Malamar is the evolved form of Inkay, and the Pokémon is making its debut in Pokémon Go’s Psychic Spectacular event. In it, Inkay will rarely appear in the wild, but it will likely show up in raids and field research tasks. For players who are lucky enough to catch enough Inkay to evolve into Malamar, this Pokémon is an interesting choice for the Great and Ultra Leagues. This guide details how Malamar is good and how to best use it in Pokémon Go.
Malamar is a Dark and Psychic-type Pokémon. It will be weak against Bug and Fairy-type moves, but it is resistant against Psychic-type attacks. You have to be extra careful when using it because it’s only resistant to one type of attack, especially with how weak it is to Bug-type moves. There are not too many Fairy-types you need to worry about in Pokémon Go, but there are a lot more Bug-type Pokémon and moves floating around the game. If Malamar is cornered by a Pokémon that has access to this attack, you’re in trouble.
When you use Malamar in PvP, it has a maximum CP of 2,359, an attack of 151, a defense of 142, and a stamina of 162. It can do well in both the Great and Ultra Leagues. It will use the same moveset where it uses the fast move psycho cut, and then the charged moves superpower and foul play. It’s a solid attacker with the highest defenses but has a good amount of stamina to remain alive pretty decently in a fight. With the correct combination, you can expect to see it frequently in future PvP encounters.
It will likely serve the role as a Lead, Switch, or Closer Pokémon. It can essentially be in any position in your Pokémon roster, depending on the team you use. Of the three choices, it’s a stronger Lead and Closer Pokémon because of its decent bulk, especially if you want to use it in the Ultra League, and it has XL candy.
Overall, Malamar is a highly recommended choice that will not break any records or change the Pokémon Go PvP meta. But it’s going to be a reliable choice if you ever use it. You do have to be watchful for any Bug-type Pokémon, though.
