How to evolve Paras into Parasect in Pokemon GO

Thanks to Paras' recent Spotlight Hour in Pokemon GO, many trainers have caught the Mushroom Pokemon in the game.

Paras evolves into the Grass/Bug-type, Parasect. For the price of 50 candies, players can initiate their Paras' evolution into Parasect, complete with all the stats and CP improvements that the evolution comes with.

But what happens once Pokemon GO trainers have Parasect? Does it have any utility in battle?

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Pokemon GO: Parasect's battle capability breakdown

Officer Jenny's Parasect in the Pokemon anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Sadly, Parasect's battle capabilities in Pokemon GO are about as limited as they are in other titles in the franchise.

It may have some upside in PvE battles like gyms and Team GO Rocket battles, but it simply doesn't have the stats to compete with many other Pokemon.

Parasect's Bug/Grass typing also makes it highly susceptible to Fire and Flying-type moves. It is doubly weak to both elements. The Pokemon is also weak to four other elements (Bug, Ice, Poison, and Rock), making its glaring frailty even more apparent.

Parasect can play a very small role in Pokemon GO battles using moves such as Fury Cutter, X-Scissor, or Solar Beam. However, it would have to go up against opponents that are either at its level or below when it comes to stats and CP.

While some trainers may be willing to use Parasect in Pokemon GO, it's likely more out of a desire to prove a point than anything else. To put it plainly, there are too many Pokemon of both the Bug and Grass typing that do their jobs far better than Parasect.

Trainers who are looking for Bug-type Pokemon that can fill a role similar to Parasect have several options.

Scizor and Pinsir sport high offensive capabilities, and Pokemon such as Heracross provide unique type combinations such as Bug/Fighting.

Leavanny provides the same Bug/Grass typing but sports more reliable Grass-type moves such as Razor Leaf. Of course, trainers can also pick the incredibly powerful Genesect, which can change its moveset depending on the Drive that it is using.

All in all, unless Niantic makes a change to it, Parasect is little more than a Pokedex entry. Yes, it's better than Paras, but that doesn't really say much in the grand scheme of things.

In fact, Paras actually has more viability in certain limited-time PvP cups, so some trainers may argue that it is more useful than its evolution.