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#1000
Default
252
ATK
190
DEF
202
STA
Lvl 50Max CP
3976
Lvl 40
3517
Lvl 25Weather Boost
2512
Lvl 20Raids/Eggs
2009
Lvl 15Research
1507

PvE Analysis

Gholdengo has the huge honor of being Pokemon #1,000, one of the greatest milestones in the entire series. However, that distinction doesn't exactly make it good. Ghost is its only viable attacking type, and it's pretty outclassed on that front. And even if it had a Steel Type moveset, that's another type that has huge competition. It seems that Gholdengo just has no real utility at the moment.

Best PvE Offensive Moveset

Hex + Shadow BallBest
  • Hex and Shadow Ball is a great Ghost Type moveset, and Gholdengo's best offensive moveset.
  • Astonish, Dazzling Gleam, and Focus Blast aren't great options.

Best PvE Defensive Moveset

Hex + Dazzling GleamBest
  • Hex is Gholdengo's best defensive Fast Move, easily out-pacing Astonish. 
  • Dazzling Gleam is the best overall option on defense, as it comes out fairly early and has great coverage alongside Hex.
  • Shadow Ball is objectively good, but it shares a type with Hex, meaning it can easily be walled by Dark or Normal Types
  • Focus Blast has perfect coverage with Hex, resisted only by Hisuian Zorua/Zoroark. But its high cost makes it pretty unreliable on defense.

PvP Analysis

Hex + Shadow Ball and Focus Blast

Hex is preferred over Astonish for its higher energy generation to fuel Gholdengo's expensive Charged Attacks. Astonish is also simply awful.

Shadow Ball is Gholdengo's bread and butter STAB attack, being its cheapest Charged Attack and having solid DPE. Focus Blast is extremely expensive, but it has great DPE and offers nigh unresisted damage when combined with Shadow Ball. Dazzling Gleam's coverage also pairs well with Shadow Ball, but it has less DPE and doesn't have as wide of a coverage as Focus Blast does.

Great League1.5 / 5

Although Gholdengo's amazing typing grants it a wonderful set of resistances, its frailty and lack of cheap Charged Attacks severely dampens its potential. Hex is also a pretty mediocre Fast Attack. It can be a nuisance to the Bastiodon + Medicham core, though.

Ultra League2 / 5

Gholdengo is a bit bulkier in the Ultra League and can fire of its attacks a bit more consistently, although it's still not great. It picks up key wins against several top meta threats such as Cresselia and Cobalion, but it's not something that most other Ghost-type Pokemon can't do anyways.

Master League3 / 5

It can harass the common Zacian + Dialga, which at least gives it a niche. Gholdengo's stats aren't particularly amazing, but they aren't awful either. It is bulky enough to make use of its resistances, although it is far from being great at abusing them. Gholdengo is stronger in Premier formats, where its stats can shine better, and it won't have to compete with Giratina-O for the role of a strong Ghost-type Pokemon.

Flee Rate
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Buddy Distance
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Female Ratio
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Male Ratio
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