What it does
Dragon Claw is a Dragon-type physical move with reliable base power and perfect accuracy. In Champions, it's reclassified as a slicing move, which means Sharpness gives it roughly a 50% power boost — the same boost that applies to moves like Psycho Cut and Air Slash. This is a direct departure from standard Scarlet/Violet, where Dragon Claw isn't a slicing move at all.
Dragon-type has wide neutral coverage and is excellent for hitting opposing Dragon-types. In doubles, it's single-target with full damage — no spread penalty.
Who runs it
Garchomp at 81% essentially always runs it. Attack 130, Dragon/Ground typing, and Dragon STAB that hits for full damage in doubles. Under a Sharpness carrier or with items keying off slicing, Dragon Claw's power ceiling goes up substantially compared to standard play.
Dragonite at 66% uses it over Outrage for the stability. Outrage hits harder but locks you in and causes confusion afterward — in doubles you can't afford to lose action control or risk hitting your own partner. Dragon Claw can be used freely every turn, and in the Champions slicing classification, external boosts can close the raw power gap anyway.
Tyrantrum at 48% brings base Attack 121 to a slicing Dragon move, which means Sharpness makes Dragon Claw one of its most threatening moves. Speed 71 is not fast, so it's relying on the sheer damage output rather than speed advantage — but slicing classification puts its Dragon Claw at a different damage tier.
How to use it
If your Pokémon has Sharpness, Dragon Claw in Champions is a priority slot for Dragon-type coverage — the boost puts it in a different power category than standard play. Treat it as you would any boosted STAB move: pick targets carefully, make sure you're not clicking into a Fairy-type (Dragon is completely blocked by Fairy) or a Steel-type (Dragon is resisted at 0.5×), and position to maximize turns where the ability is active.
Without Sharpness, it's still the standard stable Dragon physical STAB — better than Outrage in doubles for action control reasons alone.
Tips & strategy
Dragon-type is resisted by Steel (0.5×) and completely blocked by Fairy-type. Against a Steel-type, Dragon Claw deals halved damage — switch to Ground or Fighting coverage. Against a Fairy-type, Dragon Claw deals zero damage.
The Dragon Claw vs Outrage debate in doubles is mostly settled: confusion from Outrage makes your Pokémon hit random targets, and in doubles that means potentially hitting your partner. Dragon Claw is nearly always the right call in doubles regardless of the power difference. Under the slicing classification in Champions, the power argument for Outrage gets even weaker when Sharpness is in play.