Dragonite was treated like a joke for 25 years - then it won a tournament. This is the story of how Scarlet and Violet transformed the original Dragon.
Check out all my Scarlet and Violet videos here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb_5fF_O3FvjEglm1tAGgGVuJo4YTzrV4
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Check out all my Scarlet and Violet videos here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb_5fF_O3FvjEglm1tAGgGVuJo4YTzrV4
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GamingTranscript
00:00If I told you that Dragonite was a bad Pokemon, you probably wouldn't believe me.
00:05After all, how could it be?
00:06It is the original Dragon type Pokemon, it's somehow both cool and cute at the same time,
00:11and it's one of the most iconic Pokemon ever.
00:14But while all of this is true, it doesn't change the fact that Dragonite has never won
00:18a single official competitive tournament.
00:21Had.
00:22Had never won.
00:24Because in Scarlet and Violet, Dragonite became not only usable, but one of the top threats
00:28for the first time ever, and finally got the tournament win it had been chasing for
00:33over two decades.
00:34Okay, but maybe you think I'm exaggerating for dramatic effect.
00:38I am a YouTuber after all, that is something that we are known for.
00:41But actually, that's not what's going on here.
00:43Here is a list of all of Dragonite's recorded accomplishments prior to Scarlet and Violet.
00:48And here is some of Dragonite's results after these games released.
00:55There's a bit of a difference, huh?
00:57We're going to talk about what changed for Dragonite that allowed it to unlock its hidden
01:00potential, but before we do that, we need to understand what made it so difficult to
01:04use Dragonite in the first place.
01:06So let's go all the way back to Generation 4, and the birth of the modern official competitive
01:11Pokemon circuit.
01:12Back in Generation 4, Dragon was the best type in the game.
01:16With only a single type that could resist them, access to the unbelievably powerful
01:20move Draco Meteor, and far better stats across the board than most of the other types, Dragon's
01:25dominated competitive play.
01:27But if Dragon types were so strong, where was Dragonite?
01:30Nowhere to be found, because players didn't think Dragonite was worth using.
01:34These are the four main ways that we evaluate how good a Pokemon is.
01:39Dragonite fell short in all of them.
01:41Dragonite's single biggest weakness is its stats, which is probably surprising because
01:45across the board, Dragonite's stats range from good to great.
01:49In fact, Dragonite does not have a single bad stat, especially by Generation 4 standards,
01:55before Pokemon like these existed.
01:57So if every individual stat is good, what exactly is the problem here?
02:01Each of Dragonite's stats is good, but only in a vacuum.
02:05When you consider how these stats work together, it becomes clearer what the issue is.
02:09For example, Dragonite has a sky-high attack stat, so you might think it wants to operate
02:14as a powerful physical attacker.
02:16But then you look at its speed, far too slow to keep up with other offensive Pokemon, especially
02:21other Dragon types like Garchomp, Salamence, Kingdra, and Latios.
02:25Dragonite is actually naturally slower than Cresselia, who is not only one of the best
02:28Pokemon in Generation 4, but also almost always carried an ice move that can deal quadruple
02:34damage to Dragonite, threatening to knock out the Dragon in a single hit.
02:37Dragonite has really good bulk across the board, but if you invest your stat points
02:42to maximize its bulk, you have to give up on speed, power, or both.
02:46Sacrificing your already limited speed means you can forget about ever moving before your
02:51opponents, but sacrificing your power means you aren't investing in Dragonite's main
02:55weapon.
02:56You could also forego training your bulk altogether, but then Dragonite won't be able to stick
03:00around nearly as long.
03:01It's like one of those triangle charts where you can only pick two of the three options.
03:05A lot of the issues with the stats are compounded because of Dragonite's typing.
03:10As a Dragon and Flying type, Dragonite has weaknesses to Dragon and Rock, as well as
03:14that nasty quadruple weakness to Ice.
03:17Back in Generation 4, these were some of the most common attacking types in the game.
03:21Rock Slide being a broken move, and Tyranitar being an incredible Pokemon made Rock type
03:25attacks commonplace.
03:27Dragon was the best type in the game, meaning most teams had at least one Dragon type, and
03:31because Dragon types were so popular, there was good reason to put Ice Beam onto your
03:35team if you could afford it.
03:37Especially given that Rain was a popular strategy, Ice Beam Pokemon were everywhere.
