DEXERTOWith so many choices available in Pokemon Go‘s competitive mode, it’s tough to find the strongest Pokemon worth leveling up for combat – but there are some clear outliers for the best picks in the Battle League, Raids, PvP, and Gyms.
Trainers looking to be the best and capture all of the creatures in Pokemon Go will need some powerful attackers and defenders on their team. This doesn’t just mean any Legendary Pokemon or Mega Evolution can be slotted in, either – you need a smart line-up that can make the most of an enemy’s weakness.
Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities to obtain stronger ‘mon in the game. From fights against Team Rocket‘s leaders – Giovanni, Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo – to the weekly Spotlight Hour events and Community Days, you’ll regularly be adding new Pokemon to your team, and it’s essential to know which ones are best to use in 2025.
Best attackers in Pokemon Go
If you’re planning to take part in Raid Battles and catch some powerful Legendaries, Mega Evolved Pokemon and Primal Reversion are typically the best attacker options. The most important thing, though, is choosing a lineup of ‘mon that can exploit the weaknesses of the specific Raid Boss you’re fighting.
1. Mega Rayquaza
Niantic- Fast Move: Dragon Tail
- Charged Move: Dragon Ascent* and Outrage
As far as Dragons go, you won’t get much better than Rayquaza in Pokemon Go. Dragon-type moves are rarely resisted, making it a great all-around attacker with Dragon Tail and Outrage.
However, Rayquaza can also be utilized as a great Flying-type attacker, where powerful moves like Air Slash give it a big advantage once combined with its Legacy move Dragon Ascent.
2. Primal Groudon
The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Mud Shot
- Charged Move: Precipice Blades* and Earthquake
With an outstanding ATK stat of 353, Primal Groudon is – and apparently will forever be – the ultimate Ground-type Pokemon in the game.
This massive beast has a huge max CP of 6,672 that can be boosted by raising it to level 50 or by taking advantage of Sunny weather. More so, its signature move Precipice Blades has a damage of 120, and combined with Mud Shot, they are endgame. Just be careful of Water-type enemies.
3. Primal Kyogre
The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Waterfall
- Charged Move: Origin Pulse* or Surf
As expected, the Legendary creature Kyogre and its Primal forme remain as one of the best attackers in Pokemon Go, with a huge 353-attack stat and the versatility to perform well in loads of different scenarios.
Using a combination of Waterfall and its signature move Origin Pulse -or Surf if you don’t have OP- it’s a powerhouse, especially with a CP that now reaches 6,672. Push it to level 50 or boost it with Rainy weather and it’s unstoppable.
Pokemon Go attacker tier list
| RANK | POKEMON | SPRITE | FAST MOVE | CHARGED MOVE | WEAK AGAINST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mega Rayquaza |  | Air Slash | Dragon Ascent | Ice / Rock / Dragon / Fairy |
| #2 | Primal Groudon |  | Mud Shot | Precipice Blades | Water / Ground |
| #3 | Primal Kyogre |  | Waterfall | Origin Pulse | Electric / Grass |
| #4 | Mega Salamence |  | Dragon Tail | Fly | Ice / Dragon / Fairy / Rock |
| #5 | Shadow Mewtwo |  | Psycho Cut | Psystrike | Bug / Dark / Ghost |
| #6 | Black Kyurem |  | Dragon Tail | Freeze Shock | Dragon / Fairy / Fighting / Rock / Steel |
| #7 | Dawn Wings Necrozma |  | Shadow Claw | Moongeist Beam | Dark / Ghost |
| #8 | Mega Lucario |  | Force Palm | Aura Sphere | Fighting / Fire / Ground |
| #9 | Mega Blaziken |  | Counter | Blast Burn | Flying / Ground / Psychic / Water |
| #10 | Dusk Mane Necrozma |  | Shadow Claw | Sunsteel Strike | Dark / Fire / Ghost / Ground |
As always, you’ll need to take the game’s type chart into consideration. The Legendary Water-type Kyogre may be featured on our list, for example, but it will always struggle against a strong Electric-type or Grass-type opponent.
Best defenders in Pokemon Go
When picking a defender, ultimately, you’ll be looking for a good combination of Defense and Stamina, the latter of which decides how much HP it has and how long it will be able to stay in a gym before needing to rest.
If you want a Pokemon to leave at a gym in order to earn your daily coins, or you need a bulky option to send out first in battle and wear your opponents down, then get one of these defenders on your team.
