As Pokémon fans know, the type ch⛄art has got a little convoluted and tough to remember now. There are 18 different types, and the interactions between them are mไany, varied, and sometimes nonsensical.

Many Pokémon are dual type, which further complicates the whole thing in terms of weaknesses and resistances. As a veteran Poké-player, I’ve adapted to the many twists and turns of the system. This means everything, including the fact that Gengar is weak to Ground again now (as a Poison type that recently lost its Levitate ability) and all of that good stuff. For newcomers and less experienced players, though, this is a surprisingly ♛complex world to step into.

The important thing to remember is that the types are not all created equal. It’s a super𓆏 tough thing to balance, like a fighting game with a huge and ridiculous roster, and Game Freak has made some… questionable decisions along the way. Ice and Rock, for instance, are superb types to use (hitting so much super effectively), but utterly craptacular types to be (weak to absolutely freaking everything ever). This, apparently, is called balance.

The Dragon type, on the other hand, has long been considered among the best. If not the best. Sporting some key resistances and excellent neutral coverage (only Steel resisted Dragon prior to Sun and Moon), Fairy was introduced mostly just to try and curb the type’s dominance. Some of the best Pokémon in the game are Dragons, but there are some awful ones t💝oo. Leꦺt’s take a look.

15 Best: Mega Charizard X

Charizard, as we know, is one of Pokémon’s fan favourites. Ever since Red and Blue were released back in 1998, and I first evolved my beloved Charmander, this thing captured♛ my heart. And t♑hose of many others of my generation.

Because of this, when the Mega Evolution mechanic was introduced, Charizard was one of only two Pokémon toꦯ get a separate Mega X and Mega Y form. Some of us have long thought that Charizard deserves Fire/Dragon typing, and that’s exactly what you get with Mega Zard X.

It doesn’t get nearly as much use as the vicious sun sweeper that is Zard Y, but you sure as hell don’t want to sleep on this thing. With the perfect boosting move in Dragon Dance, powerful dual STAB in Flare Blitz and Outrage and an ability that boo꧋sts their power further, this thing iꦆs a huge physical threat.

14 Worst: Druddigon

Firstly, just look at this damn thing. What is that coloring? Was Druddigon designed by Lego? Is it made of freakiꦦng Leg🦋o? It looks like an odd Frankenstein-ish combination of body parts left over from things that didn’t suck. It’s alive! It’s alive!

Meeting Druddigon for the first time is like a disastrous blind date. You see him/her, they look like they’ve been pummelled in the face with the ugly stick after falling out of the ugly tree on the muddy, muddy, ugly ground, but they might have an awesome personality. You get to talking, and they pu﷽ll you closer, whispering in your earཧ that they’re a serial killer and they’ve got a collection of decapitated heads in the trunk of their car.

In short: Druddigon looks like crap, and its stats are crapper. It has a r🐼easonable attack and sees use in the lower tiers, but that🍷’s as far as it goes.

13 Best: Zygarde (Complete Forme)

Zygarde was utterly insignificant in its Pokémon X and Y debut, as you’ll see in the next entry. Sun and Moon threw the poor guy a bone, though, in the shape of that w♛hole cell collecting mini game. If you were wondering why the Alola region was dotted with odd little green sparkling specks, Zygarde was the reason💧.

If you were able to collect all of the pieces, you could craft yourself (it’s all very scientific) a Zygarde with the Power Construct ability. When its health goes below 50% in battle, it will become its true ‘complete’ form. It’s not an offensive powerhouse, as such, but it’s really damn tanky. Its HP stat is titanic, way be✨yond even Blissey’s, and it looks like a Grade A badass.

12 Worst: Zygarde (Regular, 50% Forme)

Pokémon X and Y’s vanilla Zygarde, on the other hand, was all kinds of a disappointment. The third and final Dragon/Ground type in existence, this thing appeared near the end of the game. It arrived in tandem with the other members of its trio, Xerneas and Yveltal, but couldn’t 𓆏hold a candle to them. Not even a sad little match, come to that.

Regular Zygarde’s issue is one that a lot of Pokémon have. Its stats aren’t bad at all, usable across the bo🧔ard and allowing it to perform a variety of roles, but t𝔉hey’re not specialized enough as a result. This means there’ll almost always be something that does what it’s currently doing much better, so it’s generally left on the sidelines. Poor guy.

