Dragons of Galar Meta Analysis

Niantic threw us a curveball by taking us straight to the Galar region as a part of the Ultra Unlock Part 3This was undoubtedly very unexpected as they skipped several Pokémon from previous generations and the entire Alola region altogether (rubbing more salt to Kecleon’s wounds). 

And while we have no word on the movesets of Gen 7, we now have all the details for Gen 8! Naturally, some of the most anticipated Pokémon from each generation are the Dragon types. 

With the Dragon Tail buff and Galar’s dragons coming in all flavors and varieties, you can bet that Gen 8 would produce a paradigm shift when it comes to the draconic monsters of the Pokémon world. 

There is still probably a good time to go before we have these dragons in the game. But with the movesets of Galar being hype, it is worth looking into how they will perform in the meta, their pros and cons, and what we can expect from them in the long run.

Do note that I will only be taking a look at the final evolutions or those who don’t evolve into anything. With that being said, let’s Imagine Dragons of the Galar region and find out the ones worth unleashing on the meta!

Flapple

Flapple GrassDragon
Max CP at Level 40 2466 | Max CP at Level 50 2788
ATK 214 DEF 144 HP 172
Weak to Strong Against
Ice Dragon Fairy Flying Dragon Ground Rock Water

 

Fast Moves Charged Moves
  • Bullet Seed Grass
  • Dragon Breath Dragon
  • Outrage Dragon
  • Dragon Pulse Dragon
  • Seed Bomb Grass
  • Fly Flying

 

Overview

Flapple and Appletun are your Galar’s Grass and Dragon type, evolving from the adorable Applin. Flapple is formed if the Applin was present in a tart apple and fun fact… due to its ability in the Main Series Games (Hustle), it actually boasts of the strongest Outrage in the entire Pokémon franchise! (DM me to know why). 

Right off the bat, Flapple is blessed with an excellent moveset! Seriously, based on moveset alone, Flapple would make Alolan Exeggutor and Mega Sceptile go green (pun intended) with envy. But puns aside, using this 1 kg apple dragon is going to be fun, especially in PvP.

Performance in PvE

A Flapple a day keeps it away from PvE. Its ATK stat is very, very low when compared to all the legendary and pseudo legendary Dragon types dominating the meta. While its stats suggest it to be a good Grass type, Seed Bomb just isn’t explosive enough to help it make a cut. To put it into perspective, Flapple is fun to use in gyms but it isn’t evergreen enough to fit into PvE relevance.

Performance in PvP

Dragon Breath with its attractive (DPT/EPT) set of (4.00/3.00) has always been a staple PvP move for Dragon types with its low cooldown of only 0.50 sec giving a slight edge over the now more powerful Dragon Tail.

On the grassy lanes, Bullet Seed is a high energy generation move with a superb (1.66/4.33) set, giving it pretty quick access to its charged moves despite having a 1.50 sec cooldown. Flapple has everything going for itself in this regard as it has a shield bait move (Seed Bomb), a more powerful shield bait move (Fly) and a nuke (Outrage). With this in tow, Flapple can have a nice showing in the lower leagues with wins against the notorious mud bois, Fighting types, Grass types and quick access to Outrage rivalled only by Mud Shot Flygon. Overall, a welcome addition to the squad to lower league Dragon types but it should be noted that Flapple is quite glassy. And that’s why, we need pie!

Appletun

Appletun GrassDragon
Max CP at Level 40 2452 | Max CP at Level 50 2772
ATK 178 DEF 146 HP 242
Weak to Strong Against
Ice Dragon Fairy Flying Dragon Ground Rock Water

 

Fast Moves Charged Moves
  • Bullet Seed Grass
  • Astonish Ghost
  • Outrage Dragon
  • Dragon Pulse Dragon
  • Seed Bomb Grass
  • Energy Ball Grass

 

Overview

While Flapple is oriented towards offense and is blessed with a nice moveset, Appletun is sweet, literally! Its stats are reminiscent of Azumarill, being bulkier and stronger in that premise. While this apple pie dragon obviously won’t hold the same domination as Azu, it still has a very serviceable moveset and is impressively bulky.

Performance in PvE

You’re better off throwing a pie on your own face than using Appletun in PvE. Basically, you’re just giving away this Pokémon as a sacrificial feast to the raid boss. So, be nice and don’t. Just don’t. 