1. Blissey
The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Zen Headbutt
- Charged Move: Dazzling Gleam and Psychic
As far as best defenders go, Blissey remains the best choice for any trainer in Pokemon Go. It has a ridiculous amount of Stamina (496) and a decent Defense stat (169), making it the perfect ‘mon to leave in gyms as it will simply sponge damage.
2. Snorlax
The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Zen Headbutt
- Charged Move: Body Slam and Superpower
Sitting at number two of our top three is the old Kanto icon, Snorlax. It has a high max CP of 3,225 with the potential to reach a solid 3,647 on level 50. Its Stamina stat may not be as good as Blissey’s, but its high CP, good Defense, and Attack stats combined should help ward off potential attackers.
3. Metagross
THE POKEMON COMPANY- Fast Move: Zen Headbutt
- Charged Move: Meteor Mash and Earthquake
The Steel/Psychic-type Metagross will do a brilliant job of defending Gyms, as it has great stats and a whopping 10 type resistances. With the Charged Move Meteor Mash under its belt, it will also deal some serious damage, extending its use beyond just being a defender.
Pokemon Go defender tier list
| RANK | POKEMON | SPRITE | FAST MOVE | CHARGED MOVE | WEAK AGAINST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Blissey |  | Zen Headbutt | Dazzling Gleam | Fighting |
| #2 | Snorlax |  | Zen Headbutt | Body Slam | Fighting |
| #3 | Metagross |  | Zen Headbutt | Meteor Mash | Ground / Ghost / Fire / Dark |
| #4 | Togekiss |  | Charm | Dazzling Gleam | Electric / Ice / Poison / Rock / Steel |
| #5 | Drifblim |  | Hex | Shadow Ball | Dark / Electric / Ghost / Ice / Rock |
| #6 | Goodra |  | Dragon Breath | Draco Meteor | Ice / Dragon / Fairy |
| #7 | Milotic |  | Waterfall | Hyper Beam | Electric / Grass |
| #8 | Rhyperior |  | Mud-Slap | Rock Wrecker | Grass / Water / Fighting / Ground / Ice / Steel |
| #9 | Dragonite |  | Dragon Tail | Draco Meteor | Ice / Dragon / Fairy / Rock |
| #10 | Garchomp |  | Mud Shot | Earthquake | Ice / Dragon / Fairy |
Unlike many of the best Pokemon Go attackers we featured, the best defenders often aren’t Legendary. This means you should find it easier to catch one with decent stats and level them up to a high CP.
Best Pokemon for PvP (Go Battle League)
There are three major Leagues to enjoy in the Pokemon Go Battle League: the Great League, the Ultra League, and the Master League. These rotate throughout each season, with only one appearing at a time, often alongside special cups like the Retro Cup or the Kanto Cup.
Each league has different restrictions, the main one being the CP limit. The Great League has a 1500 CP limit, the Ultra League has a 2500 CP limit and is where the bigger players emerge, and the Master League has no limit. This means the best Pokemon for each League can be wildly different.
Great League
Mandibuzz
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Snarl
- Charged Moves: Dark Pulse and Aerial Ace
Despite its lack of outstanding moves, and having fewer resistances than other Great League recommendations, Mandibuzz does make up for that with a very high Defense stat and a solid Stamina stat.
Snarl has quicker energy generation than Air Slash, so we’d recommend using that Fast Move. Mandibuzz’s best Charged Move is Dark Pulse, as it deals good damage and benefits from STAB. In case you’re looking for more coverage, Aerial Ace is a good choice.
Clodsire
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Poison Sting
- Charged Moves: Earthquake and Stone Edge
Clodsire appeared out of nowhere and stole the top spot basically because – in the new meta – it is good at everything.
This dual Poison/Ground creature works fine as a lead, switch, or closer thanks to its good Defense, but mostly its massive Stamina of 209.
The blob Clodsire might exert low Fast Move pressure, but it still manages to reach its incredible Charged Moves. Earthquake is one of the best moves of all time, and Stone Edge helps it expand its coverage even further. Clodsire’s access to 5 different types of moves makes it very hard to target and take down.
Lapras
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Psywave
- Charged Moves: Sparkling Aria and Ice Beam
Besides its great bulk, Lapras has an impressive move pool, with four Fast Moves and seven Charged Moves to pick from.
