Druddigon Meta Analysis: Caution! Lego Dragon Alert!

Druddigon

Remember those good ol’ days when a new Pokémon debuted in the game and it caused real hype? Better yet, remember that time when Gen 5 hit and Patrat, Lillipup and Klink debuted with their shiny?! The same happened with some other mons and the point is, it’s exciting to have a Pokémon debut with its shiny. 

I’ll do you one more… remember August 2020 when we had the first-ever Dragon type event?

I bet that stroll down memory lane was nice but the icing on the cake is the fact that you can experience all of the cool stuff I just talked about in the December 2021 Dragonspiral Descent event!

Druddigon: the really cool, interesting but not so popular Dragon Pokémon that I absolutely love marks its debut in the game and you can bet that Pokémon Go trainers are psyched!

Its debut also coincides with its shiny release and call it what you want, this shiny is gorgeous! Just check it out:

Regular and Shiny Druddigon Sprites

Regular	Shiny

Aesthetics and popularity aside, how does Druddigon fare in the meta? Does it leave an impact in any of the PvP leagues? Any chances in the PvE meta?

So read on as we spiral towards the draconic lair of Druddigon!

Typing, Strengths and Weaknesses

Druddigon is a pure Dragon type Pokémon and as such, is weak to the Dragon, Fairy and Ice types. 

It’s always nice to come across a Dragon that doesn’t take 2x super-effective damage from Ice!

Its dual typing also grants its resistances that include:

So Druddigon resists all the starter types (if you account for Pikachu as well). That certainly is a nice niche to have as all those 4 types are quite prevalent in the lower PvP leagues.

But does it have the stats to give out a loud roar in those leagues? Let’s find out!

Stats

Druddigon has the following stats in Pokémon Go:

Druddigon Dragon
Max CP at Level 40 2732 | Max CP at Level 50 3088
ATK 213		DEF 170		HP 184
Weak to			Strong Against
Dragon Fairy Ice			Dragon

Druddigon has a starter-esque ATK coupled with average bulk. These stats aren’t likely to help Druddigon take flight in the PvE meta (welp, it doesn’t even fly actually. But those wings?!). However, Druddigon can surely work in the Great and Ultra Leagues!

Does it have the moves to deliver the GL & UL goods?

Moveset Analysis

Druddigon learns the following moves in Pokémon Go:

Druddigon, with its pure Dragon typing and access to Dragon Tail + Dragon Claw and Night Slash, appears to be a Fraxure clone. However, Druddigon hits a little harder and is appreciably bulkier than the virtually non-existent Fraxure in the meta. It is worth noting that Fraxure delivers a decent performance in both GL and UL

And Druddigon? We’ll find out soon!

Fast move analysis

There’s absolutely no reason to use Bite over Dragon Tail. Not only does Bite lack STAB, it just isn’t as dangerous as the buffed Dragon Tail, which is the most damaging fast move after Charm and Razor Leaf.

So all things said and done, Dragon Tail it is.

Charged move analysis

Once again, it’s a no-brainer. Hyper Beam is powerful alright but unlike a Pokémon like Sableye that doesn’t really have anything better as a 2nd charged move to boot, Druddigon has access to 2 very fine charged moves.

At only 35 energy and a workable 50 DMG, Dragon Claw and Night Slash are numerical clones of each other. Dragon Claw gains STAB while Night Slash has a 12.5% chance to boost your ATK by 2 stages. Yikes!

So what is Druddigon’s ideal moveset?

Ezzz! Druddigon’s ideal moveset is Dragon Tail paired with Dragon Claw and Night Slash.

By the way, what’s with the Unovan dragons having a viable Dark type charged move as a second attack?! Druddigon and Haxorus with Night Slash, Reshiram and Zekrom with Crunch, and obviously Hyreigon with STAB stuff. Looks like Gen 5 Dragon types have embraced darkness as an old friend.

Performance in PvP

Being a pure Dragon type backed with cheap charged moves and a powerful fast move, Druddigon can actually make a dent in the armour of quite a few teams. With a lucky Night Slash boost, this dragon cosplaying melted crayons can actually be fearsome.

