“Pokemon Go” is a large metagame, with millions of players around the world participating. Many of these players enjoy the game for its multiplayer experience: raid bosses, Player-vs-Player and even simultaneously hunting rare Pokemon with a friend. As for the former two, a good deal of thought and planning have to be put in to be good at doing these. While there are a decent pool of “viable” Pokemon for certain situations, this article plans to cover the best of the best, for each and every typing. It also will go in depth on how “meta relevant” each typing is. Unfortunately, the best Fighting, Ghost and Dark types will be useful in many more situations than the best Poison, Normal or Fairy type. This article will include every Pokemon from the 4th gen. Even though Pokemon such as Dialga and Arceus have not been released at the time of writing this, we know what their stats and movesets will be, making speculation on their viability easy.
For the purposes of the article, “DPS” stands for “Damage-Per-Second” and TDO stands for “Total Damage Output.” Their relevance for each typing will be explained with the selection of each fitting Pokemon.
Normal
The best: Blissey
Runners up: Snorlax, Slaking
Normal types have an unsurprisingly bad time on offense, evidenced by the presence of three Normal types whose only real roles lie in gym defense. Fortunately, Blissey is by far the best gym defender in the game, period. It is actually often viewed as the only “good” gym defender. Its titanic defenses, decent movepool and not very good but workable offenses mean that it has virtually no counters which won’t take a ton of damage trying to bring it down. This means that Blissey is excellent for defending a gym with a raid egg about to hatch, excellent at wasting a trainer’s time, as their Pokemon cannot 1-v-6 the gym, and the mere presence of Blissey will deter low level players from wasting valuable resources attempting to take the gym. Snorlax does this as well, albeit to a lesser extent. Slaking is pretty much inferior Snorlax, but it has the exclusive luxury of hitting like an absolute truck when (or if) its charge move is not dodged. Unfortunately, Slaking’s movepool is really bad, which holds it back. Beyond these three, Normal types have a pretty much non-existent presence in this game. Even the formal God of Pokemon himself, Arceus, was cursed with a terrible movepool, while not having the stats to compensate for this. As a lasting note, Mewtwo is amazing, but even it can’t make good use of Hyper Beam, a charge move it has access to. So please don’t try to make that work.
Bug
The best: Yanmega
Runners up: Scizor, Heracross, Pinsir
Yanmega is by far the best Bug type there is, period. It not only wins in DPS by an exorbitant amount, but it also edges out the competition, including the significantly bulkier Scizor, in TDO in any non-Rock type matchup. With Lake Guardian and Darkrai raids upcoming, Yanmega has been released at the perfect time to capitalize. However, the Bug typing will become largely irrelevant after these raids pass by. Meanwhile, Scizor is the go-to Bug type attacker aside from Yanmega. Beyond that, we have barren nothingness: Heracross isn’t even really used with a Bug type moveset, and Pinsir, while decent-ish, will likely take home the title of being the most overrated Pokemon in the game. Thankfully, at least Yanmega and Scizor will see usage in all Ex-Raids and in T5 raids when the Lake Guardians and Darkrai come to the game.
Dark
The best: Tyranitar
Runners up: Darkrai, Weavile
These three will likely be debated for their positioning in this discussion ad nauseum. Where does Tyranitar get the edge, though? Its pure and unparalleled Dark type utility—it makes for an excellent Raid attacker, it makes for a good, sturdy gym attacker, and it even has a decent specialized moveset for defending gyms with as well. Hard to go wrong with the other two, though; they both slightly edge out Tyranitar in DPS, and Weavile can function as a good Ice type attacker as well to boot. Weavile will likely find itself being edged out in this discussion, though, because its DPS is lesser than that of Darkrai, and its TDO is a lot less than Tyranitar’s due to Tyranitar’s significantly better bulk. Still, Weavile will be a critically needed option for a Dark type team in the event that the player could not obtain Darkrai, and because a good Darkrai could be really difficult to come across, Weavile will definitely remain relevant. While Honchkrow is not a bad option by any means, it does not possess any meaningful traits which make it worthy of seeing usage over the previously mentioned three.