03:41Now, if Dragonite could knock out the users of these super effective moves before getting
03:46hit, that would change things, but its low speed stat makes this impossible.
03:50Of course, Pokemon can compensate for their weaknesses with more than just their stats
03:54or their typing.
03:55In fact, if a Pokemon has a really strong ability, it can often single-handedly redeem
04:00an otherwise unremarkable Pokemon.
04:03So what is Dragonite working with?
04:05Inner Focus.
04:07An ability that prevents flinches, and that's it.
04:10Definitely nice to have sometimes, but nowhere near a good enough ability to save Dragonite.
04:15It just leaves the moves.
04:17In general, Dragon types tend to have phenomenal movepools, with access to many strong attacks
04:22that don't match their types.
04:24This is true for Dragonite, getting access to moves like Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice
04:27Punch, Aqua Tail, and Super Power to name a few.
04:31However, there is one type of move that is suspiciously absent from Dragonite's kit.
04:36A type that you would really expect it to be able to use.
04:39Flying.
04:40The strongest flying-type move Dragonite could use was Wing Attack, which has a pitiful 60
04:46base power.
04:47Oh actually, technically that's not true, it can use Fly, which is a two-turn move with
04:51only 90 base power, arguably worse than Wing Attack.
04:55Other than these two moves, nothing.
04:56Now, because Dragonite learns so many good moves of other types, you might think that
05:00it's not such a big deal that it can't use any good flying-type moves.
05:04But here's the thing.
05:05When a Pokemon uses a move that matches one of their types, that move gets a whopping
05:0950% power boost.
05:11This bonus, called the Same-Type Attack Bonus, or STAB for short, is really important to
05:16take advantage of in order to bring out your Pokemon's full potential.
05:20Without any good flying-type moves, Dragonite doesn't get the benefit of having a second
05:24type, but still has to pay the price with additional weaknesses.
05:28To understand the full picture, let's talk about another Dragon-type Pokemon that actually
05:32managed to win the World Championships during Generation 4.
05:35Salamence.
05:36Dragonite has a lot in common with Salamence.
05:39They both have the Dragon and Flying typing, they both lack good flying-type attacks, and
05:43their stats are comparable.
05:45But if they're so similar, why is one a World Champion while the other can't even
05:49make it into the venue?
05:50To start, let's compare their stats.
05:52Dragonite and Salamence have very similar offensive stats, with attack stats within
05:56a point of each other, and special attack stats within 10.
05:59Defensively, Dragonite has a slight edge over Salamence, though their bulk is similar enough.
06:04The big difference, then, is the speed.
06:06With 20 more base speed, Salamence is able to consistently outspeed far more Pokemon.
06:12And by giving it the Choice Scarf item, Salamence is able to outspeed nearly every other Dragon-type,
06:17allowing it to KO them before they can attack.
06:20These stats also allow Salamence to run a different set of moves.
06:24Despite Salamence having a much higher physical attack stat, in competitive play, Salamence
06:28was mostly used as a special attacker.
06:30This is largely because the special move, Dracometeor, is so much stronger than the
06:34physical attack of Dragon Claw, allowing Salamence to actually do far more damage via
06:39the special side.
06:40Outrage is nearly as strong and as a physical attack, but the random targeting and the fact
06:44that it locks you in for 2-3 turns makes it inconsistent as a primary attack.
06:49The reliable special move being stronger is true of Salamence's other move types as
06:53well, with moves like Fire Blast, Heat Wave, and Hydro Pump being much more powerful than
06:58their counterparts of Fire Punch, Fire Fang, and Aqua Tail.
07:01Special attackers also don't have to worry about Intimidate slowing them down, often
07:05turning 1-hit KOs into 2-hit KOs.
07:07And speaking of Intimidate, Salamence's ability is one of the best in the entire game.
07:12Even though Salamence is intended to be used as an offensive Pokemon, its ability provides
07:17passive support for the whole team just by bringing it to the battle.
07:20With Intimidate, Salamence could either use the Choice Scarf item to allow it to work
07:24as an anti-Dragon delete button while still providing a bit of team-wide support, or it
07:29could lean into a more defensive role.
07:31Using items like the Citrus Berry to help keep it alive, and relying on Dragon's natural
07:35resistances and Intimidate to make it difficult to remove.
