Special
Balanced
70Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

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 stat exp.

Base Stats
Above
HP61
C
Attack84
C
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk70
C
Sp. Def70
C
Speed70
C
Total420
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height4.0 m
Weight16.5 kg
Base XP147
Abilities
Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.
Shed Skin
Has a 33% chance of curing any major status ailment after each turn.
Marvel ScaleHA
Increases Defense to 1.5× with a major status ailment.
EV Yield
HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe
Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

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

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.

Dragonair Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Ice, Dragon
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Electric, Grass
Type ChartAvg
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Score0
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
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
STAB (1)
How to Beat Dragonair in Red & Blue (Best Counters)

In Red & Blue, Articuno can KO Dragonair with Blizzard (116-137%). Dragonite's Blizzard hits Dragonair for 81-95%. Lapras's Blizzard also KOs at 106-125%.

Articuno
Articuno
IceFlying
B
Recommended Build
Moves
  • BlizzardSTAB
  • AgilitySetup
  • Hyper Beam
  • Ice Beam
Damage vs Dragonair
Blizzard 2x
116-137%KO
Hyper Beam
51-60%
Ice Beam 2x
96-113%KO
View Articuno builds →

Red & Blue Evolution

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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
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

Red & Blue Dragonair Best Moveset

Best Build

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

Utility Moveset

  • Thunder Wave
  • WrapCoverage
  • BlizzardCoverage
  • ThunderboltCoverage

Moves

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
S10020Electric
Lv 1
Wrap
S158520Normal
Lv 10
Thunder Wave
S10020Electric
Lv 20
Agility
A30Psychic
Lv 35
Slam
807520Normal
Lv 45
Dragon Rage
10010Dragon
Lv 55
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM34
Bide+1
10Normal
TM14
Blizzard
S110905Ice
TM08
Body Slam
C8510015Normal
TM11
Bubble Beam
D6510020Water
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
TM23
Dragon Rage
10010Dragon
TM38
Fire Blast
C120855Fire
TM07
Horn Drill
305Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
C9510010Ice
TM31
Mimic
10Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM33
Reflect
C20Psychic
TM44
Rest
C10Psychic
TM40
Skull Bash
C10010010Normal
TM50
Substitute
C10Normal
HM03
Surf
C9510015Water
TM39
Swift
D6020Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM25
Thunder
D1107010Electric
TM45
Thunder Wave
S10020Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
A9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
C9010Poison
TM12
Water Gun
D4010025Water

Egg Moves

Dragonair doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Dragonair can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Dragonair in Red & Blue

Dragonair doesn't appear wild. Catch Dratini instead, it shows up at decent 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 Rod Lv.15 Facility
    25%Early
    Safari Zone - Center
    RedSuper Rod Lv.15 Facility
    25%Early
    Safari Zone - East
    RedSuper Rod Lv.15 Facility
    25%Early
    Safari Zone - East
    BlueSuper Rod Lv.15 Facility
    25%Early
    Safari Zone - North
    RedSuper Rod Lv.15 Facility
    25%Early
    Safari Zone - North
    BlueSuper Rod Lv.15 Facility
    25%Early
    Safari Zone - West
    RedSuper Rod Lv.15 Facility
    25%Early
    Safari Zone - West
    BlueSuper Rod Lv.15 Facility
    25%Early
    Celadon City - Game Corner
    RedGift from NPC Lv.18 City
    LimitedMid
    Purchase: 2,800 coins
    Celadon City - Game Corner
    BlueGift from NPC Lv.24 City
    LimitedMid
    Purchase: 4,600 coins
  2. Dragonair
    Step 2Dragonair

Dragonair Guide

  • 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.

  • In Red & Blue, 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.

  • In Red & Blue, 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 special attacker with base 70 Special.

  • For Red & Blue, 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.

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.

Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Want to tell us more?
What was most useful?
What could be improved?
Thanks for your feedback