Good day, Pokémon trainers! A new season of Pokémon GO Battle League is upon us. Which means new moves, rebalances, and new entrants to PvP! A lot of this has already been covered by other members over here at GOHub, such as this three part series by JREseawolf.
And today I want to add to the discussion by talking about the often understated part of Pokémon GO PvP. The Pokémon available as rewards for getting three in a set wins in the GO Battle League! Usually, I only focus on new reward Pokémon or Pokémon that got a substantial change in their standing in the meta. But with such a huge meta shakeup this time around I think we’ll have to look at each one. Key terms I’ll be using are explained in the season 16 article. Now let’s get right into it and focus only on the newcomers or the Pokémon that got a substantial update this season.
Pokémon Leaving The Pool
These are the Pokémon that were available in the GBL reward pool last season but are no longer available as GBL rewards this season:
Quite a big drop-off this time around. The loss of Vullaby and Grubbin is particularly noteworthy. But this is a big PvP shakeup after all and there are a lot of new useful Pokémon to take these Pokémon’s place. So let’s get right on to the main analysis!
Rank 1+
These are the new or meta-shifted Pokémon that will be available as soon as you hit rank 1:
Yamask (Galarian)
Yamask (Galarian)
Type: GroundGhost
Viable League: Great League, Ultra League
Best IVs: 0/11/14 (Great League), 10/15/15 (Ultra League)
Usability As Is: No (Great League), Absolutely! (Ultra League)
From nowhere to full potential! As far as Yamask is concerned, you’d typically see regular Yamask’s evolution Cofragrigus as a spice pick from time to time. But with the meta shakeup, now Galarian Yamask’s evolution, Runerigus has the potential to be mainstream! Ground types have always been popular in GO PvP. From Mudbois, to G.fisk, to the menace of Steelix in UL for some time, they always excel. Now it might be Runerigus’s time to shine as one of the premier ground types.
However, looking at Runerigus’s ideal moveset, it seems Runerigus is primarily intended to play as a Ghost type. This makes sense, as Ghost types might have an amazing time in the current meta. As for Runerigus, it does well against Pokémon that seems to be doing well early in this meta such as Clodsire and the next Pokémon on our list:
Machop
Machop
Type: Fighting
Viable League: Great League, Ultra League
Best IVs: 0/14/11 (Great League)(Machamp), 0/15/15 (Great League)(Machoke), 0/15/14 (Ultra League)(Machamp)
Usability As Is: Yes (Great League)(Machamp Only), Yes (Ultra League)
Perhaps the most substantial meta shakeup is the change to Fighting type. For a long time, Counter was not only the best Fighting type fast attack, but arguably the best fast attack in general. With a perfect blend of energy generation and damage. So nobody expected Counter to be nerfed. But it was. And Karate Chop has been buffed.
So now, Fighting types that can learn Karate Chop are very likely to be the Fighting types that will be at the top of the meta. And none show as much early signs of success as the fragile yet heavy damage-dealing Machop line. But there are still a lot of questions remaining. Shadow or non-shadow? Machoke or Machamp? Which moves are the best? Do you need legacy moves? The Machop line is full of opportunities. So better keep multiple of them.
Mienfoo
Mienfoo
Type: Fighting
Viable League: N/A
Best IVs: N/A
Usability As Is: N/A
Maybe someday it’ll be good. But it’s not today.
Wooloo And Skwovet
Wooloo
Type: Normal Viable League: Great League Best IVs: 1/15/15 Usability As Is: No |
Skwovet
Type: Normal Viable League: Great League Best IVs: 0/12/14 Usability As Is: No |
I’m putting these two together because they filled a similar niche. Both of them were bulky Normal types that could spam Body Slam really fast. However, they never made the rounds in the main meta thanks to the presence of Lickitung. But now Lickitung has been nerfed (Yay). But they nerfed Lickitung by nerfing Body Slam which both Dubwool and Greedent rely on (Boo). So ya nothing changed.
However, this isn’t a bad thing as that means Dubwool and Greedent should be okay, if a bit worse, in the limited metas they were already popular in. Greedent, Skwovet’s evolution is hit a bit harder as in most cases it preferred running Mud Shot which also got nerfed. It can still learn Bullet Seed though. So it should still be good in metas where Bullet Seed is preferred over Mud Shot anyways.
