Dragonite
Dec 25, 2011 9:41:53 GMT -8
Post by GGFan on Dec 25, 2011 9:41:53 GMT -8
Type/s: Dragon/Flying
HP: 385
Attack: 366
Defense: 288
Speed: 258
Special: 298
OU strategy
Overview
Being the only Dragon-Type, Dragonite has only two weaknesses: Rock and Ice (Dragon Rage is the only Dragon attack, and it always does 40 damage). However, being part Flying makes him 4x weak to Ice, which is unfortunate because many Pokemon in OU have Ice attacks. To make matters worse, Dragonite doesn't receive STAB from anything, which greatly hinders his offensive capabilities to the point where he is simply ineffectual in OU compared to other Pokemon--both physically and specially. While he isn't as good as Gyarados, Dragonite can use Thunder Wave--better than nothing, right?
Mixed sweeper
~Blizzard/Thunderbolt
~Body Slam
~Hyper Beam
~Thunder Wave/Blizzard/Thunderbolt
Like Gyarados, Dragonite is immune to Earthquake and can safely switch-in against Golem and Rhydon. Neither should fight Dragonite unless they have to, which gives him the chance to either paralyze something with Thunder Wave or hit it with Body Slam. Hyper Beam is Dragonite's only hope against Chansey and Alakazam, which will OHKO them with a crit (otherwise, the former OHKOs with Counter and the latter will most likely have Reflect up). Blizzard is mainly for Exeggutor, while Thunderbolt puts Water-Types into kill range via Hyper Beam more efficiently. You can also ditch Thunder Wave and use both, though it is Dragonite's only advantage over Gyarados.
Unfortunately, not receiving STAB from even one attack squanders all of Dragonite's potential. He has the highest attack stat in the game, but its efficacy is only minimal; his special stat is good, but he is clearly outclassed by other special attackers such as Starmie and Alakazam; he's bulky enough to exchange a couple of blows, but without STAB, he'll usually never be the last one standing. Meanwhile, Gyarados, despite all of his shortcomings, at least has Hydro Pump.
Other options
Agility might have a bit of potential. Surf OHKOs Golem/Rhydon. If it's allowed, Wrap should always be used as it gives Dragonite the edge he needs to be an intractable threat--if played correctly.
Favorable match-ups
Dragonite is best used to prey upon wounded Pokemon, because he doesn't pack enough punch on his own. If he has Blizzard, Dragonite is good enough to force Exeggutor to explode.
Counters
Anything that's part Ice will OHKO Dragonite every time. Even Jynx, with its abysmal defense, can switch-in and only loses if it gets paralyzed. To be succinct, anything that's faster has numerous advantages over Dragonite (Thunder Wave, Recover, Ice attacks). Gengar lacks any of these, but he's only affected by Dragonite's special attacks and is 5HKOd by Blizzard. As for the slower folk, Snorlax 3HKOs and Slowbro only fears a crit (though Dragonite will get a few opportunities to land one).