Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl bring together a ton of Pokémon from a range of different generations, and there a plenty of powerful species from which to pick.
When it comes to making up your team, you’ll likely want a Dragon-type Pokémon to cover all bases and deal some incredible damage. While the Sinnoh Pokédex doesn’t boast a ton of options, thanks to the National Pokédex, there are a few different ways to go.
Here are five of the most powerful Dragon-type Pokémon that you’ll be able to catch at various stages of your journey in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Salamence
Dragon and Flying-types are a common dual typing that you’ll see in Pokémon and Slamence is one of the most effective Pokémon to have it. Salamence is a great Pokémon due to its high attack and speed allowing it to go first and take out vulnerable foes in a quick fashion.
Salamence isn’t the most durable Dragon-type Pokémon, which is why it takes a higher place on our list. And despite weaknesses to Ice, Rock, Dragon, and Fairy-types, Salamence is an incredibly useful Dragon-type Pokémon and a great choice for any team. You won’t be able to get this Pokémon until you unlock the National Pokédex, so it will need to be a late-game choice.
Dragonite
Dragonite has been around since the very first generation of Pokémon and remained one of the most effective and trustworthy Dragon-type species since. Dragonite has great stats overall but it excels thanks to its high Attack.
This Pokémon isn’t without its weaknesses so you’re not going to want to put it in there against Ice, Rock or Fairy-type Pokémon. But there are plenty of matchups that favor this Pokémon, including Fire, Water, Fighting, Bug, Grass, and Ground-type, to which Dragonite is invulnerable. Dragonite is also a National Pokédex Pokémon.
Palkia
Palkia is one of the two main legendary species in the Sinnoh region and an exclusive for Pokémon Shining Pearl. This Pokémon is a great choice to fill the Dragon-type role on your team as it only has weaknesses to other Dragon-type enemies and Fairy-type Pokémon. These two types happen to be the least common in the game.
In battle, Palkia has fantastic Atack and Sp. Atk. Overall you’re not going to go wrong with Palkia and can out-damage most foes, but the factor that holds it back from Dialga is that it is less durable with lower HP, Defence, and fewer resistances.
Dialga
Dialga is the best Dragon-type legendary available in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The legendary species is a tank with few weaknesses and a ton of resistance, meaning that it can match up well with most foes.
You’ll be able to blast through most enemies with Dialga thanks to its high Sp. Atk and range of extremely powerful attacks. You’ll need to wait until later in the game to get this Pokémon similar to Palkia but when you’re taking on the Elite Four, there are few better choices to fill a spot on your team. Dialga is a Pokémon Brilliant Diamond exclusive, so Shining Pearl players will need to trade if they want to add it to their collection.
Garchomp
The Sinnoh Pokédex only has a single final evolution Dragon-type Pokémon that isn’t a legendary Pokémon but it happens to be the best in the game. Garchomp is a monster in battle with extraordinary attack stats along with adequate stats overall.
This versatile Dragon and Ground-type Pokémon can quickly decimate most Pokémon especially those which it boasts a type advantage over. The pool of moves that Garchomp can learn is also quite extensive, and with the right choices, it can be set up to cover most bases.
Garchomp only has two weaknesses, other Dragon-type Pokémon and Fairy-type Pokémon, of which there are very few you’ll come across in this generation.
