Gen 3 of Pokémon GO was released in 2017, and with its release GO players were given many Pokémon that are still considered top tier combatants in the game’s current version. The #1 Pokémon on this list has the highest max CP rating in the game. The only Pokémon eligible to make this list are the base versions. Although Mega Evolutions have been added to the game, they will not be considered as part of the roster.
There are several reasons a particular Pokémon made this list besides having a high CP score. A Pokemon is only as good as its stats, and defensive stats in particular are valuable for gym battles and raids. Plus, not having a decent pairing of Fast/Charge attacks will cripple even the best of Pokemon. Moreover, being effective against commonly used Pokémon is a great asset to have in this game, like other Pokemon titles. Being able to match up against the best of the best is vitally important.
Updated February 3rd, 2021 by Tanner Kinney: Pokemon GO is an ever-evolving game. As Niantic steps into further generations, adding newer and stronger Pokemon, some of the early generations can seem quaint by comparison. However, Gen 3's best Pokemon still have an important place in any type of GO battles. Whether it be trainer battles, Team Rocket battles, raids, or gym challenges, many of these Pokemon are still common to see around the world. Many have an important place as a counter to a popular strategy, or simply as a wall that wastes the time of any passerby looking to takeover a local gym. As the game continues to evolve, you can rely on these ten Pokemon to never drop down the tiers.
10 Aggron
Aggron is a Steel/Rock Type Pokémon that has become well-known for its stout defense. This carries over into Pokemon GO, where it has an absurdly high defense stat. In addition, many of the more popular attack types (Dragon, Fairy, and Psychic) are not-very effective against Aggron. This Pokémon has a high CP rating of 3000, an attack of 198, a defense of 257, and a stamina of 172. Its defense rating is the 9th highest in Pokémon GO.
Aggron’s move combination, unfortunately, aren't anything that impressive. Its quick moves are Dragon Tail, Iron Tail, and Smack Down, all of which are fairly slow attacks. It does boast a collection of powerful charge attacks, including Stone Edge, Thunder, and Heavy Slam. There isn't a great combination in terms of type coverage, but Smack Down paired with Heavy Slam typically has the best results.
9 Swampert
Swampert is a Water/Ground-Type Pokémon that gives its trainer several advantages. First, it has incredible defensive typing, where even a crippling weakness to grass-type attacks doesn't mean much. It'll be able to resist many of the popular types and wall out a number of Pokemon in gym battles. It gets a weather boost from rain and sunshine – making it likely it will receive a boost from the weather. Of course, this is not always a reliable bonus, but good weather boosts do matter during raids.
Swampert's maximum CP is 2974, its attack is 208, it defense is 175, and its stamina is 225. It has very few rivals in terms of raw stats within the water-typing, even though it doesn't necessarily excel at anything. Water Gun and Mud Shot are its quick moves; while Earthquake, Surf, and Sludge Wave are its charge moves. It can either pair Mud Shot with Surf, or Water Gun with Earthquake based on personal preference. Both are equally effective, although Water Gun/Earthquake has a higher DPS overall.
8 Blaziken
Blaziken is a Fighting/Fire-Type that matches well against many of the stronger Pokémon types. It does have a number of weaknesses to common types as well, so keep that in mind. It receives a weather boost from sunshine or cloudy conditions; so like Swampert it is likely to get a boost from the weather. Blaziken’s maximum CP is 2848, its attack is 240, its defense is 141, and its stamina is 190. Blaziken's frailty makes it less useful for defending gyms, but great at attacking them. It also works great for high-level raid battles, especially against steel-types.
Its quick moves are Counter and Fire Spin; while its charge moves are Focus Blast, Overheat, Blaze Kick, and (oddly enough) Brave Bird. Counter is a great choice for the quick move; though they are both good choices. Overheat and Focus Blast are the best charge attacks and have very similar stats. Brave Bird does have high DPS, but the lack of a STAB bonus makes it less ideal than Overheat or Focus Blast.
7 Kyogre
Kyogre is a Water-Type legendary Pokémon with extremely good stats. It has a maximum CP of 4115 (tied for 4th highest in the game), an attack of 270 (in the top 10), a defense of 228, and a stamina of 205. Pure water-typing is wonderful as a defensive type, especially with its high defense and stamina. Since Grass type attacks are generally weak, a trainer only has to worry about Electric types when using this Pokémon.
The biggest drawback is how slow every single one of Kyogre's moves are. Waterfall is Kyogre’s only quick move, and it’s not a very good quick move because of its low EPS and higher than average recharge time. Its charge moves are Hydro Pump, Blizzard, and Thunder. For raw damage, Hydro Pump will do the most work despite its heavy drawbacks in terms of energy consumption. Blizzard is a solid alternative, which is cost-efficient and still deals a fair bit of damage.
6 Groudon
Groudon is a formidable Ground-Type Pokémon with some of the best stats in the game, like many of the other legendary Pokemon. Its statline is literally identical to Kyogre, with 4115 CP, 270 attack, 228 defense, and 205 stamina. Unfortunately, its typing is less useful than Kyogre, with more weaknesses and less ressistances overall. It may struggle to succeed in areas where Kyorge does.
