The strongest Pokémon in Pokémon Go depends largely on how you use them. Every game situation, from gyms, raids to PVP, brings new ways of thinking about the competitive use of Pokémon.

Pokémon Go | The strongest Pokémon of Each Type
We will divide this page into multiple sections, including thebest Pokémon in Pokémon Go by type, as well as thebest Pokémon to attackand thebest Pokémon to defendagainst gymnasiums and raids.
The best Pokémon Go Pokémon by type
There are hundreds of Pokémon available in Pokémon Go, and hundreds more will come as the game adds more generations. Combines this with the fact that attacking and defending gyms, raids and PvP battles require different strengths in different areas, and it is immediately clear that there is no objectively stronger Pokémon for all scenarios.
Still, it is useful to know which are the strongest Pokémon in general and the easiest way to group them is by Type. Here are the strongest Pokémon of each Type at this point, including the best options for their attacks.
Be aware that we have chosen thebest available attacks of each typeand that they may not be the best to have the best damage for that Pokémon in general. Rayquaza, for example, does more damage (and generally has better use) as a Dragon-Type attack Pokémon with such attacks.
But it is also the strongest attacking Pokémon in Flying-Type if you equip it with Air Slash and Aerial Ace, as noted below. So use this table if you are trying to find a good Pokémon of a certain type. Beyond the virtual realm of Pokémon Go, enthusiasts like Danireon also appreciate the tangible joy of collecting Pokemon cards.
The best Pokémon Go Pokémon by Type:
Type | Best Pokémon | Best Usefulness | Fast Move (of this Type) | Charged Move (of this Type) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Normal | Blissey Snorlax Slaking | Defense Defense Defense | Pound Lick Yawn | Dazzling Gleam Body Slam Play Rough |
Fighting | Lucario Conkeldurr Machamp | Attack Attack Attack | Counter Counter Counter | Aura Sphere Dynamic Punch Dynamic Punch |
Flying | Rayquaza Honchkrow Moltres | Attack Attack Attack | Air Slash Peak Wing Attack | Aerial Ace Sky Attack Sky Attack |
Poison | Roserade Toxicroak Victreebel | Both Attack Both | Poison Jab Poison Jab Acid | Sludge Bomb Sludge Bomb Sludge Bomb |
Ground | Goudon Garchomp Rhyperior | Attack Attack Both | Mud Shot Mud Shot Mud Slap | Earthquake Earthquake Earthquake |
Rock | Tyranitar Terrakion Rampardos | Both Both Attack | Smack Down Smack Down Smack Down | Stone Edge Rock Slide Rock Slide |
Bug | Pinsir Scizor Yanmega | Both Attack Attack | Bug Bite Fury Cutter Bug Bite | X-Scissor X-Scissor Bug Buzz |
Ghost | Giratina (Origin Forme) Chandelure Gengar | Attack Defense Defense | Shadow Claw Hex Shadow Claw | Shadow Ball Shadow Ball Shadow Ball |
Steel | Metagross Dialga Excadrill | Both Attack Attack | Bullet Punch Metal Claw Metal Claw | Meteor Mash Iron Head Iron Head |
Fire | Darmanitan Entei Moltres | Attack Attack Attack | Fire Fang Fire Fang Fire Spin | Overheat Overheat Overheat |
Water | Kyogre Swampert Gyarados | Attack Attack Both | Waterfall Water Gun Waterfall | Hydro Pump Hydro Pump Hydro Pump |
Grass | Roserade Alolan Exeggutor Tangrowth | Both Both Attack | Razor Leaf Bullet Seed Vine Whip | Grass Knot Solar Beam Power Whip |
Electric | Raikou Electivire Zapdos | Attack Both Attack | Thunder Shock Thunder Shock Thunder Shock | Wild Charge Wild Charge Thunderbolt |
Psychic | Mewtwo Metagross Latios | Attack Both Attack | Confusion Zen Headbutt Zen Headbutt | Psychic Psychic Psychic |
Ice | Mamoswine Weavile Glaceon | Both Attack Attack | Powder Snow Ice Shard Frost Breath | Avalanche Avalanche Avalanche |
Dragon | Rayquaza Palkia Garchomp | Attack Attack Both | Dragon Tail Dragon Tail Dragon Tail | Outrage Draco Meteor Outrage |
Dark | Darkrai Hydreigon Tyranitar | Attack Attack Attack | Snarl Bite Bite | Dark Pulse Dark Pulse Crunch |
Fairy | Togekiss Gardevoir Granbull | Defense Both Both | Charm Charm Snarl | Dazzling Gleam Dazzling Gleam Play Rough |
The best Pokémon to attack in Pokémon Go
Take into account that this list has an editorial approach, instead of simply assigning a rank to Pokémon based on their most damaging attacks. This means that our experience, knowledge and evaluation have weight, in addition to raw numbers.