07:38Salamence also couldn't learn any good Flying type moves, and still had to worry about the
07:42same Ice, Rock, and Dragon type attacks that Dragonite did, but this is much less of an
07:46issue because thanks to its higher speed, Salamence was able to play at a much more
07:51offensive pace.
07:52The more offensive a Pokemon is, the less likely it is that it'll stick around for
07:56multiple turns, meaning you can worry less about its defensive attributes, and more about
08:01wiping the opponent's Pokemon off the face of the earth.
08:04Some of you probably want to learn how to wipe the opponent's Pokemon off the face
08:07of the earth for yourselves, and the best way to get that knowledge is to subscribe.
08:12I post a new video every single week, not only ones like this where I go over the history
08:16of the game, but also ones where I enter tournaments with wacky and off-the-wall strategies myself.
08:21We've got some banger videos in the works right now that I'm sure you're not going
08:24to want to miss.
08:25Back to Dragonite.
08:26With Salamence around as seemingly just a straight upgrade, nobody was willing to give
08:31Dragonite a shot, and that's how things remained for the duration of Generation 4.
08:35But nothing in Pokemon stays the same forever, and a new generation meant a new buff for Dragonite.
08:56Welcome, to Generation 5.
09:00Generation 5 shook the series up in a major way, with new Pokemon, a new region, new items,
09:05and more.
09:06One of the biggest changes was the introduction of the Dream World, and with it, the new mechanic
09:11of Hidden Abilities.
09:13These are special abilities not accessible to a Pokemon through normal means, and they
09:17breathed new life into many classic Pokemon.
09:20While not every Pokemon received a hidden ability, Dragonite did, and it was certainly
09:24an upgrade over Inner Focus.
09:26Dragonite was now the proud owner of the brand new ability, Multiscale.
09:31Multiscale is a great ability.
09:33It's simple enough to understand.
09:35If a Pokemon with Multiscale is at full HP, cut the amount of damage that the next attack
09:39was going to do in half.
09:41This effect can even trigger multiple times per battle, if the Pokemon manages to heal
09:44back up to full HP using moves like Roost or Recover.
09:48However, while this ability was a big upgrade over Inner Focus, Generation 5 may have inadvertently
09:53made things harder for Dragonite.
09:55See, Black and White introduced new items called Gems.
09:59There was one of every type, and when a Pokemon connected with a move that matched the type
10:03of the Gem that they were holding, the Gem would be consumed and the move would become
10:0650% stronger.
10:09This was very, very powerful, as previously, the only way for an item to give a power boost
10:14this large was to use one of the choice items, which greatly limits your Pokemon's options.
10:20Realizing the strength of Gems, players quickly looked to find the strongest attacks they
10:23could, searching for an instant delete button.
10:26And find one they did.
10:29Dragon Gem, Dracometeor, Latios.
10:32With the base stats of a Legendary Dragon, the absurd power of Dracometeor, and the multiplicative
10:37effect of Dragon Gem, this became the strongest, most commonplace attack of the generation.
10:42And unfortunately, even with Multiscale, Dragonite couldn't survive it without investing numerous
10:47stat points into its bulk.
10:49But even if you could justify bulking up Dragonite, the presence of such an incredibly
10:53powerful Dragon type attack, which at the time was only resisted by one single other
10:58type, meant that every single team had multiple Pokemon dedicated to taking down Dragons.
11:03In other words, Latios not only beat down Dragonite itself, it made the entire format
11:08a hostile work environment for it.
11:10And that's not even to mention the fact that Garchomp, Salamence, Kingdra, and the
11:14new addition of Hydreigon were all other incredible Dragon type options, each offering far more
11:19than Dragonite could.
11:21Once again, Dragonite found itself without a seat at the table.
11:25But maybe things could change for our hero, with a generation that shook things up more
11:29than any other.
11:44Generation 6.
11:46Ah, Generation 6.
11:48The games that introduced the most important feature in any Pokemon game, Rollerblading.
11:53Apart from introducing the single most confusing city in any Pokemon game, X and Y also changed
11:58the game forever by introducing a new type.
12:01Dragons had been dominating the game for too long, and Game Freak's solution was simple,
12:05efficient, and largely pink.
12:08The Fairy type.
12:09Unfortunately, creating a new type that was not only specifically designed to counter
12:13Dragons, but also happened to be the best type in the game, did not improve Dragonite's
12:17Y ability, for some reason.
12:19But there was a chance for Dragonite, a new path towards redemption.
