If you want a sturdy, steadfast combatant in Pokémon Go, look no further than Slaking. While it is a Normal-type Pokémon, it has some fairly hearty defenses that make it a useful pick, but you have to be careful about it. It’s only weak to Fighting-type Pokémon and only strong against Ghost-types. Because of its overall CP, you want to use it in the Master League, rather than the other two, and it probably fares better in the Premier Cup. To optimize your choice, you also need to consider the best moveset for Slaking.
Slaking is a Normal-type Pokémon. It’s only weak to Fighting-type moves and resistant to Ghost-type attacks. It has a maximum CP of 4,431, an attack of 241, a defense of 143, and stamina of 236. It may not have the best defense, but it’s a steadfast choice, and its overall attack is instrumental in making it a powerful force.
Here are all of the moves Slaking can learn.
Fast moves
- Yawn (Normal-type) – 0 damage and 3 energy per turn
Charge moves
- Body Slam (Normal-type) – 60 damage and 35 energy
- Earthquake (Ground-type) – 120 damage and 65 energy
- Hyper Beam (Normal-type) – 150 damage and 80 energy
- Play Rough (Fairy-type) – 90 damage and 60 energy
Slaking only has one choice for its fast move, and that’s yawn. The worst part is it does no damage, so you’ll have to rely entirely on Slaking’s charge moves, which means you have to choose if you want to use this Pokémon to remove an opponent’s shields or you want to use it after both are gone.
For its charge moves, the best choice, hands down, is body slam, which is the move it learns on its community day. Slaking’s best move is its hardest to get unless you’re willing to use an Elite Charged TM to assure you get it. Regarding the other choices, hyper beam costs too much to be useful, and play rough is on par with earthquake in terms of energy, but earthquake costs five less for 30 more damage, making it a much more worthwhile choice.
While Slaking won’t ever exceed expectations as a standout option in every roster, it allows you to be creative with it. The best moveset will be yawn for its fast move, and body slam and earthquake for its charge moves. Giving it XL candy will make it even more powerful if you have the chance, especially in the Master League or its Premier Cup.
