If you’re looking for the best Pokemon to
power up in Pokemon Go, this guide is for you. Picking Pokemon that are
worth your Stardust, Rare Candy, and XL Candy can be tricky. Powering up a
monster in Pokémon GO is a huge investment, and with so many new forms (Mega,
Primal, Shadow, etc) hitting the game, it’s difficult to decide where to put
your resources.
To help you decide, we’ve made a list of
the 5
best Pokemon to power up in Pokemon Go. Coming up with precise,
future-proof, and less risky options was not easy. We’ve reviewed raid
performance, PvP viability, and long-term future proofing to bring you the top
5 Pokémon you should power up in 2025.
For those of you who are on a budget, we
have also recommended some budget-friendly alternatives based on real advice
from players.
●
Best Role: Unmatched raid attacker, generalist
powerhouse
●
Moveset: Psycho Cut + Psystrike
●
Why Power It Up: Shadow Mewtwo sits at the top
of the damage charts and doesn’t just dominate Psychic matchups—it smashes most
raid bosses, regardless of type.
As one player put it: “Something like a Mewtwo or Rayquaza you
can’t really go wrong with imo.” (Reddit, r/pokemongo)
●
Best Role: Best Dragon-type, raid support with
Dragon Ascent
●
Moveset: Dragon Tail + Breaking Swipe
●
Why Power It Up: Already a monster, and its
Mega form makes it the best Dragon
attacker in the game. It also boosts other Dragon-types on your raid team.
●
Best Role: Ground-type king + PvP Master
League titan
●
Moveset: Mud Shot + Precipice Blades
●
Why Power It Up: Groudon’s Primal form pushes
its stats off the charts. It doubles as a raid powerhouse and a Master League
staple, making it one of the best pokemon to power up in Pokemon Go.
●
Best Role: PvP specialist (Master League)
●
Moveset: Snarl + Close Combat + Play Rough
●
Why Power It Up: Zacian isn’t a raid
attacker—but it’s arguably the most
reliable Master League Pokémon. Flexible coverage moves let it check
Dragons, Darks, and Fighters, making it also one of the best Pokemon to power up in
Pokemon Go.
●
Best Role: It’s the best Water attacker
●
Moveset: It’s strongest movesets are Waterfall
and Origin Pulse
●
Why Power It Up: The base form of Kyogre can
undergo primal revision. Kyogre’s origin form is its primal and true form,
hence called Primal form. The Primal/Origin Kyogre is stronger than its base
form. It has the ability to create a rain cloud that could drown the whole
world. This one is going to be the strongest Water-type raid attacker. If you
raid heavily, Kyogre will be a good investment.
Since stardust is a valuable resource,
and it’s not infinite, spending it on Pokemon has to be fool-proof. You cannot
waste candies or stardust casually or to experiment. All Pokemon players rely
heavily on the strength of a Pokemon. Strength is indeed a valid and reliable
indicator of picking the best pokemon to power up in Pokemon Go.
However, there are other factors too that
players should take into consideration. Here’s what we kept it mind, besides
the strongest pokemon in Pokemon Go, to pick our top 5:
●
Can they consistently top the
charts in raid performance? For this we looked at PvP Strength.
●
Keeping in mind the PvP viability, we considered whether or
not they are must-haves in Master/Ultra/Great League.
●
Finally, relying on their future proof value, we assessed
whether they will stay relevant after new Megas, Shadows, and forms are
released.
Having multiple best Legendary Pokemon in
Pokemon Go can be expensive. If you want to play Pokemon Go and still get the best Pokemon to
power up in Pokemon Go, here are some of the strongest Pokemon in Pokemon Go.
These accessible Pokémon are still worth
powering up:
●
Dragonite – This one is easy to obtain, is a
strong Dragon attacker, and has solid PvP use.
●
Machamp (Shadow or Regular) – Machamp is a
budget friendly fighting-type Pokemon with great raid utility.
●
Garchomp – Non-Mega still hits hard as a
Ground/Dragon hybrid.
●
Swinub Line (Mamoswine) – Accessible via
trades and events, covers both Ice & Ground roles.
These make fantastic picks if you’re short on Stardust or XL Candy.
Comparison Table – Top Picks at a
Glance
Pokémon |
Role |
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
Best Use |
Shadow Mewtwo |
Generalist Attacker |
Highest DPS, Shadow boost |
Glassy, costly |
Raids & ML |
Rayquaza |
Dragon Attacker |
Mega boost, unmatched Dragon DPS |
Fairy weakness |
Raids |
Groudon |
Ground Attacker |
Primal boost, strong raid counter |
Weak to Water/Grass |
Raids |
Zacian |
PvP Flex Pick |
Flexible moveset, ML dominance |
Needs good IVs |
Master League |
Dragonite |
Hybrid |
Community Day moves, versatile |
Outclassed by Mega |
PvP + Raids |
Machamp (Alt) |
Budget Attacker |
Easy to get, strong Fighting moves |
Psychic weakness |
Raids |
Mamoswine (Alt) |
Budget Attacker |
Strong Ice/Ground coverage |
Frail |
Raids |
Garchomp (Alt) |
Budget Attacker |
Mega potential, dual coverage |
Ice weakness |
PvP + Raids |
Taking multiple aspects into our
consideration, we did thorough research. We also analysed what real players are
talking about on discussion forums like Quora and Reddit. Almost everyone is
concerned about spending candies and stardust on the wrong pokemon. Players
also shared their experiences about the best pokemon to power up in Pokemon Go.
Based on our research and first hand
experience with the game, we say the best ones are Mewtwo, Rayquaza, Groudon,
Zacian, and Dragonite.
Yes, especially its Shadow form. It
remains the strongest generalist attacker.
Zacian continues to dominate thanks to
flexible coverage.
Machamp, Mamoswine, and Garchomp offer
great value.
Shadow Mewtwo, Shadow Machamp, and Shadow Mamoswine are excellent.
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