Pokémon GO Fest 2023 Global: A Comprehensive PvP Guide

Pokémon GO’s Global GO Fest is coming up soon on the weekend of August 26-27. With so many different spawns appearing over two days, it can be daunting to try and work out where to prioritise your efforts.

This comprehensive guide aims to provide PvP players with a summary of which meta relevant Pokémon to focus on catching during the Global GO Fest weekend, and which mega evolutions to utilise for XL grinding.

Warning: this is a fairly long read, so use the contents to get to where you need to be.

B.L.U.F.

• Each of the 4 terrains have a number of meta relevant Pokémon for PvP, so depending on your current collection, it will be worth your time to hunt them down throughout the weekend. A number of the highest priority picks have been in the wild/raids in recent events, so consider prioritising some of the rarer spawns (eg: Goomy, Beldum, Miltank, Scyther, Heracross, Lickitung).
• All of the highest priority picks require XL candy to be at their most effective – so consider using mega evolutions to help you with your grind (Level 3 ideally, but minimum Level 2). This will be easier on the Saturday as there will be distinct hourly timeslots for each terrain, however the Sunday will be a free for all with spawns, meaning it will be much harder to control which megas will support your XL hunt. Getting your megas up to Level 2 should be your priority before the weekend, to best support with bonus XL catch candy and shorter cooldown time and re-evolution energy cost.
• Make sure you dedicate some time to raid for Carbink (for the Great League), and Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon and Mega Rayquaza for the Master League (and PvE). These are all meta defining and their relative rarity means this is the ideal opportunity to help you on your way with your candy requirements.
• Almost all spawns will be available as shinies, for some added bragging rights.

PvP Summary – All Available

The below demonstrates that the number of PvP relevant Pokémon are fairly equal across all terrains. This has both pros and cons – you won’t have a wasted hour throughout the weekend, but you also won’t have much down time if you need to hunt across all terrains. Quartz Terrarium is arguably the least PvP relevant terrain, but it does include Lickitung, Miltank and Heracross, all of which are quite rare spawns, so it could be worth your while to spend time hunting for these during these hours.

	PVP Relevance
Terrain	High	Medium	Low	Total
Aquamarine Shores	2	5	6	13
Malachite Wilderness	3	8	2	13
Pyrite Sands	3	4	6	13
Quartz Terrarium	3	1	9	13
Raid only	4			4
All 4			1	1
Total	15	18	24	57

High Priority

The below details the available Pokémon with the greatest PvP relevance, grouped by terrain (for the Saturday). Where it helps, the preferred move sets are included below to assist you with thinking about which versions you decide to power up (note: * denotes legacy move).

Carbink

Carbink

Carbink’s release has shot it into instant meta territory, now the new #1 pick in the open Great League. The gem Pokémon has incredible typing, is super tanky and incredibly hard to take down even when being hit with super effective damage, sustaining enough hits to stay in the fight for long enough to reach its charge moves, or switch into more favourable match-ups. It is currently only available with research/raid level IV’s but its insane bulk means this isn’t so bad for PvP. For Great League players, make sure you spend time raiding Carbink this weekend to help reduce the rare candy load for your build. It’s also highly likely to be linked to the mega evolution of Diancie, so this is one raid you should not miss.

Lickitung & Lickilicky

Lickitung Lickilicky

Preferred PvP moveset – Lickilicky: Lick & Body Slam* + Shadow Ball

Lickitung has a lot of play in Great League as a bulky safe swap that can withstand hit after hit. Even in matchups it doesn’t win, it typically takes soft losses and is an excellent pick in the open meta. It operates better with additional bulk, so take advantage of the available spawns to try and farm for XL candy.

Lickilicky is a less common pick in the Great League due to having comparatively less bulk than its pre-evolution. It does have some spice play in the Ultra League, but also requires XL candy to be at its most effective. If you do happen to find a good Lickilicky pick, you can evolve one for access to Body Slam – which is required for Licky to have any play, so this can save you an Elite TM down the line. Note, Lickitung won’t get the same treatment, so you’ll need to use an Elite TM for the OG tongue.

