While the world ofPokemonis full of many different things trainers can do with their pocket monsters, the main (and most fun) activity is battling. Putting teams up against each other to determine the best trainer is a thrill like no other. Battling through the single-player campaign to become champion is all well and good, but some seek to go further.
Players worldwide look to compete with each other, pushing their teams to the limits to call themselves world champions. Over the past decade or so, whenPokemonVGC has been officially recognized, some Pokemon have risen to the top. While different meta-games come and go, some Pokemon always find a way to be useful and have helped win multiple world championships.
Updated Jun 07, 2025 by Stephen LaGioia:The realm of Ranked Battles and competitive Pokemon is exciting, in-depth, and challenging. Battles can seem simple on the surface, but there are many subtle nuances that expert players can exploit when it comes to the vast range of match-ups and counters. This is partly because of a growing number of features introduced in more recent Generations, such as abilities and Terastallizing.
To stand up against skilled opponents, players should get their hands on thestrongest, most effective Pokemon to fight in competitive matches. To better showcase thebest competitive Pokemon, the following guide has been updated and includes even more entries for competition-viable creatures.
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Aside from just having impressive stats across the board, Dragonite is a tried-and-true option to hold out for a while in heated battles because of itsMiultiscaleability, which mitigates enemy damage byhalf when at maximum HP. This gives the already potent Pokemon a clear advantage from the get-go. Its bulk allows it to absorb ample damage, and it’s also versatile in terms of the moves it can learn, especially physical ones.
It’s fairly quick for its size, with moves likeExtreme Speed and Quick Attackfurther boosting this area. Moves likeOutrage and Superpowercan also be exploited to wipe out most or all of a foe’s HP rather quickly.
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While a bit vulnerable when it comes to raw power and defense, players delving into more involved battles — which usually involve special moves — will notice a nice advantage with thisGhost-Fairyhybrid. It excels when it comes to STAB (same-type attack bonus) and coverage moves, making it a good match-up for many opponents.
Since it’s quite versatile in its movesets, there are plenty of decent counters for Pokemon types that hold an advantage over it.Shadow Ball and Moonblastcan be exploited in particular, ensuring ample damage to a wide range of targets.
Players will want to use Flutter Mane as a quick disruptor — getting in attacks swiftly and effectively — as it’s not great for wars of attrition. However, for practiced fighters, Flutter Mane can be a deceptively effective option.
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With itsOrichalcum Pulseability alone, which shifts the weather to Harsh Sunlight —boosting its Attack by 30%for the five turns this chance occurs — Koraidon is hard to contend with. TheFighting-Dragon-typeis bred for dishing out plenty of pain on its targets, especially with physical attacks.
There is quite a long list of moves this Pokemon can learn whose power goes well into the triple digits, includingOutrage, Close Combat, and Giga Impact.It’s also handy that there are few elementals the monster is vulnerable against, while Koraidon is resistant to quite a few, includingRock, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, and Dark.
With its raw power and bulkiness, Koraidon can usually withstand a lot, while putting a nice dent in the HP of various lineups.
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While there aren’t a ton of nuances or fancy bells and whistles with Donphan, this big-tusked monster is just straight-up powerful. The Pokemon serves as a good tank option, as well as an offensive threat, making it a tough out in battle. It helps that its abilitySturdyensures it won’t be knocked out with a single hit — even one-hit-KO moves.
It can use several disruptive moves to throw opponents off-balance, such asEncore, Rapid Spin, and Knock Off— the latter of which wipes out a target’s held item.This beast is simply a sturdy, reliable utility choice for experts and less-practiced players alike. And given all thenuances that can arise in battle, this is a welcome trait.
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Meowscarada is the final form of the Grass-type starter from Generation 9, bringing the unique supplement of theDarkelemental. While not having the massive firepower of some competitive favorites, this humanoid feline is subtly useful in a few areas.
