Best Pokémon Go movesets for attack and defense — Updated for Raids
What are the best movesets for Tyranitar, Dragonite, Snorlax, Rhydon, Gyarados, Blissey, Vapereon, Machamp, and other high-powered Pokémon? Here's your updated list!
While it may seem like Combat Power (CP) or stats (IV) are the most important factors in Pokémon Go, movesets play an incredibly important role as well. That's the combination of the quick move and charge move your Pokémon uses in Gym and Raid Battles.
The wonderful, terrible thing about movesets is that they're determined at random. If you catch or hatch a Snorlax, you get whatever you get. But if you evolve a Tryanitar, Dragonite, Gyarados, Blissey, etc. or catch a Boss after a Gym Raid, they're determined by a roll of the dice the moment you hit the evolve button or score the Premiere Ball stops bouncing. That means your perfect IV Dragonair can become a less-than-ideal Dragonite with just one tick or tock of the server.
The good news is that, with the introduction of Technical Machines (TMs), you can now re-roll your old, terrible movesets and try for new, great ones.
How do you change movesets in Pokémon Go? With Technical Machines (TM)!
But how do you know which movesets will help your Pokémon decimate Gyms and Raids and which will make a fight simply unwinnable? Here's the newly updated list!
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What are the best Pokémon Go movesets cheat sheet
If all you want is a quick reference for the absolute best moveset for the most powerful Pokémon (CP) in their most efficient roles (Attack/Defense) in Pokémon Go as the game stands today, here it is. (For more details and alternate movesets, keep reading below).
| Pokémon | Attack | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Tyranitar | Bite + Crunch | Iron Tail + Crunch |
| Dragonite | Dragon Tail + Outrage | Dragon Tail + Outrage |
| Snorlax | Zen Headbutt + Hyper Beam | Zen Headbutt + Hyper Beam (Zen Headbutt + Body Slam) |
| Rhydon | Mud Slap + Stone Edge | Mud Slap + Stone Edge |
| Gyarados | Dragon Tail + Hydro Pump or Outrage | Dragon Tail + Hydro Pump or Outrage |
| Blissey | Zen Headbutt + Hyper Beam | Pound + Dazzling Gleam |
| Vaporeon | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | Water Gun + Aqua Tail |
| Donphan | Counter + Earthquake | Counter + Rough Play |
| Espeon | Confusion + Future Sight | Confusion or Zen Headbutt + Psybeam |
| Heracross | Counter + Close Combat | Struggle Bug + Close Combat |
| Golem | Rock Throw + Stone Edge | Rock Throw + Stone Edge |
| Exeggutor | Extrasensory + Solar Beam | Extrasensory + Solar Beam |
| Flareon | Fire Spin + Overheat | Fire Spin + Flame Thrower |
| Machamp | Counter + Dynamic Punch | Counter + Dynamic Punch |
| Alakazam | Confusion + Future Sight | Confusion + Shadow Ball (Dazzling Gleam) |
| Arcanine | Fire Fang + Fire Blast | Snarl + Fire Blast |
| Scizor | Bullet Punch + Iron Head | Bullet Punch + Iron Head |
| Pinser | Bug Bite + X-Scissor | Rock Smash + Scissor |
| Usaring | Counter + Hyper Beam | Counter + Hyper Beam |
| Jolteon | Thunder Shock + Thunderbolt | Volt Switch + Discharge or Thunderbolt |
| Feraligatr | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | Water Gun + Ice Beam |
| Muk | Poison Jab + Gunk Shot | Poison Jab + Gunk Shot |
| Amphoros | Charge Beam + Zap Cannon | Volt Switch + Zap Cannon |
| Kingler | Bubble + Water Pulse | Bubble + Water Pulse |
| Charizard | Fire Sping + Overheat | Fire Sping + Overheat |
| Typhlosion | Ember + Overheat | Ember + Overheat |
| Omastar | Water Gun + Rock Blast (Rock Throw + Rock Slide) |
Water Gun + Rock Blast (Rock Throw + Rock Slide) |
| Gengar | Hex + Shadowball (Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball) |
Hex + Sludge Bomb (Shadow Claw + Sludge Bomb) |
| Aerodactyl | Steel Wing + Hyper Beam | Steel Wing + Ancient Power |
| Lapras | Frost Breath + Blizzard | (Ice Shard + Ice Beam) |
Again, many Pokémon have several ideal movesets, so keep reading for more!