Rank 6+
These are the new or meta-shifted Pokémon that will be available as soon as you hit rank 6:
Haunter
Haunter
Type: GhostPoison
Viable League: Great League, Ultra League
Best IVs: 0/13/13 (Great League), 0/15/14 (Ultra League)
Usability As Is: Yes (Great League), No (Ultra League)
Never thought I’d see the day. But Gengar, Haunter’s evolution can actually be a solid spice pick now. Ghost types should have a good time in the current meta and Gengar also benefits from its Poison typing, as it makes it good against Jumpluff and Wigglytuff.
Though, I don’t think it’s “main meta” just yet, a lot of solid Pokémon in the Great League right now such as Feraligatr and Clodsire can beat it somewhat easily. And Giratina is still likely to be the first pick in the Ultra League. But still, it’s in a much better position right now.
It is possible to get okay Great League IVs for Gengar in the GBL reward pool. But you only get one and probably want a shadow variant anyways. So might as well just take the reward for candies.
Frillish
Frillish
Type: WaterGhost
Viable League: Great League, Ultra League
Best IVs: 1/14/14 (Great League), 6/14/15 (Ultra League)
Usability As Is: No (Great League), Yes (Ultra League)
You can actually get a really solid Jellicent for the Ultra League in the GBL Reward Pool. 10/14/15 isn’t too far away from 10/14/15. However, while Jellicent was a solid Pokémon for the Ultra League and could often be seen in the Great League as well, this might be yet another Pokémon whose glory days are over.
While once Jellicent, Frillish’s evolution shined as a unique WaterGhost Pokémon, there’s other Ghost types that show potential in the current meta. And Frillish’s preferred Water charged attack, Surf has also been nerfed. So Jellicent’s glory days might be over for now. You could still keep one if you get one with decent IVs, it had been good for a while after all.
Carbink
Carbink
Type: RockFairy
Viable League: Great League
Best IVs: 5/15/15
Usability As Is: Yes (Great league)
As a Carbink fan, it is my pleasure to say, that despite the huge shift in the meta and nerf to Rock Slide, Carbink is still pretty solid. Which I’m sure is to the ire of many. Carbink’s thing is being very bulky and polarizing. Either blocking your opponent entirely or losing due to a type disadvantage. It’s a Pokémon that needs a healthy dose of XL Candies so having one without the best IVs could still be viable for the Great League and would be less costly to build as well.
Rank 11+
These are the new or meta-shifted Pokémon that will be available as soon as you hit rank 11:
Galarian Stunfisk
Stunfisk (Galarian)
Type: GroundSteel
Viable League: Great League, Ultra League
Best IVs: 0/12/15, 15/15/15
Usability As Is: No (Great league), Absolutely! (Ultra League)
Ah, poor ol’ Stunfisk. It got nerfed last year with Earthquake requiring more energy, and now its preferred fast attack, Mud Shot, also got nerfed. With that being said, ol’ G. Fisk still isn’t completely out of the picture. The unique GroundSteel typing means it has a positive matchup against a lot of the popular picks in the current meta. Clodsire, Wigglytuff, Charjabug, and Jumpluff included.
But it has its fair share of really hard losses such as vs. Gastrodon and Feraligatr. Not only that but there are other Ground types that are better right now. Like Gastrodon and the aforementioned Runerigus. So not the best pick-up right now. But nowhere near the worst either.
Scraggy And Falinks
Scraggy
Type: DarkFighting Viable League: Great League, Ultra League Best IVs: 0/8/15 (Great League), 9/15/15 (Ultra League) Usability As Is: No (Great League), Yes (May as well be absolutely!) (Ultra League) |
Falinks
Type: Fighting Viable League: N/A Best IVs: N/A Usability As Is:N/A |
Once again, lumping two Pokémon together. This time, they are victims of the Counter nerf. Scrafty, Scraggy’s evolution fares a bit better. As it has a type combination that makes it neutral to a lot of other types. And also has access to Snarl as an alternative fast attack. Thought that doesn’t help it too much. Falinks on the other hand, was already a spice/limited meta pick at best and now is kind of a bit useless in PvP. Quite a shame considering the Raid Day tomorrow.
