Yamask and Cofagrigus occupy a unique niche in Pokemon GO: a bulky Ghost-type that punches well above its weight in GO Battle League but fades quickly when used in raids. If you have been sitting on a strong Cofagrigus and wondering whether it is worth powering up, this guide covers exactly that — the best moveset for both PvP and PvE in 2026, where each league it fits, and whether the XL candy investment is justified.
Yamask and Cofagrigus Stats Overview
Before diving into moves, it helps to understand what Cofagrigus brings to a fight. This is not a Pokemon you pick for raw offensive output. Its attack stat is modest, but its defense and stamina make it a tough nut to crack in limited CP formats.
| Pokemon | Attack | Defense | Stamina | Max CP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamask | 95 | 141 | 116 | 1,110 |
| Cofagrigus | 167 | 185 | 176 | 2,570 |
Cofagrigus caps out around 2,570 CP at level 50, which puts it squarely in Ultra League territory and completely out of reach for Master League. As a pure Ghost type it is weak only to Ghost and Dark moves, and it resists Normal, Fighting, Bug, and Poison — a solid defensive typing that means many meta Pokemon simply cannot threaten it efficiently.
All Fast Moves — Stats and Analysis
Cofagrigus has three fast move options. The gap between them is enormous, and choosing the wrong one fundamentally cripples the Pokemon regardless of what charged moves you pair with it.
| Move | Type | PvP Power | PvP Energy | DPT / EPT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Claw | Ghost | 9 | 8 | 4.5 / 4.0 | Best option by a clear margin. STAB + strong damage output + fast energy generation. Use this. |
| Zen Headbutt | Psychic | 12 | 9 | 4.0 / 3.0 | Higher raw power but no STAB and worst EPT of the three. Falls off significantly against Ghost-immune Normals you would expect to hit. |
| Astonish | Ghost | 8 | 14 | 2.67 / 4.67 | Highest energy generation but lowest damage. The 2.67 DPT is simply too poor — opponents take almost no chip damage between shields. Avoid. |
Shadow Claw was added to Cofagrigus during GO Battle League Season 9 and transformed it from a bench-warmer into a legitimate competitor. It delivers STAB damage, generates enough energy to access Shadow Ball in a reasonable number of turns, and keeps pressure on opponents throughout the fight.
All Charged Moves — Stats and Analysis
Cofagrigus has a lean charged move pool, but what it has works well together. The December 2025 buff to Shadow Ball — reducing its energy cost from 55 to 50 in PvP — was a meaningful quality-of-life improvement that makes the primary moveset even more efficient.
| Move | Type | PvP Power | PvP Energy Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Ball | Ghost | 100 | 50 | Primary charged move. Full STAB, strong neutral coverage, excellent power-to-energy ratio. Required on every set. |
| Dark Pulse | Dark | 80 | 50 | Secondary coverage move. Hits Ghost-types that resist Shadow Ball. Slightly lower power but same cost — keeps you from being completely walled by opposing Ghosts. |
| Psychic | Psychic | 75 | 55 | Lowest value of the three. Higher energy cost, lower power, no STAB. Only situationally useful against Poison and Fighting types, but Cofagrigus already resists Fighting. Skip it. |
Recommended Moveset
The answer is straightforward for every format Cofagrigus competes in:
Best moveset: Shadow Claw / Shadow Ball / Dark Pulse
Shadow Claw is your fast move with no exceptions. Shadow Ball is the primary charged attack — it hits hard with STAB and the recent 50-energy cost makes it reach-able in a realistic number of fast move cycles. Dark Pulse serves as the bait move and coverage option, targeting the Ghost-types that would otherwise soft-counter you.
The logic behind running both Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse is straightforward: if an opponent brings their own Ghost-type as a check, you want the option to fire off Dark Pulse rather than watch your STAB Ghost move get resisted. It also forces opponents into trickier shield decisions because both charged moves cost the same energy.
Psychic adds nothing meaningful to this set. Cofagrigus already resists Fighting via its Ghost typing, and the 55-energy cost and lower base power make it a downgrade in every scenario.
Raid and Gym Performance
Cofagrigus is not a raid attacker. It carries a low attack stat that prevents it from outputting the damage per second needed to be useful in time-limited raid encounters. Use it in GO Battle League instead.
For raids, the best moveset is still Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball, but you will find Gengar, Chandelure, Giratina (Origin Forme), and Shadow Gengar all outperform it significantly. Cofagrigus sits in the F-tier for PvE ghost-type attackers, meaning it should only be used in raids if you have no better options available.
If you are exploring which Pokemon can Mega Evolve and boost your raid team, Mega Gengar and Mega Banette provide Ghost-type attack bonuses to your entire team and are far better investments for raid performance. You can find a full breakdown in our Pokemon GO Mega Evolution list.
For gym defence, Ghost types in general are mediocre because Normal-type moves — which are the most common gym attacker move type — do not affect Ghost Pokemon at all, making them easy to dodge around. Blissey and Snorlax still dominate gym defence slots.
PvP Viability by League
Great League (1,500 CP Cap)
This is where Cofagrigus performs best. Its bulk shines in the lower CP bracket, and Shadow Claw generates enough energy to cycle Shadow Ball at a pace that keeps opponents honest. According to PvPoke’s Great League overall rankings, Cofagrigus sits around position 200 out of over 1,000 eligible Pokemon — a solidly viable placement that puts it well above the filler tier.