12:24Generation 6 introduced Mega Evolution, and with it, the chance to breathe new life into
12:28older Pokemon that had been struggling to keep up.
12:31Many Dragon type Pokemon even got Mega Evolutions themselves, perhaps to help keep them relevant
12:36in the face of Fairies.
12:38With tons of new Mega Evolutions being given away to Dragon types, surely this was Dragonite's
12:43chance.
12:45Garchomp got a Mega Evolution, Latios got a Mega Evolution, Ampharos and Charizard got
12:50Mega Evolutions that turned them into Dragon types.
12:53Dragonite got...
12:55Access to secret power.
12:58Now you can use it to make a secret base.
13:01Yay.
13:02Generation 6 was Dragonite's worst generation yet, which is saying something because the
13:06prior generations weren't exactly kind to it.
13:09With Fairies and Mega Evolutions everywhere, Dragonite could barely poke its head out of
13:14hiding.
13:15But having weathered the primordial weather of the 6th generation, Dragonite was given
13:19new hope, with a generation that would be its best performance yet, in the tropical
13:24land of Alola.
13:42Now on paper, Dragonite didn't receive any meaningful buffs going into Generation 7.
13:47However, these three years were dominated by the Fire, Water, and Grass type core of
13:52Pokemon, thanks in part to strong new additions such as Kartana, Tapu Fini, and Incineroar.
13:59As a bulky Dragon type, Dragonite saw little use in these years thanks to its resistances
14:04to all of Fire, Water, and Grass, though it did still have to worry about the new powerful
14:08Fairy types and Mega Evolutions that these games introduced as well.
14:13This generation also gave Dragonite its most famous competitive appearance to date.
14:17It's North American Internationals in 2017, and Giovanni Costa has brought an unusual
14:22team featuring not only Dragonite, but also...
14:25Eevee!
14:26Eevee was given a signature Z-move in Sun and Moon that doubled all of its stats.
14:30So Geo's strategy was to double Eevee's stats, then use Baton Pass to give these boosts
14:35to another Pokemon.
14:36In this case, his bulky Dragonite with Roost and Leftovers for healing, using Multiscale
14:41as additional insurance, with his now double defenses.
14:45Now at the time, Dragonite was not a common pick, even on Eevee-based strategies.
14:49Other Pokemon were considered better most of the time.
14:52But Dragonite is Geo's favorite Pokemon, so he was determined to try and make it work.
14:57As a fun fact, Geo is now an editor on this channel.
15:00Say Geo, why do you like Dragonite so much anyway?
15:03So the reason why Dragonite is my favorite Pokemon of all time is because back when I
15:06was a kid, I was playing through Pokemon Red, and I really wanted to have a Dragonite on
15:10my team.
15:12And the only way to get one was to go to the Safari Zone and fish for a Dratini.
15:16So, you know, I went there, started fishing for one, and I actually found one right away.
15:20But unfortunately, it ran away from me because the Safari Zone sucks.
15:23But I was like, well, you know, it probably won't take me that long to find another one,
15:27but turns out another one wouldn't show up for several hours.
15:31And I was so angry.
15:33I was just like, you know what?
15:34I already put this much time into it.
15:35I'm not going to give up.
15:36Let me just keep going.
15:38And eventually I did get one, but it took so long that I actually forgot to do my homework
15:43and got in trouble at school the next day because of it.
15:46But I was just the happiest kid in the world that I had a Dragonite on my team.
15:50So whenever I look at Dragonite, I think of a simpler time back when, you know, your biggest
15:54worry was having to do homework.
15:56Now I have to do taxes and stuff.
15:58In this streamed match, the game appears to be completely over.
16:01Gio's Eevee was KO'd before it could pass the stat boost to Dragonite, thanks to an
16:06untimely poison.
16:07And every one of his other Pokemon has already been KO'd.
16:10In exchange, Gio has only managed to land one single attack for half of Hariyama's HP,
16:16meaning he hasn't taken even a single KO.
16:20Down one against four, the match is presumed to be over.
16:23Do you think he has any chance to win?
16:25And then, yep, Hidden Power Ice, Power Jump.
16:28Yeah, because if time runs out, you win four Pokemon to one.
16:31Spore, Smeargle outspeeding that Dragonite using Spore to put it to sleep.
16:36I don't know my damage calc for that because I have not faced off against a Dragonite in
16:41this format before.
