Dragon type in battle
Direct answer: Dragon-type moves are super effective (2×) only against Dragon, not very effective (0.5×) against Steel, and do nothing (0×) to Fairy. A Dragon Pokémon is weak (2×) to Ice, Dragon, and Fairy, and resists Fire, Water, Electric, and Grass.
Scenario 1 — Dragon versus Dragon
Your Dragon faces a Dragon (think Garchomp into Dragapult). Dragon is weak to Dragon, and Dragon moves are super effective against Dragon — so it cuts both ways at 2×. The "same type feels neutral" trap again: neither side is safe.
Scenario 2 — an Ice move appears
Ice hits Dragon for 2×, and on a Dragon/Flying Pokémon that becomes a 4× weakness. Switch to a partner that resists Ice — Dragon itself resists Fire, Water, Electric, and Grass, so a bulky Fire or Water teammate often soaks the hit.
Scenario 3 — a Fairy switches in
Your Dragon moves do 0× to Fairy, and Fairy hits your Dragon for 2×. Dragon has no neutral or better option into Fairy — this is the Gen 6 Fairy check on Dragon. Keep a coverage move (Steel or Fairy-resistant partner) ready.
Scenario 4 — Dragon STAB only pressures Dragons
A Dragon attack is super effective only against other Dragons; against everything else it is neutral or worse (0.5× vs Steel). A Dragon Pokémon almost always needs a second attack type to actually threaten the team.
What Dragon players most often get wrong
- "Dragon is only super effective against Dragon." It is the most offensively narrow type — exactly one target. People assume Dragon hits wide because it is "strong."
- "Dragon has a Fairy weakness." Added in Gen 6. Before that Dragon was weak only to Ice and Dragon and resisted four types; the Fairy addition gave it a third weakness. Veterans pre-2013 forget Fairy exists in the matchup.
- "Dragon resists four types but the Ice weakness is the one to fear." Dragon resists Fire, Water, Electric, and Grass, yet a single Ice move (or Ice + Flying for 4×) is the classic knockout. Easy to remember Ice, forget the Fairy third wheel.
Dragon type matchup at a glance
| Question | Answer for a pure Dragon defender or attacker |
|---|---|
| Dragon's weaknesses | Ice, Dragon, Fairy |
| Dragon's resistances | Fire, Water, Electric, Grass |
| Dragon's immunities | None from the Dragon type alone |
| Dragon attacks are strong against | Dragon |
| Dragon attacks are resisted by | Steel |
| Dragon attacks do not affect | Fairy |
These are the standard main-series type interactions. A second type can add, remove, or multiply the result, so the grouped list below matters more than the single word "Dragon."
Featured Dragon Pokemon by typing
Dragon Pokemon are not all weak to the same moves. The second type is the part that makes each Dragon matchup different, so read the row before you pick a counter.
| Typing | Featured Pokemon | What the second type changes |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon / Flying | Dragonite, Salamence, Rayquaza | Adds Flying's matchup rules, including a strong concern about Ice attacks. |
| Dragon / Ground | Garchomp | Adds Ground's Electric immunity while keeping the Dragon identity. |
| Dragon / Ghost | Dragapult, Giratina | Adds Ghost interactions and gives the pair a different defensive profile. |
| Dragon / Dark | Hydreigon | Adds Dark's Psychic immunity and changes how the pair handles several attacks. |
| Dragon / Water | Dracovish, Palkia | Adds Water's resistance profile and makes the combination less like a pure Dragon. |
| Dragon / Steel | Dialga | Steel changes the defensive profile substantially and resists Dragon attacks. |
| Dragon / Poison | Eternatus | Poison adds its own matchup rules and a different set of resistances. |
| Dragon / Fighting | Koraidon | Fighting adds offensive pressure against Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark, and Steel targets. |
| Dragon / Electric | Miraidon, Raging Bolt | Electric gives the pair an Electric identity and a useful Flying matchup. |
Why Fairy is the best Dragon counter
Fairy is immune to Dragon moves. A Garchomp locked into Outrage does literally 0 damage to any Fairy type, and Fairy hits back for 2×. The most common Fairy answers to Dragon are:
- Sylveon — Pixilate Hyper Voice destroys Dragons, and 130 base SpDef tanks Dragon Pulse.
- Clefable — Magic Guard plus Unaware ignores Dragon Dance boosts, and Moonblast OHKOs most Dragons.
- Gardevoir — Fairy/Psychic with Moonblast and Psychic coverage.
- Togekiss — Air Slash flinch plus Dazzling Gleam, with Serene Grace making it annoying.
- Magearna — Steel/Fairy resists Dragon and is immune to it, while Fleur Cannon hits hard.
Why Ice moves are essential
You do not need an Ice-type Pokemon — you just need Ice-type moves. Many Water types learn Ice Beam, which makes them excellent Dragon checks:
- Ice Beam on Blastoise or Swampert — surprise KO on Garchomp and Dragonite.
