The dragon archetype is arguably one of the weakest archetypes in the Pokémon TCG, perhaps only rivaled by the colorless archetype. One of the main reasons for their weakness has to be the large amount of space they take up in decks, as they mostly use energies that belong to other archetypes since there isn't a specific energy card dedicated to that specific type. While the introduction of the Double Dragon Energy card somewhat alleviated this inconvenience, decks still need to make room for Energy cards that could have been better filled with useful trainers or Pokemon.
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In addition, this archetype is one of thePokémonFranchise is also weak against certain Pokémon types, like the Fairy type, while still doing significantly less damage than cards from other archetypes. But that cannot be denied eitherPowerful Pokémon with the Water archetypeor thepsychic archetypethe dragon-type also has some useful and powerful pocket monsters to brag about. These can safely be considered the most powerful Dragon-type Pokemon to exist in the PTCG.
Kommo-o GX
Ironically, while Kommo-o GX is one of the worst cards out there in PTCG, it's one of the strongest the dragon archetype has. With a HP of 240, this Pokémon's base is pretty low for a level 2 GX-series Pokémon. However, considering Dragon-type cards, it's actually quite good. With three attacks in Adamantine Press, Shred, and Ultra Uppercut GX, Kommo-o GX almost scratches the mark as a decent Dragon-type Pokémon.
While Adamantine Press is relatively useful, dealing 30 damage and reducing damage taken by 30 on the opponent's next turn, Shred is downright uneconomical for the 130 damage it deals. The only good thing about this card is its Ultra Uppercut GX, which deals a massive 240 damage but unfortunately can only be used once during the game and therefore needs to be timed perfectly.
Haxorus
Part of the BREAKthrough expansion, Haxorus is a card that lives up to the dragon archetype. Having a unique attack called Dragon Dance that, for the cost of 1 Colorless, boosts all Haxorus attacks with 100 more damage while the Pokemon is in the active slot.
With that in play, attacks like Sharp Fang, which only costs 1 Colorless, and Dragon Pulse, which only costs 1 Fighting and 1 Steel, suddenly become incredibly powerful. However, Dragon Pulse costs the player to discard 3 cards from the top of their deck, but this can be remedied by using rescue support cards like Super Rod, Rescue Stretcher, and VS Seeker.
Noivern GX
Noivern GX is a useful Dragon-type card to have in your deck because of its ability to block Item cards and special Energy cards. This helps disrupt your opponent's gameplay and setup options thanks to his Distort and Sonic Volume attacks. While Distort also deals 50 damage for the cost of 1 Dark and 1 Colorless, Sonic Volume deals 120 damage for the cost of an additional Psychic Energy.
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Boomburst GX, on the other hand, is a nifty move that belongs to this Burning Shadows expansion card, as it helps deal even 50 damage to each of the opponent's Pokemon. With 200 HP, Noivern GX takes up considerable land for a Stage 1 GX Pokémon.
Reschiram
Reshiram is a Basic Pokémon from the Roaring Skies expansion, used primarily for its Turboblaze Ability and 130 HP portfolio. His secondary attack, Bright Wing, is very expensive as it only deals 110 damage and costs the player an additional Fire energy as recoil damage.
Turboblaze, on the other hand, allows players to set up Pokemon easily, especially when using Reshiram in combination with power boosters like Professor's Letter or Starmie. Turboblaze only works when Reshiram is in the active slot.
Ultra-Necrozma GX
Ultra Necrozma GX is a useful card that belongs to the Forbidden Light expansion and is mainly used for its Photon Geyser attack that requires 1 Psychic and 1 Colorless Energy. While this attack deals base damage of 20, as a prerequisite for this turn, it can deal an additional 80 damage to all Psychic Energy discarded from this card. Combined with cards like Choice Band or Beast Energy, this card is capable of dealing enough damage to the opponent's Pokemon and creating two-hit knockout scenarios.
Its other attack, Sky Scorching Light, which costs the same as Photon Geyser, can only be used when the total number of Prize cards in the player's and opponent's hands is six or fewer. This attack deals 60 damage evenly for each Pokémon owned by the opponent.
Latio EX
Latios EX, part of the Roaring Skies expansion, is a unique card in the PTCG that can deal up to 90 damage in the first turn of the game; awarded to the player, play begins first after the coin toss. Its Fast Raid attack, which only requires 1 Psychic Energy, deals a base damage of 40, which when supplemented with cards like Professor Kukui and Choice Band can reach 90; all in the first round.
This is incredibly useful for taking down basic-form Pokemon like Oddish, Rowlet, and Froakie, which when evolved can be a nuisance to the player. Its other Light Pulse attack requires a variety of 1-Water, 1-Colorless, and 2-Psychic, and in addition to dealing 110 damage, protects the player from all of the opposing Pokemon's effects except damage during its next attack.
Salamence EX
Salamence EX used to be an extremely powerful card in PTCG when EX cards dominated decks, but it's become somewhat obsolete with the rise of the GX series. Due to the fact that many mega decks still rely heavily on EX cards, this card's Beastly Fang, which costs 1 Fire and 1DCE, is still extremely useful and deals 10 base damage plus an additional 50 damage for each EX Pokémon the opponent has.
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He also has another useful attack in Dragon Strike that can do 130 damage for the cost of 1 Water, 1 Fire, and 1 DCE. However, Dragon Strike once used cannot be used in the following turn.
Dragonita
Dragonite from Roaring Skies is a really powerful and deadly card that can end the game quickly thanks to its Heavy Impact attack for 150 damage that costs 3 grams, 1 Electro and 1 Colorless. Combined with cards like Professor Kukui and Choice Band, Dragonite can deal up to 200 damage with Heavy Impact, which is enough to create one-hit KO scenarios for most Stage 1 and Basic EX and GX Pokémon.
Along with the Delta Plus Ancient Trait, it can give the player an additional Prize card for each opposing Pokemon that is knocked out. So theoretically, if the KO Pokémon is a GX or EX Pokémon, the player can win the match in two attacks.
Hydreigon EX
It's a sad but true fact that Dragon-type cards in PTCG are weak when it comes to making successful combos. As such, these cards require a simple move between the workbench and the active slot. Hydreigon EX, a Basic Pokémon from the Roaring Skies expansion, facilitates just that, being a useful and powerful support for Dragon-type cards.
With its Dragon Road Ability, it lowers the Knockback cost of all of the player's Dragon-type Pokémon by two, making Knockback available at the cost of one or no Energy card. It also has an attack on Shred, but its low damage makes it pretty much useless.
Giratina EX
For the same reasons that make the Dragon archetype weak, Giratina EX is probably the strongest Dragon-type card in the PTCG. Giratina EX is an extremely powerful support card and can be a nightmare for Mega-based decks.
With its Renegade Pulse Ability, it can negate all effects and damage done to Giratina EX by opposing Mega-Pokemon. It also has the useful Chaos Wheel attack, which does 100 damage for the cost of 1 DCE, 1 Grass, and 1 Psycho and prevents the opponent from using Stadium, Tool, or Special Energy cards during their next turn.
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