Performance in PvP

242 HP and 146 DEF make it pretty bulky and with a high energy generation fast move in Bullet Seed (please, please avoid Astonish), this dragon can pose a serious threat. It still has Outrage to deal high damage to anything that’s not Fairy or Steel, and Seed Bomb to bait shields. It also gets Energy Ball (an Earth Power clone) to boot for good STAB damage. Overall, a strong GL candidate nonetheless.

Pros of Flapple and Appletun

  1. Good Grass and Dragon type additions to the GL and UL meta
  2. Excellent moves that fit in all purposes
  3. Triple resists Electric, Grass and Water along with a resistance to Ground to give it a good defensive showing
  4. Both Grass and Dragon are good types in GL and UL
  5. Annihilates the mud bois
  6. Appletun has notable bulk and can be a nice draw in PvP

Cons of Flapple and Appletun

  1. Serves as a healthy snack to Togekiss
  2. Are 2x weak to the Ice type
  3. They require 400 candies for evolution from Applin

Note: In PvP, Flapple can run into problems because of that bulk but Appletun does register more oomph due to the same reason: bulk.


Dracozolt

Dracozolt ElectricDragon
Max CP at Level 40 2621 | Max CP at Level 50 2964
ATK 195 DEF 165 HP 207
Weak to Strong Against
Ice Dragon Fairy Ground Dragon Flying Water

 

Fast Moves Charged Moves
  • Dragon Tail Dragon
  • Thunder Shock Electric
  • Discharge Electric
  • Dragon Pulse Dragon
  • Ancient Power Rock

 

Overview

The Galar region finally presented us with prehistoric Pokémon that weren’t Rock types. Two of the four prehistoric mons from this generation have the Dragon typing and Dracozolt is the second ever to have the Electric Dragon typing. 

Performance in PvE

Dracozolt has pretty balanced stats but they just don’t zap it up to compete with other Electric and Dragon types by any means. This Velociraptor dragon thing looks funny and using it in PvE is funnier. Even Chris Pratt won’t use these monsters for raids.

Performance in PvP

But Pratt would surely use Dracozolt in PvP. As mentioned, it has pretty balanced stats, giving it some play in the lower league. It has excellent fast moves in Dragon Tail (high damage) and Thunder Shock (high energy), but its charged moves don’t impress too much. Dragon Pulse is Outrage low on toilet paper and that’s bad. Discharge is, fine, I suppose? And definitely the most usable move for Dracozolt. That’s about it… Dracozolt will be electrifying in the right match-ups but average otherwise. Fortunately, it has Dragon Tail.

Pros of Dracozolt

  1. Access to good fast moves that give it some potential
  2. Has a powerful exclusive move named Bolt Beak, that, with the right stats can improve Dracozolt as an Electric type
  3. Can beat Togekiss in the UL (0-0)
  4. Destroys Azumarill in all shield situations of the GL

Cons of Dracozolt

  1. Really underwhelming charged moves
  2. Not reliable enough in crunch situations

Dracovish

Dracovish WaterDragon
Max CP at Level 40 2500 | Max CP at Level 50 2826
ATK 175 DEF 185 HP 207
Weak to Strong Against
Dragon Fairy Dragon Fire Ground Rock

 

Fast Moves Charged Moves
  • Dragon Breath Dragon
  • Water Gun Water
  • Brine Water
  • Dragon Pulse Dragon
  • Ancient Power Rock

 

Overview

Don’t be fooled by that derpy face, weird design and hilarious cry from the anime… Dracovish is the true evil incarnate and quite possibly the most broken Pokémon in the Main Series Games. I kid you not… its ability, a Choice Band, rain, speed and the exclusive move makes it harder than any frigging Pokémon in existence. JUST GOOGLE FISHIOUS REND. 

Anyway, does Dracovish bring its MSG terror to Pokémon Go? Well, that remains to be seen.

Performance in PvE

At the moment, Dracovish won’t make any waves or stir any scales in the meta. Here’s crossing our fingers to Fishious Rend being an absolutely broken move and giving Dracovish the Kingler treatment.

Performance in PvP

Umm… okay. Being a competitive player, it is honestly difficult to see Dracovish with little to no viability in battles. Sure, it has Dragon Breath. But with dull charged moves like Brine (WTF) and Dragon Pulse (why no Outrage?), Dragon Breath doesn’t do this dragon any favours.

