The GBL Season 12 moveset update list has been the biggest one yet. With 30+ Pokémon receiving new moves into their arsenal. The new season promises to be an exciting affair! Among the crowd of Pokémon with new moves, perhaps the most favourite (or at least, one of the most) has been Dragonite getting access to Superpower.
Wait, does that ring a bell?
Indeed! Dragonite with Superpower was one of the options in a Community Day (CD) voting poll. So we have got Superpower on Dragonite without a CD event or the need for an Elite Charged TM. Yes, folks, you can get Superpower on your Dragonite with your regular Charged TM. So how good is Dragonite with this powerful Fighting type move?
Let’s find out!
The Impact of Dragonite with Superpower
This article doesn’t aim to analyze Dragonite per se. I’d already done that in detail through my Dragonite Meta Analysis. Rather, we will discover Dragonite’s pros and cons in the Master League with Superpower.
Right off the bat, Superpower is a great move. Dealing 85 DMG at a cheap 40 energy, Dragonite finds this move nicely accessible with the powerful Dragon Breath in tow. While it comes with a 100% chance of rebuffing your ATK and DEF by one stage, a well-calculated usage of Superpower can be devastating to the opponent, particularly to Ice, Rock and Steel types. And this is what makes Superpower so interesting.
With Steel types always running rampant in PvP, with the Master Leagues having some of the most dominant Pokémon of this type, Dnite was always toothless against the steely mons. But now, Dnite has something that can actually help it go face-to-face with Steel types through super-effective damage. Moreover, a Fighting type move offers excellent coverage in general. So it’s undoubtedly a welcome upgrade for the OG dragon.
In fact, at the time of this writing (barely hours after the new move additions went live), Dragonite flew high to #2 in the Master League rankings at pvpoke.com:
When set against the meta of the Master League, the new and improved Dragonite has a pretty good win percentage:
Superpower Dragonite is an appreciable upgrade over its former self.
Superpower Dragonite against the Master League Meta
It is worth mentioning here that Dragonite without Superpower has always been a fine addition to the ML meta. Along with Dialga, Giratina, Palkia and Garchomp (Sinnoh supremacy), Dragonite occupies the upper echelon of Dragon types in ML, with other dragons like Hydreigon, Haxorus, Goodra and Zekrom obviously being a tier lower. So while Superpower Dragonite isn’t exactly a major upgrade, it is still a welcome one. In fact, a much-needed one.
Against the Steel types
Dialga
Dialga is more or less the epitome of the Master League, closely challenged by Zacian. To put it into perspective, the might of an ML Pokémon often depends on its ability to beat Dialga. Dnite had never managed this feat but now… it can!
In the (1-1) shield scenario of the Open Master League, Superpower Dragonite can sneak in a win against Dialga!
While the win is an extremely close one in (1-1), Dnite takes the L in an equally close encounter with Dialge in the (0-0) shield scenario.
Yes, Dialga dominates in the (2-2), it goes without saying that Dragonite can finally threaten Dialga in some capacity, even managing to beat it.
Way to go, Dragonite!
Excadrill
The win against Dialga is cool but have you ever beaten an Excadrill with your Dragonite? I bet most of you would say no. Excadrill is one of the deadliest mons in the ML meta, beating the likes of Metagross, Togekiss, Mewtwo and Dragonite with Dragon Claw and Hurricane. But with Superpower, Dragonite beats Excadrill in ALL shield scenarios!! This is a huge W for Dragonite!
Metagross
While Superpower deals neutral damage to Metagross due to its Psychic sub-typing, Dragonite still manages to beat Metagriss in both (0-0) and (2-2)! While it still loses in the (1-1), the fact that it can beat Metagross is mighty impressive.
Melmetal
While Superpower Dragonite has a great profile against Dialga, Excadrill and Metagross, it sort of falters against Melmetal. Dnite does take the win in (2-2) but loses in both the (1-1) and (0-0) shield scenarios. Sigh… Melmetal is truly a tough nut to crack.
The Fairy Menace
With Hurricane, Dragonite was able to dish out appreciable damage on Togekiss and Close Combat/Wild Charge Zacian. In some instances, it could even KO them if they had taken damage prior. But with Superpower, Dragonite is dead meat to the prominent ML Fairy types. That said, Dragonite was never meant to counter Fairy types in the first place. So no worries, Dragonite!
Parting Words
Dragonite with Superpower has arrived in the PvP scene and I would mention again that it is one of the biggest winners of the update. Trainers will be warier of Dragonite, even when they are using Steel types. That itself is a big deal for Dragonite and an amazing trade-off for its fairy-phobia.
With Dragonite being a relatively accessible Pokémon and Superpower not being a legacy move, you can build yourself a Dragonite with Superpower and make your intentions clear in the Master League! It will have a dominating presence in the ML meta for a long time to come.
A superb dragon with superpowers? Let’s go!