Unlike Kyogre, however, Groudon has better attacking moves. Groudon’s available quick moves are Mud Shot and Dragon Tail. Mud Shot should be chosen because of its very high EPS and low recharge time. Its available charge moves are Fire Blast, Solar Beam, and Earthquake. All three are fairly good; Earthquake recharges the fastest and comes with a STAB bonus, while Solar Beam does the most raw damage of the three. For optimal coverage, Mud Shot should be paired with Solar Beam or Fire Blast. For raw DPS, Mud Shot and Earthquake are the best pair.
5 Rayquaza
Rayquaza is a Dragon/Flying-Type Pokémon that is one of the best choices in the game for attacking. It has a maximum CP is 3835, an attack of 284 (5th best in the game), a defense of 170, and stamina of 213. The only major disadvantage to using Rayquaza is its weakness to popular attack types – namely Dragon, Fairy, and Ice. It's also rather frail compared to other legendary Pokemon, which makes it useful in less situations. Fortunately, it also still resists six different types, which is nice to see.
Its available quick moves are Air Slash and Dragon Tail. Dragon Tail recharges faster, does more damage, and has the same EPS rating as Air Slash. Outrage, Aerial Ace, and Ancient Power are its available charge moves. As Dragon Tail is the best option between the two quick moves, the trainer is left to decide whether they value type coverage or damage more. For Rayquaza, damage is always the best choice.
4 Gardevoir
Gardevoir is a Fairy/Psychic-Type Pokémon that made this list for a very specific reason. It has a maximum CP is 3093, an attack of 237, a defense of 195, and a stamina of 169. In the Pokémon games, Dragon types are among the strongest and are therefore used by trainers more than other types (on average). This makes any Fairy-type worth their salt a great addition to any team.
Gardevoir is one of the best dragonslayers in Pokémon GO. Fairy attacks are super effective against Dragon types, and Dragon moves are nearly ineffective against Fairy Types. Gardevoir should make use of both of its offensive types with its move pairings. Either pair Charm and Psychic or Confusion and Dazzling Gleam. Psychic inflicts a debuff onto enemies during trainer battles, which may give it a slight edge over Dazzling Gleam. However, for slaying dragons, Confusion/Dazzling Gleam is the best pairing
3 Salamence
Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-Type Pokémon with stats similar to Rayquaza, trading offensive stats for stronger bulk. Considering Rayquaza's biggest weakness is its lack of defense, this is a perfectly fine trade-off. Salamence’s available move-sets are also slightly better than Rayquaza’s. It has a maximum CP of 3749, an attack of 277, a defense of 168, and a stamina of 216.
The available quick moves for Salamence are Dragon Tail and Fire Fang. Fire Fang does less damage and doesn't have a STAB boost, but has a higher EPS and lower recharge time. Its charge moves are all fairly slow, with Fire Blast, Hydro Pump, and Draco Meteor as options. In terms of recharge time versus damage, Draco Meteor is the best choice. Of course, like Rayquaza, doubling up on highly damaging moves is often Salamance's best option.
2 Metagross
Metagross is a Steel/Psychic-Type Pokémon with some extremely high stats and numerous resistances. It has a maximum CP of 3791, an attack of 257, a defense of 228, and a stamina of 190; its CP, attack, and defense are all in the top 20. It's not surprisingly to see one of the most iconic pseudo-legendaries have such high stats, but it is still impressive to see. Metagross has resistances to 10 types in the game, making it a disgustingly effective Pokemon for defending gyms.
Its choice of quick moves are between Bullet Punch and Zen Headbutt. Psychic, Flash Cannon, and Earthquake are its choices for a charge move. Zen Headbutt is an okay quick move option, but is too slow to compete with Bullet Punch. Psychic is a more cost-efficient option, but lacks the offensive power of Flash Cannon. Therefore, the best move-set is Bullet Punch and Flash Cannon; unless a player is lucky enough to have the Elite TM move Meteor Mash.
1 Slaking
Many Pokémon GO players are probably very familiar with how powerful Slaking is despite not having a quick move that does damage. It's not uncommon to see this gorilla vibing atop every local gym in a populated city. It has a maximum CP of 4431 (the 2nd best in the game), an attack of 290 (4th best), a defense of 166, and a stamina of 284 (10th best). This Normal-Type Pokémon is only weak against Fighting-Type moves, but only resists Ghost-type attacks.
Slaking is an interesting Pokemon primarily because of how Niantic translated its trademark ability, Truant, into a game without abilities. Yawn is its only quick move, and as stated above does no damage - it does have a fairly good EPS though. Slaking can only attack through Charge Moves. Its available charge moves are Play Rough, Earthquake, and Hyper Beam. For getting the most out of Slaking's high attack stat, Play Rough can be used the most frequently. However, for players looking for a good one-shot, Hyper Beam will erase opponents with ease.