Best IVs for Great League: 0/11/14 at Level 25.5 (Rank 1 IV spread). The 0 attack IV is intentional — it keeps CP lower, allowing a higher level and more bulk for the stat budget.
What it beats: Cofagrigus handles Fighting types cleanly, threatens Psychic types with STAB, and puts consistent pressure on Pokemon that lack a strong Dark or Ghost counter in their moveset.
What threatens it: Drapion, Mandibuzz, and other bulky Dark types hard-counter Cofagrigus and force uncomfortable matchups. Wigglytuff’s Fairy moves also create problems since Fairy is neutral to Ghost and Wigglytuff is a common Great League anchor.
Role: Safe switch or closer. Cofagrigus is at its best when you bring it in after your lead has burned the opponent’s shields, then cycle Shadow Ball until something folds. It is a momentum Pokemon, not an opener.
Ultra League (2,500 CP Cap)
Cofagrigus is playable in Ultra League but demands a significant XL candy investment since it needs to be levelled to 50 to reach around 2,498 CP. PvPoke ranks it approximately 54th overall in Ultra League — a strong result, but the resource cost is steep relative to alternatives.
Best IVs for Ultra League: 10/15/15 at Level 50 (Rank 1 IV spread at the cap).
The meta in Ultra League is harder on Cofagrigus because bulkier and more well-rounded Pokemon dominate at 2,500 CP. Pokémon like Talonflame, Obstagoon, and Umbreon can weather Ghost attacks and respond with super-effective or at least neutral pressure. Still, Cofagrigus finds enough favorable matchups — particularly against Fighting-heavy teams — to justify a slot in certain team compositions.
If a future meta shift or a new season format restricts access to common Ghost/Dark counters, Cofagrigus could climb significantly higher in the Ultra League rankings. The moveset update it received was a one-step quality-of-life improvement; one more coverage option would cement it as a top-tier pick.
Master League (No CP Cap)
Cofagrigus is not viable in Master League. Its maximum CP of roughly 2,570 is barely above the Ultra League cap, meaning it will face legendary Pokemon with 4,000+ CP. There is no meaningful scenario where it competes in this bracket. Do not invest in Cofagrigus for Master League play.
Shadow Cofagrigus
Shadow Cofagrigus is available and follows the same moveset priorities — Shadow Claw / Shadow Ball / Dark Pulse. The Shadow version has boosted attack at the cost of reduced bulk, which shifts it slightly toward a more aggressive playstyle in PvP but reduces its signature tanky identity. For most players, regular Cofagrigus will feel more comfortable to play because the bulk is what defines its matchup wins.
If you have a Shadow Cofagrigus with Frustration, use an Elite TM or wait for a Frustration removal event to swap it out for Shadow Ball before investing candy.
Max Move Recommendations (Dynamax Battles)
Cofagrigus participates in Dynamax raids and Max Battles using Max Moves, which are powered-up versions of its charged moves:
| Max Move | Source Move | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Phantasm | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Primary Max Move. STAB damage and the natural choice when running Shadow Ball as your main charged move. |
| Max Darkness | Dark Pulse | Dark | Coverage option in Max Battles. Useful if the Dynamax boss has Ghost resistance. |
Cofagrigus is not a top-tier Dynamax attacker due to its modest attack stat, but it is bulky enough to survive longer in Max Battles than most Ghost-types, letting your team charge up more attacks before it faints.
How to Get Yamask and Cofagrigus
Yamask appears in the wild during Halloween events and in some egg pools. It evolves into Cofagrigus for 50 candy. Outside of Halloween season, Yamask can be uncommon, so it is worth using Pinap Berries when you encounter it to stockpile candy for powered-up Cofagrigus builds. For a full breakdown of how to progress in Pokemon GO, see our complete Pokemon GO guide.
Is Cofagrigus Worth Powering Up?
For Great League: yes, especially if you already have one with a low attack IV. It is a reliable bulky Ghost-type at an accessible CP tier with a movepool that genuinely threatens common meta picks.
For Ultra League: conditionally yes. The XL candy cost is high and the meta is more contested, but it earns its place in the right team compositions. If you enjoy building non-legendary competitive teams, Cofagrigus is a legitimate option.
For raids and Master League: no. Better Ghost-type attackers exist for PvE, and Cofagrigus simply cannot scale to Master League CP levels.
If you are interested in how Cofagrigus and other Pokemon compare competitively across different game formats, our Pokemon Champions vs Pokemon GO comparison breaks down how the competitive meta differs between titles.
FAQ
Should Cofagrigus use Shadow Ball or Dark Pulse as its primary charged move?
Shadow Ball is always the primary. It hits harder with STAB and the December 2025 energy cost reduction to 50 makes it more efficient. Dark Pulse is the secondary coverage move to handle opposing Ghost-types, not a replacement for Shadow Ball.
Is Shadow Claw better than Astonish for Cofagrigus?
Yes, by a significant margin. Shadow Claw has 4.5 DPT compared to Astonish’s 2.67 DPT. The higher damage per turn means Cofagrigus puts meaningful pressure on shields and opponent HP between charged moves. Astonish’s higher energy generation does not compensate for the near-zero chip damage output.
Can Cofagrigus compete in Ultra League without XL candy?
No. Cofagrigus needs to reach around Level 50 to approach the 2,500 CP cap at competitive IV spreads, which requires XL candy. At lower levels it will fall well short of the cap, reducing its bulk advantage significantly. If you are not prepared to invest XL candy, keep it in Great League where it performs without the extra investment.