Competitive Gym Attackers and Defenders in Pokémon GO

Introduction

As we all know, Pokémon GO has its unique battling system: Gyms. Players nowadays know what Pokémon to use and what Pokémon are good for attacking or defending in Gyms, but the question today is: what makes those Pokémon so good at what they do? In Pokémon GO, there are five major aspects that make a Pokémon viable in attacking or defending Gyms, which are: Combat Power (CP) Max, Damage Per Second (DPS), movepools, typing, and Attack, Defense, and Stamina stats. Superiority in these five aspects allows Pokémon to overpower and defeat other Pokémon in Gyms. These five aspects could be known as key factors to determine the viability of Pokémon in Pokémon GO competitively, bringing a new competitive perspective to the game.

Offensive

Offensive Pokémon have access to good DPS moves, which require a short cooldown. Primary moves that have a DPS lower than 1.5 are considered pretty good, and most moves that have more than 1.5 DPS either are more powerful or just take unnecessarily long to cool down. Examples of good primary moves with quick DPS are Metal Claw and Mud Shot, which do an adequate 12 damage under 0.75 seconds this type of moves is effective, as they can be spammed and can damage the foe quite effectively. In the case of a long DPS but powerful primary move, they take long to charge but deal a lot of damage in return, unlike the faster DPS moves; an example of this case is Bubble dealing 25 damage every 2.3 seconds. Other than access to good DPS moves, offensive Pokémon also rely on a high CP max, super effective typing, stats, and super effective moves to deal as much damage as possible to the defending Pokémon. Super effective typing is really important offensively, as you have the option to choose what Pokémon you want to fight with, unlike the defender, who has to choose one Pokémon and let it stand until it is defeated; a Pokémon that also resists the defending Pokémon's moves is also good, as you don't want to lose too much health before you can finish the defending Pokémon off, because they usually very bulky and have coverage moves for common checks. You can also take advantage of your ability to dodge, as the defending Pokémon cannot dodge. Being on the offense requires strategic thinking, as you have to plan your dodging and attacking and you have to rely on your Pokémon's competitive aspects to win the game.

The Pokémon listed below are very effective offensively, and they are the top-tier Gym attackers in Pokémon GO due to their great offensive capabilities, whether it be access to good DPS moves or high CP max; these Pokémon excel at attacking and can nearly take all defending Pokémon out that don't have super effective typing against them.

Dragonite

Dragonite, as people all know, is one of the best Pokémon in Pokémon GO by default. Possessing the highest CP max so far and having very powerful moves and a good typing that can let it deal neutral damage to nearly every Pokémon in Pokémon GO, Dragonite wields a terrifying CP max of 3500, dealing massive damage with a base 250 Attack stat. Dragonite has access to very good STAB primary and secondary moves, also having access to powerful coverage moves to take care of its checks. Dragonite's main primary moves are Dragonbreath and Steel Wing, with the former being Dragonite's STAB primary move and the latter being its coverage move against Ice-type Pokémon that can take it down otherwise such as Lapras, its main check. Dragonite also has monstrous secondary moves that can deal massive damage even if the foe has neutral typing; these moves are Dragon Claw, Dragon Pulse, and the well-known Hyper Beam. Dragon Claw is Dragonite's fastest secondary move, which takes 1.6 seconds to charge and is very reliable if the player intends to spam the opposing defender with STAB moves. Dragon Pulse is Dragonite's most powerful STAB move, dealing much more damage than Dragon Claw, but in turn it has a slower charge at 3.6 seconds. Last but not least we have Hyper Beam, Dragonite's amazing non-STAB move that can deal heavy damage to every Pokémon that doesn't resist it, dealing a whopping 120 damage at the cost of having a charge time of 5 seconds; if you plan on Dragonite to be a hyper offensive attacker, then Hyper Beam is the right move for you. Dragonite is also a very good defender, but its usefulness leans more to the offensive side, as the player wouldn't put Dragonite against defending Pokémon that have super effective moves against it, most notably Lapras. The liberty of choosing what Pokémon falls victim to Dragonite is very effective because Dragonite is a monster against Pokémon it doesn't have trouble against; if you choose its target wisely, it will have little to no problem taking it down, making it one of the most feared attackers out there in Pokémon GO.

