This was actually the last thing I copied, honest. I saved it to post to a sticky note to read later.
Dragon Dance lets Dragonite boost its Attack and Speed, turning it into a threatening sweeper and wallbreaker. Thunder Punch in combination with Electrium Z becomes a 140-Base Power Gigavolt Havoc, letting Dragonite break past its typical counters, such as Slowbro, Skarmory, Toxapex, Mega Gyarados, and Tapu Fini. Fire Punch hits most Grass- and Steel-types, especially Tapu Bulu, Scizor, Kartana, Tangrowth, and Ferrothorn. Dragon Claw is a reliable STAB move and rounds out Dragonite's neutral coverage. It is helpful for breaking past Ground-types such as Landorus-T. Alternatively, Outrage could be used for more power, but it allows Dragonite to be easily revenge killed by the common Fairy-types in the meta, such as Magearna, Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele. Earthquake could be used in place of Fire Punch to better damage Heatran, Magearna, and Rock-types in exchange for difficulty in breaking past Grass-types and being vulnerable to Tapu Bulu's Grassy Terrain.
Set Details
Electrium Z boosts Thunder Punch into a 140-Base Power Gigavolt Havoc, letting Dragonite deal heavy damage to Tapu Fini, Skarmory, Celesteela, Toxapex, Slowbro, and other would-be counters. Multiscale is used to allow easy setup, as it reduces damage by half if Dragonite is at full health. 252 Speed EVs are used to maximize Dragonite's effectiveness as a sweeper. A Jolly nature is used to further boost Speed?in comparison to an Adamant nature, a Jolly nature lets +1 Dragonite outspeed Tapu Koko and Ash-Greninja, and it enables +2 Dragonite to outspeed Choice Scarf Keldeo and Choice Scarf Gengar. 252 Attack EVs are used to ensure Dragonite hits as hard as possible, letting it wallbreak and sweep effectively.
Usage Tips
Dragonite can be used either mid-game to wallbreak for a teammate, or saved until late-game to attempt to sweep. Try to prevent Stealth Rock from being set or remove it before bringing in Dragonite to ease setup. Do not let Dragonite become inflicted with status. Burn halves Dragonite's Attack, destroying its effectiveness as a physical sweeper, while Toxic will put Dragonite on a timer. Both Toxic and burn will additionally break Dragonite's Multiscale. Paralysis can leave Multiscale intact, but it will allow Dragonite to be easily revenge killed. Use Gigavolt Havoc to break through Pokemon that would otherwise check Dragonite. Calculate damage carefully and only use Gigavolt Havoc when necessary, as Dragonite only gets one shot with it. Be wary of the potential for the opponent to pivot, and consider the risk versus reward of OHKOing what's in front of Dragonite with the potential to waste a Z-move compared to otherwise 2HKOing Dragonite's foe with a standard Thunder Punch.
Team Options
Dragonite needs hazard removal support to ensure its Multiscale stays intact. Excadrill can use Rapid Spin, while Mew, Scizor, Zapdos, and Skarmory can use Defog effectively. In general, avoid using Tapu Fini for Defog support, as Misty Terrain will weaken the power of Dragon Claw or Outrage against grounded targets. Also, keep in mind that Misty Terrain will not protect Dragonite from status conditions, as it isn't grounded. Wallbreakers like Mega Medicham and Mega Mawile can soften the opposing team to allow Dragonite to sweep. Pokemon that can answer Ice-types are very helpful, as Dragonite is 4x weak to their STAB moves. Scizor, Keldeo, Mega Mawile, and Magearna can be good partners in this regard. Healing Wish Jirachi is a possible partner, as it can restore Dragonite's Multiscale and heal any status it has. Jirachi checks dangerous Fairy-types like Tapu Lele and can either eliminate them or force them out, allowing Dragonite a chance to set up. Healing Wish lets Dragonite both soften walls early-game and attempt a sweep late-game. Latias is another good partner?even though it stacks typing with Dragonite, it can use both Defog and Healing Wish to keep Dragonite healthy and its Multiscale intact.
