Best Pokémon of all types in Pokémon Go for raids
Featuring both PvE and PvP elements, Pokémon Go does not make things easy for players wanting to build the optimal team. Raids and GO Battle League are very different beasts from each other and many moves in the game have different stats in both categories. That means that the best Pokémon for trainer battles are not necessarily great at fighting raid bosses and vice versa.
This guide will show you the best Pokémon of all types for raids in Pokémon Go so you can strive to build the strongest team possible to crack those Legendary Pokémon.
Normal-types are not at all useful in Pokémon Go’s raid battles, so they were not considered when building this list. Ghost and Dark were combined as they mostly go hand in hand anyways. We’ve also limited the number of Mega Evolutions in the top three Pokémon of each type to one, so as to provide a wider overview of your options.
To name one prominent example, Mega Blaziken is a fantastic option for Fire as well as Fighting teams, scoring great in both categories. Shadow Pokémon are very present on this list due to their buff to damage, but they are quite difficult to build. Therefore you should merely consider this overview as a starting point for your team building efforts. Use these Pokémon as a core and expand with other options from there.
Best Grass Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Mega Sceptile was introduced late in 2022.
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- Mega Sceptile (Bullet Seed, Frenzy Plant)
- Kartana (Razor Leaf, Leaf Blade)
- Shadow Tangrowth (Vine Whip, Power Whip)
Best Fire Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Mega Charizard Y was one of the first Mega Evolutions in Pokémon Go.
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- Mega Charizard Y (Fire Spin, Blast Burn)
- Reshiram (Fire Fang, Fusion Flare)
- Shadow Moltres (Fire Spin, Overheat)
Best Water Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Mega Swampert is one of the best Water- and Ground-types.
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- Mega Swampert (Water Gun, Hydro Cannon)
- Shadow Swampert (Water Gun, Hydro Cannon)
- Shadow Feraligatr (Waterfall, Hydro Cannon)
Best Fighting Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Terrakion packs quite a punch.
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- Terrakion (Double Kick, Sacred Sword)
- Shadow Machamp (Counter, Dynamic Punch)
- Keldeo (Low Kick, Sacred Sword)
Best Flying Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Moltres may be fiery, but his Flying-moves are not to be trifled with.
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- Shadow Moltres (Wing Attack, Sky Attack)
- Shadow Ho-Oh (Hidden Power (Flying), Brave Bird)
- Shadow Dragonite (Dragon Tail, Dragon Claw)
Best Ground Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Mamoswine is another strong double-hitter.
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- Shadow Mamoswine (Mud Slap, High Horsepower)
- Mega Swampert (Mud Shot, Earthquake)
- Shadow Golurk (Mud Slap, Earth Power)
Best Psychic Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Shadow Mewtwo is probably the best and most versatile Pokémon in the entire game.
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- Shadow Mewtwo (Confusion, Psystrike)
- Mega Alakazam (Confusion, Psychic)
- Mewtwo (Confusion, Psystrike)
Best Rock Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Fearsome Mega Aerodactyl was the first Rock-type Mega Evolution in the game.
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- Mega Aerodactyl (Rock Throw, Rock Slide)
- Shadow Tyranitar (Smack Down, Stone Edge)
- Rampardos (Smack Down, Rock Slide)
Best Electric Pokémon in Pokémon Go
This Gen 2 Legendary is a beast in PvE and PvP.
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- Shadow Raikou (Thunder Shock, Wild Charge)
- Xurkitree (Thunder Shock, Discharge)
- Mega Manectric (Thunder Fang, Wild Charge)
Best Bug Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Mega Scizor brings much needed damage resistances to the table.
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- Mega Scizor (Fury Cutter, X-Scissor)
- Pheromosa (Bug Bite, Bug Buzz)
- Shadow Scizor (Fury Cutter, X-Scissor)
Best Ice Pokémon in Pokémon Go
This smirking monster is also a powerful Dark-type.
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- Shadow Mamoswine (Powder Snow, Avalanche)
- Shadow Weavile (Ice Shard, Avalanche)
- Shadow Mewtwo (Confusion, Ice Beam)
Best Dragon Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Mega Latios jets to victory.
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- Mega Latios (Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw)
- Shadow Salamence (Dragon Tail, Outrage)
- Shadow Dragonite (Dragon Tail, Dragon Claw)
Best Steel Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Cold as steel: Metagross gets the job done.
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- Shadow Metagross (Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash)
- Metagross (Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash)
- Dialga (Metal Claw, Iron Head)
Best Poison Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Ultrabeast Nihilego debuted in 2022.
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- Mega Gengar (Shadow Claw, Sludge Bomb)
- Nihilego (Poison Jab, Sludge Bomb)
- Roserade (Poison Jab, Sludge Bomb)
Best Fairy Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Gardevoir profited massively from becoming a Fairy-type.
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- Shadow Gardevoir (Charm, Dazzling Gleam)
- Mega Alakazam (Confusion, Dazzling Gleam)
- Shadow Granbull (Charm, Play Rough)
Best Ghost/Dark Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Mega Gengar is one of the best raid Pokémon of all.
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- Mega Gengar (Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball)
- Shadow Mewtwo (Confusion, Shadow Ball)
- Hydreigon (Bite, Brutal Swing)
For more information on Pokémon Go, check out our overviews of all current Spotlight Hours, 5-Star Raids, and Field Research Tasks. You can also find guides on how to catch all regional Pokémon and how to get every Eeveelution in the game.