Vaporeon

Vaporeon is known as the best Eeveelution in Pokémon GO, wielding an absurdly high CP max and a monstrous Stamina stat at base 260; however, its base 186 Attack also makes Vaporeon one of the best attackers in Pokémon GO. Vaporeon is known as one of the best STAB attackers in Pokémon GO, quickly dealing huge amounts of damage due to its access to the most powerful Water-type moves in conjunction with its high base Stamina. Vaporeon's main, and only good, option for a primary move is Water Gun; it was very useful early when Pokémon GO was newly released, but the developers thought it might've been too good, as its damage has been nerfed. Nevertheless, it still proves to be effective, as the STAB damage it deals is very useful with its short cooldown of 0.5 seconds. Vaporeon's terrifying power lies in its secondary moves: Aqua Tail and Hydro Pump. Aqua Tail proves as a decently powerful STAB move with a short cooldown, dealing a very solid 23.9 DPS, while Hydro Pump is Vaporeon's longer cooldown move, with a higher DPS than Aqua Tail in 29.6 DPS, although Dragonite does Vaporeon's job of attacking better. One thing that Vaporeon does have over Dragonite is that Water-type moves are super effective against more types than Dragon-type moves are; this allows Vaporeon to deal with other good Pokémon such as Golem and Arcanine and makes it terrifying in general due to its monstrous STAB moves' great super effective coverage. While Vaporeon may be very good in the offensive side, it doesn't live up to its offensive reputation while defending, as Vaporeon can easily be picked off by it's main check: Exeggutor, which resists all of its moves while dealing STAB super effective Grass-type moves with it's base 232 Attack which can throw Vaporeon off as it's base Defense stats aren't that pretty compared to it's base Stamina. This means that Vaporeon is more better than the offensive than the defensive, maintaining its title as one of the most powerful STAB attackers in the game.

Lapras

This friendly-looking Pokémon is actually a master of offense and defense in Pokémon GO, making it very powerful and feared throughout Pokémon GO. Lapras is mainly used as a very powerful STAB Ice-type attacker and is the main check to the monstrous Dragonite and can take on Pokémon such as Exeggutor easily due to its half Ice typing. Like Dragonite, Lapras can also deal massive neutral damage to Pokémon that don't resist its STAB attacks. The only reason Lapras is viewed as an inferior attacker to Dragonite is that it has more checks that it can't deal with, as its Ice typing leaves it vulnerable against more types; for example, Steel- and Fighting-type Pokémon such as Magneton and Machamp can tank nearly any of Lapras' moves and retaliate with STAB super effective moves. On the other hand though, Lapras has an amazing base 260 Stamina, on par with Vaporeon, along with a very high CP max just below 3000, at 2980 CP. Lapras's primary STAB moves are Frost Breath and Ice Shard dealing a lot of STAB damage in short amount of time, making Lapras a well-known powerful STAB attacker like Vaporeon but a tad better. Lapras's secondary moves make it an offensive monster like Dragonite; for instance, Blizzard deals a whopping 100 damage but has a longer cooldown at 3.9 seconds, which is still considered fast for how much damage it deals, and Ice Beam is the quicker but less powerful alternative, as it deals much less damage than Blizzard but has a faster cooldown time at 3.65 seconds. Lapras also has access to Dragon Pulse, which hits more types neutrally at significant damage, although it not being STAB makes it less popular than Blizzard. Lapras isn't threatened at all by Exeggutor or Arcanine, the latter of which only deals neutral damage; however, Lapras needs Dragon Pulse to efficiently deal with Arcanine, although usually players won't pit Lapras against Arcanine in an attacking situation anyway. Lapras maintains its title, offensively, as one of the most powerful STAB attackers alongside Vaporeon.

