The Masters Eight is essentially comprised of the best of the best, as over 10,000 trainers entered the World Coronation Series to determine their rank, making it one of the largest tournaments inPokemonhistory. To make it to the top takes hard work and dedication, and apparently, also dragons. As the competition begins to draw to an end and a new Monarch is potentially determined, fans begin to question whether this tournament will truly determine which Pokemon trainer is the best of them all, or if it is merely a battle of the beasts? Seven of the Masters Eight have their Dragon-Type companions to thank for their success and there seem to be many sagacious scales in store for the finalists' lineup inPokemon Journeys.
Taking a closer look at each of the Masters Eight Pokemon teams provides clear evidence that the World Coronation finalists are quite fond of Dragon-Type Pokemon, with Steven Stone being the only member to have not introduced one to his team (yet). During an official Masters Eight battle, each trainer may call upon three Pokemon to fend for their honor, as opposed to the two permitted in lower-ranking matches. With specific reference to Dragon-Type Pokemon, here is a breakdown of each of the Masters Eight’s options along with the perfect counter types.
Charizard and Dragapult
Charizard X, Dragonite, Gyarados, Dragonair, Altaria, Salamence, Garchomp and Kingdra
Garchomp and Kommo-o
Glaceon and Togekiss
Charizard and Gible
Dragonite and Dracovish
None
If almost all the top trainers havea Dragon-Type Pokemonto thank for their successful ascension through the ranks of the World Coronation Series, then it is safe to assume that dragons are the dominant species in thePokemonfranchise. If this were not the case, then there would surely be more variety in the expected line-up forPokemon Ultimate Journeysas the winner of the renowned competition is finalized and the true Monarch is determined. Not only do most members of the Masters Eight have a robust dragon or two on their team but, for many of them, their Dragon-Type Pokemon is their star performer.
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Generally speaking, Dragon-Type Pokemon are only weak to three things: Fairy-, Ice-, and other Dragon-Types. Now, this may not seem like a severe advantage because most Pokemon are weak to three types or less, however, Fairy-Type Pokemon are considered to beone of the rarest speciesin the franchise, with only around 60 varieties in existence as of 2022 and therefore making up about 6% of the population.Ice-Type Pokemon are even more scarce, sitting around the 5% mark, so finding a teammate that is ideally suited to take on these dragons is not as easy as one may think.
Affecting Pokemon Battles
One of the most inconvenient things about Dragon-type Pokemon is that they are also weak against other dragons and therefore usually need to be matched up with, well, almost anyone else. In most cases, competing dragons would be easy to avoid; although there have been some memorable wyvern battles in the past, and apparently a lot more in store for the future! Seeing that so many of the Masters Eightpossess a Dragon-Type Pokemon, with two trainers who work exclusively with the scaled creatures, it seems that the winner of the World Coronation Series will be the trainer who best tackles this extensive dragon-on-dragon action.
As it stands inPokemon Journeys(as of episode 92) only three members of the Masters Eight have Fairy Type Pokemon and Cynthia and Alain are the only ones with an Ice-Type on their team, so how do the others plan on countering all the dragons on their horizons? Ash may have the upper hand with his revitalized fossil Pokemon, Dracovish, which may be a Dragon-Type but has the added bonus of an Ice Fang attack. Similarly, Lance’sKingdra also has access to several ice movesin its arsenal, potentially making this Water/Dragon Type Pokemon his ideal secret weapon. Cynthia could make use of her Gastrodon’s and Milotic’s frosty powers, who would likely be added to a team consisting of Glaceon and Togekiss, the perfect Dragon-Type counters.
Most Anticipated Match-Ups
Unless some drastic changes are made to each of the Masters Eight Pokemon teams, it seems inevitable that there will be several dragon vs dragon matches for the future battles of the World Coronation Series' finalists. Some of these Pokemon will be rekindling old rivalries, having faced off in the past and eager to redeem their titles.Most notably is Iris’Dragonite, who has earned the stature of being the strongest one of his kind, and Leon’s Charizard who is a prestigious Pokemon in his own right.
Ash’s Dragonite and Lance’s Charizard X have also earned themselves quite the reputation, and it is safe to say that Leon would not likely be the Monarch of the Masters Eight today if he did not have Charizard at his side, hard at work ensuring their winning streak remains intact. There is always the possibility that Ash could summon his old friend, Charizard, back to his side, however, as much as fans love to see these two reunited, it may be a bit overkill to have three of these majestic creatures in play for the final showdown.
Another interesting battle would definitely be between the two Dragon Masters, Iris and Lance, whose match-up will be the ultimate battle of the beasts as their true knowledge of all-things-dragon will be put to the test. Taking a peek into the past, Lance has proven himself to be the superior Dragon-Type trainer when he defeated his cousin,Clair, the Gym Leader of Blackthorn Cityand fellow dragon enthusiast. Iris, however, was not as lucky when she battled against the Gym Leader in “The Road to Dragon Master!”, but this was many moons ago inPokemon Black & Whiteand the young girl and her companions have gained much experience since then. If Lance and Iris do go head-to-head, it will undoubtedly be a battle for the history books, as the ultimate Dragon Master is determined once and for all.
