The Outrageous Dragons of RU

Introduction

When you think of Dragon-types, the first thing that comes to mind is a powerful, intimidating creature like Dragonite or Salamence. In RU, however, this stereotype is completely untrue. We have Druddigon who looks like "the failed art project of a four-year old," Altaria who's all cute and fluffy, and small fries like Dragonair and Gabite who can't dream of living up to their evolved forms. Despite their weak appearances, RU's Dragons can unlock their hidden potential with just a tad bit of support. This article will teach you how to turn these second-rate Dragons into fearsome threats by capitalizing on their unique strengths.

The Dragons

Druddigon

In terms of viability, Druddigon is number one. Almost nothing can withstand a Choice Band-boosted Outrage, or any Outrage from Druddigon for that matter. Those who can will take a super effective Earthquake or Flamethrower to the face. Druddigon actually doesn't lose anything from holding a Choice Band like most other RU Dragons because it (embarrassingly) doesn't have an evolution and thus doesn't need to hold Eviolite due to having solid 77 / 90 / 90 defenses. Having mono-Dragon typing also greatly benefits Druddigon. It can check Fire-, Water-, and Grass-types way better than other Dragon-types due to resisting their STABs, not being weak to Hidden Power Rock, and taking neutral damage from Stealth Rock. Speaking of Stealth Rock, Druddigon can also support its team using it, as well as with other moves like Glare and Roar. A specially defensive set can take on many threatening special attackers in the tier, and with RestTalk and Hone Claws, it can actually sweep defensive teams that could otherwise stop Druddigon with Alomomola.

Fraxure

Fraxure is the defending champion of the Mirror Ball Trophy, being a two-time winner on Dancing with the Dragons. Seriously though, Fraxure is the best Dragon Dance user in the tier. Its Outrage almost rivals that of Druddigon, as it has a base 117 Attack, only three points less than Druddigon. Fraxure is a great Pokémon to utilize in wallbreaking. With Taunt, it can avoid status from the likes of Alomomola, Uxie, and Qwilfish. From there it can boost its Attack and Speed with Dragon Dance, all while taking various hits with its Eviolite-boosted defenses. Unlike other Dragon-types, Fraxure can use Low Kick to 2HKO Steelix and Escavalier after one Dragon Dance, allowing it to either continue to sweep or just weaken the opposing team so that another powerful attacker—or even another Dragon—can sweep.

Dragonair

Simply put, Dragonair is marvelous compared to the other RU Dragons. It's actually very similar to the specially defensive Druddigon with Hone Claws that I mentioned. The major differences are that Dragonair is much bulkier with Eviolite, uses Dragon Dance as its boosting move, and is way more elegant when sweeping. It also benefits from Resting due to its ability, Marvel Scale, which will allow it to take on physical threats better, such as Entei. Dragonair can set up easily on defensive FWG cores and sweep with Outrage. It can also take onslaughts from hard hitters like Sceptile, Rotom-C, Manectric, Magmortar, Typhlosion, and Slowking. As you can see, Dragonair gets many setup opportunities, but it does need many boosts before it can sweep due to its lower offenses. The best way to make use of Dragonair is to balance out its stylishness with a more fearsome Dragon like Fraxure and trap Steels with Magneton.

Altaria

IT'S SO FLUFFY! Altaria is actually the most unique Dragon-type in RU, being the only primary special attacker and support Dragon. It only has base 70 Special Attack, but with moves like Draco Meteor and Fire Blast, it can take care of most of the conventional Dragon-type switch-ins. It can also take advantage of the stat drops from Draco Meteor by using Power Swap! Altaria has other ways of staying alive as well; it has a reliable recovery move in Roost and can use Natural Cure to switch out and lose a nasty paralysis or burn. Altaria's fluffy coating also makes it decently bulky. 75 / 90 / 105 defenses are pretty good, especially with Altaria's typing. With a specially defensive EV spread, Altaria can scare out special attackers and heal its team with Heal Bell or phaze with Roar. Finally, Altaria can even run a physical set with Dragon Dance, Outrage, and Earthquake, though Fraxure is usually better in most cases because Altaria is less powerful and is weak to Stealth Rock.

Zweilous

Zweilous is another NFE Dragon-type that is unique from the rest. It has a secondary Dark typing which enables it to come in on Psychic-types like Slowking and Uxie and obliterate them with a STAB Crunch. Even though Zweilous has a below-average Attack stat, Hustle makes up for it by powering up already powerful moves such as Outrage, Crunch, and Superpower. Zweilous can either go the Choice Band route or be played more conservatively with a Substitute + 3 attacks set. The latter is probably the safer option, as Hustle does have the drawback of physical moves losing 20% accuracy; it also allows Zweilous to boost its bulk with an Eviolite. Zweilous should be used when you need a Psychic-type check because otherwise, its typing will come back to haunt it due to giving Zweilous weaknesses to Fighting- and Bug-type moves.

Gabite

Gabite is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to RU Dragons, but he can be a total boss. He's still above Shelgon, but Shelgon is so outclassed that it didn't even make this list. His only viable set is a Choice Band set with Outrage, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Fire Blast, but it can work. Gabite can use his secondary Ground typing to its advantage by blocking Volt Switches and then 2HKOing Steel-type switch-ins like Steelix and Escavalier with Earthquake. Outrage can even 2HKO Poliwrath, so Gabite isn't THAT much of a weakling. Gabite is also the fastest Dragon-type in RU, being able to outspeed all base 80s such as Kabutops and below. Since Gabite can easily take out Steel- and Rock-types with Earthquake, other Dragon-types and birds like Swellow appreciate his presence. Despite how cool Gabite is, you're probably better off using a combination of Druddigon and Fraxure. Thus, Gabite ultimately works best on teams full of other cool Pokémon like Pinsir.

Conclusion

Due to the offensive nature of Dragon-types, it is a good idea to pair Dragons with Dragons to overwhelm the opposition. With the right moves, one Dragon can take out another's check or counter. Another option to aid the success of these Pokémon is to use Magneton. Steel-types will usually be the only ones that can take a vicious Outrage, so eliminating them through the use of Magnet Pull can be crucial to get a win. While I was being sort of condescending towards some of these Pokémon, they are all completely viable and can give your opponents quite a bit of difficulty when played to their strengths. The list is ordered in terms of viability; the only two missing are Shelgon and Vibrava, which are both outclassed and totally inferior to the others.

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