Rank 16+
These are the new or meta-shifted Pokémon that will be available as soon as you hit rank 16:
Cranidos
Cranidos
Type: Rock
Viable League: N/A
Best IVs: N/A
Usability As Is: N/A
Rampardos, Cranidos’s evolution, is really more of a PvE Pokémon than a PvP Pokémon, so it doesn’t really add much value to the PvP front. You could keep an eye out for a 15/15/15 IV one for raids though. And thankfully its Sinnoh Fossil sibling fares a lot better:
Shieldon
Shieldon
Type: RockSteel
Viable League: Great League
Best IVs: 0/15/14
Usability As Is: No
A very similar case to Carbink. Right down to being polarizing to use, being a Great League mon, and having a move nerfed. This time Bastiodon’s fast attack, Smack Down. Nevertheless, much like Carbink, Bastiodon, Shieldon’s evolution, can still do its job of walling certain Pokémon just fine. A good IV Bastiodon also requires XL Candies so any source of candy helps.
Hisuian Sneasel
Sneasel (Hisuian)
Type: FightingPoison
Viable League: Great League, Ultra League
Best IVs: 0/15/9 (Great League), 2/15/15 (Ultra League)
Usability As Is: Yes (Great League), Yes (Ultra League)
Finally, we can talk about a Fighting type that isn’t effected by the Counter nerf or the Karate Chop buff. Sneasler, H. Sneasel’s evolution is a rather weird Pokémon. It’s a FightingPoison type that prefers the ghost-type Shadow Claw as a fast attack and often uses the flying type, Aerial Ace as a charged attack.
Being such a weird Pokémon, Sneasler was already a niche pick. And that hasn’t really changed. Though in the current meta it might work better in the Ultra League than the Great League. As a final note, an 11/15/15 IV Sneasler is okay, if not amazing for PvP. But you might want a shadow variant anyways.
Rank 20+
These are the new or meta-shifted Pokémon that will be available as soon as you hit rank 20:
The Dragons
Jangmo-o
Type: DragonFighting (Hakamo-o and Kommo-o) Viable League: Great League, Ultra League, Master League Best IVs: 0/13/15 (Great League)(Hakamo-o), 0/14/14 (Great League)(Kommo-o), 0/11/14 (Ultra League), 15/15/15 (Master League Usability As Is: No (Great League), Yes (Ultra League), Absolutely! (Master League) |
Dratini
Type: Dragon, +(Dragonite) Viable League: Great League, Ultra League, Master League Best IVs:1/15/15 (Great League)(Dragonair), 3/15/14 (Great League)(Dragonite), 0/13/15 (Ultra League), 15/15/15 (Master League) Usability As Is: No (Great League), Yes (Ultra League), Absolutely! (Master League) |
Frigibax
Type: DragonIce Viable League: Great League, Ultra League, Master League Best IVs: 0/14/13 (Arctibax)(Great League), 1/15/15 (Ultra League), 15/15/15 (Master League) Usability As Is: No (Great League), Yes (Ultra League), Absolutely! (Master League) |
The last set of Pokémon we’ll take a look at today, as Pikachu Libre is always the Legend+ reward. Jangmo-o will be available for Ace Rank and Up, Dratini will be available for Veteran Rank and Up, and Frigibax will be available for Expert Rank and Up.
As Dragon type Psuedo-Legendaries all three have multiple uses. And its interesting to see that all three of their second forms have had some play in the Great League. Of course, right now there might be more Fairy coverage in the Great League making running dragons a bit more difficult. But you can’t really go wrong with any of these Pokémon.
If I had to put my money on just one for top priority I’d say Dratini. Dragonair and Dragonite both had success in the Great League. And Dragonite is also one of the few non-legendary Pokémon to have seen success in the Open Master League. And Dratini itself even had success in Little Cup metas. So I personally think this line has a lot of uses still.
Conclusion
And there you have it. A look at every new Pokémon available as rewards in the GO Battle League. If you’re into PvP in Pokémon GO, you’ve probably figured out by now that you need to be smart about how you use your resources and make use of any and all benefits that come your way. Since you’ll be catching these Pokémon while participating in GBL anyways, might as well know how to make the best use of them. That was the idea behind this article anyway. So I hope it has been useful for you and happy battling!
Goodbye for now, Pokémon trainers. Priom-out!
