Drapion Weakness: Ground Only, Earthquake and Top Counters

As a player-coach who’s battled and teambuilt for 12+ years, here’s the no-spin answer you came for: the drapion weakness is Ground. Only Ground. If you want fast wins, use Ground-type moves like Earthquake. That’s the key type matchup, the main counter. Everything else is noise.

What makes Drapion tricky (and why you keep losing to it)

I’ve always found that Drapion looks like it should fall to Psychic or Fairy or even Bug. Nope. It’s Poison/Dark, which means it’s immune to Psychic, resists Grass, Ghost, Dark, and even Fairy, and it shrugs off a lot of chip. In my experience, newer players waste turns on cute ideas. Don’t. Bring Ground. Hit it hard. Move on.

Give me the TL;DR in one breath

• Weakness: Ground (2x). That’s it.
• Neutral to: Fighting, Bug, Fairy, Rock, Water, Ice, Fire, Electric, etc.
• Resists: Grass, Poison, Ghost, Dark, Fairy.
• Immune to: Psychic (does zero).
• Best counters: Fast Ground attackers or bulky Ground walls.

If you want the official typing and flavor, I poke the Drapion Pokédex page from time to time. Nice art. Still allergic to Ground.

Ground moves that slap

• Earthquake – classic, strong, ends the drama.
• High Horsepower – a little less fancy, still hurts.
• Drill Run – good coverage on faster mons.
• Earth Power – special option for your mages with dirt magic.
• Mud Shot / Bulldoze – set up pressure, stack speed or chip.

Common mistakes I see all the time

• Using Psychic: Dark says “nope.” Completely immune. Feels bad every time.
• Spamming Fairy: looks smart, actually resisted. Half damage. Ouch.
• Bug and Fighting spam: they cancel out vs Poison/Dark, so just neutral.
• Bringing walls that can’t threaten Ground: you’ll get Toxic Spiked, Knocked Off, and worn down.

When I teach newer players, I compare type reads to old-school arcade games. You learn patterns, then you press the right button. For Drapion, the button is Ground. That’s the pattern. Keep pressing.

How Drapion fights back (so you don’t get blindsided)

Drapion isn’t just a wall. I’ve seen it run Swords Dance, Choice Scarf, Assault Vest, and even Scope Lens with Sniper for nasty crit sets. It can carry coverage like Ice Fang or Aqua Tail, which hits your Ground counters harder than you expect. So, yes, you can bring Landorus or Garchomp or Great Tusk—but watch for Aqua Tail chips and random item tricks.

From a pure matchup view, the old reliable type chart is your best friend. Study the pattern once, beat it forever.

Best Ground counters by role

• Bulky breakers: Garchomp, Great Tusk, Ting-Lu. They tank and smack.
• Fast cleaners: Excadrill (in sand), Iron Treads with utility, Mamoswine (riskier vs Aqua Tail).
• Special options: Nidoking with Earth Power (glassier), Gastrodon if you want to be stubborn and slow and still win.

Mini table: Who to bring and what they do

Counter	Core Move	Why It Works	Watch Out For
Garchomp	Earthquake	Bulky, fast, hits like a truck	Ice Fang crits, surprise Toxic
Great Tusk	Headlong Rush	Massive damage, great bulk	Defense drops, chip from hazards
Excadrill	Earthquake / Drill Run	Speed in sand, pressure with Steel STAB	Aqua Tail, burn from random status
Nidoking	Earth Power	Special Ground, flexible coverage	Not super bulky, watch positioning
Ting-Lu	Earthquake	Soaks hits, sets hazards, wins slow games	Taunt, Knock Off from Drapion

Singles vs Doubles: Small shifts that matter

Singles (ladder, tour play)

In singles, I’ve always found Drapion to be a glue piece: Knock Off, Toxic Spikes, Taunt, and a tech coverage move. It annoys your team until you crack it with Ground pressure or force it into bad trades. Bring a Ground that doesn’t mind losing its item, and keep hazards under control.

Doubles (and why speed control wins)

In doubles, it’s about turn order. Pair Ground threats with speed control—Tailwind, Icy Wind, or even Thunder Wave on a partner. Force Drapion to move last, then delete it. I’ve won too many games by keeping things simple. Don’t overthink it. If you can’t outspeed, bulk up and trade once.

