Good day, Pokémon Trainers! We are close to experiencing the first-ever City Safari events in Pokémon GO. The City Safari is a new type of ticketed live event that will take place in specific cities throughout the world. Conceptually these seem to be similar to the City Experience during GO Fest, with similar bonuses such as increased shiny rates available. With that being said, we once again ask 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 Pokémon that we know for sure will be available during the City Safari in Barcelona, Spain according to the information shared by Niantic. If you want to learn further about the event, here’s everything that we know will be going down.
With that out of the way, Which Pokémon are truly worth getting?
Let’s begin and find out!
For Gameplay
Whether it be for PvP, PvE, or grinding for Stardust and XP, these are the Pokémon to look out for to amp up your gameplay potential:
Squirtle
Squirtle
One of the first three starter Pokémon introduced to the world and one of the first Pokémon you can catch when you boot up Pokémon GO for the first time, it’s Squirtle! While not as popular in PvP as Charizard or Venusaur, Blastoise, Squirtle’s final evolution still has its place. It’s a pretty solid mono Water type for the Ultra League and can be an okay spice or limited meta pick for the Great League as well.
But perhaps one of Blastoise’s best use cases is in PvE. Mega Blastoise is the third-best water-type raid attacker overall. And even Shadow Blastoise can be decent as a raid attacker. However, it should be worth noting that whether it be for PvP or PvE, Blastoise heavily benefits from its legacy move Hydro Cannon. So if you catch a Squirtle with solid IVs you want to use, you might want to not evolve it fully immediately unless you have an Elite Charged TM to spare.
Sandshrew
Sandshrew
Sandslash, Sandshrew’s evolution leaves a bit to be desired. But the same definitely cannot be said about its regional variant Alolan Sandslash. A-Slash’s popularity has been on the rise since it received Drill Run last season. This immediately made it the most popular Ice type Great League Pokémon, beating Alolan Ninetales in popularity. Now with Galarian Stunfisk receiving a nerf (I’ll come back to this later), Alolan Sandslash might be the most popular Steel type as well. And to add to its favors, it isn’t bad in the Ultra League either.
So while only regular variants will spawn during City Safari Barcelona, as Pokémon share the same candy pool among regional variants, you can still catch and transfer Sandshrews to get candies. This isn’t to say regular Sandslash is completely useless either of course. It does see limited meta plays and might have future potential with a move update or two.
Staryu
Staryu
Unlike other Pokémon, Staryu drops a whopping 750 Stardust upon a successful catch. So catch Staryu whenever you find one, you can never have too much Stardust. That is all.
Magikarp
Magikarp
We finally arrive at something truly worth your time without any caveats. Gyarados, Magikarp’s evolution is a solid Pokémon for the Ultra League and a very solid Pokémon for the Master League. And that Master League status is worth talking more about. Because not only is it good for Master League Premier, but it’s solid for the legendary-filled Open Master League as well. Where it can go toe to toe with very popular picks such as Groudon and Dialga. What makes Gyarados unique is that it’s a Water type with a healthy option of Dragon type moves as well.
Gyarados’s plus points don’t even end there either. As Mega Gyarados is the fourth-best water-type raid attacker overall, only falling slightly behind the aforementioned Mega Blastoise. And even Shadow Gyarados is very solid, much more so than Shadow Blastoise. Magikarp needs a whopping 400 candies to evolve into Gyarados. So catch as many as you can and spare a few Pinap Berries for it as well, this one’s a good investment!
Dunsparce
Dunsparce
This unassuming little Pokémon has been quietly holding its place in the Great League for quite some time. While it is by no means the most meta or the most popular pick, it does still see some use here and there. This is probably thanks to its decent bulk. And the fact that despite being a Normal type it plays more similar to a spammy RockGround type. Typically running the move combination of the fast energy generating Rollout, along with Drill Run and Rock Slide.
The recent mainline games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduced an evolution for this Pokémon in the form of Dudunsparce. As we are getting Paldean Pokémon this season, we might see Dudunsparce soon as well. This might also give this Pokémon some Ultra League potential.
Hitmontop
Hitmontop
While I had relegated Hitmontop as a spice/limited meta pick at best in my prior articles, things have certainly gone up for this specific mon in the Hitmon family. Hitmontop could already run what is arguably the best Fighting type fast attack Counter. And now access to the new Ice type charged attack Triple Axel has given it just the coverage and boost it needed.
