Dragonite, the very first Dragon to grace the world of Pokemon. Even after Johto introduced a new dragon (Kingdra), Dragonite was still the main Dragon-type, and the specialty of the Champion, Lance, who had no fewer than three of them. Since 3rd generation, though, Dragonite has largely lived in the shadow of Salamence, a competitively superior Pokemon. Still, we're not exactly all about competition here, and Dragonite is the cuter of the dragons, I'd say. That, and it's the Dragon-type we're able to get before beating the Elite Four. Sort of.
About the Pokemon
Back when it first appeared amongst the first generation of Pokemon, Dragonite was a Pokemon shrouded in mystery. Its very existence in the wild was an enigma, sometimes only that of a rumor. The only proof of its existence is its use by a few select trainers. Even now, it remains a mystery, a Pokemon rumored to fly over the seas, helping those who need help out there... Needless to say, if you run into a wild Dragonite, you are very lucky indeed. The Pokemon has an intelligence on par with humans and can fly around the world in sixteen hours.
Well, what did you expect? It's not just a dragon; back when it debuted, it was THE dragon of Pokemon.
Height: 7'3", Weight: 463 lbs.
Capture/Training
There are many ways to get a Dratini, but the best way for us to get one is simple: after beating Clair, upon visiting the Dragon's Den, answer the old man's questions nicely, and get a free Dratini with Extremespeed! Good stuff, and we can always soft-reset if we want to get one with a good nature/IV build.
Training it, on the other hand...
Dratini evolves into Dragonair at level 30. Delaying the evolution one level to learn Aqua Tail is a possibility, but since Waterfall does a fine job on its own, and you get that HM soon after beating Clair anyways, that delay is not necessary. That said... Dragonair doesn't evolve until level 55. In other words, if we choose to bring this Pokemon to the first Elite Four battle, it will be a Dragonair we will be bringing in... Oh, and Dragonair learns Outrage at Lv. 61, while Dragonite learns it at Lv. 64... a three level differential for a six level delay isn't particularly worth it, though.
Statistics
Base Stats:
91 HP, 134 Atk, 95 Def, 100 Sp. Atk, 100 Sp. Def, 80 Spd
Very solid stats, overall. 134 Attack is definitely nothing to scoff at. That Speed stat is the only real "weakness".
Soft-resetting is always an option to make sure Dratini gets a good nature, but with those stats, it's hard to pinpoint a particular nature that should be looked into. Rather, there are certain natures to be avoided: those that reduce Attack or Speed. Other than that, stick with the nature you get and move on. Same for IVs.
EV refocusing depends highly on the moveset chosen, so we won't cover that here.
Overall, it's hard to argue with those stats. Yeah, Salamence technically has better stats, but Dragonite has it good, too. Watch out for those Ice-types, though!
Movesets
Hoo boy.
Well, first of all, Inner Focus is its only ability, so there's that. It prevents flinching. 'Nuff said.
As for actual moves, boy, does Dragonite have a lot of options.
For a primary attack, you'll want a nice Dragon-type attack. On the Physical side, Outrage is the option of choice; with a power boost to 120, it will pretty much decimate opponents for the 2-3 turns it's active for. Just watch out for the confusion effect afterwards. If you don't want the downside of being locked into a move and being confused afterwards, Dragon Claw is a safe, reliable alternative. For a special attack, there's the hard-hitting (at first) Draco Meteor. Its reliable alternative is Dragon Pulse.
Dragonite doesn't really need a Flying STAB primary attack. Considering that we'll be stuck using Dragonair for a fair amount of time anyways, any Flying attack is more secondary than anything. Nevertheless, Fly works fine in-game; obviously, considerations have to be taken if it is used against anyone with real intelligence. The only other physical attack in consideration is Aerial Ace. Even with STAB, it's only real feature is its role as a sure-hit attack, which is useful against enemies that are evasion-happy... which I've definitely seen amongst certain Elite Four members (I'm looking at you, Koga and Karen!). It's probably best not to bother with the special side here.
As for secondary attacks... hoo-wee.
Let's start with level-up moves. Fire Punch and Thunderpunch provide nice physical attacks for Fire and Electric, respectively. Fire is great for taking out many Ice-types, as well as Dragon-resistant Steel-types, while Electric takes out Ice Beam-happy Water-types. Thankfully, that's really it for level-up moves.
Now, TMs. Focus Punch is an option, with or without Substitute. If it's a Special Attack you want, Dragonite can learn the full trio: Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam. The first two have the same advantages as mentioned with the punches, while Ice Beam hits a number of other types. (I shall mention here that, yes, Dragonite can be move-tutored Ice Punch.) Earthquake really goes without saying. Fire Blast is out there for those who like power more than accuracy. Brick Break has some usability; good for assorted Steel-types and Normal-types if you don't want to risk Outrage. Stone Edge is probably its best Rock-type move, for another type that might put the hurt on an Ice-type. Surf and Waterfall are fairly reliable options in general.
For Move Tutored attacks, the big one is Superpower, which is probably the best Fighting-type attack Dragonite has access to, with high power, good accuracy, and its only downside is a stat loss that can be recovered upon switching out. Iron Head can hit hard against the two main types that Dragonite is weak against, but other than that does not have major stat coverage; it's still worth mentioning, though. Finally, Heat Wave middles the ground between Fire Blast and Flamethrower; its main advantage over those two is being able to hit both opponents in a Double Battle.
One final attack move in the pool is, of course, Extremespeed, held right away on the Dratini given, and also possibly given as an Egg Move. (Hint: make sure that the Dratini given to you is male!) It's main feature is that it is a first-strike move, which is always handy, and has that extra kick of power not found in Quick Attack.
