and Dragonite are able to pressure shared Steel-types checks. Certain defensive Pokemon also fit with Dragonite. Cresselia, thanks to Lunar Dance, can bring Dragonite's HP back to full, allowing it to reactivate Multiscale and have a second chance to sweep. Ferrothorn likes Dragonite's ability to check Fire-types. In return, Ferrothorn covers Dragonite's weakness to Fairy-types and supports it with Stealth Rock and Spikes.
Other Options
Dragonite can run Lum Berry to shrug off status from the likes of Toxapex, Gliscor, and Chansey as it sets up, as well as burns from Scald and Will-O-Wisp. However, the lack of immediate power severely reduces Dragonite's ability to wallbreak. These sets typically make use of Ice Punch, Earthquake, and Superpower to hit a wide spread of Pokemon. Fire Punch can be used to threaten Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, Kartana, and Celesteela without using Supersonic Skystrike. A defensive Dragon Dance + Roost set with Ice Punch and Earthquake can be used on stall teams to act as a backup check to Heatran, Serperior, and Kartana and an alternative win condition. In return, Dragonite appreciates the support from stall staples, such as Mega Sableye keeping entry hazards off the field with Magic Bounce, Chansey healing status with Aromatherapy, and Skarmory setting up Spikes to wear down Dragonite's checks. Thanks to its great synergy with Multiscale, Weakness Policy is also an option to potentially raise Dragonite's Attack even further. However, Dragonite misses out on OHKOing Tapu Fini, Ferrothorn, and Clefable if it lacks Supersonic Skystrike. Stone Edge on Flyinium Z variants allows them to hit Zapdos while threatening an OHKO on Tornadus-T after Stealth Rock without the need of using Supersonic Skystrike.
Checks and Counters
Steel-types: Skarmory walls Dragonite and threatens it back with Counter and Whirlwind, with Whirlwind being even more irritating if Stealth Rock is on the field. Celesteela also checks Dragonite and can slowly beat it with Leech Seed, Protect, and Heavy Slam. If Dragonite lacks or has already used Supersonic Skystrike, Mega Scizor can eat two Earthquakes from +1 Dragonite and force it out with Swords Dance and Bullet Punch. If lacking Earthquake, Magearna and Jirachi obstruct Dragonite, with Magearna able to knock it out with Fleur Cannon and Ice Beam and Jirachi able to seal it with its infamous paraflinching coming from the combination of Body Slam and Iron Head.
Rock-types and Rock-type Coverage: Mega Tyranitar is not only able to take both Devastating Drake and Earthquake from +1 Dragonite but will also break Dragonite's Multiscale thanks to its ability Sand Stream, meaning it OHKOes Dragonite with Stone Edge. Mega Diancie outspeeds Dragonite and threatens it with both Diamond Storm and Moonblast. Dragonite should also watch out for Pokemon running Stone Edge as coverage, such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Tapu Bulu.
Fairy-types: Without Supersonic Skystrike, Clefable can confidently stay in on Dragonite and force it out with Moonblast and Thunder Wave. Similarly, Tapu Fini has enough bulk to take Dragonite's attacks and pressure it with Moonblast and a potential burn from Scald. Finally, Tapu Koko outspeeds Dragonite and threatens it with Dazzling Gleam and Hidden Power Ice.
Ice-types and Ice-type Coverage: Weavile outspeeds Dragonite and OHKOes it even through Multiscale with Icicle Crash. Kyurem-B also outspeeds it and, thanks to Teravolt, ignores Multiscale, threatening an OHKO with both Subzero Slammer and Ice Beam. Moves such as Ice Beam and Hidden Power Ice are common coverage moves used by many Pokemon such as Protean Greninja, Mega Latias, and Landorus-T.
Electric-types: Without Devastating Drake, Zapdos and Rotom-W wall Dragonite, with Zapdos threatening it back with a potential paralysis from Discharge and Hidden Power Ice and Rotom-W being able to cripple Dragonite with Will-O-Wisp. Pivot variants of Thundurus-T are noteworthy with their faster Speed and access to Taunt to deny Dragonite's Dragon Dance.
Dragon-types: While none of them are able to switch in on Dragonite, especially after a Dragon Dance, Dragonite should keep an eye on faster offensive threats such as Kommo-o, which forces it out with Clangorous Soulblaze. Garchomp is even more threatening, since it can cleanly OHKO Dragonite even through Multiscale with Devastating Drake.
Faster Threats and Priority: Even after a Dragon Dance, Mega Alakazam is still faster, copies Multiscale thanks to Trace, and pressures Dragonite with Psychic and Hidden Power Ice. Choice Scarf users such as Protean Greninja and Landorus-T also outspeed and force it out with Ice Beam and Stone Edge, respectively. Moreover, Landorus-T is even more troublesome due to having Intimidate to reduce Dragon Dance's Attack boosts. Weather attackers such as Mega Swampert and Excadrill outspeed Dragonite and threaten it with Ice Punch and Corkscrew Crash, respectively. Priority moves such as Fake Out, Quick Attack, and Bullet Punch—run by the likes of Mega Lopunny, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Medicham—are able to slowly knock Dragonite out. Ice Shard, being a staple on Choice Band Weavile, is by far the most dangerous priority move Dragonite can face.
Stealth Rock: The presence of Stealth Rock is a major issue for Dragonite, as the chip damage taken will deactivate Multiscale and reduce its setup opportunities later in the game.
Credits
- Written by FavMon=Garchomp and DIYUSI
- Quality checked by zinnias and Skypenguin
- Grammar checked by Rose
