Frozen World Abound

GO Tour: Unova is just ahead of us, starring the long-awaited Black Kyurem and White Kyurem! Borrowing power from Zekrom and Reshiram, respectively, Kyurem’s power ascends to new heights. These Dragon / Ice titans possess some of the highest stats in the game and can even reach over 5000 CP when maxed out! Armed with fantastic signature moves and an Attack stat eclipses even Mewtwo, Black and White Kyurem are set to command a chilling reign in both the raid and PvP metagames.

Trainers can begin obtaining these frosty behemoths on February 21-23 during the in-person GO Tour: Unova at Los Angeles and New Taipei City if they have a ticket. One week following those events, GO Tour: Unova Global will commence, and everybody will have their chance to capture their own Black and White Kyurem.

To obtain a Black or White Kyurem, trainers must collect their respective fusion energy from Black or White Kyurem raids. Then, they must collect Zekrom and Reshiram to fuse Kyurem with. These fusions cost 1000 Volt or Blaze Fusion Energy, 30 Kyurem Candy, and 30 Zekrom or Reshiram Candy. If the Kyurem has Glaciate*, the move will transform into Freeze Shock for Black Kyurem, and Ice Burn for White Kyurem upon fusion. Be prepared to raid quite a bit in order to unlock these Pokemon.

Kyurem White and Black as Ice Attackers

Both Kyurem fusions possess powerful Ice-type signature moves. Black Kyurem’s Freeze Shock is a mind-bogglingly powerful attack; it possesses the same power and cost as the mighty Roar of Time, but with 0.5s less cooldown. However, Black Kyurem lacks an Ice-type fast Attack to fully synergize with it. On the other hand, White Kyurem’s Ice Burn is a worse attack overall, having the same stats as Fly and Hydro Cannon (which are still amazing, just not insane), but White Kyurem has access to Ice Fang to directly synergize with it. In this article, we will explore just how well these play out in practice.

Regular Kyurem is already a respectable Ice attacker with Glaciate despite not having an Ice-type Fast Attack. Its true power lies in Party Play, where its performance surpasses even Shadow Mamoswine. You will be glad to know fused Kyurems are significantly stronger! Read on to explore not just how they dominate the Ice-type rankings, but also how they compare to each other.

Kyurem White

If you want reliable and no-strings-attached Ice-type damage, White Kyurem is roughly 10% stronger* than Black Kyurem on average. Here, we also see that White Kyurem’s raw DPS is roughly equal to or is above other top-tier attackers of varying types, outperforming even the likes of Shadow Rampardos and Xurkitree (and even the unreleased Galarian Zen Mode Darmanitan). Where is Shadow Mamoswine, you ask? Well it’s not even comparable - White Kyurem’s DPS is roughly 16% stronger than it. Not only that, White Kyurem is much bulkier than all these Pokemon; think about it like a Shadow Rampardos that lives twice as long.

Ice Burn’s 2-bar nature combined with Ice Fang’s high energy generation results in a highly reliable DPS. White Kyurem will consistently output high damage regardless of its matchup, and is much less vulnerable to fainting at inopportune times compared to Black Kyurem.

*Against targets where Ice is one stage more effective than Dragon, such as vs Rayquaza, Zapdos, and Yveltal. White Kyurem pulls further ahead of Black Kyurem if Ice is more effective, such as against Landorus. Snowy weather also buffs White Kyurem more than Black Kyurem.

Kyurem Black

While White Kyurem’s strength comes from raw Ice-type damage, Black Kyurem shines when Dragon and Ice are equally effective. As stated before, Freeze Shock is a much better move than Ice Burn, and as such Black Kyurem is more powerful when it doesn’t have to worry about its lack of Ice Fang. Not only is Black Kyurem a fair bit stronger than White Kyurem in this situation, it is even stronger than many other top-tier Dragon-type Pokemon. However, keep in mind that the gap between Black Kyurem and other Dragon-type Pokemon shrinks in the presence of a background Mega Rayquaza and/or Windy boost due to Black Kyurem’s mismatching typing.

Black Kyurem’s true claim to power is how horrifyingly deadly it is with Party Power. Thanks to Freeze Shock’s insane power, it benefits from the 2x damage multiplier more than White Kyurem’s Ice Burn. In a Party Power duo, Black Kyurem can make use of its other Fast Attack, Shadow Claw, to charge Party Power more quickly to ensure that it can consistently throw out 320-power Freeze Shocks. The move’s 1-bar energy cost also syncs up well with Party Power’s charging speed to ensure minimum waste. A duo Party Power-boosted Black Kyurem pulls ahead of White Kyurem in terms of average Ice-type DPS, even against double weak bosses such as Landorus, as shown here on Dialgadex.

