You want to give your Pokémon the highest IV stats so they can fight in gyms and raids. To check this, look at a Pokémon and press the button with three horizontal lines in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
Check the stats by selecting ‘appraise’ from the menu and making sure all three bars are as near the end as necessary, preferably red, to ensure the stat is maxed out You can not adjust these stats, so do not bother boosting a Pokémon that does not seem to have any potential.
Look for Pokémon in your box that knows legacy moves – these are moves that you can only access through specific events or a rare Elite TM.
We dug deep to find the best Pokémon based on their stats and their viability against different enemies and in different scenarios.
Best Attackers for Battle in Pokemon Go
Simply put, Mewtwo is the most powerful Pokémon. Mewtwo can do massive damage even in neutral matchups, thanks to his high CP and destructive legacy attacks like Psystrike and Shadow Ball.
Running Confusion and Psystrike is ideal, but other move-sets will also deal a lot of damage – just set it up where you are doing a lot of it and watch your adversaries collapse. If you do not have legacy moves, Psychic will deal a lot of STAB damage, and Focus Blast will knock out any regular or steel-types you come across.
The best Steel-type Pokémon GO attacker is Metagross. Meteor Mash, the game’s legacy move, is perhaps the strongest steel-type move, and Metagross even has access to some decent coverage moves like Earthquake. Because of its size, it can stay in the battle for a long time, allowing you to make more charge moves.
Shadow Metagross is similar to Shadow Mewtwo in that it has more powerful attacks but is more costly to power up and takes more damage. It is worth it if you can get your hands on one, though.
Machamp is a formidable attacker, but one who is a little fragile. Many of the best defensive Pokémon, as you can see as you read on, are vulnerable to fighting-type attacks, giving Machamp a distinct edge. Counter/Dynamic Punch is a good choice, but Cross Chop and Close Combat are decent alternatives.
Rayquaza, and other legendary Pokémon, can now be acquired only through Legendary raids. You will need a team of trainers to take on this challenge, but you will be rewarded with one of the most potent dragon-type Pokémon in Pokémon GO if you win. Be sure not to encounter any ice types, as Rayquaza has a dual weakness, but other than that, you should be fine.
Kyogre, the best water type currently available in Pokémon GO, often appears in raids and has a high defense stat as well as a powerful attack. To get around the bulky rock- and ground-type defenders or raid bosses, use Hydro Pump or Surf. If you are facing a dragon or need some defense from grass-types who can cause a lot of damage, Ice Beam is another option.
Groudon has a double weakness to water, but its wealth of moves more than compensate for it. We like to double up on Fire Punch and Earthquake, but if you do not have 100 candy or 100,000 stardust to spend on a second charge move, one will suffice.
Salamence might be a good choice if you are looking for a dragon-type. Salamence is easier to find than Rayquaza, and its Dragon Tail/Draco Meteor combination can deal a lot of damage.
Salamence’s Shadow version, like Mewtwo and Metagross, is a superior attacker, so keep any Shadow Bagons with at most 3-star IVs.
Lucario, like Machamp, is a fighting-type capable of doing significant damage to traditional defenders. Machamp has a higher maximum CP of 3056 than Lucario, but the latter has Aura Sphere, a stronger fighting-type charge move than Machamp, and Power-up Punch, which increases its attack stat by one stage each time it is used. Lucario can quickly become a great attacker if he can get a few of these off.
Rampardos has the best attack stat of any non-legendary Pokémon in Pokémon GO right now. It is, though, an extremely fragile monster that can succumb to a few hits. Rampardos, on the other hand, is the perfect option if you want a glass cannon that can deal a lot of damage quickly. To get the best results, stick to rock-type moves and try to deal super-effective damage to flying, bug, fire, or ice types.
Tyranitar is the better option if you want a rock-type attacker that can last a little longer. SmackDown and Stone Edge are the classic fast moves to use against Psychic-types, but Bite and Crunch can also do a lot of damage. Tyranitar’s resistance to Mewtwo’s psychic and ghost-type moves sets it just ahead of Rhyperior, in our opinion.
Best Defenders For Battle in Pokemon Go
Blissey’s HP and defensive stats are very high, making it the ideal Pokémon to leave in a gym for several hours and collect your daily coins. Its bulk will keep it there for a long time, even though it does not do any harm to attackers. Using Chansey, Blissey’s unevolved form, if there is still a Blissey in the gym, you want to defend. It is almost as clumsy and inconvenient to move.
Snorlax is a giant, bulky normal-type creature. Use it in the same manner; you can use Blissey: put it in the gym and forget about it.
Is there a pattern developing here? Slaking has the highest CP of any Pokémon in Pokémon GO and a strong defense stat. Because of its regular typing is only vulnerable to fighting-type attackers, such as Machamp or Lucario. Choose each of the “big three” standard types to keep a gym occupied all day, but if it appears to be weak to fighting types, it may be worth adding a Machamp counter to the roster.
When it comes to fighting-type counters, Mewtwo can take down Machamp in a flash. Cover the standard types with Psystrike or Psychic. Legendary Pokémon, on the other hand, cannot be placed in gyms, so you would have to find another psychic-type to fill that role. In the PvP Master League, Mewtwo is best used as a defender.
Metagross is the best choice for a psychic-type to defend a gym. To better cope with those pesky Machamps, give a defensive Metagross Psychic instead of Meteor Mash or Earthquake.
Although it has the same double weakness as Rayquaza, ice-types are rarely used in attacking teams. Dragonite has a higher defense than Rayquaza and is easier to obtain from 10km eggs so that it can hold its own in a defensive situation. It is a solid Machamp counter in a gym because of its high attack stat and flying typing.