Now, let's speak of its options for buffing, defensive, or supporting moves... *takes a deep breath*
Dragon Dance, Dragon Dance, Dragon Dance. It only makes sense it can learn it, and it can definitely use it, what with its average Speed. Use it and get ready to sweep. Roost can be Heart-Scaled onto Dragonite (no need to use up that TM!) and gives it some healing power. Yay! The Dratini family is somewhat unusual for being able to learn Thunder Wave on its own (another TM that needs not be wasted!) and that makes a great disruptive move. (Toxic is also an option, though that will require a TM...) Safeguard is a viable supporting move for your team to prevent status conditions. Light Screen is an odd option considering it cannot be taught by TM to Dragonite, and is instead one of its Egg Moves, but it definitely works. Haze is an odd option: it can reset the drops taken from Draco Meteor or Superpower. Obviously, it shouldn't be used with Dragon Dance. Still, those stat drops are easily cured by switching, so... yeah.
And... there you have it. Now for the movesets...
Moveset 1: Dragon Dancer
- Dragon Dance
- (primary physical Dragon attack)
- Earthquake/(secondary physical attack)
- (secondary physical attack)/Roost
Probably the best physical attack to consider, other than Earthquake, is Fire Punch. Anyways, Dragon Dance for that Attack and Speed boost, then start sweeping. Outrage is a great move, but if you don't want to deal with its drawbacks, switch to Dragon Claw. This set has a number of choices for an attached item. A Yache Berry to reduce the impact of an Ice move is good; a Lum Berry cures status, including Confusion from the end of an Outrage; Leftovers are always good; a Life Orb really kicks up the damage done, but it is recommended to use Roost if done so that Dragonite can heal off the recoil damage.
For this set, refocus EVs out of Special Attack and into Attack.
Moveset 2: Choice
- (primary physical/special Dragon attack)
- (attack)
- (attack)
- (attack)
You know how many options for moves Dragonite has? Yeah, choose four and roll with them. Obviously, Choice Band requires physical attacks; Choice Specs require special attacks, though you might want to consider Superpower for Blissey. Choice Scarf can go with either, and should come with both a physical and a special Dragon-type attack. Past that, choose the attacks you like and strike! (For the Choice Band/Specs set, doubling up on primary Dragon attacks (one powerful-but-has-drawbacks and one reliable) could work.)
Moveset 3: Support
- Roost
- Thunder Wave/Toxic
- Light Screen/Safeguard/(other support move)
- Dragon Claw
Support Dragonite. Not too much to say here. Good for more defensive Dragonite; obviously does not need Sp. Atk EVs.
Moveset 4: Hazer
- Draco Meteor
- Superpower
- Haze
- Roost/Thunder Wave/Safeguard/Dragon Claw/Outrage
A strange moveset based on using Haze to clear out the bad stat-drops from Draco Meteor and Superpower. Obviously, it then doubles as a way to clear out the opponent's attempts at stat-boosting (or stat-dropping you). It's probably not that good of a set, but whatever. I suppose the idea would be to hit as hard as you can, then try to predict an opponent's stat-boosts and Haze them out. *shrug* Roost probably works best in that last slot, giving you an opportunity to heal up damage taken upon using Haze. EVs? Probably Sp. Atk and Speed. Hazers kind of need to be fast.
General Moveset
- (primary physical Dragon attack)
- (secondary physical attack/primary special Dragon attack)
- Roost
- (secondary attack)/(support move)
It's kind of hard to say no to Roost on Dragonite, especially because it doesn't need a TM to learn it, so you can save it for someone else. Other than that, Dragonite does learn a nice variety of attacks.
Effective Movesets
1. MixNite
- Draco Meteor
- Earthquake
- Extremespeed
- Roost/Thunderbolt
Item: Life Orb
2. Dragon Dancer
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost
3. Heal Bell Supporter
- Dragon Claw
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
4. Light Screen Supporter
- Dragon Claw
- Light Screen
- Toxic
- Roost
5. Choice Band
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Extremespeed
- Waterfall/Aqua Tail
6. Choice Specs
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
- Superpower
7. Cleric Dancer
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Heal Bell
- Roost
8. ExtremeSpeed
- Dragon Claw/Outrage
- Extremespeed
- Surf/Waterfall
- Roost
Item: Life Orb
9. HazyNite
- Draco Meteor
- Superpower
- Haze
- Roost
10. RainbowNite
- Dragon Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
- Surf
Breeding
Best Egg Moves: Extremespeed
Notes:
- Extremespeed can only be bred from another Dratini family, which means it can only be bred from the Extremespeed Dratini received from the Dragon's Den. For that reason, make sure that Dratini is male. For this reason, Extremespeed is incompatible with any Egg Move that Dratini cannot learn by level-up, namely Haze.
- Dratini's other notable Egg Move, Dragon Dance, can be learned on the level up. This means it does not need a female knowing the move to start out with it.
Future Sight
Dragonite has access to a number of interesting moves. Dragon Tail is particularly interesting: it acts as a Whirlwind, except it does a spot of damage too! Gale is an interesting move, using Dragonite's STAB and having a nice confusion effect, but having bad accuracy... except during any sort of weather, where its accuracy is perfect! Weather-abusing Dragonite? Weather looks to be a common occurrence in the game now, so...
Dragonite also got a decent ability. Multi-Scale halves damage while Dragonite is at full health. Note that it works *anytime* Dragonite is at full health, which means he can Roost to full health and easily absorb the opponent's next attack! All-in-all, Dragonite looks to find its niche as a bulky sweeper/supporter Pokemon, and that is not a bad thing at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment