The recent Pokemon GO stat re-work brought HP (Stamina) buffs for almost every Pokemon in Gen 1, 2 and 3. Some got more than others, and choosing which ones to make it into the top 5 was tough. When it all comes down to it, meta relevance matters the most. Just how much better did some Pokemon actually get? Let’s take a look!
This article is part of a series:
- Pokemon GO CP rework: stat changes formula and raiding after the rework
- Pokemon GO stats re-balance: The top 5 biggest losers in the new meta
Rayquaza
Rayquaza
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| Stat | Old stats | New stats |
|---|---|---|
| CP | 3645 | 3835 |
| HP | 191 | 213 |
| DEF | 170 | 170 |
A buff of 22 to Rayquaza’s HP was truly a gift, resulting in an overall 5.21% CP boost. Rayquaza already has an incredible ATK stat, but it often lacked bulk when fighting as a generalist. With increased HP, and with unchanged DEF, Rayquaza can shine in battle for a lot longer. A very welcomed buff indeed – I guess spending dust on this majestic dragon was not in vain after all!
Salamence
Salamence
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| Stat | Old stats | New stats |
|---|---|---|
| CP | 3532 | 3749 |
| HP | 190 | 216 |
| DEF | 168 | 168 |
Salamence falls into the same boat as Rayquaza, which is especially important given its rivalry with Dragonite. Before, Salamence couldn’t really take any hits for an extended period of time. Now? Buffing its HP by 26 makes things much better. This change increased the overall CP by 6.14%. After all, it really is a great Dragon attacker. Any added bulk without a decrease in DEF is always welcomed!
Blaziken
Blaziken
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| Stat | Old stats | New stats |
|---|---|---|
| CP | 2631 | 2848 |
| HP | 160 | 190 |
| DEF | 141 | 141 |
This was a tough choice, as we were thinking between Charizard or Blaziken. Charizard was also significantly buffed, but after some more thought and a hefty amount of sims, Blaziken pulled through! Here’s why we picked it: Blaziken has more versatility in Pokemon GO right now than Charizard, it can be a good Fire or Fighting attacker and it got a hefty 30 HP buff. Out of all Pokemon on this page, Blaziken really benefits from the added HP: there was absolutely no bulk at all to Blaziken in the past. So this overall 8.25% buff to its CP is truly a blessing!
Dragonite
Dragonite
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| Stat | Old stats | New stats |
|---|---|---|
| CP | 3581 | 3792 |
| HP | 182 | 208 |
| DEF | 201 | 198 |
The moment I saw Dragonite got an HP buff of 26, we knew that Dragoinite had to be on this list. Coming in with a 5.89% CP buff, additional bulk and an even more diverse role than it had before, Dragonite is something really special now: a true Dragon type meta relevant Pokemon got the added bulk it deserves to crush its opponents in battle. After all, it does have access to the best Dragon move set in the game. Unlike Salamence…
Mewtwo
Mewtwo
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| Stat | Old stats | New stats |
|---|---|---|
| CP | 3982 | 4178 |
| HP | 193 | 214 |
| DEF | 182 | 182 |
Perhaps the most meta relevant Pokemon of them ALL, Mewtwo. To me, Mewtwo severely lacked the bulk to withstand in battle. It wasn’t terrible, but it showed from time to time – it can pack a serious punch, but if hit with strong neutral damage move (Hydro Pump for example), it really hurts. Now, Mewtwo’s added buff of 21 HP makes it a nightmare in eyes of most Raid Bosses. Not only can it tank more, but it can also dish out more devastating damage! Added bulk is never a bad thing. This buff of 4.92% is truly legendary and it finally shoot Mewtwo above the fabled 4K CP level. Plus, remember that Mewtwo can learn almost every relevant move in the game: New Mewtwo moves analysis: Thunderbolt, Flamethrower and Ice Beam and The hidden meta influence of Mewtwo’s new move sets.
Notable Mentions
- Gengar: An added buff of 35 to its HP is what we’ve all been waiting for. Making Gengar a little bit less of a glass cannon and a lot more usable in battle. Try it out!
- Machamp: Be pumped for Machamp to last even longer in battle! It got a buff of 27 to its HP. Makes sense to add more bulk due to all the muscle right?
- Charizard: Since it didn’t make the list above, I couldn’t leave it out. Charizard getting an added 30 to HP is amazing. Perhaps its DPS with Blast Burn might keep it closer to the top of all the Fire attackers?
- Legendary Birds: All birds got a buff of 27 to HP. This can’t go unnoticed. Now they will be able to dish out even more damage overtime thanks to the much welcomed added bulk.
- Tyranitar: Another beast who just got better. Buffing its HP by 25, Tyranitar becomes even more of a tanky force of nature.
- Flygon: This one should surprise you. Flygon received a buff of 30 to its HP. Now all it needs is the right moves to become actually usable!
- Registeel: Although Registeel may never amount to much, the HP buff it was given is still huge. A total of 30 was added to its HP stat. Maybe throwing it into a gym one day will make useful? Please Niantic allow us to throw one legendary in a gym…
- Mew/Celebi/Jirachi: These Pokemon aren’t extremely useful, but the added bulk of 25 HP doesn’t hurt. Maybe they will have a use now or in the future?
Parting Words
As mentioned above, every Pokemon in Pokemon GO except 3, got a buff in its HP. Yet, the majority of Pokemon got some sort of nerf to their DEF as well. Remember, only HP and DEF stats got buffed. The ATK stats remained the same. So the added bulk will be “felt” in battle. Therefore, Pokemon mentioned above I believe have gotten the most impact to the buffs given from the rework. The pattern seems to be that good Pokemon simply got better. Decent Pokemon got a little better as well! Can’t be upset about that right? This now paves the way for a new list of best gym attackers. Expect an article diving into that in the near future. Which Pokemon are you most excited for that received a buff trainers? Let us know in the comments! Cheers!
