Evaluating the Quiet Nature for Dragonite: Pros and Cons
Dragonite’s Quiet Nature: Pros and Cons
Advantages
- Quiet nature boosts Dragonite’s Special Attack, enhancing the effectiveness of its special moves like Thunder and Hurricane.
- This nature allows Dragonite to run bulky Dragon Dance sets, helping it overcome defensive teams that handle it with status or residual damage.
- Dragonite’s boosted Outrage can 2HKO nearly every Pokémon in the tier that does not resist it, making it a formidable physical attacker.
- With its strong priority move, Extreme Speed, Dragonite can bypass weakened Choice Scarf users such as Flygon and Latias at +1, increasing its offensive capabilities.
- Bulky sets can help Dragonite maintain its high bulk while utilizing powerful moves effectively.
Disadvantages
- Quiet nature lowers Speed, potentially leaving Dragonite slower than other Pokémon, which can result in it being outsped in crucial moments.
- One major flaw is its vulnerability to residual damage, including Stealth Rock and sand damage, which can significantly impact its longevity in battles.
- Dragonite can feel underwhelming at times, as using Outrage means it often stays in for another turn and can become confused, making it susceptible to revenge killing.
- While Dragonite can disrupt defensive teams, it may struggle to sweep on its own unless it can weaken key threats like Skarmory or Hippowdon.
- Special Defense lowering natures are generally preferred since Dragonite may not survive most special Ice- and Dragon-type moves after Stealth Rock anyway.
In conclusion, while Quiet nature can significantly enhance Dragonite’s Special Attack, the trade-off with reduced Speed and increased vulnerabilities should be carefully considered when evaluating its performance in battles.
Is Modest Nature a Viable Alternative for Dragonite?
Dragonite’s stats, movepool, and ability make it a big threat in OU. Its great overall stats, most notably its high Attack stat, allow it to wallbreak and majorly dent teams. Dragonite also has access to Dragon Dance, being one of the best users of this move in the entire tier.
Additionally, Dragonite’s wide movepool provides many coverage options. These options range from the elemental punches to Superpower, as well as Outrage for a powerful STAB move. Notably, Extreme Speed stands out; its +2 priority allows Dragonite to revenge kill prominent sweepers in the tier and outprioritize priority users like Talonflame.
Another crucial aspect is Dragonite’s ability, Multiscale. This ability halves the damage Dragonite takes at full health. Therefore, it allows Dragonite to safely set up Dragon Dance or revenge kill Pokemon that would otherwise OHKO it, such as Latios and Latias. It also helps in repeatedly setting up on more passive teams when combined with Roost.
However, Dragonite does have multiple flaws. Fairy-types like Clefable and Azumarill complicate the use of Outrage throughout the match. These Fairy-types can easily switch in and OHKO Dragonite with their STAB moves.
Usually, Dragonite should be utilized as a cleaner or as a mid- or late-game sweeper, when its checks and counters are weakened or gone. Setting up early-game is generally unwise, as priority can quickly wear Dragonite down, and bulkier Pokemon can Toxic stall it until it becomes vulnerable to priority moves.
Regarding natures, an Adamant nature is typically preferred to increase Dragonite’s damage output. This is especially significant when revenge killing foes with Extreme Speed. The Choice Band is the item of choice, considerably boosting Dragonite’s damage output while ensuring it can safely get off a hit without risking being KOed due to Multiscale.
In contrast, a Modest nature is not advisable. While it may work for in-game, it lowers what is arguably Dragonite’s most important stat – Attack. Therefore, Dragonite needs to focus on capabilities that its dragon counterparts cannot, such as Extreme Speed.
For those preferring a different setup, a Brave nature can be considered for a slower but more powerful approach. A sample moveset could include:
- Thunderbolt/Dragon Pulse
- Ice Beam/Flamethrower
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
Ultimately, Dragonite usually functions best as a physical attacker, making Adamant or Jolly natures the most ideal choices. If choosing this route, replacing Draco Meteor would be necessary.