Black Kyurem’s performance has more technical play to it than White Kyurem’s straightforward Ice Fang / Ice Burn spam. Having a 1-bar Charged Attack paired with poor energy generating Fast Attacks can lead to some consistency issues. Black Kyurem can faint while holding high amounts of energy if the player is not careful. RNG, good dodging, and even manually switching out a low HP Black Kyurem immediately after firing a Freeze Shock can make or break this Pokemon’s performance.

Tanking a strong Charged Attack can result in a potentially massive DPS spike for Black Kyurem. Because Freeze Shock has such incredible parameters, Black Kyurem scales well with energy gain. Since its Fast Attacks don’t generate energy well, taking a hard hit from an enemy boss can provide Black Kyurem with the much needed energy to unleash its true power.

TL;DR

Reliable Ice-type damage? Pick White Kyurem. It is the best option for solos and when Party Power is not around. It is stronger when the boss is weaker to Ice than to Dragon.

Higher damage potential? Pick Black Kyurem. It is stronger against Dragons who are also weak to Ice. Black Kyurem is also at its strongest in Party Play, where Freeze Shock’s 1-bar, high power synergizes with Shadow Claw’s ability to charge Party Power quickly.

Kyurem White and Black as Dragon Attackers

Sometimes, Freeze Shock and Ice Burn aren’t super effective against the Dragon-types you are trying to hunt down. Fortunately, Black Kyurem is a highly competent choice as a Dragon attacker, boasting an overall performance comparable to Origin Forme Palkia and some Shadow Dragons. Furthermore, Black Kyurem does not require a legacy move for this role. Keep in mind that Black Kyurem falls off in Party Play due to the poor synergy between Dragon Tail’s 1-second duration and Outrage’s 2-bar cost. Shadow Claw doesn’t make up for this, in part because most other Dragon-type Pokemon have access to Dragon Breath and a nuclear 1-bar move.

What about White Kyurem? Its performance is on par with regular Palkia, which is a bit further down the list. It is respectable, but not amazing. In contrast to its Ice attacking role, White Kyurem’s access to Dragon Breath gives it superior Party Play synergy than Black Kyurem. However, White Kyurem is held back by Dragon Pulse’s overall poor parameters.

Note on Fusion Flare and Fusion Bolt

Black and White Kyurem have access to Fusion Bolt and Fusion Flare, the signature moves of Zekrom and Reshiram, respectively. While these are amazing moves (especially with Party Power), Kyurem lacks STAB so it is outclassed by the original users. However, Kyurem’s high Attack can make these Fire or Electric roles work in a pinch.

Fortunately, these wonderful attacks play key roles in the next metagame Kyurem is set to dominate in - the Master League.

PvP - Master League

Regular Kyurem has historically been a decent Pokemon in the Master League, often being seen as a safeswitch to make use of its highly potent and reliable Glaciate. Kyurem often preys on the Master League’s vulnerability to Ice-type moves and is excellent at supporting its teammates with constant Attack drops from Glaciate. While Kyurem has never been outright amazing, it has consistently remained a noteworthy presence at the fringes. With its upcoming fusions, Kyurem is more than ready to become a superstar!

Beating up raid bosses isn’t the only thing Kyurem is great at. Both Black and White Kyurem are set to become terrifying forces in the Master League thanks to their high stats and incredible attacks. Though they share the same stats and typing, Black and White Kyurem’s playstyles are distinctively different, ensuring that one forme won’t outclass the other.

Just a few quick notes before we dive in. Unlike in raids, Freeze Shock and Ice Burn have largely identical parameters. Both have 120 power and cost 60 Energy; Freeze Shock has a 30% chance to lower the opponent’s Attack, while Ice Burn has a 30% chance to lower the opponent’s Defense.

White Kyurem

White Kyurem has one mission - freezing the entirety of Master League with its unrelenting Ice-type assaults, courtesy of Ice Fang. In a metagame ripe with Dragon-, Ground-, and Flying-type Pokemon, White Kyurem finds no shortage of potential prey. Its access to Fusion Flare allows White Kyurem to fight back against Steel-type Pokemon such as Dusk Mane Necrozma and Melmetal. The combination of Ice and Fire is challenging to wall in the Master League as very few Pokemon resist both. The most common resist to both types, Kyogre, struggles to deal meaningful damage to White Kyurem in return. When shields are down, White Kyurem can close out games with the sheer power of its Ice Burn, which eliminates just about anything that doesn’t resist it.

