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The Pokemon listed here were chosen not only because of their high CP ratings, but also for their combination of move-sets weighed against their resistances, weaknesses, and weather bonuses. The stats listed below for the Pokémon are the maximum values possible. The challenge in obtaining these Pokemon were not considered in their evaluation, but it should be noted that many of these Pokemon are quite rare.

Updated on November 27th, 2021, by Jeff Drake: The original intro and the first update intro both lauded the roster for the fourth generation of Pokemon GO. This intro will continue that tradition. Gen 4 had so many of the iconic legendary Pokemon from the main series that this, and the previous, updates are necessary to get to some of the non-legendaries that deserve to be mentioned. All the Pokemon on this list are worth the time to train to their maximum potential, and all are great for raiding - depending on the types involved. This update adds five additional Pokemon to the list that initially got overlooked.

20 Magmortar

Just because Magmortar occupies the last spot on this updated list does not mean it is not worth training. This Fire-type is a seriously strong fighter with a lot of resistance and few weaknesses. It has a CP of 3541, an attack of 247, a defense of 172, and a stamina of 181.

Magmortar’s options for a fast move are Fire Spin and Karate Chop. Psychic, Fire Blast, Fire Punch, and Brick Break are its options for a charge move. Fire Spin and Psychic is the best move-set, but the Fire Spin and Fire Punch move-set has a DPS that’s only .09 worse.

19 Hippowdon

Hippowdon is a non-legendary Pokemon that can pull off surprise victories against legendary Pokemon. This hippo themed Pokemon has a CP of 3488, an attack of 201, a defense of 191, and a stamina of 239. Hippowdon hits hard and doesn’t faint easily.

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Hippowdon has a great variety of possible move-sets. Its access to Fire-type moves gives it an edge against the types it’s weak against - Grass and Ice. The fast moves for Hippowdon are Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, and Bite; the available charge moves are Earthquake, Earth Power, Stone Edge, and Body Slam. In terms of DPS, the best move-set is Fire Fang and Earth Power.

18 Shaymin (Sky)

The Sky Form Shaymin is an incredibly powerful combatant. The Land Form is also pretty tough, but is not included on this list to make room for another Pokemon. The Sky Shaymin has a CP of 4061, an attack of 261, a defense of 166, and a stamina of 225 - the Land Form has a more balanced attack and defense.

The reason the Sky Form made this list, and not the Land Form, is the better move-set. Fast Moves for Sky Shaymin are Zen Headbutt and Hidden Power. The available charge moves are Solar Beam, Grass Knot, and Energy Ball. Zen Headbutt and Grass Knot is a potent move-set.

17 Manaphy

Manaphy is a Water-type Pokemon with some excellent stats. It has a CP of 3691, an attack of 210, a defense of 210, and a stamina of 225. Manaphy and Phione look almost identical. The easiest way to tell the difference between the two is to look at the spots above their eyes; Manaphy’s are gold, Phione’s are blue. You don’t want Phione.

The options for a fast move are Waterfall and Bubble; Waterfall is much better. Manaphy has three choices for a charge move; Surf, Psychic, and Bubble Beam. The best move-set is Waterfall and Surf.

16 Porygon-Z

Porygon has been around since Gen 1, and even then it was one of the stronger Pokemon available. The Porygon types have a strong attack, but are usually lacking in the defense department. Porygon-Z is your classic glass cannon, and a powerful one at that. It has a CP of 3693, an attack of 264, a defense of 150, and a stamina of 198.

The available fast moves for Porygon-Z are Hidden Power, Lock-On, and Charge Beam. Hyper Beam, Tri Attack (a legacy move), Zap Cannon, and Solar Beam are the available charge moves. Players wanting for the best DPS (damage per second) move-set should go with Lock-On and Hyper Beam.

15 Togekiss

Togekiss, the final evolution to Togepi, is a double-edged Pokemon. A lot of the strengths it has in traditional Pokemon games don’t get to shine through in GO. Despite that, it’s still one of the strongest fairy-types in the game based purely on stats. It boasts 3332 CP, a 225 attack, a 217 defense, and a 198 stamina.

Togekiss has a wide array of move-set options. Its quick moves are Air Slash, Hidden Power, and Charm. Its charge moves are Aerial Ace, Ancient Power, Dazzling Gleam, and Flamethrower. While it looks like there’s a fair bit of variety, Charm’s absurdly high DPS makes it an easy pick for a quick moves. Flamethrower is an okay option, but lacks the energy efficiency of Aerial Ace and Dazzling Gleam. For any type of battles, doubling up on fairy moves is Togekiss’s best build.