Best Natures for Dragonite Across Different Generations
Dragonite’s Historical Context: Dragonite has had a long history in the past generations of not being quite as fearsome as Lance would have us believe. The third generation introduced more Dragon-types, causing the original to be overshadowed by newer Pokémon like Salamence and, to an extent, Flygon. However, in the fourth generation, Salamence’s banishment to Ubers gave Dragonite a newer lease on life, although it could never achieve what its younger cousin did. The fifth generation finally bestowed upon this old RBY stalwart an almost perfect supplement to its already formidable bulk.
Versatility as an Anti-Metagame Threat: Dragonite is a very versatile anti-metagame threat that has a trick for just about every occasion. Offensively, its great Attack and good Special Attack are complemented by a huge movepool, including:
- Its obligatory Dragon-type STAB moves, Draco Meteor and Outrage
- The powerful Flying-type STAB, Hurricane
- Dragon Dance to outrun just about every threat in a metagame filled with slow, bulky Pokémon
Defensively, its bulk combines with Multiscale nicely to make a stalling phazer viable. However, residual damage from the likes of Stealth Rock and sandstorm negates Multiscale, making it more difficult for Dragonite to use its bulk effectively.
Recommended Natures for Dragonite: Generally, a Special Attack-boosting nature (e.g. Rash, Mild, or Quiet) is recommended to power up Draco Meteor. However, an Attack-boosting nature (e.g. Lonely, Naughty, or Brave) is a decent option as well to enhance ExtremeSpeed. Some EVs can be invested into Speed to outrun threats like Magnezone and Politoed; in such cases, it should be noted that 108 Attack EVs and an Attack-boosting nature are needed to OHKO 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Blissey with Superpower.
Analysis of Quiet Nature: The Quiet nature on a Dragonite is generally considered not ideal for competitive battling, as it boosts Special Attack while lowering Speed, which is already a significant weakness for Dragonite. This makes it even slower and potentially easier to outspeed by opponents. Most Dragonite builds prioritize either:
- A physical attacking set with an Adamant nature
- A mixed set where a modest nature could be considered depending on the specific strategy
Situations for Quiet Nature: Possible situations where a Quiet Dragonite might be considered include:
- A Special Attack Focused Strategy, utilizing moves like Draco Meteor
- A mixed offensive set with a focus on special attacks
Additionally, if your team has other Pokémon that can handle speed issues and provide support, a Quiet Dragonite could potentially work, allowing you to capitalize on its special attack potential.
Alternative Natures: Alternative natures for Dragonite include:
- Adamant: Boosts physical attack and is generally preferred for most Dragonite builds.
- Jolly: Could be used if the goal is to prioritize speed to outpace other Pokémon.
Strategies for Building Attack-Focused Dragonite Teams
Strategies for Building Attack-Focused Dragonite Teams:
Dragonite can do many things, including:
- BoltBeam
- SubPunch
- Dragon Dance
- Mixed Sweeper
- Physical Sweeper
- Special Sweeper
However, it’s important to specify what type of set you’re looking for, ideally by coming up with the set on your own and then asking for help improving it.
Recommended Nature and Items:
For an attack-focused Dragonite:
- For Choice Band/Scarf:
- Nature: Jolly (with Choice Band) / Adamant (with Choice Scarf)
- Moves:
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Focus Punch / Stone Edge
- Fire Blast
- For Choice Specs/Scarf:
- Nature: Timid (with Specs) / Modest (with Scarf)
- Moves:
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt / Thunder
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- Dragon Pulse
Draco Meteor is recommended to inflict major damage early on, while Dragon Pulse can be used to clean up what’s left at the end.
Coverage and Strategy:
A Ground + Dragon type, like Dragonite, requires a Fire-type move to deal with foes such as Skarmory and Bronzong.
Using Dragon Dance is generally better than Thunder Wave, as the Attack boost helps in sweeping. With a base Speed of 80, one Dragon Dance is sufficient to outspeed most threats.
Optimal Investment:
- Prioritize maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature, enabling Dragonite to hit significantly hard.
- Maximum Speed investment is crucial to outspeed Pokémon like Choice Scarf Keldeo.
