A PvE Analysis for Pokémon 30th Anniversary: All Out

Happy 30th Anniversary to all Pokémon fans! What great memories we all have made in all this time. This weekend we have the opportunity to make new memories with the Pokémon 30th Anniversary: All Out Event. We have a total of 16 Pokémon featured in Five-Star Raids for the weekend. So, which ones are PvE worthy, let’s find out!

Kanto Birds

Articuno

Articuno IceFlying

Zapdos

Zapdos ElectricFlying

Moltres

Moltres FireFlying

First up, we have the OG trio of Kanto Birds: Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. They were recently featured in the Road to Kalos Event and there PvE analysis can be found: PvE Analysis for Road to Kalos: Eggs and Raids. Just touching on their analysis briefly:

• Articuno doesn’t make any kind of impact in the PvE meta. It struggles both as an Ice as well as a Flying raid attacker. Unfortunately, this Freeze Pokémon is nothing more than a dex filler. 
• Zapdos, especially its Shadow variant, is a strong Electric and Flying raid attacker. Trainers can use the event to grind some XL candies for Zapdos. 
• Moltres and its Shadow Variant are again strong PvE attackers. It recently got access to Fly as its Charged Attack, which is better than its previously recommended Charged Attack: Sky Attack.

Shiny Kanto Trio

The Mythicals

Next up we have The Mythicals: Deoxys, Darkrai and Genesect. Deoxys will be in raids in its Normal Forme whereas Genesect will be in No Drive form. 

Deoxys

Normal Deoxys Psychic

Deoxys (Normal Forme), the DNA Pokémon is a pure Psychic type with high attack on paper, but its bulk is so poor that it collapses in raids long before it can realize that potential. Even with an optimal moveset, it is badly outclassed by other top Psychic attackers in both damage output and consistency. If you already have decent Psychic coverage, there is effectively no reason to invest dust or candies to build a Deoxys.

Verdict: Skip for raids. Keep one for collection and move on.

Darkrai

Darkrai Dark

Darkrai, the Pitch-Black or Bad Dreams Pokémon, remains one of the best non‑shadow, non-mega Dark type attackers for raiding. Its pure Dark typing, high attack stat, and strong moveset make it a go‑to answer against Psychic and Ghost type raid bosses. Its Shadow Variant goes even further and is currently placed at #4 among Top Dark Attackers in the game. 

As an added bonus, Shadow Darkrai, with its legacy move Sludge Bomb, is a strong Poison attacker as well, placed currently at #6 among Top Poison Attackers.

Even if you do not have access to Shadow Darkrai, feel free to use non-shadow Darkrai in your team. Darkrai comfortably anchors Dark type teams for Tier 5 and Mega raids, and fits naturally into any roster that needs reliable Dark coverage without leaning on shadows.

Verdict: One of the best Dark raid attacker; high‑priority PvE build.

Genesect

Normal Genesect BugSteel

Genesect (No Drive), the Paleozoic Pokémon, is a Bug Steel mythical with good resistances and a flexible offensive kit. On paper, that combination should make it an excellent raid attacker, but in practice it sits in an awkward “good but not great” tier. As a Bug type, it competes with strong shadows, megas, and other Ultra Beasts that either hit harder or survive longer. As a Steel type, it has to contend with even stronger competition and premium picks that simply do more in less time. Genesect is usable and can fill holes in your teams, but it almost never tops the counter charts.

Verdict: Flexible but outclassed; fine if you love it, but not a priority PvE project.

Shiny Mythicals

The Worldwide Ultra Beasts

Third on our list are the Ultra Beasts that are available worldwide in Five-Star Raids: Nihilego and Guzzlord. 

Nihilego

Nihilego RockPoison

Nihilego, the Parasite Pokémon, is a Rock Poison type Ultra Beast that carves out a very specific but valuable niche: it’s one of the strongest Poison type attackers you can bring to raids. Its attack, HP, and defense combine to give it both impressive damage and respectable bulk compared to many other offensive poisons.

Nihilego’s Rock potential is limited by its lack of a Rock type Fast Attack, so you should treat it almost entirely as a Poison specialist. If you care about having full type coverage, Nihilego is a top‑tier answer whenever Poison is the best attacking type on the table. You can safely invest in Nihilego if Poison coverage matters to your raid group. 

Verdict: High‑value Poison specialist; low value as a Rock attacker.

Guzzlord

Guzzlord DarkDragon

Guzzlord, the Junkivore Pokémon, is a Dark Dragon Ultra Beast with astonishing HP but extremely low defense and middling attack. The combination of huge HP and low defense makes Guzzlord more of a punching bag when you fight it, and that carries over to how it performs when you use it: it can stay on the field reasonably long but doesn’t put out damage at the rate you would expect from a top PvE Pokémon. 

Verdict: Fun bulky, but overshadowed in PvE.

Shiny Duo

The Regional Ultra Beasts

Now, let us discuss Ultra Beasts that are not available worldwide, and are only in select regions. We have Buzzwole available in The Americas and Greenland. Then we have Pheromosa available in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. And finally we have Xurkitree which is available in Asia-Pacific.

Buzzwole

Buzzwole BugFighting

Buzzwole, the Swollen Pokémon, is Bug Fighting type. Its offensive numbers and best PvE moveset leave it trailing far behind top Fighting attackers and it also fails to compete with premium Bug attackers. Almost any serious raider will have better options in both types. 

Verdict: Low priority as a raid attacker.