Clefable

Clefable

Clefable has had variable usage in PvP as a charmer, but has recently risen to prevalence since the Season 12 move update. Given access to Fairy Wind, Clefable can now access its expensive charged moves with speed, and its access to Meteor Mash positions it uniquely as a Fairy-type that can destroy other fairies. In Ultra League, Clefable prefers to have higher bulk, so this is a good opportunity to get some additional XL candy for the build.

Miltank

Miltank

Miltank plays a similar role to Lickitung, with slightly less bulk but a little more versatility. With access to Rollout, it can spam out Body Slams and its coverage moves of Ice Beam / Thunderbolt surprisingly quickly. Miltank is a fairly uncommon spawn so take advantage of its availability. Miltank also has some spice play in the Ultra League but requires significant XL candy to maximise its bulk to be most effective. Miltank is more of a limited meta pick but can be very annoying to face down in the right circumstances, and the XL investment pushes it into high priority territory.

Garchomp

Garchomp

Preferred PvP moveset – option 1: Dragon Tail & Sand Tomb + Earth Power* / Outrage

Preferred PvP moveset – option 2: Mud Shot & Earth Power* / Outrage

Finding yourself a strong Gible should be one of the top priorities for players without one. Gible is a fan favourite and had its community day in June 2021, so many players will already have multiple Garchomp built – however this is an excellent opportunity for newer players to collect the XL candy necessary to max out Garchomp for the Master League, or to begin a build of the shadow variant which has only been recently released.

Mega Garchomp is also going to be an absolute monster on the PvE side of the fence, so this is an excellent incentive to hunt these cute little dinos down. Note that it really wants its community day move Earth Power, which helps it a lot in PvP and PvE, so you will probably want to hold on until the next event which allows it to learn through evolution.

Galvantula

Galvantula

Galvantula is an excellent mon for the Great League, and is also beginning to break out in the Ultra League. It has a useful dual typing which helps to reduce the impact of many of its potential typing weaknesses and reach its spammy charge moves quickly. Its shadow variant is more of a sidegrade, but can output terrifying damage if its attacks are left unshielded. Galv needs to be maxed out for the Ultra League, so this is a good opportunity to hunt for XL candy.

Sandslash

Sandslash

Preferred PvP moveset: Mud Shot & Night Slash* + Earthquake / Rock Tomb

Kanto Sandslash itself is an off-meta pick – you really want the Alolan variant for the Great League and Ultra Leagues, and the shadow is actually the version to prioritise hunting for. However, maxing out the shadow variant in Ultra League requires a substantial XL candy investment, so it is absolutely worth hunting for XL candy if you’re looking to build an A-Slash – pushing Sandshrew into the high priority list. 

That said, if you don’t have a good K-Slash built yet, now is the time. Evolving one throughout the weekend grants access to the community day move Night Slash, which K-Slash absolutely needs as a bait move in PvP. 

Snorlax

Snorlax

Playing a similar role to Lickitung, Snorlax has a lot of versatility and hefts its bulk around. Where Lickitung is stuck in the Great League, Snorlax can flex its one ab in all three leagues. It is probably most effective in Ultra and Master League Premier cups, so it’s worth finding a good bulky pick for the lower tiers and a hundo for the Master League. And of course, a good opportunity to go XL hunting. Snorlax is also available in 3-star raids.

It’s worth noting that Snorlax is probably at its most effective in the Great and Ultra league as a shadow, and it has recently featured in a number of events so this might be less of a priority pick for the weekend.

Abomasnow

Abomasnow

Abomasnow can be devastating in the right circumstances. Similar to Galvantula, it isn’t the bulkiest of picks so the shadow variant is often the preference so that it can maximise its power while on the field. For the Ultra League, ASnow is at its best with slightly more bulk, so it’s worth trying to hunt for XL candies to assist with both an Ultra League build, and for the PvE inclined, to max out the mega.

Stunfisk

Stunfisk

Unovan Stunfisk is more of a limited cup pick, however it does have a lot of play as a bulky, spammy anti-flyer that can be hard to bring down in the right circumstances. The real opportunity is to use this time to hunt for XL candies to help you build its Galarian variant for the Ultra League. Maxed out and best-buddied at level 50, it is a bulky monster that has a lot of play in the open meta.

