[overview]
**Draft Order**: Early round 1 onwards
**Price Range**: Banned or 19-20 points
**Overview**: Dragapult is seemingly built for Draft, being an incredibly dominant force due to its versatility, great typing, elite Speed, and potent mixed attacking capabilities. Due to its incredible Speed, Dragapult often acts as a pivoting fast attacker that employs damage-boosting items to become a menace. It does not stop there, however, as it has plenty of valuable utility options and the ability to easily invest heavily in bulk due to its natural Speed. Dragapult has the ability to perform multiple roles in a dominant fashion, only ever-so-slightly held back by its middling bulk, somewhat-weak attacking stats, and lack of a reliable physical Ghost-type STAB move.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Fast Attacker**: Dragapult can use a vast variety of items to hit a majority of the format incredibly hard while outspeeding them. These sets can be used to wallbreak, pivot and gain momentum via U-turn, or clean up an endgame with relative ease.
**Offensive Support**: Dragapult can spread status via Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp to cripple foes and attack with powerful Hexes. These sets often run bulk investment with Leftovers and Substitute to tremendously weaken teams and take advantage of status conditions.
**Sweeper**: Dragapult can use Dragon Dance to gain additional power while outspeeding common Choice Scarf Pokemon. This set can be an excellent wincon if the opposing team does not have solid answers to Dragon Darts and Dragapult's physical coverage. Another way to gain sweeping capabilities is through Weakness Policy on bulkier variants, although this is less consistent.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Dragon Darts, Shadow Ball, Draco Meteor, Hex, Dragon Pulse, Phantom Force, Outrage
**Setup Moves**: Dragon Dance
**Utility Moves**: U-turn, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Light Screen, Reflect, Substitute, Dragon Tail, Protect
**Coverage**: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Hydro Pump, Surf, Thunderbolt, Psychic Fangs, Sucker Punch
Niche Moves
========
**Curse**: On utility sets, in particular dual screens sets, Curse can be effective to give your team momentum by sacrificing Dragapult, and the residual damage can also prevent a foe from sweeping in a pinch.
**Acrobatics**: On physical sets that use Power Herb for Phantom Force, Acrobatics can become a viable coverage option.
**Disable**: Dragapult can take advantage of its high Speed and Substitute to disable a threatening attack from a foe, giving it more opportunities to safely attack and set up.
**Breaking Swipe**: On bulkier Dragapult sets or Weakness Policy sets, Breaking Swipe can help Dragapult effectively beat Pokemon one-on-one.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots allows Dragapult to hit the field as much as possible and utilize its fast attacking and pivoting capabilities well.
**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs allows Dragapult to overcome its weak base Special Attack and deal serious immediate damage with its wide special movepool.
**Leftovers**: On status-spreading variants that spend extended periods on the field, Leftovers can net Dragapult quite a bit of longevity. This pairs especially well with Substitute.
**Choice Band**: In matchups with poorer checks to its physical movepool, Choice Band can let Dragapult be an immense threat and deal immediate damage.
Niche Items
========
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries can allow the somewhat frail Dragapult to survive an attack and unexpectedly KO back.
**Eject Pack**: Eject Pack paired with Draco Meteor can be a way to avoid making Dragapult passive on the field and maintain momentum.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Damage-boosting items can be used to allow fast attacking sets to hit higher KO thresholds that they otherwise struggle with.
**Light Clay**: Light Clay can be found on utility sets to extend the duration of dual screens and support the team further.
**Power Herb**: Power Herb can be used to give Dragapult the ability to use Phantom Force, a physical Ghost-type STAB move. This pairs well with Dragon Dance sets and also enables the use of Acrobatics.
**Weakness Policy**: Dragapult can heavily invest in bulk to survive super effective hits and gain huge immediate power thanks to Weakness Policy.
Tera
========
Tera Dragapult should never be legal in any league you play in. That being said, if it were able to use Tera, Dragapult could often use Tera Ghost to finally give it a physical Ghost-type STAB move via Tera Blast. Other Tera types such as Tera Fighting, Fairy, and Steel could be used for their offensive and defensive applications to make Dragapult an unstoppable Dragon Dance sweeper.
