Top PvE Attackers


If you raid casually, and you're content with just joining 20-person lobbies and getting maybe 12 Premier Balls and 3 Rare Candies per raid, this list isn't really important for you. With 20 people, you could use 6 Level 1 Pidgeys and still win.

However, if you want to be strong enough to defeat Tier 5 Raids with just you and 2 other people, and getting 18 Premier Balls and up to 24 Rare Candies per raid interests you, then using the right Pokemon is important.

What makes a Pokemon strong?

A Pokemon's strength is based on 2 major factors: base stats and moveset.

  • Base Stats: Every species of Pokemon has 3 stats which determines their potential in battle: HP, Attack, and Defense. Some species are naturally more powerful than others. For a more detailed explanation on Pokemon base stats, check out Pokemon Stats Explained.
  • Mewtwo's Base Stats: 300 Attack, 182 Defense, and 214 HP.
    Drowzee's Base Stats: 89 Attack, 136 Defense, and 155 HP.
    Mewtwo's base stats are strictly higher than Drowzee's.
  • Moveset: Base stats determine a Pokemon's potential in battle. How much of that potential is actually used depends on the moves of the Pokemon. A Level 40 100% IV Mewtwo is completely worthless in battle if it doesn't have the right moves. But how do you know which moves are the 'right' moves?
    • Type: Using super-effective moves against Raid Bosses is the single most important factor for battling effectively. A Pokemon that's using neutral or not very effective moves is essentially dead weight. If you need a refresher on the Pokemon type chart, see our explanation on type effectiveness.
    • Against Rayquaza, a Level 40 Powder Snow/Avalanche Mamoswine does an average of 44.5 DPS, enough to easily defeat it with 2 people.
      Against the same Rayquaza, a Level 40 Mud Slap/Bulldoze Mamoswine does an average of 5.8 DPS, which is lower than absolute powerhouses such as Tackle/Hyper Fang Rattata (coming in at 5.9 DPS).
    • Stats: Every move has parameters that determine how good it is. Some of these parameters are shown in-game, such as move power; others are hidden. For a full explanation on these move stats, and what makes a 'good' move good, check out Move Stats Explained.
      • Unfortunately, move parameters and move distribution are largely arbitrary and subject to Niantic's whims.

Type usage recommendations will ignore Arceus and Silvally, as they can be any of the 18 types; it is currently unknown how they will be implemented in Pokemon Go.

Machamp (and the other Fighting-types)
Machamp
Counter
Dynamic Punch
Breloom
Counter
Dynamic Punch
Hariyama
Counter
Dynamic Punch
Toxicroak
Counter
Dynamic Punch
Blaziken
Counter
Focus Blast

Machamp has been the center of the Pokemon Go raid meta since the beginning. While Fighting-types are not commonly used against Tier 5 raids, Dark-types such as Tyranitar are; Fighting-types earn their spot on any raid roster by virtue of being the best counter to Dark-types.

  • Machamp is the best of the Fighting bunch. Counter and Dynamic Punch are the best Fighting-type moves in the game, and Machamp wields both of them with a respectable 234 Base Attack, as well as reasonably good bulk.
  • Breloom and Hariyama trail slightly behind Machamp. Breloom's attack stat is actually higher than Machamp's, but it's squishier and therefore not as universally useful as Machamp. Hariyama's attack stat is lower than Machamp's, but it has greater bulk and is a great alternative Fighting-type.
  • Toxicroak is an underrated Fighting-type attacker. While it's inferior to Machamp in every metric, it too has access to Counter/Dynamic Punch, which allows it to perform respectably.
  • Blaziken unfortunately does not get Dynamic Punch. Focus Blast's 1-bar nature along with Blaziken's frailty means that wasted Energy is a larger concern.
    • In matchups where both Fire and Fighting are super effective (eg. Registeel), Blaziken will perform better with any of its Fire-type Charge Moves. With its Community Day-exclusive move Blast Burn, Blaziken will actually outperform Machamp.
    Use Fighting-types against: Regice, Regirock, Registeel, Dialga, Heatran1, Regigigas, Darkrai, Cobalion, Terrakion, Kyurem, Meloetta-Pirouette, Type:Null, Guzzlord2, Kartana3, Stakataka
    1 Ground-types are significantly more effective against Heatran.
    2 Fairy-types will be significantly more effective against Guzzlord (Dragon/Dark).
    3 Fire-types will be significantly more effective against Kartana (Grass/Steel).
Dark & Ghost-types
Giratina-Origin
Shadow Claw
Shadow Ball
Gengar
Shadow Claw/Lick
Shadow Ball
Chandelure
Hex
Shadow Ball
Mewtwo
Psycho Cut
Shadow Ball
Hydreigon
Bite
Dark Pulse
Weavile
Feint Attack
Foul Play
Tyranitar
Bite
Crunch

Psychic is the most-represented type across all Legendary Pokemon. As such, Dark- and Ghost-type Pokemon are invaluable for beating down on these Tier 5 raids.

