Best Budget Raid Attackers in Pokémon GO: 5 Common Pokémon Worth Powering Up
By Matt · Published · Updated If you don't have legendaries or Megas yet, these common Pokémon make solid raid attackers: Staraptor (Quick Attack and Fly), Espeon (Confusion and Psychic), Gengar (Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball), Mamoswine (Mud-Slap and Avalanche) and Annihilape (Counter and Shadow Ball). They appear often, so you can build up plenty of Candy to power them up.
One of the questions I’m asked most is how to get good Pokémon, or make raids easier without as many people. Here are my top five Pokémon that are often available outside of raids and worth investing in. Number 1 surprised me too.
There are better Pokémon than these, sure, but these ones appear very often, so you’ll get a lot of Candy to power them up and take on raids.
5. Annihilape
Evolves from: Mankey (through Primeape). Moveset: Counter and Shadow Ball.
A Fighting and Ghost type that covers two useful attacking types. If you have an Elite Charged TM to spare, its legacy move Rage Fist* is even better.
4. Mamoswine
Evolves from: Swinub (through Piloswine). Moveset: Mud-Slap and Avalanche.
The 13th best Ice attacker on Pokémon GO Hub. Swap Avalanche for High Horsepower and it’s a solid Ground attacker too.
3. Gengar
Evolves from: Gastly (through Haunter). Moveset: Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball.
The 33rd best Ghost attacker on Pokémon GO Hub, and a strong Poison attacker as well.
2. Espeon
Evolves from: Eevee. Moveset: Confusion and Psychic.
The 39th best Psychic attacker on Pokémon GO Hub. Want to choose which Eeveelution you get? See my Eevee nickname tricks.
1. Staraptor
Evolves from: Starly (through Staravia). Moveset: Quick Attack and Fly.
Surprisingly, Staraptor is the best commonly available Pokémon for damage. It’s the 25th best Flying attacker on Pokémon GO Hub, and the 26th best Normal attacker too.
Matt's takeStaraptor surprised me. It's the best commonly available Pokémon for damage, and because it appears so often, you'll have all the Candy you need to power it up.
Don’t worry about chasing perfect IVs for these: IVs barely affect damage, and the level you power them to matters far more.
FAQ
What are good raid attackers for beginners in Pokémon GO?
Common Pokémon you can power up easily: Staraptor, Espeon, Gengar, Mamoswine and Annihilape are all solid choices.
Is Staraptor good for raids?
Yes, surprisingly. With Quick Attack and Fly it does a lot of damage for a Pokémon you can catch so often, and Pokémon GO Hub ranks it the 25th best Flying attacker.
Why use common Pokémon for raids?
Because you can catch lots of them, you get plenty of Candy to power them up, which matters far more than IVs.
What's the best moveset for Mamoswine in raids?
Mud-Slap with Avalanche for Ice damage, or Mud-Slap with High Horsepower for Ground damage.
Get Matt's full take
The extended write-up on Patreon has Matt’s commentary, what to prioritise and Matt’s own plan.