Pokemon GO Dragonite raid guide: Best counters, weaknesses, & more

Dragonite may return as a Raid Boss in Pokemon GO someday (Image via Niantic)

While it hasn't appeared as a Pokemon GO Raid Boss since the Trading Card Game Crossover event, Dragonite may yet appear in the same capacity in the future. The powerful Dragon/Flying-type Pokemon is a formidable foe but is just as helpful for one's own battle team.

If Dragonite does return to the raid rotation in the future, there's no doubt that many Pokemon GO trainers will want to prepare themselves to take on this pseudo-legendary.

Defeating Dragonite as a Raid Boss saves the hassle of evolving a Dratini and Dragonair. Many captured Raid Bosses have quality IV stats, making them great for powering up and using in battle. Dragonite features an excellent selection of learnable moves, making it a valuable asset for anyone's team in Pokemon GO.

Note: This article reflects the opinions of the writer

Dragonite has 4 total elemental weaknesses in Pokemon GO

Ice-types like Mamoswine can deal severe damage to Dragonite in any battle (Image via Niantic)

In the mainline Pokemon series and Pokemon GO, Dragonite is a Dragon/Flying-type Pokemon with four total elemental weaknesses.

Hitting the Dragon Pokemon with Ice, Fairy, Rock, and Dragon-type attacks will deal super effective damage to it. However, if trainers utilize Ice-type moves, they'll deal doubly super effective damage. This is because both of Dragonite's elemental types are weak to Ice-type moves.

If trainers don't have Ice-types that are particularly capable in battle, they shouldn't worry. Employing Rock, Fairy, and Dragon-type Pokemon is still perfectly viable.

However, using Dragon-type Pokemon can be a dangerous proposition. If Dragonite's moveset also includes Dragon-type moves, they'll be super effective against players' Pokemon.

Be that as it may, there are more than enough moves and Pocket Monsters that can assist a group of trainers in beating Dragonite quickly, yielding them maximum rewards.

Top Pokemon counters for Dragonite

Galarian Darmanitan
Mamoswine
Weavile
Glaceon
Jynx
Avalugg
Aurorus
Vanilluxe
Kyurem
Articuno
Beartic
Porygon-Z (with Blizzard)
Mr. Rime
Piloswine
Walrein
Rayquaza
Salamence
Regice
Cloyster
Dialga
Zekrom
Abomasnow
Alolan Ninetales
Lapras
Rampardos
Palkia
Sneasel
Garchomp
Froslass
Reshiram
Glalie
Haxorus

Top move counters for Dragonite

Ice Fang
Powder Snow
Ice Shard
Frost Breath
Dragon Breath
Dragon Tail
Smack Down
Avalanche
Ice Beam
Weather Ball (Ice)
Blizzard
Ice Punch
Outrage
Draco Meteor
Rock Slide
Dragon Claw

There are many additional Pokemon and moves in Pokemon GO that are capable of countering Dragonite. As long as a trainer sticks to Dragonite's weaknesses, they should be quite effective in defeating it. Furthermore, if fellow players on their team also use powerful, high-quality counters, Dragonite should be less troublesome to overcome.

However, it's always wise to come into a raid prepared in Pokemon GO. Players should be certain to bring along healing items like Potions and Revives in case their team takes a beating.

Though players can carry a large amount of Pokemon in their collection, not all of them will be ideal for taking on Dragonite. Some may not have the stats or CP for it, while others may not be the ideal type or have the right moves for the job.

Dragonite may not appear for quite some time due to Pokemon GO's ongoing Halloween events, but it's quite popular with the fanbase. For this reason, it may only be a matter of time before the Dragon Pokemon makes its return again.