Greetings, Trainers! We’re back with another meta guide, and this time, the spotlight is on one of the most intriguing Pokémon tied to Pokémon GO’s 10th anniversary celebrations. As the game gears up for its milestone 10th anniversary, we celebrate with the 10th Anniversary Party event. One of the event’s biggest highlights is Gimmighoul sporting a special 10th anniversary coin, giving Trainers yet another reason to deploy Coin Bags and Golden Lures in hopes of finding that elusive Shiny Gimmighoul with a themed background. With Gimmighoul once again taking center stage, now feels like the perfect time to take a closer look at its evolution, Gholdengo, and evaluate where it stands in today’s PvE and PvP meta.
Gholdengo: Stats, Profile and Typing
Gholdengo
SteelGhost
| Max CP | 3976 |
|---|---|
| ATK | 252 |
| DEF | 190 |
| HP | 202 |
| Weak to |     |
| Resists |             |
| Fast Attacks |
|
| Charge Attacks |
|
Gholdengo, the Coin Entity Pokémon, is a dual Steel and Ghost type Pokémon. Such a unique typing grants it a whopping 12 different resistances which include triple resistance to Normal and Poison attacks and double resistance to Bug type attacks. It also has a strong 252 attack and 202 HP stat, while its defense is slightly on the lower side, but still respectable at 190.
Shiny Gholdengo Family
Gholdengo in Pokémon GO PvE
Raids
Gholdengo’s PvE role is just as interesting as the Pokémon itself. Despite being a Steel and Ghost type, it lacks any Steel moves entirely. That means Gholdengo cannot function as a Steel attacker in raids, which is unusual for a Pokémon with such a strong dual typing. Instead, its offensive value comes entirely from its Ghost toolkit, where it has access to the reliable and effective combination of Hex and Shadow Ball. That Ghost moveset, paired with a strong base Attack stat of , allows Gholdengo to perform very well as a raid attacker. While its moveset is not especially diverse, it is efficient enough to let Gholdengo carve out a solid place among Ghost Attackers. Using our DPS Comparer Tool:
As expected, Gholdengo ranks as a strong Ghost type option, sitting a step below elite names such as Darkrai and Lunala but above Giratina, in terms of DPS. However, Ghost attackers come with a notable drawback in PvE: they are used against Ghost and Psychic raid bosses, and against Ghost bosses in particular, they tend to take super effective damage in return. This creates a classic high-risk, high-reward situation for many of the best Ghost attackers. Darkrai stands out as one of the few top-tier alternatives that avoids this problem thanks to its Dark typing, but most leading Ghost attackers share this same defensive weakness. Gholdengo is no exception, though its resistance to Psychic attacks does give it a useful edge in some matchups.
Overall, Gholdengo is a worthwhile investment for Trainers who can consistently access Golden Lures and Coin Bags, gather Gimmighoul Coins, and evolve one for raid use. It may not redefine the Ghost raid meta, but it is still a competent and dependable attacker with enough power to justify the effort. More importantly, Gholdengo adds some welcome variety to a Ghost line-up that can otherwise feel repetitive, making it a valuable option not just for performance, but also for uniqueness.
Gholdengo in Pokémon GO PvP
Ideal Moveset: Astonish + Shadow Ball & Power Gem /Focus Blast
As a Steel and Ghost type, Gholdengo is weak to Ground, Ghost, Fire and Dark but has a long list of resistances, which gives it standout defensive utility. Its most relevant PvP kit centers on Hex as the fast move, backed by Shadow Ball as the primary STAB move. Despite this excellent typing, Gholdengo’s PvP ceiling is limited by middling bulk and the lack of a truly cheap Charged Attack; it tends to operate as a high-pressure closer or specialist counter rather than a safe all-purpose meta pick.
Great League
Great League is easily Gholdengo’s weakest format, as its stat distribution leaves it noticeably fragile when capped below CP. Running Power Gem as its second Charged Attack, Gholdengo struggles to carve out a meaningful role in the open Great League meta. Its list of notable wins is fairly limited, with matchups such as Cradily, Jumpluff, and Tinkaton standing out as some of its more reliable positives. However, those victories are heavily outweighed by a much broader loss column that includes meta-relevant threats like Lickilicky, Fearow, Seismitoad, Altaria, and Empoleon, among others. The picture does improve in zero-shield scenarios, where Gholdengo’s offensive pressure becomes more apparent and its overall performance moves much closer to an even win-loss split. In those matchups, it can pick up additional wins against Pokémon such as Talonflame, Empoleon, Wigglytuff, and Forretress.
