Pokemon GO Global Hoenn Tour is here, starting 10am local on February 25th! So I dusted off last week’s Vegas article and am republishing your PvP Field Guide to the event. Not all of you may need it, but some certainly WILL be looking for something akin to this, so here you go: JRE’s rough ranking of what to hunt down this weekend while you have the chance!
I was working with a colleague to have an infographic ready for this weekend, but it’s not ready as of yet, so I’ll be adding a bit on the various biomes when you can best find these various ‘mons in the wild. (At publish time I think we are STILL waiting to hear what order the biomes will appear in 😖, but hopefully this helps anyway!) I’ll add these to our growing KEY TERMS below as yet another icon you’ll see next to Pokemon throughout the writeup.
KEY TERMS
A couple quick notes of markings I’ll be adding to Pokémon throughout:
🌑 – Shadow consideration. Not all Shadows are better, but most are viable alternatives, so check and see if you have de-Frustrated candidates to build up too!
🌕 – Best when purified. Some things are just better with Return.
🏋️ – Legacy/Exclusive Move Required. At the time of this writing, we still don’t know for sure if you’ll be able to evolve Hoenn Pokémon during this event to get old Community Day moves and such, but if not — and for those who have Legacy moves from non-CD events — it’s going to come down to training those old moves via Elite TMs. I will spell out any such move(s) specifically per Pokémon.
💰 – High XL Investment. Obviously anything in Master League requires all 296 XL Candy to max, but this is more to denote things that require deep XL investment to work best in Ultra or even Great League. Even if you have a good specimen or two of these species already, you may need more XLs to finish them off, so this is your grinding opportunity!
🥚 – Eggs only. These Pokémon are reportedly only available in eggs from the event. Plan accordingly!
And now for the various biomes and other spawn boosters:
🏜️ – Pokémon with boosted spawns during Blistering Sands habitat.
🌫️ – Pokémon with boosted spawns during Eerie Mists habitat.
🌲 – Pokémon with boosted spawns during Verdant Earth habitat.
🌊 – Pokémon with boosted spawns during Ancient Shores habitat.
🔺 – Pokémon with boosted spawns for players with Ruby badge.
🔹 – Pokémon with boosted spawns for players with Sapphire badge.
And to make it EVEN easier, with a quick visual reference while you’re out grinding, here’s each habitat with the priority spawns to grind out for each one! (Note that most are the base form that you want to evolve up for PvP.)
| Habitat | Priority Spawns (in rough order) |
|---|---|
| Ancient Shores | Mudkip, Wingull, Spheal, Lileep, Barboach, Feebas |
| Verdant Earth | Swablu, Slakoth, Mawile, Roserade, Electrike, Treecko |
| Eerie Mists | Meditite, Beldum, Snorunt, Ralts, Zangoose, Seviper |
| Burning Sands | Torchic, Lotad, Nosepass, Aron |
All that out of the way… let’s see what we’ve got to work with!
HIGHEST PvP PRIORITY
These Pokémon should be your highest priority to hunt down if you still lack them in your PvP arsenal. If you pursue nothing else during Hoenn Tour, lock up a good one (or several) of each of these!
SWAMPERT 🏋️🌑🌊
Legacy Exclusive Move: Hydro Cannon
Great League Priority: VERY HIGH
Ultra League Priority: VERY HIGH
Master League Priority: HIGH
PvE Priority: HIGH (Mega especially)
You likely don’t need me to tell you, but Swampert with Hydro Cannon is the only starter (and indeed, arguably the only 10,000-dust-to-second-move, aka truly “thrifty”) Pokémon that has legit, Top 25 play in all three primary PvP Leagues. (Heck, even in Little League, when eligible.) If after all the events Hydro Cannon Swampert has been available in, you STILL lack a good one, this has gotta be your last best chance to remedy that. It’s worth the grind at ALL levels. And don’t forget to check your storage for any good Shadow Mudkips that you can evolve up too. Less so in Master League, but especially in Great League, Shadow can be beastly as well. And oh yeah, now that Mega Swampert is here, it’s a Top 5 Ground AND Water attacker in raids, even with the arrival of Primal Groudon and Kyogre.
What are you waiting for? Go get ’em!