Defensive

Good gym defenders aren't that different from offensive Pokémon, but still have some different aspects. Defending Pokémon heavily rely on a vast coverage movepool to deal with it's offensive checks that are thrown at them; they also require a good CP max and rely on all of their stats, focusing on base Stamina and base Defense more than base Attack due to their mission being to hold out and defeat the Pokémon being thrown at them as efficiently as possible. The defending Pokémon lack the ability to dodge and choose their moves, as the app controls the Pokémon; however, they make up for this with their vast move coverage being reliable and by choosing the right moves that can countercheck the common Pokémon thrown against them. Typing also matters, as super effective moves thrown at them can sometimes overwhelm defending Pokémon, so they need to have fast and powerful moves that can quickly defeat the foe to make up for their inability to dodge. From a competitive player's perspective, defending Pokémon have a harder job than attacking Pokémon due to their lack of advantages and reliance on their coverage moves, stats, and CP only.

The Pokémon listed below are great and reliable defenders due to their typing, CP max, overwhelming stats, and vast array of coverage moves; although they have more disadvantages than offensive Pokémon, they may turn the tide of the battle with their superior, unexpecting defensive aspects that might punish wrong offensive choices by the attacker.

Snorlax

This seemingly lazy Pokémon is actually a monstrous defender that can take down common checks to it with ease with its absurdly high CP max, well-rounded stats, and great coverage and STAB moves. Snorlax's primary moves can easily throw off common checks to it; for example, Zen Headbutt, a quite powerful move with a fast cooldown can easily overwhelm Machamp, and Lick, a fast cooldown move with adequate damage, can deal with Exeggutor, Hypno, and Slowbro quite efficiently, which are also good defenders that can take neutral moves from Snorlax. Snorlax's true monstrous capabilities lie in its powerful secondary moves. Body Slam is Snorlax's powerful, fast cooldown STAB move, dealing 40 damage per 1.56 seconds; although it's damage output is quite lacking than other secondary moves, but it's fast cooldown makes up for that. Snorlax's second secondary move is Earthquake, which hits Golem and Arcanine super effectively, taking them down with ease. Snorlax's last, most monstrous secondary move is the fearsome STAB Hyper Beam, which deals huge damage to Pokémon that are neutral against it. Snorlax uses these moves efficiently due to having the second highest base Stamina in the game, only second to Chansey, at an absurd base 320 Stamina. Snorlax has no main weakness, as the only way to take on its sheer power is to put it with another Pokémon with sheer power, such as Dragonite. This definitely ranks it as one of the most powerful Pokémon in Pokémon GO.

Gyarados

Gyarados is undoubtedly our favorite sweet-toothed Pokémon, craving large amounts of candy to evolve, but believe it or not, it is actually worth it, as Gyarados is actually a very unexpected but useful defender. Gyarados's Water / Flying typing makes it only take neutral damage from Exeggutor, a common Water-type check, Gyarados also has a great CP max at 2688 and has well rounded stats that are all above 190. Gyarados' main primary move is Bite, further implying Gyarados having no problem against Exeggutor, as Gyarados can just hit it super efficiently, giving it no problem, Bite also has decent damage and a very fast cooldown at 0.5 seconds, making it very easy to spam neutral damage on other Pokémon. It is also a good option against common Psychic-type Pokémon that may be put to fight Gyarados, such as Slowbro and Hypno. As secondary moves, it has two very useful ones, and one move all Gyarados users hate: Twister, which deals so little damage for a secondary move and doesn't even have the cooldown time to make up for it. However, Gyarados's other two secondary moves are very good; it can use Dragon Pulse, a very good coverage move that can hit nearly every Pokémon neutrally with good damage and a sufficient cooldown time, and the other option is Hydro Pump, being the more popular choice, as it deals more damage than Dragon Pulse, it is STAB boosted, and it's cooldown time is only 0.2 seconds more than that of Dragon Pulse. Gyarados may seem more of an offensive Pokémon, but its role is played much better by Dragonite, while Gyarados's unique typing and a good array of coverage moves makes it a reliable defender for your team's Gyms.

