Trainers, another Ultra Beast is coming soon to Pokémon GO! In case you missed it, GO Fest Sapporo attendees will be able to catch Xurkitree as a Special Research reward. But how good is it as a raid/gym attacker in Pokémon GO? Let’s find out!
Xurkitree Stats and Moves in Pokémon GO
Xurkitree
Electric
|
|||||
| Max CP at Level 40 3937 | Max CP at Level 50 4451 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATK 330 | DEF 144 | STA 195 | |||
Xurkitree has one of the highest attack stats in the game as of now, and unlike other Pokémon such as Pheromosa, its bulk is not that bad. Xurkitree is far from a bulky Pokémon, but at least it will last long enough to fire off charge moves left and right.
| Fast Moves | Charge Moves |
|---|---|
|
|
As for its moves, Xurkitree has access to Thunder Shock and Spark as fast moves and Thunder, Dazzling Gleam, Power Whip and Discharge as charge moves. Or at least that’s what the GAME_MASTER file shows at the time of writing this article.
Xurkitree as an Electric Type Attacker
Every single electric type Pokémon in this game wants to get access to the powerful Thunder Shock + Wild Charge moveset. Unfortunately, Xurkitree didn’t get Wild Charge on release, or at least that’s what the GAME_MASTER file shows us at the time of writing.
But thankfully, Xurkitree is so powerful that it doesn’t even need Wild Charge to surpass almost each and every single electric type attacker out there. In fact, Thunder Shock + Discharge Xurkitree will become the best non-mega & non-shadow electric type attacker in the game. Quite a feat for a Pokémon whose best charge move is Discharge, don’t you think?
As an electric type attacker, only shadow Raikou and Mega Manectric outclass it, and not by much! It’s definitely one of the Pokémon worth considering when building a strong attacking lineup to take down raid bosses weak to electric type attacks. Especially since you can only have one Mega Manectric in your team and shadow Raikou’s availability is quite limited.
But somehow we’re left with a bittersweet feeling. Xurkitree’s potential fast moves in Pokémon GO included Thunder Shock, Spark, Volt Switch and Charge Beam. In the charge moves department, Xurkitree could learn Wild Charge, Thunderbolt, Discharge, Thunder, Zap Cannon and Thunder Punch. And although Xurkitree will be one of these Pokémon that shake up the raid attacking meta, it’s still not as powerful as it could’ve been.
Will moves such as Thunderbolt or Wild Charge be available at a later date as exclusive moves? That’s one way to look at it. It’s still unclear if this deliberate nerf to a very exciting Pokémon was a measure to balance out the metagame or simply a way to make us want to raid/catch Xurkitree later down the road if it gets access to any of these moves. Game balancing or exclusive move FOMO? Which one do you think it is?
Regardless of that fact, Xurkitree is a very exciting Pokémon with the current moves. Just not as powerful as it could’ve been. If you have an empty slot in your electric type raid attacking squad, Xurkitree will fit perfectly! In fact, Xurkitree is probably the most important Ultra Beast for PvE purposes along with Kartana.
Parting Words
Here’s the tl;dr of the article:
- Xurkitree will become the best non-mega & non-shadow electric type attacker in the game
- Despite not being the bulkiest Pokémon out there, it can last long enough to fire off charge moves and take advantage of its insane offensive power
- Although Xurkitree is already quite powerful in the PvE meta, we’re left with a bittersweet feeling as it didn’t get access to some of its best potential charge moves in the game (Wild Charge and Thunderbolt). Was that a measure to balance out the metagame or a FOMO tactic to keep us engaged and willing to spend passes to catch it in the future? We’ll have to wait and see
We hope you found this article useful. Happy hunting, trainers!
