The Precious Paths Season has hit the shores of Pokémon GO, and the usual GO Battle League shakeup has brought with it a whirlwind of move additions to a bunch of Pokémon.
Some of these lucky recipients scale exciting new heights in the PvE scene. So, this write-up will focus on this subset, laying out the Pokémon with new rejuvenated viability in Raids.
Let’s begin!
Attack Availability Updates
The following Pokémon gain access to new moves:
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
Ursaluna
|
Smack Down Rock |
Gogoat
|
Rock Slide Rock |
Dhelmise
|
Brutal Swing Dark |
Tentacruel
|
Payback Dark |
|
Ursaluna
|
Play Rough Fairy |
Houndstone
|
Play Rough Fairy |
Doublade
|
Shadow Claw Ghost |
Ludicolo
|
Astonish Ghost |
Hisuian Samurott
|
Sacred Sword Fighting |
|
Doublade
|
Sacred Sword Fighting |
Kartana
|
Sacred Sword Fighting |
Cetitan
|
Superpower Fighting |
Blaziken
|
Aura Sphere Fighting |
Regidrago
|
Vice Grip Normal |
Dudunsparce
|
Body Slam Normal |
Milotic
|
Aqua Tail Water |
Lumineon
|
Aqua Tail Water |
|
Ludicolo
|
Weather Ball Water |
Bronzong
|
Weather Ball Water |
Suicune
|
Water Gun Water |
Hydreigon
|
Fly |
Glalie
|
Powder Snow Ice |
Lunatone
|
Weather Ball Ice |
Kyogre
|
Avalanche Ice |
|
Cetitan
|
Icicle Spear Ice |
Aerodactyl
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
Tyranitar
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Dudunsparce
|
Dragon Tail Dragon |
Lucario
|
Meteor Mash Steel |
|
Kartana
|
Fury Cutter Bug |
Dachsbun
|
Fire Fang Fire |
Solrock
|
Weather Ball Fire |
|
Blaziken
|
Ember Fire |
Gourgeist
|
Incinerate Fire |
Biggest winners from Precious Paths Season attack availability updates
Blaziken: Ember and Aura Sphere
Blaziken
Blaziken stonks are about to go up wildly in PvP, with Ember and Aura Sphere both benefiting it in the GO Battle League. But we’re talking about PvE here, and our tool of interest is Aura Sphere for Mega Blaziken. The Fire department Mega Blaziken still prefers Fire Spin over Ember.
Aura Sphere, being such a powerful move, propels Mega Blaziken to a new peak. Using our GO Hub Pokémon DPS Comparer tool:
Aura Sphere Mega Blaziken would have been the #1 Fighting type in Pokémon GO if only Mega Lucario didn’t have Force Palm. Still, it is a close #2, trailing behind by only 3.25% in DPS figures. Mega Blaziken has a higher TDO and can keep the Mega Boosts afloat for a while longer, contributing to more damage in many situations.
Blaziken is the undisputed winner of this moveset update, and even Shadow Blaziken takes the spoils, surpassing Mega Heracross and Terrakion in damage output, but a little behind Keldeo Resolute Forme.
Lucario: Meteor Mash
Lucario
Aura Sphere OG, Lucario, has a new toy to play with: the dreaded Meteor Mash! Mega Lucario has always been the Fighting Pokémon, but sulked in the Steel meta. Those days are a thing of the past as Mega Lucario is now an uncaged animal as a Steel type, although not as dominant as a Fighting type.
Poor Mega Metagross. If it had debuted early, it would have been the go-to Steel type, but it arrived when the Crowned Doggos and Dusk Mane Necrozma already had the lead. To run salt on its wounds, Mega Lucario overtakes the Pseudo Legendary with the same moveset that made it famous.
However, that’s only on the DPS front, as bulk is a signature trait of Steel Pokémon, and Mega Metagross is way better than Mega Lucario in that regard. The DPS difference is negligible, and you should go with Mega Metagross over Mega Lucario. Unfortunately, both Meteor Mash wielders are behind the behemoths named Zacian Crowned Sword, Zamazenta Crowned Shield, and Dusk Mane Necrozma.
That said, the Meteor Mashers are easier to power up than the three Legendaries, so don’t ignore them. Ultimately, Mega Lucario is a worthy Steel type to run in Raids.
Kartana: Fury Cutter and Sacred Sword
Kartana
When I spoke about Mega Blaziken’s rise in the Fighting type meta, I mainly compared it with pure Fighting types, as Mega Lucario and Keldeo Resolute are the top shareholders of this meta.
But I’ll have to confess that I left out a surprising entry. Now, this won’t ruin the Mega Blaziken analysis, as it still retains its spot among the Fighters, but similar to how Aura Sphere Mega Latios became a top-notch “Fighting Pokémon,” we have another monster on the horizon: Kartana.
Ultra Beast Kartana becomes a pseudo Fighting type, using both its new moves, Fury Cutter and Sacred Sword, to leave Mega Heracross and Terrakion (behind even Razor Leaf | Sacred Sword Kartana) in the dust. It’s still behind Aura Sphere Shadow Raikou and Mega Latios, but particularly against Dark type Raid Bosses, Kartana with Fury Cutter and Sacred Sword is particularly deadly.
Kyogre: Avalanche
Kyogre
Houston, we have a problem.
The omnipotent Primal Kyogre has added a new feather to its cap, establishing itself as a top Ice type attacker with Avalanche! While Primal Kyogre (and Shadow Kyogre, for that matter) may not be as oppressive against Dragon and Grass Raid Bosses as both resist Waterfall, Ground type Raid Bosses have been put on notice!
The Kyorem duo still rule the icy throne, but Primal Kyogre adds a new level of frigid brutality to the meta. Sporting insane DPS and more TDO than any other Ice type attacker, Primal Kyogre is crazier than ever. Hell may or may not have frozen over, but the ocean sure did.
Notable mentions
The four Pokémon mentioned in the previous section are the only positive outcomes from the move additions, although they are big ones. There are other attackers that aren’t as strong as the list above, but offer some degree of viability at the very least.
- Shadow Ursaluna with Smack Down: With Smack Down and High Horsepower, Shadow Ursaluna is a good counter to Fire-type Raid Bosses. In fact, with this set, Shadow Ursaluna even crosses Terrakion in DPS.
- Shadow Hydreigon with Fly: Fly is a great move and gives Bite Shadow Hydreigon some viability against types weak to type moves.
- Mega Tyranitar and Mega Aerodactyl with Dragon Breath: Fun to take on low-tier Dragon Raids.
- Dynamax Suicune with Water Gun: While not meant for Raids, Dynamax Suicune finally becomes an efficient tank in Max Battles with Water Gun. It is a 0.5s Fast Move (something it previously lacked), helping DMax Suicune charge the Max Meter at the earliest, and then letting you switch in your main attacker to deal damage, heal yourself and your allies with Max Spirit, or put up a shield via Max Guard.
Note that the first three (meant for Raids) are spicy picks and nowhere in the range of high viability options. Dynamax Suicune is definitely helpful for Max Battles though!
The other Pokémon that have received new moves don’t hold any value in PvE, even if they are better than before.
All the best and have a fun Precious Paths Season, trainers!
