Goomy Community Day is upon us but the hype for it doesn’t seem to be as high as fellow Pseudo Legendaries like Salamence, Garchomp, and Hydreigon. Maybe because the CD exclusive move for Goodra, Thunder Punch, isn’t exciting enough?
To be fair, yes… ideally, trainers wanted Breaking Swipe (looking at you, Steelix), and even though the popular Dragon type move would have been great, Thunder Punch isn’t too shabby either, giving it impressive play in the Great League, and a decent outing in the Ultra League.
But what about Master League? In a meta dominated by Dragon types with most Pseudo Legendaries taking the cake, can good ol’ Goodra make an impact with Thor’s powers in its punch? Let’s find out!
How viable is Thunder Punch?
Thunder Punch is an okayish charged move, especially when you consider Goodra’s other move, Aqua Tail, that dishes out the same 55 Damage for 5 less energy. But where Thunder Punch packs a punch (pun intended), is its coverage.
Aqua Tail threatens Ground types like Groudon and Landorus Therian, but its coverage against Fire and Rock types isn’t the most reasonable in the Master League as these two types don’t have too much prominence in the meta.
On the other hand, an Electric type move threatens Water and types, both of which are usual suspects in the Master League.
Best Goodra moveset for the Master League?
Aqua Tail: A cheaper charged move that has hitherto been Goodra’s go-to bait move to burn shields, but as explained in the previous section, the coverage is a bit questionable. That said, it is a neat move per se and has advantages over Thunder Punch as well.
Power Whip: A surprisingly strong move for Grass types, not so much for Goodra in the Master League. Grass didn’t have a worthy offensive profile in the first place, more so when its targets tend to have a sub type like Gyarados and Landorus Therian.
Thunder Punch: Good coverage, relatively cheap, and has some perks.
Muddy Water and Sludge Wave: Hard pass. Just not viable enough the other charged moves have better niche uses.
Draco Meteor: An insanely strong Dragon type move that lowers your attack by two stages and Goodra pulls it off, thanks to its solid bulk.
Overall, Draco Meteor is Thunder Punch’s or Aqua Tail’s partner in crime. This move made Goodra pretty good in the Master League all this time and will continue to do so.
To sum up, Dragon Breath + Draco Meteor & Thunder Punch/Aqua Tail it is!
Thunder Punch Goodra in the Open Master League
Goodra flexes in the Open ML, garnering a good record against the meta by taking down targets like:
- Kyogre
- Yveltal
- Snorlax
- Swampert
- Ho-Oh
- Giratina (both formes)
- Zarude
- Reshiram and Zekrom
Its win against Gyarados is somewhat flimsy as Dragon Breath from the Water/ type tears down Goodra. Additionally, it doesn’t fare well against most dragons. Without Aqua Tail, it actually gives up wins over Zygarde Complete and even Zacian!
So arguably, you may be better off pairing Draco Meteor with Aqua Tail and leave Thunder Punch shenanigans to the Great and Ultra League instead.
Thunder Punch Goodra in the Master Premier
Goodra is less impressive in the Master Premier compared to its great performance in the Open ML. While its wins and loses aren’t too different, it falters against Gyarados, Reshiram, Zekrom, Ursaluna, etc due to being unable to unlock the true potential of its stats. You’re better off with other Dragon types in the Master Premier for sure.
Is Thunder Punch worth an Elite Charged TM?
If you have a Hundo/Shundo Goodra in your collection and are eager to max it out for the Master League, then no, an Elite Charged TM for Thunder Punch isn’t worth it. There are better Dragon types for that role and Thunder Punch is more of a sidegrade for Goodra than an upgrade.
But, since Goodra actually does pretty well in the Great League and Ultra League with Thunder Punch, it is worth hunting one with appropriate IVs during the Community Day.
I still feel Goodra should have just had Thunder Punch added along with other Pokémon in the GBL S19 update and should have received a move like Breaking Swipe on its Community Day, but all good!
Enjoy the Community Day, trainers! Happy shiny hunting!
Dracarys
