Best teams for Mightyena in Pokemon GO

Mightyena frequently comes to Pokemon GO during the month of October, as it is one of the Pocket Monsters that fit the Halloween aesthetic. Mightyena and Houndoom are both seen as seasonal "evil dogs” due to their Dark typings and menacing designs. Houdoom usually sees more attention, but some players may want to use Mightyena in the competitive Battle League to give it a fair chance.

As these trainers will soon find out, this is much easier said than done. Using Mightyena effectively in the format may be incredibly difficult to do, but proper team support will make things much easier.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the opinions of the writer

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Is Mightyena good in Pokemon GO PvP?

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

Mightyena is terrible for the current state of Pokemon GO's meta. Having a low combat power total and bulk, the creature cannot be in battle long enough for players to use its amazing coverage options. Having access to every elemental fang aside from Psychic Fangs, the Pocket Monster has amazing potential but cannot express it due to its lack of decent bulk.

Trainers may not be able to tell from just looking at its stats, but Mightyena has not made much of an impact following the power creep of the Great League. The introduction of Carbink, a Fairy- and Rock-type tank, has completely removed any chance for Mightyena to make any sort of comeback in the league. Its low combat power total also keeps it from branching off into other formats.

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Best team for Mightyena in Pokemon GO's Great League

Official artwork for Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

Mightyena's damage output in the Great League is not terrible, but it is in need of some serious team support.

Medicham should lead the fight, as it is amazing in the meta and lays down serious pressure in the early game. Lickitung has great bulk and decent coverage options, making it a great follow-up to Medicham.

Mightyena can serve this composition as the closer. A creature that can excel in a fight once all the shields have been used, Mightyena's potent damage from Poison Fang and Crunch should be enough to take out most Fairy- and Ghost-type foes it could encounter in the Great League.

Sadly, since Mightyena's combat power maxes out around 1,900, it is unusable in both the Ultra and Master Leagues.

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How to make Mightyena better in Pokemon GO

Niantic has tried to give Mightyena a chance in the Battle League by giving it a Shadow form. While this form provides the creature with stronger damage output, it does very little to give it much survivability. Though it is unlikely that the Pocket Monster will receive such a balancing change, it would help it considerably.

A good place to start would be to even out Mightyena's stats a bit more. While its highest stat is stamina, it does very little with its pitiful defense stat. As such, giving it an extra 20 points in defense, up to 152, could be the boost in bulk it needs to be a little more viable in Pokemon GO.