16:42Smeargle saving that Spore for later.
16:44Nihilego revealing it brought the Hidden Power Ice.
16:47It's not a one hit knockout, though.
16:50Dragonite living.
16:51Oh, and Dragonite wakes up and goes for an Earthquake, targeting down this Nihilego and
16:57this Hariyama.
16:58It gets the knockout of Nihilego, it gets the knockout of Nihilego.
17:02You don't even see that common on Dragonite, and it picks up the knockout onto both Pokemon.
17:06Fake out.
17:07It went down to zero just a little bit ago, but I...
17:11Wow.
17:12But, despite Dragonite's newfound stardom, this was the last time it would be relevant.
17:17Not just in Generation 7, but in Generation 8, too.
17:27There is not a single recorded instance of any player using Dragonite in all of Sword
17:38and Shield.
17:39Not one.
17:40These games weren't kind to Dragonite.
17:42Dynamax didn't especially favor it, and as the Pokemon got stronger and stronger each
17:47generation, Dragonite just fell further and further behind.
17:51Of course, Dragonite wasn't even allowed to begin the generation at the starting line.
17:55Sword and Shield were especially rude to Dragonite, as these were the first Pokemon
17:59games that did not feature every Pokemon in them.
18:02And though Dragonite was eventually added in the second DLC, by then, the power level
18:07had far eclipsed Generation 1 standards.
18:10However, these games were arguably the most important in setting Dragonite up for future
18:15redemption.
18:16For you see, Dragonite received not one, but two major buffs in Sword and Shield.
18:22The first has to do with its ability.
18:25Not multiscale, Inner Focus.
18:27In Sword and Shield, Inner Focus received a buff.
18:29Now, in addition to preventing flinching, this ability also blocks Intimidate.
18:34Intimidate was on nearly every team at this point, and it's the main tool used to slow
18:37physical attackers down, so ignoring it is a huge deal.
18:42The other buff was to Dragonite's movepool.
18:44While it still didn't get access to a good flying type attack, Dragonite did get access
18:48to a new move called Scaleshot.
18:50This move is like a souped up, dragon type version of Bullet Seed.
18:54It hits 2-5 times, then lowers Dragonite's defense and raises its speed.
18:59Of course, it is more likely to only hit 2 or 3 times, so in Sword and Shield, it wasn't
19:03considered very strong because of its inconsistent nature.
19:06But it will be important later.
19:09Because with this improved ability and new move, Generation 9 would finally free Dragonite
19:13from the shackles of mediocrity, and catapult it into a top threat for the first time in
19:18history.
19:19Welcome to Scarlet and Violet.
19:35Going into Generation 9, nobody other than Geo was thinking about Dragonite.
19:39After all, why would they?
19:41It hadn't been strong in any prior generation, and with more and more powerful Pokemon being
19:46added to the game, it was laughable to think that a Generation 1 Pokemon with no results
19:51to speak of could keep up, especially with the new best Pokemon in the game seeming to
19:55be designed specifically to counter it.
19:58Ultimately though, it was Dragonite who got the last laugh, and the reason why begins
20:02with the core mechanic of these games, Terrastalization.
20:06Every generation since Generation 5 has added some core new mechanic to battles.
20:11Black and White added Gems, X and Y added Mega Evolutions, Sun and Moon added Z-moves,
20:16and Sword and Shield added Dynamax.
20:18Mega Evolutions were their own thing, either a Pokemon had one or it didn't, but for
20:22the other three mechanics, they all shared something in common.
20:25These mechanics were all about scaling.
20:27What I mean by this is that, in order to bring out their full potential, you needed to use
20:31Pokemon that were already powerful.
20:34For both Gems and Dynamax, the Pokemon taking advantage of the mechanic would become about
20:3850% stronger.
20:40But think about it, if your Pokemon wasn't strong to begin with, how much is this actually
20:44going to help?
20:45Z-moves would roughly double a Pokemon's damage output, making it even more important
20:50that the base move was doing as much as possible.
20:53Given you're only able to use these mechanics for between one and three turns each battle,
20:57it didn't take long for players to realize that the best way to optimize around them
21:01was to focus on Pokemon that were already strong.
21:03Put another way, every single one of these mechanics created a rich-get-richer effect,
21:09where Pokemon that were already strong could become even stronger.
21:12And in doing so, it became even harder for weaker Pokemon to keep up.
