Gen 4 ofPokemon GOwas filled with many top tier Pokemon that have become the go-to option for the many trainers tired of always using their Machamp, Slaking, or Mewtwo. Of course,some additions were truly awful, but that’s to be expected. The fourth generation featured numerous powerful Dragon type Pokemon; which are great until they have to fight a Fairy or Ice Pokémon. This list is only dealing with the base Pokemon from Gen 4. Mega Evolutions are in the game, but will not be included as part of the list due to how different they are from traditional Pokemon.
RELATED:The Best Non-Damaging Moves In Pokemon
ThePokemonlisted 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.
20Magmortar
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.
19Hippowdon
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.
RELATED:Pokemon GO: The Best Looking Shinies In The Game
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.
18Shaymin (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.
17Manaphy
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.
16Porygon-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.
15Togekiss
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 inGO. Despite that, it’s stillone of the strongest fairy-typesin 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.
14Rampardos
Pure Rock-types tend to struggle inPokemon 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 isa fossil unlikely to go extinct.
13Magnezone
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 inGO. 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.
RELATED:Pokemon: The Best Signature Moves (& Which Pokemon Can Use Them)
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.
12Glaceon
Eeveelutions tend to be a tad underrated inPokemon 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. Whileice is often considered one of the worst typesin 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.
11Gallade
While often overshadowed by its Fairy-type counterpart, Gallade has a lot of room to show its stuff inPokemon 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.