Azumarill

Azumarill

Azumarill has been a favourite / hated pick for a long time in the Great League. Azu has excellent typing, serious bulk and a versatile moveset that enables it to hit almost anything for at least neutral damage, while hanging around for a long time. However, Marill’s have been in the wild fairly recently so it’s again probably not priority 1 for the weekend. The Rank 1 also requires only ~130 XL candy to max out, so you may already have what you need already to build one in the future – but if not, nows your chance.

Metagross

Metagross

Preferred PvP moveset: Bullet Punch & Meteor Mash* + Earthquake

If Garchomp is the number 1 pseudo-legendary priority for the weekend, Metagross is a close second. Metagross is a staple of the Master League and Master League Premier cups, with great typing and an excellent moveset. It has a lot of versatility and for those without a high IV build, I highly recommend hunting for one during this time (and trying to maximise your XL candy). You should also evolve Metang into Metagross throughout the weekend for access to the exclusive move Meteor Mash, which Metagross absolutely requires for optimal usage, so don’t sleep on that opportunity.

Metagross is also the number 1 Steel type attacker in the game, which is only surpassed by… itself, as a Shadow. Its mega is coming soon, so now is a great time to prepare.

Kyogre

Kyogre

Kyogre recently had its primal forme released alongside Primal Groudon, so many newer players may already have a decent IV version of the base form ready for building. If not, this is a great chance to get one, plus some XL candy and Primal Energy along the way. Kyogre is a prominent pick in the open Master League, dealing out strong damage and rounding out many teams quite well.

Primal Kyogre is the current #1 Water type for PvE as well, so it’s well worth the investment. It’s worth noting that it was given Origin Pulse in its recent release, and its unconfirmed at this stage whether that move will be provided for any Kyogre’s caught on GO Fest weekend. It doesn’t need Origin Pulse per say in PvE, but it definitely likes it a lot.

Groudon

Groudon

Preferred PvP moveset: Mud Shot & Fire Punch* + Precipice Blades*

As above, Primal Groudon was recently released in its primal forme so this may be less of a priority for many players. Groudon is an excellent Master League pick as a Ground type answer to the many Steel types in the meta. 

Groudon really does want the signature move Precipice Blades in both PvP and PvE so that’s worth noting. If that move isn’t available over the GO Fest weekend, and you catch the hundo, it is definitely worth the Elite TM for Blades – although you will need 2 of them because Groudon also needs Fire Punch in PvP for a bait move. An expensive investment, but worth it imo.

Rayquaza

Rayquaza

Preferred PvP moveset: Dragon Tail & Breaking Swipe* + Dragon Ascent*

Preferred PvE moveset – Dragon: Dragon Tail & Breaking Swipe* / Outrage

Preferred PvE moveset – Flying: Air Slash & Dragon Ascent*

For a long time, Rayquaza has been stuck behind a disappointing moveset, rendering it almost unusable in PvP. Now, Ray has been given access to the legacy move Breaking Swipe, providing an excellent low-energy charged move which also debuffs its opponents attack, allowing Ray to stay in battle for longer.

GO Fest will also see Ray being also given access to its exclusive move Dragon Ascent. It looks as though this will be more impactful in PvE, shooting Rayquaza to the top of the Flying type charts, but it looks like to also be an excellent nuke move to close out battles in PvP. However, Ray looks to do most of the heavy lifting with Dragon Tail and Breaking Swipe alone.

Things get a little bit complicated when thinking about using your Master League Ray for PvE. You will need to teach it Dragon Ascent, then feed it the soon to be released meteorites in order to access its mega evolved form. This means you’ll need to use at least 1 Elite TM to build a Ray with both its exclusive moveset for PvP and PvE.

Regardless of these scenarios, if you’re keen on the Master League and/or PvE, raiding Rayquaza should be a priority for the event.

Medium Priority

The below Pokémon are less relevant in the open metas, but have utility in various limited formats and may be worthwhile hunting down.