  • Giratina-Origin is a complete monster. Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball are fantastic moves, and despite being hit with the 9% base stat nerf, Giratina-O's 225 Base Attack is still enough to put it near the top in Ghost-type DPS. Combined with its massive bulk, Giratina-O is a very welcomed addition to the shallow Ghost-type attacking pool.
  • Gengar keeps its spot as the #1 Ghost-type DPS, despite the release of Giratina-O. The downside: both Shadow Claw and Lick are legacy moves, and are therefore currently unobtainable except through trading. Gengar's niche is outputting insane Ghost DPS over a short period of time; while Hex Gengar still has great DPS, it's slower than Lick or Shadow Claw by about 60 seconds.
  • Shadow Ball Mewtwo is now outclassed by Giratina-O in both DPS and TDO. Despite this, Mewtwo is still a very good Pokemon; not many people have 6 Giratina-Os and/or 6 legacy Gengars powered up, and Shadow Ball Mewtwo still has significantly higher DPS than Tyranitar. The downside: Shadow Ball is a legacy move.
    • If the target is not weak to Psychic, use Psycho Cut, as its Energy gain is higher, and the majority of your damage will be from your Charge Move. If the target is weak to Psychic, use Confusion, as its damage when super effective is significant.
  • Chandelure is the best overall Ghost-type that isn't Legacy (Gengar), Legendary (Giratina), or both (Mewtwo). Compared to Gengar, it has lower DPS, but is much bulkier; compared to Giratina, it has higher DPS, but is less bulky.
  • Hydreigon is the best overall Dark-type. It doesn't quite reach Weavile's DPS, but it is much bulkier than Weavile, and it does significantly more DPS than the next best option, Tyranitar. However, Hydreigon is currently extremely rare, and its inevitable Community Day may entice players to hold off on evolving one right now.
  • Weavile is the current king of Dark-type DPS. While its stats are lower than Tyranitar's, its moveset is much better, and as a result Weavile's Dark-type DPS is actually higher. However, Weavile is significantly squishier.
  • Tyranitar is the perennial Dark-type: it has been a staple in Tier 4 Raids since they were first released, and many players have a surplus of candy from Larvitar's Community Day. Tyranitar's base stats are amazing; however, Bite/Crunch is a relatively underwhelming moveset. While Tyranitar has decent DPS and amazing TDO, it is often significantly slower than Giratina-O, Gengar, Mewtwo, and sometimes Weavile; using too many Tyranitar can be detrimental if you're raiding with 2-3 other players and need to race against the clock. That said, if you have nothing better, Tyranitar is better than neutral counters.
  • Use Dark and Ghost-types against: Mewtwo, Lugia, Latias1, Latios1, Deoxys, Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf, Giratina1, Cresselia, Meloetta-Aria2, Hoopa-Confined, Solgaleo, Lunala, Necrozma1, Tapu Lele3, Marshadow3, Blacephalon
    1 Dragon-types are significantly stronger than Dark- and Ghost-types when they are both super-effective; Ultra Necrozma is Psychic/Dragon.
    2 Only Dark (not Ghost) is super-effective against Meloetta-Aria (Normal/Psychic).
    3 Only Ghost (not Dark) is super-effective against Tapu Lele (Psychic/Fairy) and Marshadow (Ghost/Fighting).
The Big 6 Dragons (and Exeggutor)
Rayquaza
Dragon Tail
Outrage
Salamence
Dragon Tail
Outrage
Palkia
Dragon Tail
Draco Meteor
Dragonite
Dragon Tail
Outrage
Garchomp
Dragon Tail
Outrage
Dialga
Dragon Breath
Draco Meteor
Alolan Exeggutor
Dragon Tail
Dragon Pulse

Dragon is the 2nd-most common type in Legendary Raids. The best counters to Dragons are typically Dragons, unless they are 4x weak to another type (most commonly Ice).

  • Rayquaza continues to hold onto its throne of #1 Dragon DPS. Dragon Tail and Outrage are THE best Dragon-type moves for raiding, and with a Base Attack of 284, Rayquaza will likely keep its throne for the foreseeable future, excluding any new Dragon-type moves.
  • Salamence, with its Community Day-exclusive move Outrage, ascends the Dragon hierarchy to take 2nd place. While it falls behind Rayquaza in both DPS and TDO, it's much more feasible to power up several Salamence than several Rayquaza. For players who don't have an Outrage Salamence, Draco Meteor Salamence is still a very respectable option that lands just behind Palkia. Practically, however, you may find yourself consistently wasting Energy due to Salamence's relative frailty and Draco Meteor being a 1-bar move.
  • Palkia has Rayquaza-level stats; unfortunately, it did not get Outrage, and instead has to work with Draco Meteor. While Palkia is bulky enough to make Draco Meteor work, it's difficult to justify investing Rare Candies into Palkia that could go to Rayquaza instead. If you do choose to invest in Palkia, however, it's still a top-tier Dragon, especially with the dodge bug mostly fixed.
  • Dragonite is the ever-reliable Dragon. While the DPS gap between it and Rayquaza is significant, Dragonite still has a place on many Dragon teams simply by virtue of how long it's been available.
  • Garchomp is a solid Dragon, but its current rarity and inevitable Community Day makes it difficult to justify powering one up, if you even have the means to do so. Still, if you're in need of a strong Dragon attacker to fill out your Dragon team, you could do far worse than Garchomp.
  • Dialga is by far the bulkiest Dragon around, being one of only two Dragons to not be weak to Dragon (the other being Mega Altaria). However, Dialga's moveset is underwhelming. Draco Meteor is comparable to Outrage with Dialga's bulk, but Dragon Breath is inferior to Dragon Tail in every metric other than ease of dodging. Furthermore, the fixing of the dodge bug means that other Dragons such as Rayquaza no longer get oneshot by a dodged Draco Meteor, reducing Dialga's niche.
  • Alolan Exeggutor stands tall as the most competent budget Dragon. While it's nowhere near as strong as the Big 6 Dragons, it's still a passable option for those who have nothing better. It's still capable of trioing Giratina-Altered, for example, but it's unable to duo Giratina-Origin without a Windy boost.
  • Use Dragons against: Latias, Latios, Rayquaza1, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem2, Zygarde1, Ultra Necrozma, Guzzlord3, Naganadel
    1 Ice-types are significantly more effective against Dragons that are 4x weak to Ice.
    2 Kyurem (Dragon/Ice) will likely have lethal Ice-type attacks for most of our Dragons. Metagross and Rampardos may be better options.
    3 Fairy-types will be significantly more effective against Guzzlord (Dragon/Dark).
Counters to Flying-types

Flying-type Legendaries have historically been common, with the original Legendary Raids being Articuno and Lugia. As many Legendaries from future generations are also part-Flying, Flying-type counters are a valuable part of any raid roster. These Pokemon can be divided into 3 types: Ice, Rock, and Electric.

