Shiny Dragonite Guide: A Pseudo-Legendary Shiny Worth Hunting

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Callum Marshall

Callum is POK Universe's Managing Editor and a long-time-fan of the Pokémon series. He's a Gen-One kid at heart with a huge bias towards the first three generations. However, after reengaging with Pokémon XY, he has caught up with the pack and has absorbed all there is to know with regards to Pokémon, including some very interesting fan-made ROM Hacks!

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The Pokemon series has gifted several generations of children and adolescents with an abundance of truly magical adventures. Ones that live long in the memory and stand on their own as works of art within the context of gaming.

Even the most cynical gamer would struggle to point out a poor Pokemon game and that is simply down to the level of consistency, attention to detail, and new content that gets added on each occasion. The Pokemon series is one of the brightest stars of the gaming industry and for that reason, there have been countless releases belonging to this franchise.

While this is excellent, the abundance of the content does create one small problem for fans. How are you supposed to retain twenty-five years worth of knowledge? It’s damn near impossible and that’s why we are here to help in any way we can. We have devised a series of Pokemon handbooks that give you all the information that you could possibly need about each and every Pokemon on the roster, breaking down their stats, abilities, move sets, and much more.

In this guide, we focus on the shiny variant of the Pokemon Dragonite. We take a look at its shiny design, give you some of the key details about this Pokemon, and help you get acquainted with this fan-favorite Dragon Pokemon. Without further delay, here is our Shiny Dragonite guide.

What is Dragonite?

Dragonite is one of the first and most powerful dragon Pokemon within the Pokemon series, even to this day. This Pokemon was a fixture of the first-ever Pokemon league challenge, was at the time, one of the toughest Pokemon to train and now, still serves as a fan favorite within the series. This Pokemon is even considered by some fans as a legendary Pokemon or at least a pseudo-legendary Pokemon, much like Arcanine for example.

In terms of appearance, Dragonite is a design that just screams lovable dragon. We can only imagine that the creators had Puff the Magic Dragon in mind when creating this one. The kindhearted Pokémon has a standard dragon body composition, however, it stands on two legs rather than all fours.

It has a mainly orange body color with a pale cream-colored belly. Then it has two small wings which are green with orange trim. The creature has a long orange tail with a cream underside, grey eyes, three sharp claws on each hand and foot, a small orange horn on their head, and then two stringy antennae on their head.

Then in terms of this Pokemon’s behavior, it is a very kind and calm Pokemon with human-like intelligence. It is a Pokemon that looks out for the human race, often saving humans from falling, drowning, or other fatal accidents. However, this Pokemon loses its cool when its natural environment is changed for the worse or threatened.

This will lead to a violent and destructive scene which will only end when the object that caused this angry outburst is no more. This is why Outrage, a now common dragon move, was formerly this Pokemon’s signature move.

This Pokemon is also capable of moving at the speed of sound and is said to be capable of traversing the circumference of the world in just sixteen hours. This is incredible considering it is hardly an aerodynamic Pokemon and its wings are rather out of proportion with the size of the creature. It is also rumored that this Pokemon spawns from an unknown and uncharted island in the sea, hence why these Pokemon are so rarely seen in the wild.

Here is a video of Dragonite in action so you can see exactly why this Pokemon is such a fan favorite:

What is a Shiny Pokemon?

Now, before we get into the ins and outs of what a shiny Dragonite is. First, let’s get our heads around what a shiny Pokemon is. A shiny Pokemon is a unique variant of a standard Pokemon model. In terms of their overall design, their body composition, their abilities, and their move sets, these Pokemon are identical. However, the key difference is that the shiny form will have an alternative color scheme compared to the original. In short, these Pokemon are novelty items but despite this, are very rare and desirable.

These Pokemon are so rare that you will only encounter one in the wild on average, every one in 4096 battles, making capturing one cause for celebration and bragging to your pals. You can use certain techniques to make capturing these Pokemon less of a chore but we will get on to that just a little bit later.

What is a Shiny Dragonite?

So, now that we know what a shiny Pokemon is, allow us to introduce Shiny Dragonite. This Pokemon in terms of appearance is quite similar to the original in terms of design and structure. However, the color palette is very different indeed. This Pokemon retains its cream-colored belly but everything else has been altered. The Pokemon’s primary color is now forest green and the wings are now a crimson color instead of the original green design.

Overall, this change to a  green Dragonite is one that will appeal to some fans but honestly, we can’t help but say we prefer the original design. Which is more of a comment on how good the original is rather than how poor the shiny form is. We will say that the contrast is clear for all to see and that is all that matters to some shiny hunters. So a green Dragonite is certainly worth chucking a  Poké ball at if you encounter one.

How to Catch a Shiny Dragonite?

