Good day, Pokémon Trainers! Pokémon GO Tour 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 Global GO Tour period according to the information shared by Niantic.
Also worth noting is that we have a huge article detailing everything that will be going down that you might want to check whether this is your first GO Tour or if you want to be completely prepared to face GO Tour 2024.
With that out of the way, Which Pokémon are truly worth getting?
Let’s begin and find out!
Bustling Boardwalk
Each hour of GO Tour will feature a different habitat where different Pokémon will spawn. The first habitat to be featured is the Bustling Boardwalk. Pokémon of this habitat can be caught from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. your local time. The Pokémon found in this habitat include:
Magnemite
Magnemite
Magnezone, Magnemite’s final form, is a very unique case in PvP. It’s useful in two extremes. As in its shadow form, it’s great for the 1500 CP Great League format and the Maximum CP Master League format. It’s a very fast, very attack-weighted ElectricSteel type. Meaning it can handle a lot of and Water types in even shield scenarios. And can dominate more neutral matchups with a shield and/or energy advantage. In the Master League, it can even take down legendary mons such as Mewtwo and Lugia. Though, much like with Sylveon, I’d argue it’s better suited for the Master League Premier format.
And of course, Magnezone’s good points don’t end there. As it’s the 8th best Electric type Raid Attacker in its shadow form. And #15 in its regular form. So a really solid Pokémon overall. However it should be noted that as a glassy, attack-weighted Pokémon it does have a decent skill curve for PvP.
Electabuzz
Electabuzz
From one solid Electric type Raid Attacker to another. Electrivire, Electabuzz’s evolved form is really good for PvE. Even better than Magnezone in most cases. Its shadow form ranks 5th overall, and even its regular form is #12 based on our database rankings. And it doesn’t need any legacy moves either to boot. So I’d definitely keep an eye out for Electabuzz to have at least one for use in raids.
Ralts
Ralts
It seems this habitat is really good for collecting Raid Attackers. As Mega Gardevoir, the mega form of one of Ralt’s final evolutions, is the #1 Fairy type raid attacker. And even as a Psychic type Mega Gardevoir is the #5th best overall. Don’t have the mega energy? That’s fine as well! Shadow and regular Gardevoir is ranked the 3rd and 12th best Fairy type raid attacker overall. More of a fan of Ralt’s other final form? That’s fine too! As both shadow and regular Gallade slightly outclasses Gardevoir as a psychic type raid attacker. Though both are still very solid.
Ralts has play in PvP as well. Despite Gardevoir’s glass cannon stats, it has play in the Master Premier League and Limited Great League metas such as the Psychic Cup. In general, the shadow form is more desirable to dish out even more damage than Gardevoir already does! But overall, definitely a Pokémon worth getting for multiple uses!
Starly
Starly
Something I like about Pokémon GO is that it gives the Normal regional birds a lot of love in one way or another. And Starly is no different. Keeping the trend of this habitat having solid Raid Attackers, we have Starly’s final evolution Staraptor. Being a more attack-weighted Pokémon makes Staraptor a natural fit as a type raid attacker. Its shadow form is ranked 10th best overall and its regular variant is the 21st best.
What’s interesting is that Staraptor is actually really solid for PvP in the Ultra League as well. Where thanks to its huge attack power and access to the newly acquired charged attack Fly, it can dish out heavy damage in the end game. Especially with a shield advantage. Both in PvE and in PvP, the shadow form is more desirable. They are readily available from Team GO Rocket grunts right now. So I’d recommend keeping an eye out for two in particular. One with near-maximum IVs and one with Ultra League IVs. And then you can use GO Tour to grind up on candies. Worth noting that Staraptor benefits from its legacy fast attack Gust for raids.