21:16But this philosophy of scaling doesn't apply to Scarlet and Violet's mechanic of Terrastalization.
21:21Terrastalization allows one of your Pokemon to change their type.
21:25And while this can result in a power boost, it's equally as viable to rewrite your defensive
21:29relationships and give a new type of move a stab boost.
21:33Because this mechanic is much more flexible and far less centered around make big Pokemon
21:37do big damage, it opened the door for previously forgotten Pokemon to take center stage.
21:43And none made a grander appearance than Dragonite.
21:46Remember that Dragonite had four primary things holding it back.
21:50Typing, movepool, ability, and stats.
21:53Terrastalization improves Dragonite's typing, yes, but it also allows it to make better
21:57use of both its movepool and its stats.
22:01For Dragonite, the go-to Terra type quickly became Terra Normal.
22:05Normal only has one weakness, to fighting, a type that Dragonite resists before it Terrastalizes.
22:11Going from four weaknesses to only one is an upgrade, obviously, but the main reason
22:15Normal is chosen actually has to do with offense.
22:18You see, at the start of Scarlet and Violet, Dragonite was the single strongest user of
22:22the move Extreme Speed that was legal in tournaments.
22:26And it's now second only to Rayquaza, since Dragonite has more attack than Arceus.
22:31Extreme Speed is a very, very powerful move.
22:34It is only 80 base power, which lands it in the strong but not remarkable category.
22:39But the reason you use it isn't the power alone, it's the priority.
22:42This move has plus two priority, meaning it will go before almost every other move in
22:48the game.
22:49For context, most priority moves cap out at 40 base power, half of Extreme Speed.
22:54And most of them only have plus one priority.
22:57When a priority move is allowed to be stronger, it normally has some extra condition it needs
23:02to fulfill, like Sucker Punch or Thunderclap or Grassy Glide.
23:06Extreme Speed has no such condition, and is stronger than these other moves anyway, while
23:11also having more priority than them.
23:13Dragonite has always had access to Extreme Speed, but without the same type attack bonus,
23:17it wasn't really worth using.
23:19Terra Normal changes that.
23:21By making Dragonite's primary attacking type Normal, this also fixes some issues with Dragonite's
23:26move pool.
23:27It doesn't matter that Dragonite doesn't learn a flying type move, because it's not
23:30going to bother using a flying type move when Extreme Speed just knocks everything
23:34out anyway.
23:35However, if Dragonite really does want to use a powerful flying type move, Terrastalization
23:39can grant that wish instead.
23:41Some players had success using Dragonite with Terra Flying, Terra Blast, as at the start
23:46of Scarlet and Violet, good offensive flying types were hard to come by.
23:50Dragonite's huge attack stat can be put to good use by boosting it even further with
23:53the power of Terrastalization, dealing massive flying type damage that hit a large portion
23:58of the format for tons of their health.
24:00Of course, the main set that Dragonite used was still Terra Normal, building around Extreme
24:04Speed.
24:05And this inadvertently fixes the main issue with Dragonite's stats.
24:08Remember, Dragonite's primary weakness here was its low speed stat, but when your primary
24:13attack is a move that nearly always goes first anyway, you don't even need to worry about
24:17your speed stat.
24:18Now, Dragonite could much more freely invest in its bulk and power, neglecting speed altogether.
24:24I think the Game Freak realized that, as a move, Extreme Speed is just way too powerful.
24:29And that is probably part of the reason that, in Scarlet and Violet, there is not a single
24:34tournament-legal normal type Pokemon that can learn it.
24:36A move with this much power, this much priority, and the same type attack bonus would clearly
24:41be unhealthy for the game.
24:43Being able to knock Pokemon out before they can even attack is a nightmare scenario.
24:47Of course, even if there was a Pokemon that could pull off Terra Normal Extreme Speed,
24:51it can always be kept in check by the fact that all physical attackers can be slowed
24:55down by Intimidate.
24:56Unless of course, the user is immune to Intimidate.
25:00The buff to Interfocus didn't do anything for Dragonite in Sword and Shield, but here
25:03in Paldea, it's another story.
25:05Now your Terra Normal 80 base power plus 2 priority attack is not only immune to flinging
25:11from Fake Out, it also can't be slowed down by Intimidate.
25:14Give Dragonite a choice ban for another 50% damage amp, and things are starting to really
25:18get out of hand.
