
Is Dragonair Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Dratini evolves at level 30. AbilityShed Skin for random status healing. Dragonair is the long middle stage waiting for Dragonite at 55. The 25-level gap between evolutions tests your patience, but the payoff is worth it.
Dratini has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Dratini has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Dratini trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Dragonair has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Dragonair trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Dragonair trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Dragonair has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Dragonair has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Dragonite resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Dragonite has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Dragonite has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Dragonite resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Dragonite resists most of Janine's coverage and hits back hard.
Dragonite trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Dragonite resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Dragonite has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Dragonite resists most of Will's coverage and hits back hard.
Dragonite resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Dragonite resists most of Bruno's coverage and hits back hard.
Dragonite resists most of Karen's coverage and hits back hard.
Dragonite resists most of Lance's coverage and hits back hard.
Gift Dratini
Dratini is given to you as a gift in Goldenrod City at Lv 15. Redeem at the Goldenrod Game Corner prize counter for 2100 coins.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Pryce
- TUTORDragonDraco MeteorPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5Blackthorn City
- LV 35DragonDragon RushPower 150Accuracy 75%PP 10
- After Clair
- TM59DragonDragon PulsePower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Given by Clair in the Dragon's Den after the Dragon Shrine test
- LV 45DragonDragon DancePower —Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 51DragonOutragePower 180Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 55NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5
Evolve Dratini to Dragonair
Dratini evolves into Dragonair at Level 30. Your Dratini should hit Level 30 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Pryce
- TUTORDragonDraco MeteorPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5Blackthorn City
- LV 39DragonDragon RushPower 150Accuracy 75%PP 10
- After Clair
- TM59DragonDragon PulsePower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Given by Clair in the Dragon's Den after the Dragon Shrine test
- LV 53DragonDragon DancePower —Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 61DragonOutragePower 180Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 67NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5
Evolve Dragonair to Dragonite
Dragonair evolves into Dragonite at Level 55. Your Dragonair should hit Level 55 before you reach Brock, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 55)
- LV 55DragonDragon RushPower 150Accuracy 75%PP 10
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFlyPower 135Accuracy 95%PP 15From Chuck's wife outside Cianwood Gym
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Pryce
- TUTORDragonDraco MeteorPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5Blackthorn City
- After Clair
- TM59DragonDragon PulsePower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Given by Clair in the Dragon's Den after the Dragon Shrine test
- TM02DragonDragon ClawPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Route 27
- LV 64DragonOutragePower 180Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 73NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5
How to Get Dragonair in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Dragonair barely appears wild, just a single rare Super Rod catch at level 40. Most players reach it by leveling a Dratini to 30 instead, since that source is far more reliable.
Wild Dragonair may be holding when caught:
1 location to catch Dragonair3 locations to catch Dratini
Encountered via fishing with a Rod
Encountered via fishing with a Rod
Catch Dratini at any of the 3 locations below, then level it up to 30 — it evolves into Dragonair.
Where To Catch Dragonair in HGSS
Dratini gets you Dragonair sooner: pick up it on Goldenrod City (before Badge 3) and evolve it at Lv 30. Wild Dragonair needs the Super Rod (after Badge 8).
Step 3Evolve into Dragonite
Not landing the catch? Calculate Dragonair catch rates for HeartGold & SoulSilver by ball, status, and HP.
How to Get Shiny Dragonair in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Dragonair glides through the Dragon's Den waters, but a shiny comes faster from Masuda breeding. Compare Shiny Dragonair odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Dragonair Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
Soft Reset: Save in front of a static, gift, or legendary encounter, then reset until it sparkles.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver with Dragonair preloaded.
Dragonair Weakness
Dragonair is weak to Ice and Dragon. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Just 2 weak spots to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ice, Dragon |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Electric, Grass |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Dragonair Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Dragonair
Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dragonair View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x92-109%KO Dragon Pulse 2x58-69% | ||
Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Altaria Dragon | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dragonair View Altaria builds →Dragon Pulse 2x76-90% Ice Beam 2x54-64% | ||
Delibird Ice | D | |
Dratini Dragon | B | |
Obtain MethodDragons Den Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dragonair View Dratini builds →Dragon Rush 2x83-98% Ice Beam 2x42-50% | ||
Dragonair Evolutions
Partway through Dratini's chain. Dragonair still has another evolution ahead before reaching Dragonite. For breeding, takes forever to hatch with a decent partner pool via two egg groups. HP has grown the most so far (+20), but there's still another 180 stats to gain in the final evolution. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Dragonair to get Dratini eggs easily using 30 partners from the Dragon and Water 1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Dragon Breath, Dragon Dance, Dragon Rush and 5 more.
HGSS Dragonair Best Moveset
Stats improve to 70 across most areas with AbilityShed Skin still healing status. Dragon typing resists Fire, Water, Grass, and Electric. The moveset is functional for a mid-stage but Dragonite is where the investment pays off. Dragonite at the end of this line changes everything.
Best Build
Dragonair best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Dragon Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Waterfall
- Rest
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Dragonair gets Dragon Breath and Dragon Dance exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Normal and Water coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Draco Meteor and Outrage.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
All 26 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
They say that if it emits an aura from its whole body, the weather will begin to change instantly.
Its crystalline orbs appear to give this Pokémon the power to freely control the weather.
Dragonair HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Yes. Wild Dragonair in HeartGold & SoulSilver can hold Dragon Scale (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Dragon Scale.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, you can run Dragonair through the first few routes without issues. 420 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Dragonite as fast as you can.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Dragonair plays as a balanced. Speed is middling, so pick your spots carefully.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Jolly is the go-to nature for Dragonair. That's +Speed / -Sp. Atk. Pair it with 252 Atk / 252 Spe EVs. Fits the balanced role.
Game Availability
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.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut

Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS

Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS

Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG

FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP

Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW

Black & White - Gen 5B2W2

Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY

X & Y - Gen 6ORAS

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM

Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh

Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV

Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW

Winds & Waves
Explore