It won’t break the meta but it sure can scare it.

Performance in the Great League

Druddigon registers a solid win percentage in the GL meta:

Here, the Druddigon in question is a level 20, 7/15/13 beast of CP 1498. 

But just how crucial are these wins in nature? Let’s find out!

Druddigon has the following battle profile for (1-1) and (0-0) shield scenarios in the Great League:

• Beats Trevenant in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Beats Jellicent in (0-0)
• Beats Alolan Marowak in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Beats Stunfisk in (1-1) and (0-0)
• Beats Sableye in (1-1)
• Beats Swampert in (0-0)
• Beats Cofagrigus in (1-1)
• Beats Venusaur in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Beats Charizard in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Beats Shadow Ball Noctowl in (1-1) and (0-0)
• Beats Meganium in (0-0)
• Beats Talonflame in (1-1)
• Beats Drapion in (1-1)
• Beats Greedent in (1-1) and (0-0)
• Beats Skuntank in (1-1)
• Beats Serperior in (1-1) and in (0-0)

Druggigon is certainly no core breaker in the Great League. That said, it does have some interesting wins. The rest of its wins come against non-meta mons owing to its largely unresisted dragon attacks.

Performance in the Ultra League

Druddigon registers a pretty good win percentage in the UL meta. This dragon reaches level 40 at a CP of 2732. So there’s no way you’re bringing an XL Druddigon into the Ultra League.

Here, the Druddigon in question is a level 38, 4/15/11 beast of CP 2500. 

Druddigon has the following battle profile for (1-1) and (0-0) shield scenarios in the Ultra League:

• Beats Sableye in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Ties with Swampert in (1-1)
• Beats Venusaur in (1-1)
• Beats Talonflame in (1-1)
• Ties with Dragonite in (1-1)
• Beats Shadow Dragonite in (1-1)
• Beats Kingdra in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Beats Dragalge in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Beats Shadow Flygon in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Beats Goodra in (0-0)
• Beats Giratina (Altered) in (1-1)
• Ties with Alolan Muk in (1-1)
• Beats Machamp in (1-1)
• Beats Gliscor in (0-0)
• Beats Froslass in (1-1)
• Beats Waterfall Gyarados in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Beats Chesnaught in (1-1)
• Ties with Snorlax in (0-0)
• Beats Shadow Snorlax in (1-1)
• Beats Gengar in (0-0)
• Beats Blaziken in (1-1)
• Beats Blastoise in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Beats Samurott in (1-1) and in (0-0)
• Beats Malamar in (1-1)
• Beats Typhlosion in (1-1) and in (0-0)

Druddigon delivers an impressive performance in the Ultra League despite giving a lower win percentage figure. Now, in Druddigon’s defense, this maxed out, non-XL dragon is facing off against many XL mons here. As such, it’s actually pretty good here, claiming its place as a worthy dragon. Once again, it’s not exactly shaking the meta but it still is doing good. Props to Druddigon for that!

Performance in PvE

With just a 213 ATK stat and a max CP at level 50 just above CP 3000, Druddigon is lost in the crowd of the several Dragon types dominating the meta.

In addition, Druddigon doesn’t get access to Outrage at this moment. Haxorus makes itself work without Outrage due to its astronomical 284 ATK. Druddigon doesn’t.

So when it comes to PvE, there are just too many dragons surpassing it. Let’s hope that Druddigon gets a well-deserved evolution in a future generation!

Parting Words

Druddigon has a gorgeous shiny, a mostly disliked but interesting look and is a nice catch, to say the least. Yes, it looks like a Lego dragon designed by an unpaid intern on their first day but it still deserves some appreciation for being unique.

Druddigon does learn some cool moves like Shadow Claw, Incinerate, Aqua Tail and Power-Up Punch in the Main Series Games (it doesn’t learn Dragon Breath), and it can definitely get more interesting with any of those.

But until then, Druddigon is a niche pick in your GL and UL battles, performing quite well in the latter.

That shiny though!

You can check out the Druddigon Raid Guide and a PvP Overview of the Dragonspiral Descent event.

All the best, trainers!