As one of the original Pokemon making their appearance in the first generation of Kanto, Dratini and their evolutionary line have been stapled favorites of the Pokemon franchise since Red and Blue. While not too powerful on their own, time and patience will evolve this Pokemon into a strong and faithful companion.
About Dratini
| First appearance in anime | In the Pokémon episode ‘Beauty is Skin Deep!’ |
| First appearance in game | Blue and Red |
| Region | Kanto |
| Evolution | Dratini-->Dragonair--->Dragonite |
| Pokedex Entry | Dratini dwells near bodies of rapidly flowing water, such as the plunge pools of waterfalls. As it grows, Dratini will shed its skin many times. This Pokémon was long considered to be no more than a myth. The small lump on a Dratini's forehead is actually a horn that's still coming in. |
Dratini’s Base Stats
| HP | 41 |
| Attack | 64 |
| Defense | 45 |
| Sp. Attack | 50 |
| Ap. Defense | 50 |
| Speed | 50 |
Appearance of Dratini
Dratini is serpentine in appearance, with a simple enough design that anyone can remember. With a two-tone color palette of light blue and white and black eyes, Dratini has a simple but memorable appearance. The small bump on their head is actually a horn growing.
Behavior
Dratini are mysterious in nature, only recently being confirmed as more than a myth. Growing constantly, Dratini sheds their skin frequently, sometimes the only evidence they were there in the first place. Living it's like mainly underwater, it rarely surfaces unless it absolutely needs to.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Being a Dragon-type, Dratini has access to a variety of powerful moves. Unfortunately, Dratini doesn't have the stats to back them up. In battle, this may lead to a quick knockout, but don’t count Dratini out just yet.
Once Dratini has evolved into its final form, Dragonite, they will be a formidable opponent to any and all challengers, it just takes patience for Dratini to get there.
Shiny Dratini
Shiny Dratini is instantly recognizable compared to its normal counterpart. Sporting a shade of lavender instead of blue, Shiny Dratini is well worth the search. Just keep in mind that the color Shiny Dratini has does not stay the same as it evolves.
Evolving Dratini
To complete the process of evolving Dratini into a Dragonair, you must simply raise them to level 30. To evolve them into a Dragonite, level them again until they reach level 55. Evolving Dratini may be tedious but is definitely worth it. One method to make evolving Dratini slightly easier is to use rare candies. This gives a Pokemon one level of experience for each candy eaten.
Best Moveset for Dratini
| Draco Meteor | Extreme Speed |
| Iron Tail | Fire Blast |
While this moveset is powerful enough on its own, it’s actually set up for the future, as this moveset will reach its highest potential once Dratini has evolved into Dragonite. Draco Meteor is a powerful move but will lower Special Attack by two, so only use it as a last resort or to quickly finish an opponent off. Extreme Speed is a hard-hitting move that is almost guaranteed to always land first. Iron Tail has a chance to lower the opponent's Defense by one, and it can stack. Finally, Fire Blast has a small chance to burn the target, perfect for chip damage strategies.
How to Catch Dratini in Pokemon Go
Catching a Dratini in Pokemon go is rather difficult, as they can be hard to find in the wild. Your best bet is to walk near bodies of water and keep a close eye on Dratini. As they have a high CP, you’ll want to use Ultra Balls and Razz Berries to ensure an easy catch.
Then it’s simply collecting enough candies to evolve. This can be done by catching more Dratini, but a much easier alternative is setting Dratini as your buddy and walking to collect more candy.
Trivia
A fisher once spent ten hours trying to bring Dratini out of the water.
For a while, Dratini was thought to not even exist
Dratini constantly shed their skin, as they’re in constant growth.
Dratini and its evolutionary line were the only Dragon types in Gen One, making them even more valuable.
Dratini’ original name was Dragoon
FAQs
Q. Is Dratini a rare Pokemon?
As Dragon types are hard to find already, Dratini can be a hard catch. With no guarantee of a catch, careful planning is needed should you not want them to run away.
Q. Is Dratini a legendary Pokemon?
Yes, however, some mistake Dratini for a mythical Pokemon, this is not the case.
Q. Is Mega Dragonite real?
Dratini is unable to mega evolve.
Conclusion
A fan favorite since the first generation, Dratini is an excellent lesson in all good things take time. With rather low stats, Dratini shows its full potential when evolved into Dragonite. The effort to level them up is more than worth it.