Pros of Dracovish

  1. An excellent dual typing of Water and Dragon
  2. Potential to be turned into a meta-shattering Water type with Fishious Rend

Cons of Dracovish

  1. Really underwhelming charged moves
  2. Not reliable at all in crunch situations
  3. Most people don’t even know that Brine exists in the game
  4. Disappointing with regards to its reputation

Duraludon

Duraludon SteelDragon
Max CP at Level 40 3067 | Max CP at Level 50 3468
ATK 239 DEF 185 HP 172
Weak to Strong Against
Ground Fighting Dragon Fairy Ice Rock

 

Fast Moves Charged Moves
  • Dragon Tail Dragon
  • Metal Claw Steel
  • Flash Cannon Steel
  • Dragon Claw Dragon
  • Hyper Beam Normal

 

Overview

Yes, the ancient dragons Dracozolt and Dracovish share the same typing as legendary dragons Zekrom and Palkia respectively. Duraludon takes the same route and adopts the typing of ML Lord Dialga. So is it of any wonder that Duraludon is also usable in the Master League?

Let’s see how the Mecha Godzilla of Pokémon Go fares in the meta!

Performance in PvE

Look, the ATK stat of 239 is good but not only is Duraludon severely outclassed in both its typings, but it even lacks the moveset to make a statement.

Performance in PvP

Be it any league, Duraludon can actually survive the meta due to its incredible typing. And this is remarkable because Duralodon with Dragon Tail as its fast move has a 70+ win rate in both UL and ML (its two best leagues) while with Metal Claw, it goes down to a terrible 40+ win rate only! All in all, it’s a nice way to introduce the fantastic Steel and Dragon combination in the lower leagues while also getting a nod of approval for the Master League.

Pros of Duraludon

  1. A dragon with the Steel sub-typing makes it an asset
  2. Beats Dragonite and Togekiss in (0-0), Kyogre in (1-1) among other cool wins
  3. A good overall ML performance
  4. A reliable Dragon Tail user

Cons of Duraludon

  1. Has access to better moves in the MSG that it doesn’t learn in the game now
  2. Its good ATK stat is wasted in PvE due to poor moves

Dragapult

Dragapult DragonGhost
Max CP at Level 40 3532 | Max CP at Level 50 3993
ATK 266 DEF 170 HP 204
Weak to Strong Against
Dragon Ice Fairy Dark Ghost Dragon Ghost Psychic

 

Fast Moves Charged Moves
  • Dragon Tail Dragon
  • Hex Ghost
  • Outrage Dragon
  • Dragon Pulse Dragon
  • Shadow Ball Ghost

 

Overview

Dragapult, Gen 8’s pseudo legendary, is arguably one of the best Pokémon from this region. Blessed with amazing lore, design and competitive viability, this ‘baby go yeet’ spooky dragon is a very exciting addition to the franchise and Pokémon Go alike. Both Dragon and Ghost are excellent offensive types and with this combination, Dragapult can deal unresisted damage to the entire meta!

Hydreigon is underwhelming in the meta until it gets its eventual CD where it hopefully would get better, Goodra is pretty good in PvP and Kommo-o needs a good moveset to deliver the goods. But Dragapult… Dragapult is amazing! It is a top-tier Pokémon from both its typings, dishing out high DPS in the process though its bulk is not too high. Finally, it LOOKS SO DAMN COOL! Imagine what you can do with Dragapult and AR! That gradually disappearing tail though… *chef’s kiss*

Performance in PvE

This is Dragapult’s grav… umm, backyard.

From the Dragon side, Dragapult will deal more DPS than the likes of Dragonite and Garchomp. However, it won’t surpass Salamence. Dragapult’s ATK and bulk are both lower the ‘Mence and as such, Salamence will remain the best non-legendary Dragon type for now. Still, it cannot be debated that Dragapult will still be a heavy DPS Dragon type and be an excellent option for raids.

From the Ghost side, Dragapult is the best non-mega/non-shadow ghost in the game. While Gengar and Chandelure still deal more DPS, Dragapult has higher TDO and better overall performance. Furthermore, Dragapult lacks the Psychic type weakness that Gengar suffers from. This way, this scary/adorable dragon ghost would be one of the top Ghost types to use in the meta!

The best part? With potential access to its signature move, Dragon Darts in its Community Day and/or Phantom Force, Dragapult can get even more versatile!

Performance in PvP

Dragapult is not good enough in PvP. Yes, it can gain wins against the likes of Metagross, Excadrill, Mewtwo and Landorus Therian in the Master League, but it suffers from the same problems as Salamence and Chandelure: good PvE but decent PvP moves and low bulk. It lacks a shield bait move and its bulk makes it difficult for Dragapult to execute its charged moves without shields. Who knows? Dragon Darts could be a high energy fast move or cheap charged move, thereby benefiting it in ML? But till then, this glass cannon won’t be scary enough for PvP.