Slowbro

What's not to like about our resident dopey Pokémon? Being known as one of the more commonly used defending Water-types, Slowbro actually is very viable as a Gym defender. Its defensive stats are pretty good, having a base Stamina and base Defense stat above 190, and a base Attack stat above 180 means it's pretty well rounded. Slowbro has a high CP max at 2597 CP, which is considered great for a defender. Offensively, Slowbro has great STAB moves that can really hit very hard; its main primary moves are Confusion and Water Gun, which are both STAB boosted and relatively quick. Water Gun is used to spam STAB damage, and Confusion is used more as a more powerful STAB attack, but both are really effective, hitting a wide range of attackers for a decent amount of damage. Slowbro's secondary moves are also powerful STAB moves along with a useful coverage move. Slowbro's first main secondary move is Ice Beam, which is used to countercheck Exeggutor, the main check against Water-types, and also deals significant damage under a somewhat long cooldown for its power. Psychic is Slowbro's main Psychic-type STAB secondary move, which is people's favorite choice between the secondary moves, as it does significant damage and it easily spammed with a relatively quick cooldown time of 2.8 seconds . Slowbro's last choice is Water Pulse, which is the least favorite as it does such little damage compared to how long the cooldown is; the combination of Water Gun and Psychic is more popular due to both being powerful STAB attacks that Slowbro can make use of the best. Without Ice Beam, Slowbro is also prone to being walled by Exeggutor, as it can take both of Slowbro's hits and can retaliate with one of it's Grass-type moves, taking out Slowbro quite quickly.

Honorable Mentions

These Pokémon are also pretty good at attacking and defending Gyms but are usually defeated or commonly counterchecked by a lot of Pokémon, either because their typing is weak to the common types or because they are easily expected. Nonetheless these Pokémon still are useful, but not as useful as the ones listed above due to the reasons stated.

Exeggutor

Exeggutor is the main check used commonly against Water-types, being a great attacker due to the abundance of Water-types in Pokémon GO. The reason why Exeggutor isn't as good as the other Water-type "hunters" is that most Water-types carry Ice-type moves to countercheck Exeggutor, as most people expect Exeggutor being put against Water-type Pokémon defending Gyms. Still, if the Water-type doesn't have a coverage move against it, Exeggutor proves really useful and can easily take it out with its powerful Grass-type STAB moves. Exeggutor also makes as a useful defender, but Lapras can easily take it out, and Dragonite also walls it due to its half Flying typing and can retaliate with its powerful STAB moves. Arcanine is also a main check against Exeggutor and can take it out with super effective and STAB boosted Fire-type moves.

Arcanine

Arcanine makes for a good attacker, using its powerful STAB Fire-type moves to attack opposing Gyms and being the main check against Grass-types like Exeggutor and Ice-types like Jynx. However, Arcanine isn't used very often, as most Gyms are filled with Water-types, which Arcanine cannot handle. Arcanine is also poor on the defensive side, as people can just use Water-types and Dragonite to wall Arcanine and destroy it with STAB moves. If Arcanine has more diverse foes to handle if it's offensive, then it can prove itself as a strong Fire-type STAB attacker, but right now, the majority of defenders are Water-types, and Arcanine can't really show its worth in this situation.

