Hi, everyone! I'm in a huge dilemma right now, and would like to know what you think of it. So, it's been Windy weather all day here for me, and was lucky enough to spot a Dratini on nearby this afternoon. I hurried to its location and managed to catch it, and to my utter surprise, it was 100% IVs and weather-boosted to lvl 34! Never thought that was even possible, but naturally, I was extremely thrilled to have ever come across such a spawn!
I know, it's probably a no-brainer to you guys that I should evolve it to Dragonite and max it out, but hear me out. The thing is, I only keep one of each Pokemon in my team, and I already have a 95% Dragonite in my team. Of course, I would never dare to even think of transferring this Dratini, but at the same time, I only want one Dragonite. I want to make this Dratini useful to me somehow. :/
There are two reasons I don't want to replace the 100% Dratini with the 95% Dragonite I currently have:
1) My Dragonite has sentimental value to me. He's been on my team since 11/6/2016, and is one of my oldest and most cherished Pokemon I have. I can't possibly let him go. :(
2) My Dragonite has the quick move DB, a move that has made my Dragonite one of my main attackers since the old gym system. If I transferred this one, I'll never have access to DB for Dragonite again.
So, what are your thoughts? Should I make an exception for Dragonite and add a duplicate to my team? Maybe even hold on to the Dratini for trading value? My Dragonite currently has DB/O as his moveset. What do you guys think about this moveset in comparison to DT/O? I've seen many comments on this site that lean towards DT/O as a better moveset for Dragonite than DB/O (or even the legacy DB/DC moveset). I'm willing to invest in this Dratini and have another Dragonite on my team, if that's the case. Appreciate your help in advance! :]
I think you can make an exception in this case...especially considering the one you have is legacy, and they will be completely different movesets.
I can't compare DB (I don't have it on a Nite) but I can say DT/O is a great gym sweeper - often it is all I use to clear multiple gyms.
One last thing...have you considered Hurricane?
Thanks for your input! I've never actually tried the DT/O moveset, so maybe I might give it a test when I do some gym battles tomorrow!
As for Hurricane, I've thought about trying out Hurricane once before the gym rework, but I couldn't find any practical use for it. Other than Machamp raids, is there a particular situation in which Hurricane can be really useful for Dragonite?
If it is a fight/grass heavy gym I might throw him in but to be honest I don't really use my Hurricane Nite very much. I find I usually prefer the multi bar charge moves personally - but it does hit like a truck.
It was as much about helping make sure you have covered all options when you make a decision.
My vote would still be to get yourself a DT/O.
It seems to me you have three choices (because transferring either one isn't something I could entertain thinking about):
Leave it as a trophy Dratini.
Evolve it and keep it as a trophy Dragonite but don't max it.
Relax your rules a bit about duplicate mon.
I like diversity, too, and don't have any duplicates above level 30. But for me, duplicates mean same species with the same move set. So I have two Dragonites maxed out (one with DB/O and another with DT/O), two Ttars (B/C and B/SE), and two Mewtwo (C/FB and C/SB). All of these serve me well for different reasons and fill different roles. The closest I come to a true duplicate is with my Dragonites because both have Outrage. But DB vs DT is enough of a difference for me.
Regarding your question about differences between DB and DT, I know a lot of people prefer DT paired with O. But I really like DB because it's fast and is more fun to use for me. Both are excellent move sets. But maybe you'll get Hurricane on evolve, which is another excellent choice and would provide an even bigger difference between the two.
I personally think DT/H is overrated and not very useful. Machamp is easy enough with a squad of weather-boosted Psychics, and if you have legendaries (literally any of the new ones, Ho-Oh, Lugia, or Mewtwo), then Machamp is trivialized. Really, I'm surprised tier 3s like Machamp are still brought up. Unless you only recently picked up the game it shouldn't be all that hard if you're an active player, as Niantic has given players more than enough opportunities with the weather update and plethora of strong new legendary Pokemon.
1) Make an exception in this case. Just name your other Dragonite something different or something, idk. I've been trying to do the same thing in keeping my top CP mons diverse (and not having Slaking in it). I think that repeat Pokemon are inevitable since certain movesets fill different roles than the same mons with other movesets.
2) DT/O is very strong - its raw power almost meets Hurricane's in favorable matchups. Its Achilles' heel is the vulnerability time, but being able to do 100 STAB damage twice is also something else once you try it out. You'll be like "WTF I still have half of my energy left???"
3) You probably have lots of spare candy if you haven't touched another Dratini. If you don't, wait til the 24th and you'll have plenty.
Yes, I have a Lugia, Ho-oh, and several other useful Psychic attackers maxed out that can get the job done. Although, I hatched a 100% Machop last year, so Machamp raids aren't exactly a necessity for me.
1) Yeah, until recently, I never really looked at it that way. I suppose having two Dragonites won't hurt lol.
2) I agree, I really love Outrage. I haven't actually tried Outrage with DT before with Dragonite, considering the only one I've had was one with DB/O. Might give DT/O a test tomorrow when I do some gym battling and see how it compares with DB/O!
3) Yes, I have plenty of Dratini candy right now (probably around 400 or so) that I got from mostly 10km egg hatches and berry feeding. I just need to accumulate stardust first, since I'm low on it right now. Once I collect enough, I'll max out the Dragonite right away!
Thanks a bunch! :]
I understand that people like diversity and only want to boost one of each pokemon, as it's quite nice to use different pokemon. On the other hand, by only boosting one of each species you'll always have a sub-optimal team.
I would be lenient on your one-per-species rule. Either DT/O or DT/H can be a nice addition to your team, especially since it's a lvl34 100% one (could even do without stardust investment).
"The thing is, I only keep one of each Pokemon in my team, ...."
That's the problem here. If a pokemon is good, there's no reason not to have more of it. Want to solo Ninetails - you'll probably need multiple Kyogres powered up. Want to get as many damage balls for raids as you can? Best to bring in the best attacker multiple times. Very often, one pokemon is way better than the rest. Raikou for Kyogre raids, Tyranitar for Mewtwo raids, Machamp for Tyranitar raids (well, Hariyama too, now). Bringing 2-3 of these to the party is more effective than just one.
By all means power up two Dragonites. They can have different movesets, or the optimal moveset. And with Rayquaza coming, you'll want a few as anchors for raids where Ray doesn't have dragon moves.
And personally, I'd urge you to power up what you need to do what you want to do. Want to duo Tyranitar? Get yourself six Machamps with Dynamic Punch, and convince a friend to do the same. That's the way to do it.