Dragon Dance lets Dragonite boost its Attack and Speed, turning it into a threatening sweeper and wallbreaker. Thunder Punch in combination with Electrium Z becomes a 140-Base Power Gigavolt Havoc, letting Dragonite break past its typical counters, such as Slowbro, Skarmory, Toxapex, Mega Gyarados, and Tapu Fini. Fire Punch hits most Grass- and Steel-types, especially Tapu Bulu, Scizor, Kartana, Tangrowth, and Ferrothorn. Dragon Claw is a reliable STAB move and rounds out Dragonite's neutral coverage. It is helpful for breaking past Ground-types such as Landorus-T. Alternatively, Outrage could be used for more power, but it allows Dragonite to be easily revenge killed by the common Fairy-types in the meta, such as Magearna, Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele. Earthquake could be used in place of Fire Punch to better damage Heatran, Magearna, and Rock-types in exchange for difficulty in breaking past Grass-types and being vulnerable to Tapu Bulu's Grassy Terrain.
Set Details
Electrium Z boosts Thunder Punch into a 140-Base Power Gigavolt Havoc, letting Dragonite deal heavy damage to Tapu Fini, Skarmory, Celesteela, Toxapex, Slowbro, and other would-be counters. Multiscale is used to allow easy setup, as it reduces damage by half if Dragonite is at full health. 252 Speed EVs are used to maximize Dragonite's effectiveness as a sweeper. A Jolly nature is used to further boost Speed?in comparison to an Adamant nature, a Jolly nature lets +1 Dragonite outspeed Tapu Koko and Ash-Greninja, and it enables +2 Dragonite to outspeed Choice Scarf Keldeo and Choice Scarf Gengar. 252 Attack EVs are used to ensure Dragonite hits as hard as possible, letting it wallbreak and sweep effectively.
Usage Tips
Dragonite can be used either mid-game to wallbreak for a teammate, or saved until late-game to attempt to sweep. Try to prevent Stealth Rock from being set or remove it before bringing in Dragonite to ease setup. Do not let Dragonite become inflicted with status. Burn halves Dragonite's Attack, destroying its effectiveness as a physical sweeper, while Toxic will put Dragonite on a timer. Both Toxic and burn will additionally break Dragonite's Multiscale. Paralysis can leave Multiscale intact, but it will allow Dragonite to be easily revenge killed. Use Gigavolt Havoc to break through Pokemon that would otherwise check Dragonite. Calculate damage carefully and only use Gigavolt Havoc when necessary, as Dragonite only gets one shot with it. Be wary of the potential for the opponent to pivot, and consider the risk versus reward of OHKOing what's in front of Dragonite with the potential to waste a Z-move compared to otherwise 2HKOing Dragonite's foe with a standard Thunder Punch.
Team Options
Dragonite needs hazard removal support to ensure its Multiscale stays intact. Excadrill can use Rapid Spin, while Mew, Scizor, Zapdos, and Skarmory can use Defog effectively. In general, avoid using Tapu Fini for Defog support, as Misty Terrain will weaken the power of Dragon Claw or Outrage against grounded targets. Also, keep in mind that Misty Terrain will not protect Dragonite from status conditions, as it isn't grounded. Wallbreakers like Mega Medicham and Mega Mawile can soften the opposing team to allow Dragonite to sweep. Pokemon that can answer Ice-types are very helpful, as Dragonite is 4x weak to their STAB moves. Scizor, Keldeo, Mega Mawile, and Magearna can be good partners in this regard. Healing Wish Jirachi is a possible partner, as it can restore Dragonite's Multiscale and heal any status it has. Jirachi checks dangerous Fairy-types like Tapu Lele and can either eliminate them or force them out, allowing Dragonite a chance to set up. Healing Wish lets Dragonite both soften walls early-game and attempt a sweep late-game. Latias is another good partner?even though it stacks typing with Dragonite, it can use both Defog and Healing Wish to keep Dragonite healthy and its Multiscale intact.
