Utility
Balanced
DTier
50Speed · Slow

Stats & Training

Dratini's stats barely vary. None sit in respectable range with no real gaps. It's a blank slate for EV investment. Worth 1 Attack EV, slow 1.25M XP grind to max.

Base Stats
Avg
HP41
D
Attack64
C
Defense45
D
Sp. Atk50
D
Sp. Def50
D
Speed50
D
Total300
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height1.8 m
5'11"Average
Weight3.3 kg
7.3 lbsFeather
Base XP60
Low Yield
Abilities
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+1DefSpASpDSpe
Attack training source
Pokedex Entries

Dratini dwells near bodies of rapidly flowing water, such as the plunge pools of waterfalls. As it grows, Dratini will shed its skin many times.

Dratini Weakness

Dratini's Dragon typing leaves it vulnerable to Ice, Dragon, and Fairy. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. 3 weaknesses is about average, nothing too hard to play around.

Dratini Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Ice, Dragon, Fairy
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Electric, Grass
Type ChartAvg
3Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Score-2
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
IceDragonFairy
½xResist
FireWaterElectricGrass
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
STAB (1)
Dragon
How to Beat Dratini in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)
Hatterene
Hatterene
PsychicFairy
A
Available Moves
Moves
  • Dazzling GleamLv. 30
  • Draining KissTM87
  • Disarming VoiceLv. 1
Damage vs Dratini
Dazzling Gleam 2x
175-206%KO
Draining Kiss 2x
111-131%KO
Disarming Voice 2x
88-104%KO
View Hatterene builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

Dratini is the start of a three-stage chain. It evolves into Dragonair first, then eventually reaches Dragonite. For breeding, takes forever to hatch with plenty of partners via two egg groups. The evolved forms gain up to 300 total stats over Dratini. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

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

Easy

Breed Dratini easily with 63 breeding partners from the Dragon and Water1 egg groups. Pass egg moves like Aqua Jet, Dragon Breath, Extreme Speed and 3 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
DragonWater1
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
40 cycles·10,280 steps
Slow~10 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
6moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradosazumarillcharizardkingdrasceptileflygonmiloticnoivernblastoisegolduckswampertwalrein
12 of 63·

Sword & Shield Dratini Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

You'll want to breed for Aqua Jet and Dragon Breath on Dratini. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Outrage and Dragon Rush, they expand what Dratini can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Leer
D—10030Normal
Lv 1
Wrap
—159020Normal
Lv 5
Twister
D4010020Dragon
Lv 10
Thunder Wave
C—9020Electric
Lv 15
Dragon Tail-6
D609010Dragon
Lv 20
Agility
C——30Psychic
Lv 25
Slam
—807520Normal
Lv 31
Aqua Tail
D909010Water
Lv 35
Dragon Rush
C1007510Dragon
Lv 40
Safeguard
C——25Normal
Lv 45
Rain Dance
C——5Water
Lv 50
Dragon Dance
C——20Dragon
Lv 55
Outrage
C12010010Dragon
Lv 60
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal

TM Moves

TM
TR12
Agility
C——30Psychic
TM31
Attract
C—10015Normal
TR06
Blizzard
D110705Ice
TR01
Body Slam
D8510015Normal
TM99
Breaking Swipe
D6010015Dragon
TM97
Brutal Swing
D6010020Dark
TR51
Dragon Dance
C——20Dragon
TR62
Dragon Pulse
C8510010Dragon
TR26
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM39
Facade
D7010020Normal
TR15
Fire Blast
D110855Fire
TM13
Fire Spin
D358515Fire
TR02
Flamethrower
D9010015Fire
TM09
Giga Impact
C150905Normal
TM35
Hail
C——10Ice
TR03
Hydro Pump
D110805Water
TM08
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TR05
Ice Beam
D9010010Ice
TM27
Icy Wind
D559515Ice
TR31
Iron Tail
D1007515Steel
TM17
Light Screen
C——30Psychic
TR24
Outrage
C12010010Dragon
TM25
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM33
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM21
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM76
Round
D6010015Normal
TM19
Safeguard
C——25Normal
TR27
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM24
Snore
—5010015Normal
TR20
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM34
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TR04
Surf
D9010015Water
TM40
Swift
D60—20Normal
TR09
Thunder
D1107010Electric
TM14
Thunder Wave
C—9020Electric
TR08
Thunderbolt
D9010015Electric
TR16
Waterfall
D8010015Water
TM36
Whirlpool
D358515Water

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Aqua Jet+1
D4010020Water
Egg
Dragon Breath
—6010020Dragon
Egg
Extreme Speed+2
D801005Normal
Egg
Mist
D——30Ice
Egg
Supersonic
D—5520Normal
Egg
Water Pulse
D6010020Water

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Scale Shot
D259020Dragon

Sword & Shield Dratini Locations

Dratini sits at moderate rates across 12 spots in endgame water routes. Pick one from the sorted list and commit to it. Jumping between areas wastes more time than waiting in the right location.

Best Locations to Catch Dratini in Sword & Shield

Dratini's encounter pool splits between Shield and Sword. You've got 12 surfing spots at Lv. 60-65 total, but your version determines which ones actually show up.

Ballimere Lake
ShieldSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Overcast
Ballimere Lake
SwordSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Thunderstorm
Ballimere Lake
ShieldSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Normal Weather
Ballimere Lake
SwordSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Intense Sun
Ballimere Lake
SwordSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Snowing
Ballimere Lake
SwordSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Raining
Ballimere Lake
SwordSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Overcast
Ballimere Lake
SwordSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Normal Weather
Ballimere Lake
ShieldSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Thunderstorm
Ballimere Lake
ShieldSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Intense Sun
Ballimere Lake
ShieldSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Snowing
Ballimere Lake
ShieldSurfing on water Lv.60-65 Water
5%Post
Raining

Dratini Guide

  • Dragonair at level 30 is the mid-stage. Push through to Dragonite at level 55 for the final form. 300 BST right now won't cut it long-term.

  • Level 30 gets you Dragonair. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.

  • In Sword & Shield, Dratini does the job early-game if you need a Dragon type on your team. Evolve it into Dragonair before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.

  • You can find Dratini in Sword & Shield. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 20 other games across the series.

Game Availability

Dratini has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 21 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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