Draft Strategy
========
Dragapult is almost certainly the centerpiece of any draft it finds its way onto. The goal of Dragapult teams should be to support it as well as possible to allow it to be the potent wincon it can easily be. However, Dragapult teams can also be easily built so as to let Dragapult support the rest of the team with its diversity.
**Status Spreaders**: Status spreaders pair very well with Dragapult to give it additional moveslot flexibility and enable it to use Hex. In particular, a good Toxic Spikes user often goes well with Dragapult. Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Darkrai, and Sneasler perform this role well.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Good entry hazard control is essential on Dragapult teams, as it likes the flexibility to avoid running Heavy-Duty Boots and also enjoys hazard chip damage to net KOs. Great Tusk and Terapagos are good hazard removers for Dragapult teams, and Hisuian Samurott and Ting-Lu are synergistic hazard setters.
**Wallbreakers**: Wallbreakers are necessary with Dragapult, as it is at its best cleaning up games. Wallbreakers such as Urshifu-S, Weavile, and Enamorus pair well with it.
**Pivots**: Reliable pivots that allow Dragapult to hit the field without taking damage facilitate it well. Pivots such as Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Rotom-W support it this way.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Although Dragapult can build around most Fairy-types to beat them, they often require specific coverage or preparation, taking away from its valuable moveslots. It can also struggle breaking through bulkier Fairy-types like Clefable, Primarina, and Sylveon.
**Bulky Walls**: Despite generally being an offensive force, Dragapult's somewhat weak attacking stats make some specific bulky walls tough to break. Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Heatran can be troublesome for Dragapult.
**Priority**: Strong priority attackers can ignore Dragapult's Speed and revenge kill it. Pokemon such as Weavile and Scizor can perform this role, as well as the plethora of Dark-type Pokemon with access to Sucker Punch, although they must be wary of Will-O-Wisp.
**Speed-boosting Pokemon**: Choice Scarf or Speed Booster Energy Pokemon with favorable matchups can ignore Dragapult's Speed and KO it. Pokemon such as Meowscarada, Iron Valiant, and Roaring Moon can all boost their Speed and KO Dragapult easily.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf2.608304/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/thinkingsceptile.556309/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
[/SPOILER]
[/QUOTE]
**Draft Order**: Early round 1 onwards
**Price Range**: Banned or 19-20 points
**Overview**: Dragapult is seemingly built for Draft, being an incredibly dominant force due to its versatility, great typing, elite Speed, and potent mixed attacking capabilities. Due to its incredible Speed, Dragapult often acts as a pivoting fast attacker that employs damage-boosting items to become a menace. It does not stop there, however, as it has plenty of valuable utility options and the ability to easily invest heavily in bulk due to its natural Speed. Dragapult has the ability to perform multiple roles in a dominant fashion, only ever-so-slightly held back by its middling bulk, somewhat-weak attacking stats, and lack of a reliable physical Ghost-type STAB move.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Fast Attacker**: Dragapult can use a vast variety of items to hit a majority of the format incredibly hard while outspeeding them. These sets can be used to wallbreak, pivot and gain momentum via U-turn, or clean up an endgame with relative ease.
**Offensive Support**: Dragapult can spread status via Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp to cripple foes and attack with powerful Hexes. These sets often run bulk investment with Leftovers and Substitute to tremendously weaken teams and take advantage of status conditions.
**Sweeper**: Dragapult can use Dragon Dance to gain additional power while outspeeding common Choice Scarf Pokemon. This set can be an excellent wincon if the opposing team does not have solid answers to Dragon Darts and Dragapult's physical coverage. Another way to gain sweeping capabilities is through Weakness Policy on bulkier variants, although this is less consistent.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Dragon Darts, Shadow Ball, Draco Meteor, Hex, Dragon Pulse, Phantom Force, Outrage
**Setup Moves**: Dragon Dance
**Utility Moves**: U-turn, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Light Screen, Reflect, Substitute, Dragon Tail, Protect
**Coverage**: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Hydro Pump, Surf, Thunderbolt, Psychic Fangs, Sucker Punch
Niche Moves
========
**Curse**: On utility sets, in particular dual screens sets, Curse can be effective to give your team momentum by sacrificing Dragapult, and the residual damage can also prevent a foe from sweeping in a pinch.
