Pokemon Gyms are one of the most important elements of Pokemon GO, and this strategy will help newer and experienced players alike hold Gyms longer and reap the rewards.

While Pokemon GO has only been available to a lot of people for a few weeks at most, many enterprising gamers have logged a lot of hours into getting Niantic's mobile hit down to a science. Trainers quickly discovered the Lucky Egg method, a simple yet incredibly effective way to ensure gamers level up as quickly as possible to gain access to increasingly stronger Pokemon, and players somehow discovered the Eevee evolution naming trick quicker than anyone could have anticipated. Yet when it comes to Pokemon Gyms, many players either eschew the experience altogether or otherwise stumble through it while creating ineffective squads.

Holding a Pokemon Gym in Pokemon GO comes with a lot of benefits, yet a great number of Gyms constantly switch hands between teams because they are much more easily attacked than defended. Holding a Gym will give every player with a Pokemon present in said Gym a bonus amount of Stardust and, much more importantly, Gold - the only currency the Pokemon GO shop currently accepts and the easiest way to get more incubators to hatch eggs quicker and more efficiently.

For those interested in one of the most competitive elements of Pokemon GO, here's how to hold down a Gym for your favorite team...

Understand What Makes a Good Gym

The first step in locking down a Gym is understanding what's important in defending it. Pokemon GO is a game that does not necessarily agree with the old adage of "the best defense is a good offense" - players will want to emphasize having very defensive Pokemon at the top levels of the Gym, because trainers who have to slog their way through multiple stages of battles will likely have a much harder time bringing down a Pokemon that can withstand multiple hits with ease. Remember - Pokemon in the Gym start fresh whenever an opponent comes to battle them, but the opponent's Pokemon don't have the luxury of self-healing in between fights.

Choose Pokemon Wisely

The best Pokemon Gyms are structured wisely from top to bottom, with Pokemon in the later stages of the Gym consisting of highly defensive types while the lower levels are filled with Pokemon that are both fast and have high attack. This is done to soften up an opposing team so that the slower, tougher to beat Pokemon at the top can withstand their last desperate attacks while chipping away at what should be a number of Pokemon with very low health.

Keeping track of Pokemon stats can be difficult or monotonous, but luckily there are plenty of lists available to help trainers choose the right one for the job. Here's a helpful starting point for the more commonly seen Pokemon with high defense stats:

  • Blastoise
  • Dragonite
  • Hitmonchan
  • Venasaur
  • Omastar
  • Marowak
  • Poliwrath
  • Golem
  • Slowbro

Those looking to hold the lower levels of the Gym and do as much damage as possible, however, can begin here:

  • Dragonite
  • Flareon
  • Exeggutor
  • Arcanine
  • Victreebel
  • Charizard
  • Magmar
  • Gengar

Take Over Gyms as a Team

Assembling a squad of teammates to take over Pokemon Gyms isn't just as fun as it sounds - it also has immense benefits and will likely be the difference between holding a Gym for a day and potentially holding it for a week. Bringing your own squad of eight teammates will ensure both that the Gym you takeover is immediately at its maximum level and that the Pokemon helping to hold it are all strong enough to pull their weight when it comes under attack.

Try to get as close to eight teammates as possible, and ensure that all of the Pokemon put in the Gym are at least CP 1000 or higher. Keep in mind that the 1000 CP baseline is just a loose guideline - as Pokemon GO players participate in the game more and increase their levels, this will fluctuate and likely need to be higher eventually.

Reap the Benefits

Once trainers have taken over a Gym, they need only check in the upper right hand corner of the Pokemon GO shop screen and collect their bonuses as they are accrued. Players will receive free Gold and Stardust every 21 hours or so for holding the Gym, and that Gold especially is useful if trainers are in an area without many Pokestops or need more incubators to hatch their eggs.

Good luck, future Gym Leaders! It can be a grind holding Gyms in Pokemon GO because the scene is hyper competitive right now, but the rewards are great and there aren't many feelings better in gaming than taking down a local Gym with some of a gamer's best friends.

Do you have any advice for players looking to make their mark on Pokemon GO's Pokemon Gyms? Let us know in the comments below.

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Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on both Android and iOS mobile devices.