Even outside of the Pokémon franchise, dragons have always been strong mythical beings that are the epitome of power, primal aggression, and intelligence.
While Pokémon has followed that concept for the most part, the franchise’s Dragon types are quite versatile, even proving themselves to be some of the cutest Pokémon of all time. Don’t be stereotyping dragons now.
Dragon types have been the most overpowered type at one point in the game’s history, and while their viability may have dipped ever so slightly over the years, they are still at the top tiers when it comes to their usefulness.
In this list, we will be talking about the 10 best new and returning Dragon types in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on the basis of their design, lore, and competitive viability.
The 10 best Dragon-type Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
10) Dragonite
The very first pseudo-Legendary this franchise has seen, Dragonite is a ‘mon that’s hard to not like. It’s adorable and threatening at the same time.
Dragonite is now primed to make a comeback in the Generation IX’s competitive scene due to the game’s new gimmick. We’ve seen some sick Terrastalization techs with Dragonite in the games’ early meta, and its potential is seeming sky-high.
Dragonite also gets access to two amazing abilities in Multicale and Inner Focus, which are great for defensive and offensive sets, respectively.
9) Goomy
Goomy is probably the cutest Dragon-type Pokémon on this list. We don’t have to explain why, right? Just look at it.
Some of you may argue against Goomy, simply because a lot of people don’t like the idea of a snail-like creature leaving its slime all over you while you cuddle with it, but we would say that’s just part of its charm. We accept you for who you are, Goomy.
8) Hydreigon
They really don’t make Pokémon like Hydreigon anymore after Gamefreak decided to take the franchise in an increasingly kid-friendly direct past Generation V. Hydreigon is a brutal, unrelenting dragon that attacks and devours anything that moves while looking like evil incarnate itself, so yeah, it makes sense that Pokémon designs like these are probably not getting past the drawing board.
But man oh man, is Hydreigon just so gosh darn epic. Even getting one in Pokémon Black and White made you feel like you earned a handsome reward for all your hard work since it evolved at Level 64, making all your grinding worth it, which was definitely the case.
Hydreigon hit hard with a solid Special Attack stat, and with a non-nerfed Draco Meteor back in Gen V, it was really tough to switch into this thing, more so due to its decent Speed stat. While Hydreigon has since fallen off the wagon due to the addition of the Fairy type, we can expect to see a resurgence of this brutal beast due to the introduction of Terrastalization in Gen IX, letting it transform into a Steel or Poison Tera type and safely tank Fairy hits that it would normally be deathly afraid of.
7) Baxcalibur
Pokémon never seem to miss with their pseudo-Legendary Pokémon, whether they’re going for the cute-strong aesthetic with ‘mons like Dragonite and Goodra, or the straight-up badass ones like Metagross, Garchomp, and now Baxcalibur.
Baxcalibur looks daunting, especially with that huge axe-like blade on its back which is what it uses to perform its signature move Glaive Rush. It possesses a solid HP stat with good Defenses coupled with an overpowering Attack stat. Its Speed may be middling, but with its access to Dragon Dance, this pseudo-Legendary can turn into a threatening sweeper before your very eyes.
6) Salamence
We think it’s safe to say that anything with the ability Intimidate—like Salamence—is going to be viable in VGC. But Salamence has got much more than just its ability working in its favor.
Salamence has amazing mixed offense stats, letting it run either Physical or Special sets, a good Speed tier, decent bulk, and access to Tailwind. And like a few other Dragon types on this list, Salamence can benefit heavily from Terrastalization from a defensive standpoint, skyrocketing its viability further.
Plus, it looks uber cool and has a phenomenal cry.
5) Cyclizar
Cyclizar, the Mount Pokémon, is believed to be the present form of the two mascot Legendaries of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Koraidon is said to be an ancient ancestor of Cyclizar, while Miraidon is believed to be its futuristic descendant, and if you think about it, this little guy’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Both the mascot Legendaries are just objectively cool, and Cyclizar is, well, just there. It clearly does resemble both of the mascot Legendaries, but it’s much more plain and tiny. What a feeling to know that your form in the past and the future and both epic and badass, and you’re left being so normal. Literally too, since it’s a Dragon/Normal dual-type Pokémon.