14 Rampardos

Pure Rock-types tend to struggle in Pokemon GO, and Rampardos is no exception. It has five weaknesses, including common types like Steel, Fighting, and Water. The types it resists aren’t super common either. On top of all of that, Rampardos is incredibly frail, but held up by an insane attack stat. It has 3298 max CP, a 295 attack, a 109 defense, and a 219 stamina.

Rampardos is ideal as a wallbreaker, perfect for raid battles and PvP, but less for protecting gyms. Both of its quick moves, Zen Headbutt and Smack Down, are rather slow. Zen Headbutt has better EPS, while Smack Down deals significantly more damage. It does have good Charge Attack options, but Rock Slide is the best in terms of both energy efficiency and DPS. For trainers needing a Rock-type specialist, Rampardos is a fossil unlikely to go extinct.

13 Magnezone

Magenzone has one of the best defensive typings in the game. Electric/Steel dual-typing gives it resistances to 12 types, including pretty much every common type in GO. It still has a weakness to Fighting-type attacks, and a quad-weakness to Ground-type attacks. While it can be hard to kill, with the right type on hand it doesn’t have the bulk to live for long. It has 3205 CP, a 238 attack, a 205 defense, and a 172 stamina.

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Magenzone is a powerhouse focused mainly on Electric-type attacks. Charge Beam and Spark are both solid quick moves, with Spark taking the edge ever-so-slightly. For charge moves, there isn’t much in the way of variety either. Flash Cannon and Zap Cannon are both great, but have terrible energy efficiency. Wild Charge trades a minor amount of damage for significantly better energy efficiency. Magnezone is a Steel-type that can pretty much always hit harder than its opponent.

12 Glaceon

Eeveelutions tend to be a tad underrated in Pokemon GO, but they are easy to obtain and have a pretty high ceiling in terms of power. The Gen 4 Eeveelutions are both fairly close in power, but Glaceon gets an edge purely based on its typing. While ice is often considered one of the worst types in traditional games, the lack of move options can help them thrive. Glaceon has 3126 max CP, a 238 attack, a 205 defense, and a 163 stamina.

Glaceon has two incredible quick moves in Ice Shard and Frost Breath, both being situationally useful. For its charge attacks, going for the highest DPS is the best choice considering how fast it generates energy. Avalanche is the best of the three, but getting permanent Icy Wind up-time does have its quirks.

11 Gallade

While often overshadowed by its Fairy-type counterpart, Gallade has a lot of room to show its stuff in Pokemon GO. Fighting is a very effective type for gym battles and raids, nearly on the same level as the Fairy type. It has all the same strengths as its twin, just with an unfortunately worse movepool. Gallade shares Gardevoir’s statline; 3093 max CP, a 237 attack, a 195 defense, and a nice 169 stamina.

Unfortunately, Gallade’s moves aren’t quite as effective as Gardevoirs. Confusion is almost always the best choice over Low Kick and Charm, but Low Kick is okay for fast energy generation. Close Combat is an incredibly powerful move that Gallade gets a STAB bonus with, but takes too long to charge up to actually be useful in the long-run. Because of this, a mono-psychic build of Confusion/Psychic is Gallade’s best choice.

10 Mamoswine

Mamoswine is an Ice/Ground type Pokemon who’s low defense rating keeps it from the top tier of Pokemon in GO. It’s also weak (not super weak) against several common types. It made this list due almost solely to its high attack and stamina. Mamoswine has a CP rating of 3328, an attack of 247, a defense of 146, and a stamina of 242.

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Mud-Slap and Powder Snow are the two choices for quick move – Mud-Slap is the superior move. The choices for a charge move are Stone Edge, Avalanche, and Bulldoze. Stone Edge is better than the other two, though only slightly.

9 Rhyperior

Rhyperior is a Ground/Rock type Pokemon that is second to last on this list due to its typing. The Ground/Rock combination gives a Pokemon some major weaknesses to some very popular types – namely Water, Fighting, and Ice. Rhyperior has a CP rating of 3733, and attack of 241, a defense of 190, and a stamina of 251.

Its quick moves are Mud-Slap and Smack Down. Mud-Slap is probably the better of the two since it has a higher EPS (energy per second) and a quicker recharge time, while having only a slightly lower DPS (damage per second). Stone Edge is Rhyperior’s best charge move.

8 Heatran

Heatran is a Fire/Steel type Pokemon that is on this list for one specific reason – apart from having exceptional stats. Fire and steel-types have a combined super-effectiveness against six Pokemon types. One of those types is the Fairy type, which is only weak against one other type. Heatran has a CP rating of 3754, an attack of 251, a defense of 213, and a stamina of 209.

Its choices for a quick move are Fir Spin and Bug Bite; its charge moves are Fire Blast, Iron Head, and Stone Edge. Bug Bite and Iron Head can be an interesting combination, but the safest move-set is Fire Spin and Iron Head. The STAB bonuses are just too hard to pass up on.

