Best Dragon Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

It's an Outrage to not use these Pokemon
pokemon scarlet and violet

Some of the best attacks in Pokemon games are Dragon, and the Pokemon that use them are no slouches either. There are plenty of Dragon-types to catch in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, but which one do you want on your team? Here’s everything you need to know about the best Dragon attackers in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

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What Are the Best Dragon Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet? Answered

Most of the Pokemon on this list are available in Casseroya Lake, so buy lots of Ultra Balls and go catch em’ all.

Dragonite

Dragonite Let's Go mode  in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Image Source: The Pokemon Company via Twinfinite

Dragonite learns some powerful attacks and has the Ability Multiscale to keep it around long enough to use them. If you know your opponent doesn’t have any Fairy- or Steel-type Pokemon, Outrage can get you a few easy KO’s, and you can switch it out or give it a Persim Berry to cure the Confusion side effect. Extreme Speed is a must-have for Dragonite’s moveset because of its increased priority, and Fire Punch is nice to have to take down Ice Pokemon.

Garchomp

Garchomp in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Image Source: The Pokemon Company via Twinfinite

Garchomp can dish out serious damage, especially in a Sandstorm, and sets up nicely with a single Swords Dance. Earthquake takes down pesky Steel-types and heavily damages anything not immune to Ground, which is perfect for Double Battles, while Dragon Rush is great for taking out single targets. Just watch out for Ice Beam, which can one-shot a Garchomp easily.

Tatsugiri

Tatsugiri and Dondozo in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Image Source: The Pokemon Company via Twinfinite

Tatsugiri is Dragon and Water, so it lacks Garchomp’s glaring Ice weakness. It has great Special Attack for firing off Draco Meteors and disruptive Chilling Waters, but the most fascinating part of Tatsugiri is its Ability Commander that combines it with Dondozo in battle and boosts the False Dragon’s stats through the roof.

Whether you use Tatsugiri alone or with a Dondozo, and whatever color you choose, it’s quite a threat to opposing teams.

Goodra

Goodra in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Image Source: The Pokemon Company via Twinfinite

Goodra is quite bulky and has strong enough Special Attack to take advantage of moves like Fire Blast; this works even better when you give it a Fire Tera Type. Hydration plus Rest allows for efficient healing in case of unexpected critical hits and shrugging off Sludge Bomb Poisoning.

Play Rough is a big threat to Goodra, so it’s best not to take on Azumarill and Tinkaton

Salamence

Salamence in battle Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Image Source: The Pokemon Company via Twinfinite

Salamence is a Violet exclusive, so it’s harder to obtain than the other Pokemon on this list in Pokemon Scarlet. It has potential as a physical and special attacker, and Intimidate is a disruptive Ability that can buy you a turn to Flamethrower or Dragon Dance.

Salamence’s physical moves include Earthquake, Dragon Claw, and Dual Wingbeat. Tera Blast with a Flying Tera Type is also worth considering because it can be physical or special, and Salamence is ok with either.

Dragapult

Dragapult in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Image Source: The Pokemon Company via Twinfinite

Dragapult is a speedy Pokemon with a great special move pool, but with Clear Body can Dragon Claw or Phantom Force without fear of Intimidate – this Pokemon is one of the best all-around Dragon attackers. It’s best to have both Physical and Special moves on this Pokemon so you can react to the unexpected, so some other recommended moves for Dragapult include Flamethrower, Shadow Ball, and Dragon Dance.

That’s everything we have for the best Dragon types in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Check out some of our other Pokemon Scarlet and Violet content like these tips for changing Tera Types, can you breed Paradox Pokemon, and are there fossils.


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Author
Ryan Bruckner
Ryan Bruckner, a University of Wisconsin grad and cat dad, wrote for Twinfinite from September of 2022 to March of 2023. A large contributor to the site's Pokemon Scarlet & Violet coverage, Ryan also often wrote about Star Wars and the Pokemon TCG.