25:19But we still aren't done yet.
25:21Scarlet and Violet introduced another buff for Dragonite, in the form of a new partner
25:26Pokemon, Chen-Pow.
25:27Chen-Pow is a fast and frail Ice and Dark type, capable of threatening the Dragon types
25:32that hit Dragonite out of Terra, and the Ghost types that are immune to Extreme Speed.
25:36It can also hit the Rock and Steel types that resist Extreme Speed with Sacred Sword, providing
25:41exceptional coverage for Dragonite.
25:43Of course, the main reason to use Chen-Pow has to do with its ability, Sword of Ruin.
25:49This ability passively lowers the defense stat of all other Pokemon on the field while
25:53Chen-Pow is out.
25:55Meaning, not only is Dragonite using an 80 base power move that almost always hits first,
26:00not only is it being multiplied by 50% from the same type attack bonus, granted via Terrastalization,
26:06not only is Dragonite immune to flinching and Intimidate from its ability, not only
26:10does Dragonite get another 50% multiplier from the choice ban item, not only does Dragonite's
26:16naturally threaten the Pokemon that could survive Extreme Speed, but also it receives
26:21another 25% damage amp just by having Chen-Pow next to it on the field.
26:26Drastalization was so good to Dragonite that it even won a tournament before Chen-Pow became
26:31legal, using an Assault Vest set with Terra Flying, Terra Blast.
26:35Once Chen-Pow was added to the game, though, the dominant set by far became choice banned
26:39Terra Normal, Extreme Speed.
26:41In early Scarlet and Violet, this was one of the main, if not THE main physical attacks
26:45that players had to plan around.
26:47An attack from Dragonite, a Pokemon that couldn't even keep up back in Generation 4, was now
26:52a central focal point of competitive play.
26:55But Scarlet and Violet were so good to Dragonite that, even after Chen-Pow became legal, other
27:00Dragonite sets still found major success.
27:03The first international event in Oceania was won by a Lumberi multiscale Terra Flying,
27:08Terra Blast Dragonite, providing some anti-Amoonga support for the team and using Ice Spinner
27:13to handle opposing Garchomp and Psychic Terrain based teams.
27:16This same Lumberi Dragonite set won a regional in Canada a few months later, paired with
27:21a Sun strategy, using Dragonite's bulk with multiscale and resistances to fire and water
27:26to give an otherwise offensive team a great defensive pivot.
27:30Another multiscale Lumberi Dragonite won a tournament in Italy with Dragon Dance.
27:34The strategy was to use Orthworm's new attack, Shed Tail, to give Dragonite a substitute
27:39that was extra hard to break thanks to multiscale, allowing Dragonite to set up a Dragon Dance
27:44or two and then sweep through the opponent's team.
27:47Normally a Dragon Dance Pokemon would prefer to use Inner Focus to prevent opponents from
27:50taking away the attack boosts, but since Substitute already blocks Fake Out and Intimidate, multiscale
27:55lets you get the best of both worlds.
27:57Finally, at the end of the first year in Scarlet and Violet, Dragonite placed 4th at the World
28:02Championships with a choice band Inner Focus set that used Terra Flying, Terra Blast instead
28:07of the more conventional Terra Normal Extreme Speed.
28:10Dragonite's first win of the second year of Scarlet and Violet was once again as the
28:14classic Terra Normal choice band Extreme Speed set, paired with Chen Pao, of course.
28:19But unfortunately, this was also its last win of the 2024 season.
28:24While it was still one of the most used Pokemon, and at this point almost exclusively used
28:28the Terra Normal choice band build, Dragonite was unable to bring home another win.
28:32Though that's not to say that it wasn't strong.
28:34Dragonite got very close several times, and even finished 6th at the 2024 World Championships
28:39in a format where it wasn't even thought to be especially strong.
28:43Which brings us to this season.
28:45What you need to know about the 2025 season is that in the 4 months following the World
28:49Championships, all Legendary and Paradox Pokemon were banned.
28:53With Chen Pao gone, would Dragonite be able to keep up?
28:57Dragonite won more tournaments during this 4 month stretch than it did in all of the
29:002024 season.
29:02It also placed 2nd at nearly every major event when it didn't win.
29:06Of course, without Chen Pao around, the primary set changed.
29:10Many players went back to Lumbery or Assault Vest with Terra Flying and Multiscale, using
29:15Dragonite as a strong physical attacker with flying coverage and great bulk.
