GO Fest Sendai: The Best Pokémon to Look Out For

Good day, Pokémon Trainers! Pokémon GO Fest season is upon us and it promises to be larger and more exciting than ever before! But this brings up the ever-popular question,

What are the best Pokémon to catch?

Well, not to worry fellow trainer, I’m here to help narrow the field! But before we get to that it’s worth noting that this guide only accounts for those that we know for sure will be available during the Sendai GO Fest period according to the information shared by Niantic.

Also worth noting is that we have a huge preparation guide ready that you might want to check whether this is your first GO Fest or if you want to be completely prepared to face GO Fest 2024. With that out of the way, Which Pokémon are truly worth getting? Let’s begin and find out!

Mountain Brook

Do take note that the Sendai GO Fest will be divided into two experiences- the park experience and the city experience. The park experience will have you exploring different themed habitats where specific Pokémon will spawn at Nanakita Park. Whereas in the city experience, you will be able to find every Pokémon mentioned in each habitat along with event-exclusive raid encounters!

I will categorize the Pokémon in this guide based on the habitats available in the park experience. But do keep in mind that you can find all of these in the city experience as well. With that being said, let’s start off with Pokémon found in the first habitat, the Mountain Brook:

Poliwag

It seems the days of Medicham being the sole source of Fighting type damage are finally over. As we now have multiple solid Counter users to take advantage of in the Open Great League. Poliwrath, Poliwag’s evolution is one of them.

While one could argue that Annihilape is the main choice for Fighting type damage in the Great League now, Poliwrath still has its uses thanks to its uniqueness. In particular, it’s part Water typing, which is both a blessing and a curse. As it can now resist the many water types in the meta while dishing back neutral damage. However, this also means that unlike Annihilape it is left weak to Grass and Electric type attacks.

Though, thankfully, the Great League isn’t the only place Poliwrath can shine as it is also fantastic in the open Ultra League. Perhaps even the best fighting type Pokémon in the Ultra League thanks to its typing and stat distribution. With which it can confidently win against any Fire,Steel,Ice, or Dark types that are very prevalent in that meta.

What helps Poliwrath out further is that it has a really solid pool of Charged Attacks to choose from. Whether it be the opponent rebuffing Icy Wind, or Scald, the self-buffing Power-Up Punch, or the heavy-hitting Dynamic Punch. Though to truly make use of Poliwrath in PvP you need the Fighting type charged attack Counter, which is a legacy move. And it’s also worth noting Poliwag’s other evolution Politoad can be quite good in PvP as well.

Dratini

Dratini is great because there’s something unique that all three forms in its evolutionary line can accomplish. In their shadow form, Dragonair and Dragonite are both very decent picks in the Great League. While you could argue Dragonair is better in the meta right now, why you would want one over the other depends on your team composition and personal use case. Dragonite works best as a pure Dragon despite being part Flying, as you would want to partner up its fast-move Dragon Breath with the spammy Dragon Claw.

Whereas Dragonair has better neutral coverage Body Slam and Aqua Tail to go with the same Dragon Breath. Shadow Dragonite is also a decent Pokémon for the Ultra League, as it can win against some of the meta staples such as Swampert, Scrafty, and Obstagoon. It’s also great for PvE as a Dragon type Raid Attacker. And finally, Shadow Dratini itself is pretty great for 500 CP Little Cup metas when they are available.

This doesn’t mean you should skimp on catching regular, non-shadow Dratinis during GO Fest, however. Not only because you can catch them to get candies as Dratini is a decently rare Pokémon. But also because, Dragonite, just in its base form, is one of the best Pokémon for the Master League and arguably, the best non-legendary Pokémon in that league thanks to its impressive total stats. So as far as wild Pokémon in this habitat goes, Dratini is definitely one you don’t want to miss!

Totodile

Now here’s a Pokémon who got a sudden increase in popularity rather recently with the updates to this season. Feraligatr, Totodile’s final evolution, was already a very solid Water type Raid Attacker. Now thanks to the World of Wonders season, it’s also a fantastic PvP Pokémon for the Great League, Ultra League, and Master League Premier metas!