Recommended Moves:
- Outrage is the most powerful attack.
- Earthquake provides good coverage.
- Extreme Speed ensures priority.
- Dragon Dance enhances both Attack and Speed by 1, making Dragonite a formidable sweeper.
Additional Considerations:
An Adamant nature boosts Dragonite’s damage output, which is especially useful when using Extreme Speed to revenge kill foes. Moreover, a Choice Band significantly increases its damage output, while a Lum Berry can cure Outrage confusion and allow Dragonite to set up on Pokémon lacking Ice-type coverage.
Understanding Dragonite’s Attack vs. Special Attack Roles
Understanding the roles of Dragonite in relation to Attack and Special Attack is essential for maximizing its potential in battles. Here are key details:
Physical Dragonite:
- A physical Dragonite typically incorporates two Dragon-type attack moves. This setup might seem redundant to some, yet it offers strategic options in battles.
- For item recommendation, a Wide Lens might be more advantageous compared to a Zoom Lens. The Wide Lens increases accuracy by 10% for all Pokémon, while the Zoom Lens benefits only slower Pokémon.
- A suggested moveset includes: Dragon Dance, Outrage, Earthquake, and either Fire Punch or Extreme Speed. To survive potential Fairy-type attacks, consider equipping a Focus Sash.
Special Dragonite:
- A Special Dragonite is best utilized in rain, with a recommended moveset including: Thunder, Hurricane, Ice Beam, and either Surf or Draco Meteor. It is advisable to equip it with a Life Orb.
Quiet Nature Dragonite:
- A Dragonite with a Quiet nature is favored for its Special Attacker role due to the boosted Special Attack stat.
- The focus should be on special moves, with priority moves like Dragon Pulse, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Flamethrower to maximize damage output.
- For optimal performance, allocate most EVs to Special Attack to enhance its potency. Additionally, utilizing moves with high special power and possibly a speed-boosting move can allow it to outpace opponents.
- It’s recommended that Dragonite usually runs a Special Attack boosting nature along with 252 Special Attack EVs. The remaining EVs can be allocated to maximize speed, allowing it to outspeed numerous opponents, as Dragonite possesses a commendable Special Attack stat.
How Nature Affects Dragonite’s Performance in Competitive Play
Best Natures for Dragonite:
- Jolly (+Spe, -Sp. Atk)
- Adamant (+Atk, -Sp. Atk)
These natures are recommended because they enhance Dragonite’s Speed and Attack stats, respectively. This leads to better overall performance in competitive play.
Dragonite’s Bulk and Ability:
Dragonite’s great mixed bulk, coupled with its ability Multiscale, allows it to function as an unconventional but effective wall. This setup enables Dragonite to pressure offensive Pokémon effectively. Additionally, Multiscale halves damage when at full health, providing a significant advantage in battles.
Defensive Setup:
With a defensive EV spread and a Bold Nature, Dragonite can shrug off attacks while utilizing its ability, Multiscale. This setup allows it to survive even super effective moves that would normally KO it, thereby stalling out its usual checks and counters.
Offensive Capabilities:
Dragonite can use Dragon Dance to boost its Attack and Speed by one stage each. This makes it an incredibly threatening sweeper, allowing it to effectively fill the role of a lead sweeper or a late-game sweeper.
Considerations for Speed and Special Attack:
Dragonite has a fairly slow base 80 Speed, so it is normal to get outspeed by others. As such, running an attack boosting nature and 252 Special Attack EVs should be prioritized. This will allow for maximum potential to outspeed opponents.
Team Synergy:
Dragonite works best when used on a team that can force switches and provide Spikes support. Moreover, consider using Heal Bell to enable Dragonite to set up on threats like Thunder.
Quiet Nature vs. Adamant Nature: A Comparative Analysis
Quiet Nature vs. Adamant Nature: A Comparative Analysis
In the context of Dragonite, the choice of nature can significantly impact its effectiveness in battle.
- A Quiet nature boosts Special Attack but lowers Speed. This is generally not favorable for Dragonite, as speed is essential for its role in competing effectively.
