Play Pokémon GO for long enough, and sooner than later you’ll want to get involved in gym battles. This is where you get to put your Pokémons’s fighting prowess to the test, battling other players and Pokémon to take over gyms and then defending them.
Raids provide a similar kind of challenge, often pitting you against the most powerful Pokémon including Legendaries to get the chance to catch the rarest monsters – amongst other amazing rewards.
However powerful you might think your Magikarp is though, you won’t be winning much of anything unless you know the absolute best Pokémon to bring into battle with you. In this guide, we’ve put together a list of the best Pokémon by a few key stats.
We’ve got attacking Pokémon, ordered by their highest attack power and max CP, then defending Pokémon, ordered by defense and stamina stats. Though there are lots of different factors, including the best skills they can learn, this should get you on the right track.
Best Pokémon For Attacking
Highest Attack
| Pokémon | Attack |
|---|---|
| Mewtwo | 300 |
| Slaking | 290 |
| Rayquaza | 284 |
| Salamence | 277 |
| Alakazam | 271 |
| Kyogre | 270 |
| Groudon | 270 |
| Dragonite | 263 |
| Espeon | 261 |
| Gengar | 261 |
Highest CP
| Pokémon | Max CP |
|---|---|
| Slaking | 4548 |
| Kyogre | 4074 |
| Groudon | 4074 |
| Mewtwo | 3982 |
| Ho-Oh | 3889 |
| Tyranitar | 3670 |
| Rayquaza | 3645 |
| Metagross | 3637 |
| Lugia | 3598 |
| Dragonite | 3581 |
Best Pokémon For Defending
Highest Defense
| Pokémon | Defense |
|---|---|
| Shuckle | 396 |
| Steelix | 333 |
| Lugia | 323 |
| Cloyster | 323 |
| Aggron | 314 |
| Onix | 288 |
| Ho-Oh | 274 |
| Mantine | 260 |
| Skarmory | 260 |
| Umbreon | 250 |
Highest Stamina
| Pokémon | Stamina |
|---|---|
| Blissey | 510 |
| Chansey | 500 |
| Wobbuffet | 380 |
| Wailord | 340 |
| Snorlax | 320 |
| Hariyama | 288 |
| Wigglytuff | 280 |
| Slaking | 273 |
| Vaporeon | 260 |
| Lapras | 260 |