Drampa #780: the grandfather dragon that wins back its youth by Mega Evolving

Three meters of dragon with the head of a wise old man. Drampa (Draïeul in French) lives alone high in the mountains and comes down to town to play with children — until the day someone lays a finger on one of its little friends. And since Pokémon Legends: Z-A, it can Mega Evolve.

Contents

• Who is Drampa?
• Type and abilities
• The mountain grandpa, and its temper
• Mega Drampa: the grandpa who grows young again
• Evolution: none, and the Mega isn't one
• Drampa fact sheet
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Drampa?

Listed as No. 780 in the National Pokédex, Drampa is the "Placid Pokémon" of the seventh generation, the generation of Pokémon Sun and Moon and the Alola region. It was revealed on June 30, 2016.

Its serpentine body, three meters long and 185 kilos, is blue-green, with expressionless pink eyes under yellow eyebrows, a white mustache and chin tuft, and shaggy fur that hides its legs.

The inspiration is explicit: the Zhulong, a mythological dragon with the head of an old man. Its names hide nothing either: the French Draïeul reportedly blends "dragon" and "aïeul" (ancestor), just as Drampa blends "dragon" and "grandpa".

Type and abilities

Drampa is Normal and Dragon type, a combination it shares only with Cyclizar. It gives it four 2x weaknesses — Fighting, Ice, Dragon and Fairy — but no 4x weakness.

On the flip side, it takes half damage from Fire, Water, Grass and Electric, and its Normal typing gives it a full immunity: Ghost-type moves can't touch it.

Its stats paint the picture of a slow special attacker: 135 Special Attack against just 36 Speed, 78 HP and 91 Special Defense, for a base stat total of 485.

Its two regular Abilities are Berserk, which raises its Special Attack when an opponent's attack drops its HP to half, and Sap Sipper, which nullifies Grass-type moves used against it and raises its Attack instead.

Its hidden ability is Cloud Nine, which cancels out all weather effects. None of the three changes the type of its Normal-type moves: that job belongs to Aerilate, Pixilate, Refrigerate and Galvanize, which it doesn't have.

The mountain grandpa, and its temper

Drampa lives a solitary life in mountains that rise to more than 3,000 meters. Since the Berries it eats don't grow that high, it comes down every day at dawn to the foot of the peaks.

The rest of the time, it looks for company: Pokémon Moon says it loves laughing children and comes to town to play with them, and Ultra Moon that it protects them from danger, for the parents' peace of mind.

Then comes its other side. Pokémon Ultra Sun is chilling: if a child it has befriended is bullied by other kids, it finds the bullies' homes and burns them to the ground. Shield is more restrained — when angered, it unleashes gusts that sweep everything away.

On screen, it debuts in episode SM059, where Lana and Mallow nickname it "Papy Forêt" in the French dub (roughly "Grandpa Forest") — it had saved them from falling off a cliff. That wise old face has earned it a place among our Pokémon plushies.

🎁 Want to spoil a dragon fan? The Alola grandpa and its cousins are waiting for you in our Pokémon gift ideas.

Mega Drampa: the grandpa who grows young again

It's the event of its career: since Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Drampa can Mega Evolve into Mega Drampa, as long as it holds the Drampanite while its Trainer carries a Key Stone.

This Drampanite can be bought for 360 Mega Shards from Quasartico Inc. Under its effect, the old dragon straightens its neck, its hair and fur turn black, two white horns sprout, and its chin tuft turns into a goatee.

Its types, however, stay put: it remains Normal and Dragon. The rest climbs by 25 points in Attack, Defense, Special Attack and Special Defense, bringing its total from 485 to 585. Its Speed, meanwhile, stays at 36.

It's left with only one Ability, Berserk — Sap Sipper and Cloud Nine disappear. And it does something very few Mega Pokémon do: it changes category — the "Placid Pokémon" becomes the "Imposing Pokémon".

The Pokémon Legends: Z-A Pokédex explains the marvel: the cells in its body have been activated, restoring its youth, and it now manipulates the atmosphere to summon storms. It then weighs 240.5 kilos.

Evolution: none, and the Mega isn't one

Let's be clear: Drampa has no evolution and isn't the evolution of any Pokémon. Its chain has just one slot — no level, no stone, no trade, no friendship — and it has no baby pre-evolution.

The Mega Evolution doesn't change that, because it isn't one: it's temporary, triggers in the middle of battle and ends with it. And only one Pokémon per team can use it.

So it only grows by leveling up: in Pokémon Sword and Shield, it learns Twister from level 5, Dragon Breath at 25, Dragon Pulse at 35, Hyper Voice at 50 and Outrage at level 55.

As for encounters, you'll find it in a cave on Mount Lanakila (Pokémon Moon and Ultra Moon), then at the Lake of Outrage in Galar in Pokémon Shield.

Drampa fact sheet

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does Drampa evolve?
  No. Drampa has no evolution and isn't the evolution of any Pokémon: its evolutionary line has only one member, and there's no baby pre-evolution. No level, no stone, no held item, no trade and no friendship condition will make it change form.
• Does Mega Drampa really exist?
  Yes. Mega Drampa was introduced in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. To get it, Drampa must hold its Mega Stone, the Drampanite, and its Trainer must have a Key Stone. The Drampanite can be bought for 360 Mega Shards from Quasartico Inc. Keep in mind, though: it isn't an evolution but a temporary transformation, which ends when the battle is over or if the Pokémon faints.
• What does Mega Evolution change for Drampa?
  Its types remain Normal and Dragon. It gains 25 points of Attack, 25 of Defense, 25 of Special Attack and 25 of Special Defense, which brings its base stat total from 485 to 585 and its Special Attack to 160; its Speed stays at 36 and its HP at 78. Its weight goes from 185 to 240.5 kilos, it keeps only one Ability, Berserk, and it even changes category: the Placid Pokémon becomes the Imposing Pokémon, something very few Mega Pokémon do.
• What are Drampa's Abilities?
  Two regular Abilities: Berserk, which raises its Special Attack when an opponent's attack drops its HP to half, and Sap Sipper, which nullifies Grass-type moves used against it while raising its Attack. Its Hidden Ability is Cloud Nine, which cancels out all weather effects. None of the three changes the type of its Normal-type moves: the Abilities that do are called Aerilate, Pixilate, Refrigerate and Galvanize, and Drampa has none of them.
• What are Drampa's weaknesses?
  Four types deal double damage to it: Fighting, Ice, Dragon and Fairy. It has no 4x weakness, since no type is super effective against both Normal and Dragon. On the other hand, it takes half damage from Fire, Water, Grass and Electric, and it's completely immune to the Ghost type. If it has the Sap Sipper Ability, Grass-type moves don't deal it any damage either.
• Where can you find Drampa in the games?
  In Alola, you can encounter it in a cave on Mount Lanakila, in Pokémon Moon and Pokémon Ultra Moon. In Galar, it appears at the Lake of Outrage in Pokémon Shield, as well as in several Max Raid dens across the region and its expansions. It's also listed in the Lumiose Pokédex of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, as well as in the Alola and Galar Pokédexes.

In short

Drampa will never evolve: it's already old enough to be a grandpa. But with a Drampanite, this wise old sage gets its youth back and starts to summon storms.