That being said, Cyclizar is actually pretty solid in the competitive scene. With a high Speed stat and the combination of having access to the move Shed Tail along with the ability Regenerator, it can support its partners very well. Shed Tail takes half of Cyclizar’s health to make a half-health Substitute and passes it on to a partner Pokémon while bringing it onto the field, letting its partner do immediate damage without the fear of taking any in return, or just letting it setup without fear of getting knocked out.
Since Cyclizar has the Regenerator ability, it will heal one-third of its health back each time it switches out, letting it use Shed Tail multiple times per battle. Who cares about looking cool when you’re this useful?
4) Dragapult
Here is another pseudo-Legendary that’s going down in the history books of the best Dragon types of all time in the competitive scene of Pokémon: Dragapult.
Here’s what makes Dragapult great: it’s really fast, so it’s probably moving before anything else on the field. Do you want to stop that from happening by using Fake Out on it? Oops, it’s also a Ghost type, making it immune to Normal-type moves like Fake-Out.
You’re ready to take on its strong Physical hits with your bulky Physical walls? Sorry, it’s running a Choice Specs set with incredible coverage to hit you on the Special side. Your lead matchup is amazing into Dragapult? Alright, it’s U-Turning out into a ‘mon that can handle your lead, before you can move.
While Dragapult is super strong, fast, and versatile, it is pretty frail, which means you will need to build a team that can support it efficiently if you plan on using it.
3) Miraidon
When the mascot Legendaries for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were first revealed, Miraidon got a lot of attention simply because of how cool this futuristic beast looked, initially making it the more popular cover Legendary from the two.
Miraidon boasts its signature ability—Hadron Engine—which sets up Electric Terrain and gives it a 30 percent boost in its Special Attack stat. Apart from that, it has phenomenal stats all around with nothing that you can really fault it with.
Even if you think its typing isn’t the most optimal, you can simply Terrastalize it to fix that little problem. Miraidon is definitely going to be making a spark in all of the Restricted formats going forward, especially since it enables all of the future Paradox forms introduced in Scarlet and Violet.
2) Koraidon
If we’re being honest, we were Koraidon fans ever since the cover Legendary reveal, and it’s hard not to have this dude grow on you after playing through the games.
You can’t help but feel closer to Koraidon as your trusted partner and friend throughout the game, because it just feels like an overgrown dog that you can ride whom you’re taking care of, as opposed to Miraidon, who’s basically part robot.
Koraidon also ranks higher than its futuristic counterpart because not only does it enable all of the past Paradox Pokémon, but it also sets up the Sun weather condition through its ability Orichalcum Pulse, letting it be the centerpiece of a very dominant archetype in the competitive scene: Sun-based teams.
And just like Miraidon, Koraidon’s ability also gives it a 30 percent boost to its Attack stat in the Sun. Koraidon is definitely going to give Groudon stiff competition when it comes to getting a spot on players’ teams to be the Sun weather-setter in Restricted formats.
1) Garchomp
Here he is, the ‘mon, the myth, the legend, the most beloved pseudo-Legendary of all time, and a beast of a Dragon type: Garchomp.
Ever since Generation IV, Garchomp has found itself in the hearts of many Pokémon fans, simply because of its presence on Champion Cynthia’s team. It was faster than almost everything most players had on their teams, and hit harder than all of them, too. If you weren’t careful, Garchomp could easily sweep your team and was the main reason why Cynthia is considered to be the toughest Champion of all time.
In Generation IX, Garchomp returns to the competitive scene with a vengeance. It can now fire off devastating Earthquakes without the worry of the omnipresent Rillaboom bringing in Grassy Terrain and halving Earthquake’s damage. With the addition of Terrastalization, Garchomp can get rid of its dual-typing to have a better matchup into notorious weaknesses such as Fairy, and more importantly, Ice. Garchomp has also seen quite a bit of usage in a recent Japanese VGC tournament, only proving its promise further.
Keeping all this in mind, it’s easy to recognize Garchomp’s GOAT status, and why it snags the No. 1 spot on our list.