Ancient Grove
The next habitat is the Ancient Grove. Following right after the Bustling Broadwalk habitat, this habitat will be available from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. your local time. This habitat is primarily home to grass and bug-type Pokémon. Along with a few outliers. The noteworthy ones from these include:
Tangela
Tangela
Tangela’s evolution Tangrowth can be a decent spice pick for the Great League, and the Ultra League. And Tangela itself can be used in some 500 CP Little Cup metas. And in all leagues, its best use case is dealing with almost every Water type in each meta. However, it is limited by the fact that it’s a pure Grass type, and has to compete with other more viable grass types. As such, I believe it’s best to relegate it to a spice/limited meta pick at best.
Though, thankfully Tangela has a much better use case as a Raid Attacker. Its shadow form is the 5th best Grass type raid attacker overall. And its regular form isn’t too far behind at rank 17.
Misdreavus
Misdreavus
Mismagius, Misdreavus’s evolution can be a decent Ghost type raid attacker. With its shadow form being ranked 15 and regular being 23. And that’s about it. Admittedly, it’s not too noteworthy. However, I still felt it was worth mentioning due to future growth potential. Owing to future move updates and depending on how Pokémon GO treats the paradox Pokémon from the mainline games, Mismagius could see some future use.
Roselia
Roselia
Roserade, Roselia’s evolution is one of the best Grass type Raid Attackers. It’s the 11th-best overall grass-type raid attacker. Honestly it may as well be #1 when not counting in shadows, megas, or legendaries. And even as a Poison type raid attacker, Roserade is still one of the best. Being the 9th best overall.
That isn’t even all of it, as Roserade can be a decent choice in PvP. Particularly in the Ultra League where it can not only deal with Water types, but also deal with other Grass types thanks to its Fire type Weather Ball. That, along with its Poison sub-typing. Overall, I’d say it’s a Pokémon worth getting, especially if you regularly participate in raids.
Turtwig
Turtwig
Turtwig’s final form is Torterra, which is the 8th best Grass type Raid Attacker in its shadow form. And 24th best in its regular form. It also has a very unique GrassGround typing which could potentially give it some PvP potential with a move update or two. Though whether it be for PvE or future PvP potential, the shadow variant is preferable. And Torterra also needs its legacy move Frenzy Plant to be really useful. So I’d say it’s only worth taking this opportunity to collect a good amount of Turtwig candies.
Eevee
Eevee
Eevee is a Pokémon with many evolutions. Which means it is a Pokémon with many use cases as well. Of them, Umbreon and Sylveon are best suited for PvP. Umbreon has been a mainstay in the Great League for a long while. With its supreme bulk making it a fantastic safe swap that can stay on the field for a long while and can even defeat the current most popular safe swap Lickitung. And it can be decent in the Ultra League as well.
Sylveon on the other hand is a solid Fairy type to use in the Master League. Being one of the few non-legendaries that can be decent in the format. And it can be even better in Master League Premier where those legendaries aren’t around.
Which isn’t to say the other eeveelutions should be left out either! Most of them can be solid Raid Attackers. The Ice type Glaceon and once again, Sylveon are the most noteworthy. As Glaceon is the 10th best Ice type raid attacker and Sylveon is the 14th best Fairy. The other ones such as Espeon and Leafeon can be pretty decent for their respective type classes as well.
Eevee isn’t a hard Pokémon to come by, as it is sort of a secondary mascot for Pokémon as a whole. But as the various eeveelutions have different valuable use cases. You can never go wrong with catching a few more Eevees. As a bit of a final note, if used for PvP, Umbreon, and Sylveon do benefit from their legacy moves Last Resort and Psyshock respectively for coverage. So you might want to withhold evolving your PvP Eevees immediately if you plan on using an Umbreon or a Sylveon.
Bronzor
Bronzor
The last Pokémon on our list for this habitat, but by no means the least is Bronzor. Bronzong, Bronzor’s evolution can be a decent Great League pick for limited metas such as the Psychic Cup. But let’s be real, as anyone who has seen the smaller side of PvP can tell you, Bronzor doesn’t need to evolve to be an absolute beast. As Bronzor is an absolute necessity in any 500 CP Little Cup format where it’s allowed.