Ice-types
Mamoswine
Powder Snow
Avalanche
Weavile
Ice Shard
Avalanche
Glaceon
Frost Breath
Avalanche
Mewtwo
Psycho Cut
Ice Beam

Ice-types have a wide offensive coverage: in addition to Flying-types, Ice-types are super-effective against Dragon, Grass, and Ground. They are most effective when preying on 4x weaknesses (eg. Dragon/Flying-types such as Rayquaza).

  • Mamoswine is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the Ice-type competition. Any Raid Boss that is 4x weak to Ice is trivial to duo with an army of adequately-leveled Mamoswine.
  • Weavile makes its second appearance, this time with its Ice-type moveset. Although Weavile falls short of Mamoswine in both DPS and bulk, it's still a very good Ice-type option - just not as good as the Ice-type king.
  • Glaceon is essentially interchangeable with Weavile as the 2nd-best Ice-type. While its DPS is a little lower than Weavile's, its increased bulk more than makes up for it, and high-level Eevees are easier to find than high-level Sneasels.
  • Ice Beam Mewtwo sneaks its way onto this list as the 4th-best "Ice-type". Despite lacking STAB on Ice Beam, Mewtwo's enormous 300 Base Attack allows it to outperform several other Ice-types with lower Attack stats, such as Articuno. It's solidly outclassed by the above 3 Ice-types, though.
    • If the target is not weak to Psychic, use Psycho Cut, as its Energy gain is higher, and the majority of your damage will be from your Charge Move. If the target is weak to Psychic, use Confusion, as its damage when super effective is significant.
    Use Ice-types against: Zapdos, Lugia, Latias1, Latios1, Groudon2, Rayquaza, Giratina1, Shaymin-Sky, Tornadus, Thundurus, Landorus, Zekrom1, Yveltal, Zygarde, Tapu Bulu3, Ultra Necrozma1, Guzzlord4, Naganadel1
    1 Due to their extremely high Attack stats, the Big 6 Dragons are generally stronger counters to Dragons that are only 2x weak to Ice.
    2 Avoid using Ice-types against Fire Blast Groudon; additionally, avoid using Mamoswine against Solar Beam Groudon.
    3 Poison-types will be significantly more effective against Tapu Bulu (Grass/Fairy).
    4 Fairy-types will be significantly more effective against Guzzlord (Dragon/Dark).
Rock-types
Rampardos
Smack Down
Rock Slide
Tyranitar
Smack Down
Stone Edge
Rhyperior
Smack Down
Stone Edge
Aerodactyl
Rock Throw
Rock Slide
Golem
Rock Throw
Stone Edge
Alolan Golem
Rock Throw
Stone Edge

Rock-types were highly-demanded at the start of the Legendary Raid meta. While their importance has declined since then, Rampardos is so far above its competition that it will continue to brute-force its way into the top counters for any Legendaries that are weak to Rock.

  • Rampardos' 295 Base Attack is higher than Rayquaza's. It also has a fantastic Rock moveset in Smack Down/Rock Slide. Anything Rock Tyranitar can do, Rampardos does about 100 seconds faster. While it is notably glassier than Tyranitar and Rhyperior, Rampardos' Rock-type DPS is in a completely different league.
    • For perspective: Tyranitar and Rhyperior are capable of easily duoing Moltres. Rampardos, however, may be able to solo Moltres with a Partly Cloudy boost.
  • Tyranitar is a great Pokemon stat-wise. Unfortunately, it needs its Community Day-exclusive move Smack Down to really shine as a Rock-type. Even with Smack Down, it's still utterly outclassed by Rampardos in terms of DPS; however, Tyranitar maintains a sizeable bulk advantage over Rampardos.
    • Tyranitar without Smack Down is outclassed in pure Rock-type DPS by other Rock-types such as Golem.
    • Please don't use your Bite/Crunch Tyranitars against Raid Bosses that require Rock-type DPS. The only exception is if the Raid Boss is weak to both Dark and Rock (eg. Lugia), in which case Bite/Stone Edge will outperform Smack Down/Stone Edge; even in those cases, there are numerous better options than Tyranitar.
  • Rhyperior is a very slight downgrade to Smack Down Tyranitar; however, it's not limited by a legacy moveset like Tyranitar is. As with Tyranitar, it falls far short of Rampardos' DPS, but it's much tankier.
  • Aerodactyl is 'only' around as powerful as Rhyperior and Tyranitar, but it lacks their bulk, being as glassy as Rampardos without the stupidly high firepower that Rampardos brings.
  • Golem (and its Alolan variant) are distinct B-tier options that, in a pinch, will serve you decently well.
  • Use Rock-types against: Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, Entei, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Regice, Rayquaza1, Shaymin-Sky1, Tornadus, Thundurus, Reshiram2, Kyurem2, Yveltal, Volcanion3, Blacephalon
    1 Ice-types are significantly more effective against Rayquaza and Shaymin-Sky (Grass/Flying).
    2 The Big 6 Dragons are generally stronger counters against Dragons that are only 2x weak to Rock; however, Rampardos' DPS is so high that it can easily compete as a top counter.
    3 Volcanion (Water/Fire) will likely have lethal Water-type attacks for Rock-types.
Electric-types
Raikou
Thunder Shock
Wild Charge
Electivire
Thunder Shock
Wild Charge
Zapdos
Thunder Shock
Thunderbolt
Magnezone
Spark
Wild Charge
Luxray
Spark
Wild Charge
Mewtwo
Psycho Cut
Thunderbolt

