Dratini

Lance, Clair and Dratini's anime debut

Its line connects to the series' best known Dragon Trainers: Dragonite is the signature Pokémon of Lance, a Kanto Elite Four member in Red and Blue and Johto's Champion in Gold and Silver, and Clair, the Blackthorn City Gym Leader, raised a Dratini into Dragonair in the anime.

Dratini's anime debut came in a Safari Zone episode of the original series that was never broadcast in English, so its first dubbed appearance was Clair's Dratini, which evolved into Dragonair at the end of the episode. Off screen, a species of parasitic nematode, Hedruris dratini, was named after it.

Dratini on cards: Base Set to Dragon Vault

Dratini's first card is a 1999 Base Set uncommon illustrated by Ken Sugimori. Our catalog lists 31 Dratini printings across 25 sets, most of them commons, with the Sun & Moon (8), WOTC (7) and EX (6) eras contributing the most.

Gym Heroes (2000) printed Erika's Dratini, placing it on the team of Celadon City's Grass-type Gym Leader. Dragon Frontiers (2006) gave it Dratini δ, a Delta Species card that prints it as a Grass type. Dragon Vault (2012), a special set made up only of Dragon type Pokémon, included two different Dratini cards, by Masakazu Fukuda and Naoki Saito.

Cards to know

• Dratini (Base Set #26)

  Dratini's first card, a 1999 uncommon illustrated by Ken Sugimori.

• Erika's Dratini (Gym Heroes #42)

  A 2000 Gym Heroes card placing Dratini on the team of Erika, Celadon City's Grass-type Gym Leader.

• Dratini δ (Dragon Frontiers #46)

  A 2006 Delta Species card that prints Dratini as a Grass type.

• Dratini (Dragon Vault #1)

  One of two Dratini in Dragon Vault (2012), a special set made up only of Dragon type Pokémon.