That said, several sources were extremely useful to help us decide: community work like this table, as well as cross-referencing with GamePress and Gameinfo, who approached this situation in different ways, in addition to calculations of varying depth of simulation combinations to simplest attack and defense DPS calculations.
We recommend that you take a look at everything mentioned above if you are looking for more detailed information, but be warned: it is much more complex.
The best Pokémon to attack in Pokémon Go
Rank | Pokémon | Quick Move | Charged Move | Best vs. | Explanation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mewtwo | Confusion | Shadow ball | Many | Mewtwo is still the best all-rounder, with a higher attack compared to Rayquaza, even without perfect attacks. You can also use Focus Blast as a Fighting-Type option to clean up gyms. |
two | Rayquaza | Dragon Tail | Outrage | Many | A set of exceptional attacks and a massive attack value puts Rayquaza at the top of the dragons, but be aware of the double weakness against Ice-Type attacks. |
3 | Kyogre | Waterfall | Hydro Pump | Fire, Rock and Ground-types | Rock and Ground are still quite common in defense. In addition to a surprisingly high attack, Kyogre has the ability to save you from the much-needed Revives and is the best Water-Type Pokémon. in the game |
4 | Lucario | Counter | Aura Sphere | Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock and Steel-type | Aura Sphere made Lucario the strongest fighting type Pokémon in terms of power and speed. You can easily defeat your usual defenses and are useful against many Raid bosses. |
5 | Dragonite | Dragon Tail | Outrage | Many | It is strong against almost everything, great resistance as well as offense. Outrage places it above Salamence as another great generalist Pokémon. |
6 | Garchomp | Dragon Tail | Outrage | Many | Similar to Dragonite, but with less resistance and a higher attack. Replaces Salamence as a Dragon-Type attacker. |
7 | Tyranitar | Smack Down | Stone Edge | Many | Strong against almost everything, but with some more weaknesses than Dragonite. He has difficulties against Hariyama. Smack Down is essential to extract everything from your Rock-Type, but Bite / Crunch makes you Dark’s best striker. |
8 | Mamoswine | Powder Snow | Avalanche | Flying, Ground and Dragon-types | The prevalence of Pokémon Flying, Dragon and Ground in gyms makes this Pokémon a fantastic option. |
9 | Darmanitan | Fire Fang | Overheat | Grass, Steel, Ice, Bug-types | Darmanitan became his release in the best pure Fire-Type Pokémon, dethroning Entei. |
10 | Raikou | Thunder Shock | Wild Charge | Flying and Water-types | Gyarados and other Water-types are common defenses, so Raikou remains Electric’s best pure striker. |
The best Pokémon to defend in Pokémon Go
As in the section above, this list of best Pokémon to defend in Pokémon Go is based on our own experience, combined with the statistics from the sources mentioned above.
The best Pokémon to defend in Pokémon Go
Rank | Pokémon | Quick Move | Special Move | Best vs. | Explanation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Blissey | Zen Headbutt | Dazzling Gleam | Many | It is still the best, even after the stats change. Any moveset surpasses any other Pokémon. It takes forever to be defeated and even withstands those who counter- It is also super effective against Machamp. |
two | Metagross | Zen Headbutt | Meteor Mash | Machamp | It is less generalist than the robust Normal Type, but it can be a major counterattack to its counterattack, Machamp. |
3 | Snorlax | Zen Headbutt | Hyper Beam | Many | Essentially another option to use instead of Chansey / Blissey. |
4 | Slaking | Yawn | Play Rough | Many | With a lot of attack and CP in particular, which keeps the gym difficult to reach for attackers. It is best when combined with Blissey / Snorlax / Metagross for more resistance. |
5 | Milotic | Dragon Tail | Surf | Many | Tough, but can surprise Dragon-Type attacks with Dragon Tail. |
6 | Dragonite | Dragon Tail | Outrage | Many, including Machamp | His part of Flying makes him resistant to Machamp, meaning that it is difficult for attackers to sweep the gym. Combination of strong attack and resistance. |
7 | Gyarados | Dragon Tail | Outrage | Many, including Machamp | A double weakness against Electric, but many attackers use this type. Flexible attacks, but it takes Tyranitar’s counterattack. |
8 | Exeggutor | Confusion | Seed Bomb | Electric, Fighting | Counter common types by resisting Electric, Fighting, Rock and Ground. |
9 | Togekiss | Hidden Power | Dazzling Gleam | Many | Sturdy and with good types make it a balanced defense. |
10 | Charizard | Air Slash | Dragon Claw | Dragons, Grass | You can surprise opponents with this sturdy Fire-Type that is Grass’s counterattack with his Air Slash, but also Dragons counterattack (and offers general coverage) with Dragon Claw. It is a good candidate to fill an empty seat! |