Spawn	PvP Evolution	Terrain	League	XL Candy Required?
Heracross	Heracross	Quartz Terrarium	GL, UL (& ML?)	N
Trapinch	Flygon	Pyrite Sands	GL & UL	N
Hippopotas	Hippowdon	Pyrite Sands	GL, UL & MLPC	Y
Timburr	Conkeldurr	Pyrite Sands	ML	Y
Grubbin	Charjabug	Pyrite Sands	GL	N
Bellsprout	Victreebel	Malachite Wilderness	GL	N
Cottonee	Whimsicott Cottonee	Malachite Wilderness	GL LL	N
Scyther	Scizor Scyther	Malachite Wilderness	GL & UL GL	N
Spinarak	Ariados	Malachite Wilderness	GL	N
Roselia	Roserade	Malachite Wilderness	GL & UL	N
Ferroseed	Ferrothorn Ferroseed	Malachite Wilderness	GL & UL LL	Y
Fomantis	Lurantis Fomantis	Malachite Wilderness	GL & UL LL	Y
Oranguru	Oranguru	Malachite Wilderness	GL & UL	Y
Mareanie	Toxapex Mareanie	Aquamarine Shores	GL LL	N
Horsea	Kingdra	Aquamarine Shores	GL & UL	Y
Lapras	Lapras	Aquamarine Shores	GL & UL	Y
Barboach	Whiscash Barboach	Aquamarine Shores	GL LL	N
Goomy	Goodra	Aquamarine Shores	GL & UL	N

 

Heracross

Heracross

Heracross is traditionally region-locked, so this is a great opportunity to pick yourself up a good one across the various leagues. With the rise of flyers in the Great League, the horn beetle has a lot less utility these days, but in the right format it can be a good, if somewhat fragile pick. It also has some spice play in the Ultra and Master Leagues, but is tough to use in the current metas.

Flygon

Flygon

Preferred PvP moveset option 1: Dragon Tail & Dragon Claw + Earth Power* / Stone Edge

Preferred PvP moveset option 2: Mud Shot & Dragon Claw + Earth Power* / Stone Edge

Flygon is a fairly off-meta pick, but has some spice value in the Great and Ultra League. It is arguably better as a shadow, though Trapinch has been out of Team Rocket circulation for a few years. Worth grabbing one for each league, particularly if you don’t have a good one built yet. Note that Flygon prefers having access to Earth Power to be most effective (although Stone Edge and Earthquake have some utility), and during the weekend you’ll be able to evolve your Trapinch into Flygon to access the move, so there is some value to be found here.

Hippowdon

Hippowdon

Hippowdon is definitely more of a cup pick, but has some utility as an anti-meta pick in the Master League Premier Cup, and some Great League limited metas. The shadow is more of a sidegrade as it isn’t super bulky to begin with, but in the right matchups can be incredibly difficult to handle.

Conkeldurr

Conkeldurr

Conkeldurr acts as a bulkier, slower version of Machamp in the Master League, dealing out solid Fighting type damage with Rock type coverage. Timburr has typically been seen in raids only, so this could the time to find one with decent bulk for the lower leagues, although there is plenty of competition amongst Fighters in these leagues already, so I would prioritise the hundo and XL hunt.

Charjabug

Charjabug

Charjabug is a tanky Bug/Electric mon which mostly sees play in limited metas, but can be very useful and spammy in the Great League. Sadly, Vikavolt hasn’t made any waves in any leagues due to its fragility and awkward moveset, so prioritise finding a bulky Grubbin for your Charjabug build.

Victreebel

Victreebel

Victreebel is overall better as a shadow, so finding a good non-shadow is less of a priority. But, if you need the candy or prefer building non-shadows, now could be the time. The shadow variants are well worth hunting if you’re keen on ruining mudboys lives with the dancing fly trap.

