[OVERVIEW]
Dragonite, thanks to its high attack, good typing, Multiscale, and large movepool, is a powerful wallbreaker and sweeper. Its typing provides it with excellent defensive utility, lending it resistances to common attacking types like Fire, Fighting, and Grass making it a solid answer to threats like Breloom or Infernape. Furthermore, Extreme Speed and Dragon Dance make Dragonite a powerful cleaner in the late game. Though Dragonite is able to beat most of its checks thanks to Earthquake and Fire Punch, its weaknesses to Stealth Rock and status as well as reliance on prediction hampers its longevity and effectiveness throughout the game. Furthermore, Dragonite is susceptible to being revenge killed by faster threats like Latias or Weavile and is walled by Clefable. Last, it suffers from the ubiquity of other, faster Dragon-type Pokemon like Garchomp and Latias.
[SET]
Name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Fire Punch / Dragon Claw
Item: Choice Band
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Adamant / Jolly
Evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Outrage is Dragonite’s most powerful STAB move, 2HKOing common physically bulky Pokemon like Tangrowth, Slowbro and Gliscor. As Outrage locks Dragonite into the move for multiple turns, Earthquake is a good mid-ground option because it hits Heatran and Jirachi super effectively while hitting Scizor and Clefable neutrally. Extreme Speed is a powerful tool that can to clean up or revenge kill weakened faster pokemon like Starmie or Latias while circumventing Ice Shard from Weavile and Mamoswine. Fire Punch allows Dragonite to OHKO Scizor, while Dragon Claw it a secondary STAB option that avoids Outrage's downsides. Iron Tail is also an option to 2HKO Clefable but has very limited application outside of this matchup in addition to its bad accuracy. An Adamant nature helps Dragonite hit as hard as possible while a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Adamant Lucario and faster Gliscor variants.
Choice Band Dragonite fits with most offensive teams that appreciate its wallbreaking and cleaning prowess as well as its defensive utility, especially since it doesn’t need much support to function. Dragonite likes to have Magnezone or Heatran for a partner as they both put pressure on Steel- and Fairy-types, while Dragonite is able to switch into opposing Ground-, Fighting- and Fire-type moves from Infernape or Gliscor. In addition, Dragonite pairs well with fellow Dragon-types like Latias and Garchomp that share the same checks and counters, allowing them to work together to break through them. Dragonite benefits from Stealth Rock setters such as Heatran or Jirachi ; the latter also provides Doom Desire, which helps Dragonite to break would-be checks like Clefable. Alongside it, a Defogger or a spinner such as Gliscor, Scizor or Starmie prevents Dragonite from being worn down too quickly. Finally, Dragonite combines well with other wallbreakers like Infernape, Lucario and Breloom that appreciate Dragonite's ability to weaken shared checks like Gliscor, while Dragonite can take advantage of their ability to pressure Pokemon like Latias, Clefable and Steel-types to use Outrage more easily.
[SET]
Name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Extreme Speed
Item: Lum Berry / Yache Berry
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Adamant
Evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Dragon Dance Dragonite is a sweeper that trades off immediate power for better sweeping potential. One Dragon Dance allows Dragonite to outspeed many common foes such as Garchomp and Latias. Outrage is the STAB move of choice for its high power and neutral coverage. Earthquake allows Dragonite to clear through Steel-types such as Heatran or Jirachi, while Extreme Speed ensures Dragonite can punish potential revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Latias or Weavile. Lum Berry prevents Dragonite from burn or paralysis and cures Outrage-induced confusion that would otherwise make its sweep uncertain. As an other option, Yache Berry, in combination with Multiscale, gives Dragonite opportunities to set up on Pokemon running Ice-type attacks such as Starmie and Slowbro in a pinch while preventing Mamoswine and Weavile from revenge killing Dragonite in case its Multiscale gets broken and it cannot setup enough.