The reason for this is simple, with the World of Wonders season Feraligatr now has access to Shadow Claw. Which is not only one of the best Ghost type fast attacks, but one of the best fast attacks in general. Thanks to this and Feraligatr’s (especially Shadow Feraligatr’s) naturally high attack, Feraligatr can cut down the opponent Pokémon’s hp very very quickly. As Shadow Claw both does solid damage and charge energy relatively quickly as well.

The caveat, of course, is that as a raid attacker, you need both the legacy moves Water Gun and Hydro Cannon. As for PvP Feraligatr still benefits heavily from Hydro Cannon.

Carbink

Now, I do not hide my love for Carbink. It’s such a cool combination of cute and competent. It’s arguably one of the best Pokémon for the Great League, despite all of the Water types available to counter it right now. Carbink is very solid for multiple reasons.

First, it is extremely bulky! One of the bulkiest Pokémon in the Great League. Second, it has a very unique RockFairy typing giving it a whole host of strengths and weaknesses. It can destroy most Flying and Dark types with ease thanks to that typing. Lastly, despite being so defensive it can dish out damage quickly too with its fast attack of choice Rock Throw.

All in all, Carbink is a very good Pokémon to keep an eye out for if you’re at all interested in PvP. It’s also a pretty rare Pokémon. It was released last GO Fest, and has only been available on rare occasions so far. As such, GO Fest is a fantastic place to get it. Especially if you want to build one with good IVs for PvP as it needs a lot of candies and XL candies.

The Others

These other Pokémon for this habitat have more limited use cases but are worth keeping an eye out for nonetheless.

Dewpider is the most noteworthy one among them. It and its evolution, Araquanid have a very unique WaterBug typing. This makes Araquanid solid as a spice pick or Limited Great League Pokémon. And Dewpider itself can be good for certain Limited 500 CP Little Cup metas.

Remoraid and Dwebble are less noteworthy. Their evolutions Octillary and Crustle respectively can be interesting spice/Limited Great League meta picks that can catch your opponents off guard.

Finally, Tyrunt is a fantastic Rock type Raid Attacker.

Sky Arena

As the name implies, primarily flying and fighting types make their home in this habitat. Including:

Pidgey

We are starting strong with Pidgey. Pidgey might initially appear as a common and unassuming Pokémon. But its evolution Pidgeot has a lot of uses. For starters, Pidgeot has been one of the best Pokémon for the Ultra League for a while. Where its Normal typing helps it resist and bite back against the ever-prevalent Giratina (Altered). And its Flying typing helping it against the previously mentioned Poliwrath and any other Fighting or Grass types that might come its way.

And now, especially with the shadow form, Pidgeot can be solid in the Great League as well. Going so far as to win a Play! Pokémon tournament being piloted by one of the best players in the world right now. What helps Pidgeot out is its pool of charged attacks. Running Feather Dance with Brave Bird, you can constantly keep your opponents on their toes as to whether you’re hitting hard or just debuffing. You can even forego Feather Dance for Aerial Ace for slightly more damage as well.

This matched with the legacy charged attacks Wing Attack or even Gust gives Pidgeot a lot of potential. Especially as a lead since Pidgeot can do lots of damage and bail with Brave Bird or force the opponent to switch through constant Feather Dance debuffs. If that isn’t enough Pidgeot has a mega form which can be a solid Flying type Raid Attacker.

Hitmontop

Hitmontop is arguably the best of the Hitmon trio. Though even in a post-medi meta Hitmontop is a spice/Limited Great League Fighting type. One reason for this could be that it’s a lot more vanilla than Annihilape, Poliwrath, or Vigoroth, being a pure Fighting type. But this is really worsened by the fact that its only reliable source for Fighting type charged attack damage is the self-debuffing Close Combat.

Nevertheless, it is still a decent Counter user, especially when the other ones aren’t around. So feel free to keep an eye out for one with decent IVs.

Meditite

And speaking of post-medi meta, here’s the culprit in the flesh. So, ya, Medicham, Meditite’s evolution, is no longer the de-facto Fighting type of the Great League. It wasn’t an easy ride to get here either since Psychic had to be nerfed twice! Two seasons back to back, just to get Medicham off of his throne.

So with that little anecdote, I think you already understand Medi has a lot going for it. From the impressive bulk, to access to Counter, to having Flying coverage with Ice Punch. Medicham can be a strong force still despite the Psychic nerf. It’s just not as domineering as before. It’s also an expensive Pokémon to build that requires XL Candies so you might as well catch as many as you can if you want to build one for PvP!

