Dragonite Dominance: Top 5 Psychic Terrain Sweepers in Pokemon Violet

## Dragonite & Psychic Terrain: A Winning Combo in Pokemon Violet

Dragonite, the OG pseudo-legendary Dragon-type, remains a powerhouse in Pokemon Violet. While its Dragon/Flying typing presents challenges, its incredible Attack stat and diverse movepool allow it to excel under the right conditions. One such condition is Psychic Terrain, offering boosted Psychic-type moves and preventing priority moves. This guide ranks the top 5 Psychic-type Pokemon that synergize exceptionally well with Dragonite to create a formidable team in Pokemon Violet.

**Why Psychic Terrain with Dragonite?**

* **Protect Dragonite:** Psychic Terrain blocks priority moves like Sucker Punch and Extreme Speed, which often target Dragonite's weaknesses.

* **Boost Psychic Offense:** Amp up the damage output of your Psychic-type sweeper.

* **Disrupt Opponents:** Psychic Terrain can catch opponents off guard and disrupt their strategies, forcing switches and creating opportunities for Dragonite to set up.

**Tier List: Top 5 Psychic Terrain Setters & Sweepers for Dragonite in Pokemon Violet**

This tier list focuses on the Pokemon's ability to effectively set up Psychic Terrain, provide offensive pressure, and synergize with Dragonite's strengths and weaknesses.

**S-Tier: The Unstoppable Duo**

1. **Indeedee-F:**

* **Ability:** Psychic Surge (Automatically sets Psychic Terrain upon entry).

* **Movepool:** Expanding Force, Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Protect, Helping Hand.

* **Synergy:** Perfect lead for immediately establishing Psychic Terrain. Expanding Force becomes a devastating spread move, and Helping Hand further boosts Dragonite's attacks. Female Indeedee also gets access to Heal Pulse to patch up Dragonite.


**A-Tier: Excellent Support & Offense**

2. **Armarouge:**

* **Ability:** Flash Fire (Neutralizes Fire-type attacks)

* **Movepool:** Armor Cannon, Psychic, Expanding Force, Aura Sphere, Psychic Terrain.

* **Synergy:** A powerful special attacker with access to Psychic Terrain. Armor Cannon provides coverage, and its Flash Fire ability covers one of Dragonite's weaknesses. Armarouge is a great choice if you prefer more offensive presence from your Terrain setter.


3. **Farigiraf:**

* **Ability:** Armor Tail (Prevents the opponent from using priority moves)

* **Movepool:** Psychic, Trick Room, Dazzling Gleam, Thunderbolt, Psychic Terrain, Shadow Ball

* **Synergy:** Access to Psychic Terrain and great bulk. Excellent Trick Room setter to allow Dragonite to outspeed faster threats. Its ability also grants Dragonite some protection from priority.


**B-Tier: Solid Choices with Specific Niches**

4. **Gardevoir:**

* **Ability:** Trace (Copies opponent's ability).

* **Movepool:** Psychic, Moonblast, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Psychic Terrain.

* **Synergy:** A reliable special attacker with access to Psychic Terrain. Trace can be useful for stealing beneficial abilities from opponents. However, it is more frail compared to other options.


5. **Espathra:**

* **Ability:** Opportunist (If an opponent boosts a stat, Espathra boosts the same stat).

* **Movepool:** Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Shadow Ball, Protect, Psychic Terrain, Lumina Crash.

* **Synergy:** High speed and access to Psychic Terrain. Opportunist can punish setup strategies. Lumina Crash is also very useful. Can be a bit frail.


**Building Your Dragonite & Psychic Team:**

1. **Choose Your Terrain Setter:** Indeedee-F is generally the best, but consider Armarouge for more offensive pressure.

2. **Dragonite's Role:** Decide if Dragonite will be a physical attacker (Dragon Dance, Outrage, Earthquake, Extreme Speed) or a special attacker (Draco Meteor, Hurricane, Fire Blast, Thunder). Dragon Dance sets are more common.

3. **Type Coverage:** Ensure your team has coverage for Dragonite's weaknesses (Ice, Rock, Dragon, Fairy). Steel, Fire, Water, and Electric types are all great considerations.

4. **Support Options:** Consider adding Pokemon with support moves like Tailwind, Wide Guard, or Fake Out to further enhance your team's effectiveness.

**Example Team Composition:**

* Indeedee-F (Psychic Terrain, Expanding Force, Helping Hand, Protect)

* Dragonite (Dragon Dance, Outrage, Earthquake, Extreme Speed)

* Heatran (Flash Fire, Lava Plume, Earth Power, Protect) - Covers Dragonite's Fire weakness and provides offensive pressure.

* Gyarados (Intimidate, Waterfall, Ice Fang, Protect) - Intimidate support and checks Rock types.

* Amoonguss (Regenerator, Spore, Rage Powder, Clear Smog) - Spore support, redirect damage, and clear stat boosts.

* Iron Hands (Tera Fighting, Belly Drum, Drain Punch, Thunder Punch) - Late-game cleaner that punishes opponents with priority. Tera Fighting boosts Drain Punch for extreme sustain.

**Conclusion:**

Psychic Terrain is a powerful strategy that can significantly improve Dragonite's performance in Pokemon Violet. By carefully selecting your Psychic-type partner and building a well-rounded team, you can dominate the competitive scene. Remember to adapt your strategy to the changing meta and experiment with different team compositions to find what works best for you.

What are your favorite Dragonite team compositions in Pokemon Violet?

Interesting take! I always thought Dragonite preferred more offensive support like screens or Tailwind. I'm curious, have you tried this strategy in ranked battles?