Best of category
Curated quarterly. Each list ranks the top 8-12 picks with rationale, recommended moveset, and base stats. Use these as starting points — not absolute truth — and check the underlying tier list for the full picture.
The strongest Fire-type attackers in-game are Mega Charizard Y, Mega Blaziken, Primal Groudon, Reshiram, and Shadow Heatran — ranked by total raid DPS at the optimal moveset.
The best Water-type attackers in-game are Primal Kyogre, Kyogre, Mega Blastoise, Origin Palkia, and Shadow Suicune.
The best Rock-type attackers are Mega Diancie, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Aerodactyl, Rampardos, and Rhyperior. Rock is the universal answer to Flying / Fire / Ice / Bug raids.
The best Ghost-type attackers are Mega Gengar, Shadow Chandelure, Giratina-Origin, Mega Banette, and Shadow Gengar. All carry Shadow Ball or Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball.
The strongest Electric-type attackers are Mega Ampharos, Xurkitree, Zekrom, Therian Thundurus, and Shadow Electivire. Electric counters Water + Flying raids.
The best Psychic attackers are Shadow Mewtwo, Mewtwo, Mega Mewtwo Y, Hoopa-Unbound, and Necrozma-Dawn-Wings. Psychic counters Fighting and Poison raid bosses.
The best Dragon attackers are Mega Rayquaza, Shadow Rayquaza, Rayquaza, Mega Salamence, and Shadow Dragonite. Dragon counters Dragon raids and a select few legendaries.
The best Ice attackers are Mega Glalie, Shadow Mamoswine, Galarian Darmanitan, Mamoswine, and Black Kyurem. Ice counters Dragon, Flying, Grass, and Ground raids — the highest-coverage attacking type.
The best Dark attackers are Mega Tyranitar, Mega Houndoom, Hydreigon, Shadow Tyranitar, and Yveltal. Dark counters Psychic and Ghost raids.
The strongest Grass-type attackers are Mega Sceptile, Kartana, Shadow Tangrowth, Roserade, and Zarude. Grass counters Water, Ground, and Rock raid bosses.
The strongest Ground-type attackers are Primal Groudon, Mega Garchomp, Shadow Garchomp, Groudon, and Excadrill. Ground counters Electric, Fire, Rock, and Steel raids.
The strongest Fighting-type attackers are Mega Lucario, Mega Blaziken, Terrakion, Shadow Machamp, and Lucario. Fighting counters Normal, Ice, Rock, Steel, and Dark raids.
The strongest Flying-type attackers are Mega Rayquaza, Shadow Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, Therian Tornadus, and Shadow Staraptor. Flying counters Grass, Fighting, and Bug raids.
The strongest Steel-type attackers are Mega Metagross, Shadow Metagross, Metagross, Excadrill, and Shadow Scizor. Steel counters Fairy, Ice, and Rock raids.
The strongest Bug-type attackers are Mega Pinsir, Shadow Pheromosa, Pheromosa, Mega Beedrill, and Genesect. Bug counters Dark, Grass, and Psychic raids.
The strongest Poison-type attackers are Mega Gengar, Mega Beedrill, Shadow Roserade, Nihilego, and Roserade. Poison counters Grass and Fairy raids.
The strongest Fairy-type attackers are Mega Gardevoir, Xerneas, Shadow Gardevoir, Tapu Koko, and Togekiss. Fairy counters Dragon, Dark, and Fighting raids.
The strongest Normal-type attackers are Mega Lopunny, Shadow Ursaluna, Slaking, Ursaring, and Snorlax. Normal is a niche attacking type with no super-effective coverage.
Top Great League picks include Azumarill, Medicham, Registeel, Lickitung, Galarian Stunfisk, Sableye, Trevenant, and Swampert. Bulk + spammy charged moves win at 1500 CP.
The Ultra League meta is anchored by Giratina-Altered. Top picks: Giratina-A, Cresselia, Walrein, Talonflame, Pidgeot, Cobalion, Virizion, Trevenant.
Master League is anchored by Dialga, Mewtwo, and Groudon. Top picks: Dialga, Mewtwo, Groudon, Kyogre, Garchomp, Zekrom, Reshiram, Giratina-Origin.
Top Grass picks for Great League: Trevenant, Venusaur, Tropius, Cradily, and Meganium. Grass beats Water/Ground cores like Swampert and Azumarill.
Top Water picks for Great League: Swampert, Azumarill, Lanturn, Carbink, and Greninja. Water is meta-defining at 1500 CP.
Top Electric picks for Master League: Zekrom, Therian Thundurus, Xurkitree, Zeraora, and Magnezone. Electric counters Kyogre + Lugia in ML.