Gengar

As we all know, Gengar was a beast in the Generation One games, as it was the only Ghost-type Pokémon in the game and had superior stats that let it overwhelm most Pokémon, but now in Pokémon GO, its usefulness has dissolved, and it is not as useful as it was in the canon games. Gengar can hit a lot of Psychic-types such as Exeggutor, Slowbro, and Starmie with its powerful STAB Ghost-type moves, but being part Poison, the Psychic-types can countercheck Gengar with powerful STAB Psychic-type moves, hitting its mediocre base 156 Defense stat. While its base Attack stat is really good at above 200, its base Stamina stat is very poor, resulting in it being overwhelmed and defeated easily by the common Pokémon used in Gyms. You may think Gengar is very effective against Snorlax, as the latter's powerful STAB attacks can't touch it in the canon games, but Pokémon GO has no immunities and counts them as weak attacks, so Gengar can still get touched by a move such as Hyper Beam; furthermore, Snorlax nearly almost carries Zen Headbutt, which can easily overwhelm Gengar and defeat it. All these situations make Gengar rarely used in attacking and defending Gyms, reducing it to just a grinning Ghost-type sitting in your PokéDex.

The Worst Ones

Each Pokémon has its ups and downs, but some Pokémon are just utterly useless and cannot be used in Gyms at all due to their highly inferior stats, movepool, or CP max, and putting them in Gyms just makes them fodder. These Pokémon are very useless, and you should only catch them for their PokéDex entry; no offense to people who like these Pokémon, but they are just utterly useless and unusable in Pokémon Gyms, unless you want them to return to you beat up and left at 1 HP, wasting your Potions or Revives.

Dugtrio

In ORAS, Dugtrio may be a really good trapper, even proving to be too much for the Pokémon in RU to handle, but in Pokémon GO, this thing is just utter trash. Dugtrio's CP max is the lowest out of all fully evolved Pokémon at a very low 1168. Dugtrio is outclassed by other Ground-type Pokémon such as Golem and Rhydon, and it is just fodder against the common Water-type Pokémon that can destroy it instantly. Let us sit down and pity Dugtrio, as it is completely useless in Pokémon GO, along with the other three Pokémon listed here.

Onix

At least Onix is in a more understandable situation than Dugtrio, since it's a Pokémon that doesn't evolve in Generation One and Pokémon GO, but once you look at other non-evolving Pokémon such as Scyther and Tauros, then you'll see this also is a pathetic excuse. Onix's typing already puts it in danger to the common Water-types used in Gyms such as Slowbro and Gyarados. Although you may think Onix can deal with some Ice-types with its Rock-type moves, it can't as it just gets slaughtered by them due to its half Ground typing. Onix's max CP is also very disappointing, not even reaching 1000 with 857, and when you look at other non-evolving Pokémon such as Scyther with its max 2073 CP, you know that Onix would not be as useful as them.

Butterfree and Beedrill

These two regional Bugs share the same discomfort with one another due to their typing being weak to so much common types that also resist Bug. Their stats also are pretty mediocre, as none of them even exceed 150. The only Pokémon that fears these two Bugs is Exeggutor, as it is 4x weak to their STAB moves, but Arcanine does a better job than these two. Beedrill's access to the Flying-type move Aerial Ace doesn't help much, as other Flying-type Pokemon can do much better, such as Pidgeot, which is also more bulky and powerful. Butterfree's access to Psychic-type moves isn't a big thing either, as the better Psychic-types Hypno, Exeggutor, and Slowbro are way bulkier and resistant to more types and do the job better due to getting STAB on their Psychic moves, while Butterfree doesn't share this pleasure.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Pokémon GO may seem like a normal spinoff game that is unlike the canon games; however, Pokémon GO has some competitive aspects that are similar to the canon games. Even though the competitive aspects are different, Gym attacking and defending and the requirements that make a Pokémon competitively viable in Pokémon GO can be considered somewhat similar to competitive aspects in canon games such as ORAS. So now that you've taken a peek at the competitive side of Pokémon GO, you'll know now that putting Pokémon in Gyms isn't that simple when you're playing competitive for your team.

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