Dragon
The best: Rayquaza
Runners up: Palkia, Dragonite, Salamence, Alolan Exeggutor
Explanation: Rayquaza is quite clearly superior to the other three on offense, as its DPS is absolutely insane and its TDO is still on par with the significantly bulkier Dragonite. No debate there. For the runner up, however, this is a much trickier discussion. In fact, all four possess virtually identical traits, including having largely the same strengths, shortcomings, and warranting usage in virtually the same situations as each other. Palkia’s legendary stats and good movepool give it the edge for Rayquaza’s runner up. Dragonite, on the other hand, gets a very miniscule edge over Salamence and Alolan Exeggutor because it has a wider, better movepool which also gives it versatility as a defender that the other two can’t quite keep up with. Make no mistake, though; all three of them are amazing. They’re all great attackers, and they’re all great defenders who have excellent counter coverage.
Electric
The best: Raikou
Runners up: Zapdos, Mewtwo, Alolan Golem, Luxray
Raikou slightly outclasses Zapdos in most matchups, as it puts out slightly more DPS and TDO thanks to its access to Wild Charge, a move which beats anything Zapdos has. That said, Zapdos tends to draw a slight advantage over Raikou in matchups where its Flying typing gives it a key resistance which pushes Zapdos’ TDO over Raikou’s, mainly against Bug or Grass type defenders in a gym. The same can be said going Raikou’s way with regards to facing Rock and Ice types, including the T4 bosses in Lapras and Walrein though, giving Raikou the edge. Beyond that, Alolan Golem and Luxray also offer Zapdos competition. Really, if Zapdos got Wild Charge, it would no doubt be the Electric type king. Mewtwo’s access to Thunderbolt keeps it relevant in this discussion, but there are some problems here. First, Mewtwo is better suited running something else, as it has the best movepool in the game and Thunderbolt, while good, is rather suboptimal for Mewtwo to run. Second, Mewtwo does lack STAB on the move, causing it to lag behind Raikou and Zapdos in both DPS and TDO most of the time. That said, Mewtwo’s power is so terrifying that it has to be included in this discussion as a more-than-serviceable option.
Fairy
The best: Gardevoir
Runner up: Togekiss, Clefable
Fairies suck. They really do. They don’t have any fast moves and lack advantage based relevance. Ice types in this game cover Dragons better, Fighting types pound on Dark types easier, and Heatran (quadruply resistant to Fairy) having just run its course through the game didn’t help matters at all. That being said, Gardevoir is the shiniest turd in this discussion. Having STAB Confusion is nice, and Gardevoir has both the firepower to be useful offensively and the bulk to be a passable gym defender. Togekiss is essentially Gardevoir, but bulkier at the expense of offensive firepower. Clefable deserves mention because it is an excellent, underrated defensive threat which can heavily annoy players who try to run through a Blissey or a Snorlax with a Machamp or Hariyama. Clefable is unfortunately completely useless on offense, however. Speaking of which, the likes of Granbull (bad stats), Mawile (terrible all around stats) and Alolan Ninetales (isn’t even used as a Fairy type attacker) are all abysmal in this context and don’t deserve usage anywhere, at any point in time.
