Best moveset for Lilligant in Pokemon GO

With Pokemon GO's next event, Glittering Garden, just a few days away, the community has begun to focus on the creatures arriving during the event. This has brought attention to the Pokemon leading the dance, Lilligant. Debuting in the fifth generation of the franchise, Lilligant's on-and-off appearances in the competitive scene leave many to wonder if this creature is truly good.

Since Pokemon GO is a different beast compared to the main series, a lot of lesser-seen creatures have surprisingly found their way to being metagame staples in the mobile spin-off. So what about Lilligant? Is it worth keeping around for PvE or competitive play, or can players overlook this critter?

---

Is Lilligant good in Pokemon GO PvP?

Lilligant's Pokedex picture in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In short, Lilligant is terrible. While most other fully-evolved Grass-types at least have some niche carved out to get some play in the lower tiers, Lilligant is not usable competitively and in Pokemon GO's Raid Battles. While this may come as a surprise to those who remember it from the main series, a close look at the differences between the main games and the spin-off holds the answer.

Lilligant was great in the main series thanks to its utility and high speed. In the sun, it could inflict all kinds of debuffs on opponents while draining their health using the passive effects of Leech Seed. However, utility and speed are two traits Niantic stripped from the franchise when making Pokemon GO's battle system.

As such, this has left a lot of creatures completely unusable, with Lilligant being one of the worst affected.

---

What moves work best on Lilligant in Pokemon GO?

For the daring few that still want to give Lilligant a try in the competitive battling scene, there are some moves that should be considered. For a fast attack, Lilligant can use either Charm or Hidden Power. Finding one with Hidden Power Grass will give it the perfect blend of damage and energy generation, but Charm is known for being the strongest fast attack in the game.

As such, since Lillligant will not last long in a battle anyways, taking Charm would be the better choice unless there is a certain special cup where conditions are better for the creature. For charged attacks, Lilligant's options start to fall short. The creature has access to Petal Blizzard, Hyper Beam, or Solar Beam.

However, most Lilligants in the competitive scene run a combination of charged attacks: Petal Blizzard and Hyper Beam. While some would think Solar Beam would be the better option, Hyper Beam does best for Lilligant's coverage. Since Normal-type attacks like Hyper Beam hit most types for neutral damage, it would do well in neutral matchups.