Gholdengo ideal IV spread for Great League is: 0/15/10, 1500 CP, Level 16.
Ultra League
Ultra League gives Gholdengo a bit more breathing room thanks to the extra raw bulk available at higher CP, but the overall results remain largely in line with its Great League performance. It still tends to underperform in shielded scenarios, while looking much more respectable in zero-shield matchups where its damage output has more room to shine. Its Ultra League win column includes names like Virizion, Tentacruel, Blastoise, and Tinkaton, but the losses remain significant, with Corviknight, both Kanto and Alolan Ninetales, Malamar, Lapras, and Jellicent all proving problematic. In zero-shield battles, Gholdengo does gain a few more valuable wins, including Skeledirge, Giratina Altered, and Alolan Ninetales, which at least gives it some added play as a situational pick.
Gholdengo ideal IV spread for Ultra League is: 0/15/12, 2496 CP, Level 26.5.
Master League
Master League is where Gholdengo finally gets the opportunity to make full use of its natural stats. In this format, it generally prefers Focus Blast over Power Gem as its second Charged Attack, giving it better coverage and higher upside against heavier targets. Even then, its overall battle profile still follows a familiar pattern, with results that are solid but not overwhelmingly dominant. What makes Master League more appealing, though, is the quality of the wins Gholdengo can secure. It is capable of beating several major meta threats, including Xerneas, Lunala, both forms of Zacian and Zamazenta, Kyogre, and Black Kyurem. On the other hand, it still has to respect difficult losses against Pokémon such as White Kyurem, Reshiram, Zekrom, Rhyperior, and Marshadow. Even so, Gholdengo shows genuine promise here as an anti-meta option.
Its zero-shield performance in Master League is also its most encouraging across all three formats, this time pushing into a positive win-loss record. In these scenarios, Gholdengo can add matchups like Marshadow and Zekrom to its list of wins, further improving its value as a closer. Trainers can also experiment with Hex as the Fast Attack option, which opens the door to a few additional zero-shield wins, including Tyranitar and Lunala, but at the cost of a few extra losses in shielded scenarios. While Gholdengo may not establish itself as a consistent top-tier staple, Master League is clearly the format where it has the best chance to function as a legitimate anti-meta threat.
Gholdengo ideal IV spread for Master League is: 15/15/15, 3976 CP, Level 50.
Is Gholdengo Worth Building?
Gholdengo is definitely one of the more interesting investment options in Pokémon GO, though whether it is worth building depends heavily on what you want from it. For PvE-focused Trainers, Gholdengo is a solid Ghost raid attacker with a reliable moveset and strong enough damage output to hold its own against many relevant Psychic and Ghost raid bosses. It does not challenge the absolute top of the Ghost hierarchy, but it performs well enough to justify the effort if you have the resources to evolve one.
For PvP, the answer is a bit more format-dependent. Gholdengo is largely underwhelming in Great League and only mildly more interesting in Ultra League, where its poor bulk and hold it back from becoming a consistent meta presence. Master League is where it has the clearest niche, functioning as a legitimate anti-meta pick that can pressure several top threats and perform especially well in zero-shield situations. It is not a must-build PvP monster, but it is certainly a viable spice option for Trainers who enjoy using uncommon picks with real upside.
There is also an important future-facing angle to consider. Gholdengo’s signature move Make It Rain is a Steel type attack that has not yet been added to Pokémon GO. If Scopely eventually gives Gholdengo access to the move and the move comes with strong stats, it could significantly improve Gholdengo’s long-term value. Not only could it strengthen Gholdengo’s PvP profile, but it could also finally give it a proper Steel type role in raids, which would dramatically raise its overall meta relevance.
Parting Words
Gholdengo may not be a format-defining powerhouse right now, but it is far from a gimmick. It brings solid Ghost type raid utility, an intriguing anti-meta profile in Master League, and enough uniqueness to stand out in a crowded field of more established options. That alone makes it one of the more rewarding specialty builds for Trainers willing to put in the effort. Which sadly, is a lot of effort and grind to evolve to Gholdengo!
Let us know Trainers! Are you planning to build a Gholdengo during the 10th Anniversary Party event? Do you see more value in it as a raid attacker or as a Master League spice pick?
And as always, stay safe! And happy 10th Pokémon GO Anniversary!