Whimsicott & Cottonee

Whimsicott Cottonee

Whimsicott is another fairy that was provided access to Fairy Wind in the season 12 update, making it a lot more versatile and improving its standing in the Great League meta. Cottonee is also a staple in most of the new Little League cup formats, as an annoyingly bulky charmer. This could be a good opportunity to find a bulky variant for these formats. However, Cottonee has been a fairly recent and common spawn so this likely renders this a lower priority for the weekend.

Scizor & Scyther

Scizor Scyther

Scizor is another mon that is both more suited to its Shadow variant, and limited metas. With the breakout of Charizard and other flyers, Scizor is in a bit of an awkward spot in the open league meta, even with the rise of Carbink it isn’t bulky enough to outlast many drawn out battles. However, it is an excellent Love Cup pick so it’s not all downside.

I personally love Scyther and Scizor, and they are quite rare spawns so I’ll be on the hunt for them, even if just for the candy. I am also holding out hope that one day Scyther may be able to evolve into Kleavor, and that Kleavor gets a bit of love in a future movepool update. Worth holding onto some for the future.

Ariados

Ariados

Ariados is best suited to limited metas like the Love Cup, where it deals out spammy strong Bug damage. It definitely has its place in certain teams, but is again more of an off-meta pick. Its shiny is super cool but there are higher priorities this weekend.

Roserade

Roserade

Preferred PvP moveset: Bullet Seed* / Poison Jab & Weather Ball Fire* + Leaf Storm / Dazzling Gleam

Roserade had its community day not too long ago, receiving Bullet Seed and Weather Ball Fire, turning it from a meme into a spammy anti-Grass pick. Its lack of bulk is the main thing holding Roserade back from greater relevance, but its power is no joke. If you don’t have one built yet, you can evolve your Roselia during the weekend to receive the legacy moveset on Roserade. I recommend finding 2 for the Great League in particular – one Bullet Seed variant, and one Poison Jab variant for the fast move.

Ferrothorn & Ferroseed

Ferrothorn Ferroseed

Ferrothorn is an excellent, bulky Grass/Steel type with a good moveset and lots of utility in the Great and Ultra League. The Ultra League variant needs lots of XL candy to build, so this could be a good time to use your megas to help out here.

Ferroseed is handy in the Little Cup as an anti-Fairy pick, so if you find a good sub-500 CP one its worth hanging onto.

Lurantis & Fomantis

Lurantis Fomantis

Lurantis is an excellent limited meta pick, because it’s so spammy and has good coverage with its moveset. Don’t believe the sims either, because it can suit a lot of teams with its chip-and-dip style play with Superpower. I’ll be XL grinding for an Ultra League build for the weekend, but it has been in recent events so you may already have yours ready to go.

Lurantis also has some play in the sub-500 CP cups in a similar role, but is probably less of a priority.

Oranguru

Oranguru

Oranguru is another recent release which is more suited to limited metas. It’s nice as an anti-Ghost pick that can deal out nice Psychic damage, but it’s a little slow and not as bulky as you might expect. Worth saving some for the Great and Ultra league, though its a hefty XL investment for the latter.

Toxapex & Mareanie

Toxapex Mareanie

Toxapex was recently released and immediately shook up the Great League meta as a super bulky answer to mainly fairies and grass-types. Mareanie has featured in many spawn pools of late, however if you don’t have one with good IV’s, now would be a good time to hunt for one. No XL’s required, which is handy. Mareanie also has some play in the sub-500 CP cups, so its worth keeping one for that too.

Kingdra

Kingdra

Kingdra sees a lot of play in limited metas and the Ultra League Premier Cup. It’s a little slow but pumps out good Dragon type damage with Dragon Breath, and can be a good closer in the right circumstances. Not a high priority but could be worth your while.

Lapras

Lapras

Preferred PvP moveset option 1: Ice Shard* / Water Gun & Surf + Ice Beam / Skull Bash

Lapras is another excellent limited meta pick in sub-1500 CP metas, and in the Ultra League Premier Cup. Ice Shard is probably the preferred move to access the charged moves more quickly, but Water Gun has utility in the right circumstances if you want to save the Elite TM. Its Shadow variant is probably more ideal, but that has been out of the rocket circulation for a while. Lapras also likes more bulk if possible, so try and nab one with good IVs.

