Mixed
Balanced
420Average
70Moderate
DTier

Dragonair is technically a pre-evolution of Dragonite, but it holds its own in formats where Eviolite is allowed. Only weak to Ice and Dragon. Known as the Dragon Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.

An unusually even spread gives Dragonair flexibility. Attack barely edges ahead. But HP isn't far off. Tough to catch and follows a slow 1.25M XP grind. Yields 2 Attack EVs.

Base Stats
420Above
HP61
C
Attack84
C
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk70
C
Sp. Def70
C
Speed70
C
Total420
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Dragonair yields +2 Atk
HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch45Challenging•Slow1.25M XP•4m / 13'01"•16.5kg / 36.4 lbs•147Base XP
Pokedex Entries

A mystical POKéMON that exudes a gentle aura. Has the ability to change climate conditions.

Red / Blue

Dragonair Weakness

Avg

Dragonair is weak to Ice and Dragon-type moves. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Just 2 weak spots to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.

Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
IceDragon
½xResisti
FireWaterElectricGrass
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (1)i
Dragon
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei0
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Shed SkinHas a 33% chance of curing any major status ailment after each turn.
Marvel ScaleHAIncreases Defense to 1.5× with a major status ailment.

Dragonair sits between Dratini and Dragonite in this three-stage chain. A Dragon type at 420 stats that can't breed. HP has grown the most so far (+20), but there's still another 180 stats to gain in the final evolution.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Dratini
#147Dratini
30
Level 30
Dragonair
#148Dragonair
55
Level 55
Dragonite
#149Dragonite
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Dratini
Dragon
Dragonair
Dragon
Dragonite
DragonFlying
HP
41
61+20
91+30
ATK
64
84+20
134+50
DEF
45
65+20
95+30
SP.ATK
50
70+20
100+30
SP.DEF
50
70+20
100+30
SPE
50
70+20
80+10
BST
300D-Tier
420C-Tier+120
600S-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Wallbreaker
TYPE
Utility
Mixed
Physical
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

For an attacker, Dragonair wants flexible EVs EVs and an item. The a nature nature tilts toward balanced duty, and an ability contributes without taking a move slot.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Best Dragonair Moveset

  • Thunder Wave
  • WrapCoverage
  • BlizzardCoverage
  • ThunderboltCoverage

Recommended Teammates

Dragonite
DragoniteGood
Tauros
TaurosGood
Starmie
StarmieGood

TMs carry this one. Dragonair learns Dragon Rage naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Normal and Ice and beyond give it real matchup play.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Leer
—10030Normal
Lv 1
Thunder Wave
—10020Electric
Lv 1
Wrap
158520Normal
Lv 10
Thunder Wave
—10020Electric
Lv 20
Agility
——30Psychic
Lv 35
Slam
807520Normal
Lv 45
Dragon Rage
—10010Dragon
Lv 55
Hyper Beam
150905Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM14
Blizzard
110905Ice
TM08
Body Slam
8510015Normal
TM11
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
TM23
Dragon Rage
—10010Dragon
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM07
Horn Drill
—305Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM33
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM40
Skull Bash
10010010Normal
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM39
Swift
60—20Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM25
Thunder
1107010Electric
TM45
Thunder Wave
—10020Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM12
Water Gun
4010025Water

Egg Moves

Dragonair doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Dragonair can't learn any Tutor moves

Dragonair doesn't appear wild. Catch Dratini instead, it shows up at solid rates. Evolve it at level 30 to get Dragonair. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.

How to Obtain Dragonair in Red & Blue

Dratini is your first catch on the way to Dragonair. You'll find fishing and gift encounters from Lv. 15-24 across 10 total spots in the chain.

  1. Dratini
    Step 1Catch Dratini
    Safari Zone - Center
    BlueSuper RodLv.15CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - Center
    RedSuper RodLv.15CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - East
    RedSuper RodLv.15CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - East
    BlueSuper RodLv.15CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - North
    RedSuper RodLv.15CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - North
    BlueSuper RodLv.15CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - West
    RedSuper RodLv.15CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - West
    BlueSuper RodLv.15CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Celadon City - Game Corner
    RedGift from NPCLv.18LimitedMidCityPurchase: 2,800 coins
    MODERATE
    Celadon City - Game Corner
    BlueGift from NPCLv.24LimitedMidCityPurchase: 4,600 coins
    MODERATE
  2. Dragonair
    Step 2Dragonair ✓

  • Dragonair is meant to evolve into Dragonite. At 420 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • Dragonair's biggest threats include Lapras (Ice) and Kingdra (Dragon), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Dratini evolves into Dragonair at level 30. Dragonair evolves into Dragonite at level 55. Dragonair is a middle-stage evolution in the Dratini line.

  • Base 70 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Dragonair is a mixed attacker — base 84 Attack and 70 Sp. Atk.

  • Dragonair appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

One of the original 151, Dragonair has appeared in 21 games — nearly every mainline game. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.