December Community Day 2019 Tier List

With the announcement of Pokémon GO Community Day 2019, new and veteran players alike will have the opportunity to evolve any 2018 or 2019 Community Day Pokémon for their exclusive moves. From Meteor Mash Metagross to Body Slam Slaking, we’ll be taking a look at which Pokémon you should really try to get prepared for this incredible weekend. We will be taking a look at PvE and PvP content separately (but within this very article) in order to better help you understand what to prioritize and why. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Summary

These are the best Pokémon to evolve during December Community Day.

For raids and gym battles:

• Metagross (Meteor Mash) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Venusaur (Frenzy Plant) ⭐⭐⭐
• Tyranitar (Smack Down) ⭐⭐⭐
• Swampert (Hydro Cannon) ⭐⭐
• Blaziken (Blast Burn) ⭐⭐
• Salamence (Outrage) ⭐⭐
• Sceptile (Frenzy Plant) ⭐⭐
• Feraligatr (Hydro Cannon) ⭐⭐
• Torterra (Frenzy Plant) ⭐⭐
• Charizard (Blast Burn) ⭐⭐

For PvP:

• Swampert (Hydro Cannon) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Venusaur (Frenzy Plant) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Umbreon (Last Resort) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Blastoise (Hydro Cannon) ⭐⭐⭐
• Charizard (Blast Burn) ⭐⭐⭐
• Meganium (Frenzy Plant) ⭐⭐⭐
• Gardevoir (Synchronoise) ⭐⭐⭐
• Tyranitar (Smack Down) ⭐⭐
• Metagross (Meteor Mash) ⭐⭐
• Vaporeon (Last Resort) ⭐⭐

PvE Priorities

The following is a list of featured Community Day Pokémon that is organized based on how important it is to have them from a raiding and gym perspective:

Tier 1 / Extreme Priority

Metagross SteelPsychic

Perhaps more than any other Pokémon featured in a Community Day, Metagross is a defining Pokémon in gyms and raids. While the December Community Day will fall toward the very tail end of Terrakion raids, worry not! Kyurem (and its forms) have yet to come and both generation 6 and generation 7 have legendaries that are weak to Steel types. The difference between Meteor Mash Metagross and Dialga, the next best Steel type attacker currently in Pokémon GO, is astronomical. This is by far priority 1 for anyone remotely into raids, raid challenges, and even gym attacking.

Tier 1.5 / High Priority

Very strong options for their type. These Pokémon are generally only beaten out by premium / legendary options.

Venusaur GrassPoison

With Frenzy Plant, Venusaur only trails behind Roserade in Grass DPS. While Grass isn’t a type that is in high demand with legendary raids, they are commonly weather boosted in many parts of the world and any time a Water or Ground type legendary, such as Groudon or Kyogre, comes around, Grass types are among the best options.

Tyranitar RockDark

While the threat of legendaries now and down the line in future generations have the chance to drop Tyranitar down on the DPS charts, it is still one of the most consistent Pokémon around. As a Rock attacker with Smack Down, Tyranitar is only beaten out by Rampardos and the soon-to-be released Terrakion. With one being rather rare in most parts of the world and the other being a legendary Pokémon, having Tyranitar to fall back on is far from a bad thing. With Kyurem, Tornadus, Thundurus, and Reshiram yet to make their appearance in legendary raids for generation 5, this is a good time to ensure you have one of the best counters to all of these.

Swampert WaterGround

Water type offense is almost always appreciated. Although there aren’t many legendaries in generation 5 weak to Water, many of them are weak to types that happen to be weak to Water, which means Swampert with Hydro Cannon will likely get ample use for newer players trying to build teams for the upcoming legendary Pokémon of generation 5. Swampert is barely behind Kyogre in the Water type DPS charts, but with Hydro Cannon being a 2-bar move and a better EPS fast move in Water Gun, Swampert can sometimes outperform the king of the sea.

Tier 2 / Medium Priority

Strong options that are generally overshadowed by other Pokémon of their types that are relatively common. These Pokémon can provide you with good depth in raid challenges if you can’t afford ample amounts of premium, legendary options.

Blaziken FireFighting

Fire types have had their time to shine against Cobalion, Registeel, and Regice within the past month of Pokémon GO at the time of this writing. Blaziken remains as a powerful “glass cannon”-type option, but the introduction of Chandelure and the looming Reshiram and Volcarona means that it has and will continue to become more challenging for Blaziken to stand out. However, a high level, high IV Blaziken is well worth evolving for Blast Burn as Blaziken has even higher DPS than Moltres.

Salamence DragonFlying

Many might be shocked to see Salamence not higher up on this list, but this is due to the looming introduction of powerful new Dragon type options in Zekrom, Kyurem-Black, and Kyurem-White as well as the fact Rayquaza returned to raids not all that long ago. While the Kyurem forms may be pretty far down the line, Zekrom will likely be here in the next few months. Similar to Blaziken though, Salamence can end up being a much more cost-efficient option that’s still more than powerful enough to get the job done with Outrage.

Sceptile Grass

Venusaur is almost always the better option when it comes to Grass type DPS, but Sceptile is still better than most other options. An important strategy to remember with using Sceptile is the double Grass charge moves. This can let Sceptile not only bring the power with Frenzy Plant, but also give it the extreme consistency Leaf Blade is known for. Remember, Sceptile was viewed as a viable option even before it got Frenzy Plant thanks to Leaf Blade! If you can choose, Venusaur is better, but Sceptile is better than most other Grass type picks out there.

Feraligatr Water

Another Hydro Cannon entry and one might wonder why it isn’t ahead of some other Tier 2 Pokémon. The answer is, quite frankly, Swampert. Swampert is better in almost every way, but Feraligatr can still perform at a high level. The introduction of Crabhammer Kingler and even Crawdaunt, the latter of which Swampert still has better DPS than, has definitely hurt Feraligatr a bit. It’s still good enough to get the job done, but there’s been some strong additions to the Water type family since it got Hydro Cannon.

Torterra GrassGround

Although a recent Community Day Pokémon, Torterra is a notable addition to the Grass type family for a couple of specific reasons. For one, it is far bulkier than most other Grass type attackers, which makes Torterra a powerful tank attacker when you’re looking to deal good damage, but save on Revives. The other is its secondary Ground typing making it the only relevant Grass type attacker that resists Rock type damage. While these factors won’t always come into play, it’s still best to have a high level one at the ready in case you need it.

Charizard FireFlying

Easily one of the biggest fan favorites in the entire series, Charizard is still a relevant Fire type attacker with Blast Burn. However, similar to Feraligatr from the Water typing, Charizard has found the introduction of powerful new Fire type attackers over the past year to be a challenge to keep up with. Similar to Blaziken, Charizard will be hurt by the introduction of Reshiram and Volcarona within the next year and is already hurt by Chandelure’s presence. Unlike Blaziken though, Charizard can’t act as a glass cannon as it has a lower Attack and higher bulk than the local fire chicken. While Charizard is definitely solid, Blaziken generally has an easier time finding its role in the rosters of trainers due to its higher Attack stat and lower Defense, which lends to more energy gains from taking damage and stronger hits.

Tier 3 / Non-Community Day Priority

While these Pokémon are good, they’re actually better off without their Community Day moves. You should focus on obtaining high IV ones, but don’t fret about evolving them during the Community Day windows.

Gardevoir PsychicFairy

Gardevoir is an extremely potent Fairy type attacker that should be present on almost any trainer’s team. However, as Gardevoir’s Community Day move is Synchronoise, a Psychic type move, there is no need to evolve it during the Community Day windows. Simply hunt and try to trade for high IV ones to evolve outside of the Community Day windows. Even as a Psychic attacker, Gardevoir prefers Psychic to Synchronoise after the rework to Psychic after its Community Day. With Kyurem, Zekrom, and even Virizion still to come, Gardevoir will have its chances to shine in legendary raids in generation 5.

Mamoswine IceGround

If there’s one Pokémon that you should absolutely have a high priority for without its Community Day move, it’s Mamoswine. Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus can all be duo’d with high level Mamoswines at your disposal, and these are each generation 5 legendaries with 2 forms! Simply put, the only reason Mamoswine isn’t in tier 1 with Metagross is because Ancient Power is worthless on it in raids whereas Metagross absolutely needs its Community Day move. Treat Swinub like Beldum in terms of catching all that you see to try to reroll lucky with friends, but just remember to evolve outside of the Community Day windows.

Dragonite DragonFlying

While Dragonite can utilize a similar strategy to Salamence with a double Dragon charge move strategy, Outrage is the main move it needs and it isn’t Community Day exclusive. While Dratini is much more common than it was in the past, it would still be a good idea to catch some during this Community Day weekend in order to build up more candy and potentially find one or two to power up.

All Community Day Pokémon not listed in the above tiers should not be a priority from a PvE perspective for you as you prepare for December 2019 Community Day weekend. The most notable ones not listed are Infernape, which is strictly a worse Charizard, and Gallade, which is the same as Gardevoir from the Psychic typing without the benefit of being a top attacker for its secondary type.

PvP Priorities

This list will go over Community Day Pokémon as it pertains to PvP. This will generally only look at a Pokémon’s potential in the Great League, though its use in other leagues will be mentioned if applicable

Tier 1 / Extreme Priority

These are the top PvP Pokemon that are reliant on their Community Day moves for their usefulness.

