Pokemon Dragon-type weaknesses: How to counter Dragonite, Rayquaza, Salamence, others

Aakrit Sharma
Rayquaza, Dragonite, and Dialga in Pokemon Go

There are eighteen types of Pokemon with the strongest ones usually belonging to the Dragon-type. The likes of Dragonite, Rayquaza, and Salamence might seem invincible, but here’s a guide to exploiting all their weaknesses and the best counters against them.

Defeating Dragon-type Pokemon has always been a major concern of trainers. The anime portrayed them as indomitable powerful beasts, and the games continued the trend by giving them a ton of resistance and the best moves.

However, you can still take on Dragon-type Pokemon and beat them easily with this guide on their weaknesses.

Some children hanging out with Dragon type Pokemon

Dragon-type Pokemon weaknesses in Pokemon lore and games

Ice

In all Pokemon games, Dragon-types have been weak against Ice-type Pokemon. This is because purely Dragon-type Pokemon are scarce, and they often have additional attributes such as Flying and Ground. Ice is strong against all these types, making it the Kryptonite of almost every Dragon in the Pokemon franchise.

Accordingly, Pokemon like Mamoswine, Weavile, Articuno, and Lapras have been great for tackling Dragons.

Fairy

With generation six, Fairy Pokemon were introduced as another weakness of Dragon-type. While Fairy attacks aren’t as effective as Ice, the resistance provided to Fairy Pokemon against Dragon moves is a game-changer.

The fairy always defeats the dragon in tales, and it appears to be the case in Pokemon as well. This is the only explanation why a Togekiss, a Gardevoir, and a Sylveon can overpower a Dragonite in battle.

Also, the developers must have realized that dragons are overpowered. Ice is strong against them, but a majority of dragons can learn Fire-type moves that are strong against Ice. Hence, to avoid the collapse of competitive teambuilding and Dragon-type Pokemon dominating the leagues forever, it was important to introduce Fairy-type.

Kyurem, Mamoswine, and Gardevoir Pokemon

Dragon

Last but not least, Dragon-type are weak against Dragon. Logically, only a dragon is powerful enough to take down another. When two Dragon-type Pokemon take on each other, their sub-type often becomes more important as their secondary (non-Dragon type) attacks can determine the outcome.

Dragon-type Pokemon weaknesses in Pokemon Go and best counters

Pokemon Go isn’t too different from the Pokemon lore or other games, meaning that you still need Ice, Fairy, or Dragon-type Pokemon to defeat another Dragon-type.

Pokemon Go’s combat has a ‘super effective’ mechanic with which a Pokemon can deal 160% damage against a vulnerable opponent. Interestingly, Ice moves offer a double ‘super effective’ effect which lets them deal 256% damage to a majority of dragons.

Next up, Fairy and Dragon-type moves deal 160% damage to Dragon-type opponents.

Weavile Pokemon

Based on the aforementioned stats, here are some of the best Pokemon to use against Dragon-type in Pokemon Go in general:

  • Galarian Darmanitan (Ice) with Ice Fang and Avalance/Ice Punch.
  • Mamoswine (Ice) with Powder Snow and Avalanche.
  • Weavile (Ice) with Ice Shard and Avalanche.
  • Gardevoir (Fairy) with Charm and Dazzling Gleam.
  • Sylveon (Fairy) with Charm and Dazzling Gleam.
  • Togekiss (Fairy) with Charm and Dazzling Gleam.
  • Dialga (Dragon-Steel) with Metal Claw and Draco Meteor.
  • Kyurem (Dragon-Ice) with Dragon Breath and Draco Meteor.
  • Garchomp (Dragon-Ground) with Dragon Tail and Outrage.

Alongside Fairy, Steel is another type that is resistant to Dragon-type damage which is why Dialga has made this list.

These Pokemon should come in handy when you face Team Go Rocket leaders like Arlo and Giovanni in Pokemon Go.


Getting top-tier Fairy and Ice Pokemon can be challenging for new players in Pokemon Go. However, they can rely on an Eevee to get Sylveon and Glaceon. If you already have an Eevee, make sure to check out our guide on the best Eevee evolutions in Pokemon Go.

Image Credits: Niantic / The Pokemon Company

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About The Author

Aakrit is a games writer with over 2000 published articles for EssentiallySports, Sportskeeda, FortniteINTEL, and CharlieINTEL. Currently, he writes guides on Minecraft, Roblox, Pokemon games, Genshin Impact, and Brawlhalla. Aakrit loves playing shooter games and in his free time, you can find him queued up in Valorant, Fortnite, Apex Legends, or Halo Infinite. You can contact Aakrit at [email protected].