There’s a fun culture angle here too. People love edgy scorpion designs, and the community sometimes overhypes the menace. I poke at that in my posts on gaming culture all the time—style is cool, but type math still wins.

Pokemon GO notes (because someone will ask)

In GO, I treat Drapion like a mid-tempo tank with annoying moves. Ground-type attackers like Garchomp and Rhyperior do the job. Mud-Slap and Earthquake are your friends. Watch for Crunch and Aqua Tail spam. Shield once, line up your Ground nuke, and boom.

Speed tips that actually help

• Lead with Ground pressure if you see Drapion in team preview.
• Don’t toss Psychic at it. Ever. That’s a throw.
• Keep hazards in mind—Toxic Spikes can ruin your pivot plan.
• Remove its item early. No Black Sludge, no fun.

Design-wise, Drapion’s a cool case study. Big silhouette, clear theme, memorable moves. I’ve written about these patterns in lessons in character design, and Drapion nails the “danger at a glance” look. But again—Ground still wins. Beauty loses to math.

Little myths I keep hearing (and why they’re wrong)

• “Fairy beats Dark, so Fairy beats Drapion!” Nope—Poison resists Fairy, so it’s a wash.
• “Psychic is great vs Poison.” Drapion’s Dark type says no, full stop.
• “Steel walls it.” Sort of, but not a plan. You still have to deal real damage back.
• “I can stall it forever.” Until Knock Off and poison wear you down.

When I map matchups, I think like a strategist more than a fan. That’s why I adore long-form breakdowns like this piece on retro meets strategy—simple rules, sharp choices, and decisive hits. Drapion is the same story. Clear problem, clear fix.

Team building mini-guides

If your team is fast offense

• Use a Ground scarf user or priority chip + Ground nuke.
• Carry one hazard remover so your Ground doesn’t get worn down.

If your team is balance

• Slot a bulky Ground (Ting-Lu, Gastrodon) and a Knock Off absorber.
• Have a secondary plan if Drapion carries Aqua Tail.

If your team is stall (you brave soul)

• Stack resists and bring a Ground that can heal or rest.
• Don’t let Toxic Spikes spiral. Clear them fast.

I test a lot of off-meta teams and even dabble in indie battles when I want to study AI habits. The lesson transfers: target the one clean weakness, apply pressure early, and don’t click moves that do nothing.

The one-liner people forget

I’ll say it again without flair: Ground beats Drapion. If your plan doesn’t include Ground damage, it’s not a plan. It’s a vibe. Vibes don’t win games.

If you like lists and catalogs, I poke through the big Pokémon list sometimes to remind myself which Ground users are legal in a given format. Helps avoid those “oh right, it’s banned” moments.

Quick comparison table (type interactions)

Attack Type vs Drapion	Effect	Notes
Ground	Super effective (2x)	Your win button
Psychic	No effect	Dark immunity—don’t click it
Fairy	Not very effective (0.5x)	Poison resists Fairy
Bug / Fighting	Neutral (1x)	Strength vs Dark canceled by Poison
Grass, Poison, Ghost, Dark	Not very effective (0.5x)	Don’t rely on these

If you love the meta history and the way it shapes play, the posts under arcade games remind me how “learn the pattern, then punish” never gets old. Same principle, different cabinet. And yes, I did just double back to this angle because it’s how my brain works when I teach.

Sometimes I rant about over-designed metas and goofy mind games. You’ll catch that mood in my pieces on gaming culture. Drapion gets blamed for a lot, but honestly, it’s fair. You know the answer. Bring Ground and stop role-playing a mind reader.

If you want a single, short bookmark: the drapion weakness is Ground. Put Earthquake on something that can take a hit. If you can’t, pick another win path. That’s the whole trick. It’s not even a trick.

FAQs

• Is Drapion weak to Fairy? No. Poison resists Fairy, so it’s actually bad into Drapion.
• Why doesn’t Psychic work? Dark type makes Drapion immune to Psychic. Zero damage. It’s not a bug, it’s the rule.
• What Ground move should I use first? Earthquake if you’ve got it. If not, Earth Power, Headlong Rush, or Drill Run.
• What if Drapion has Aqua Tail? Then don’t feed it your Ground sweeper for free. Chip first or outspeed and KO.
• Can I beat Drapion without Ground? Sure, but it’s harder. Use big neutral hits, status, and item control. Ground is just easier.

Anyway, that’s me done for now. Go click Earthquake and pretend it was rocket science.