Top Dragon picks for Master League: Dialga, Zekrom, Reshiram, Giratina-Origin, and Palkia. Dragon defines the ML meta.
Top Steel picks for Ultra League: Registeel, Cobalion, Steelix, Empoleon, and Bastiodon. Steel walls Charm spam and Fairy raids.
The best non-legendary attackers are Mega Charizard Y, Mega Blaziken, Mega Gengar, Rampardos, Salamence, Tyranitar, and Metagross — all available without raiding legendaries.
The best cheap attackers are Shadow Machamp, Mamoswine, Magnezone, Roserade, Hydreigon, and Rampardos. All build out under ~200k stardust at L40.
The best free-to-play counters are Machamp, Tyranitar, Garchomp, Metagross, Dragonite, Salamence, and Roserade. All buildable without buying raid passes.
The best Shadow attackers are Shadow Mewtwo, Shadow Rayquaza, Shadow Tyranitar, Shadow Metagross, Shadow Machamp, and Shadow Salamence.
The best Megas to evolve first are Mega Rayquaza, Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Gengar, and Mega Metagross — each anchors a type-coverage slot for raids.
The best purified mons are Mewtwo, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mew — purification removes Frustration and unlocks Return + the legacy charged move from the era they were caught.
The best lucky trade targets are Mewtwo, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Kyogre, Groudon, and Reshiram — Lucky mons cost half the stardust to level, making ML builds dramatically cheaper.
The best low-investment attackers cost under 100k stardust to build at L35: Machamp, Roserade, Magnezone, Hydreigon, Chandelure, and Mamoswine.
The best Mewtwo counters are Mega Gengar, Mega Tyranitar, Shadow Chandelure, Hydreigon, Yveltal, and Giratina-Origin. Ghost + Dark + Bug all hit Mewtwo super-effectively.
The best Rayquaza counters are Mega Glalie, Galarian Darmanitan, Shadow Mamoswine, Black Kyurem, and Xerneas. Ice is 4× super-effective on Dragon/Flying Rayquaza.
The best Groudon counters are Primal Kyogre, Mega Blastoise, Kyogre, Shadow Suicune, and Swampert. Water is 2× super-effective and Groudon's only weakness.
The best Kyogre counters are Mega Ampharos, Xurkitree, Zekrom, Therian Thundurus, and Roserade. Electric + Grass are 2× super-effective.
The best Dialga counters are Mega Garchomp, Primal Groudon, Mega Lucario, Shadow Garchomp, and Terrakion. Ground + Fighting are 2× super-effective.
The best Giratina counters are Mega Gengar, Shadow Chandelure, Mega Tyranitar, Xerneas, and Mega Salamence. Ghost + Dark + Dragon + Ice + Fairy all hit super-effectively.
The best Palkia counters are Mega Rayquaza, Xerneas, Shadow Dragonite, Mega Salamence, and Shadow Gardevoir. Dragon + Fairy are super-effective.
The best Zacian counters are Mega Charizard Y, Mega Garchomp, Primal Groudon, Reshiram, and Excadrill. Crowned Sword Zacian is weak to Fire + Ground.
The best Lugia counters are Mega Tyranitar, Xurkitree, Mega Manectric, Shadow Raikou, and Shadow Mewtwo. Electric + Rock + Dark + Ice + Ghost are super-effective.
The best Ho-Oh counters are Mega Tyranitar, Mega Diancie, Rampardos, Shadow Rhyperior, and Xurkitree. Rock is 4× super-effective on Fire/Flying Ho-Oh.
The best Darkrai counters are Mega Lucario, Mega Gardevoir, Terrakion, Shadow Machamp, and Xerneas. Fairy + Fighting + Bug are super-effective.
The best Tyranitar counters are Mega Lucario, Mega Blaziken, Terrakion, Mega Heracross, and Shadow Machamp. Fighting is 4× super-effective on Rock/Dark.
The best XXL mons to hunt are Snorlax, Wailord, Goodra, Gyarados, Slaking, Dragonite, Magikarp, and Hippowdon — all rewarding XL hunters with prestige + medal progress.
A functional hundo (15 ATK / non-15 DEF or HP) hits 99-100% of a true hundo's damage. Best functional hundo targets: Mewtwo, Rayquaza, Dialga, Garchomp, Tyranitar, Salamence.
Anti-meta picks include Carbink, Toxapex, Drapion, Cofagrigus, Galarian Weezing, Wigglytuff, and Lickitung — bulky off-meta mons that hard-counter the GL/UL meta.
The most valuable Community Day moves are Frenzy Plant, Hydro Cannon, Blast Burn, Meteor Mash, Psystrike, Aeroblast, Outrage (Salamence), and Brutal Swing.