Pokemon GO Best Raid Attackers: Top DPS Picks by Type (2025)

Why Your Raid Team Composition Matters

Not all Pokemon are created equal in raids. Two Pokemon can share the same type and still perform completely differently depending on their moveset, base stats, and how well they hold up under sustained damage. Getting your team right is the difference between soloing a T3 comfortably and scrambling to revive after a T5 wipe.

I’ve been building raid teams since the early days of Pokemon GO, and the single biggest upgrade most players can make isn’t powering up a new legendary — it’s understanding which Pokemon to invest in for each type matchup.

DPS vs TDO: What Actually Matters in Raids

Two key metrics drive raid performance:

• DPS (Damage Per Second) — how fast a Pokemon deals damage. Higher DPS means more damage before it faints, and in time-limited raids, speed kills.
• TDO (Total Damage Output) — total damage across the Pokemon’s full lifetime in battle. Bulkier Pokemon with lower DPS may outlast glassier attackers and deal more overall damage.

For most T5 and Mega raids, DPS is the priority — raid timers are tight and you want to maximise damage output before the boss faints your team. TDO becomes more relevant in solo or duo scenarios where survivability matters.

Weather boost adds another layer. When the in-game weather boosts your attacker’s type, you get a 20% damage increase. A weather-boosted Charizard in Sunny weather or Kyogre in Rain will outperform even top-tier alternatives. Always factor this in when choosing your team.

For a full breakdown of raid mechanics, damage calculation, and lobby strategy, see our raid guide.

Best Raid Attackers by Type

The table below covers the current meta picks for each major raid type, with top-tier and budget options. Moves listed are Fast Move / Charged Move.

Top Raid Attackers — Deep Dives by Type

Fire: Reshiram and Mega Charizard Y

Reshiram is the undisputed king of Fire-type DPS. Its signature move Fusion Flare hits hard and recharges quickly, making it the best non-Mega Fire attacker in the game. Power one up whenever you can — it’s your go-to for Ice, Bug, Steel, and Grass-type bosses.

Mega Charizard Y is the Mega option and actually surpasses Reshiram in raw DPS under Sunny weather. If you’re raiding in a group and can have one player run Mega Charizard Y, the 20% Fire-type damage boost it provides to the entire lobby is enormous.

Budget alternative: Regular Charizard with Fire Spin / Blast Burn (Community Day move) is a genuine budget option. Blast Burn Charizard is one of the best non-legendary Fire attackers available. Flareon also punches above its weight if you’re short on options.

Water: Kyogre

Kyogre has been the benchmark Water attacker since its introduction and remains at the top. Origin Pulse (its exclusive Charged Move) gives it a massive edge. Even without Origin Pulse, Kyogre with Surf is still excellent.

Primal Kyogre, when available, is the single most powerful Water attacker in the game and also provides an in-lobby boost in Rain or Sunny weather. If you have the Primal Energy, activate it.

Budget alternatives: Kingler is the best F2P Water attacker — cheap to power up and consistently outperforms rare alternatives. Gyarados is also solid and easy to build given Magikarp’s abundance.

Electric: Zekrom and Raikou

Zekrom sits at the top of the Electric meta with Charge Beam / Fusion Bolt. Its combination of high Attack and reasonable bulk makes it the top non-Mega Electric choice.

If you’re going Mega, Mega Manectric provides a lobby-wide boost and performs excellently in Rain weather.

Budget alternatives: Raikou is the best budget Electric attacker — widely available from past raid events and still competitive. Electivire (Thunder Shock / Wild Charge) and Luxray are accessible alternatives if Raikou has eluded you.

Ice: Mamoswine and Glaceon

Mamoswine is the meta Ice attacker for a reason — Powder Snow generates energy fast and Avalanche hits like a truck. It’s also one of the best Ground attackers, making it doubly valuable to power up. Dragon-type raid bosses are extremely common in T5, so a strong Mamoswine team is essential.

Budget alternatives: Glaceon with Frost Breath / Avalanche is genuinely competitive and far easier to obtain — just evolve a Leafeon during an appropriate event. Jynx is a very old-school option but still usable in a pinch.

Fighting: Lucario and Machamp

Lucario is the elite Fighting attacker — Counter / Aura Sphere is one of the best move combinations in the game, and Lucario’s stat distribution makes it efficient at both fast damage and charged move cycling.

The catch: Lucario requires Riolu candy, and Riolu is notoriously rare. Buddy up a Riolu and save those candies for a high-IV Lucario.

Budget alternatives: Machamp is the OG Fighting attacker and still excellent — widely available and easy to power up. Conkeldurr is also strong if you’ve built one. For Fighting-type coverage against Normal, Dark, Ice, Rock, or Steel bosses, these options will carry you comfortably.