What if you don't have the best movesets?
Movesets are like the lottery. Whether you catch, hatch, or evolve, you never know what you're going to get. Some Pokémon have upwards of six or more moveset combinations, some amazingly good, others terrible.
If you have an ideal moveset, it's great. You'll do the most damage in the least amount of time while maintaining the best ability to dodge. If you don't, not all is lost. You could still have the same type of moves, only less damaging or slower.
For example, Machamp with Counter and Dynamic Punch is one of the best attackers in the game. Machamp with Counter and Close Combat, though, is a fairly close second. Dragon Tail Outrage is the best for Dragonite, but Dragon Tail Hurricane isn't far behind.
Conversely, Machamp with Bullet Punch and Heavy Slam or Dragonite with Steel Wing and Hyper Beam... nowhere close.
New with the June 2017 Raid Battle system, you can even get Technical Machines to change your movesets. Two of the possible rewards for beating Raid Bosses are Quick TM and Fast TM, which can be used to change Quick Moves and Charge Moves respectively.
How do you change movesets in Pokémon Go? With Technical Machines (TM)!
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Tyranitar?
Tyranitar once soared to the top of Gyms, even higher than Dragonite, based on its matchless CP. Now that any CP over 3000 is actively punished in Gyms, Tyranitar and it's severe weakness to Fighting moves has made it less of a defender and more of an attacker. You can still put a 2999 or lower CP Tyranitar in a Gym, but you really want to max out double Dark Tyranitar to take out Psychics in Raid Battles. Including, one day, Mew and Mewtwo.
- Attack: Bite with Crunch. Same type attack bonus (STAB) and super-effective against Psychics gives Crunch the double-dark win.
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Defense: Iron Tail with Crunch. Outputs more damage, more quickly, even in bad matchups.
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Counter: Machamp with Counter + Dynamic Punch. Goes through Tyranitar like Bruce Lee through a wooden board.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Dragonite?
High CP now hurts Dragonite on Gym defense, thanks to the new system that punishes anything over 3000. A 2999 Dragonite or lower Dragonite can still fill a Gym slot but its loss of position and its double weakness to Ice moves has pushed it into an attacking role where it remains the best generalist in the game.
- Attack: Dragon Tail with Outrage or Hurricane. Dragon Tail does a lot of damage fast, Outrage just does a lot of damage, and Hurricane is just fast. (Legacy: Dragon Breath with Dragon Claw.)
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Defense: Dragon Tail with Outrage. Same as above. Damage. Damage. Damage.
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Counter: Lapras with Frost Breath and Blizzard. Ice is a Dragonite's worst enemy.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Snorlax?
Snorlax isn't just a tank. It's mega-tank and that hasn't changed with the update. For defense, though, you now need Snorlax under 3000 CP or you can literally see them draining away. Even CP-hobbled, Snorlax can take a beating while dishing out damage and that means anyone who goes up against one is in for a tough battle.
- Attack: Zen Headbutt with Hyper Beam. Not fast but punishing, especially againt it's main counter, Machamp.
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Defense: Zen Headbutt with Hyper Beam. Super tough combo. (Legacy: Zen Headbutt with Body Slam, which is harder to dodge.)
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Counter: Machamp with Counter and Dynamic Punch. Otherwise through anything tough at it, including Tyranitar, or anything that does a ton of damage, like Alakazam.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Rhydon?
Rhydon received a significant boost in late 2016, with Pokémon Go's updated formula boosting its potential up above 3000 CP. And now that's come back to bite it in the horn with the mid-2016 update that punishes high CP in Gyms. Especially given Rhydon's glass snout against Water and Grass moves. It can still sit in Gyms, sure, but now the primary use for a maxed out Rhydon is as an attacker against Fire and even Lightning Raid Bosses.
- Attack: Mud Slap with Stone Edge. Not the fastest but useful againt Charizard, Arcanine, Flareon, and Jolteon.
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Defense: Mud Slap with Stone Edge. Still not the fastest but lots of damage, especially against those who don't dodge.
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Counter: Vaporeon with Water Gun and Hydro Pump or Exeggutor with anything and Solar Beam. They're plentiful and powerful.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Gyarados?
Gyarados is much more powerful now than it was when Pokémon Go launched, the updated formula shooting it up over 3000 CP. Of course, now that the new Gym system drains high CP Pokemon super-fast, that's more curse than blessing. Especially with Lightning being its double kryptonite. You can still put them in Gyms, especially if you have a red Shiny you want to show off, but otherwise have fun with them as an attacker when you need something serviceable to round out your Battle Team. (Yeah, I'm sad about this as well, especially since it 400 Magikarp candy to evolve.)
- Attack: Dragon Tail with Hydro Pump or Outrage. Fast and powerful.
-
Defense: Dragon Tail with Hydro Pump or Outrage. Dragon Tail packs more of a wallop than the old bite, Hydro Pump is still a cannon, and Outrage lets it go full-Dragon (if only it had STAB...).
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Counter: Jolteon or Amphoros. Take water, add a spark, watch it sizzle.
What are the best Pokémon Go moveset for Blissey?
Blissey is a tank's tank. A mega-tank. With MASSIVE amounts of HP. Thanks to the new Gym system, you no longer have Blissey running out the timer to look forward to/worry about, but its sheer defensive capability means if you have one under 3000 CP, it's still the best Pokémon to fill a Gym slot. (Just get in first because you can only have one per Gym now.) On offense, Blissey can likewise last, but that can mean running out of time against a Raid Boss.
- Attack: Pound with Hyper Beam. It can take a while but you'll get through anything.
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Defense: Zen Headbutt or Pound with Dazzling Gleam. Dazzling Gleam is harder to dodge than Hyper Beam, making Blissey even more frustrating. But really, any Blissey moveset works on defense.
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Counter: Machamp with Counter and Dynamic Punch. Dragonite with Dragon Tail and Outrage. Tyranitar with Bite and Stone Edge. Exeggutor with Extrasensory (legacy: Confusion) and Solar Beam.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Vaporeon?
Eevee are so common in some areas that almost everyone has access to a high-level Vaporeon or several. Since it can only barely get to 3000 CP, there's even a chance your maxed out Vape is still viable in the new system. While it's still double weak against Grass, it also still got a lot of power behind it. That's even more true on attack, where it can hurt the Fire type Raid Bosses and blast into Tyranitar.
- Attack: Water Gun with Hydro Pump. Fast jab, devastating uppercut.
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Defense: Water Gun with Aqua Tail. Also fast and frequent enough it can force more dodging — or damage.
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Counter: Exeggutor with Extrasensory (Legacy: Zen Headbutt) and Solar Beam. (I also like Jolteon because it multitasks against Gyarados.)
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Machamp?
Machamp is the Blissey-breaker. The Snorlax-crusher. Tyranitar's Bane. With one early 2017 update, Pokémon Go plucked Machamp out of the also-rans and gave it a moveset that redefined the meta. With the new, sub-3000 Gym reality, you can use Machamp on defense. But it'd be a waste. Not only does an attack Machamp do serious damage to Snorlax, Blissey, and even Lapras, it does devastating damage to Tyranitar... if it has the right moveset:
- Attack: Counter with Dynamic Punch. It hurts many of the big defenders and devastates Tyranitar.
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Defense: Counter with Dynamic Punch. But you shouldn't be defending with Machamp anyway.
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Counter: Espeon, Alakazam, or Exeggutor — anything Psychic and tough, really. It's so opposite-of-a-tank that you can run over it with any high-powered attacker with the possible exception of a weak Tyranitar.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Lapras?
Lapras... what a life! The late 2016 update skyrocketed other Pokémon ahead of it on the CP charts, and the early 2017 update sent Lapras tumbling down. Now, the mid-2017 update has made under 3000 CP the new sweet-spot for Lapras, and it's back in the game. Of course, Lapras still one thing best — knocks out Dragonites... if it has the right moves.
- Attack: Frost Breath with Blizzard. You get STAB and you get to shred Dragonite.
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Defense: Frost Breath with Blizzard or Hydro Pump. The former annoys Dragonite, the latter surprises people not expecting a Vaporeon-style defender. Once. (Legacy: Ice Shard with Blizzard or Ice Beam.)
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Counter: Tyranitar or Machamp. If you want variety, Flareon or Arcanine with Fire Fang and Fire Blast. They've been weakened but they still burn.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Golem?
Golem has become relevant again, thanks not only to the new Gym system but the new Raid Battles as well. Given that Gyms can only have one of each Pokémon in it, and Pokémon are punished for being over 3000 CP, Golem at just below 3000 is a fine choice as a defender. It's like a mini-Rhydon without as many weaknesses. Better, though, thanks to its resistance, Golem is now really good for Raids against Fire and Electric types. And yes, that includes the Legendary Birds. You just need the right movesets.
- Attack: Rock Smash with Stone Edge. Not the fastest but useful againt Charizard, Arcanine, Flareon, and Jolteon.
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Defense: Rock Smash with Stone Edge.
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Counter: Vaporeon with Water Gun and Hydro Pump or Exeggutor with anything and Solar Beam. They're plentiful and powerful.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Alakazam?
Alakazam was once the more most brutal, if glass-jawed, Pokémon in the game. Then the great moveset rebalance with the launch of Gen 2 depowered (nerfed) him hard. Alakazam may not be what it once was, but thanks to the new Gym system, at least its CP no longer holds it back as a defender. And given some Raid Bosses weakness to psychic moves, and Alakazam's still respectable ability to deal damage, it's regained its place as an attacker.
- Attack: Confusion + Futuresight. Lots of damage and little ability to resist it.
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Defense: Confusion + Futuresight. Same.
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Counter: Tyranitar with Bite + Crunch. Dark STAB and super effective is devastating.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Flareon?
Flareon was all but forgotten thanks to the big Fire-type depowering (nerfing) of late 2016. With the advent of Blissey, though, Flareon's powerful Overheat move began to make a comeback. Now, with the new Gym system, Flareon's CP is no longer a deal breaker and Overheat has become a Grass-type burner against several of the Raid Bosses.
- Attack: Fire Spin + Overheat. It takes a while to charge but it's a blast furnace when unleashed.
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Defense: Fire Spin + Flamethrower. Double charge move can be used more often than single.
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Counter: Golem with Rock Throw + Stone Edge. Rock beats fire.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Jolteon?
Thanks to the new, sub-3000 Gym system, Jolteon can be used in defense if you really want to. Where Jolteon still excels, though, is on attack. Against Water types, including Raid Bosses. It may note be as critically important in an era where Gyarados, which it best counters, don't sit aplenty in every Gyms, but it'll still help take out a Vaporeon or Blastoise in a Raid.
- Attack: Thundershock and Thunderbolt. It absolutely electrocutes Gyarados.
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Defense: Volt Switch with Thunderbolt or Discharge. Not that anyone should be defending with Jolteon given the current game mechanics.
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Counter: Rhydon with Mud Slap and Earthquake. It's not just a monster but it takes advantage of Jolteon's weakness to Ground-types.
What are the best Pokémon Go movesets for Exeggutor?
Exeggutor is back, baby! Knocked out of Gyms by the CP rebalance at the end of 2016, the new CP cap in mid-2017 has given its defense game new life. On top of that, its combination of Solar Beam and toughness make for a lethal attacker against many of the toughest defenders in Gyms, even Blissey. But wait, there's more: It'll hurt any Raid Boss that's weak against Grass, including Rhydon and Blastoise, and those weak against Psychic, including Machamp.
- Attack: Extra Sensory (legacy: Confusion or Zen Headbutt) and Solar Beam. Solar Beam. It brings down the power of the sun.
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Defense: Extra Sensory with Solar Beam (legacy: Confusion with Seed Bomb). But the CP just isn't there for it to be a real defender.
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Counter: Dragonite with Dragon Tail and Outrage. Also, Flareon or Charizard with Fire Spin and Overheat.
How about that cheat sheet again?
| Pokémon | Attack | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Tyranitar | Bite + Crunch | Iron Tail + Crunch |
| Dragonite | Dragon Tail + Outrage | Dragon Tail + Outrage |
| Snorlax | Zen Headbutt + Hyper Beam | Zen Headbutt + Hyper Beam (Zen Headbutt + Body Slam) |
| Rhydon | Mud Slap + Stone Edge | Mud Slap + Stone Edge |
| Gyarados | Dragon Tail + Hydro Pump or Outrage | Dragon Tail + Hydro Pump or Outrage |
| Blissey | Zen Headbutt + Hyper Beam | Pound + Dazzling Gleam |
| Vaporeon | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | Water Gun + Aqua Tail |
| Donphan | Counter + Earthquake | Counter + Rough Play |
| Espeon | Confusion + Future Sight | Confusion or Zen Headbutt + Psybeam |
| Heracross | Counter + Close Combat | Struggle Bug + Close Combat |
| Golem | Rock Throw + Stone Edge | Rock Throw + Stone Edge |
| Exeggutor | Extrasensory + Solar Beam | Extrasensory + Solar Beam |
| Flareon | Fire Spin + Overheat | Fire Sping + Flame Thrower |
| Machamp | Counter + Dynamic Punch | Counter + Dynamic Punch |
| Alakazam | Psycho Cut or Confusion + Future Sight | Confusion + Shadow Ball (Dazzling Gleam) |
| Arcanine | Fire Fang + Fire Blast | Snarl + Fire Blast |
| Scizor | Bullet Punch + Iron Head | Bullet Punch + Iron Head |
| Pinser | Bug Bite + X-Scissor | Rock Smash + Scissor |
| Usaring | Counter + Hyper Beam | Counter + Hyper Beam |
| Jolteon | Thunder Shock + Thunderbolt | Volt Switch + Discharge or Thunderbolt |
| Feraligatr | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | Water Gun + Ice Beam |
| Muk | Poison Jab + Gunk Shot | Poison Jab + Gunk Shot |
| Amphoros | Charge Beam + Zap Cannon | Volt Switch + Zap Cannon |
| Kingler | Bubble + Water Pulse | Bubble + Water Pulse |
| Charizard | Fire Sping + Overheat | Fire Sping + Overheat |
| Typhlosion | Ember + Overheat | Ember + Overheat |
| Omastar | Water Gun + Rock Blast (Rock Throw + Rock Slide) |
Water Gun + Rock Blast (Rock Throw + Rock Slide) |
| Gengar | Hex + Shadowball (Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball) |
Hex + Sludge Bomb (Shadow Claw + Sludge Bomb) |
| Aerodactyl | Steel Wing + Hyper Beam | Steel Wing + Ancient Power |
| Lapras | Frost Breath + Blizzard | (Ice Shard + Ice Beam) |
Your best Pokémon Go movesets?
These are the best Pokémon Go movesets I've seen for the toughest Pokémon and best counters currently in the game. If you have a favorite, then let me know what it is and what moveset you is best for it!
Updated June 2017 Pokémon Go has changed the way Gyms work, added Raid Battels and Raid Bosses, and introduced Technical Machines (TM) that let you re-roll movesets. Yeah, it's a whole new game and the list has been updated to reflect it!
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