Requested by: TheRainbowSylveon 

   Since I haven't been playing in RU for a long time, I don't really know what it can do in RU, but what I do know is that this Pokemon can be pretty scary if it wants to. It's typing is rather excellent, with it's only weakness being Ground type moves. Although, in my personal opinion, Alolan Muk takes it a step further and does it a bit better with it's bulk and physical attack. Which is the reason why Alolan Muk is one tier higher than Drapion, in UU. But since we're not here to talk about Alolan Muk, we'll put that topic to rest and come back to Drapion. Drapion's about as fast as a Kyurem and Tapu Lele,  with a speed stat of 95, and maxes out at 317 with the right nature(Jolly, preferably) and full investment in both EVs as well as IVs. It's coverage isn't too bad either, with Aqua Tail and Ice Fang in it's arsenal, the former having a place on one of Drapion's sets with Waterium Z. 

   I think that Drapion is an alright Pokemon to have on your team in RU, and Pokemon that it has a lot of trouble with are notably Nidoqueen and Flygon, and Pokemon who can use set up moves to outspeed and overpower it. Although, it has a good movepool with ok coverage, Drapion has the amazing move Knock Off, which can really cripple any defensive wall as it can take away their one source of recovery - a Black Sludge or Leftovers. Even though Knock Off is resisted by Fairy type Pokemon, it still gets rid of their item, and Drapion also has the option of firing off a Poison Jab to hit them super effectively. For Steel types, Drapion can crack the ground underneath them with the move Earthquake, hitting them for major damage. If facing Bronzong, all Drapion has to do is click Knock Off, but another option that Drapion has is to click the move Pursuit to hit Bronzong for triple damage when a predicted switch has come. Drapion also has the move Aqua Tail to hit any ground types that can take most of what it can dish out, including EQ. This, combined with a Waterium Z and the move Swords Dance to boost Drapion's power can knock out a Rhyperior with the ability Solid Rock who is meant to be a tank. This can also do a lot of damage to Mega Steelix if you've played your cards right during the match! If you remember from the Ash Vs Paul battle, Drapion is able to learn Toxic Spikes, and can badly poison the opposing team with 2 layers up, but the downside is they're able to be absorbed by grounded Poison types and can be gotten rid of by Defog or Rapid Spin.  

   Threats to Drapion include the aforementioned Flygon and Nidoqueen, Mega Steelix, Zygarde 10%, Pokemon who can outspeed and revenge kill it, and as stated by the Smogon website - Unaware Pokemon. Let's start with Nidoqueen, who certainly doesn't have enough grit to take out Drapion since it's not fast enough, hitting a max speed total of 276. If Nidoqueen can take one unboosted hit from Drapion, it can go for an Earth Power and make it fly into a saber made of rock with the light blinding it as Drapion goes down. An offensive Nidoqueen, according to damage calcs, can't take Hydro Vortex but can survive an Aqua Tail, and go for an guaranteed OHKO with Earth Power boosted by Sheer Force and Life Orb(the recoil is negated by Sheer Force).  However, a defensive Nidoqueen has it a bit easier, but on the downside Drapion will be able to survive on a sliver of health. 

      Drapion also hates getting burned, as it is a physical attacker, so the damage it does to the team depends on it's attack stat as well as it's speed stat(if Sticky Webs are up) or if it can get up a layer of Toxic Spikes after getting rid of their potential Poison type. Zygarde 10% is no doubt the fastest one of the bunch, but this also means it's a glass cannon with little defense, so it should be easy to dispatch it by utilizing the synergy of your team if you've prepared for it. Otherwise, watch out for it's Dragon Dances, and it loves to use that move to get the upper hand unless there's a move like Ice Shard on the team. Thousand Arrows and Outrage can really give the team a hard time. Mega Steelix is very bulky on the physical side, but it's weak spot is it's special defense, and can slam into your team with ease with Heavy Slams or hit them hard with an Earthquake. 

   Apparently, Pokemon with the Unaware ability can engage with battle Drapion with relative ease like a seasoned player of MMX6 who knows what they're doing! I can't believe I forgot about how Unaware just ignores things like Taunt and stat boosts:) So Pokemon like Quagsire or Pyukumuku are able to take it on easily. Quagsire has Scald and Earthquake to hit Drapion with. Pyukumuku can spit up it's guts when low on health and use Counter to use it's own power against it, then use Recover to gain some needed HP back. Drapion can still poison them via T Spikes or going for the slight 30% chance to poison with Poison Jab, and knock off their items. Flygon is also a glass cannon like Zygarde 10%, but the difference between it is that it gets Fire Punch, a better alternative than Iron Tail for coverage against Ice types, while EQ can hit the fairy types. Drapion can't do much against Flygon with Aqua Tail not doing enough damage, it having an immunity to Ground type moves, plus it resisting Poison Jab and not being able to be poisoned by Toxic Spikes. Ice Fang could be used, but then a moveslot would have to be sacrficed for that over a move like Aqua Tail or Earthquake. 

    All in all, my personal take on Drapion is that it's kind of eh, but it's got some things going for it like having a great typing and good moves. It's role in any battle is up in the air since there are so many prominent powerful ground types and a few good Mega Evolutions in the tier. Plus, it doesn't do well against Pokemon that go over it's speed stat of 95, and it's abilities are alright, but I'd choose sniper just because it allows for more critical hits. Being burned cripples it like most physical attackers, and that can matter a lot, but it can also set up Toxic Spikes. Pokemon who can heal status ailments, break through walls that it can't,and cover it's weaknesses are great team members. As per usual, more information can be found here at:  https://www.smogon.com/dex/sm/pokemon/drapion/

 Score: 7.5/10