- Ice Shard on Mamoswine — priority that picks off weakened Dragons.
- Freeze-Dry on Lapras — hits Water/Dragon types such as Palkia and Kingdra super effectively.
- Ice Punch on Weavile — one of the fastest Ice attackers, revenge killing most Dragons.
The 4× Ice weakness club
Some Dragon Pokemon take 4× damage from Ice:
- Garchomp (Dragon/Ground) — Ice Beam is an instant KO.
- Dragonite (Dragon/Flying) — Ice Shard can OHKO.
- Rayquaza (Dragon/Flying) — the most extreme case.
- Salamence (Dragon/Flying) — same as Dragonite.
- Landorus (Ground/Flying) — not a Dragon, but the same 4× Ice weakness.
If you see any of these on the opponent's team, bring Ice coverage.
Dragon versus Dragon
Using Dragon moves against Dragons works, but you also take super effective damage back. The Dragon Pokemon most often used to beat other Dragons are Dragapult (Dragon/Ghost, 142 base Speed with Dragon Darts and Shadow Ball), Garchomp (Outrage hits hard, but getting locked in is dangerous against a Fairy switch), and Kyurem-Black (170 base Attack with Fusion Bolt and Dragon Claw covering almost everything).
Countering specific Dragons
- Garchomp — any Fairy type is immune to Outrage and Dragon Claw, and Ice Beam from any Water type OHKOs the 4× weakness. Watch out for Swords Dance plus Scale Shot and Stone Edge for Ice types. Full Garchomp guide
- Dragonite — Ice Shard from Mamoswine or Weavile hits the 4× weakness and bypasses Multiscale once there is prior damage, and Stealth Rock strips Multiscale on switch-in. Fairy types wall it completely. Watch out for Dragon Dance plus Extreme Speed priority. Full Dragonite guide
- Dragapult — Dark types such as Tyranitar and Greninja resist the Ghost STAB, and Fairy types are immune to Dragon. Watch out for 142 base Speed, mixed attacking stats, and U-turn pivoting. Full Dragapult guide
- Salamence — Ice moves hit the 4× weakness and Fairy types wall it, while Stealth Rock chips 25% on every switch. Watch out for Dragon Dance plus Moxie snowballing and Mega Salamence's Aerilate. Full Salamence guide
Best anti-Dragon team core
Build with at least two of these three pieces to handle Dragon Pokemon:
- Fairy type (Sylveon, Clefable, or Magearna) — the primary Dragon check.
- Ice coverage (Ice Beam on a Water type) — the backup for 4× weak Dragons.
- Steel type (Ferrothorn, Corviknight) — resists Dragon and provides hazards.
A practical core is Clefable (Unaware walls Dragon Dance sweepers), Swampert(Ice Beam for Garchomp, resists Rock), and Ferrothorn (Stealth Rock plus Leech Seed, resists Dragon).
Dragon type in Pokemon GO
In Pokemon GO raids, Dragon types are best countered by:
- Mega Gardevoir — Charm plus Dazzling Gleam (Fairy).
- Shadow Mamoswine — Powder Snow plus Avalanche (Ice).
- Mega Rayquaza — Dragon Tail plus Outrage (Dragon versus Dragon).
- Shadow Dragonite — Dragon Tail plus Outrage.
- Galarian Darmanitan — Ice Fang plus Avalanche.
For GO Battle League PvP: Togekiss dominates Dragon types in Master League,Azumarill (Water/Fairy) walls Dragons in Great League, and Alolan Ninetales(Ice/Fairy) double-counters Dragons.
Key takeaways for 2026
- Always carry Ice coverage — Ice Beam on a Water type costs nothing and handles most Dragons.
- Fairy types are mandatory — at least one Fairy on every competitive team.
- Stealth Rock matters — 25% chip on Dragonite, Salamence, and Charizard on every switch.
- Do not rely on Dragon versus Dragon — it is a coin flip, and Fairy is safer.
- Scout for coverage moves — good Dragon players carry Poison Jab or Iron Head for Fairies.
The three checks before using a Dragon counter
- Check the second type. Start with the row in the table, not the word "Dragon." Dragon/Flying, Dragon/Ground, and Dragon/Steel do not share a defensive profile — the second type can create an immunity or add a new weakness.
- Check whether the move is really Ice, Dragon, or Fairy. The displayed type of the move matters more than the species name; if it is not one of those three, check the full chart instead of assuming super-effective damage.
- Check the exact combination in the calculator. Open the type calculator, select the defending Pokemon's two types, then compare the attacking type. This catches cases where two multipliers combine into something different from the pure Dragon row.
Dragon type chart takeaway
Dragon is strong against Dragon but cannot hit Fairy at all, while pure Dragon defenders are weak to Ice, Dragon, and Fairy. The second type is the part that makes each Dragon matchup different. Use the grouped list above to identify the pairing, then verify the exact multiplier before building a team or choosing a counter.