The family of Dragon-type Pokemon is slowly growing, finally letting you build a unique deck that can take on even the strongest meta decks. We’re going to take a look at all the cards to see how they fare against some of the other popular cards in the game, along with a bonus look at an Illustration Rare you can find.
Updated on March 29, 2025 by Ryan Hay: Dragon Pokemon have received a pretty big boost with the release of the Space-Time Smackdown set, so we’re back to add a few Pokemon to the list. Coming in strong is the defensive all-star Druddigon, who comes pre-loaded with a huge ability to keep your opponent at bay. At the same time, we have the Garchomp line to provide some swift damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon.
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Gible – Space-Time Smackdown
Take Out Their Ankles
This little cutie might not be doing much, but he’s a such a good boy that it’s alright. Gible is the Basic Pokemon of the Garchomp evolutionary line, letting you eventually get to the powerhouse that headlines the Champion Cynthia’s team.
Gible has slightly lower HP at only 60, though it does have a single Colorless Energy attack in Gnaw that deals 20 damage when it connects. You can be a little flexible in what Energy you can attach to it early on thanks to this, though you definitely don’t want this adorable Pokemon to be in the Active Spot for long.
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Dratini – Genetic Apex
A Basic Pokemon With Big Dreams
At 70 HP, Dratini can withstand a hit or two from some of the stronger Basic Pokemon that are commonly found in decks, though you will quickly want to evolve it to Dragonair to keep it safe. Genetic Apex’s Dratini has just one attack, Ram, which deals 40 damage, which is at the top end for a Basic Pokemon’s attack range. The downside is that it costs two Energy, one Water and one Electric.
One of the better elements of Dragon-type cards so far is that they have no weaknesses, at least for the Dratini line in Genetic Apex. As more sets are released this may change, but so far, you should be safe from any bonus damage from your opponent’s attacks.
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Dragonair – Genetic Apex
Setting Up The Win
Evolving your Dratini into Dragonair gives you a huge upgrade in power, while also enjoying a nice HP boost. The Stage 1 card comes with 100 HP and a single attack, Tail Smack, which deals a respectable 80 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon.
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Tail Smack only costs one more Colorless Energy than Dratini’s Ram attack, so it doesn’t take much to get there. If you’re able to follow up an attack with Dratini with Dragonair’s Tail Smack, you are likely KOing your opponent’s Pokemon, dealing a total of 120 damage. Unless your opponent has some of the higher HP EX cards or higher evolutionary lines, you are probably looking at a point.
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Gabite – Space-Time Smackdown
Some Fast Damage
While you’re on your way to reaching Garchomp, you are going to have to take a pitstop at Gabite, the Stage 1 Pokemon in the Garchomp line. While there’s not much going on with Gabite, there are a few benefits to the card that keeps it somewhat competitive. It sits at 100 HP, the same as Dragonair, and with no weaknesses, it can generally take a hit or two while in the Active Spot.
The nice thing about Gabite is that its attack, Slash, deals 60 damage for just two Energy, a Water and a Fighting. This is a solid amount of damage, one that can take out most evolving Basic Pokemon. It also costs the same amount of Energy as Garchomp’s sole attack, meaning you won’t have to worry about investing extra resources into Gabite to set up for future attacks.
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Garchomp – Space-Time Smackdown
Craft The Perfect Hand
There’s a lot to love about Garchomp in Pokemon Pocket. Not only does it have a two-Energy attack in Dragon Claw, but it comes with a very strong ability that lets you cycle through your deck until you find just the card you need. The Reckless Shearing ability lets you discard a card to draw a card, though you can only use one during each of your turns.
While getting both a Fighting Energy and a Water Energy on Garchomp can be a bit awkward at times, it isn’t too bad since it only requires a single Energy of each to use Dragon Claw. As Garchomp is a Stage 2 Pokemon, you have a few turns of evolving the chain up to find those Energies.
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Druddigon – Space-Time Smackdown
What Are You Going To Do, Attack?
A surprisingly powerful Basic Pokemon, Druddigon is best played in the Active Spot at the start of the game and then sitting there until you’ve powered up another Pokemon or two from your Bench.
The Rough Skin ability makes it all worth it, since attacking Druddigon will cause your opponent to take 20 damage in return. Slap a Rocky Helmet on Druddigon and you can double up on this effect, dishing out a huge 40 damage anytime this Dragon would take a hit.
Rough Skin will only trigger if Druddigon takes damage from an attack, so if an attack fails from a bad coin flip or the attack only inflicts a status like putting Druddigon to sleep, no damage will be dealt back.
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Dragonite – Genetic Apex
Master The Draco Meteor
Topping the Dragon-type cards currently available in Pokemon TCG Pocket, Dragonite is an extraordinarily powerful card that has an unparalleled attack. Draco Meteor costs four Energy, one Water, one Electric, and two Colorless, but can dish out a total of 200 points of damage. That damage is randomly split across up to four of your opponent’s Pokemon, both in the Active spot and on the Bench.
A single Pokemon can be picked more than one time, but generally, you are hitting two to three different Pokemon with Draco Meteor. Those enemy Pokemon take 50 damage each time they are chosen this way, which does a significant amount of damage across the board.
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Since Dragonite has 160 HP, you are likely able to get an attack or two in since there are not many Pokemon that can take it out with a single attack, even with a Giovanni Supporter card. While rare, it is entirely possible to score all three of your points in one attack depending on what your opponent’s board looks like.
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Dragonite Illustration Rare – Genetic Apex
Give Yourself Some Flair
There is no difference mechanically between the Illustration Rare Dragonite and the regular rare one, but it does look a lot nicer on the battlefield stomping your opponents. The illustration, by Pokemon TCG veteran Gemi, depicts the flying Dragon-type soaring over the ocean with the setting sun behind it, several boats crossing the sea, and a meteor shower overhead.
The big downside to the Illustration Rare Dragonite is that it has an incredibly low drop rate in packs, meaning pulling one won’t happen for a long time. Crafting one isn’t an option for most free-to-play players since it costs 400 pack points, which comes in at 80 packs you will have to open to earn those points.
All the cards in the Dragonite evolutionary line, and the Illustration Rare version of Dragonite, are only found in the Mewtwo packs of Genetic Apex, so if you’re looking to build a deck around it you’ll have to pull plenty of packs to get the cards you are looking for.