Pokemon GO Tier List [Attackers & Defenders Ranked]

Pokemon GO will soon hit almost 1000 cool creatures lurking in its arena for players to find, sync and trade. However, choosing the best Pokemon in Pokemon GO will not be as simple as it may seem. In this post, we put forth separate tiers list for both attacking and defending critters of Pokemon GO, so you know who’s worth raising in order to sell your in-game potential.

Major details about each Pokemon, including their moves, are also induced in the tier list, giving you a substantial idea of their effectiveness.

All Pokemons Compared

The Best Units of Pokemon GO Tier List

Before getting into the list of the best attacking and defending Pokemons in particular, it’s good to see how all compete as generalists. The tier lists start from Tier S. It is the topmost tier that houses all the extremely overpowered Pokemons.

Generally speaking, the higher the tier, the more generally potent the Pokemon, whereas the lower the tier, the better it is to avoid it.

Pokemon GO Attackers Tier List

When attacking foes, it’s not only a top-notch attack profile you want your chosen Pokemon to have, but a decent moveset is also crucial. Together, they can be a defining element against tougher circumstances. Here are the top Pokemon GO attackers ranked from best to slightly lackluster but still great:  

Mewtwo

• Type: Psychic
• Optimal Attack: 300
• Optimal Moves: Shadow Ball, Psystrike, and Psycho Cut 

Mewtwo easily features just about any move, ultimately making it viable against any Pokemon retaliating from the opposition. This includes a rich combo of Psycho Cut, Shadow Ball, and Psystrike synced perfectly with CP that crosses almost 5,000. Surely one-of-a-kind powerhouse Mewtwo is! 

Rayquaza

• Type: Flying/Dragon 
• Optimal Attack: 284
• Optimal Moves: Outrage, Dragon Tail

If you are interested in a Dragon-type Pokemon, you won’t get a better attacking option than this. Rayquaza is an excellent all-rounder dragon with extra special flying-type moves that are hardly ever countered by any Pokemon. One of its much-cherished stances is the Hurricane that swipes most foes in seconds. 

Lucario

• Type: Steel/Fighting
• Optimal Attack: 236
• Optimal Moves: Aura Sphere, Counter

Though keeping Lucario might feel like a burden given its scarce 172 Stamina and 144 Defence stat, the Pokemon’s squishy damage threats do a good cover. Also, the shortcoming is further filled by its part, Steel-typing, which gives Lucario some additional resistance (something no other Fighting-types Pokemon have).  

Nevertheless, this monster’s Speed stat is also outstanding (90). However, if you still don’t find it fast enough, employ Bullet Punch or similar moves to induce some extra push. 

Kyogre

• Type: Water
• Optimal Attack: 270
• Optimal Moves: Hydro Pump, Waterfall

If not the best moves on board, Kyogre has great abilities to deal massive water damage. It’s one of the best water-type monsters you may even need against some 5-star Pokemons. While a Kyogre-full team isn’t the best way out, letting one or two accompany you will surely prove very useful.

Dragonite, Metagross or Groudon are the best choices to pair with Kyogre. 

Tyranitar

• Type: Dark/Rock 
• Optimal Attack: 251 
• Optimal Moves: Stone Edge, Smack Down

With Machamp in the days of four-star raids, Tyranitar used to be one heck of a Pokemon, somewhat like the Mewtwo of the current meta. Nevertheless, it’s still a robust powerhouse worth investing in. 

Tyranite is also one heck of a defender; therefore, don’t miss considering when going through our Pokemon GO defender tier list. The Pokemon usually likes to fold itself or bend down if caught in the opponent’s aggro. 

Garchomp

• Type: Ground/Dragon
• Optimal Attack: 130
• Optimal Moves: Outrage, Dragon Tail

This Pseudo-Legendary creature has been Pokemon players’ most-favorite pick for quite a time now, and that’s, of course, for a reason. Since the release of Diamond & Pearl especially, Garchomp has been graded as a must-have Pokemon primarily because of its outstanding Ground/Dragon-typing. 

The Pokemon also equips some of the top moves in its loadout that seem to support almost every type of role and gain coverage a player expects from an all-rounder unit. Also, Garchomp has got a brilliant hidden Rough Skin ability that allows inflicting damage whenever some foe comes into contact. 

Machamp

• Type: Ground/Dragon
• Optimal Attack: 130
• Optimal Moves: Outrage, Dragon Tail

Ahh, it’s sad to see Machamp continuously failing over the years, but it has still got a couple of moves making it worthy enough to be in our list of the best Pokemon GO attackers. Its Dynamic Punch/Counter moveset still shines as a perfect tool against plenty of foes to date. 

Machamp is usually found atop every next three-star raid. It is recommended to do anything to avail this option 

Rampardos

• Type: Rock 
• Optimal Attack: 165
• Optimal Moves: Rock Slide, Smack Down

This funny-looking creature packs as much punch as players get from Tyranitar. Therefore calling Rampardos a perfect alternative to it won’t be wrong. The dino pours in spectacular Rock-type moves whenever battling Flying-type opponents. Rampardos’s raw strength is just enough to crush its way through any adversary stance regardless of typing. All in all, don’t miss taking Rampardos on board whenever you get even the slightest chance to do that. 

Dragonite

• Type: Flying/Dragon
• Optimal Attack: 134 
• Optimal Moves: Outrage, Dragon Tail

Dragonite Pokemon hits hard, houses solid bulk, and remains one of the priority go-to choices amongst Dragon-type Pokemons. This somewhat also justifies the very well-deserved pseudo-Legendary status that Dragonite has got. With that said, its moveset is still not as intense as most people expect from a dragon-type creature. 

