Dragon in USM Monotype

By maroon. Released: 2018/12/15.
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art

Art by DatHeatmor.

Introduction

In the games, Dragon-types have always been powerful creatures, fielding more pseudo-legendaries than any other type. However, in Monotype, these almighty beasts are not as amazing as they might seem, as they have poor matchups against top-tier types such as Psychic and the ever-so-prominent Fairy. However, it also does have a decent number of favorable matchups against other top types such as Flying and Water. Kommo-o receiving Clangorous Soulblaze in USM made Dragon much more viable in the metagame and allowed it to take on types it struggled against before, such as Normal. In this article we will be exploring the different options Dragon-type teams have been given and see how Dragon fares in Monotype.

Viable Megas

These are the two viable Mega Pokémon Dragon has access to, and both are fantastic bulky setup sweepers that can shrug off status with Refresh, meaning they can't be reliably checked defensively and have to be taken care of offensively instead. However, Refresh often leaves their coverage options lackluster and makes them reliant on teammates to weaken or eliminate their checks before entering the battle. This makes them dead weight in some matchups, such as Mega Latias being virtually useless against Dark teams and Mega Altaria being useless against Poison and Steel. That being said, their pros outweigh their cons, and they are worth adding to any Dragon team.

latias

Mega Latias is one of the two premier Mega Pokémon Dragon teams have access to and is a bulky Calm Mind sweeper. Due to Mega Latias's fantastic natural bulk in tandem with Levitate, it can easily set up Calm Mind and recover off damage with Roost. After a few Calm Mind boosts, Mega Latias becomes a dangerous wincon that can take on Fairy teams after Klefki has been removed. Refresh variants can even bypass Klefki and other status-inducing Pokémon. While Refresh is generally the better option to beat Normal teams by setting up on Chansey without having to worry about Toxic. Thunderbolt allows Latias to hit Pokémon such as Celesteela rather than being walled easily by them. However, Mega Latias does need help getting around Dark-type Pokémon such as Mega Sharpedo and Mega Sableye, as it is either easily OHKOed by them or easily walled.

altaria
  • altarianite Altaria @ Altarianite
  • Ability: Natural Cure
  • EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe
  • Jolly Nature
  • - Body Slam
  • - Defog
  • - Refresh
  • - Roost
  • altarianite Altaria @ Altarianite
  • Ability: Natural Cure
  • EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
    • Jolly Nature
  • - Dragon Dance
  • - Return
  • - Roost
  • - Refresh
  • altarianite Altaria @ Altarianite
  • Ability: Natural Cure
  • EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
  • Jolly Nature
  • - Return
  • - Dragon Dance
  • - Roost
  • - Earthquake

Mega Altaria is a fantastic setup sweeper that can clean through a decent majority of types such as Dark, Dragon, and Fighting after a couple of boosts, making it a very potent threat available to Dragon teams. Its secondary Fairy typing also grants it an immunity to Dragon-type attacks, and thanks to Roost and Mega Altaria's excellent natural bulk, it can set up easily with Dragon Dance. The combination of Refresh and Dragon Dance allows Mega Altaria to shrug off Toxic poison and paralysis and set up on status-inducing Pokémon such as Chansey. However, Mega Altaria should not set up while Ditto is on the opposing team, as it can copy Mega Altaria's boosts and pull off a reverse sweep. With Earthquake, Mega Altaria can hit Poison- and Steel-types such as Toxapex and Heatran; however, using Earthquake means Mega Altaria must drop Refresh, leaving it reliant on teammates such as Kyurem-B and Garchomp to beat common status inducers. However, while Mega Altaria is a fantastic setup sweeper, it needs three Dragon Dance boosts to outspeed Choice Scarf Greninja, one of the greatest threats to Dragon teams. Mega Altaria can run a bulky Defog set as well; it can switch in on Pokémon such as Toxapex thanks to Roost and Refresh and clear hazards safely with Defog. This set started to be used because Steel- and Poison-types such as Celesteela and Toxapex are very common in the tier, making offensive Dragon Dance Altaria way less effective. Even though Mega Altaria generally cannot touch anything that resists Fairy, it still is a fantastic addition to any Dragon-type team.