Star Parade

Time to put on your party hats, because you will be joining these Pokémon in the Star Parade habitat:

Staryu

Staryu and Starmie are currently not particularly noteworthy in PvP or PvE. However, I would still recommend catching any Staryu’s you come across. Why? Because a single Staryu offers a whopping 750 stardust per successful capture. And as a GO player, you can never have too much stardust. Especially since I’m sure you’ll be eager to power up a lot of the cool Pokémon you catch during GO Fest!

Frillish

Jellicent, Frillish’s evolution is very interesting for PvP. As it’s not typically thought of as a top meta Pokémon in the Great League. Yet it has a lot of utility and can catch your opponents off guard. It has access to Bubble and Hex, both of which are fast energy-generating moves. And even in terms of charged attacks, Jellicent has a choice between more damage with Surf or guaranteed debuff with Bubble Beam.

This is helped by its natural bulk. This is only enhanced further in the Ultra League, where it’s an absolute wall with its enhanced stats and very defensive WaterGhost typing. So I’d definitely consider catching a few if you want one for PvP, Ultra League Jellicent requires XL candies just so you know.

Joltik

Nowadays, Charjabug is the preferred ElectricBug of choice, rather than Joltik or its evolution, Galvantula. And it makes sense. Charjabug is bulkier than Galvantula, and its preferred Bug type fast attack can be faster than Galv’s as well. This doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom for this fuzzy arachnid family though. As Galvantula can still perform quite well, especially in Limited Great League metas where Charjabug isn’t allowed.

Amaura

Amaura’s evolution, Aurorus is an interesting case since you typically don’t expect it in the open Great League but can be very good for certain Limited Great League metas. This is thanks to its unique RockIce typing. This gives it the ability to beat just about every BugDragon and Flying types (minus Skarmory) and even most fellow Ice types as well.

It can perform even better in the Ultra League, where it has access to more bulk to last longer. It has even seen play in certain 500 CP Limited Little Cup metas. Lastly, it can also be a decent Rock and Ice type Raid Attacker. So overall, not very impressive in any field but definitely one that can have many uses.

Jangmo-o

The last one worth mentioning in this habitat, Jangmo-o’s final evolution Hakamo-o can be very good in the Master Premier League, as most pseudo-legendary dragons are. However, Jangmo-o’s second form, Hakamo-o actually benefits more from this season’s move updates than its final form, Kommo-o does.

As Brick Break now requires less energy and has a guaranteed chance to debuff your opponent’s defense. Allowing Hakamo-o to finally be able to make use of its Fighting sub-typing offensively. This gives quite a lot more potential as its Dragon typing already gave it resistance against elemental types, and now it can threaten bulky Normal types like Lickitung as well.

Lake Garden

Finally, we reach the last habitat, Lake Garden, full of water and grass types. Such as:

Marill

I say this often, but Azumarill, Marill’s evolution, is one of the longest-lasting solid Great League Pokémon. A reason for this is that it is really really bulky. It’s also a really unique WaterFairy type running Play Rough and Ice Beam. Making it one of the best mons to deal with Dragon and Flying types. And just about every Ground type too, though those are less common nowadays. Its fast attack of choice Bubble, also helps Azumarill reach those charged attacks decently quickly.

Bubble had even been nerfed at one point, only to be buffed back this very season. So ya, Azumarill is a pretty good investment for PvP, since it doesn’t seem to fall off of any meta completely. And it’s a big investment too, since a good PvP IV one needs XL Candies. Might as well catch as many as you can if you don’t have one built already!

Roselia

Roserade, Roselia’s evolution can be a very solid Raid Attacker both as a Grass type and as a Poison type. As for PvP, it’s not amazing but it can be a decent spice/ Limited Great League and Limited Ultra League Pokémon. Especially with Weather Ball (Fire), as it can catch many opponents off guard.

Flabébé

Flabebe (Orange)

This is the orange Flabébé that can be found globally but is pretty rare. So it makes for a decent collector’s item. Especially in its shiny form. However, it’s definitely not just a collector’s item. Florges, Flabébé’s final form, is one of the best Fairy types for not only the Master Premier League but also the Open Master League.