Electric-types have a narrower offensive coverage than Ice or Rock, only being super-effective against Water in addition to Flying, but that doesn't make Electric-types useless. Kyogre is one of the hardest Raids in the game, and it's also among the strongest and most-desirable Legendary Pokemon. Electric-types are consistently the best counters to it - against Blizzard Kyogre, Electric-types are essentially required to pull off the trio.

  • Raikou is overall the best Electric-type attacker in the game. Thunder Shock/Wild Charge is a fantastic Electric-type moveset, and Raikou's 241 Base Attack is more than good enough for it to put in work. While Raikou has slightly lower DPS than Electivire, it's significantly bulkier, and in many fights that extra bulk offsets the slight DPS advantage that Electivire offers.
  • Electivire is blessed with the same Thunder Shock/Wild Charge moveset that makes Raikou so good. Electivire has an even higher Attack stat than Raikou, solidifying its place as the #1 Electric-type DPS - although it is noticeably glassier than Raikou.
  • Zapdos is the other Electric-type Legendary currently in the game. While Zapdos has the highest Attack stat on this list (except Mewtwo) at 253, it unfortunately has moveset problems. Thunderbolt is worse than Wild Charge, and its best Fast Move, Thunder Shock, is legacy. Furthermore, its secondary Flying type tends to be more of a detriment than a benefit - against Kyogre, for example, Zapdos is weak to Blizzard and only neutral to Thunder, while other pure-Electric types would be neutral to Blizzard and resist Thunder. Zapdos is still a great Pokemon, but the lack of Wild Charge really holds it back from its full potential.
  • Magnezone's DPS is respectable, but it falls slightly short of the top 3 Electric-types. What makes it really stand out is its typing: Electric/Steel is a fantastic type combination that gives it 11 resistances and 1 immunity-tier resistance.
  • Luxray, if you have one powered up, is a strict downgrade to the above 4 Electric-types; however, it's still a decent option that outperforms Jolteon. Shinx being confined to Eggs and Raids may make it less likely that you have the Candy to power a Luxray up, though.
  • Thunderbolt Mewtwo yet again shows up on one of these lists when it's not even the right type. As with Ghost Mewtwo and Ice Mewtwo, Electric Mewtwo performs adequately enough as an "Electric-type" thanks to its 300 Base Attack and access to Thunderbolt.
    • If the target is not weak to Psychic, use Psycho Cut, as its Energy gain is higher, and the majority of your damage will be from your Charge Move. If the target is weak to Psychic, use Confusion, as its damage when super effective is significant.
    Use Electric-types against: Articuno1, Moltres1, Suicune, Lugia, Ho-Oh1, Kyogre, Tornadus, Keldeo, Yveltal, Volcanion, Tapu Fini, Celesteela
    1 Rock-types are significantly more effective against these Pokemon due to their 4x weakness.

Grass-types
Roserade
Razor Leaf
Grass Knot
Sceptile
Bullet Seed
Frenzy Plant
Breloom
Bullet Seed
Grass Knot
Venusaur
Vine Whip
Frenzy Plant
Torterra
Razor Leaf
Frenzy Plant
Leafeon
Razor Leaf
Leaf Blade
Tangrowth
Vine Whip
Solar Beam
Alolan Exeggutor
Bullet Seed
Solar Beam

Grass is a relatively poor offensive type; it is super-effective against Water, Ground, and Rock, which are not very common types among Legendary Raids. Fortunately for Grass-types, Groudon and Kyogre happen to be Ground- and Water-type Legendaries respectively, meaning they are both weak to Grass; this alone gives Grass-types a niche in the raid meta.

