[OVERVIEW]
Dragonair is one of the premier support Pokemon in RBY PU thanks to its access to Thunder Wave and Wrap, useful defensive typing, and diverse coverage. It is also the only viable user of the controversial "AgiliWrap" combination, which, while inconsistent, is able to spread chip damage onto the opposing team and bring foes into 2HKO or even OHKO range for Dragonair's teammates. Its base 70 Speed is relatively mediocre, but this still puts it ahead of threats like Seaking, Drowzee, and Porygon, and its Dragon typing helps it fend off Rapidash, Arcanine, and Staryu, which rarely runs Blizzard. In fact, both Rapidash and Arcanine have a mere 0.3% chance to 4HKO Dragonair with Fire Blast and only 3HKO it with Normal-type attacks; Staryu's Surf is a 6HKO, and Psychic is a 5HKO. Thanks to either Thunder Wave or Agility, Dragonair can outpace faster threats and use Wrap to force them to switch out. Its damage output is nothing to scoff at, either—not only does Wrap deal upwards of 4% per hit to most targets, but Blizzard 2HKOes Fearow and has a very slim chance to 2HKO Nidoqueen, while Thunderbolt easily 2HKOes Staryu. All of these factors combine to make Dragonair a difficult threat to handle, as the few faster Pokemon that can 2HKO it have difficulty finding safe entry, often fear paralysis, and usually take massive damage from Dragonair's coverage moves.
Dragonair's weaknesses are typical of a non-fully evolved Pokemon in PU; it's relatively frail, fearing 2HKOs from Blizzard users, Pinsir, and Fearow, and this frailty is on full display once it's paralyzed and unable to use Wrap effectively. Its Speed falls short of some critical targets like Pinsir, Fearow, Rapidash, Arcanine, and notably Nidoqueen, so it's quickly worn down and easily revenge killed. It also has difficulty spreading paralysis without taking it in return from various faster Thunder Wave users, and Nidoqueen can switch into Wrap or a predicted Thunder Wave for a relatively safe entry. Dragonair's typing is useful defensively but useless offensively, so it's unable to deal significant damage to neutral targets without Wrap, and its 85% accuracy means it's bound to miss sooner or later. Moves that might alleviate this, like Hyper Beam, are hard to fit without giving up other matchups; Dragonair already struggles with the Wrap-immune Gastly and wants to avoid being walled by Omanyte and Graveler.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Wrap
move 3: Blizzard
move 4: Thunderbolt
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Dragonair can provide excellent utility for its team with Thunder Wave, which lets it hamstring Recover users as well as fast attackers like Fearow, Pinsir, and Rapidash. Until its set is revealed, it's difficult for the opponent to switch valuable targets like Rapidash out before they take paralysis due to fear of an Agility set, making it easy to spread paralysis early-game. Once the foe is paralyzed, Dragonair can use Wrap to wear it down or force it out. Wrap also allows Dragonair to lock down foes it naturally outspeeds, like Drowzee, and prevent them from making progress. Blizzard and Thunderbolt are Dragonair's best options to cover as many foes as possible. Blizzard 2HKOes Fearow, Graveler, and Sandslash and has a minuscule chance to 2HKO Nidoqueen, but this is shored up if it repeatedly switches into Wrap. Thunderbolt, meanwhile, 2HKOes Staryu, rarely 2HKOes Omanyte, (AC) and 3HKOes Seaking. Most targets that are not weak to BoltBeam coverage are either slower than Dragonair, like Machamp, or fear paralysis, like Fire-types and Pinsir.
This set is often used as a lead, as it outspeeds Drowzee and can force it out with Wrap, and it handily beats Fire-types with Thunder Wave + Wrap. In this role, Dragonair seeks to paralyze a foe then force it out with Wrap, accumulating chip damage on the paralyzed foe and the opposing switch-in, which is likely to be the omnipresent Nidoqueen. From here, Dragonair has the advantage on pivoting to stay ahead in the game. Support Dragonair benefits from slower teammates that exploit paralysis, like Nidoqueen, Machamp, and Sandslash, which can heavily punish paralyzed foes with their perfect coverage and appreciate free switch-ins granted by Wrap. As a lead, Dragonair struggles against Gastly, banking on a 40% chance for Hypnosis to miss so it can land Thunder Wave. Pokemon like Drowzee can check Gastly after a teammate has been put to sleep.