Steel is a strong defensive type with few vulnerabilities, and Registeel has the best overall stats of any steel-type in Pokémon GO. You cannot place it into gyms because it is legendary, but You can see it on a large percentage of Great League teams in the GO Battle League.
Melmetal is the first and only Pokémon released by Pokémon GO as opposed to the main series game. It is also the only legendary or mythical Pokémon that you can leave to defend a gym. This makes it the best steel type for defending gyms, with Superpower and Rock Slide being the most effective ways to do the most damage. Look out for Machamps, like all steel types.
For its excellent defensive status, Shuckle deserves mention. At 396, Deoxys Defense forms at 330, and Bastiodon with 286 is the nearest non-legend to come anywhere near. But an abysmal attack and low HP status make shuckles almost unviable. It is also fun to whack one into a gym, though, and watch attackers fight for the bug.
Best Pokemon for Battle in Pokemon PVP PoGo Great Battle League
Great League, Ultra League, and Master League are the three major GO Battle League (GBL) leagues. The former sets a limit of 1,500 CP for Pokémon, while the Ultra League sets a limit of 2,500 CP and the Master League is a free-for-all. Each also sometimes holds a Premier Cup, which has the same rules as the regular Cup but excludes legendary Pokémon.
Season 6 completely overhauled the GBL structure, but the fundamentals remain the same, so if you have not played since then, we will go through the updates later. Niantic has since removed the necessity of walking to unlock new battles, which had been briefly paused after the pandemic, as of Season 7.
Choose a Pokémon to send out first – your opener – a defensive Pokémon to take hits – your safe switch – and a Pokémon to close it out – your closer – for each league.
In general, you can avoid pairing Pokémon with identical vulnerabilities to avoid being swept by a single Pokémon you can not resist. Still, this rule can be bent and broken on occasion. To begin, ensure that your safe switch is resistant to attacks that your opener is vulnerable to. Due to their resistances, flying-type Pokémon are often used as a safe switch, and having a flyer on your side is usually a good idea.
We have gathered a tried-and-tested team for each league, but the GO Battle League is a place to try out new combinations, try out new Pokémon, and go against the flow rather than when attacking gyms or defeating raid bosses.
Heavy Hitter: Alolan Raichu
We will start with Alolan Raichu because it is this month’s Research Breakthrough encounter and can deal a lot of damage to the Great League’s flying and water types. Before pulling the trigger, be sure to charge up to two Wild Charges so you can use them back-to-back to do damage (or trigger your opponent’s shields) before swapping out to mitigate the defense drops.
Vigoroth is an excellent safe switch. Nobody will switch in a fighting-type to counter Alolan Raichu’s psychic-type attacks, so Vigoroth will not be vulnerable to something your adversary has switched in to counter your opener. Except for ghost-types, Body Slam deals massive neutral damage, and a fighting-type coverage move would be helpful as well.
We informed you that you would need a flyer. Altaria is capable of dealing with various common Great League threats; however, keep an eye out for Ice Beam, which deals twice as much damage. As Vigoroth will take a few hits, try to save the shields for defending Altaria – or Alolan Raichu if it is still there.
Great League Remix, which runs from April 12 to April 26, has ten Pokémon banned. The following Pokémon were banned:
For April, these bans will shake up the meta, so get ready for your underused or underloved Pokémon to reign supreme.
Since it lacks legendaries, this team needs to compete in both the Ultra League and the Ultra League Premier Cup. Togekiss and Snorlax, on the other hand, are rough counters to Giratina, who will not be in the Premier Cup, so you may want to swap one of them out.
Togekiss is an excellent choice to eliminate some dragon-types or Machamps, which are expected at this level. Shift to your safe switch until any fighting types have been taken down or turned out.
Now you understand that you want Togekiss to scare some fighting types away. Keep an eye out for secret battle-type Pokémon in the back, but if the opponent started fighting Pokémon, Snorlax will be safe to use Body Slams or Superpowers to inflict massive damage. With this move-set, Snorlax easily defeats popular closers like Giratina and Registeel.
Counter & Heavy Hitter: Charizard
Charizard is an excellent pick for a closer. Dragon Claw can compete with any dragon type, catching them off guard at times, and is a legacy move. All types that are not resistant to fire will take a lot of damage from Blast Burn. Make sure you have Fire Spin as a quick move to power up your energy quickly.
Pokemon Go Master League Classic
Heavy Hitter: Giratina (Origin Forme)
You can find legendary Pokémon in the Master League, and Giratina is one of the best. And in neutral matchups, it deals a lot of damage and targets significant challenges like other dragon types for a lot of damage.
Groudon has unrivaled coverage as a safety switch. Safe switches work a little better in Master League because you are more concerned with covering the most legendary threats than covering the opener’s weaknesses. Groudon can cover a wide range of switch-ins with Fire Punch, Earthquake, and Grass Knot.
Counter & Heavy Hitter: Gyarados
Gyarados can smash the opponent’s backline if you have eliminated all opposing rock types. Dragon Breath is a decisive swift move that can wreak havoc on competing dragons (there are many up here). Aqua Tail is a powerful STAB move, and Crunch is extremely successful against a ghost- and psychic-type Pokémon (mostly Giratina and Mewtwo).
SEASON 7 OF POKÉMON GO BATTLE LEAGUE
The below are the full dates and rewards for Season 7 of the GO Battle League:
RANK REWARDS IN POKÉMON GO BATTLE LEAGUE SEASON 7
Mega Pokémon are being introduced to Pokémon GO at the moment. Although none of the publicly available Megas make these lists – and none will currently be included in GO Battle League – there are a few to keep an eye on:
Mega Aggron will be a defensive beast, while Mega Mewtwo, Mega Garchomp, Mega Gengar, and Mega Rayquaza will all be formidable attackers.