Whiscash & Barboach

Whiscash Barboach

Whiscash is almost a high priority pick – but it’s been a fairly common spawn and doesn’t require a large investment to build. However, if you don’t have a good one yet, consider this a good opportunity to find one for the Great league. With the recent buff to Mud Bomb, Whiscash has a lot of play, particularly in limited metas. Barboach is also a nice spice pick in sub-500 CP cups.

Goodra

Goodra

Mostly here due to its rarity. Goodra doesn’t see lots of play in open metas due to its funky moveset but it does have some utility in the right circumstances. Grab one for each league if you can. I’m curious to see what happens with its future Hisuian variant, but it likely won’t be available as an evolution any time soon.

Low Priority

The below Pokémon occasionally have some utility in limited metas, but are generally rarely seen in the open leagues.

Notable potential options are Girafarig and Golduck, which have some spice play but really prefer their shadow variants. Wobbuffet also has some play in the Psychic cups, but as a purified version with Return. Barbaracle, Gastrodon, Raichu and Swoobat all have their moments in the sun in limited metas. Overall you could use the time to hunt for XL candy but overall there’s higher priorities for your weekend. Audino and Morelul are nice for stardust…but that’s about it.

That said – you should absolutely evolve any of your unevolved Bagon into Salamence during the weekend, for access to the exclusive move Outrage. Mega Salamence is an absolute monster and a top tier Dragon type attacker – just not in PvP due to its frailty.

Spawn	PvP Evolution	Terrain	League/s	XL Candy Required?
Pikachu	Raichu	All 4	GL	N
Shellos (East Sea)	Gastrodon (East Sea)	Quartz Terrarium	GL	N
Wurmple	Dustox	Quartz Terrarium	GL	Y
Skitty	Delcatty	Quartz Terrarium	GL	Y
Buneary	Lopunny	Quartz Terrarium	GL	Y
Foongus	Amoonguss	Quartz Terrarium	GL	N
Girafarig	Girafarig	Pyrite Sands	GL & UL	Y (for UL)
Diglett (Alola)	Dugtrio (Alola)	Pyrite Sands	GL	N
Psyduck	Golduck	Pyrite Sands	GL & UL	Y (for UL)
Binacle	Barbaracle	Pyrite Sands	GL	N
Helioptile	Heliolisk	Pyrite Sands	GL	N
Caterpie	Butterfree	Malachite Wilderness	GL	N
Remoraid	Octillery	Malachite Wilderness	GL	N
Shellos (West Sea)	Gastrodon (West Sea)	Aquamarine Shores	GL	N
Wobbuffet	Wobbuffet	Aquamarine Shores	GL	Y
Carvanha	Sharpedo	Aquamarine Shores	GL	N
Bagon	Salamence	Aquamarine Shores	ML	Y
Woobat	Swoobat	Aquamarine Shores	GL	N
Tympole	Seismitoad	Aquamarine Shores	GL	N
Whismur		Quartz Terrarium		NA
Luvdisc		Quartz Terrarium		NA
Audino		Quartz Terrarium		NA
Morelull		Quartz Terrarium		NA
Shuckle		Pyrite Sands		NA

 

Mega Evolutions to Use

Mega evolutions are going to be a very helpful way for you to improve your XL candy drop rates throughout the weekend, so it’s worth prioritising this to help you out with your grind, particularly for the high priority picks.

Recommended Mega Types

XL Types	Quartz Terrarium	Pyrite Sands	Malachite Wilderness	Aquamarine Shores
Recommended Mega Type 1	Normal	Ground	Grass	Steel
Recommended Mega Type 2	Fairy	Bug/Electric	Ground/Steel	Water/Dragon

• Quartz Terrarium has Lickitung and Miltank spawning, so Normal types are the way to go for this terrain.
• Pyrite Sands is full of meta relevant Ground types so this mega is your best bet here.
• Malachite Wilderness has lots of Grass types, but also Steel will cover Ferrothorn & Stunfisk together. Prioritise based on your needs.
• Aquamarine Shores is full of Water types… but I would recommend Steel for Metagross and consider Dragon for Salamence.