The bulk, the damage, the SteelPsychic typing, the access to Dark type moves. Everything makes Bronzor a powerhouse. So much so that the only real true counter to Bronzor may as well be Bronzor. So definitely keep an eye out for a good Bronzor if you enjoy the little cup formats. The #1 ranked IV is 0/14/15.
Space-Time Anomaly
Growlithe (Hisuian)
Voltorb (Hisuian)
It’s worth noting that this habitat and another will also feature Space-Time Anomalies where Pokémon originating from the Hisui region will be available. According to Niantic’s listings, the two to be available in this habitat are Hisuian Growlithe and Hisuian Voltorb. Neither is particularly noteworthy though Hisuian Voltorb has seen some play in 500 CP Limited Little Cup formats.
Toxic Digs
If the name wasn’t a direct giveaway, this habitat primarily features poison users, along with ground and rock-type Pokémon. This habitat will be available from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. your local time and feature the following noteworthy Pokémon:
Gligar
Gligar
Going from one type to another and starting off strong with this habitat, we have Gligar. Gligar has arguably become the face of flying types in the Great League. This is thanks to the double buff it received last season in both Aerial Ace and Dig. You’d think Gligar would be at a disadvantage considering its [dig] type combination makes it double weak to Ice. But it was going strong when Ice types were around and now that they are somewhat gone from the meta, Gligar is even stronger!
In the official tournament circuit, Gligar is nowadays called the Ground type that defeats other Ground types as its typing allows it to resist all ground type attacks. It can defeat other top meta Pokémon such as Whiscash, the new Annihilape, Shadow Dragonair, Poliwrath, and Charjabug cleanly just to name a few. Its Ground typing allows it to resist Electric one of types greatest weaknesses. And Dig gives it solid neutral coverage against things it isn’t strong against. This allows it to win neutral matchups with any sort of advantage, whether it be HP, Energy, or Shields!
Which isn’t to say its evolved form Gliscor is any slouch either. Gliscor itself is also a lot better than most Pokémon in the Great League and the Ultra League. It’s just that Gligar far outclasses most Pokémon in the Great League in general, whether it be in its regular or shadow form. So ya, all of this is to say, if you play PvP at all, you absolutely do NOT want to miss this chance to get a good Gligar. Check out our database for ideal IVs!
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.
A Poisonous Swamp Indeed!
Once again I find myself in a scenario where multiple Poison types ranging from not particularly good to pretty decent appear in the same habitat while talking about these live events. So just as before let’s do a rapid-fire round from worst to best.
Starting with arguably the least useful of the three, Stunky. Skuntank can be a decent Poison type raid attacker in its shadow form but that’s all I have to say about it. Not a high-priority Pokémon if you ask me.
Then we have Skorupi, perfectly middle of the road. Why? Because its evolution Drapion does see play in the Great League and the Ultra League. But mostly as a spice or limited meta option.
Finally, arguably the best of the three, Croagunk. Toxicroak, Croagunk’s evolution, despite being quite glassy is actually pretty solid in the Ultra League. We can thank it being part Fighting and having access to one of the best fast attacks Counter for its performance. Along with its shadow form being available for some additional damage! It’s also the best Poison type raid attacker of the three. Both its shadow and regular forms outclass the other two’s shadow and regular forms respectively.
As for me personally, I wouldn’t prioritize either of the three. Perhaps a few Croagunks, if for nothing else than the candies.
Gible
Gible
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. Mega Garchomp is the second-best Dragon type raid attacker, and the second-best Ground type. And even regular Garchomp isn’t too bad for raiding, especially in its shadow form. 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.
Cranidos
Cranidos
Cranidos is what’s referred to in the series as a “Fossil Pokémon”. Some of the best fossil Pokémon in terms of usefulness are represented by the Sinnoh fossil Pokémon, starting with Cranidos! While by no means useful for PvP by any stretch of the word, Cranidos’s evolved form Rampardos has its important use. And that is thanks to its use as one of the best Raid Attackers.
