Kyurem
PvE Analysis
Reshiram and Zekrom are noted for being among the strongest and most useful Legendary Pokemon in raids given their types. But how about Kyurem? Kyurem basically has nothing to its name. It's a sub-par Dragon attacker, and lacks an Ice Type fast move which would have made it a very viable Ice attacker. As it sits, it's yet another worthless legendary. No wonder it wants to absorb its brothers!
As of December 2022, Kyurem received its signature move, Glaciate. Glaciate is an extremely powerful Charged Attack, and gives Kyurem comparable DPS to many other top (non-Shadow) Dragon-type Pokemon when it is facing against a boss weak to both its Fast and Charged Attacks. However, Kyurem's lack of an Ice-type Fast Attack still greatly cripples this move's potential. Nonetheless, Kyurem is at least a viable raid attacking choice now, though it still remains niche at best.
On that note; Kyurem has the ability to absorb Reshiram or Zekrom to transform into Kyurem - White or Kyurem - Black respectively in the main series. The black forme in particular has massive potential, and given the fact that we now have forme-change in the game, they could show up as an alternate Kyurem forme in the near future.
Best PvE Offensive Moveset
Dragon Breath + Glaciate* | Best |
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- Dragon Breath and Glaciate* is actually Kyurem's highest DPS option against Dragon-type Pokemon if they are weak to both of its moves.
- Dragon Breath and Draco Meteor make for Kyurem's best same-type STAB moveset
- Blizzard can also work Vs. Dragon Types, but it is severely outclassed by Glaciate
- Dragon Claw can make it easier to dodge, but the damage-loss is substantial
- Steel Wing is basically worthless.
PvP Analysis
Dragon Breath + Dragon Claw and Glaciate* |
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With the coveted Dragon Breath + Dragon Claw moveset, Kyurem is a spammy Dragon-type attacker in the same vein as Dragonite and Latios. Where it differs is its secondary Ice typing and access to its excellent signature move, Glaciate, for coverage and debuffing. Blizzard and Draco Meteor can serve as nuke options but aren't reliable or potent enough to justify using over Dragon Claw or Glaciate.
Steel Wing is useless, and should be TMed away as soon as possible.
Great League | |
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Kyurem is not accessible at Great League CPs. | |
Ultra League | |
Kyurem's poor matchups against all of the top meta threats prevent it from shining in the Ultra League. Its typing leaves it weak to Charmers, Counter users, Steel-types, and other Dragons. While it's slightly bulkier than Dragonite, Ice is just not a great type to be in PvP, and struggles to stand out when Giratina is present. The addition of Glaciate to its movepool is very welcome, and can make Kyurem a viable pick in some Ultra League cups, but its performance in open Ultra League is still below average. | |
Master League | |
Thanks to the addition of Glaciate in its movepool starting from December 2022, Kyurem can finally leave an impact in the Master League metagame. It now possesses a reliable means of denting its counters such as Zacian, Xerneas, and Togekiss, and it can be a general nuisance with its Attack debuffs. In general, Kyurem is a solid duelist and can 1v1 a lot of Pokemon thanks to both Dragon Claw's spamminess and Glaciate's amazing parameters and utility. And when it doesn't win, it can leave its opponent debuffed for its own teammate to take advantage of. What holds Kyurem back are its lack of strong burst damage, competition with other Dragon-types, and the atrocious defensive profile of its Ice typing. Keep in mind that Kyurem has two potent unreleased forms - Black and White Kyurem. Their frightening stats can easily propel them to the top of the metagame if they also receive strong movesets. |