5 most powerful Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO, ranked

Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO are not only some of the most unique creatures in the mobile game, but they also have a deep history with the franchise. Shadow Pokemon are monsters that were once ordinary Pokemon, but they have had their emotions removed by the villainous Cipher organization, turning them into powerful fighting machines.

However, through unknown means, Giovanni and the new incarnation of Team Rocket have rediscovered ways to produce Shadow Pokemon and distributed them to the many Team GO Rocket grunts that players encounter. Over the years, there have been a few Shadow Pokemon that have proven to me much better than the rest. Here is a list of five such creatures.

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Pokemon GO's 5 best Shadow Pokemon

5) Tyranitar

Tyranitar as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Tyranitar is a fan favorite and has been popular since its debut in the second generation of the main series in 1999. Being a Pseudo-Legendary, its base form, Larvitar, is incredibly difficult to get, with most players having the best luck when hatching one from an egg. However, when Shadow Larvitar was released in one of the many Team Rocket Takeover events, players knew the potential it held.

Upon fully evolving, Shadow Tyranitar proves to be very much worth the effort to obtain. Having a potent offensive type combination in Rock and Dark, Tyranitar was already one of the best offensive choices for a raid battler, and it has only gotten stronger after receiving the shadow bonus. It also boasts a high max combat power score of 3834.

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4) Ursaluna

Official artwork of Ursaluna for Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

One of the newer additions to the mobile game, Ursaluna has proven to be not only a valuable asset in the main series but the spin-off as well. Thanks to its great Ground and Normal typing and very bulky stat spread, Ursaluna has become one of the best monsters for both Raid Battles and competitive play.

It takes some jumping through hoops to get Ursaluna in Pokemon GO. You must first have an Ursaring, and you then have to wait for a full moon. On this occasion, you can evolve it into Ursaluna using 100 Teddiursa candies. If you manage to collect the shadow variant of this creature, it will prove to be quite the superstar. Shadow Ursaluna clocks in with a massive combat power max of 3854.

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3) Ho-oh

Ho-oh as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Ho-oh is one of the first Legendary Pokemon to be associated with Shadow Pokemon. Back in the day, players who collected and purified all of the Shadow Pokemon available in Pokemon Colosseum were rewarded with a Ho-oh. Shadow Ho-oh was also featured as the main spotlight creature for the Johto Pokemon GO tour event.

Shadow Ho-oh makes an offensive Legendary Pokemon even better. Although it does receive a bit of a debuff on the defensive side of the spectrum, Ho-oh was always better in Raid Battles, and this improves its performance even further. Shadow Ho-oh boasts a potent max combat power of 3863.

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2) Garchomp

Garchomp as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Much like Tyranitar, Garchomp is another beloved Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon. However, Garchomp is a much more versatile and potent choice than Tyranitar, thanks to its more well-rounded typing of Ground and Dragon. For this reason, Garchomp is not only great in raids but also proves to be very consistent in the competitive Battle League.

Although it cannot be found very commonly in the wild, those who still have access to their Shadow Gible or Gabite in Pokemon GO may want to put in the effort to get the last few candies they need to fully evolve it. Shadow Garchomp boasts an impressive maximum of 3962 combat power.

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1) Mewtwo

Mewtwo as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

As a surprise to no one, Mewtwo takes the spot of being the best Shadow Pokemon in all of Pokemon GO. With it being the first Shadow Legendary in the mobile spin-off, fans everywhere hold Shadow Mewtwo in high regard, and for good reason.

The shadow variant has all of the benefits of standard Mewtwo—a good moveset, impressive stats, and decent typing defensively. Mewtwo could really only improve when receiving its shadow form, and as such, this variant is still one of the most talked about Shadow Pokemon of all time. Shadow Mewtwo possesses an amazing max combat power of 4178.