Thanks to its impressive 260.4 Attack stat, Rampardos can hit those raid Pokémon, and it can hit them hard! Rampardos boasts perhaps the strongest Rock type raiding potential safe for mega Pokémon available in the game. And consider some of the biggest legendaries that are often available in raids: Ho-oh, Lugia, the three original bird legendaries, and Rayquaza. See something in common? They are all part types, which means Rock types such as Rampardos are a must-have to take them down. So if you’re interested at all in raiding, definitely consider catching a lot of Cranidoses in GO Tour!
Shieldon
Shieldon
This is the other Sinnoh fossil Pokémon. And as their design might already tell you, these two Pokémon could not be more different from each other. If Rampardos is a solid raid attacker thanks to its impressive attack stat, Bastiodon, Shieldon’s evolution is all about bulk!
And you can make full use of its bulk in PvP in the Open Great League. Where Bastion stands as an impenetrable wall against some of the meta staples. It can win against just about every type including the likes of Skarmory and Talonflame thanks to its RockSteel typing. And even the Pokémon it can’t defeat, Bastiodon’s sheer defense means it can hang around long enough to wear out the opponent trainer’s resources. This all makes Bastiodon one of the best Pokémon to have in the format.
A caveat though, Bastiodon is really only good for the great league. Nevertheless, Bastiodon still remains one of the better Pokémon in the format and is definitely worth your time if you’re willing to spare the time and Pokéballs.
Geothermal Lagoon
Hot and Cold meet in the final habitat, as it is home to both fire and ice types. This habitat will begin from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. your local time. Quite a few noteworthy Pokémon can be found in this habitat, including:
Lickitung
Lickitung
Hoo boy, now we have a biggie. Lickitung is perhaps the best Pokémon for the Great League right now. It has amazing bulk, and its pure Normal typing means it only has a singular weakness to Fighting. And even then, the fact that it uses the Ghost type Lick as its fast attack of choice means it can do well against top meta-fighting types such as Poliwrath, Annihilape, and Non-Dynamic Punch Medicham. This makes Lickitung the best safe swap you could ever hope for.
Lickitung isn’t just all about bulk though, it can spam Body Slam, but more importantly, it learns the Grass type charged attack, Power Whip. This allows Lickitung to either threaten shields or outright win against most Water types. So ya, you should definitely get a Lickitung for the Great League.
For some additional notes, its evolved from Lickilicky can be decent for the Ultra League as well. A good IV Lickitung needs XL Candies for the Great League so I would recommend catching as many as you can for the candies. And finally, Lickitung does need its legacy move, Body Slam to reach its max potential, but honestly, Lickitung is such a good mon to have in your Great League arsenal I wouldn’t feel too bad about using an elite TM if you catch one with good IVs.
Eevee
Eevee
We already talked about Eevee and why it’s great earlier in this article just wanted to note that it will be available in this habitat as well.
Rhyhorn
Rhyhorn
Rhyperior, Rhyhorn’s final form should in theory be pretty decent for the Master League. But more importantly, it’s very solid as a Ground type and a Rock type Raid Attacker. In its [shadow] form it’s the 9th best Ground type and 4th best Rock type raid attacker. Even in its regular form, it’s ranked 19th and 8th best respectively. However you do need its legacy move Rock Wrecker, for it to be viable for PvP, or to be used as a rock-type raid attacker.
Buneary
Buneary
This isn’t exactly a Pokémon that people have their eyes on in terms of usability. Yet in a previous article, I had stated that Lopunny, Buneary’s evolution, has some PvP potential that it can utilize with a move update or two. And after getting the Ice type Triple Axel…..it still didn’t break new ground. But I have had fun playing it in Limited Great League metas so I thought it was worth mentioning. There’s also Mega Lopunny, which is a solid Fighting type Raid Attacker.