Dragon Dance Dragonite requires a lot of support to realize its full potential. Keeping the field free of Stealth Rock is mandatory to preserve Multiscale for as long as possible. Teammates like Gliscor or Starmie can remove entry hazards, while Taunt users like Azelf or lead Skarmory can prevent the opponent from getting Stealth Rock up in the first place. In addition, Azelf can set up dual screens or Stealth Rock while Skarmory can set both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Setting up Stealth Rock is essential, as it enables Dragonite to OHKO Weavile most of the time and 2HKO Utility Togekiss with Extreme Speed after one boost. Due to the absence of Fire Punch, Magnezone is particularly valuable as it traps defensive Skarmory and prevents it from phasing Dragonite with Whirlwind. More generally, Lucario and Nidoking are powerful wallbreakers that are able to effectively damage Fairy- and Steel-types such as Scizor and Unaware Clefable that would otherwise prevent Dragonite from sweeping. Also, Pokemon such as Latias and Alakazam like Dragonite's ability to severely damage shared checks like Weavile and Scizor for their own sweeping attempt.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragonite with its fantastic bulk can also provide a good amount of utility for its teammates. As a Defogger, it beats common entry hazard setters like Heatran, Skarmory and Gliscor in addition to being a very solid check to both Infernape and Breloom thanks to its combination of Ice Beam, Fire Blast, and Earthquake, while Roost lets Dragonite recover Multiscale and increases Dragonite's longevity considerably. However, its weakness to Stealth Rock and Ice-type moves as well as its over reliance on Multiscale is very detrimental to the effectiveness of any defensive set.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types** : Fairy-type Pokemon such as Clefable and Togekiss are able to switch into Dragonite in most scenarios and deter it from using its Dragon-type STAB moves. Togekiss is also immune to Earthquake, whereas Unaware Clefable stops any sweeping attempts.
**Ice-types and Ice-type Coverage** : Life Orb Mamoswine and Choice Band Weavile are able to OHKO Dragonite with Icicle Crash through Multiscale and with Ice Shard if Multiscale is broken. However, neither of them are able to switch into Dragonite and Extreme Speed has higher priority than Ice Shard, so they have to act with caution.
**Steel-types** : Steel-type Pokemon such as Scizor, Jirachi, Skarmory and Heatran prevent Dragonite from using its most powerful STAB move : Outrage. Heatran can even take advantage of Outrage to try to fish a Flame Body burn. However, they are all vulnerable to Dragonite's coverage moves like Earthquake and Fire Punch.
**Stealth Rock** : Much of Dragonite's bulk comes from Multiscale. In addition to being weak to Stealth Rock, the entry hazard breaks Multiscale effectively deterring Dragonite from entering the field.
**Rotom-Wash** : Rotom-W can cripple Dragonite if it doesn't use Lum Berry with Will-O-Wisp or Thunder Wave while also being immune to Earthquake. However, if Dragonite is locked into Outrage, Rotom-W cannot effectively cripple it, as Dragonite is still able to 2HKO Rotom-W through burn.
**Revenge Killers**: Using Outrage lets threats like Mamoswine, Azumarill, and Latias easily revenge kill Dragonite.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Xilefi, 510459]]
- Quality checked by: [[dex, 277988], [adem, 529732]]
- Grammar checked by: [[dex, 277988]]
Dragonite, thanks to its high attack, good typing, Multiscale, and large movepool, is a powerful wallbreaker and sweeper. Its typing provides it with excellent defensive utility, lending it resistances to common attacking types like Fire, Fighting, and Grass making it a solid answer to threats like Breloom or Infernape. Furthermore, Extreme Speed and Dragon Dance make Dragonite a powerful cleaner in the late game. Though Dragonite is able to beat most of its checks thanks to Earthquake and Fire Punch, its weaknesses to Stealth Rock and status as well as reliance on prediction hampers its longevity and effectiveness throughout the game. Furthermore, Dragonite is susceptible to being revenge killed by faster threats like Latias or Weavile and is walled by Clefable. Last, it suffers from the ubiquity of other, faster Dragon-type Pokemon like Garchomp and Latias.
[SET]
Name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Fire Punch / Dragon Claw
Item: Choice Band
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Adamant / Jolly
Evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Outrage is Dragonite’s most powerful STAB move, 2HKOing common physically bulky Pokemon like Tangrowth, Slowbro and Gliscor. As Outrage locks Dragonite into the move for multiple turns, Earthquake is a good mid-ground option because it hits Heatran and Jirachi super effectively while hitting Scizor and Clefable neutrally. Extreme Speed is a powerful tool that can to clean up or revenge kill weakened faster pokemon like Starmie or Latias while circumventing Ice Shard from Weavile and Mamoswine. Fire Punch allows Dragonite to OHKO Scizor, while Dragon Claw it a secondary STAB option that avoids Outrage's downsides. Iron Tail is also an option to 2HKO Clefable but has very limited application outside of this matchup in addition to its bad accuracy. An Adamant nature helps Dragonite hit as hard as possible while a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Adamant Lucario and faster Gliscor variants.
Choice Band Dragonite fits with most offensive teams that appreciate its wallbreaking and cleaning prowess as well as its defensive utility, especially since it doesn’t need much support to function. Dragonite likes to have Magnezone or Heatran for a partner as they both put pressure on Steel- and Fairy-types, while Dragonite is able to switch into opposing Ground-, Fighting- and Fire-type moves from Infernape or Gliscor. In addition, Dragonite pairs well with fellow Dragon-types like Latias and Garchomp that share the same checks and counters, allowing them to work together to break through them. Dragonite benefits from Stealth Rock setters such as Heatran or Jirachi ; the latter also provides Doom Desire, which helps Dragonite to break would-be checks like Clefable. Alongside it, a Defogger or a spinner such as Gliscor, Scizor or Starmie prevents Dragonite from being worn down too quickly. Finally, Dragonite combines well with other wallbreakers like Infernape, Lucario and Breloom that appreciate Dragonite's ability to weaken shared checks like Gliscor, while Dragonite can take advantage of their ability to pressure Pokemon like Latias, Clefable and Steel-types to use Outrage more easily.