11 Best: Hydreigon

Granted, Hydreigon’s taken quite a hit in the last couple years. The introduction of the Fairy type has sent it scurrying off into counseling, gibbering about Moonblasts and cutesy pink creatures who want to crush its face into spam. It is, after all, one of only two Dragon🍃 Pokémon with a secondary Dark typing, leaving it 4x weak to Fairy moves.

Its ꩵusage has taken a real hit, but don’t ever doubt Hydreigon’s ability to pose a threat. A very heavy hitter on the special side, Hydreigon has long specialized in hit-and-run nuking w๊ith Draco Meteor. Its speed is just a couple of points lower than the likes of Garchomp, which can be quickly fixed with a Choice Scarf, playing into Hydreigon’s in-and-out style. This thing’s got three heads, and they all hate you.

10 Worst: Turtonator

I really don’t quite know what to make 🦄of Turtonator. Another Fire/Dragon, alongside Mega Charizard X and the legendary Reshiram, this guy’s in stellar company. Sadly, though, there’s always someon💜e who lets the side down.

Conceptually, Turtonator is quite a neat idea. Its name is a play on Terminator, and I can always appreciate a sly Arnold Schwarzenegger reference. Its design is a little shonky, but I guess we’ll have to let that slide. It’s interesting, at least. The real issue here is thꦑat it’s so statistically mediocre. It’s slower than grandma’s mobility scooter, and doesn’t have the raw power or the bulk to serve well as a Trick Room sweeper. Its physical defense is impressive🎉, but it doesn’t have the HP to use it properly, and is weak to common, almost-exclusively-physical types like Ground and Rock. Suck-amundo.

9 Best: Mega Rayquaza

Rayquaza was already a real powerhouse, banished to Ubers matches by competitive authority Smogon. There, it served as a glass cannon, lacking a little in🍰 defense but boasting great mixed offenses and neat and rare moves like Extreme Speed and V-Create. This wasn’t enough for Game Freak, though, who decided to di♒al it up to eleven by giving it a Mega form.

Mega Rayquaza’s attacking stats are among the highest in the entire game, but even that wasn’t enough. This is the only Mega that doesn’t have to hold a Mega Stone to transform; requiring only the move Dragon Ascent. This allows it to hold something to boost its damage output even further, when we were already talking Godzilla-in🌊-Tokyo levels of motherfreakin’ rampage and destruction.

8 Worst: Tyrantrum

Don’t get me wrong. I do kind of dig Tyrantrum. As a lifelong dinosaur nerd, a Tyrannosaurus Rex Pokémon makes me feel all warm and fuzzy in my happy parts. I like what they did with its design, and I’m always a fan of꧑ unusual and exclusive new type combinations too. Rock Dragon? Sure, I can get on board with that.

This is one of my favorite Fossil Pokémon, there’s n﷽o doubt about that. The sad fact is, however, you’ll rarely see it in competitive play, because it can be so damn awkward to use. As a Rock type, Tyrantrum brings a lot of common weaknesses to the table which restricts its ability to perform. It’s also stuck in that utterly meh speed tier, which leaves it too fast for Trick Room and too slow without it.

7 Best: Alolan Exeggutor

As I say, I’m a huge fan of unusual type combinations. As such, this one was a💦 real coin flip between Mega Sceptile and Alolan Exeggutor, the pair being Pokémon’s only Grass/Dragons. Alolan Exeggutor won the day, though, mostly on the strength of how beautifully ridiculous it looks. If you’ve ever used one in battle and laughed like hell when you saw that its head doesn’t even fit on the damn screen, you’ll understand.

While Mega Sceptile is a super fast, special-oriented sweeper, the 35 feet tall Alola form of Exeggutor is the inverse of that. It’s super slow, and relatively tanky, with decent offenses on 🍃both sides. It’s really fun to use, and its signature move Dragon Hammer has been amusing me far too much since I first saw it in action in that trailer.

6 Worst: Guzzlord

The Ultra Beasts, stars of Sun and Moon’s endgame, are an odd bunch. Characterized by base stats that are all over the darn place, they tend to fit very specific roles perfectly and fail tremendously at everything else. The tiny and unas🦋suming origami warrior Kartana, for instance, has huge Attack, but can barely take a neutral special attack.

Guzzlord is the exception to this, really. It has a stat spread similar to Hariyama’s, with HP out the wazzoo which is offset by really low defenses. It’s no great shakes when it comes to🔯 taking hits, but its slow speed means that it’ll have to. It isn’t all that powerful either, making it✨ difficult to find a place for this thing in a team. Add in the problems that come with being a Dark/Dragon, and it’s not looking good for Guzzlord.