Is Genesect worth using in Pokemon GO?

With Pokemon GO's new Bug Out! event finally here, players have a chance to catch the Mythical Pokemon Genesect through five-star Raid Battles. However, one thing that sets this Pokemon apart from others that players have the chance of encountering is the many different forms that it can come in.

Currently, players have the chance to capture the Chill-Drive form of Genesect. Unlike every other Pokemon that has alternate forms, the alternate forms of Genesect do not drastically change its design or its typing. The only thing that changes with each form is the typing of the signature Techno Blast attack.

However, this attack is much weaker in Pokemon GO. This makes the situation a bit more interesting as Niantic also gives most forms of Genesect a different charged attack as well as Techno Blast. With this, we can begin to analyze Genesect and see if it's worth using in the game.

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A deep dive into Genesect's viability in Pokemon GO

Genesect as it appears in the Pokemon movie (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Each of Genesect's different variants share the same typing of Bug and Steel. This is a great defensive typing that has been responsible for Pokemon like Scizor and Forretress dominating the metagame in the earlier stages of the main series. This is due to the particular combination only being weak to Fire attacks.

Genesect's type is also filled with different resistances to common attacking types like Dragon, Psychic, and Fairy-type attacks. The Steel typing is one of the best in Pokemon GO for this reason. In a battle system like Pokemon GO's, where taking damage is guaranteed, it's important to mitigate as much of it as possible.

Genesect is also great at dishing out damage due to Attack being its highest stat. With an Attack stat of 252, Genesect can punch clean holes through unprepared teams. While its other stats do not give it much ground in terms of bulk, its above-average Defense and Steel typing give it great sustain built right into its kit.

Sadly, this is where all the benefits of Genesect end. While Genesect is not a bad Pokemon on paper, the gimmick of it receiving a new move with each different form rarely gets used, given the lack of the same type attack bonus. The only way around this is to farm resources to unlock the second charged attack slot.

This leaves Genesect as being hardly worth the work players have to put in for it to be viable. This does not mean that it is a bad Pokemon, it just means that Genesect takes a lot of time to become good if players want to use it to its full potential. However, this point only applies to its Drive forms with different types of attacks.

In conclusion, Genesect is not a terrible Pokemon for trainers to use in Pokemon GO. In fact, out of all the Steel and Bug-types, Genesect is easily the best in the Battle League. However, it takes a lot of work to use this Pokemon correctly for those wanting to invest the effort in getting and using one with a Drive form.