[SET]
name: AgiliWrap
move 1: Agility
move 2: Wrap
move 3: Blizzard
move 4: Thunderbolt
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Dragonair becomes a terror after setting up Agility, as it outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame and wears foes down with Wrap. Against teams lacking Gastly, Wrap can easily deal upwards of 100% total damage spread across several foes. Even after using up all of its Wrap PP, Dragonair's coverage with Blizzard and Thunderbolt allows it to 2HKO or 3HKO most of the metagame; chip damage from Wrap makes a lot of these matchups even better. For example, without Agility, Dragonair loses to Nidoqueen, which outspeeds and 2HKOes it. However, Dragonair deals a minimum of 88% to Nidoqueen with two Blizzards, so Dragonair beats it easily after setting up Agility and chipping it with a few hits from Wrap. If Dragonair misses Wrap against a heavily weakened foe, it essentially gets to throw out an attack for free as the foe switches out, racking up more damage while preserving Wrap PP. This is especially relevant against foes like Fearow, Seaking, and Staryu, all of which take heavy damage from Wrap and one of Dragonair's other attacks.
This Dragonair set is exclusively used in the mid- and late-game, usually seeking to enter after a foe lacking a paralysis move, such as Fearow or Pinsir, lands a KO. Dragonair also can attempt to set up in front of Fire-types, as their only recourse is to try for a 30% burn or paralysis chance. This allows it to set up Agility at the cost of admittedly heavy chip damage, after which it can spam Wrap to chip down the enemy team. A miss against a healthy foe can thus be devastating, as Dragonair is often in OHKO range of powerful foes like Fearow and Nidoqueen after setting up. However, if the opponent chooses to stay in on Wrap, their Pokemon will take far more chip damage per Wrap use, and if they choose to switch after each Wrap, Dragonair will need to miss twice, a mere 2.25% chance. That said, foes like Gastly, Graveler, and Omanyte can cause issues for Dragonair. Dragonair is forced to switch out or simply duel Gastly; fighting it is tricky, as they mutually 4HKO each other, but Gastly has the superior critical hit rate and a chance for a Special drop from Psychic, clinching the matchup. Gastly can also use Explosion at low health to trade with Dragonair, which is usually a favorable trade for Gastly after it has put a foe to sleep. Teammates that can fend off Gastly, like Drowzee, Sandslash, and Abra, can help to remove it before Dragonair sets up; Magmar is also a great lead to counter Gastly lead. Graveler and Omanyte can riskily reduce Wrap chip by wasting PP for minimal damage, but both have to fear Dragonair's special coverage. This set also benefits from fast allies that can clean up a chipped team, like Fearow, Pinsir, and Rapidash.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragonair has a plethora of niche options. Hyper Beam has a 20% chance to OHKO Abra and also deals approximately 50% to Staryu and Drowzee; it's also not bad against Fire-types, dealing over 36% to Rapidash. This is particularly useful for AgiliWrap Dragonair, as it already relies on its allies to remove threats that might stonewall Hyper Beam, like Rock-types and Gastly, but it requires giving up valuable coverage and leaves Dragonair walled by either Graveler or Omanyte. Surf is Dragonair's best option against Fire-types, and it also OHKOes Graveler, but this requires giving up Blizzard's extra damage against Nidoqueen and Fearow and leaves it walled by opposing Dragonair. Fire Blast 2HKOes Pinsir but provides little else; burns can provide extra chip damage when using Wrap, but it's less consistent than other moves. Toxic seems like a useful option to combine with Wrap, but Dragonair lacks the bulk and Speed to spread and exploit it; poisoning foes also renders them immune to Thunder Wave, limiting Dragonair's utility against fast Pokemon like Arcanine and Rapidash.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Gastly**: Gastly outspeeds Dragonair, can put it to sleep with Hypnosis, and is immune to Wrap. Dragonair can only 4HKO it with Blizzard, while Gastly 4HKOes Dragonair with Psychic. A Special drop makes the matchup even worse, letting Gastly KO it even faster and reducing Dragonair's damage to pitiful levels. Since Gastly can function as a lead or remain in the back, it causes headaches for all variants of Dragonair.
**Paralysis**: Paralysis both exposes Dragonair's frailty, since it can no longer outspeed most foes and use Wrap, and removes its consistency, causing Wrap to fail about 36% of the time. Agility may cancel the Speed drop, but most Pokemon can wait for an inevitable full paralysis and punish accordingly.
**Blizzard Users**: Every Blizzard user can 2HKO Dragonair, and most outspeed it. Nidoqueen is the classic Dragonair check, as it's faster (RC) and immune to Thunder Wave, and it packs a lethal Blizzard. Staryu can use Blizzard and also has Thunder Wave to prevent Wrap shenanigans. Seaking and Omanyte are slower than Dragonair, but they can punish a Wrap miss as well.
**Fast Physical Attackers**: Fearow and Pinsir are both able to 2HKO Dragonair, easily revenge killing it after any chip or punishing Wrap misses, but they fear Thunder Wave.