29:19However, a new set would quickly rise in popularity, becoming a brand new threat so immense, the
29:24entire format warped around it.
29:26I told you we'd come back to it.
29:28Let's talk about Scaleshot.
29:30You see, I haven't told you about one final buff to Dragonite and Scarlet and Violet.
29:34This comes in the form of a new item, called the Loaded Dice.
29:38This item does nothing for most attacks, but is very powerful when the holder uses a move
29:43that hits multiple times.
29:45Remember how Scaleshot was more likely to hit 2 or 3 times rather than 4 or 5, making
29:49it really inconsistent?
29:50Well, if the Pokemon holding the Loaded Dice uses a multi-hit move, that move will always
29:55hit either 4 or 5 times.
29:58In other words, Loaded Dice Scaleshot Dragonite is a move that is always either 100 or 125
30:05base power, that ignores Focus Sash, and gives Dragonite a speed boost, and all you have
30:10to do to use it is give up your item slot.
30:12For context, Outrage is 120 base power, meaning half the time, Scaleshot is stronger without
30:18the drawback of locking you into the move or targeting a random opponent.
30:22Scaleshot also raises Dragonite's speed after connecting, though connecting with the
30:26move does lower your defense stat in exchange.
30:28However, with multiscale increasing your survivability, and Dragonite resisting many of the common
30:33physical attacks, like Flare Blitz, Grassy Glide, Wave Crash, and Close Combat, this
30:37is a small price to pay for a speed boost and a ton of damage.
30:41Unlike any prior Dragonite, Scaleshot Loaded Dice Dragonite played a weird role.
30:45It was able to do damage, yes, but it often used the speed boost that Scaleshot provided
30:50to support the team, rather than doing more damage.
30:53New Age Dragonite would normally use moves like Tailwind, Haze, and even Encore to change
30:57the flow of the battle.
30:59Many Dragonite didn't even use a second attacking move, trusting that Scaleshot would
31:03be enough, and believing the support to be more important.
31:06Another difference to past Dragonite is the Terra type.
31:08While nearly every Dragonite before had used an offensive type of Flying or Normal, for
31:13this New Age Dragonite, the standard became either Steel, which has the best defensive
31:17type matchups in a vacuum, or Fairy, which had the benefit of making your Dragonite immune
31:22to other Scaleshot Dragonite.
31:24With this set rising in infamy, Dragonite had cemented itself as a Pokemon with not
31:291, not 2, but 3 different tournament winning sets over the course of Scarlet and Violet.
31:35Terra Normal Choice Band Extreme Speed, Terra Flying Terra Blast, and Terra Fairy Loaded
31:39Dice Scaleshot.
31:41Dragonite had proven itself to be not just a flash in the pan, but one of the standout
31:45competitive Pokemon in all of Generation 9.
31:48Geo even used it to pull off another ridiculous Dragonite comeback, landing the perfect Outrage
31:54Target turn after turn, and just barely surviving a crucial attack at the last moment.
31:59Seems like Dragonite isn't only Geo's favorite Pokemon, but Geo might just be Dragonite's
32:03favorite trainer.
32:04I think there's a lesson here in all of this.
32:07Dragonite is a Pokemon that looked like it was going to be forgotten to time in competitive
32:11Pokemon.
32:12But with just a few small improvements over the years, and the perfect conditions thanks
32:15to Scarlet and Violet's new mechanic, it was able to even outperform Pokemon released
32:198 generations after it.
32:21I think this is part of what makes Pokemon so cool as a competitive game.
32:25I seriously doubt that Game Freak went into Scarlet and Violet intending to make Dragonite
32:29one of the best Pokemon, and yet it happened anyway because of how these small buffs over
32:33time added up, and how terrestrialization happened to favor a Pokemon with exactly Dragonite's
32:38toolkit.
32:39Personally, it makes me really excited for Generation 10, not just to see what other
32:43silly new Pokemon they come up with, but also to discover which other Pokemon can shatter
32:48the chains of destiny to try and claim the throne for themselves.
32:52Maybe it's finally time for Luvdisc's Reign of Terror.
32:55I made a video talking about how Zacian, formerly the strongest Pokemon in the game, lost everything.
33:00Kind of like an opposite arc of Dragonite.
33:03If you liked this video, you might be interested in that story as well.