PvP picks requiring XL candy

The XL grind for the most relevant PvP Pokémon is real. The below shows that Normal, Water, Ground and Psychic types are the most prevalent throughout the weekend. However, this includes less relevant builds such as Wobbuffet and Golduck. Prioritise what you want to focus on building while covering the greatest amount of ground.

XL Types	Total	Quartz Terrarium	Pyrite Sands	Malachite Wilderness	Aquamarine Shores	Possible Megas to Use
Normal	7	4	1	2	0	Pidgeot, Lopunny, Kangaskan
Water	4	0	1	0	3	Swampert, Slowbro, Gyarados, Blastoise, Kyogre
Ground	4	0	3	1	0	Swampert, Steelix, Groudon
Psychic	4	0	1	1	2	Alakazam, Slowbro, Latias, Latios, Medicham
Grass	3	0	0	3	0	Venusaur, Sceptile, Abomasnow
Bug	3	2	1	0	0	Beedrill, Scizor, Pinsir
Steel	2	0	0	1	1	Steelix, Aggron
Fairy	2	1	0	0	1	Altaria, Gardevoir
Electric	2	0	1	1	0	Manectric, Amphoros
Dragon	2	0	1	0	1	Charizard X, Altaria, Salamence, Latias, Latios, Amphoros,
Ice	2	0	0	1	1	Abomasnow, Glalie
Fighting	2	1	1	0	0	Lopunny, Medicham
Poison	1	1	0	0	0	Beedrill, Venusaur, Gengar

Exclusive Moves

Throughout the weekend, you’ll be able to evolve the below Pokémon to access their legacy moves. This can be challenging to navigate, so I recommend having this semi-prepped in advance, with flexibility to evolve something with good IVs if it comes along during the event.

PvP Evolution	Legacy Move	Legacy Move Needed?
Lickilicky	Body Slam	Yes
Clefable	Pound	No
Sandslash	Night Slash	Yes
Metagross	Meteor Mash	Yes
Flygon	Earth Power	Usually
Roserade	Bullet Seed & Weather Ball Fire	Usually
Butterfree	Bug Bite	No
Salamence	Outrage	Yes

 

Priority Moves

• Lickilicky needs Body Slam as a more efficient Stomp variant.
• Sandslash needs Night Slash as a cheap bait move. Although it’s not very powerful, it helps K-Slash a lot.
• Metagross needs Meteor Mash in PvP. and PvE Flash Cannon is too expensive and inefficient so MM is the way to go.
• Flygon doesn’t need Earth Power, but it likes it a lot in PvP. Earthquake is a bit too expensive, despite its additional power. Stone Edge has play at times but it’s non-legacy so you can always build a second one later.
• Roserade does need Weather Ball Fire, and Bullet Seed does give it more wins against the open meta. However, in limited cup format, Poison Jab can be very effective, so it’s worth building two so you don’t waste an Elite TM.
• Salamence needs Outrage to be effective, not so much for PvP because it’s too frail, but moreso in PvE as a Dragon type attacker. Draco Meteor is also effective, but slower and less consistent.

Non-Priority Moves

• Interestingly, there is the opportunity to evolve your Clefable to learn the fast move Pound. Pound currently has virtually zero utility and was recently nerfed to try and kill Chansey off, so there’s no reason to prioritise this right now – however, you could do it on the off chance Pound gets some kind of crazy buff in future movepool updates. But right now, Fairy Wind is the fast move you want.
• Butterfree is pretty much irrelevant in PvP, and sadly Bug Bite does nothing to change this.

Summary

If you made it this far – thank you, you deserve a shiny! Overall, there are a lot of opportunities and considerations for PvP players during this year’s GO Fest. While this could be a great chance to hunt the Pokémon you’ve been needing to round out your team, the sheer volume of different spawns over the weekend may give you variable outcomes. I hope this guide has helped you think about your plans for the weekend, you can also find me on Twitter or Instagram for more PvP analysis. Most importantly, have fun, good luck with the hunt and hopefully you get some nice shinies along the way! 

JTizzle