Swampert WaterGround

Swampert is arguably the king of PvP as a whole for its ability to be a top 10 option regardless of which league it is being used in. No other Pokémon can claim this, and it’s thanks in large part to Hydro Cannon. Having access to the most energy efficient move in all of PvP in less than 6 seconds is incredible and is the key to Swampert’s success. It is currently a top option in the Timeless Cup and it figures to be a top pick in any Silph Arena format that it’s allowed in.

Venusaur GrassPoison

With how common Swampert and other Grass types are in Great League, Venusaur is one of very few Pokémon that can beat both groups in one team slot. Similar to Swampert, Venusaur is a top pick in the Timeless Cup at the time of this writing and Frenzy Plant is a fantastic PvP move. While Venusaur will struggle a little in higher leagues, there’s no denying that it is one of the best Great League Pokémon for its many key matchups against top threats like Swampert, Meganium, and Azumarill.

Umbreon Dark

Umbreon is a Great League specialist through and through. While you will almost never consider it in Ultra League, or the Master League for that matter, Umbreon has had plenty of opportunities to show just how strong it is in Great League formats. Whether it was the Twilight Cup, Nightmare Cup, or the Ferocious Cup, Umbreon has been a top contender in any Silph Arena format it’s allowed in, so much so that it has even been banned in the Timeless Cup. In open formats, Umbreon is still quite good in spite of its poor matchups against any Fighting type and Azumarill because of great bulk and the recent Snarl rework making it even more of a threat in neutral matchups.

Tier 2 / High Priority

These are usually very good Silph Arena cup picks whenever they’re allowed, but will sometimes struggle in open formats or be overshadowed by better options in such formats.

Blastoise Water

Blastoise is one of the few dedicated Water type attackers in PvP. Its good bulk, defensive typing, and access to Hydro Cannon combine to make it a threat in most Silph Arena cups it has been allowed in. Add in its access to Ice Beam to keep Grass types on their toes, and Blastoise certainly has the tools to standout from Swampert as a Hydro Cannon user in PvP.

Charizard FireFlying

Charizard has shown in the Kingdom Cup and Rainbow Cup that it can be a real top threat when given an opportunity in the right type of meta. While most people have gravitated to Venusaur and Swampert early on in the Timeless Cup, Charizard is a Pokémon all Battlers are aware of as being a threat for its unique and powerful kit. While Hydro Cannon and Frenzy Plant are more about speed with good power, Blast Burn means Charizard is about power with enough speed to beat most other “closer”-type Pokémon to the charge move. With numerous Steel types like Skarmory around, there will always be a place for a Fire type in the Great League.

Meganium Grass

With Venusaur being around, Meganium can sometimes struggle to stand out. However, make no mistake about Meganium being a perfectly viable option in the Great League and Ultra League. Its higher bulk, access to Earthquake, and lack of a secondary Poison typing makes it a much better pick against Ground type foes, have the ability to push through Steel types, and a safer pick in Silph Arena cups where Confusion users are common.

Gardevoir PsychicFairy

Gardevoir is generally better in the higher leagues of PvP where its high Attack stat gives more of a benefit, but we have seen Gardevoir show how potent it is within the Great League before. The Mirror Cup iteration of the Nightmare Cup gave Battlers the single most dominant Pokémon in any Silph Arena format; Gardevoir. Aside from this abnormality, Gardevoir was also a solid pick in the Sinister Cup as it was a top 15 option in that format and found its way onto multiple teams. While it will likely never be as absurdly powerful as it was in the Nightmare Cup, the Sinister Cup did show that Gardevoir can be a great option in Silph Arena formats.

Tier 2.5 / Medium Priority

These Pokémon are generally more useful in higher leagues, but they have shown to be useful in at least some Silph Arena cups in the past.

Tyranitar RockDark

Tyranitar is much better in the Master League where it can dominate the likes of Giratina, Mewtwo, and Lugia, but it has shown promise in some Silph Arena formats. In particular, Smack Down Tyranitar was a surprisingly powerful pick in the Twilight Cup as it could beat many of the Pokemon used to beat Toxicroak, one of the best Pokémon in that cup.

Metagross SteelPsychic

Metagross is an obvious force in Master League play as one of the premier Steel types, but it was a top pick in the Mirror Cup version of the Nightmare Cup for the Silph Arena late in Season 1. Even though it was a bit of an abnormality as Gardevoir was insanely powerful within that meta, it did show that a meta centered around Charm users could allow Metagross to shine if it’s allowed in the same meta.