Dragon: Rayquaza and Garchomp

Rayquaza is the top Dragon DPS attacker. Dragon Tail / Outrage is a devastating combination, and Rayquaza’s sky-high Attack stat means every hit hurts. Mega Rayquaza takes this further — it’s the strongest Mega in the game and provides a Flying and Dragon boost to the whole lobby.

Budget alternatives: Garchomp with Dragon Tail / Outrage is the best budget Dragon attacker and is obtainable without legendary raids. Dragonite is another solid option — Dragon Tail / Draco Meteor hits hard and Dragonite is relatively accessible. Both are worth powering up.

Ghost: Mega Gengar

Mega Gengar is the top Ghost and Poison DPS attacker. It’s glassy — it will faint quickly — but the damage it deals before going down is extraordinary. Shadow Ball is its go-to Charged Move, with Lick providing fast energy generation.

Budget alternatives: Chandelure (Hex / Shadow Ball) is one of the best non-Mega Ghost attackers and is more durable than Gengar. Mismagius is also viable.

Rock: Rampardos

Rampardos has absurd Attack but extremely low bulk — it will faint fast. Despite this, its DPS is so high that it consistently outperforms bulkier Rock options like Tyranitar. Smack Down / Rock Slide is the moveset. Use it in Partly Cloudy weather for maximum output.

Budget alternatives: Tyranitar (Smack Down / Stone Edge) is bulkier and easier to farm during events. Golem is an old reliable option if you have plenty of Geodude candy.

Ground: Groudon

Groudon with Mud Shot / Precipice Blades is the best Ground attacker. Precipice Blades is its signature exclusive move — make sure you’ve used a Charged TM during the appropriate event window to get it. Primal Groudon also provides a lobby-wide boost in Sunny or Partly Cloudy weather.

Budget alternatives: Garchomp doubles as both a Dragon and Ground attacker (Mud Shot / Earth Power), making it exceptional value. Rhyperior is another strong Ground option with solid bulk.

Poison: Nihilego

Nihilego is the top Poison attacker and sees the most use against Fairy-type raid bosses. Poison Jab / Sludge Bomb is the moveset. It’s also a Rock-type dual attacker, making it somewhat versatile.

Budget alternatives: Roserade (Poison Jab / Sludge Bomb) is an excellent budget Poison attacker and very obtainable. Victreebel and Gengar are older alternatives that still get the job done in a pinch.

Team Building Tips

Type Stack for Maximum Damage

Always bring 6 Pokemon of the same type against a raid boss — don’t mix types trying to cover weaknesses. A full team of 6 Kyogre hitting a Fire-type boss will outperform a mixed team of 3 Water and 3 Ice every time. Consistent type coverage maximises your overall DPS, and in a lobbied raid, the boss will go down before the type mismatch matters.

Leverage Weather Boosts

Before entering a raid, check the weather. If it’s Rainy, lead with Water and Electric attackers. Sunny weather supercharges Fire and Grass. Windy boosts Dragon and Flying. A weather-boosted attacker at level 25 (wild catch level cap under boost) can outperform a non-boosted level 40 equivalent in raw DPS.

Use Your Best Moves — and TMs When Needed

The right moveset is as important as the right Pokemon. A Kyogre with Surf instead of Origin Pulse is significantly weaker. If your top attacker has the wrong move, use a Charged TM to fix it. Legacy moves aside, most meta attackers have clear best-move options — use them. See our TM guide for how to farm TMs efficiently and which moves to target.

Friend Bonuses Add Up

Raiding with Best Friends gives a 10% damage boost. Over a 300-second T5 raid, that compounds into meaningful extra damage. Try to coordinate with a best friend in your lobby whenever possible — the bonus applies even if they’re remote raiding from another location.

Shadow Pokemon vs Standard

Shadow versions of top attackers (Shadow Machamp, Shadow Mewtwo, Shadow Salamence) deal roughly 20% more damage at the cost of 20% more damage received. For short, high-DPS raids where survivability isn’t critical, Shadow attackers are top tier. For longer solo attempts, the lower bulk hurts more than the DPS gain helps.

Type Chart Awareness

Always double-check your type matchup before entering. Bringing a Dragon-type attacker against an Ice-type boss is a costly mistake — Dragon is weak to Ice. A solid grasp of the full type chart will save you revives and potions.

Manage Your Resources

Powering up raid attackers requires significant Stardust investment. Prioritise versatile picks — Pokemon like Garchomp (Dragon + Ground), Mamoswine (Ice + Ground), and Gengar (Ghost + Poison) cover multiple raid types and give you more return on your Stardust. Read our stardust farming guide to keep your reserves healthy.

If you want to put your best attackers to use in a different format, check out our Max Battles guide — Dynamax battles reward strong type-advantage picks just as much as regular raids do.

Sources

• GamePress. Pokemon GO DPS/TDO Rankings. GamePress.
• Pokebattler. Raid Attacker Rankings by Boss. Pokebattler.
• The Silph Road. Community Research and Meta Analysis. Reddit.

Michael R.

I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.