This begins with the handy moveFlower Trick— which only Meowscarada is capable of learning as of now. Flower Trick is a great option in a heated match, as it’s fairly powerful, andalways hits for criticals.The move boasts a base power of70,which, coupled with a fairly high Attack stat, can chip away at opponents' HP quite quickly.
Added to this is the cat’s immense speed, which allows players to get a jump on opponents, making it more likely for them to have to play catch-up. Finally, its Hidden Ability calledProteanallows it to transform into a single type (taking the form of the move it used last). Thiswhittles down the number of elemental types that are strong against this Pokemon.
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This already potentDark/Flying-type’spower is amped up even more with itsDark Auraability, which bumps up Dark-type move strengths by about33%, and this applies to all Pokemon on the field. However, it should be noted that this effect doesn’t stack if there is more than one Pokemon with this ability.
This also yields a 30% chance of causingflinching,keeping targets on their heels for much of the match. On top of this, Yveltal is the only Pokemon currently able to learn the nifty moveOblivion Wing.This acts as a secondary STAB, which inflicts loads of damage and evenrestores 75% of the damage dealt.
Heat Wave is an excellent coverage move that wallops various Pokemon types. Put simply — this draconian Flying Pokemon is pretty much stacked across the board, and has several tricks up its sleeve.
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The Pokemon that spurred the imagination and wonder of Ash Ketchum (and viewers) in thePokemonanime’s pilot episode is also a great option for competitive matches.
ThisFire/Flying-typecanturn up the heat with its Special Attack powerand ability to weather moves fromopponents’Special moves. Players can enjoy the benefits of a strong, well-rounded moveset withEarthquake, Sacred Fire, Extrasensory,and the healing move Recover.
These all cover a range of elementals and move types, while helping ensure the Pokemon can win a war of attrition. Its survivability is further strengthened by its hidden abilityRegenerator,which, as its name implies, restores a decent chunk of HP (specifically33%) after switching it out. This majestic bird can help players soar to victory in battle.
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Players were elated to see the original Legendary Bird Trio get their own unique redesigns with Galarian forms in Generation 8 but Zapdos retains most of its competitive viability when in its Generation 1 form. The high-flyingElectric-typecan be devastating thanks to its array of powerful moves, high Special Attack stat (125) and solid Speed (100). This combination has seen many players use it well inSword & ShieldRanked Battles.
Those looking to get the most out of their Zapdos should find one with a Timid nature, as it will boost its Speed in favor of Attack. This isn’t a huge deal as Zapdos is a Special Attacker, so it will benefit from the speed boost without losing its edge. Players can dominate the competition with moves likeHurricane, Heat Wave, and Rising Voltage.Zapdos also has some staying power thanks to Roost.
Those looking for a unique and competitively viableDragon-type should check out Dragapult. The living missile launcher is a mixed attacker with a ton of speed, giving it the ability to out-maneuver its opponents. It’s very capable of sweeping a team and its Clear Body ability will keep it safe from any negative stat-affecting moves. It also comes with the Cursed Body hidden ability which can outright disable an opponent’s move (30 percent chance) if it hits Dragapult.
Players can push Dragapult’s already impressive Speed stat (142) even further by snagging one with the Naive nature, which will also leave its Attack (120) and Special Attack (100) intact. Its unique typing ofDragon/Ghostcan go a long way in battle and it will benefit from STAB on moves likeDragon Darts and Phantom Force.
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One of the most entertaining things about competitive Pokemon play is that dedicated trainers often find ways tointroduce some truly unique Pokemoninto the meta. Mimikyu is an example of a competitively viable Pokemon that doesn’t look like it belongs with the powerhouses present in most battles. Looks can be very deceiving, however, as this pint-sized cosplaying Pokemon is capable of taking a hit and dishing out serious damage if used correctly.
ItsDisguiseability allows it to tank one hit per battle, giving smart players a chance to set upSwords Danceand punish their opponents with an array ofGhost or Fairy-type moves. Players can help Mimikyu out-speed the competition by finding one with aJollystat, which will give it a better chance of tanking a hit and then getting the jump on the opponent.
