The best Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Go

These Legendaryh Pokémon are the best choices you can get in Pokémon Go, and tracking them down can be a challenge.

Ho-Oh in Pokemon Go, a giant bird with red, white, and green wings.
Image via the Pokemon Company, remix by Dot Esports

Some of the best Pokémon you can collect in Pokémon Go are Legendary Pokémon, but not all Legendaries are created equal.

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Legendary Pokémon are the toughest ones to regularly collect, as they appear in specific encounters. Sometimes, they’re offered as exclusive rewards, as five-star raid encounters, or during special events. Although the Legendary Pokémon are easily the toughest, there are certain ones that stand out as the strongest you can get. These are the 10 best Legendary Pokémon you can use in Pokémon Go.

The 10 best Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Go

Pokemon Go Fest Dawn Wings Necrozma
Legendary Pokémon are not always available, and you have to act fast to catch them. Image via Niantic

The strength of a Legendary Pokémon comes down to its moveset, stats, and where you can use it. We’ll list the various Legendary Pokémon Go you can use against other players in five-star raids or when battling against Team Rocket. You can catch these Pokémon by working alongside other trainers to catch them in five-star raids or by completing Special Research tasks during specific events.

Dusk Mane Necrozma

Dusk Mane Necrozma in Pokemon Go, an angular lion-like creature colored black and yellow.
A powerful fusion combination. Image via the Pokémon Company, remix by Dot Esports

Dusk Mane Necrozma is a unique fusion Pokémon you can get by combining Solgaleo and Necrozma. You need a distinct resource for these two to become one, and then you can use this Pokémon in various activities such as battling other Pokémon trainers or five-star raids.

Despite the high cost of using Dusk Mane Necrozma, it’s well worth it as a Psychic and Steel-type Pokémon. It’s only weak against Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground-type moves. If you do use it, make sure to teach Dusk Mane Necrozma how to use the fast move Shadow Claw and the charged moves Sunsteel Strike and Dark Pulse.

Giratina (Altered Forme)

Altered Forme Giratina in Pokemon Go, a dragon-like creature with leathery, spiked wings and six legs.
The first many Dragon-types. Image via the Pokemon Company, remix by Dot Esports

The Altered Forme Giratina is a powerful Ghost and Dragon-type Pokémon. Similar to other Dragon-type Pokémon, it’s weak against Dragon and Fairy-type moves, as well as Dark, Ghost, and Ice-type moves. Despite these weaknesses, Giratina’s higher-than-average defense and stamina makes it difficult to overcome in Pokémon Go. You may want to reserve this as your final Pokémon when fighting other players, but it’s an ideal tank that not too many combatants can defeat.

When you are using Altered Forme Giratina, make sure to teach it to use the fast move Shadow Claw and the charged moves Ancient Power and Dragon Claw.

Ho-Oh

Ho-Oh in Pokemon Go, a giant bird with red, white, and green wings.
One of the original Legendaries. Image via the Pokemon Company, remix by Dot Esports

Next, we have Ho-Oh, the Fire and Flying-type Legendary Pokémon from the Johto region. What makes Ho-Oh a strong Legendary Pokémon is its balanced stats for attack, defense, and stamina. Its attack and defense are nearly the same, but it does have less health than you might expect from a Legendary Pokémon. Still, if you use it as your final Pokémon against another trainer, it can edge out a win if you’re careful with its attack and use a strong, reliable team to protect it from its Electric, Rock, and Water-type weaknesses.

When you use Ho-Oh against other players or in five-star raids, teach it to use the fast move Incinerate and the charged moves Brave Bird and Sacred Fire.

Kyurem

Kyurem in Pokemon Go, an icey-looking dragon.
A robust Ice and Dragon-type. Image via the Pokemon Company, remix by Dot Esports

Bouncing back to Dragon-type Pokémon, we have Kyurem, the Dragon and Ice-type Pokémon from the Unova region. Normally, as an Ice-type, it’d have far more weaknesses than most Pokémon, but with it being a Dragon-type, this does protect it from these weaknesses—but it has far few resistances. You want to be careful when using Kyurem on your Pokémon Go team, usually placing it in the lead against your opponent so that you can switch it for another choice. It also has a low defense, but it makes up for that with a decent attack and stamina.

The best moveset to teach Kyurem is to give it the fast move Dragon Breath and the charged moves Glaciate and Dragon Claw.