Even though focusing only on Water and Ice moves to benefit from STAB would be the logical thing to do, for the Fast Move, it is best to go with Psywave. It offers the most energy generation out of all the options, and it expands Lapras’s coverage.
Skull Bash, Blizzard, and Hydro Pump are quite expensive moves, and with a few other options available, they are just not worth it. Instead, use Sparkling Aria for a solid Charged Move with STAB. It costs the same as Surf but does five more damage.
As for the secondary Charged Move, Ice Beam will offer more coverage against Grass, Dragon, and Flying opponents while also benefiting from STAB.
Ultra League
Corviknight (XL)
NIANTIC/DEXERTO- Fast Move: Sand Attack
- Charged Moves: Sky Attack and Iron Head
Like most Steel-type Pokemon, one of Corviknight’s advantages is the many resistances it has. That along with its very good Defense and Stamina stats make this a very difficult creature to take down.
Even though it’s the only Fast Move that doesn’t benefit from STAB, Sand Attack offers great coverage and has a very fast energy gain, which is why is the ideal attack to use, as it will allow you to use your Charged Moves early.
As for Iron Head, it is the cheapest Charged Move, while Sky Attack deals pretty decent damage.
Grumpig (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Psywave
- Charged Moves: Dynamic Punch and Shadow Ball
Even though Grumpig doesn’t have an impressive bulk, this Pokemon is a great choice for the Ultra League as it offers wide coverage and decent solid stats.
While Charge Beam is a good fast-charge Fast Move, Psywave is way better, as it also benefits from STAB. Pair it with the Charged Move Dynamic Punch. It is cheap and can expand – even more – this Pokemon’s coverage.
As a secondary Charged Move, go for Shadow Ball. It is actually not expensive at all, and it is a Ghost-type nuke that will leave your Grumpig protected against several opponents.
Dusknoir (Shadow XL)
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Astonish
- Charged Moves: Dynamic Punch and Shadow Ball
Dusknoir rose from the dead and entered the Ultra League ranking with the new meta changes the Might and Mastery season brought.
This Pokemon works best as the lead of a team. Plus, it has the necessary Defense to stand its ground while dealing good damage.
Astonish is a very spammy move that will allow it to access its Charged Moves sooner while also getting rid of the opponent’s shields. The key to Dusknoir making it into the League is mainly because of Shadow Ball – an excellent and extremely cheap Ghost-type nuke – and Dynamic Punch’s coverage.
Master League
In the Master League, all CP restrictions are removed, meaning you’ll need the help of XL Candy to win.
Palkia Origin Forme (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Aqua Tail and Spacial Rend
Palkia Origin Forme sits at the top of our ranking and is undoubtedly a Master League champion in Pokemon Go. With incredible Defense and HP and an outstanding Attack stat, this creature is a charger that works perfectly for leading or closing a battle, thanks to its powerful moveset.
Dragon Breath is stronger than Dragon Tail, so go with it as a Fast Move. For Charged Moves, similar to Dialga Origin Forme, its new move Spacial Rend is the ultimate attack to use, while also using Aqua Tail to spam.
Black Kyurem (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Freeze Shock and Fusion Bolt
Black Kyurem is one of the newest Pokemon Go additions and has taken the Master League by surprise with its dual Dragon/Ice typing.
This Legendary is a great attacker and, due to its other solid stats, can perform well in any position – lead, switch, or closer.
Shadow Claw has high energy generation, so you’ll reach your Charged Moves early on. As for the Charged Moves, Fusion Bolt is the cheapest choice, and it widens Black Kyurem’s coverage. Freeze Shock, on the other hand, is an outstanding nuke.
Zygarde Complete Forme (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Tail
- Charged Moves: Crunch or Earthquake
With a super bulky HP stat and a great balance between resistance and damage, Zygarde is one of the most desirable creatures in Pokemon Go since it debuted in July 2023.
Not only is this Pokemon incredibly difficult to take down, but it is the perfect counter for the many Dragon-type creatures going around this rank as well as others like Dialga, Lugia, and Kyurem.
More so, its ideal moveset deals plenty of damage with both Dragon Tail and Earthquake, while Crunch can help with your strategy as it baits shields.
Those are the best Pokemon in Pokemon Go to add to your team. For more game content, check our guide with the Battle League schedule and rewards, as well as our rankings for the best Mega Evolutions, or the cutest or creepiest Pokemon.