Vaporeon Water

Vaporeon was a very slept on PvP choice for the longest time. That is, until the Ferocious Cup took place for the Silph Arena. A unique set of bans brought Vaporeon to the spotlight as one of the top picks in the meta, and while it didn’t necessarily need Last Resort to do its best, it was certainly a help in some key matchups. While Vaporeon struggles in any open format, the Ferocious Cup has shown us that it can shine in a Silph Arena format given the right situations.

Tier 3 / Non-Community Day Priority

These Pokémon either don’t need their Community Day moves for PvP or don’t need to be fully evolved to do well.

Vigoroth Normal

While Slaking might be a bit of a dud, that doesn’t mean Vigoroth falls into the same boat. It is one of the top open Great League picks with access to Counter and Body Slam, two of the best moves in all of PvP. Couple that with its stellar performance in the Jungle Cup, and you have quite the reliable investment when it comes to future use in PvP.

Gallade PsychicFighting

Gallade has had a pretty good history within the Silph Arena formats. It was a top contender in Season 1 Regionals, Season 1 World Championships, and the Mirror Cup version of the Boulder Cup. With Confusion and Leaf Blade in its movepool, Gallade is likely to continue being a potential top pick in any Silph Arena format it’s allowed in. It just doesn’t need Synchronoise to do this. Gallade reaches its peak PvP performance in the Ultra League for its ability to smash Water and Steel types while deleting fellow Fighting types with Confusion.

Dragonair Dragon

Similar to Vigoroth, Dragonair is a much better Great League pick than its evolution. Current access to Dragon Breath and a Water type charge move help set Dragonair apart from most other Great League Dragon types. Even though Altaria will almost always overshadow it in open formats, Dragonair has shown in the Timeless Cup that it has all the tools necessary to shine when Altaria isn’t present as a Dragon type option.

Grotle Grass

Bayleef Grass

These are very similar Pokemon in principle. Both are Razor Leaf users that have good bulk with unique coverage not commonly found amongst their kin. For Grotle, that is Body Slam which is a good base power, low cost move that can annoy most opponents. As for Bayleef, it gets Ancient Power, which is arguably the best counter coverage type a Grass type could ask for and has a 10% chance to potentially turn Razor Leaf into an absolute nuke.

Shelgon Dragon

Shelgon finds itself in a similar position as Dragonair; usually overshadowed by Altaria in open formats, but has enough tools to be good in Silph Arena formats that don’t allow the use of Altaria. This has been made clear in the Ferocious Cup as its one of the more underrated picks Battlers can choose for that meta.

Tier 4 / Low Priority

These Pokémon aren’t bad to have if you play in Silph Arena cups as the Ferocious Cup and Timeless Cup have shown us that banlists don’t have to be type-specific any longer, but they are otherwise either lackluster in most respects, or in a couple of cases, are brand new to the potential PvP scene.

Sceptile Grass

While Sceptile has a good kit between Fury Cutter and literally all of its potential charge moves, it’s really hard to stand out when it has to contend with Venusaur and Meganium in almost any format it’s allowed in. However, if the Silph Arena were to ever have a meta where Grass types were allowed, but Venusaur and Meganium were species bans, then Sceptile could perhaps rise to prominence in such a meta.

Typhlosion Fire

Typhlosion’s access to Blast Burn through Community Day is great and it even has a high EPT fast move in Shadow Claw to help it get to Blast Burn quicker than Charizard could. However, Fire types generally need to get rid of Grass and Steel types quickly, and Typhlosion’s lack of Fire Spin means it can’t do this nearly as well as Charizard can. It will likely take Charizard being banned in a Silph Arena format that allows Fire types for Typhlosion to have a chance to shine.

Glaceon Ice

The December 2019 Community Day weekend will be the first chance Battlers have access to Last Resort on Glaceon. It’s impossible to tell at the time of this writing whether or not Last Resort will make Glaceon a relevant force in any PvP league or Silph Arena format, but it would be wise to have a couple ready just in case seeing as Glaceon has Ice Shard, which is a fantastic PvP fast move for any Ice type.

Leafeon Grass

Similar to its cousin, Glaceon, Leafeon will also have access to Last Resort for the first time in December 2019. While it’s harder to see Leafeon making an impact due to Grass being subpar in Ultra and Master League and Venusaur and Tropius being such powerful threats in the Great League that beat fellow Grass types, Leafeon does have Leaf Blade alongside Quick Attack which could lead to a different enough playstyle once it finally has a 2nd charge move it might actually reach reliably that isn’t Grass type.

Conclusion

While some may be frustrated with the decision to allow all previously featured Community Day Pokémon to be evolved due to it making such Pokemon less valuable trades, this is definitely an overall great move for newer players to be able to obtain some powerful raid and PvP Pokémon to add to their rosters on their own. There’s no time like the present! Start preparing now so that you’re as ready as you can be for the December 2019 Community Day weekend.