Best Pokémon by situation

Editorial desk · 2026-10-21 · data d2dfaee739

Source snapshot checked 21 October 2026: build d2dfaee739, repository 3c9641c9e7. Recommendations are based on available stats and move pools, not personal runs or win-rate tests.

For a new collection, choose among the 29 personality-test starters rather than planning around an unowned legendary. Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle are accessible examples with different opening attacks, not proven best starters. Once acquired, any owned partner can be selected for a later run, including a legendary.

Minute one: the 29 starters

starters.js lists nine generations of regional starters plus Psyduck and Slowpoke. Bulbasaur defaults to Vine Whip, Charmander to Ember, Squirtle to Water Gun, and Psyduck and Slowpoke to Confusion. These are defaults, not immutable moves: the 19 October Starting Move purchase costs 400 coins per partner and permits eligible non-buff openings. Eternatus is outside the quiz list, not barred from starting once owned.

After the physical / special split

Since the 18 October split, stronger-side new moves receive twice the candidate-selection weight. Mewtwo’s special attack is 1.55 versus physical 1.31; Psychic and Mist Ball fit it. Kartana has physical 1.70 versus special 1.02; Vine Whip and Meteor Mash fit it. This supports a move-category recommendation, not a guarantee that Mewtwo or Kartana is best in every mode. Eternatus leads the separate stat heuristic, which is not a win-rate model.

Late game and co-op

• A bond (vínculo) after a rift win fuses moves. You can fire up to four at once. Early game is still one active move.
• At 30:00 Judgment begins: Arceus is invincible and accompanying legendaries arrive on a five-second cadence with a doubling HP/damage factor. Contact starts at 40% maximum HP, then scales upward after seven minutes of Judgment. Movement is soft-capped, so neither damage nor speed promises an endless run.
• For co-op, compare owned partners and complementary type coverage rather than claiming a tested team meta. The 18 October patch caps healers, shielders and summoners and normalizes large-partner collisions; older advice about giant hitboxes or unbounded healer stacks is outdated.