MEDICHAM 💰🌫️
Great League Priority: VERY HIGH
Ultra League Priority: n/a
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
Might seem odd to have a Pokémon that has use only in one PvP League up here as a “must have”, but Medicham is just THAT important if you ever plan to play in Great League, as it’s not only fantastic in basically any Cup where it’s allowed, but has been a staple in Open GL and likely ALWAYS will be. (It’s perpetually ranked within the Top Five.) It may be that you build a “hundo” (or at least close to hundo) Medicham a while back to save a boatload of dust and XLs and get by, but if you can manage it, this is a great time to grind for a high XL, high rank Medicham for potential additional wins like DDeoxys, Azumarill, and Swampert. Grind those XLs as much as you can!
ALTARIA 🏋️🌲
Legacy Exclusive Move: Moonblast
Great League Priority: VERY HIGH
Ultra League Priority: LOW
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
We again have here something that’s really just for Great League (technically can work in Ultra League, but really just spice with other things like Dragonite around), and always hangs around the Top 10 GL options. Despite all the changes that have come along that should hold Dragons down, Altaria just keeps on performing and is pretty future proof. This is something you will likely ALWAYS want to have on your bench if you play Great League formats. Exclusive move Moonblast is less necessary than most other Legacy moves in this writeup, bringing in only a couple wins versus Fairy-weak things (like Umbreon), but it does represent the best Altaria can offer and is worth Elite TMing if you have the ability and somehow still lack a good Moonblast Alt. Do remember this one requires 400 candy to evolve, so the grind is very real if you’re building one!
SABLEYE 💰🌕
Great League Priority: HIGH
Ultra League Priority: n/a
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
Yep, another Great League specialist. Unlike Medicham and others in this article, Sableye has more impact than just what the simple numbers show. The fact that it keeps showing up on the majority of teams in the Pokémon GO Championship Series events should tell you that. Sableye gets the wins where they count most… things like Medicham and Lanturn and Galarian Stunfisk and then either Walrein and PowderTales OR Skarmory and Registeel (depending on IVs), and of course a wide swath of big Psychics and Fighters and Ghosts. Sometimes it’s not just about the quantity of wins, but the quality. Do note that Sable is generally best when purified, as it appreciates the closing power and neutral coverage of Return more than most Pokémon. NOTE: I believe this one is unfortunately locked behind research.
PELIPPER (💰 for UL) 🌊
Great League Priority: VERY HIGH
Ultra League Priority: MODERATE
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
There’s a decent chance you have one (or multiple) of these in Great League already, and if so, good for you. Pelipper is back in a big way these days with the recent-ish buff to Wing Attack, and showing up all over the place in casual settings and professional tournaments alike. If not, yeah, get one, but even if you’re set there, did you know a maxed out Pelipper is really good in Ultra too? I’m not saying I’d undertake that project myself, but I certainly wouldn’t question anybody who wants to. It’s a worthy goal.
WALREIN 🏋️🌑🌊
Legacy Exclusive Moves: Powder Snow and Icicle Spear
Great League Priority: HIGH
Ultra League Priority: HIGH
Master League Priority: MODERATE
PvE Priority: LOW
Yes, Walrein has dropped from its sky-high dominance with the eventual nerf to Icicle Spear. But this is still a top of the line PvP option overall, still ranking in the 25-50 ranage in Great and Ultra Leagues. After what I think was an unfairly severe drop in usage (including in Play! Regionals) of late, Wally has rebounded a bit as folks realize that while not in the top tier of PvP anymore, it’s still really freaking good with Spear, Powder Snow, and that looming threat of Earthquake. The rise of fearsome Flyers in recent seasons has been good to Walrein, and it’s still really good to have in your PvP arsenal. Shadow AND regular are both quite good to have on hand in Great and Ultra Leagues, though Walrein has certainly dropped (perhaps out of contention entirely) in Master League with the Icicle Spear nerf.
So go get it for Great and Ultra League for sure, assuming you still need to fill that hole and have the Elite TMs to burn. If you already HAVE a full quiver of Wallys, maybe build a Waterfall/Icicle Spear one too? I still think that could get interesting one day as well.
DEFENSE DEOXYS (💰 for UL)
AVAILABLE ONLY IN RAIDS
Great League Priority: HIGH
Ultra League Priority: MODERATE-HIGH
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
Here’s your top raiding priority. (Well, aside from the rather obvious Groudon and Kyogre.) Likely you already have at least a few of these at Great League size, as even a Level 25 or so DDeoxys can fit under 1500 CP. And yes, it’s still solid in GL. But you likely do NOT have one built up all the way for Ultra League, as it has to be pushed all the way up to or near Level 50, and it’s also VERY good at that level too. Get those XLs while they’re there for the gettting, folks!