Swinub
Swinub
Swinub is a Pokémon that’s useful in all three of its forms. Starting with its final form, Mamoswine is solid for the Master League and Master League Premier formats. And I mean it seriously this time Mamoswine can be used in the regular Master League and can do decent there. Not only that Mamoswine is a reaaaally good Ice type Raid Attacker. It’s shadow form and regular form are #2 and #6 ranked respectively, beating out a lot of megas and legendaries. And even as a ground type it’s very solid being ranked #8 and #15 respectively.
Now on to the other forms, Piloswine can be a decent spice or Limited Great League option. It can beat heavy hitters such as Clodsire, Charjabug, Lanturn, and Bastiodon. And even Swinub in its base form is really solid is certain Little Cup metas such as the Little Element Cup.
Snorunt
Snorunt
From one solid Ice type to another. Snorunt has two evolutions, both serve different purposes. Froslass is really good for the Great League. It’s always been more of a sleeper hit, regularly being rather good for limited metas and having open meta success on an “off and on again” basis. What really helps Froslass out is its part Ghost typing protects it against the common Ice type weakness that is Fighting. Shadow Snorunt is currently available from Team GO Rocket which shows some promise in PvP as well.
On the other hand, Snorunt’s other evolution, Glailie has a Mega Evolution in Mega Glailie, which is the 7th best Ice type Raid Attacker overall. So this is one Pokémon to keep an eye out for if you don’t have a few good ones already.
Togetic
Togetic
Once again coming back to a Pokémon with multiple uses, we have Togetic. Togetic by itself as a Fairy type can be a decent spice or Limited Great League meta pick. As it is able to defeat quite a handful of top meta Dragon and Fighting types such as Annihilape and Shadow Dragonair. And Togekiss, its evolved form, can be very solid for the Master League, and especially Master League Premier. Though nowadays its a bit outclassed by other Fairy types with a better selection of charged attacks.
Togekiss is also a really good Fairy type Raid Attacker. It’s ranked #11 in our database, and that’s without it even having a shadow form. In fact, if we don’t count in expensive legendaries, megas, or shadow Pokémon it may as well be #1!
Snover
Snover
Snover’s, or rather I should say Abomasnow’s popularity in PvP (Great and Ultra Leagues) certainly feels like it goes up and down. And recently it has felt like it is once again going up. With Water types on the rise, there has definitely been a need felt for some solid Grass types. Yet all the types have kept the grass types at bay. Abomasnow is unique in that its Ice typing helps it to threaten types that would have otherwise been a threat to it (Hi, Gligar!).
Of course, Abomasnow’s new rise may be short-lived as not only did have to deal with the newly buffed Incinerate user such as Talonflame and Skeledirge, but now the new fighter, Annihilape threatens it as well. But nevertheless, it is still a good Pokémon to have in your arsenal. It also has a shadow form which makes it a top-ranked Ice type Raid Attacker as well.
Space-Time Anomaly
This is the other habitat to feature a Space-Time Anomaly. And there is one noteworthy Pokémon (along with Hisuian Quilfish) in this one. This Pokémon being:
Hisuian Sneasel
Sneasel (Hisuian)
Hisuian Sneasel’s evolution, Sneasler is very similar to Toxicroak in that they are both PoisonFighting type glass cannons best suited for the Great League and the Ultra League. Though one key difference between them is that Sneasler prefers running the Ghost type Shadow Claw as its fast move of choice as opposed to Toxicroak’s Counter. This gives Sneasler a slightly different set of targets to defeat as opposed to Toxicroak. And funnily enough, Toxicroak happens to be one of them.
In general, its shadow form is more desirable for the added attack, especially for the Great League. Its shadow form is currently available with the Fighting type Team GO Rocket grunt so keep an eye out for that and you can use GO Tour to get the candies to power it up. On that note, regular Sneasel is available in this habitat as well which you could also catch as they use and give away the same candies.