The Master League generally tends to be dominated by Flying,Dragon, and Fairy type Pokémon. And Florges is a unique non-legendary that’s powerful enough to not only defeat a lot of the dragons but also some of the prevalent fairy types. Such as Zacian and Xerneas, in specific shielding scenarios. Not only that, Florges is also one of the best Fairy type Raid Attackers.

Fomantis

Lurantis, Fomantis’s evolution can be really fun to play in the Great League. It’s just sooo spammy with its Fury Cutter, and Leaf Blade combination. Unfortunately, the sheer number of powerful Flying types makes it hard to run in the open meta. It can definitely still be a fun spice/limited meta pick though. If you can spare the time and Pokéballs, I definitely recommend catching just enough to build one out to try for yourself!

Raid Encounters

This concludes our wild encounter segment. But continue to stick around, because the city experience brings with it well-beloved Ultra Beasts. Along with some very exciting new encounters!

Necrozma

So Necrozma isn’t just debuting in Pokémon GO. It’s coming in full force with 3 unique forms! Basic Necrozma’s base form, Dusk Mane, and Dawn Wings will all be available in 5-star raids during GO Fest. However, to actually get Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings, you have to avail yourself of GO’s newest mechanic, Fusion! More info on this can be found here.

But suffice it to say these ARE the big catches of GO Fest this year. Even ignoring the collector’s value and coolness factor, Necrozma has a lot of potential. For starters, from what we know already Dusk Mane is likely to be the current best Steel type Raid Attacker. Dawn Wings, the best Ghost type Raid Attacker. And all three can be decent Psychic type raid attackers. As for PvP, it’s very likely they’ll have some play in the Open Master League.

Ultra Beasts

So there’s a sizable number of ultra beasts appearing in 5-star raids in every GO Fest this year. As such, I believe it’s worth briefly going through the use cases of each of the ones that are worth getting gameplay-wise.

Guzzlord is the most obvious one for PvP. It’s honestly good for all three leagues, Great League, Ultra League, and Master League. Though you primarily want it for the Great and Ultra leagues. Its impressive bulk along with its fast charging fast attacks make it fantastic for those leagues.

Nihilego can also be good for the Master League, but its main use case is elsewhere. It is one of the Raid Attackers, both as a Poison type and as a Rock type. The same applies to Kartana, rated the second best Grass Raid Attacker right now according to our database. And again, the same is very much true for Xurkitree, the second-best Electric type Raid Attacker right now!

Collector’s Items

If more than PvP or raid viability, you’re more interested in that which is truly rare and exclusive, I have you covered as well. Even ignoring the already mentioned raid Pokémon, and rare shinies such as Flabébé, there will be some event-exclusive including:

These versions of Pikachu and Eevee will be exclusive to the in-person GO Fests this year, and will also be available as a shiny. The moon crown Pikachu and Eevees will spawn in the Mountain Brook and Star Parade habitats. On the other hand, the sun crowns will spawn during Sky Arena and Lake Garden habitats. Eevee’s many evolutions have gameplay uses as well. So definitely keep an eye out for these costumed shinies!

While they aren’t shiny, these two are rare Pokémon regardless. Klefki is only available in France typically. And Rotom Heat isn’t typically spawning around in general. Even during GO Fest Sendai, Rotom Heat will only be available by taking snapshots.

All habitats will also spawn specific Unown with their shiny forms also being available. If you’ve taken the daunting challenge of catching every shiny Unowns you definitely don’t want to miss this chance!

Still want more? Here are the Pokémon that will make their first shiny appearance during Sendai GO Fest:

Conclusion

This year certainly seems to be the year of experimentation. We had overworld attacks with Origin Dialga and Palkia during the GO Tour. And now fusions during GO Fest! With that in mind, Pokémon GO Fest 2024 is shaping up to be more promising than ever before with many exciting Pokémon to collect!

Hopefully, I have helped you narrow down which Pokémon you want to focus on during this event. And if you want a deeper dive for the Pokémon that will be worth catching for PvP, we will have a PvP Field Guide as well. Stay safe and have fun out there. I wish you all an amazing GO Fest 2024!

Goodbye for now, Pokémon trainers. Priom-out!