MORE THAN BENCHWARMERS
“Benchwarmers” are usually just that… players that ride the bench and see play only on rare occasion. Having coached a couple of my kids’ sports teams over the years, I’ve learned that it’s good to have a stacked bench and get everyone involved as much as possible. A good bench is just as key to a team’s success as any frontline starter, if not moreso!
And so we have here. You may not find yourself throwing these into battle all the time in Open, if ever. But when the right formats come along, you are going to want them for sure.
VIGOROTH 🌲
Great League Priority: HIGH
Ultra League Priority: LOW
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
Yep, another Great League special. Not quite on the same level as the others above, but Viggy is very much a solid meta option and has always hovered around in the Top 25 or so in the format, and that’s unlikely to change with its potent combination of Counter (without suffering the various vulnerabilities that come with being a Fighting type… Vigoroth is a mono-Normal) and STAB Body Slam. That alone makes it threatening to a very wide slice of Great League, able to beat up darn near everything even in its losing battles. It’s a bit more hit or miss in Open GL, but plenty competitive there, and a fantastic option in many Limited/Cup formats. And hey, no XLs or Legacy moves to worry about! Go get one if you need it… Viggy is pretty future-proof and should always find a way to stand out.
CRADILY (💰 for UL) 🌊
Great League Priority: MODERATE
Ultra League Priority: MODERATE
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
I mean, just ask anyone that tried playing Weather Cup (at either Great or Ultra League level) about the impact Cradily can have on the right meta. Granted, it’s best in Cup formats like that moreso than Open, but heck, even in open Great League or Ultra League it more than makes its mark. Ultra League DOES require fully maxing it out, though — a Level 50 15-15-15 Cradily hits 2499 CP exactly — so this is another XL grinding opportunity here. Dilly dilly!
TROPIUS 🥚
Great League Priority: MODERATE-HIGH
Ultra League Priority: LOW
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
As Flyers have risen, ironically the once mighty Tropius has fallen a bit, as it’s a Flyer that is weak to other Flyers (among other more obvious counters). Make no mistake, it IS still viable on the right team even in Open play, and in multiple configurations. But it’s slowly become more of a Limited format consideration over time. Still very good, but the shine has come off just a little bit. Ol’ Banana Chin is still very much worth having, and especially since most of us normally find it very hard to come by, don’t miss the rare chances like this!
WHISCASH 🌊
Great League Priority: MODERATE-HIGH
Ultra League Priority: LOW
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
The shine has also come off Whiscash a bit over the years, thanks in no small part to the steady popularity of Swampert. On paper, at least, Whiscash still has the awesome advantage of the Blizzard nuke that should keep all these uppity Wing Attackers on their toes, though it remains, of course, a bit of a Hail Mary to actually pull off. Whiscash is still viable in Open and CAN still be dangerous, but it’s more likely to show up in Limited formats and less so in Open than in its golden years. Still worth having if you need one, super cheap to build, and no crazy grinding or Elite TMs required, which is always nice.
BLAZIKEN 🏋️🏜️
Legacy Exclusive Moves: Blast Burn and Stone Edge
Great League Priority: MODERATE
Ultra League Priority: MODERATE-HIGH
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: MODERATE (Mega)
Blaze is one of those rarities in this list that is arguably better in Ultra League (partticularly Premier) than it is in Great League. The good news is that it can be build pretty cheap (still only gets into the mid 30s even in Ultra) and CAN be built without Legacy moves (if you go with the popular Brave Bird), but the bad news is that its other two intriguing closers (Blast Burn and Stone Edge) ARE both Legacy now, so boo. (STILL hoping Niantic allows old Community Day moves when evolving during Hoenn Tour, but no guarantees of that at the time of this writing, and even that would only give Blast Burn for “free”.) However you build it, this IS one to build if possible. It’s the very definition of “Limited only”, but it has been a true superstar in several Cup formats and that WILL continue in the future as long as it has Counter to fall back on.
MAWILE 🌑🌲
Great League Priority: MODERATE-HIGH
Ultra League Priority: n/a
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
I feel it’s worth mentioning in large part because it will be out in the wild with the Verdant Earth habitat, representing a nice opportunity to hunt for good PvP IVs and a higher-than-raid/hatch/egg level. Mawile is a real wild card in PvP, and while it’s more of a Cup specialist than an Open option, it is often EXCELLENT in Cups like Halloween Cup and the current Hoenn Cup, for just a couple examples. If you don’t have this in your PvP collection yet, here’s your chance to land a really nice one!