White Kyurem’s reliable Ice-type damage is a catalyst for a metagame shift. Many current popular team structures do not respect Ice, and White Kyurem will gravely punish them. Examples include Rhyperior paired with Enamorus, Tapu Bulu, or Yveltal, or Zygarde paired with Therian Forme Landorus. Even Xerneas and Zacian aren’t safe from White Kyurem’s wrath, as they are both vulnerable to getting Ice Fanged all the way down if Kyurem decides to spend both shields. Expect a rise in Primarina and Origin Forme Dialga and Palkia to keep Kyurem in check.

Although not technically PvP, White Kyurem’s strong Ice Fangs make it impeccable at ripping apart any Rocket Grunts that are weak to Ice.

Black Kyurem

Much like its performance in raids, Black Kyurem features a less straightforward moveset than White Kyurem, but possesses even greater potential. Fusion Bolt and Freeze Shock combine to form the infamous “BoltBeam” combination, which is then fueled by Shadow Claw’s high energy generation. With Black Kyurem’s unmatched Attack stat, this combination is nigh unwallable. A Black Kyurem who can aggressively find openings to gain shield and/or energy advantage will eliminate just about any foe in short order. Black Kyurem is at its strongest as a closer, but it can also work as a safe switch due to its strong generalist moveset and its ability to force shields off anything.

In terms of metagame impact, Black Kyurem breaks cores involving Dusk Mane Necrozma, Yveltal, and Kyogre due to its impressive coverage.The sheer power and coverage of its Charged Attacks suffocates the pool of good counters. Origin Dragons are once again the most reliable Pokemon at keeping Black Kyurem in check. It is worth noting that Freeze Shock’s somewhat slow pacing can leave Black Kyurem vulnerable to the likes of Xerneas, Rhyperior, and Therian Forme Landorus, as they all possess strong super effective Charged Attacks that outpace Freeze Shock’s initial cast. These Pokemon aren’t counters in a traditional sense; they’re simply enemies that can give Black Kyurem a run for its money head-on.

Will we see off-meta counters such as Tyranitar and Cobalion? Only time will tell.

Both Formes

Both formes of Kyurem also possess strong Dragon-type Fast Attacks as an alternative option. Should either Black or White Kyurem become overbearingly powerful with their Shadow Claw or Ice Fang movesets, these Dragon-type Fast Attack options enable the Kyurem fusions to become strong counters to themselves. These aren’t overspecialized options either, as both Dragon Tail and Dragon Breath are amazing moves in PvP and are backed up by STAB from Kyurem’s typing.

Looking Ahead

Looking for future proofness? This concept of future proofness is largely meaningless within the scope of Pokemon GO’s “forever game” mission, but we can try to take a crack at it based on stats and main series knowledge. Galarian Zen Mode Darmanitan - if it ever gets implemented as a standalone forme - can come close to White Kyurem in terms of Ice-type dps, but it is considerably more fragile. Ice Rider Calyrex, another Pokemon fusion, can potentially overcome either Kyurem’s power if given Glacial Lance with absurd enough parameters, despite having less Attack. There is also, of course, the potential of Shadow versions of these Pokemon and the Kyurem fusions themselves.

If Dynamax Kyurem were to arrive, White Kyurem’s kit is more suited for it compared to Black Kyurem’s. Not only can it flex to being an Ice attacker due to its access to Ice Fang, it also has Dragon Breath to charge the meter more quickly on top of being one of the best Dragon attackers in the game. With a massive 310 base Attack stat, White Kyurem has the strongest Max Hailstorm in the game. Both Kyurems possess roughly as much power as Gigantamax Duraludon when it comes to Dragon-type Max Move damage.

Closing

Since GO Tour: Hoenn, Niantic has gone all out on their GO Tour / GO Fest Legendary mascots, and Kyurem is merely the next in line for the royal treatment. The results are chillingly frightening, with both formes of Kyurem poised to dominate BOTH the raid and PvP metas. Despite having identical stats, typing, and the typing of their signature moves, Niantic has succeeded in creating appreciable and tangible roles for both fusions - in both forms of combat too. Dedicated players should try to farm for both formes, but those without as many passes to burn can seek focus on the playstyle that suits them best. White Kyurem is more straightforward and self-sufficient, but Black Kyurem is more flexible and possesses greater potential if it gets around its lack of Ice Fang.