This newly added potential makes Hitmontop one of the best Fighting types in the Ultra League, only really being contested by Poliwrath. And it’s not bad in the Great League either. Though, unlike other Counter users such as Medicham or Deoxys (Defense Forme), Hitmontop can’t really threaten flying types, even with its new move. So don’t go in expecting that you’ll be able to knock out a Gligar or something. I’d say it is still a spice/limited meta pick for the Great League, but now, a much better one. So if you don’t have ones with good IVs already, keep an eye out!
Loudred
Loudred
This isn’t really a good PvP or PvE Pokémon. And it doesn’t give extra Stardust like Staryu either. So why am I mentioning it? Because the second stage evolutions give extra exp, and it’s prior form Whismur requires only 12 candies to evolve. So if you’re still in the level grind to 40 or 50, you could catch a bunch of Loudred now and release them. And then later down the line catch a bunch of Whismur to evolve them in bulk when there’s an evolution XP bonus.
Gible
Gible
Much like with Gyarados mentioned before, Garchomp, Gabite’s final evolution has multiple uses. It’s decent in the Master League Premier, similar to other strong Dragon types such as Dragonite and Haxorus. But Garchomp has the added benefit of being part Ground, which means it can also take down Metagross, a common and very strong Pokémon for that meta. It can also be used in the Open Master League as it does win against both Dialga and Giratian (Origin), just not very cleanly.
Garchomp’s best use case, however, is definitely as a raid attacker. Shadow Garchomp is the fifth-best Dragon type raid attacker, and the second-best Ground type. And this is still counting in megas and legendaries! To add to all the good news on the PvE side of things, Shadow Gabite is available from Team GO Rocket Grunts right now. And even regular Garchomp isn’t too bad for raiding. So you could either catch a solid shadow Gabite and then catch regular Gabites for the candy. Or just catch a regular Gabite with the intention of fully powering up. As an added note, Ground Garchomp heavily benefits from its legacy move Earth Power.
Hippopotas
Hippopotas
This Pokémon evolves into Hippowdon. Which is decent for Master League Premier, where it can catch opponents off guard with its big selection of bite-based fast attacks. So I would go after Hippopotas only if the limited Master League format interests you.
Stunfisk
Stunfisk
And we finally get to talk about Stunfisk. So ya, Galarian Stunfist, where did it go? It was a mainstay for both Great League and Ultra League PvP. Basically being up there with Registeel as the Steel type of choice, whether it be casual play or tournaments. Yet with the nerf to Earthquake, a few of G.fisk’s wins became less comfortable.
But despite G.Fisk’s disappearance from the spotlight, I’d say its still a worthy Pokémon to consider. Because as I had said in a previous article Stunfisk is still a solid Pokémon with good stats and move selection, and Earthquake still deals huge damage. So if you don’t have one built it’s definitely still worth catching a few Stunfisks for the candy. And again, just like with Sandslash, while the regular variant isn’t as impressive as its Galarian form, it is still a good Pokémon for limited metas. So remember to check IVs before transferring, might be worth keeping at least one on the bench for when you end up needing it.
For Collection
Moreso than any gameplay benefits, these Pokémon make for great collector’s items due to their new or limited availability so far. Including the likes of:
Eevee
Eevee
Wearing an Explorer Hat
While you’ll receive this event exclusive Eevee as a guaranteed reward for the research that will be available for ticket holders, it’s still worth noting. Because this Eevee can also be shiny and will have the Explorer Hat regardless of which Pokémon you evolve it into. So you have the chance to get a rather unique and personalized Pokémon if you’re planning on participating in any of the three City Safari events happening this year.
Relicanth
Relicanth
This is a Pokémon that’s usually only available in Oceania. So not only are you getting a Pokémon with boosted shiny odds but also the chance to catch a Pokémon that’s only available in one part of the world. You couldn’t ask for a better combination as a collector, look out for this perfect Pokémon!
Unown
Unowns B, C, and N will be available along with their shiny forms during the City Safari in Barcelona. So if you’re trying to catch every type of Unown. Or have taken up the even more daunting task of catching every shiny Unown and haven’t gotten these three yet. Well, here’s your chance at getting them.
Skiddo
Skiddo
And we reach the final and newest Pokémon for this entry. Skiddo will be available for the very first time in the three City Safari events taking place this year. And its shiny is available as well. If you’re planning on participating in any of these events, you have the chance to be one of the very first to catch this new shiny!
Conclusion
As stated before, City Safari is a new type of event for Pokémon GO. So if you’re one of the lucky participants who will be in one of the three cities they will take place in this year, you have quite a lot to look forward to. I hope I managed to help narrow down what to focus on during the event with this article. But either way, hope you have a blast and stay safe out there!
Goodbye for now, Pokémon trainers. Priom-out!
