The Aspiring Dragons Research Day brings forth Pokémon that aren’t Dragon types but evolve (aspire) to become Dragons. This event features Research tasks from PokéStops leading to encounters with Horsea, Trapinch, Swablu, and Skrelp.
These dragon wannabes work hard on their dreams to evolve into Kingdra, Flygon, Altaria, and Dragalge, all glorious dragons to have on your team (shame on you, Gyarados).
All of them have stunning shinies and with the shiny odds boosted during the event, you can have a gala time. But when it comes to battle, these Dragon types are no Pseudo Legendaries (or Legendaries, for that matter), so how good (or bad) are they in the meta?
Newsflash, none of them are relevant in PvE, having to face stiff competition from absolute powerhouses. However, they do hold weight in PvP.
With that being said, let’s take to the seas, sands, and skies to find out how viable these dragons are!
The Water/Dragon type Kingdra is a menace because of its amazing type combination. With it, it resists Fire, Water, and most importantly, the Steel type as well! Moreover, it’s not weak to Ice type attacks. These traits give Kingdra a unique defensive niche in PvP battles.
If you thought that’s all about Kingdra, it even boasts a pretty good moveset. Dragon Breath, Outrage, and Octazooka. Octazooka costs deals 50 DMG for 50 energy but comes with a 50% chance to nerf the opponent’s ATK by two stages! This establishes Kingdra as a reasonable threat in the Ultra League.
This fierce dragon beats the likes of Talonflame, Skeledirge, Venusaur, Typhlosion, and even Shadow Dragonite! Understand that Kingdra is one of those resourceful Pokémon that may not get direct wins a lot of times, but is major responsible for getting the W, whether by tearing down the opponent’s HP, baiting shields, or debuffing their ATK sharply and forcing a switch-out.
If you get a Kingdra suitable for the Ultra League, build it and see yourself grabbing some surprising wins in the Ultra League.
The layman’s Garchomp whom we hope to see get a Mega Evolution in Legends ZA! 😛
Jokes aside, Flygon has a phenomenal moveset in Pokémon GO. Dragon Tail, Mud Shot, Sand Attack, Dragon Claw, Earth Power, Scorching Sands, and Stone Edge… wow! 😯
As a supportive role, you can use Sand Attack for Dragon Claw spam, and bait shields left and right. Remember that while Sand Attack and Mud Shot have the same DPT (Damage Per Turn) and EPT (Energy Per Turn) of 2.0 and 4.0 respectively, Sand Attack has half the cooldown (0.5s vs 1.0s), making it less clunkier to use. And who doesn’t love the constant Dragon Claw spam?! 😀
Dragon Tail dishes out way higher damage figures, making it threatening in the lower PvP Leagues. The Shadow variant is particularly great with Dragon Tail but it works on regular Flygon as well.
It is neat in the Great League, beating various Poison types, Charjabug, Annihilape, and Shadow Quagsire. But its best outing comes in the Ultra League, where its excellent moveset and relatively high ATK help it beat a host of threats such as Giratina Altered, Typhlosion, Skeledirge, Shadow Feraligatr, Shadow Drapion, Lickilicky, Malamar, and Ampharos.
You can also use the Sand Attack variant with Stone Edge for a fun spice pick. Overall, Flygon is pretty solid in the Ultra League and comes in handy more than you can imagine!
Altaria was once among the premier threats in the Great League and while it isn’t that big of a name now, it’s still a superb pick for the Great League. Sporting good bulk and a nice moveset of Dragon Breath, Sky Attack (nerfed but still good), and Moonblast (requires an Elite Charged TM if you don’t have the move already), Altaria can hit a wide array of targets for at least neutral damage.
The bane of its Great League flex is the presence of Steel types, who resist whatever Altaria throws at them, so it’s important to have a teammate that can tackle Steel types and umbrella Altaria from them. Overall, an all-time Great League classic that still serves hot.
The cost of evolution is high at 400 Candy but unlocking a second Charged attack is cheap, at only 10k Stardust. That said, it’s expensive to power up for the Ultra League. Moreover, it’s kind of outclassed there and not as dominant as in the Great League. Use Dragonite instead if you want a more efficient Dragon/ type in the Ultra League.
Dragalge is definitely one of the most (if not THE most) cool-looking Pokémon among these four Dragon types. Its shiny is also incredible.
The Poison/Dragon combo is pretty sublime. No weakness to Fairy and resistance to Fighting are welcome perks. Sadly, it lacks a viable Poison move since Gunk Shot is expensive to use.
Still, Dragon Tail with Aqua Tail and Outrage, along with those defensive perks, make Dragalge a decent pick. Toxapex, Azumarill, Annihilape, Charjabug, and Shadow Drapion… all go down to Dragalge. Dragon Tail’s consistent high damage and Aqua Tail’s shield-evoking abilities make Dragalge a worthy choice.
Dragalge faces tough competition as Dragon type in the Ultra League but its niche against Fairy and Fighting continues to aid its defensive performance. It wins against Pangoro. Primeape, Annihilape, Venusaur, Virizion, Shadow Dragonite, Ampharos, Mandubuzz, Skeledirge, and Typhlosion. It excels at taking out a lot of HP from its opponents and in many cases, burning through at least one shield.
Again, while it may not always result in wins directly, it acts as a catalyst by crippling opponents and leaving them an open target to teammates.
These four Dragon types may not be top-notch meta, but they certainly can play an integral supportive role in the Great and Ultra League. Ultimately, you won’t regret using them!
All the best, trainers!
Dracarys.