Fighting
The best: Machamp
Runners up: Breloom, Hariyama, Poliwrath, Mewtwo
Machamp is unquestionably the best of this lot. The coveted Counter + Dynamic Punch moveset combined with Machamp’s excellent stats and excellent meta-relevance for Fighting types also make it a contender for top five Pokemon in the entire game, as well. That is not to speak ill of other Fighting types, however. Breloom is an excellent glass cannon lead for the adventurous player seeking to solo a T4 Tyranitar raid, as its DPS is actually higher than Machamp’s and it too has access to Counter and Dynamic Punch. Hariyama is pretty much slightly inferior Machamp; though this isn’t really a bad thing, seeing as how Machamp is really, really good to begin with. Poliwrath deserves a surprising mention on this list, as it is the safest scout to face any Tyranitar in any context; Poliwrath resists every single move Tyranitar can run, so it can be sent out in gym battles to scout the Tyranitar set, while also defeating it easily regardless of the set the Tyranitar is running. Poliwrath is also probably the best defensive Fighting type here, with a massive movepool with excellent counter coverage. Mewtwo’s access to Focus Blast keeps it somewhat relevant, though like its Thunderbolt set, Focus Blast isn’t a great idea for Mewtwo to run. It can churn out impressive DPS and pound on Normal types easily, so it is relevant albeit suboptimal.
Fire
The best: Heatran
Runners up: Moltres, Entei, Blaziken
The fire typing is the most competitive typing in the game. Unfortunately, its meta relevance is also somewhat questionable, which means if your Fire type is not one of these four (Charizard and Flareon can also work sometimes) then it is likely useless. That said, Heatran ever so barely edges out Moltres most of the time. Heatran’s TDO beats Moltres’ despite the latter having slightly better DPS. Moltres does have advantage over Heatran in some matchups, though. Moltres’ Sky Attack set is viewed as the best Machamp counter in the game, whereas Machamp pounds Heatran into submission with its best set regardless of what Heatran itself is running. On the other hand, Heatran is infinitely better at beating Rock and Ice types than Moltres is, and combined with its slightly better stats, this gives it a very slight edge. Entei is a slightly worse version of Moltres with largely the same type based conditions attached, which makes Entei an all around inferior version of Heatran in matchups where either of them would be useful. Blaziken enters the discussion, much like the others, because its typing gives it an advantage over Rock types. It is actually better against Rock types than Heatran is if Blaziken is running a Fighting type moveset, although such a moveset is outclassed by various better Fighting types in this game. Worth noting is that Blaziken will soon receive legacy access to Blast Burn, which will cause it to be better than Entei and heavily compete with Moltres and Heatran for the best Fire type in the game. Checking in on Mewtwo, and Mewtwo’s Flamethrower set just isn’t useful here. It is outclassed by the aforementioned Fire types and, predictably, is suboptimal for Mewtwo anyway; it certainly has better things to do than keep up with the better Fire types in the game.
Flying
The best: Rayquaza
Runners up: Moltres, Lugia, Ho-Oh
Again, Rayquaza wins this one, no question. Its DPS is significantly higher than the competition, and its TDO is only bested by Lugia against Fighting types. Moltres’ positioning on this list is contingent upon it running a Fire Spin + Sky Attack moveset, which is difficult to own seeing as how Sky Attack is a legacy move. Still, Moltres is second only to Rayquaza in absolutely destroying every Grass and Bug type in this game, and because it is easier to get than Rayquaza, it is often the go-to option for this role. Lugia, while fairly unimpressive when lacking a type advantage, is the sturdiest counter to Fighting types in the game, and because Fighting is such an amazing typing, this alone firmly positions Lugia on this list. Ho-Oh, while decent, is worse at achieving all of these things than the aforementioned three.
Ghost
The best: Mewtwo
Runners up: Gengar, Giratina (Origin), Mismagius, Drifblim
Ghost types usually have difficulty warranting usage over Dark types, as their typings are virtually interchangeable on offense and Dark types have Tyranitar, who is definitely a better defender than anything Ghosts can put together. Still, Mewtwo’s Shadow Ball set puts out more neutral DPS than anything else it is capable of, meaning that it warrants usage even in cases when Ghost doesn’t have a type advantage. For those who can’t get access to the rare Genetic Pokemon, Gengar actually has slightly better DPS than even Darkrai, and when combined with how Gengar is significantly easier to get, this gives Gengar a very reasonable niche over Darkrai, especially seeing as how Gengar is a lot better at dealing with Fighting types than any Dark type is. Aside from Gengar, Giratina-O would probably be in this discussion if Niantic had decided to give it a movepool worth a damn. Unfortunately, they did not, and Giratina-O is not terribly impressive as a result. Mismagius usually doesn’t warrant usage over Gengar; while it is bulkier than Gengar, Gengar’s best uses are as a frail DPS lead in crucial raid boss fights, which Mismagius can’t even come close to competing in. Any situation where Mismagius would be used over Gengar results in Mismagius now being outclassed by Tyranitar. As mentioned previously, Ghosts and Darks have an interchangeable typing, and get used in virtually the same instances. Drifblim faces largely the same problem. No other Ghost types are even slightly worth using.
