Is Salamence worth using in Pokemon GO?

The name Salamence is usually enough to strike fear in the hearts of trainers. The Pokemon is usually a key encounter for trainers in the main series games. Players usually roam through Meteor Falls in Hoenn or search Route 1 in Alola to find a Bagon and evolve it into this powerhouse. However, Pokemon that perform well in the main series don’t always translate to the mobile game.

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Which moves work best on the Dragon Pokemon Salamence?

Salamence is one of the several pseudodragon Pokemon from the series, joining the likes of Dragonite and Garchomp. Naturally, it often gets compared to these other pseudolegendary Dragons.

Statistically, Salamance can give the other dragons a run for their money. It boasts a sky-high 277 Attack stat. Its defense may not be too impressive, but it is bolstered with a 216 Stamina stat. Usually, this translates to Salamence having enough bulk to absorb more hits than one might expect.

Its typing is also great. Dragon and Flying give Salamence key resistances to types like Grass and Water. The only bad thing about this combination is that it takes 4x damage from Ice-type moves.

Due to its enormous Attack stat, Salamence is one of the best Raid boss slayers in the game. Even though Dragons are also weak to Fairy and Ice, opposing Dragons usually end up dealing the most DPS in these matchups, and Salamence can often be found at the top of these Raid counter rankings (especially Shadow Salamence).

Salamence is great at countering Raid bosses (Image via Pokeaimmd YouTube)

This is why the best moveset for Salamence is often Dragon Tail and Outrage. Both these moves deal some of the highest DPS to opposing dragons, so it's great to use against Raids like Garchomp and Rayquaza.

Trainers also mostly end up using Salamence as a Raid boss slayer because it’s not all that great in PvP. Salamence has lots of power, but it lacks bulk and does not have a move with a low energy cost. All of its attacks (Fire Blast, Draco Meteor, Hydro Pump) require a lot of energy to use.

As a result, the bottom line is that trainers should be using Salamence if they are looking for a weapon against strong Raid bosses. If trainers want a PvP Dragon, they may want to pass up on Salamence and opt for a Dragonite or a Rayquaza instead.