[SET]
Name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Extreme Speed
Item: Lum Berry / Yache Berry
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Adamant
Evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Dragon Dance Dragonite is a sweeper that trades off immediate power for better sweeping potential. One Dragon Dance allows Dragonite to outspeed many common foes such as Garchomp and Latias. Outrage is the STAB move of choice for its high power and neutral coverage. Earthquake allows Dragonite to clear through Steel-types such as Heatran or Jirachi, while Extreme Speed ensures Dragonite can punish potential revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Latias or Weavile. Lum Berry prevents Dragonite from burn or paralysis and cures Outrage-induced confusion that would otherwise make its sweep uncertain. As an other option, Yache Berry, in combination with Multiscale, gives Dragonite opportunities to set up on Pokemon running Ice-type attacks such as Starmie and Slowbro in a pinch while preventing Mamoswine and Weavile from revenge killing Dragonite in case its Multiscale gets broken and it cannot setup enough.
Dragon Dance Dragonite requires a lot of support to realize its full potential. Keeping the field free of Stealth Rock is mandatory to preserve Multiscale for as long as possible. Teammates like Gliscor or Starmie can remove entry hazards, while Taunt users like Azelf or lead Skarmory can prevent the opponent from getting Stealth Rock up in the first place. In addition, Azelf can set up dual screens or Stealth Rock while Skarmory can set both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Setting up Stealth Rock is essential, as it enables Dragonite to OHKO Weavile most of the time and 2HKO Utility Togekiss with Extreme Speed after one boost. Due to the absence of Fire Punch, Magnezone is particularly valuable as it traps defensive Skarmory and prevents it from phasing Dragonite with Whirlwind. More generally, Lucario and Nidoking are powerful wallbreakers that are able to effectively damage Fairy- and Steel-types such as Scizor and Unaware Clefable that would otherwise prevent Dragonite from sweeping. Also, Pokemon such as Latias and Alakazam like Dragonite's ability to severely damage shared checks like Weavile and Scizor for their own sweeping attempt.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragonite with its fantastic bulk can also provide a good amount of utility for its teammates. As a Defogger, it beats common entry hazard setters like Heatran, Skarmory and Gliscor in addition to being a very solid check to both Infernape and Breloom thanks to its combination of Ice Beam, Fire Blast, and Earthquake, while Roost lets Dragonite recover Multiscale and increases Dragonite's longevity considerably. However, its weakness to Stealth Rock and Ice-type moves as well as its over reliance on Multiscale is very detrimental to the effectiveness of any defensive set.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types** : Fairy-type Pokemon such as Clefable and Togekiss are able to switch into Dragonite in most scenarios and deter it from using its Dragon-type STAB moves. Togekiss is also immune to Earthquake, whereas Unaware Clefable stops any sweeping attempts.
**Ice-types and Ice-type Coverage** : Life Orb Mamoswine and Choice Band Weavile are able to OHKO Dragonite with Icicle Crash through Multiscale and with Ice Shard if Multiscale is broken. However, neither of them are able to switch into Dragonite and Extreme Speed has higher priority than Ice Shard, so they have to act with caution.
**Steel-types** : Steel-type Pokemon such as Scizor, Jirachi, Skarmory and Heatran prevent Dragonite from using its most powerful STAB move : Outrage. Heatran can even take advantage of Outrage to try to fish a Flame Body burn. However, they are all vulnerable to Dragonite's coverage moves like Earthquake and Fire Punch.
**Stealth Rock** : Much of Dragonite's bulk comes from Multiscale. In addition to being weak to Stealth Rock, the entry hazard breaks Multiscale effectively deterring Dragonite from entering the field.
**Rotom-Wash** : Rotom-W can cripple Dragonite if it doesn't use Lum Berry with Will-O-Wisp or Thunder Wave while also being immune to Earthquake. However, if Dragonite is locked into Outrage, Rotom-W cannot effectively cripple it, as Dragonite is still able to 2HKO Rotom-W through burn.
**Revenge Killers**: Using Outrage lets threats like Mamoswine, Azumarill, and Latias easily revenge kill Dragonite.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Xilefi, 510459]]
- Quality checked by: [[dex, 277988], [adem, 529732]]
- Grammar checked by: [[dex, 277988]]
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