Grass
The best: Groudon
Runners up: Roserade, Venusaur, Exeggutor, Alolan Exeggutor
“But Andrew, how can Groudon be the best Grass type when it isn’t even a Grass type?” Very simple! Groudon’s Mud Shot + Solar Beam moveset puts out more Grass oriented DPS and TDO than any actual Grass type in the game. This speaks slightly more to how unimpressive Grass types are than it does to how great Groudon is. Still, Roserade and Venusaur aren’t too shabby. Roserade’s better stats slightly outdo Venusaur’s access to Frenzy Plant as an advantage. The Exeggutors are also decent. The Kantonion one is probably slightly better because of its advantageous matchup against Fighting types, though the Alolan version has an impressive Dragon type movepool that will soon be quite useful against Palkia, and both of them have decent-ish Grass type movepools.
Ground
The best: Groudon
Runners up: Rhyperior, Golem, Swampert
Predictably, Groudon is by far the best Ground type, and when it gets access to Precipice Blades, this gap will only grow. The others mentioned here are also excellent options, however. What really hinders them all is only having access to Earthquake as a Ground type charge move. Swampert is going to see a rather large usage increase when Dialga comes around, as Swampert will be an excellent counter to its Steel type attacking sets.
Ice
The best: Mamoswine
Runners up: Mewtwo, Articuno, Lapras, Walrein
The Ice typing has had a reputation of being useless and unimpressive. Then Mamoswine came and turned this concept on its head. Mamoswine is easily the best Ice type in the game by every situational and statistical metric, and it’s not very close. Until Mamoswine is released, Mewtwo will remain the go-to Ice type attacker with its Ice Beam set for fairly straightforward reasons. Articuno has long been good but not great, and this has allowed it to hold the Ice type throne (of those who are actually Ice types) across three different generations, with its reign abruptly ending in the fourth. Lapras and Walrein are decent, and they are both interchangeable on offense from one another. Lapras is a little bit better on defense, though, thanks to its access to Waterfall as a fast move. No other Ice types are relevant in this game. Alolan Ninetales may be useful when you’re level 10, new to the game.
Poison
The best: Roserade
Runners up: Tentacruel, Muk, Toxicroak
Poison is not a very useful typing. It holds no relevance in Raid battles and tends to be outclassed by Flying and Psychic against Fighting types and by Flying and Bug types against Grass types. Seeing as how Fairies are mostly useless, this leaves Poison with nothing relevant to hit super effectively, giving the typing few to no chances to actually shine. That said, Roserade stands out amongst them with an excellent Poison type movepool and good stats to complement a role as an attacker or defender. Tentacruel is usually used on defense, and it performs decently there with its above average bulk and passable offenses. Muk used to be a top tier threat in the game, but power creep and the passing of each generation which has brought more counters to its doorstep have resulted in it fading away fast. Still, its best moveset isn’t even a Poison type attacker, but one which takes advantage of its Poison typing: Infestation + Dark Pulse is still a useful defender which can fend off (or at least mildly annoy) many attackers in the game. Toxicroak is mainly just inferior Roserade, only in this discussion because it is significantly easier to get than Roserade, making it a passable budget option.