- An Adamant nature, however, is typically preferred, as it increases Dragonite’s damage output, which is particularly relevant when revenge killing foes with Extreme Speed.
- Choosing Adamant allows Dragonite to enhance the power of its physical moves while sacrificing the Special Attack stat. This change is beneficial since the Attack stat is Dragonite’s greatest strength.
- Dragonite can crush its opponents as a physical attacker, provided its nature boosts the correct stats. For partners, selecting Adamant can upgrade the Attack stat of both Dragonite and its ally.
- While Jolly nature maximizes Speed, it is the extra power from Adamant that proves more advantageous for frequent attack situations rather than a slight Speed increase.
- It is also noted that having 252 Speed EVs with a Jolly nature allows Dragonite to outspeed neutral-natured base 80 Speed Pokémon and Jolly Mega Heracross, but in competitive scenarios, the advantage of higher Attack from Adamant generally outweighs this.
- In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the best Natures for Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite are Adamant and Lonely, due to Dragonite’s high Attack stat and its move pool of high output Physical Attacks, which can greatly enhance its capability.
In conclusion, while Quiet nature is not favorable due to its reduction in Speed, Adamant nature clearly provides advantages by boosting Attack, which is essential for maximizing Dragonite’s physical attacking potential.
Choosing the Right Nature Based on Dragonite’s Moveset
Best Natures: The most suitable natures for Dragonite include:
- Jolly (+Spd, -Sp.Atk)
- Timid (+Spd, -Sp.Atk)
- Adamant (+Atk, -Sp.Atk)
The straightforward EV spread is HP 4 / Atk 252 / Spd 252. This build typically employs Weakness Policy, an item that raises the Pokemon’s attack and special attack by two stages when hit by a super-effective move.
Dragonite’s Strengths:
- Dragonite is one of the best users of Weakness Policy due to its ability and wide physical movepool.
- It can act as a formidable sweeper, easily overwhelming unprepared teams.
- Outrage is Dragonite’s strongest move, capable of knocking out Pokemon that do not resist or are immune to Dragon-type moves.
- Dragon Dance boosts both Dragonite’s Attack and Speed by one stage. Thanks to its ability, it can easily set up using this move.
- This build uses the Multiscale ability, which reduces damage taken by 50% if Dragonite is at full health. This allows it to survive super effective hits and receive a boost from its item.
Lead Sweeper Role:
- Dragonite excels as a lead sweeper, safely setting up Dragon Dance (or two) at the start of the battle.
- It can sweep the opposing team effectively with powerful moves, making it an excellent choice for offense-oriented teams.
Setup Sweeping Capabilities:
- Dragonite is one of the easiest setup sweepers to use, thanks to its natural bulk and Multiscale Ability.
- With no defensive EV investment, it can achieve multiple Dragon Dance boosts.
- Fire Punch helps it handle Steel-types like Skarmory, while Extreme Speed allows Dragonite to hit faster opponents.
Threats and Limitations:
- Dragonite relies on Speed boosts from Dragon Dance to outspeed its usual checks.
- Its mediocre Speed stat makes it vulnerable to faster attackers, causing struggles against them.
- Like all setup sweepers, it has difficulties against Pokemon with the Ability Unaware, which ignores its boosts.
Mixed Attacking Moveset:
- Nature: Quiet
- Item: Life Orb
- EVs: 228 Atk, 252 Sp.A, 28 Speed
- Moveset: Hurricane, Aqua Tail, Extremespeed, Roost
- This configuration allows Dragonite to 2HKO specially bulky Ferrothorn in the rain.
Another Moveset Option:
- EVs: 52 HP / 64 Atk / 20 Spd / 252 SAtk / 120 SDef
- Nature: Quiet (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Moveset: Focus Punch, Substitute, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt
Conclusion: Dragonite thrives as a distinguished Physical Sweeper, particularly in single battles. The aim of its moveset is to overwhelm foes with powerful physical attacks while utilizing Multiscale to halve damage taken at full HP. Options like Earthquake and Aqua Tail serve to provide additional threat coverage.
