Best Pokemon in Pokemon Go – Attacker & Defender tier list

With so many choices available in Pokemon Go‘s modes, 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. For PvP, the Crowned forms for Zacian and Zamazenta are dominating the meta.

The most important thing, though, is choosing a lineup of ‘mon that can exploit the weaknesses of the specific opponent you’re fighting.

1. Crowned Sword Zacian

GAME FREAK/THE POKEMON COMPANY

• Fast Move: Metal Claw
• Charged Moves: Close Combat and Behemoth Bash
• Type: Fairy/Steel
• Resistances: Dragon, Bug, Rock, Psychic, Poison, Normal, Ice, Grass, Flying, Fairy, and Dark
• Weaknesses: Fire and Ground

Zacian’s Crowned Sword form is considered almost unstoppable due to having the highest CP in the game, plenty of resistances, an outstanding Attack stat, and an incredibly powerful move pool.

As a Fast Move, Metal Claw is just average, but it has good energy generation and benefits from STAB. This will allow players to reach the signature move Behemoth Blade, which is cheap and ridiculously strong.

Those who can afford a secondary Charged Move can add Close Combat to expand the coverage and deal even faster, serious damage.

2. Crowned Shield Zamazenta

THE POKEMON COMPANY

• Fast Move: Metal Claw
• Charged Moves: Close Combat and Behemoth Bash
• Type: Fighting/Steel
• Resistances: Rock, Poison, Bug, Steel, Normal, Ice, Grass, Dragon, and Dark
• Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, and Ground

Since they were added to the franchise, Zamazenta has always fallen short compared to Zacian. And while that is still the case in the Go Battle League, the gap between them is smaller than ever.

Crowned Shield Zamazenta has an incredible total damage output thanks to its signature move, Behemoth Bash, and can stand strong in battle due to its massive Defense stat. Plus, it benefits from a good amount of resistances and just needs to look out for three weaknesses.

Similar to its counterpart – Zacian – the best moveset for PvP consists of Metal Claw (for high energy generation), Close Combat (cheap move with good coverage), and Behemoth Bash (cheap signature move with outstanding damage). Plus, they all benefit from STAB.

3. Mega Rayquaza

Niantic

• Fast Move: Dragon Tail
• Charged Moves: Breaking Swipe and Dragon Ascent
• Type: Dragon/Flying
• Resistances: Bug, Fighting, Fire, Water, Grass, and Ground
• Weaknesses: Ice, Dragon, Fairy, and Rock

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 Breaking Swipe.

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.

Mega Rayquaza‘s incredibly high Attack stat, combined with its spammy and versatile moves, and its long list of resistances make it one unstoppable contender.

Pokemon Go attacker tier list

As always, you’ll need to consider the game’s type chart. 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 to earn your daily coins, or you need a bulky option to send out first in a PvP battle and wear your opponents down, then get one of these defenders on your team.

1. Blissey

The Pokemon Company

• Fast Move: Pound
• Charged Move: Hyper Beam and Wild Charge
• Type: Normal
• Resistances: Ghost
• Weaknesses: Fighting

As far as best defenders go, Blissey remains the best choice for any trainer in Pokemon Go. It has a ridiculous amount of Stamina and a decent Defense stat, making it the perfect ‘mon to leave in Gyms as it will simply sponge damage.

In Gym encounters, it its best to use a movepool that plays to just one of the Pokemon’s types. As Blissey is a pure Normal type, go with Pound and Hyper Beam to benefit from STAB.

2. Snorlax

The Pokemon Company

• Fast Move: Lick
• Charged Move: Body Slam and Hyper Beam
• Type: Normal
• Resistances: Ghost
• Weaknesses: Fighting

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.

As mentioned above, you should play to Snorlax’s type strengths. However, it only has one Normal-type Fast Move (Yawm), which is terrible. So, in this case, it’s best to go with either Lick. Then, if you wish to try it out in PvP, you can switch Hyper Beam for Superpower to expand its coverage.

3. Metagross

THE POKEMON COMPANY

• Fast Move: Bullet Punch
• Charged Move: Meteor Mash and Earthquake
• Type: Steel/Psychic
• Resistances: Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel, Poison, and Psychic
• Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground

The Steel/Psychic-type Metagross will do a brilliant job of defending Gyms, as it has great stats and a whopping 10 type resistances.

Unlike other defenders, Meagross can also be useful as an attacker thanks to its well-rounded stats and strong move pool.

In Gyms, it works better as a full Steel-type with Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash. However, in PvP, Earthquake can be added as a secondary Charged Move to give this Pokemon more versatility and better coverage.

Pokemon Go defender tier list

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.

More helpful guides

• 1km Buddy list
• All current and upcoming events
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• How to beat Arlo
• How to beat Cliff
• How to beat Giovanni
• How to beat Sierra
• Max Mondays Raid schedule
• PokeStop Showcase schedule
• Raid bosses schedule
• Rocket Grunt counters and lineups
• Shadow Raid schedule
• Spotlight Hour schedule
• Battle League Season schedule & rewards
• Field Research tasks & rewards

Best Pokemon for PvP (Go Battle League)

There are three major Leagues to enjoy in the Pokemon Go Battle League: the Great, the Ultra, and the Master League. These rotate throughout each season, with only one appearing at a time, often alongside special cups like the Sunshine or Fossil Cups.

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

Galarian Corsola

NIANTIC/DEXERTO

• Fast Move: Astonish
• Charged Moves: Night Shade and Power Gem
• Type: Ghost
• Resistances: Normal, Fighting, Poison, and Bug
• Weaknesses: Dark and Ghost

Since its debut, Galarian Corsola has climbed the PvP ranks on the Battle League thanks to its bulkiness and strong moveset, which benefits from STAB.