Psychic
The best: Mewtwo
Runners up: Alakazam, Espeon, Lugia, Gardevoir
Mewtwo is the best Pokemon in the entire game, hands down, and its positioning as best Psychic type is automatic and requires no further explanation. Alakazam is Mewtwo, but worse, in every relevant way. That is to say that Alakazam is an excellent Pokemon, far more accessible than its legendary counterpart and excellent at doing many of the things Mewtwo could do better at. Espeon is largely the same way. Lugia can’t even come close to matching Mewtwo’s DPS and its TDO also lags behind Mewtwo almost all the time, but Lugia is an extremely efficient attacker. In matchups where it has the type advantage, it does an excellent job at not wasting its trainer’s valuable potions and other resources. Gardevoir unfortunately only has access to Psychic as a Psychic type charge move, which makes it blatantly inferior in every metric against its competition in Psychic type DPS. However, Gardevoir being a Fairy type with access to Dazzling Gleam means that it has a secured, safe niche as being a Psychic type who can also viably threaten Dark types. It usually takes a backseat to Lugia in Machamp raids, though, because Lugia can handle Machamp’s Steel type attacking set much better than Gardevoir can.
Rock
The best: Rampardos
Runners up: Rhyperior, Tyranitar, Golem
Rampardos has an eye-popping DPS score, which catapults it to being the best Rock type when it gets released. There are plenty of chances for this typing to shine throughout the fifth generation, and with only maybe Terrakion as potential competition throughout that generation, this niche is secured and safe for at least the fifth generation. Rhyperior outdoes Tyranitar in both DPS and TDO, but Tyranitar stays in the discussion by having a slightly less exploitable typing. Tyranitar can also deter lower level Fighting types from contending with it with its Iron Tail + Crunch moveset, while Rhyperior is laughably helpless against its biggest counters, which lends Tyranitar to be more favorable as a gym defender. Golem is just Rhyperior, but slightly worse.
Steel
The best: Metagross
Runner up: Dialga, Scizor, Steelix
That’s it. There are no usable Steel types in this game aside from these four. Additionally, Metagross, while a top tier threat with Meteor Mash, is actually rather useless without the move, and because the move is legacy, it is incredibly hard to get. Dialga’s legendary stats essentially force it into being viable, with its Steel type moveset not doing it any favors. Scizor is a decent option, and it counters the Ice, Fairy and Rock types its supposed to counter with amazing efficiency, only really fearing the Tyranitar raid boss with Fire Blast. Steelix, on the other hand, is useless on offense but is quite valuable on defense with its titanic defenses and decent movepool. Aggron is a meme. Like most memes, showing other people that you’re using one in a raid will cause them to laugh at you. It also makes for a great joke to opposing Fighting and Ground types, who will laugh off any hits Aggron gives them and send the jester packing by easily exploiting its 4x weaknesses to these typings.
Water
The best: Kyogre
Runners up: Gyarados, Vaporeon, Milotic, Feraligatr, Sharpedo
I’m sure it isn’t rocket science to come to the conclusion that the legendary blue whale, by far the highest attack stat of any Water type and having the optimal Waterfall + Hydro Pump moveset, is by far the best Water in the game. Gyarados, however, can keep up with Kyogre against Ground types, namely Kyogre’s rival Groudon, thanks to its Flying typing. Gyarados is also stellar on defense, with many different options it can run to throw off prospective attackers, and a fantastic stat build to back that up. Vaporeon is inferior to both Kyogre and Gyarados, but is still good in its own regard. Milotic is bulkier than the competition and is slightly better on defense than Vaporeon, doing a great job at wasting the opposition’s time and dealing respectable damage. Feraligatr and Sharpedo boast an entirely different approach to the Water type conglomerate; both are offensive threats with little defensive merit, especially in the case of the latter. Sharpedo actually puts out more Water DPS than any other Pokemon in the game in theory, although its horrendous bulk makes using this DPS quite challenging most of the time. Feraligatr is less fragile, but predictably hits less hard, though access to the amazing Hydro Cannon allows it to stand out amongst its peers, none of which get the move.