Is Parasect good for Pokemon GO PvP?

With Paras being the subject of interest for Pokemon GO's next Spotlight Hour event, many players are looking at the creature and its evolution, Parasect, with an even closer lens than usual. Players will soon have access to Parasect, which may tempt a few to attempt using it in serious competitive play. However, some may be a bit uneasy about giving it a chance.

As many experienced battlers will know, the transition from a turn-based battling system of the main series into a more action-based live-action battle system provides opportunities for some of the more obscure creatures from the franchise. This article will discuss Parasect in Pokemon GO.

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Why Parasect is not viable in Pokemon GO PvP

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

Parasect has been laughably bad in every game it has featured in, with a small exception being its niche use in the fourth generation of VGC (Video Game Championships). Parasect has an incredibly low stat total. Since its debut, Paras was a Bug-type found fairly early in a playthrough, so it has significantly lower stats than most creatures in the Pokemon games.

In addition to its low stat total, Parasect also possesses one of the worst type combinations in Pokemon GO. The Grass and Bug typing leaves Parasect with a significant number of weaknesses and two double weaknesses, making it a completely unreliable attacker and tank. While most creatures with a lot of weaknesses possess strong attacking stats to compensate, Parasect is lacking in this regard.

Considering how terribly the creature performs in both PvP and PvE content in Pokemon GO, a majority of the playerbase has never put in the resources to maximize their Parasect. Even if they did, this would not fix the core issues with the creature. Without a serious boost to its stat total or better typing, Parasect will never hold a spot in the metagame.

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What are some great Bug-types to use instead of Parasect in Pokemon GO?

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

Almost every fully-evolved Bug-type from the Kanto region is better than Parasect. Even Beedrill can hold its own in the stagnant tier of play that is the Great League. Although still not perfect for battling, even Pinsir and Scyther can do so much more effectively.

In terms of viable Bug-types in Pokemon GO, the two main options that most competitive battlers will know are Araquanid and Galvantula. Unlike Parasect, these creatures have favorable typing and stat totals. Araquanid, in particular, is the most interesting of the bugs thanks to it using its weak defensive primary type to its advantage by combining it with a secondary Water typing.

Due to its resistance to Ice and Ground-type attacks, Araquanid is the long-awaited counter to Walrein that the community has been asking for. Both Ice and Ground are incredibly common attacking types used by Great League metagame staples like Walrein. As such, players in need of a better Bug-type battler should turn their attention to Araquanid instead of focusing on Parasect.