Tackle is a really bad option, so pick Astonish for your Fast Move, as it is the only Ghost-type attack and has great synergy with Night Shade.

Night Shade is a very cheap Charged Move with decent damage per energy, so go with it. Complement it with Power Gem, as it will expand your coverage, thanks to its affordability.

Azumarill

Niantic / The Pokemon Company

• Fast Move: Bubble
• Charged Moves: Play Rough and Ice Beam
• Type: Water/Fairy
• Resistances: Bug, Fighting, Water, Ice, Fire, Dark, and Dragon
• Weaknesses: Electric, Grass, and Poison

Azumarill is, without a doubt, one of the best Fairy-type Pokemon ever. This is mainly due to its solid moveset, great coverage, and massive bulk that allows it to take down and outlast most other opponents.

Bubble is the best Fast Move to use, with a good balance between damage and energy generation. Play Rough is the Charged Move you need, as it’s cheap and powerful. Plus, it benefits from STAB and will target Dark and Poison-type opponents. For some extra coverage, use Ice Beam.

Gastrodon

NIANTIC

• Fast Move: Mud-Slap
• Charged Moves: Body Slam and Water Pulse
• Type: Ground/Water
• Resistances: Steel, Rock, Poison, Fire, and Electric
• Weaknesses: Grass

Gastrodon didn’t use to be good at the Go Battle League, but thanks to the Mud-Slap buff and its very high Stamina, things changed for the dual Water/Ground-type creature. Plus, having only one weakness makes the water slug an even better choice.

Out of both Fast Moves, Mud-Slap is stronger, cheaper, and benefits from STAB. Body Slam is Gastrodon’s cheapest Charged Move, and due to how fast it is, it can be used to force the enemy shields while Water Pulse expands the coverage.

Ultra League

Galarian Moltres

NIANTIC

• Fast Move: Sucker Punch
• Charged Moves: Fly and Brave Bird
• Type: Dark/Flying
• Resistances: Psychic, Ground, Grass, Ghost, and Dark
• Weaknesses: Electric, Fairy, Ice, and Rock

Galarian Moltres is one solid choice to target some League champions like Feraligatr, Giratina, and Lapras. Plus, its bulky Defense stat can help it lead any team.

Sucker Punch is a little faster and cheaper than the other Fast Move, so go with it and spam it all you can to waste the enemy shields and build up your Charged Moves.

Brave Bird is very expensive and has a self-debuff, but it deals outstanding damage and has STAB, while Fly is relatively cheap and has good DPE.

Corviknight

NIANTIC/DEXERTO

• Fast Move: Sand Attack
• Charged Moves: Air Cutter and Payback
• Type: Flying/Steel
• Resistances: Poison, Grass, Bug, Steel, Psychic, Normal, Ground, Flying, Fairy, and Dragon
• Weaknesses: Electric and Fire

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, makes 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 it is the ideal attack to use, as it will allow you to use your Charged Moves early.

As for those, Air Cutter is quite spammy, so it can help you take down the opponent’s shields. Plus, it benefits from STAB and has a 30% chance of boosting your Attack stat by 25%. Payback, on the other hand, is a coverage nuke all trainers using Corviknight should have as a secondary choice.

Lapras

DEXERTO

• Fast Move: Psywave
• Charged Moves: Sparkling Aria and Ice Beam
• Type: Water/Ice
• Resistances: Ice and Water
• Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock

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.

Master League

As mentioned above, both Crowned forms of Zacian and Zamazenta are currently the best attackers in the game. This means they sit at the top of the Master League.

To avoid repetition, here are the top Pokemon that follow them.

Palkia Origin Forme

NIANTIC/DEXERTO

• Fast Move: Dragon Breath
• Charged Move: Aqua Tail and Spacial Rend
• Type: Water/Dragon
• Resistances: Water, Fire, and Steel
• Weaknesses: Dragon and Fairy

Palkia Origin Forme has 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 signature move Spacial Rend is the ultimate attack to use, while also using Aqua Tail to spam.

Metagross

Niantic / The Pokemon Company

• Fast Move: Shadow Claw
• Charged Moves: Meteor Mash and Earthquake
• Type: Steel/Psychic
• Resistances: Poison, Psychic, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Rock, and Steel
• Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground

Metagross is one of the best Fairy-type counters in the League, and players will likely be seeing plenty on their opponents’ teams.

Fairies like Zacian and Xerneas won’t stand a chance against this sturdy Pseudo-Legendary, and having synergy with its teammates will make a team with Metagross a force to be reckoned with.

To take advantage of its full power, use Shadow Claw as the Fast Move for its solid damage and good energy gain. Pair it up with the powerful Meteor Mash and add the nuke Earthquake to expand its coverage.

Xerneas

NIANTIC

• Fast Move: Geomancy
• Charged Moves: Close Combat and Moonblast
• Type: Fairy
• Resistances: Fighting, Bug, Dark, and Dragon
• Weaknesses: Poison and Steel

The incorporation of Xerneas’ signature move – Geomancy – turned this Legendary into the top Fairy-type Pokemon in the game.

Xerneas can work either as a lead or a closer, as it has good bulk and an even better Attack stat. Like most of the top-ranking competitive Pokemon, it can reach its Charged Moves fast, putting extra pressure on the opponent and forcing them to use their shields.

Geomancy deals great damage for a fair amount of energy. And while all the Charged Moves cost the same, Moonblast is the one with more serious damage, plus it benefits from STAB. Close Combat is ideal as a secondary Charged Move because it targets Xerneas’ greatest weakness: the Steel type.

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.