Hazard Setters

Garchomp and Dragalge are the only viable or semi-viable hazard setters available to the type. Garchomp is a mandatory pick, as it provides the ever-necessary Stealth Rock and can pivot into Volt Switch. Dragalge, on the other hand, is a very niche Pokémon that is able to pressure Fairy and Normal teams almost exclusively. With Toxic Spikes, it is able to effectively wear down Fairy teams quickly and can beat the ever-present threat Mega Diancie. Using Dragalge means that the team will lose out on a more valuable Pokémon like Kommo-o or possibly a Mega, making it very hard to fit on Dragon teams. Before adding it, you should carefully consider what matchups you are throwing to gain a more neutral ground against Fairy.

garchomp

Garchomp is a staple pick for Dragon teams, as it is the only viable Stealth Rock Pokémon that Dragon has access to, has an immunity to Electric-type attacks, and can soft check Mega Diancie, a significant threat to the type, with Focus Sash and Earthquake. Garchomp can also help Dragon check Steel-type threats such as Jirachi and Mega Scizor with a combination of Earthquake and Fire Blast. Stone Edge is also an option, allowing Garchomp to hit Flying-type Pokémon and pressure Defoggers. Garchomp threatens a good chunk of hazard removers with Outrage such as Zapdos and Crobat, limiting their ability to remove hazards against it. Garchomp is pretty much a lead Pokémon and should be the first Pokémon to sack in the majority of matchups; however, it is essential to preserve it in matchups such as against Electric teams.

dragalge

Dragalge is a niche pick on Dragon teams, as it is only used to improve matchups by chipping down foes with Toxic Spikes and check Fairy-types thanks to its part Poison typing. Dragalge has decent natural bulk, allowing it to set up Toxic Spikes fairly easily or get off a few attacks. Toxic Spikes enables Dragon to cripple some of its worse matchups such as Normal and Fairy, as neither can deal with Toxic Spikes, and Normal teams' Defogger, Staraptor, can't Defog against Dragalge for fear of being OHKOed. However, Dragalge isn't too useful and can rarely be fit into Dragon teams, as Dragon teams have access to better Pokémon that are useful in more than a few matchups. Draco Meteor and Sludge Wave are Dragalge's main STAB moves and the way it usually gets off damage. However, Hidden Power Fire also allows it to hit Pokémon such as Scizor that would otherwise wall it. Poison Barb enables Dragalge to OHKO Mega Diancie most of the time with Sludge Wave, while Dragon Fang allows it to 2HKO Toxapex and therefore pressure Poison teams.

Viable Offensive Options

These four Pokémon are on virtually every Dragon team, and for great reason. They provide excellent coverage and can be strong wallbreakers; Kommo-o can also stallbreak with Taunt, and Latios is an excellent revenge killer. Overall, these Pokémon will be beneficial in more matchups than Pokémon like Dragalge and Hydreigon, which have niche uses for particular matchups.

kommo-o
  • kommonium z Kommo-o @ Kommonium Z
  • Ability: Soundproof
  • EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
  • Naive Nature
  • - Clanging Scales
  • - Dragon Dance
  • - Earthquake / Poison Jab
  • - Close Combat / Earthquake
  • kommonium z Kommo-o @ Kommonium Z
  • Ability: Soundproof
  • EVs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
  • Hasty Nature
  • - Drain Punch
  • - Taunt
  • - Clanging Scales
  • - Flamethrower

Ever since Kommo-o got access to Clangorous Soulblaze with the release of USM, it has become a fantastic addition to any Dragon team. After getting to +2 Speed with Clangorous Soulblaze and Dragon Dance, Kommo-o can outspeed almost every Pokémon in the metagame, including Choice Scarf Greninja. This set can also help Dragon against Normal, and it can help against Steel teams, which the Dragon-type Megas in Altaria and Latias appreciate. Nevertheless, while a fantastic addition to any Dragon team, Kommo-o is nearly dead weight in matchups like Fairy because they are immune to Dragon and can easily OHKO it with their Fairy-type STAB moves. However, it can still be used to take on Pokémon such as Klefki and Tapu Bulu.

kyurem-black

Kyurem-B is yet another staple pick on Dragon teams, as its completely unresisted coverage with a strong BoltBeam backed by Earth Power makes it a dangerous mixed attacker. This allows Kyurem-B to apply pressure to many teams such as Water and Flying that can only offensively check Kyurem and are forced to sack Pokémon to deal with it. It can also take advantage of its respectable natural bulk to recover off damage with Roost in front of weak attacks such as Toxapex's Scald. Earth Power enables Kyurem-B to hit Steel-type Pokémon such as Heatran for super effective damage and is capable of hitting Levitate Pokémon such as Rotom-W thanks to Teravolt. Hidden Power Fire is an option over Earth Power and Roost that allows Kyurem-B to take on threats to Dragon such as Mega Scizor. However, Earth Power is generally the better option and has more uses.

dragonite

Dragonite is the best physical wallbreaker Dragon has access to, being able to break past the Eviolite cores with Superpower. It is also a fantastic cleaner with Extreme Speed, as it can revenge kill threats such as Greninja with minor chip damage, and makes a fantastic Steel-breaking core alongside Kommo-o thanks to Superpower and Fire Punch. Choice Band Outrage breaks even the bulkiest walls that don't resist it, doing around 60% to defensive threats such as Toxapex and Chansey. However, Dragonite relies heavily on Multiscale to do many of these things, and if Multiscale is broken by Stealth Rock, it can be revenge killed by common attackers like Greninja and Nihilego.