**Acrobatics**: On physical sets that use Power Herb for Phantom Force, Acrobatics can become a viable coverage option.
**Disable**: Dragapult can take advantage of its high Speed and Substitute to disable a threatening attack from a foe, giving it more opportunities to safely attack and set up.
**Breaking Swipe**: On bulkier Dragapult sets or Weakness Policy sets, Breaking Swipe can help Dragapult effectively beat Pokemon one-on-one.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots allows Dragapult to hit the field as much as possible and utilize its fast attacking and pivoting capabilities well.
**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs allows Dragapult to overcome its weak base Special Attack and deal serious immediate damage with its wide special movepool.
**Leftovers**: On status-spreading variants that spend extended periods on the field, Leftovers can net Dragapult quite a bit of longevity. This pairs especially well with Substitute.
**Choice Band**: In matchups with poorer checks to its physical movepool, Choice Band can let Dragapult be an immense threat and deal immediate damage.
Niche Items
========
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries can allow the somewhat frail Dragapult to survive an attack and unexpectedly KO back.
**Eject Pack**: Eject Pack paired with Draco Meteor can be a way to avoid making Dragapult passive on the field and maintain momentum.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Damage-boosting items can be used to allow fast attacking sets to hit higher KO thresholds that they otherwise struggle with.
**Light Clay**: Light Clay can be found on utility sets to extend the duration of dual screens and support the team further.
**Power Herb**: Power Herb can be used to give Dragapult the ability to use Phantom Force, a physical Ghost-type STAB move. This pairs well with Dragon Dance sets and also enables the use of Acrobatics.
**Weakness Policy**: Dragapult can heavily invest in bulk to survive super effective hits and gain huge immediate power thanks to Weakness Policy.
Tera
========
Tera Dragapult should never be legal in any league you play in. That being said, if it were able to use Tera, Dragapult could often use Tera Ghost to finally give it a physical Ghost-type STAB move via Tera Blast. Other Tera types such as Tera Fighting, Fairy, and Steel could be used for their offensive and defensive applications to make Dragapult an unstoppable Dragon Dance sweeper.
Draft Strategy
========
Dragapult is almost certainly the centerpiece of any draft it finds its way onto. The goal of Dragapult teams should be to support it as well as possible to allow it to be the potent wincon it can easily be. However, Dragapult teams can also be easily built so as to let Dragapult support the rest of the team with its diversity.
**Status Spreaders**: Status spreaders pair very well with Dragapult to give it additional moveslot flexibility and enable it to use Hex. In particular, a good Toxic Spikes user often goes well with Dragapult. Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Darkrai, and Sneasler perform this role well.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Good entry hazard control is essential on Dragapult teams, as it likes the flexibility to avoid running Heavy-Duty Boots and also enjoys hazard chip damage to net KOs. Great Tusk and Terapagos are good hazard removers for Dragapult teams, and Hisuian Samurott and Ting-Lu are synergistic hazard setters.
**Wallbreakers**: Wallbreakers are necessary with Dragapult, as it is at its best cleaning up games. Wallbreakers such as Urshifu-S, Weavile, and Enamorus pair well with it.
**Pivots**: Reliable pivots that allow Dragapult to hit the field without taking damage facilitate it well. Pivots such as Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Rotom-W support it this way.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Although Dragapult can build around most Fairy-types to beat them, they often require specific coverage or preparation, taking away from its valuable moveslots. It can also struggle breaking through bulkier Fairy-types like Clefable, Primarina, and Sylveon.
**Bulky Walls**: Despite generally being an offensive force, Dragapult's somewhat weak attacking stats make some specific bulky walls tough to break. Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Heatran can be troublesome for Dragapult.
**Priority**: Strong priority attackers can ignore Dragapult's Speed and revenge kill it. Pokemon such as Weavile and Scizor can perform this role, as well as the plethora of Dark-type Pokemon with access to Sucker Punch, although they must be wary of Will-O-Wisp.
**Speed-boosting Pokemon**: Choice Scarf or Speed Booster Energy Pokemon with favorable matchups can ignore Dragapult's Speed and KO it. Pokemon such as Meowscarada, Iron Valiant, and Roaring Moon can all boost their Speed and KO Dragapult easily.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf2.608304/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/thinkingsceptile.556309/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
[/SPOILER]
[/QUOTE]
Last edited:
