Raiding inPokémon GOcan be a thrilling and rewarding challenge. The barrier for entry can be low depending on where you live (or depending on how many active players are around you), so Trainers can jump into raids pretty much whenever they like and potentially get themselves some strong Pokémon for the trouble!
By no means do youneedany of the Pokémon on this list in order to get started with raiding in Pokémon GO (four years later, I still don’t have some of these), but if you’re wondering which Pokémon are the best-of-the-best for raiding, this is the resource for you. We have picked our Pokémon with help from information fromPokémon GO HubandThe Silph Roadto curate this list for you!
Pokémon GO: Mareanie Spotlight Hour Guide
This event will feature an abundance of Mareanie for you to catch, and hopefully some shinies, too!
This list features Legendary and Mega Evolved Pokémon in oodles. These are very rare Pokémon to find - ones you should absolutely make plans to catch when they come back into the raid pool (very) occasionally. Additionally, this list includes DPS as well as the total damage each Pokémon will do with its best movesetbefore it faints. This is important to mention, because you may see the DPS of a Pokémon lower in the list be higher than the Pokémon above it, but the total damage will be lower overall. On the flip side, you may see a Pokémon with lower DPS higher up on the list due to a higher total damage output. Now that that’s over with, let’s get into it!
10Mega Y Charizard
Quick Move
Charge Move
Total Damage
Blast Burn
It pains me to put Mega Y Charizard below Mega Alakazam in some ways, because Mega Y Charizard is just such a great Pokémon. That said, the differences are minimal between them and, situationally, you may want to pick Mega Y Charizard over Alakazam depending on the raid you’re heading into.
Its best moveset, Fire Spin/Blast Burn, does 21.74 DPS under normal conditions and gets buffed during Sunny weather. It is a Fire and Flying-type, so you’re going to have to be careful with Rock-type Pokémon, but an absolutely viable raiding Pokémon altogether.
9Mega Alakazam
The release of Mega Alakazam was a sensational event in Pokémon GO - finally, a Psychic Pokémon that outclassed Mewtwo (the previous DPS king) has arrived! This spotlight was relatively short-lived (Shadow Mewtwo took its spot), but Mega Alakazam is still a powerhouse you should consider.
Mega Alakazam’s best moveset benefits from Windy weather, and makes quick work of Fighting types as well as other Psychic types. It is one of the best Megas in the game, and you should absolutely consider Mega Evolving your Alakazam, if you have one!
8Shadow Mewtwo
Psycho Cut
A Legendary Pokémon from Kanto, Shadow Mewtwo is the Team GO Rocket-corrupted version of regular Mewtwo. In its Shadow form, Mewtwo has a 300 ATK stat, but its moveset is extremely powerful. Its best moveset, Psycho Cut and Psystrike, hit like trucks under normal conditions (and like trains if the weather’s Windy). Shadow Mewtwo is another Pokémon frequently added to top ten raid Pokémon lists with this moveset, and you should absolutely get your hands on one if you can.
7Mega Gengar
Shadow Ball
Mega Gengar is a Ghost/Poison-type Pokémon with an impressive 349 ATK stat. Its DPS rate is a cut above Primal Groudon’s, making it an impressive glass cannon of a Pokémon. While Lick and Shadow Ball are its best moves, you can also get away with a Shadow Claw/Shadow Ball moveset instead, while only losing about 0.8% DPS. This gives you a bit of wiggle room, as you don’t need to have Mega Gengar best-in-slot to do well with it.
6Mega Blaziken
Although not a Legendary itself, Mega Blaziken has an exceptionally high ATK, sitting at 329 overall. Mega Blaziken is one of the best Pokémon you can have for your party - it’s easy to train up and catch, and it’ll be a part of most of your parties (excluding any Flying, Ground, Psychic, or Water-type raids). Its best moveset is boosted by Cloudy and Sunny weather, and does an impressive 600 damage under normal conditions.
5Mega Tyranitar
Brutal Swing
For the same reasons as Garchomp, Mega Tyranitar lands itself fairly high on this list due to the sheer amount of times you’re able to use him for. Although his DPS is not as high as the next Pokémon, Mega Tyranitar will stay around for long, and the total damage output it gives is almost 100 higher than Garchomp itself - making it 400 damage higher than the next Pokémon on our list!
It is a reliable Pokémon, being a Rock/Dark typing. Its moveset is boosted by Foggy weather, too. If your area gets this weather condition often, you should absolutely take Tyranitar along.
4Mega Garchomp
Dragon Tail
Mega Garchomp is a personal favourite of mine and a cornerstone to many of my party compositions. It is a Dragon/Ground type that only does 21.65 DPS with its best moveset under normal conditions, but has a 904.36 total damage output for the entire fight.
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That means Garchomp can take some hits and keep fighting back so, while it may not be thefastestat doing damage, it does a ton of damage overall. This lands Garchomp in the number four spot, as its total output is a whopping 300 damage higher than the highest DPS Mega Pokémon.
3Primal Kyogre
Origin Pulse
Yet another Hoenn Pokémon (there’s a few on here, this Generation is really overtuned), Primal Kyogre is the primal reversion form of Kyogre and is an absolute beast of a Water-type Pokémon. Its best moveset, Waterfall and Origin Pulse, do an impressive 22.4 DPS under normal conditions with Kyogre’s 353 ATK stat.
This DPS will increase in Rainy weather, and of course, also benefits from STAB as they are both Water-type moves. Kyogre is also only weak to two types - Electric and Grass - making it a strong addition to your team for a lot of 5-star raids. This Pokémon, along with Primal Groudon and Mega Rayquaza, are featured regularly in top lists for raids.
2Primal Groudon
Precipice Blades
Another Hoenn Pokémon, Primal Groudon comes up just behind Mega Rayquaza with 353 ATK and an impressive 22.7 DPS rate. Both of Primal Groudon’s best moves are Ground-type, and are thus boosted by Sunny weather.
Pokémon GO: What is Primal Energy?
Primal Energy is a key feature in Pokémon GO that players must understand to maximize their gameplay, especially when it comes to Primal Reversion.
This makes Groudon an incredibly reliable Pokémon to have in your party, although it will take Primal Energy in order to bring his Primal form to battle (Primal reversion works similarly to Mega Evolution, if you’re unfamiliar). That said, if you have the Energy to spare, Primal Groudon is a magnificent Pokémon to take with you into raids.
1Mega Rayquaza
Dragon Ascent
Boasting an impressive 377 ATK stat, Mega Rayquaza is a no-brainer Pokémon for the first-place position. This Pokémon is listed in nearly every top best Pokémon to bring to any kind of 5-star raid in Pokémon GO, usually falling within top ten list everywhere. Keep in mind, that’s also with the specific moveset you’re able to see in the table above.
Dragon Tail and Dragon Ascent are Dragon-type and Flying-type respectively, both types which Rayquaza benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus). They are also boosted by Windy weather, which can further enhance its damage output. If you can get a Mega Rayquaza for your squad, you absolutely should. It will feature in just about every single party you ever make going forward.