latios

Latios is the best Choice Scarf Pokémon Dragon teams have available to them. With its fantastic Speed tier, it is able to outpace Pokémon such as Mega Sharpedo at +1 Speed and unboosted Mega Diancie. It is also a fast Defogger, allowing it to remove hazards such as Stealth Rock, which is especially appreciated by Kyurem-B and Dragonite. Trick lets Latios cripple walls such as Alolan Muk and Chansey. This gives Dragon opportunities to scout what move the foe locks itself into and possibly send in Kommo-o to set up or Kyurem-B to wear them down. Alternatively, Choice Specs Latios is a powerful wallbreaker that can break past Pokémon like Celesteela with Thunderbolt. Latios is also blessed with Memento, which enables it to give setup sweepers such as Kommo-o, Mega Latias, and Mega Altaria an opportunity to set up nearly for free. Latios is also a fantastic Pokémon in the mirror matchup, as it can cleanly OHKO all other Dragon-type Pokémon with Draco Meteor aside from Mega Altaria.

Other Options

These Pokémon provide useful techs for Dragon teams, but they are hard to fit on teams due to the other Pokémon being more common options that support teammates better. While these Pokémon are more niche, they still find use on competitive teams and provide valuable niches.

hydreigon

While Hydreigon might not be as prevalent as it once was before USM and the release of Kommonium Z, it is still an excellent addition to any team. It provides a host of useful niches such as being a powerful special wallbreaker and being able to rip through otherwise troublesome Psychic teams. It also has an immunity to Mew's Genesis Supernova, which is a setup sweeper on Psychic teams that can otherwise break through Dragon teams with ease. Its coverage is also invaluable to teammates such as Mega Altaria and Mega Latias that appreciate its ability to rip through Steel- and Poison-type Pokémon such as Mega Scizor and Mega Venusaur.

latias

Latias is another option Dragon has access to as a Choice Scarf Pokémon. The only niche it provides is being able to use Healing Wish, allowing teammates like Mega Altaria to come into battle one more time. Aside from that, Latios outclasses it in pretty much every way, as they both share the same Speed tier and checks. However, Latias's Special Attack is much lower than Latios's, reducing its ability to act as a good revenge killer. Setup sweepers such as Mega Tyranitar can also quickly take advantage of it after it has used Draco Meteor once. If Healing Wish support isn't needed, then the only reason to use Latias would be if you want to use Mega Latios, which is a suboptimal Mega on Dragon teams.

Sample Team

Latias-Mega @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Roost
- Refresh


Kommo-o @ Kommonium Z
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Clanging Scales
- Dragon Dance
- Close Combat
- Earthquake


Kyurem-Black @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Earth Power
- Roost


Garchomp @ Focus Sash
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Fire Blast


Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Defog
- Hidden Power Steel

Dragonite @ Choice Band
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Fire Punch
- Superpower


The team is centered around sweeping with Mega Latias or Kommo-o, as both of them help break down the other's checks. After a few Calm Mind boosts, Mega Latias can clean through Fairy teams and easily switch into attacks for Kommo-o such as Genesis Supernova from Mew. Likewise, Kommo-o helps beat down Dark-type Pokémon such as Alolan Muk for Latias, allowing it to cleanly sweep with Stored Power. Choice Scarf Latios is pretty universal on Dragon teams and is a fantastic revenge killer, cleaner, and fast Defogger. Hidden Power Steel allows Latios to OHKO Mega Diancie. This supports Kyurem-B and Dragonite, which are severely hindered by Stealth Rock chip. Garchomp is the team's lead and hazard setter, being able to hit Steel-type Pokémon such as Heatran and Ferrothorn with Earthquake and Fire Blast for Mega Latias. Dragonite is a fantastic wallbreaker for the team, as it can 2HKO all defensive Pokémon that don't resist Outrage, and it is a fantastic late-game cleaner with Extreme Speed. Kyurem-B is a mixed attacker and takes on a wide array of Water- and Flying-type Pokémon on a variety of teams, with Earth Power giving it the ability to hit every Pokémon for neutral damage. It can also pressure common Defoggers such as Mantine and Mandibuzz thanks to Fusion Bolt and Ice Beam.

Conclusion

Overall, Dragon is a consistent type, having a favorable matchup against a large portion of the metagame; however, its weakness to top-tier types such as Psychic and Fairy reduces its viability as a type in general. Dragon is an exciting type with a few different options in the USM Monotype metagame. Get out there and try use Dragon in Monotype!

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