Pheromosa

Pheromosa BugFighting

Pheromosa, the Lissome Pokémon, is the definition of a glass cannon. As a Bug Fighting Ultra Beast, it can reach extremely high Bug type DPS on paper, and its moveset lets it output damage faster than almost anything else in its niche. The problem is that its bulk is practically nonexistent. In real raids, Pheromosa faints repeatedly, which destroys its total damage output over the course of the fight and makes it a huge drain on your resources. It can work in huge lobbies or niche speedrun attempts, but it’s rarely the best practical choice.

Verdict: Extreme DPS with terrible TDO; niche, specialist raid pick at best.

Xurkitree

Xurkitree Electric

Xurkitree, the Glowing Pokémon, is one of the strongest Electric raid attackers available. Its pure Electric typing and incredibly high attack stat, paired with a double Electric moveset, give it elite DPS that competes directly with the Top Electric Attackers in the game.

For players who raid regularly, at least one Level 50 Xurkitree is an outstanding investment. If you’re tight on XL candies, a Level 40 copy still serves as a cornerstone Electric attacker that will remain relevant for a long time.

Verdict: Top‑tier Electric attacker; high‑priority PvE Ultra Beast.

Shiny Trio

The Hemispherical Ultra Beasts

To wrap up the Ultra Beasts, we finally have the ones whose availability in raids are based on hemispheres. Celesteela s in the Southern Hemisphere, Kartana is in the Northern Hemisphere, Stakataka is in the Eastern Hemisphere, and Blacephalon is in the Western Hemisphere.

Celesteela

Celesteela SteelFlying

Celesteela, the Launch Pokémon, is a Steel Flying Ultra Beast with solid defensive stats and a broad resistance profile, but it struggles to pull its weight as a raid attacker. Its available Fast and Charged Attacks don’t form a strong same‑type combo for either Steel or Flying, which cripples its overall PvE output. Because of this, Celesteela simply doesn’t make it into any serious “best counters” lists. 

Verdict: Keep it for collection, not for raids.

Kartana

Kartana GrassSteel

Kartana, the Drawn Sword Pokémon, is a Grass Steel Ultra Beast and the clear standout among Grass attackers. Its sky‑high attack stat and excellent Grass moveset gives it high DPS. Even with relatively low bulk, its performance over the course of a full raid makes it a staple on high‑end raid teams. It ranks at #2 among Top Grass Attackers. 

Kartana’s raw output is so high that it remains a go‑to pick, and it routinely tops counter lists for many raid bosses where Grass is an optimal counter. 

Verdict: Premier Grass attacker; top‑priority Ultra Beast for PvE.

Stakataka

Stakataka RockSteel

Stakataka, the Rampart Pokémon, is a Rock Steel Ultra Beast designed as a defensive wall, not as an offensive weapon. As an attacker, Stakataka fails to match other top Rock or Steel options. Its attack stat and moveset simply can’t compete with those heavy hitters in terms of DPS.

Verdict: Interesting defensive design, but low offensive value; not a priority PvE project.

Blacephalon

Blacephalon FireGhost

Blacephalon, the Fireworks Pokémon, is a Fire Ghost Ultra Beast with a theme that screams “glass nuke”. Blacephalon has always been a glass cannon — a Pokémon that hits incredibly hard but can’t take a hit in return. Its Attack stat sits among the highest in the Fire and Ghost categories, making it a powerhouse on paper. Add to it, the insanely strong Charged Attack, Mind Blown, and we have a Top Tier Fire Attacker in the mix.  

Obviously, Blacephalon’s low bulk means it faints faster than most other top-tier Fire types. It is also a decent Ghost attacker, though Trainers may want to use it exclusively as a Fire attacker, as there are other top Ghost options available with a lot better bulk. 

Verdict: High-DPS specialist but low TDO. Only for true raid specialists.

Shiny Quatret

Necrozma: Dusk & Dawn

Last but definitely not the least, in fact, probably the best, we have Necrozma, the Prism Pokémon. It currently has 3 different forms: Necrozma, Dusk Mane Necrozma and Dawn Wings Necrozma. It also has another form called Ultra Necrzoma, which is currently unreleased in Pokémon GO. 

Necrozma

Necrozma Psychic

Base Necrozma is a pure Psychic type legendary with decent stats and access to a standard Psychic moveset. The problem is the competition: Psychic is a stacked type, and Necrozma has to compete with some strong and various signature‑move psychics that simply do more damage more efficiently. Where Necrozma becomes truly interesting is in its fusion forms: Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings.

Dusk Mane Necrozma

Dusk Mane Necrozma PsychicSteel

Dawn Wings Necrozma

Dawn Wings Necrozma PsychicGhost

Both Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings Necrozma are excellent raid attackers. Dusk Mane is a top Steel attacker while Dawn Wings is currently the best Ghost attacker in the game.

Trainers will need Solar and Lunar Fusion Energy, along with Solgaleo and Lunala to obtain the respective forms. Trainers can use the event to obtain Necrzoma XL candies or a high IV Necrzoma which can then be used for fusion. 

Verdict: Base form is middling as a Psychic attacker; real PvE potential is tied to its fusions.

Shiny Necrzoma Family

Parting Words

That wraps up our overview of the upcoming raid pool. If you’re low on passes, prioritize raids that fill real gaps in your raid roster rather than chasing every shiny. If you’re a raider looking to stretch your rare candy and XL as far as possible, focus first on Darkrai, Xurkitree, Kartana, Nihilego and Necrozma then fill in with situational picks as your roster matures.

Let us know Trainers! When was the first time you got into Pokémon? Have you ever played the very first Pokémon Games, Pokémon Red and Green which came out back in 1996? (It was later called Red and Blue when it gradually released worldwide) If yes, what was your team of 6? 

And as always, Stay Safe! Stay prepared! Keep raiding smart, and may your IVs and shiny rates be generous!