GARDEVOIR 🌑🌫️
Great League Priority: LOW-MODERATE
Ultra League Priority: LOW-MODERATE
Master League Priority: MODERATE-HIGH? (Mega)
PvE Priority: HIGH (Mega)
More of a spice pick in PvP, but its new Mega version is quite deadly in Mega Master League, and is the best Fairy now in PvE, for those who want that. It’s worth searching for some good Ralts for Gardevoir, oooooorrrrrrrrrr….
GALLADE 🌑🌫️
Great League Priority: LOW-MODERATE
Ultra League Priority: MODERATE-HIGH
Master League Priority: LOW
PvE Priority: n/a
I know, I know… Gallade isn’t even a Gen3 Pokemon! Heresy! But it DOES, of course, evolve from Ralts, so I’m gonna count it. Gallade doesn’t usually have much to do in Master League or Great League (aside from some occasional Cup intrigue), but it has carved out a nice niche for itself in Ultra League, partiularly Ultra Premier that’s supposed to become more common in future GBL seasons. Just another reason to be on the lookout for good IV Ralts.
FROSLASS 🌫️
Great League Priority: HIGH
Ultra League Priority: LOW-MODERATE
Master League Priority: n/a
PvE Priority: n/a
Cheating here too, as we have another case of only the pre-evolution (Snorunt) being an actual Gen 3 ‘mon. But I don’t think I need to tell most of you that Froslass can be VERY scary in Great League, particularly in a number of Cup formats. There’s a good chance you’ve already invested in one, but if not, you know what to do!
MASTER LEAGUE PRIORITIES
Breaking these out in their own list, as most are ONLY good in Master League, thus requiring 296 XL Candy in addition to all other costs… and that’s quite a different kind of hunt than most of the above options!
Also, from here on out, going to truncate down to a bulletized list. Here we go!
- GROUDON 🏋️ and KYOGRE 🏋️ are rather obvious, and I recently wrote about them more extensively in their own Master League analysis. If I had to pick one to prioritize, it would be Groudon, as it’s shaping up as the new #1 in Master League thanks to the strictly-better-than-Earthquake, event-exclusive new move Precipice Blades. (Whereas Origin Pulse is more of a sidegrade for Kyogre in PvP.) But you really can’t go wrong with either or, of course, both.
- METAGROSS 🏋️🌑🌫️ remains a Master League staple (and should only be better in Premier), but is unfortunately limited to that, being rather poor in all lower Leagues. So just go whole hog on grinding those XLs if you still need them, as Beldum is obviously a pretty rare spawn otherwise. This is a very safe investment as long as Meteor Mash keeps being so ridonkulously OP, and that also keeps it as a great PvE piece too. Always nice when you can get double the return on investment like that.
- LATIOS 🏋️🌑 is rather so-so on its own, but its MEGA remains a top option in Mega Master League. And it’s supposedly in the wild this time, which would open up new possibilities for Great League Latios, for what that may be worth. Hey, it would be interesting in Cup formats, at least!
- Just a reminder to save some passes for RAYQUAZA. It’s not available just yet, but it WILL be next week and is very likely to see a sudden surge thanks to new move Breaking Swipe.
OTHER TARGETS
No clever title for this section, just some addition things to grab if you have the time and storage space!
- AGGRON 🌑🏜️ gets a bad rap, and that’s not entirely unfair. It’s a borderline Limited/spice option in Ultra, and that’s being a bit kind. But it may have a legit new home (in Mega form) in Mega Master League. Just saying… keep an eye out for a hundo.
- All the CASTFORMS 🔺🔹 have use in Great League, but RAINY in particular remains a real standout. Lanturn has passed it by a bit since it got Surf, but Rainy C is still a marvelous option in Cup formats, and the shiny is absolutely gorgeous.
- MAWILE 🌑🌲 remains a one-of-a-kind standout with all kinds of new options since receiving the option of Fairy Wind. Being in the wild during Hoenn Tour is exciting with potential IV spreads and the possibility of grinding candy and XLs if you desire. It would be in a higher section in this article if it wasn’t more of a Cup standout than Open option.
- Other intriguing options to look for include ZANGOOSE 🌫️, MILOTIC 🌊, FLYGON 🏋️🌑🔺, and even stuff like SHIFTRY 🌑🌲 and RELICANTH 🥚 as deep cuts that may emerge in the upcoming Hoenn Cup if nowhere else. And there are other fan favorites, of course.
Good luck out there, folks! Here’s hoping the weather is pleasant, the lag is minimal, and the spawns are plentiful!
Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter for regular PvP analysis nuggets, or Patreon.
Good hunting, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!