Pros of Dragapult

  1. Outstanding offensive typing of Dragon and Ghost, where it excels in both
  2. Excellent ATK stat makes it a DPS monster
  3. Movesets are extremely TM-efficient
  4. Very exciting from an AR perspective
  5. A very interesting signature move that can propel Dragapult to greater heights

Cons of Dragapult

  1. Underwhelming bulk
  2. Its moveset combos aren’t PvP friendly

Eternatus

Eternatus PoisonDragon
Max CP at Level 40 4429 | Max CP at Level 50 5007
ATK 278 DEF 192 HP 268
Weak to Strong Against
Dragon Ice Ground Psychic Dragon Fairy Grass

 

Fast Moves Charged Moves
  • Dragon Tail Dragon
  • Poison Jab Poison
  • Dragon Pulse Dragon
  • Cross Poison Poison
  • Flamethrower Fire

 

Overview

Eternatus, ladies and gentleman, is not just a good Pokémon. It’s one of the best Pokémon in the entire game. 

This fearsome toxic dragon is as scary as it looks and it is going to make the meta tremble in fear. Believe that!

Mixing both offense and bulk beautifully, Eternatus will be one of the must-catch monsters ever and doesn’t it look amazing?

It also has a signature move, Dynamax Cannon, to its credit. Imagine the carnage it can cause with that!

Spoiler alert: It won’t be the best in PvE but it is quite possibly the very best in PvP!

Performance in PvE

Eternatus doesn’t learn Outrage in the MSG. It learns Dragon Pulse and Draco Meteor among the currently available Dragon type charged moves in Go and… it got Dragon Pulse. Sure, it could have got Draco Meteor and be even better but it’s decent.

Eternatus’ real flavour is in the Master League.

Performance in PvP

Eternatus is THE Pokémon in the ML meta. In fact, it will dethrone Dialga as the new King of the Master League! Yes, it’s that good. It has amazing stats, a pretty good movepool and a mean streak that gives it a whopping 96.1% win rate in the Open ML!!

Source: pvpoke.com

ML Classic? Well, that’s a whopping (x2) 95.7% out there!

Source: pvpoke.com

Eternatus is the only truly viable Poison type in the ML meta, scaring away Dragon and Fairy types alike. What say? Poison is not relevant enough in ML? Umm, even with Poison Jab as the fast move, Eternatus claims an 87.7% win rate in ML Classic!

And in the Open ML, this skeletal dragon bags a jaw-dropping 90.2% win rate!

Also, you’d think that it’s a Poison Dragon type so it falls like a house of cards to Dialga? In the ML Classic, yep, sure. While it barely loses to Dialga in (1-1), it can still sneak in some wins at times. Geez, this gigantic dragon is good!

But when it comes to ML Open, the league of extraordinary monsters, Eternatus technically beats Dialga in both (1-1) and (0-0), though barely. 

Yes, folks… the Poison Dragon Eternatus squares off against the Steel Dragon Dialga and the results?

  • Eternatus beats Dialga in (1-1)
  • Eternatus beats Dialga in (0-0)

The updated Dragon Tail really did suit Eternatus really well while putting in some power balance in between. You see, Eternatus beats Dialga, but barely. In crunch situations, even Dialga may get the win. So it’s more of a tie between the two where you really don’t know you would take the win.

The Dragon types might be taking a backseat with Zacian and Dialga cores temporarily but Eternatus will elevate its draconic peers back to their glory with its stellar performance. Even Pokémon that are supposed to counter Eternatus fear it and as you can see, it’s for good reason!

So yes, with all things said and done, Eternatus is indeed the new King of Master League! 

Pros of Eternatus

IT IS ETERNATUS!

That’s it. That’s how it is

Cons of Eternatus

Error 890. Not Found.


A Note on Eternamax Eternatus

Eternatus is actually the reason behind the phenomenon of Dynamax. It is also the largest Pokémon now (sorry, Wailord). 

Put this all into the DMax/GMax equation and naturally, the Dynamax form of Eternatus has to be powerful, right?

But here’s the drill…

Eternatus took the term powerful too seriously. Way too seriously, actually.

That’s why we have this thing:

What the f is this thing??!! Source: pokemonblog.com

Max CP at Level 50 9255

Max CP at Level 40 8187

ATK 251

DEF 505

HP 452

Don’t @ me or Go Hub in the comments saying that I made a typo with those figures. Eternamax Eternatus has the highest base stat total of all Pokémon in existence.

So that 9000+ CP is real. That 505 DEF and 452 HP are real. Eternamax Eternatus is as real as it gets!