Catching a shiny Dragonite isn’t the easiest thing to do, simply because there are so few opportunities to capture a Dragonite through a wild encounter. Back in the day, you would have had to hunt for a shiny Dratini or Dragonair, then evolve this into a shiny Dragonite.

However, since the early days when this Pokemon joined the cast, there have been scarce opportunities to find this Pokemon in the wild. Pokemon Black and White offered up this chance first. Then games such as Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee and Pokemon Sword and Shield’s expansion pass also allowed for this.

So thanks to these additional chances to capture this Pokemon in the wild, it is easier than ever before to get your hands on a shiny Dragonite. This is not only due to the availability but also due to the tactics that you can employ when shiny hunting in the various games mentioned. Through using certain items and techniques, you can drop the odds of finding a Shiny Pokemon into the low triple digits, which is a huge improvement on the standard 4096/1 odds.

So with that in mind, here are a few great techniques that will help you find and add a Shiny Dragonite to your party without going through 4000+ battles to get one:

Masuda Method

While there are more random encounter options than ever to find this Pokemon, you may be a natural Pokemon breeder and prefer using eggs to find your unique Pokemon. So if that is the case, there is a technique to help you beat the odds. If the player acquires two Pokemon that are from two different real-world regions. Such as Europe and North America for example. The chances of hatching a shiny version of this Pokemon drop to 600/1.

Catch/Battle Combos

These are features that belong to Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee and Pokemon Sword/Shield, respectively. So, seeing as Dragonite is available in both these titles, this is the best option of those listed here for shiny hunters. This allowed players to drop their odds through either catching or battling the same Pokemon in Succession. It’s a little less easy to manage than the Dexnav but if you do things right, you can hit odds as low as 1/270.

Shiny Charm

Then lastly, you can make use of the shiny charm, a held item that cuts the odds of receiving a shiny Pokemon encounter by 66%. Dropping the odds to about 1/2732. This item can be stacked with other components in this list to brings odds down even further.

Does Dragonite Evolve?

No, Dragonite is the final stage of a three-stage evolution. This Pokemon begins its life as a Dratini, then evolves into a Dragonair, before finally evolving into the mighty Pokemon, Dragonite. To evolve a Dratini, the trainer will have to train this Pokemon until it reaches level 30.

Then to evolve a Dragonair, you need to train this Pokemon until it reaches level 55. This makes Dragonite one of the top ten latest Pokemon to evolve based on gaining levels. However, the grind is worth it as this Pokemon is formidable in battle.

Should I Evolve My Pokemon into Shiny Dragonite?

Well, this is a question that can be answered on two fronts. The first being in terms of what each Pokemon offers aesthetically, then the second being what each Pokemon can offer in a competitive battling setting. In terms of the former, it’s really down to preference and ultimately, beauty is subjective.

However, approaching it from the most unbias standpoint we can, both Shiny Dratini and Shiny Dragonair are much more aesthetically pleasing shiny Pokemon, with Dragonair perhaps having the edge as it’s a slightly more complex Pokemon design.

Dratini and Dragonair both have their natural blue color swapped out for a bright pink color. Then Dragonair specifically also has the end of their tail changed too, with the tip sporting a nice, yellow color. They may not have as much going on in terms of design compared to Dragonite but that’s just it.

Dragonite’s design doesn’t feel very cohesive, whereas the younger evolutions have great designs that are simple, vibrant, and work well. So aesthetically, we would say no you shouldn’t evolve into a Dragonite.

However, this game series is known best for the battles that you participate in. A Dratini won’t win you the Pokemon League, but a Dragonite can practically do it on their own. Dragonite is by far the best competitive option of these three Pokemon, and is capable of doing real damage to opposing Pokemon teams. It’s a brilliant sweeper Pokemon, has well-balanced stats with a devastating physical attack, is able to recover proficiently, and has a moveset that can rival any Pokemon you set out in front of it.

Moves you might want to teach your Shiny Dragonite for maximum damage and reap the rewards in battle are the following: 

• Dragon Dance
• Dragon breath
• Ice Punch
• Focus Punch
• Extremespeed
• Outrage
• Thunder

Dratini has its place within the LC and is able to make use of strong moves and serve as a solid cleaner. However, if you want the best of the best, it’s Dragonite every day of the week.

The OG Dragon Pokemon

As you can see from the information above, Dragonite is a very skilled and beautiful shiny Pokemon. It is a Pokemon that can clear out an entire rival team on its own, has some of the finest moves in the game at its disposal, and while Dratini and Dragonair may have the nicer shiny models, Dragonite’s model is far from terrible. So if you get a chance to add this shiny Pokemon to your collection, don’t hesitate.

FAQs

Final Thoughts

So that is our guide giving you all the info you could possibly need on the shiny version of the Pokemon, Dragonite! What did you make of this guide? Was it helpful and informative for you? Are there any other shiny Pokemon that you would like to see covered in another guide? Let us know in the comments section below and thank you for reading.