Salamence

• Type: Fire/Dragon
• Optimal Attack: 277
• Optimal Moves: Dragon Tail, Outrage 

Another very outstanding Dragon-type Pokemon. Salamence processes one of the most solid Attack stat paired with the cherishable Outrage in its movepool. This, together with the Draco Meteor, makes Salamence a robust non-shadow Dragon Pokemon too! 

However, it may not prove enough against foes that are not Ice-type, ultimately forcing you to look for some other investment to make. This is exactly why we haven’t ranked Salamence in the top positions of our Pokemon GO attacker tier list. Despite being a perfect powerhouse, it may still lack in specific situations. 

Alakazam

• Type: Psychic 
• Optimal Attack: 271
• Optimal Moves: Psycho Cut, Confusion

Though he can barely manifest that robust power he used to have back in the old times of the game, Alakazam the glass cannon may still render a solid metal punch given its massive 271 optimal Attack stat. 

Sync the Pokemon with the right movepool and see him outclass multiple raid gyms at once before it, unfortunately, gets caught by a severely charged attack. Also, Alakazam puts up a great show in 3-star raids, so you know who to pick if Machamp is unavailable. 

Genger

• Type: Poison/Ghost
• Optimal Attack: 261
• Optimal Moves: Shadow Ball, Shadow Claw 

Genger is another glass cannon Pokemon after Alakazam, who, unlike him, is easier to obtain. Nevertheless, Gingers hits hard and with superb agility as a result resorting to bosses to mush. If you look forward to combating some top-tier Mewtwo-like monster or a Tyranitar-like rock-solid Pokemon, Genger can be a worthy part of the raid. The Pokemon will toss tanky Shadow Balls in retaliation to incoming chip damage. 

Moltres

• Type: Flying Fire 
• Optimal Attack: 251
• Optimal Moves: Sky Attack, Fire Spin 

Description

Moltres is a decent Pokemon to select if Fire-type combat is what excites you most. It’s a fiery bird that proves worth it in every wielding style, plus it’s one of the best non-shadow Pokemon currently accessible in Pokemon GO. Moltres’s Fire attack combined with Flying-type movepool makes it able to take on giants like Zamazenta, Dialga, Genesect and more.

Pokemon GO Defenders Tier List

While many contestants of our Pokemon Go attacker tier list have solid defense paired with mind-blowing attacking skills, there are still plenty of other defense specialists in the game. This is exactly why we have curated a special tier list for them, so you know who is absolutely perfect in defending while also having decent attack skills onboard.

Blissey

• Type: Psychic
• Optimal Defence: 169
• Optimal Moves: Dazzling Gleam, Pound, Zen Headbut

Blissey is the best Pokemon GO defender, hands down. With Stamina almost reaching 500 and Defence maxing at 169, the Pokemon can take way more than the beating any player might expect. Nevertheless, the best way to avail Blissey is to stack up more than a couple of them against Gyms. It just happens to not go down at any cost, therefore, being a real cause of pain for enemies. 

Togekiss

• Type: Flying/Fairy
• Optimal Defence: 217 
• Optimal Moves: Dazzling Gleam, Aerial Ace, Flamethrower, Charm

Looking for a defense-oriented Pokemon with great typing and great bulk? Togekiss is the best you can get! Togekiss has a massive bulk in his arsenal coupled with a Fairy-type profile. This is further complemented by its Flying-type resistance against all kinds of Fighting attacks. Togekiss has also got an incredible moveset and syncs very well with Blissey-type Pokemons. All this aids this Pokemon to manifest a decent tank counter to opponents weak against the Fairy type.

Drifblim

• Type: Ghost/Flying
• Optimal Defence: 102
• Optimal Moves: Hex, Shadow Ball, Ominous Wind, Icy Wind, Astonish

Given Drifblim’s optimal defense stat that only maxes at 102, this best Pokemon’s base stamina of 312 and typing is what has brought it to this list. Drifblim’s Stamina enables it to tank its unique, massively effective hits, while the Flying/Ghost-type makes it a pretty solid Pokemon against fighting and normal hits.  

Metagross

• Type: Psychic/Steel 
• Optimal Defence: 228 
• Optimal Moves: Meteor Mash, Bullet Punch, Zen Headbutt

Metagross does play incredibly in resisting Fighting-type hitters. The Pokemon has got decent stats and an extensive array of resistances on board (up to 10 different types or so). With the mind-blowingly charged attack quality Meteor Mash on offer, Metagross also inflicts substantial damage. Meaning players get both a potent defender and a decent attacker when trading for it. 

Snorlax

• Type: Normal 
• Optimal Defence: 169
• Optimal Moves: Outrage, Heavy Slam, Body Slam, Zen Headbutt

Snorlax offers decent stats paired with superb moves, out of which what’s most praiseworthy is its spammy charged attack and magical counter coverage! Together this makes Snorlax a fine alternative to Blissey or even Togekiss that just won’t go down no matter how strong its foes are.

Magnezone

• Type: Steel/Electric
• Optimal Defence: 205
• Optimal Moves: Charge Beam, Wild Charge, Mirror Shot

You will certainly be delighted to see the bulk of resistance equipped by Magnezone. Though it’s far more than any other Pokemon’s loadout in Pokemon GO, players still need to ensure that Magnezone is well protected by someone who can resist Ground. 

Nevertheless, this Pokemon makes up a good attacker pick if its defence capabilities do not really amuse you. That said, it won’t be wrong to call it an overall good investment with a slight edge over the defence.