The 10 Best Pokemon GO Pokemon In The Game : Gym Raid, July 2017

This week we're running down the best Pokemon for attacking Raid Pokemon here in July of 2017. Of course the "Best Pokemon" in Pokemon GO is the Pokemon the user is most attached to – it's all subjective. But on the objective side of the equation comes attacks, HP, and both strengths and weaknesses. Each Pokemon has a unique set of these elements, and there can indeed be a "BEST POKEMON IN THE GAME" if we set ourselves some rules.

The list you'll see below starts at the lest of these 10 and ramps up to the best. The order in which these Pokemon are listed is based on the number of times they appear on the lists of best attackers for Raid Battles using the PokeBattler calculator system. They seek out the most powerful moves, timing, HP, and both Pokemon Type weaknesses and strengths, and match them up between each Pokemon pair.

The start of this list includes mostly Pokemon that are best against Tier 1 Raid Battles. These battles can mostly be won by one or just a few trainers at once. As such, the results of these first few list entries should seem fairly obvious.

The bull-like Pokemon Rhydon is on this list primarily for its strength against two of the three 3rd-gen Legendary Pokemon Entei and Raikou (but not Suicune). The only Pokemon that's better in this position is Golem – but we'll get to that monster later. Rhydon is also decent against Blissey (in all cases) as well as other Raid Pokemon, but specifically great against these Legendary Beasts

Jolteon is one of – if not THE – best Electric Type Pokemon in Pokemon GO. This electric puppydog (Eevee evolution) rolls especially hard against Blastoise and Lapras – if you can find one. See more on our Eevee Evolutions guide to find out where to get one of these zap-happy monsters.

To attain a Scizor, the user must first have a Scyther. The Scyther can only be evolved using Pokemon candy and a special item called Metal Coat. Scizor is downright decent against any Pokemon it's not weak against, but it's on this list for its appearance on the top attackers list for three of the biggest and baddest Pokemon in the game: Celebi, Mew, and Mewtwo.

Dragonite has been a top pick in most cases for battles under almost any conditions since the start of the game. This monster is on this list because of its strength against Raid Bosses like Snorlax, Venusaur, and Blissey (when the time comes, that is). Basically every tier 1 and 2 Pokemon can be beaten down to size with a Dragonite or two, too.

Easily the strangest looking Pokemon from Gen 1, Exeggutor has the ability to skull-stomp basically any water-type and/or rock-type Pokemon. In this case, that means Blastoise, Lapras, and Rhydon – not to mention Blissey.

Gengar brings heat to every tier 1 or 2 Raid Boss, and can be used to back up a team taking on several Legendary / Mythic Pokemon./ That includes Celebi, Mewtwo, Mew (especially Mew), Lugia, and Entei. Gengar is also a Raid Boss – so don't miss the opportunity to take this boss out and capture afterward. Gengar's own worst enemies are Snorlax, Tyranitar, Blissey, and Houndoom – don't discount the devil dog!

Once it became apparent that Machamp was effective against Blissey, nabbing every single Machop in the universe became our goal. Now that Raid Bosses are around, it should come as no surprise that Machamp is ready for some wraslin'. Machamp is top-notch effective against Lapras, Snorlax, and Tyranitar, too.

If Pokemon were real, Omastar would fairly easily be the most nightmarish of monsters. As it stands, this water-type Pokemon displaces Vaporeon as the greatest of the aqua team, just so long as it's not using water, oddly. So long as the opposing Pokemon isn't primarily ground, electric, grass, or fighting-type, Omastar shines as a mix of water and rock-type Pokemon. Pokemon beaten down by Omastar include Charizard, Lapras, Ho-oh, Articuno, and Moltres.

This dinosaur of a Pokemon looks like it's the most powerful creature in the game largely because it – in most cases – is. Believe it or not, though, there is one Pokemon that kicks Tyranitar down to second place because of its extra-wide versatility. Tyranitar is good against Charizard and any tier 1 or 2 Raid Boss. Tyranitar is also in the top-4 list of almost every single Legendary and Mythical Pokemon in the game, save Suicune.

At long last, the most evolved form of Geodude is prepared to shine. This Indiana Jones-crushing Megaton Pokemon is both Ground and Rock type, and is most effective against Charizard and every tier 1 and 2 Raid Boss. Golem is also the number one most effective Pokemon against the following: Ho-oh, Entei, Raikou, Articuno, Zapados, and Moltres. No bird can fly against Golem and get away unscathed! None except Lugia, that is.

Don't take this list as an end-all, be-all of best Pokemon in Pokemon GO. Just take it that way until we release another list. This topmost excellent Pokemon list is based primarily on the functionality of these monsters in Raid Battles, the most exciting sort of battles available to the public right now. Once Legendary Raid Bosses and Mythical Raid Bosses are released and if the way they work is different from those of non-Mythic and non-Legendary Pokemon, this entire list might end up flipping upside-down and inside-out!

For more Pokemon GO action in the meantime, have a peek at our @TeamPokemonGO Twitter portal. There we've got early news, leaks, tips, and the most memes – all the gifs and many pics, too.