Landorous (Therian)

Landorus Therian Forme in Pokemon Go, a panther-like creature a long, curved tail.
A deadly attacker Legendary. Image via the Pokemon Company, remix by Dot Esports

Whenever you want to use a high attack power Legendary Pokémon, look no further than Landorus in its Therian Forme. It gives up a lot of defense for a higher attack stat, meaning it can make short work of any opponent. However, you want to be careful with it, and be prepared to switch it out or use shields to protect it against any incoming charged moves when battling trainers. As a Ground and Flying-type, it is only weak against Ice and Water-type moves.

The best moveset you can give to Landorus (Therian) is the fast move Mud Shot and the charged moves Sandsear Storm and Stone Edge.

Mewtwo

Mewtwo in Pokemon go, an alien-like creature holding its three-fingered hand out toward you.
The original Legendary. Image via the Pokemon Company, remix by Dot Esports

One of the more common Legendary Pokémon you can find in Pokémon Go is Mewtwo. It shows up the most often as a shadow version of this that you can catch by challenging Giovanni. It’s also a regular choice for five-star raids, but the shadow version of Mewtwo is considerably stronger, as it already has a decent amount of defense and stamina, and the increased attack makes it even stronger. You can never go wrong with a shadow Mewtwo.

When you are using Mewtwo on your Pokémon Go, make sure to teach it the fast move Psycho Cut and the charged moves Psystrike and Shadow Ball.

Palkia

Origin Forme Palkia in Pokémon Go, a creature that almost looks like a centaur in armor.
One from the future, and one from the present. Image via the Pokémon Company, remix by Dot Esports.

The next legendary Pokémon is Palkia, and you can use this one in its standard version or its Origin forme. The Origin version of Palkia is considerably stronger, but it only shows up for exclusive events. If there’s a way you can catch this Pokémon, we highly recommend it given its overall strength. As a Water and Dragon-type Pokémon, it’s incredibly good, and comes out as one of the top Legendary Pokémon you can use against other players.

The best moveset to teach Palkia is the fast move Dragon Breath and the charged moves Aqua Tail and Draco Meteor. If you’re using the Origin version of Palkia, teach it the fast move Dragon Breath and the charged moves Aqua Tail and Spacial Rend.

Solgaleo

Solgaleo in Pokemon Go, a roraing lion with white and yellow highlights.
A Legendary with a powerful roar. Image via the Pokémon Company, remix by Dot Esports

If you’re looking for a powerful Steel-type, look no further than Solgaleo. While it might not be as powerful as its Dusk Mane Necrozma form, Solgaleo by itself is fantastic. It’s also a Psychic and Steel-type form that is resistant to most attacks outside of a handful like Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground-type moves. Despite these weaknesses, it has a lot of resistances, making it an ideal choice when battling players or in five-star raids.

When you’re using Solgaleo, make sure to teach it the fast move Fire Spin and the charged moves Iron Head and Psychic Fangs.

Xerneas

Xerneas in Pokemon Go, a dear-like creature with rainbow-colored antlers.
One of the few Fairy-types. Image via the Pokemon Company, remix by Dot Esports

Because of the amount of Dragon-type Pokémon used in the Master League for Pokémon Go, Xerneas makes this list. There are only a handful of Fairy-type Pokémon, and Xerneas is easily one of the best, especially as a Legendary Pokémon. It does not have the best defense, so you need to careful with how you use it on your team and who you have protecting it.

The best moveset to teach Xerneas is the fast move Geomancy and the charged moves Close Combat and Moonblast.

Yveltal

Yveltal in Pokemon Go, a sinister creature with long, red and black arms and hands.
A powerful Dark-type. Image via the Pokemon Company, remix by Dot Esports

The final Pokémon we want to cover as one of the best Legendaries in Pokémon Go is Yveltal from the Kalos region. Yveltal is a Dark and Flying-type Pokémon, but it has one of the better attack and health values compared to other Legendaries. Unfortunately, it does have lack adaquete defenses to make it difficult to defeat, but it can make up for that with a solid moveset and decent health.

The best moveset to give Yveltal is the fast move Sucker Punch and the charged moves Dark Pulse and Oblivion Wing.

Author
Image of Eva Martinello
Eva Martinello
Eva is a Staff Writer from Paris. Her part-time job is charging into walls with Reinhardt. She has been covering League of Legends esports and other titles for six years. She still believes in a Moscow Five comeback. She also fell into the MMO pit and covers FFXIV and Genshin.
Author
Image of Zack Palm
Zack Palm
Zack Palm has been writing about video games for the past five years. He spends his free time trying to learn about a new board, reading high-fantasy series, or working on his latest DnD character.