Yes, Vegeta. It is!

But here’s the catch (or not):

Eternamax Eternatus is not catchable. It’s too OP.

Curious how OP it is?

Well, if I put this insane monstrosity in the Master League with 0 shields versus 2 shields, guess what happens?

Illegal stuff. Source: pvpoke.com

I’m probably wanted by the FBI for posting this.

But do you see that? Phew!

So where was I? Yeah! The catch is that you cannot catch this form of Eternatus. And you shouldn’t as you can see why. Logically, it’s the exclusive Gigantamax form of Eternatus and it should neither be catchable nor usable in the game.

Since Eternamax Eternatus is in the database, Niantic can go around it in 2 ways:

  • As an ode to the MSG, this abomination of Eternatus could just be a raid boss (of the highest standards) that goes back to its base form after being beaten. Of course, the number of trainers should be kept as high as possible. This makes sense more than anything else.
  • Or, as wishful thinking, you can transform your Eternatus into this thing and use it only for gym battles? Too Farfetch’d but, as stated, wishful thinking.

The former obviously is logical, sane, and in sync with how Eternamax Eternatus is treated in the main games.

But no matter how this turns out, battling or even seeing this Pokémon in the game would be a treat!


Regidrago

Regidrago Dragon
Max CP at Level 40 2973 | Max CP at Level 50 3361
ATK 202 DEF 101 HP 400
Weak to Strong Against
Dragon Ice Fairy Dragon

 

Fast Moves Charged Moves
  • Bite Dark
  • Outrage Dragon
  • Dragon Pulse Dragon
  • Hyper Beam Normal

 

Overview

The Galar region brought us two new Regis into the mix: Regieleki and Regidrago. While Regieleki is a dancing lightbulb that’s also the fastest Pokémon out there, Regidrago literally looks like an orb embedded into a Charizard’s jaw. Anyway, Regidrago is your Dragon type Regi and had many excited for its role in the meta. Does it deliver? Let’s find out.

Performance in PvE

Nha, there ain’t no surprises here… the Regis suck in PvE and this dragon is no different. With a very average ATK stat and no Dragon type fast move, it never stood a chance really.

Performance in PvP

Some Regis shine in PvP but unfortunately, Papa Regigigas’ draconic spawn just doesn’t make it. And sadly, Regidrago’s life is a tragedy in the game which has turned into a comedy. You see, the game data showed Regidrago with Lock On and Dragon Claw among its moveset, giving rise to the hope of a hyper spammy ‘mon on the horizon! Except, there’s a teeny weeny problem… Regidrago doesn’t learn Lock On in the Main Series Games. So Regidrago’s 15 minutes of fame was cruelly but rightfully snatches away when Lock On was removed from its move pool. But it gets sadder when you see that Regidrago does learn Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw. So ultimately, this dragon got the boot. Give it Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw, please?

Such a tREGIdy. Sigh.

Pros of Regidrago

  1. Does have the potential to get Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw in the future
  2. Has an extremely powerful signature move named Dragon Energy
  3. That 400 HP
  4. Looks cool

Cons of Regidrago

  1. Is left almost unusable now
  2. No STAB fast move or low energy charged move

Conclusion

The Galar region is going to be good!

With a vast variety of super interesting Pokémon boasting of unique designs, rare type combinations, meta relevancy, and lore, Gen 8 is an amazing addition to the dynamic world of Pokémon Go.

This generation really did their dragons well and fortunately, it is reflected even in our meta. Honestly, all the Dragon types mentioned in this article are a remarkable bunch, firing off all cylinders of the meta!

Apple dragons, ancient Frankenstein-esque abominations, a building, a B12 Stealth Bomber + Diplocaulus dragon that shoots its babies at Mach speeds, and an alien monstrosity that breaks all barriers of power and will probably be the new ruler of the Master League… Galar nails it when it comes to the Dragon types!

If you are a dragon tamer like me, then Gen 8 won’t have any dull moments! The agenda? Gotta catch’em all!

Dracarys

Author & tags

MeteorAsh15
MeteorAsh15
My name is Niladri Sarkar. A Team Valor Trainer, I'm a Pokémon Battle Mechanics Specialist & a Dragon Master on Smogon's Pokémon Showdown where I particularly excel with Dragon types and Weather teams in Ubers / OU. I love to apply my vast knowledge and experience to the ever changing meta of Pokémon Go, specialising in DPS/TDO math, movesets, the Master League and Dragon types. Garchomp is my best Pokémon pal through and through.

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