7 Giratina

Giratina is a Ghost/Dragon type that has multiple forms. One form has a higher attack than defense, and the other has the reverse. The move-sets for both forms are the same. Giratina’s CP rating is 3683, its attack is 225, its defense is 187, and its stamina is an astronomical 284.

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Its available quick moves are Shadow Claw and Dragon Breath; Shadow Claw does more damage and has a higher EPS, but its recharge time is slightly slower than Dragon Breath. Dragon Claw, Ancient Power, and Shadow Sneak are its choices for a charge move. Dragon Claw is the best of the three, although Shadow Sneak can be used to get a lot of attacks out in a short period of time.

6 Regigigas

Regigigas is a Normal-type Pokemon with one of the highest CP ratings in the game. The only draw-back to using Regigigas is a move-set that is somewhat lacking. It has a CP rating of 4346, a devastating attack rating of 287, a defense of 210, and a stamina of 221.

Hidden Power and Zen Headbutt are Regigigas’ choice for a quick move. Neither of these quick moves is very good; Hidden Power is the better of the two, but only slightly. The choices for a charge move are Thunder, Focus Blast, and Giga Impact. In almost every situation, Giga Impact should be selected over the other two options.

5 Arceus

Arceus is a Normal-type Pokemon with very high stats, great possible move-set combinations, and little in the way of weaknesses. The strength of this mythical beast is hardly a rumor; it’s a reality. It has a CP rating of 3989, an attack of 238, a defense of 238, and a stamina 237. Its only weakness is to Fighting type moves, which might be a problem against a Machamp.

The two quick moves available to Arceus are Iron Tail and Shadow Claw; the latter is the better of the two due to a shorter recharge time and higher EPS. Hyper Beam, Future Sight, and Outrage are its choices for a charge move. Future Sight is the best of the three when factoring in time, damage, and energy usage. However, Hyper Beam’s STAB bonus makes it an attractive option.

4 Garchomp

Garchomp is a Dragon/Ground type Pokemon that can deliver huge amounts of damage, and has enough hit points to survive extended fights. This highly powerful pseudo-legendary is one of Gen 4’s strongest Pokemon, legendaries included, and that carries over into Pokemon GO. This Pokémon has a CP rating of 3962, an attack of 261, a defense of 193, and a stamina of 239.

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Trainers who prefer a quick move that generates a lot of energy should pick Mud Shot. The other choice is Dragon Tail, which does a lot of damage for a quick move. Earthquake, Outrage, and Fire Blast are Garchomp’s choice in charge moves. Outrage has the highest DPE (damage per energy), but does less damage per hit than Fire Blast and Earthquake.

3 Palkia

Palkia is a Water/Dragon type Pokemon that has a great move-set and an excellent attack rating, but suffers from a low stamina rating. When compared to its partners in Dialga or Giratina, it struggles in a lot of places. Palkia is not the best choice when facing a Fairy or Dragon type Pokemon.

The available quick moves for Palkia are Dragon Tail and Dragon Breath. Both moves deliver close to the same amount of damage and generate about the same amount of energy; however, Dragon Breath’s recharge time is about half that of Dragon Tail. The choices for a charge move are Draco Meteor, Hydro Pump, and Fire Blast – Draco Meteor is the best of the three. Hydro Pump is a solid option as well, particularly to give Dialga some much-needed coverage.

2 Darkrai

Darkrai is a Dark type Pokemon that, like Palkia, is kept from the top tier by a lack of hit points. What it does have is an incredibly high attack rating and top tier move-sets. It has a CP rating of 3739, an attack of 285, a defense of 198, and a stamina of 172.

Its choice of quick moves is between Snarl and Feint Attack. Snarl has a higher EPS rating and does slightly more damage than Feint Attack, but it takes a little longer to recharge. Focus Blast, Dark Pulse, and Shadow Ball are the charge moves available to Darkrai – Shadow Ball is easily the best, but the STAB bonus on Dark Pulse makes it a decent option for players looking to capitalize on its high attack rating.

1 Dialga

Dialga is a top tier Steel/Dragon type Pokemon that is strong enough to (potentially) emerge victorious against nearly any Pokemon. Machamp has the advantage against Dialga, but Dialga has the defense to hold its own. Dialga has a CP rating of 4038, an attack of 275, a defense of 211, and a stamina of 205.

Metal Claw and Dragon Breath are the choices for its quick attack. Both of these quick attacks are among the best available; a trainer can’t go wrong with either. Thunder, Iron Head, and Draco Meteor are the available charge moves. Draco Meteor is the most damaging, but Thunder is also an excellent option. All-in-all, Dialga manages to escape the problems that other legendaries have in Pokemon GO and shines as a result.

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