Water/Dragon Type

WaterDragon

Popular Pokemon: Palkia, Kingdra

Quick Summary

⚠️ Main Weaknesses:

2× weak to Dragon, Fairy

✓ Main Resistances:

¼× resists Fire, Water
½× resists Steel

Water/Dragon strategy: two weaknesses and strong neutral pressure

Water/Dragon and Dragon/Water are the same defensive pairing; this page uses water-dragon as the canonical URL. Water/Dragon is a compact offensive and defensive pairing that keeps Fire and Water pressure manageable while threatening many neutral targets. Representative Pokémon include Kingdra, Palkia, Dracovish, Tatsugiri, Walking Wake. The standard type chart gives this combination no 4× weakness and 2× weak to Dragon, Fairy. It has no type immunity under the standard chart. Its main defensive value comes from ¼× resists Fire, Water; ½× resists Steel, but stats, ability, item, and format still decide whether a real Pokémon can use those entries repeatedly.

Offensive plan

Water STAB threatens Fire, Ground, and Rock targets, while Dragon STAB supplies wide neutral pressure and punishes opposing Dragons. Dragon and Fairy are the only direct chart weaknesses, so the typing can look sturdy, but Fairy also blocks Dragon STAB and can steal momentum. The best users pair their STAB attacks with coverage or teammates that pressure Fairy and bulky Water answers.

Counterplay and defensive risks

To counter Water/Dragon, start with the chart pressure: Dragon, Fairy. If a 4× weakness is listed, preserve that attack type before revealing it; if there is no 4× weakness, repeated 2× pressure and hazard chip usually matter more than a single surprise hit. Scout for abilities, Terastallization, weather, recovery, and pivot moves before assuming the visible multiplier ends the exchange.

Team-building advice

Water/Dragon wants Fairy and Dragon answers nearby. Steel, Fairy, Poison, and bulky Water-resistant partners can help, while Water/Dragon gives them Fire and Water stability in return. Use the Team Calculator to check whether the rest of the six stacks the same Dragon, Fairy problem, then compare the full defensive chart before choosing moves or teammates.

Read the best Pokémon type combinations guide for a side-by-side defensive comparison.

Continue with Type Chart, Dual Type Calculator, Water/Fairy guide, and Dragon/Steel guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is Water/Dragon weak to?

Water/Dragon is no 4× weakness and 2× weak to Dragon, Fairy under the standard type chart.

Is Dragon/Water a different type combination?

No. Dragon/Water and Water/Dragon use the same two types, so they share the same weaknesses, resistances, and immunities.

What is Water/Dragon immune to?

It has no type immunity under the standard chart.

Questions players ask about Water/Dragon

Players ask why Water/Dragon looks safe into Fire and Water but still treats Fairy as an urgent matchup.

Why is Water/Dragon not weak to Grass? Water is weak to Grass, but Dragon resists Grass, so the two factors cancel.
Why is Fairy the cleanest warning? Fairy is super effective against Dragon and neutral against Water, so it remains a direct 2× threat.
Why does Ice coverage still matter? Ice is super effective against Dragon while Water is neutral, so Ice keeps pressure on both defensive and offensive variants.

TypeMatchup Original Analysis

Coverage Value

Internal score from immunities, resistances, weaknesses, and 4× pressure.

Profile

balanced defensive tradeoff

Main Planning Risk

No 4× weakness, but repeated Dragon, Fairy pressure can still force predictable switches.

How to interpret this pairing

Water/Dragon should be judged by the trade it creates, not by the raw number of weaknesses alone. It offers safe entry into Fire, Water, Steel, which means it can buy turns when those attack types are predictable. In exchange, the opponent will usually try to line upDragon, Fairy, so the pairing needs either speed, bulk, recovery, pivoting, or a teammate ready to absorb that pressure.

Team-building partners

Based on TypeMatchup's own defensive coverage pass, useful single-type partners to test first are Steel for Dragon, Fairy; Fire for Fairy; Poison for Fairy; Fairy for Dragon. These are not automatic best teammates; they are a shortlist for reducing repeated weaknesses before you choose actual Pokémon, moves, items, abilities, and battle format.

When this combination is worth using

Use this combination when its resisted or immune entries match threats you expect to face repeatedly. Avoid using it only because the summary looks efficient: a 4× weakness can dominate a matchup, while even a strong resistance profile can fail if the Pokémon lacks recovery, speed control, or meaningful pressure after switching in. For a six-Pokémon build, run this pairing through the Team Calculator and check whether another teammate shares the same Dragon, Fairy problem.

Defensive Type Matchups

Show Normal Effectiveness Types (13)

Normal Electric Grass Ice Fighting Poison Ground Flying Psychic Bug Rock Ghost Dark

Strategy Tips

Why This Combination?

Legendary

Best Counters

To counter Water/Dragon types, use Pokemon with Dragon or Fairy moves for 2× damage.

Pokemon with this Type

Dracovish

Fishious Rend is the most broken move in Gen 8: 85 BP that DOUBLES to 170 BP if user moves first. Strong Jaw boosts it further (1.5×). With Choice Band + Strong Jaw + priority, it hits harder than most Z-moves. Can OHKO even resists. Banned to Ubers for being too centralizing.

View full guide →

Palkia

Palkia has 150 Special Attack, 120 Special Defense, and Water/Dragon typing with only two direct type weaknesses. It pressures many teams with strong Water and Dragon attacks.