I have a 95% IV ice shard ice beam lapras that I have powered up to level 34,5 2372 cp. I use him offensively as he annihilates dragonites.
However, I have this other lapras, 91% IV 1476 cp that I have been holding back from powering up, since its moveset is frost breath dragon pulse.
Lapras candy is really rare for me to find, so I walk my lapras as my buddy. I feel like the 2372 IS/IB is at a high enough level to deal with dragonites, even though he isn't maxed out. Should I keep investing in him and keep candies aside for him for later levels? Should I invest in the 1476 FB/DP one instead since it requires less candy to make a bigger difference and would make a second dragonite-killer? Should I wait to hatch a better one, considering that the probability of getting 2 ice moves is only 1 in 3 now, water moves being suboptimal since they are resisted by dragonite, and getting better than 91 or 95 IVs is pretty low?
I consider lapras only useful against dragonite, so I guess that my main concern is how does dragon pulse compare to the other ice moves.
The ice moves are stronger against dragonite than dragon pulse because dragonite is double weak to ice, and single weak to dragon.
I'd say power up the ice shard ice beam one. That is a great moveset for both attack and defense. For attack, I agree with you about lapras being useful for just dragonite. But for defending, lapras is good against almost all of the meta.
IVs are largely irrelevant on offense, so if that's influencing your decision on powering up the Lapras, it shouldn't.
It'll still be strong against Dragonites, it just won't be as good as a double ice moveset. If you have other viable ice Pokemon in your area that are much easier to obtain (Jynx, Swinub, Shellder), you could evolve a high level wild one instead since you're at least level 30, and it would be close enough in effectiveness to this Lapras - or maybe even better since Avalanche is extremely strong - without requiring you to walk several hundred km
Plus this way you can walk another buddy Pokemon instead of the Lapras if you have them, for example Chansey, Snorlax, Dragonite et cetera.
If you're in an area where no other ice Pokemon are available and there are enough Dragonites in gyms that your one big Lapras isn't enough, then I suppose your FB/DP one is still worth powering.
