Best Pokemon to Power Up in Pokemon Go: Top 5

Category : Tips & Tricks Views: 27 Reading Time: 5 Minutes

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Best Pokemon to Power Up in Pokemon Go: Top 5 (2025)

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.

 

Our Top 5 Picks for 2025

1. Shadow Mewtwo

●     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)

2. Mega Rayquaza

●     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.

3. Primal Groudon

●     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.

4. Zacian (Hero of Many Battles)

●     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.

5. Primal Kyogre

●     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.

How we picked the Best Pokemon to Power Up in Pokemon Go

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.

Budget Alternatives (For Trainers With Limited Stardust)

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

Conclusion

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.

FAQs

Is Mewtwo still worth powering up in 2025?

Yes, especially its Shadow form. It remains the strongest generalist attacker.

What’s the best Master League Pokémon in 2025?

Zacian continues to dominate thanks to flexible coverage.

Best budget Pokémon to power up in 2025?

Machamp, Mamoswine, and Garchomp offer great value.

Best Shadow Pokémon to power up 2025?

Shadow Mewtwo, Shadow Machamp, and Shadow Mamoswine are excellent.

 

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