Raids
These are the noteworthy Pokémon that will be available in raids during the event:
Bustling Boardwalk and Toxic Digs
Dialga and Palkia
These two will be available during the Bustling Boardwalk and Toxic Digs habitats. Dialga and Palkia have been in the game for a while, and much like with most “Box Art Legendaries” as they are often called, these two are very solid in the Master League. In fact, I’d say Dialga is one of the best Pokémon in general for the Master League. As its [stee]Dragon dual typing allows it to be neutral to both Fairy and other Dragon types. Which are two of the most prominent types in the Master League.
They are, of course, both solid Raid Attackers as well. Dialga is the 6th best overall Steel type raid attacker and Palkia is the 10th best Water. Other than that they can also be really good as Dragon type raid attackers.
Ancient Grove and Geothermal Lagoon
Origin Dialga and Origin Palkia
These are new variants of Dialga and Palkia that will be available for the first time ever in Pokémon GO. If regular Dialga and Palkia, along with Giratina’s Origin Forme are any indication then I am certain these Pokémon will have their uses as well. In fact, we already have had the chance to analyze these Pokémon for PvP and PvE. Both of these Pokémon are better Dragon type Raid Attackers than their regular counterparts. And Origin Palkia is even better as a Water type.
These new forms will also for the first time, be able to use their signature moves on the map screen for special bonuses. Though these may be too expensive to be regularly used by a lot of players. If nothing else these are the new key Pokémon to add to your collection. If you’re paying to participate in the event anyway, might as well catch one right?
Hisuian Starters
These three regional variants of three of the partner Pokémon are already available in the game and all had their raid days. But if you missed your chance with one of them this’ll be a chance to pick them up or collect some extra candies. They don’t have that many use cases to speak of though. At best, I can say that Hisuian Typhlosion is a pretty decent Ghost type Raid Attacker. Don’t let that stop you from collecting any you might be interested in though, they haven’t been in the game for too long after all!
Eggs
Typically I don’t cover egg hatch Pokémon as it’s random which Pokémon you get anyway. But there are some noteworthy ones this time around so I thought I’d do a rapid-fire round.
From 2 KM Eggs:
Munchlax and its evolution Snorlax have play in all 3 main leagues in one way or another. Lucario, Riolu’s evolution is solid for some limited metas such as the Mountain Cup. On the other hand, Mantine is a great Great League Water type.
From 10 KM Eggs:
There is Pachirisu. A solid Electric type Pokémon for the Great League. Typically, Pachirisu is only available in Canada. Also it actually requires high IVs for the Great League so you can use it out of the bag from its hatch encounter. All in all, this one is really worth it I’d say.
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. Along with the ones already mentioned the Pokémon to look out for include:
Four unique Pikachu forms along with their shinies will be available during the GO Tour. These are inspired by the main characters of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, their remakes, Platinum, and Legends: Arceus. Both Pikachu wearing Lucas’s Hat and Pikachu wearing Dawn’s Hat will be available at the same time during the Bustling Boardwalk and Toxic Digs habitats. On the other hand, Pikachu wearing Akari’s Kerchief and Pikachu wearing Rei’s Cap will be available at the same time during the Ancient Grove and Geothermal Lagoon habitats.
The above Unown forms will become available if incense is used during the tour. All of them will have their shiny forms available. Unown H, I, N, O, and S (spelling Sinnoh) will be available during the Bustling Boardwalk and Toxic Digs habitats, and the Ancient Grove and Geothermal Lagoon habitats will feature Unown H, I, S, and U (spelling Hisui). 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 global appearance during GO Tour:
Conclusion
Pokémon GO Tour: Sinnoh is approaching fast! Hopefully, I have helped you narrow down which Pokémon you want to focus on during this event. Whether you have an interest in PvP, PvE, or just collecting all the unique Pokémon there are definitely some Pokémon to be excited about no matter your interest. So stay safe and have fun out there. I wish you all an amazing GO Tour 2024!
Goodbye for now, Pokémon trainers. Priom-out!