**Burn**: A burn puts Dragonair on a timer and reduces its damage output with Wrap. This is less of an issue for support Dragonair, which can still contribute with Thunder Wave, but it robs AgiliWrap Dragonair of its main asset.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Dragonair is one of the premier support Pokemon in RBY PU thanks to its access to Thunder Wave and Wrap, useful defensive typing, and diverse coverage. It is also the only viable user of the controversial "AgiliWrap" combination, which, while inconsistent, is able to spread chip damage onto the opposing team and bring foes into 2HKO or even OHKO range for Dragonair's teammates. Its base 70 Speed is relatively mediocre, but this still puts it ahead of threats like Seaking, Drowzee, and Porygon, and its Dragon typing helps it fend off Rapidash, Arcanine, and Staryu, which rarely runs Blizzard. In fact, both Rapidash and Arcanine have a mere 0.3% chance to 4HKO Dragonair with Fire Blast and only 3HKO it with Normal-type attacks; Staryu's Surf is a 6HKO, and Psychic is a 5HKO. Thanks to either Thunder Wave or Agility, Dragonair can outpace faster threats and use Wrap to force them to switch out. Its damage output is nothing to scoff at, either—not only does Wrap deal upwards of 4% per hit to most targets, but Blizzard 2HKOes Fearow and has a very slim chance to 2HKO Nidoqueen, while Thunderbolt easily 2HKOes Staryu. All of these factors combine to make Dragonair a difficult threat to handle, as the few faster Pokemon that can 2HKO it have difficulty finding safe entry, often fear paralysis, and usually take massive damage from Dragonair's coverage moves.
Dragonair's weaknesses are typical of a non-fully evolved Pokemon in PU; it's relatively frail, fearing 2HKOs from Blizzard users, Pinsir, and Fearow, and this frailty is on full display once it's paralyzed and unable to use Wrap effectively. Its Speed falls short of some critical targets like Pinsir, Fearow, Rapidash, Arcanine, and notably Nidoqueen, so it's quickly worn down and easily revenge killed. It also has difficulty spreading paralysis without taking it in return from various faster Thunder Wave users, and Nidoqueen can switch into Wrap or a predicted Thunder Wave for a relatively safe entry. Dragonair's typing is useful defensively but useless offensively, so it's unable to deal significant damage to neutral targets without Wrap, and its 85% accuracy means it's bound to miss sooner or later. Moves that might alleviate this, like Hyper Beam, are hard to fit without giving up other matchups; Dragonair already struggles with the Wrap-immune Gastly and wants to avoid being walled by Omanyte and Graveler.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Wrap
move 3: Blizzard
move 4: Thunderbolt
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Dragonair can provide excellent utility for its team with Thunder Wave, which lets it hamstring Recover users as well as fast attackers like Fearow, Pinsir, and Rapidash. Until its set is revealed, it's difficult for the opponent to switch valuable targets like Rapidash out before they take paralysis due to fear of an Agility set, making it easy to spread paralysis early-game. Once the foe is paralyzed, Dragonair can use Wrap to wear it down or force it out. Wrap also allows Dragonair to lock down foes it naturally outspeeds, like Drowzee, and prevent them from making progress. Blizzard and Thunderbolt are Dragonair's best options to cover as many foes as possible. Blizzard 2HKOes Fearow, Graveler, and Sandslash and has a minuscule chance to 2HKO Nidoqueen, but this is shored up if it repeatedly switches into Wrap. Thunderbolt, meanwhile, 2HKOes Staryu, rarely 2HKOes Omanyte, (AC) and 3HKOes Seaking. Most targets that are not weak to BoltBeam coverage are either slower than Dragonair, like Machamp, or fear paralysis, like Fire-types and Pinsir.
This set is often used as a lead, as it outspeeds Drowzee and can force it out with Wrap, and it handily beats Fire-types with Thunder Wave + Wrap. In this role, Dragonair seeks to paralyze a foe then force it out with Wrap, accumulating chip damage on the paralyzed foe and the opposing switch-in, which is likely to be the omnipresent Nidoqueen. From here, Dragonair has the advantage on pivoting to stay ahead in the game. Support Dragonair benefits from slower teammates that exploit paralysis, like Nidoqueen, Machamp, and Sandslash, which can heavily punish paralyzed foes with their perfect coverage and appreciate free switch-ins granted by Wrap. As a lead, Dragonair struggles against Gastly, banking on a 40% chance for Hypnosis to miss so it can land Thunder Wave. Pokemon like Drowzee can check Gastly after a teammate has been put to sleep.
