Pokemon GO fans have been waiting over a year for their chance to catch legendary Pokemon, and now it's finally possible. Instead of finding legendary Pokemon in the wild or hatching them from eggs, though, legendary Pokemon can only be obtained by first defeating them in legendary raids.
The first batch of legendary Pokemon added to Pokemon GO are the legendary birds Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos from the first generation, and Ho-oh and Lugia from the second generation. Other legendary Pokemon like Mew, Mewtwo, Celebi, and the Johto region's legendary beasts are expected to be added at some point in the near future as well.
As one may expect, legendary raids aren't going to be a walk in the park. Not only will Pokemon GO fans need to coordinate with other players to take down legendary Pokemon, but they will also want to make sure they are going to into the battles with the right Pokemon for the job. While updates to the game and tweaks to the legendary raid system may change this, right now the following five Pokemon are the best bet in legendary raids.
5 Dragonite
Dragonite has long been one of the most powerful Pokemon in franchise history, and that holds true for Pokemon GO. Dragonite is one of the rarest and most sought-after creature in the game, and anyone that has him will be in a good position to do well in legendary raids. As a powerful dragon-type, Dragonite should give any of the legendary birds a run for their money, especially one that has fully maxed-out stats.
4 Eeveelutions
Eevee's gen 1 evolutions have long been some of the most reliable Pokemon in Pokemon GO, and as it turns out, they should be quite helpful in legendary raids as well. Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon are all strong Pokemon with powerful move-sets that should help in any raid battles, though each one is useful against a specific legendary bird.
Flareon is super-effective against Articuno, whereas Vaporeon is super-effective against Moltres. Jolteon, meanwhile, is super-effective against all the legendary birds except Zapdos. Out of all the Pokemon on this list, the "Eeveelutions" are the easiest to obtain, so most Pokemon trainers will want to focus on powering them up for the legendary raids.
3 Golem
Golem is a rock/ground-type Pokemon that is Geodude's final form. Golem is extremely rare to find out in the wild and can't be hatched from eggs, so players will need to collect 125 Geodude candy total to obtain him. Golem has powerful rock- and ground-based attacks that make him especially powerful against the legendary birds.
Furthermore, a fully maxed-out Golem is one of the strongest Pokemon in all of Pokemon GO, making him a smart choice for most battles in the game. There's some debate as to whether Golem or Tyranitar is the best Pokemon for legendary raids in Pokemon GO, but fans can't go wrong investing their time and stardust in either one of them.
2 Omastar
Like Golem, the prehistoric Pokemon Omastar is difficult to obtain, but should prove to be a powerful force in the legendary raid battles. Omastar is a rare rock- and water-type Pokemon that is effective against all five legendary birds. While Golem or Tyranitar are likely better options overall to take into legendary raids, Omastar seems to be the third-best Pokemon in Pokemon GO for legendary raid battles.
1 Tyranitar
Depending on who you ask, Tyranitar is either the best Pokemon for legendary raids or the second-best. Regardless, it's clear that any Pokemon GO trainer hoping to do well in legendary raid battles will want to have one in their lineup, as he is super-effective against all of the legendary birds. More specifically, players will want a Tyranitar with the devastating move Stone Edge in his arsenal.
Over time, it's likely that changes to Pokemon GO's legendary raids and the introduction of more legendary Pokemon will make different Pokemon better choices than the ones listed here. For now, though, the five Pokemon on this list should go a long way in helping Pokemon GO players be successful in legendary raids.
Pokemon GO is available now for iOS and Android mobile devices.