  • Roserade, with the addition of Grass Knot to its movepool, is currently the king (queen?) of Grass-type DPS. While other Grass-types face heavy competition from stronger Pokemon of other types (eg. Raikou against Kyogre), Roserade's Attack stat along with its great moveset allows it to compete on even footing with these other titans. Roserade also has the advantage of not being limited by legacy moves, unlike many of the other Grass-type options.
  • Sceptile with its Community Day-exclusive move Frenzy Plant is the clear 2nd-best Grass-type, just behind Roserade. While it's inferior to Roserade in both DPS and TDO, players who participated in Treecko Community Day will likely find it easier to power up multiple Sceptiles, compared to multiple Roserades.
  • Breloom with its legacy move Grass Knot is strictly inferior to Roserade, sporting both lower DPS and lower TDO. If you have a Grass Knot Breloom powered up, it's a reasonably good Grass-type; without Grass Knot, Breloom's performance falls below Alolan Exeggutor's.
  • Venusaur with its Community Day-exclusive move Frenzy Plant is a lower-DPS, higher-TDO version of Roserade. Like Sceptile, anyone who participated in Bulbasaur Community Day will likely find it easier to power up multiple Venusaurs.
  • Torterra with its Community Day-exclusive move Frenzy Plant is a lower-DPS, higher-TDO version of Frenzy Plant Venusaur. Unfortunately, its secondary Ground-typing tends to hinder its performance, as Water-type moves are neutral rather than resisted.
  • Leafeon isn't a bad Grass-type, but the 4 Pokemon above are all noticeably better than it. Although it's an Eeveelution, it requires a Mossy Lure to evolve, which makes it less accessible than the other Eeveelutions. If you missed out on Bulbasaur Community Day, the 2019 Hoenn event, and Treecko Community Day, and you don't have 6 high-level Roserades, Leafeon will still get the job done.
  • Tangrowth is another lower-DPS, higher-TDO Grass type, similar to Venusaur. Unlike Venusaur, Tangrowth is not dependent on a legacy move; however, Tangela is quite rare in some biomes.
  • Alolan Exeggutor is a relatively accessible Grass-type option that has one major advantage over its Kantonian counterpart: its secondary Dragon typing. Being part-Dragon means Alolan Exeggutor is 4x resistant to Water, Electric, and Grass, giving it impressive TDO against the likes of Hydro Pump Kyogre, Thunder Kyogre, and Solar Beam Groudon.
  • Use Grass-types against: Suicune, Regirock, Kyogre1, Groudon2, Terrakion, Keldeo, Diancie3, Tapu Fini
    1 Avoid using Grass-types against Blizzard Kyogre.
    2 Avoid using Grass-types against Fire Blast Groudon.
    3 Steel-types will be significantly more effective against Diancie (Rock/Fairy).
Water-types
Kyogre
Waterfall
Hydro Pump
Kingler
Bubble
Crabhammer
Swampert
Water Gun
Hydro Cannon
Feraligatr
Waterfall
Hydro Cannon
Gyarados
Waterfall
Hydro Pump
Palkia
Dragon Tail
Hydro Pump
Vaporeon
Water Gun
Hydro Pump

Water is one of the strongest offensive types in the main series, with super-effective coverage against Fire, Rock, and Ground - 3 of the most common types in the game. Unfortunately for Water-types in Pokemon Go, there aren't a whole lot of Fire-, Rock-, or Ground-type Legendaries, and many of them are either 4x weak to another type or neutral to Water. However, Water-types are top-tier counters to Groudon, which is one of the most common and most desirable Raid Bosses; that alone gives them meta-relevance.

  • Kyogre is the god of the ocean, and it backs up that title with a Base 270 Attack and a very solid STAB combination in Waterfall/Hydro Pump. Kyogre is ridiculously ahead of all other Water-types - as a demonstration of its strength, Kyogre is the only Pokemon that can duo Groudon, though it requires Rain.
  • With the addition of Crabhammer to its regular movepool, Kingler is actually the #1 Water-type DPS. What holds it back from being the overall #1 Water-type is its frailty. Similar to Gengar, Kingler will output more Water-type DPS than any other Pokemon in the game, but for a very short duration.
  • Swampert with its Community Day-exclusive move Hydro Cannon moves up to take the spot of 3rd-best Water-type from Hydro Cannon Feraligatr. Hydro Cannon is an absolutely ridiculous move, having nearly twice the DPE*DPS (What is DPE*DPS?) as Hydro Pump and Surf. While Kyogre is still the top whale, Swampert is a very solid non-Legendary alternative Water-type.
  • Feraligatr with its Community Day-exclusive move Hydro Cannon is solidly 4th-place in the Water-type race, behind Swampert. It's less powerful and less bulky than Swampert, but it has access to Hydro Cannon, placing it cleanly ahead of the previous best non-Legendary Water-type, Gyarados.
  • Gyarados is the best non-Legendary, non-legacy Water-type option. It's got good stats, and it has Waterfall/Hydro Pump, but it simply falls short of Kyogre's base stats and Hydro Cannon's insane stats. For players who don't have a full team of the top 3 Water-types, however, Gyarados will work just fine. In some matchups, Gyarados' Flying type can make it significantly bulkier, such as against Earthquake and Solar Beam Groudon.
  • Palkia has the base stats to compete blow-for-blow with Kyogre; if it had Waterfall, it would top Kyogre as the #1 Water DPS, although with slightly lower bulk. Unfortunately, Niantic chose not to give it a Water-type fast move, relegating it to mediocrity as a Water-type. It's still a very strong Pokemon, but the above 5 are all better options, and it's difficult to justify giving Palkia Rare Candies when they could go to Kyogre instead.
  • Vaporeon is a significant downgrade in performance compared to the other Water-types on this list; however, it's also the most accessible option. If you don't have any of the other Pokemon on this list, Vaporeon is probably your best option.
  • Use Water-types against: Moltres1, Entei, Ho-Oh1, Regirock, Groudon2, Heatran3, Terrakion, Landorus4, Diancie5, Nihilego3, Stakataka5, Blacephalon
    1 Rock-types are significantly more effective against these Pokemon due to their 4x weakness.
    2 Avoid using Water-types against Solar Beam Groudon.
    3 Ground-types are significantly more effective against these Pokemon due to their 4x weakness.
    4 Ice-types will be significantly more effective against Landorus (Ground/Flying).
    5 Steel-types will be significantly more effective against Diancie (Rock/Fairy).
    5 Fighting-types will be significantly more effective against Stakataka (Rock/Steel).
Metagross
Metagross
Bullet Punch
Meteor Mash
Jirachi
Confusion
Doom Desire
Dialga
Metal Claw
Iron Head
Excadrill
Metal Claw
Iron Head
Scizor
Bullet Punch
Iron Head

Steel as an offensive type has historically had no standout attackers powerful enough to really make a dent in the raid meta. Enter Meteor Mash Metagross. Meteor Mash is an insanely overpowered move that single-handedly catapults Metagross from mediocrity to being a top-tier attacker against Rock-, Ice-, and Fairy-types.

  • Metagross with its Community Day-exclusive move Meteor Mash is by far the best Steel-type attacker in Pokemon Go, with the 8th highest neutral DPS in the game. While Steel isn't currently a highly-needed type, Metagross stands out as a top counter to several high-profile Legendaries coming in the future - most notably the Kyurem Forms, which have the potential to surpass Rayquaza as the #1 Dragon DPS, and Xerneas, which is the most powerful Fairy-type Legendary.
  • Jirachi is the 2nd-best Steel-type, but its performance falls far short of Meteor Mash Metagross. Doom Desire is a stupidly powerful move, but Jirachi's middling base stats coupled with its once-per-account limitation makes it an impractical option for Steel-type DPS.
  • Dialga is the next best Steel-type, but it's a Legendary and therefore has limited availability.
  • Excadrill is a solid Steel-type attacker. While it's relatively new, it is fairly common in many biomes and is not dependent on a Legacy moveset, making it more practical to amass a team of Excadrills than any of the above Steel-types.
  • Scizor is a decent Steel-type attacker, but that's mostly due to lack of depth in the Steel-type department than anything else. If for some reason you absolutely need a Steel-type attacker, Scizor is probably the most accessible option, but it is outclassed by more powerful Pokemon from other types.
  • Use Metagross against: Articuno1, Regirock, Regice, Terrakion, Kyurem, Xerneas, Diancie, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu2, Nihilego3
    1 Rock-types are significantly more effective due to the 4x weakness.
    2 Poison-types will be significantly more effective against Tapu Bulu (Grass/Fairy).
    3 Ground-types will be significantly more effective against Stakataka (Rock/Steel).
Fairy-types
Gardevoir
Charm
Dazzling Gleam
Togekiss
Charm
Dazzling Gleam
Granbull
Charm
Play Rough

With the addition of Charm to Pokemon Go, Fairy-types finally have a Fairy-type Fast Move. Fairy is super effective against Fighting, Dark, and Dragon. Unfortunately, even with a Fairy-type Fast Move, Fairies still face stiff competition from other types: Machamp beats down Dark-types better, and Dragon- and Ice-types do the Dragon-slaying job better.

  • Gardevoir has the highest offensive stats among Fairy-types and also has the best Fairy-type moveset in Charm/Dazzling Gleam, making it the best Fairy-type by default.
  • Togekiss' base stats are above average, and it also has access to Charm/Dazzling Gleam, but it's more defensively-oriented than Gardevoir, making it the 2nd-best option.
  • Granbull is a surprisingly strong Fairy-type option. It's also the most accessible; Cloudy Weather is common in many areas of the world, and wild Snubbulls are much more common than wild Ralts or hatching Togepi from Eggs.
  • Use Fairy-types against: Latios1, Latias1, Rayquaza2, Palkia1, Giratina1, Terrakion, Virizion3, Keldeo, Zekrom1, Kyurem4, Meloetta-Pirouette, Yveltal, Zygarde2, Buzzwole3, Pheromosa3, Guzzlord, Ultra Necrozma1
    1 The Big 6 Dragons will be significantly stronger against Pokemon that are 2x weak to both Dragon and Fairy.
    2 Ice-types are significantly more effective against Pokemon that are 4x weak to Ice.
    3 Flying-types will be significantly more effective against Pokemon that are 4x weak to Flying. 4 Metagross, Machamp, and Metagross will all outpeform Fairy-types against Kyurem (Dragon/Ice).
Other Types

The Pokemon in this section aren't necessarily bad, per se; they just have a very narrow niche in the Pokemon Go raid meta.

Psychic-types
Mewtwo
Confusion
Psystrike
Azelf
Confusion
Future Sight
Espeon
Confusion
Future Sight
Alakazam
Confusion
Future Sight
Gardevoir
Confusion
Synchronoise
Gallade
Confusion
Synchronoise

Psychic-types generally have only one purpose in Pokemon Go: soloing Machamp Raids. Past that, they aren't really useful for anything else; Gen 5 has 4 Fighting-type Legendaries, but only 3 of them are weak to Psychic, and against those 3, Psychic-types face heavy competition from other types.

  • With the addition of its signature move Psystrike, Mewtwo is by far the best Psychic-type in the game. Psystrike paired with Mewtwo's insane base stats is so strong that, in Windy weather, Mewtwo outperforms Groudon against Raikou, despite lacking type advantage. If you don't have a Psystrike Mewtwo, Psychic Mewtwo is a steep downgrade, but still the 2nd-best Psychic-type option.
  • Azelf is Mewtwo-lite and is unquestionably the 3rd-best Psychic-type. Future Sight is a much better move than Psychic, but Mewtwo's base stats are simply too high for Azelf to compete with; that said, 270 Base Attack is still very good. The problem with Azelf: Mewtwo exists. If Mewtwo can be a top-tier attacker for Ghost, Ice, Electric, Fire, AND Psychic, while Azelf is only a top-tier attacker for Psychic, it's difficult to justify giving Azelf Rare Candies over Mewtwo.
  • Espeon is a strong, accessible Psychic-type option. Given the narrow usage of Psychic-types in Pokemon Go, evolving a team of high-level Espeons is probably the most dust-efficient strategy for soloing Machamp Raids.
  • Alakazam is similar to Espeon in overall performance; compared to Espeon, it has higher DPS, but lower bulk. Both will get the job done fine, but Alakazam may be less accessible than Espeon for some due to Abra's rarity.
  • Gardevoir's main standout quality is its part-Fairy typing, which gives it a 4x resistance to Fighting-type moves. However, Machamp also carries Heavy Slam, which is super-effective against Fairy-types.
  • Gallade, with its Community Day-exclusive move Synchronoise, moves up from being completely worthless to being a pretty decent Psychic-type attacker. It's still worse than Alakazam and Espeon, and being a good Psychic attacker doesn't mean much for the PvE meta, but it's still an improvement from its previous state.
    Use Psychic-types against: Terrakion, Virizion1, Keldeo, Meloetta-Pirouette, Marshadow, Nihilego2, Buzzwole 1, Pheromosa 1, Naganadel3
    1 Flying-types will be significantly more effective against Virizion (Grass/Fighting), Buzzwole (Bug/Fighting), and Pheromosa (Bug/Fighting).
    2 Ground-types will be significantly more effective against Nihilego (Rock/Poison).
    3 Due to their extremely high Attack stats, the Big 6 Dragons will be better counters to Naganadel (Poison/Dragon).
Ground-types
Excadrill
Mud Slap
Drill Run
Groudon
Mud Shot
Earthquake
Garchomp
Mud Shot
Earthquake
Rhyperior
Mud Slap
Earthquake
Mamoswine
Mud Slap
Bulldoze
Rhydon
Mud Slap
Earthquake

Ground-types have great stats, but they are cursed with absolutely terrible moves. The only saving grace for Ground-types is that Electric-types are only weak to Ground, and that a few Legendaries are 4x weak to Ground. In all other scenarios, avoid using Ground-types if you have the choice of using a Pokemon of another type.

  • Excadrill has lower base stats than Groudon. The difference: Excadrill has Drill Run, which is one of the very few Ground-type moves that aren't terrible. As a result, Excadrill solidly outperforms Groudon DPS-wise, and is generally a better Ground-type attacker. However, Excadrill is significantly squishier than Groudon, and its Steel typing doesn't do it many favors against Heatran with Fire moves.
  • Groudon is Kyogre's counterpart, the god of the land. While it has the same monstrous stats as Kyogre, Earthquake is so bad that Solar Beam, which lacks STAB, outperforms it when Grass and Ground are the same effectiveness. Despite losing its spot of #1 Ground-type to Excadrill, Groudon is still significantly bulkier, and it can only improve in the future with its signature move Precipice Blades and its Primal form.
  • Garchomp is the best non-Legendary Ground-type. In matchups against Electric-types, Garchomp can actually surpass Groudon's performance, thanks to its Dragon/Ground-typing that gives it a 6x resistance to Electric-type moves. However, Gible's current rarity, its inevitable Community Day, and the minimal utility of Ground-type attackers means you may want to hold onto your best Gibles; in the meantime, the other Ground-types below will still get the job done.
  • Rhyperior can also flex as a Ground-type attacker with its Mud Slap/Earthquake moveset. It's a definite downgrade from Groudon or Garchomp, but it's much more accessible than either of those two.
  • Mamoswine is a decent enough Ground-type attacker, but it's much better-suited to attacking as an Ice-type. That secondary Ice-typing significantly reduces Mamoswine's performance as a Ground-type attacker - it becomes weak to Fire and Steel, two of the types that you would typically want to use Ground-types against.
  • Rhydon is the ultimate budget Ground-type option, requiring only 25 Rhyhorn Candies to evolve. However, Rhydon is significantly weaker than Rhyperior; it can't reliably trio Raikou, and it is a very shaky duo against Heatran.
  • Use Ground-types against: Raikou, Entei1, Regirock1, Registeel1, Dialga1, Heatran, Cobalion1, Terrakion1, Zekrom1, Diancie2, Volcanion3, Tapu Koko1, Solgaleo1, Necrozma-Dusk1, Magearna1, Zeraora, Nihilego, Xurkitree, Stakataka4
    1 Ideally, use another type that's super-effective instead of Ground.
    2 Steel-types will be significantly more effective against Diancie (Rock/Fairy).
    3 Volcanion's Water-type attacks will be lethal to most Ground-types except Garchomp. Also, use another super-effective type if possible.
    4 Stakataka (Rock/Steel) is 4x weak to both Ground and Fighting; Fighting-types will be significantly stronger because of how weak Ground-type moves are.
Fire-types
Chandelure
Fire Spin
Overheat
Moltres
Fire Spin
Overheat
Blaziken
Fire Spin
Blast Burn
Charizard
Fire Spin
Blast Burn
Entei
Fire Spin
Overheat
Flareon
Fire Spin
Overheat
Heatran
Fire Spin
Fire Blast

Fire-types generally have good to great stats, and above-average moves. When a Raid Boss is weak to Fire, Fire-types are often near the top of the list of counters. The main problem that Fire-types face: there just aren't a whole lot of Legendary Raids that require Fire-type DPS.

  • Chandelure is arguably the #1 Fire-type Pokemon in the game, with a very high 271 Base Attack and the flagship Fire-type moveset Fire Spin/Overheat. With Fire-type DPS on par with CD Blaziken and better bulk, Chandelure's only downside is its current rarity and the need for a Unova Stone.
  • Moltres is armed (winged?) with an excellent Base 251 Attack and a very strong STAB moveset in Fire Spin/Overheat. While Community Day Blaziken has higher DPS, Moltres retains a significant bulk advantage over Blaziken.
  • Blaziken with its Community Day-exclusive move Blast Burn jumps past Moltres to take the crown of #1 Fire-type DPS, though it is considerably more frail. Unlike many other Community Day Pokemon, Blaziken was blessed with a second, permanent addition to its movepool, Blaze Kick. Blaze Kick is not quite as good as Blast Burn; with Blaze Kick, Blaziken's DPS falls below Moltres. However, Blaze Kick Blaziken is still soundly ahead of the next best Fire-type option, Charizard.
  • Charizard with its Community Day-exclusive move Blast Burn is a discount Moltres, falling short in both DPS and TDO. Still, "discount Moltres" is not a bad title to have, and Charizard has the benefit of not requiring Rare Candies to power up. The downside: Charizard needs to have Blast Burn to really stand out as a Fire-type attacker. Without it, it's a rather mediocre option that is outperformed by Flareon and Heatran.
  • Entei is the lower-DPS, higher-TDO Fire-type option compared to Moltres. The decision between Moltres and Entei is up to player preference; however, Moltres does have higher DPS, and in certain matchups (eg. against Bug or Grass) its Flying type can make it even bulkier than Entei.
  • Flareon is the most accessible option on this list. As with most Eeveelutions, Flareon's performance falls slightly but significantly short of the top-tiers. Flareon is incapable of trioing Registeel, for example, while Moltres and sometimes Blaziken can. That said, with how easy (relatively) it is to acquire multiple high-level Eevees, and with how little usage Fire-types see, evolving a team of serviceable high-level Flareons may be a better use of resources than maxing 6 Moltres.
  • Heatran is another case of a Legendary with great base stats, amazing typing, and a mediocre moveset. Heatran with Overheat is right up there with Moltres' Fire-type DPS, and is much bulkier to boot. Unfortunately, Heatran got stuck with Fire Blast instead, dropping its DPS below that of Flareon's. It's still very bulky, but DPS is generally more important when shortmanning Raids, and Heatran's DPS is just rather lackluster, especially when it requires Rare Candy investment.
  • Use Fire-types against: Articuno1, Regice, Registeel, Shaymin-Sky2, Cobalion, Virizion3, Genesect, Tapu Bulu4, Solgaleo, Necrozma-Dusk, Magearna, Buzzwole3, Pheromosa3, Celesteela, Kartana
    1 Rock-types are significantly more effective due to the 4x weakness.
    2 Ice-types will be significantly more effective against Shaymin-Sky (Grass/Flying).
    3 Flying-types will be significantly more effective against Virizion (Grass/Fighting), Buzzwole (Bug/Fighting), and Pheromosa (Bug/Fighting).
    4 Poison-types will be significantly more effective against Tapu Bulu (Grass/Fairy).
Flying-types
Moltres
Wing Attack
Sky Attack
Honchkrow
Peck
Sky Attack
Rayquaza
Air Slash
Aerial Ace
Unfezant
Air Slash
Sky Attack
Yanmega
Wing Attack
Aerial Ace
Togekiss
Air Slash
Aerial Ace

Flying-types in Pokemon Go are by far the best counters to exactly 3 Legendaries: Virizion (Grass/Fighting), Buzzwole (Bug/Fighting), and Pheromosa (Bug/Fighting). For these 3 Raid Bosses, exploiting their 4x Flying weakness will likely be necessary to duo them. Apart from these 3 very specific fights, however, Flying-types see almost no use. You could use them to solo Machamp, but Psychic-types will generally do that job better.

  • With the addition of Wing Attack to its movepool, Moltres with its Raid Day-exclusive move Sky Attack is by far the best Flying-type attacker. Its Fire-typing also makes it quite bulky against Grass- and Bug-type moves.
  • Honchkrow is now the 2nd-best Flying-type DPS, having been surpassed by Moltres. However, it still has access to Sky Attack, which sets it ahead of Rayquaza. Furthermore, it is much easier to evolve a team of high-level Murkrows for minimal Stardust investment than it is to power up a team of Moltres or Rayquaza. Given the extremely narrow usage of Flying-types, Honchkrow is probably the most economic option for putting together a Flying-type team.
  • Rayquaza's Flying-type DPS is nowhere near as impressive as its Dragon-type DPS. Although Rayquaza's Base Attack is significantly higher than Honchkrow's, Aerial Ace is a subpar move that simply cannot compete with Sky Attack. That said, many players already have one or several powered-up Dragon Rayquazas; a quick TM could net you the 2nd-best Flying-type attacker for no additional Dust/Candy investment, and Flying Rayquaza is still more than good enough to get its job done.
  • Unfezant, the Pidgeot of Gen 5, is actually surprisingly good. Its base stats are much lower than Rayquaza, but it received Sky Attack; as a result, Unfezant's DPS is competitive with Rayquaza's, although it is less bulky.
  • After the top 4, the Flying-type attacker pool is extremely shallow, with the next highest-DPS options being Pokemon like Swellow, Chatot, and Fearow. If you must invest in a Flying-type attacker, your next best options are most likely Yanmega and Togekiss. Yanmega at least has a secondary role as a top Bug-type attacker, while Togekiss with Charm and Dazzling Gleam can be a pretty decent option against Dragons.
  • Use Flying-types against: Shaymin-Sky1, Virizion, Keldeo, Meloetta-Pirouette, Tapu Bulu2, Marshadow, Buzzwole, Pheromosa
    1 Ice-types will be significantly more effective against Shaymin-Sky (Grass/Flying).
    2 Poison-types will be significantly more effective against Tapu Bulu (Grass/Fairy).