[SET]
name: AgiliWrap
move 1: Agility
move 2: Wrap
move 3: Blizzard
move 4: Thunderbolt
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Dragonair becomes a terror after setting up Agility, as it outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame and wears foes down with Wrap. Against teams lacking Gastly, Wrap can easily deal upwards of 100% total damage spread across several foes. Even after using up all of its Wrap PP, Dragonair's coverage with Blizzard and Thunderbolt allows it to 2HKO or 3HKO most of the metagame; chip damage from Wrap makes a lot of these matchups even better. For example, without Agility, Dragonair loses to Nidoqueen, which outspeeds and 2HKOes it. However, Dragonair deals a minimum of 88% to Nidoqueen with two Blizzards, so Dragonair beats it easily after setting up Agility and chipping it with a few hits from Wrap. If Dragonair misses Wrap against a heavily weakened foe, it essentially gets to throw out an attack for free as the foe switches out, racking up more damage while preserving Wrap PP. This is especially relevant against foes like Fearow, Seaking, and Staryu, all of which take heavy damage from Wrap and one of Dragonair's other attacks.
This Dragonair set is exclusively used in the mid- and late-game, usually seeking to enter after a foe lacking a paralysis move, such as Fearow or Pinsir, lands a KO. Dragonair also can attempt to set up in front of Fire-types, as their only recourse is to try for a 30% burn or paralysis chance. This allows it to set up Agility at the cost of admittedly heavy chip damage, after which it can spam Wrap to chip down the enemy team. A miss against a healthy foe can thus be devastating, as Dragonair is often in OHKO range of powerful foes like Fearow and Nidoqueen after setting up. However, if the opponent chooses to stay in on Wrap, their Pokemon will take far more chip damage per Wrap use, and if they choose to switch after each Wrap, Dragonair will need to miss twice, a mere 2.25% chance. That said, foes like Gastly, Graveler, and Omanyte can cause issues for Dragonair. Dragonair is forced to switch out or simply duel Gastly; fighting it is tricky, as they mutually 4HKO each other, but Gastly has the superior critical hit rate and a chance for a Special drop from Psychic, clinching the matchup. Gastly can also use Explosion at low health to trade with Dragonair, which is usually a favorable trade for Gastly after it has put a foe to sleep. Teammates that can fend off Gastly, like Drowzee, Sandslash, and Abra, can help to remove it before Dragonair sets up; Magmar is also a great lead to counter Gastly lead. Graveler and Omanyte can riskily reduce Wrap chip by wasting PP for minimal damage, but both have to fear Dragonair's special coverage. This set also benefits from fast allies that can clean up a chipped team, like Fearow, Pinsir, and Rapidash.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragonair has a plethora of niche options. Hyper Beam has a 20% chance to OHKO Abra and also deals approximately 50% to Staryu and Drowzee; it's also not bad against Fire-types, dealing over 36% to Rapidash. This is particularly useful for AgiliWrap Dragonair, as it already relies on its allies to remove threats that might stonewall Hyper Beam, like Rock-types and Gastly, but it requires giving up valuable coverage and leaves Dragonair walled by either Graveler or Omanyte. Surf is Dragonair's best option against Fire-types, and it also OHKOes Graveler, but this requires giving up Blizzard's extra damage against Nidoqueen and Fearow and leaves it walled by opposing Dragonair. Fire Blast 2HKOes Pinsir but provides little else; burns can provide extra chip damage when using Wrap, but it's less consistent than other moves. Toxic seems like a useful option to combine with Wrap, but Dragonair lacks the bulk and Speed to spread and exploit it; poisoning foes also renders them immune to Thunder Wave, limiting Dragonair's utility against fast Pokemon like Arcanine and Rapidash.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Gastly**: Gastly outspeeds Dragonair, can put it to sleep with Hypnosis, and is immune to Wrap. Dragonair can only 4HKO it with Blizzard, while Gastly 4HKOes Dragonair with Psychic. A Special drop makes the matchup even worse, letting Gastly KO it even faster and reducing Dragonair's damage to pitiful levels. Since Gastly can function as a lead or remain in the back, it causes headaches for all variants of Dragonair.
**Paralysis**: Paralysis both exposes Dragonair's frailty, since it can no longer outspeed most foes and use Wrap, and removes its consistency, causing Wrap to fail about 36% of the time. Agility may cancel the Speed drop, but most Pokemon can wait for an inevitable full paralysis and punish accordingly.
**Blizzard Users**: Every Blizzard user can 2HKO Dragonair, and most outspeed it. Nidoqueen is the classic Dragonair check, as it's faster (RC) and immune to Thunder Wave, and it packs a lethal Blizzard. Staryu can use Blizzard and also has Thunder Wave to prevent Wrap shenanigans. Seaking and Omanyte are slower than Dragonair, but they can punish a Wrap miss as well.
**Fast Physical Attackers**: Fearow and Pinsir are both able to 2HKO Dragonair, easily revenge killing it after any chip or punishing Wrap misses, but they fear Thunder Wave.
**Burn**: A burn puts Dragonair on a timer and reduces its damage output with Wrap. This is less of an issue for support Dragonair, which can still contribute with Thunder Wave, but it robs AgiliWrap Dragonair of its main asset.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Last edited:
