Dragonite Weaknesses and Raid Counters in Pokemon GO

Dragonite is the original Dragon type Pokemon. The OG of the OG, accept no substitutes. Back in the generation I days, Dragonite was a force of nature, crushing lesser Dragon types with its Dragon moves and vaporizing Ice types with Fire moves, and it did all that while still managing to be cute as a button. These days, thanks to some rebalancing, Dragonite isn’t quite as unstoppable as it used to be, but it’s still absolutely a force to be reckoned with, and you had better have an infallible strategy if you’re planning to take one on. Here are Dragonite’s weaknesses and Raid counters in Pokemon GO.

Dragonite Resistance and Weaknesses

Dragonite is a Dragon/Flying type, which means its resistances break down like this:

• Resistant to: Fighting, Bug, Fire, Water
• Double-Resistant to: Ground, Grass
• Weak against: Rock, Dragon, Fairy
• Double-weak against: Ice

Talk about a diverse makeup. Meanwhile, these are the moves Dragonite has available in its kit in Pokemon GO.

Dragonite Moves

Quick Moves

• Steel Wing (Steel)
• Dragon Tail (Dragon)
• Dragon Breath (Dragon)

Main Moves

• Hyper Beam (Normal)
• Hurricane (Flying)
• Outrage (Dragon)
• Dragon Claw (Dragon)

Dragonite Counters

While Dragonite isn’t the unstoppable juggernaut it used to be, it’s no pushover either. With a base attack of 263 and STAB damage on all of its Dragon moves, Dragonite can absolutely decimate anything weak against it, as well as take a sizable bite out of opponents with even neutral affinities. However, due to its dual Dragon/Flying typing, Dragonite does have one critical kryptonite: Ice types.

List of Dragonite Counters

1. Galarian Darmanitan – Ice Fang/Avalanche
2. Mamoswine – Powder Snow/Avalanche
3. Glaceon – Frost Breath/Avalanche
4. Beartic – Powder Snow/Ice Punch
5. Vanilluxe – Frost Breath/Blizzard
6. Mr. Rime – Ice Shard/Ice Punch
7. Avalugg – Ice Fang/Avalanche
8. Jynx – Frost Breath/Avalanche
9. Walrein – Frost Breath/Icicle Spear
10. Weavile – Ice Shard/Avalanche
11. Cloyster – Frost Breath/Avalanche
12. Piloswine – Ice Shard/Avalanche
13. Porygon-Z – Hidden Power/Blizzard
14. Lapras – Frost Breath/Ice Beam
15. Black Kyurem – Dragon Tail/Outrage

Since both Dragon and Flying types are weak to Ice moves, Dragonite is double-weak to Ice attacks, and the only thing it can counter them with is Steel Wing which, while strong for a Quick Move, is still just a quick move. As such, when going against a Dragonite, it’s all Ice types all the time.

Taking typing into account, the best possible counterpick to a Dragonite would be Galarian Zen Darmanitan. Galarian Zen Darmanitan’s dual Fire/Ice typing removes its Steel weakness, and while its defense isn’t great, its base attack is absolutely insane. This means that it is entirely possible for a Galarian Zen Darmanitan to beat Dragonite in a DPS race with doubled-up Ice moves.

Alternatively, Mamoswine or Glaceon could probably get the job done, though it may come down to the wire. As for Legendaries, Black Kyurem is the best choice. It has most of the same Dragon moves as Dragonite and a higher base attack, though it’s also weak against Dragon and Steel moves itself, so choosing Black Kyurem may be a bit of a gamble if it’s not sufficiently leveled.

These are the Dragonite counters and weaknesses in Pokemon GO. For more related guides and content, you can check out our website’s Pokemon GO section.