Best moveset for Drifblim in Pokemon GO

With Drifloon's Spotlight Hour in Pokemon GO arriving soon, many trainers may be wondering if its evolution, Drifblim is worth using in competitive play. When considering a Pokemon for Pokemon GO's Battle League, knowing that Pokemon's best moveset is the first step to using it correctly,

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Drifblim in Pokemon GO: An analysis

Drifblim is a Ghost and Flying-type Pokemon; this is a typing unique to Drifblim in Pokemon GO. While this typing gives Drifblim a lot of weaknesses, it gives it way more resistances as well. Drifblim is weak to Rock, Electric, Ice, Dark, as well as other Ghost-type attacks; Drifblim is resistant against Poison, Grass, Normal, Ground, Bug, and Fighting-type attacks.

Drifblim made its debut in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl for the Nintendo DS (Image via Niantic)

Drifblim's stat spread indicates that it is best suited to be a bulky defender Pokemon used to bait out the opponent's power shields with its charged attacks as well as outlasting the opposing Pokemon. Drifblim has an attack of 180, a defence of 102, and a monstrous stamina stat of 312.

For fast attacks, Drifblim has access to one of two Ghost-type moves. Between Astonish and Hex, Hex is the obvious choice as not only does it deal more damage with each use, it also deals move damage per second as well as generating the most energy every second. Running Astonish on Drifblim only cripples its battling capabilities.

Drifblim's charged attacks in Pokemon GO are also rather bland. While it has access to two Ghost-type attacks, it also has access to Icy Wind, an Ice-type attack. Sadly, Drifblim's moveset does not leave very much room for creativity as it very clearly has one good charged attack. Shadow Ball has almost double the damage output total of Ominous Wind, its other Ghost-type charged attack.

Oddly enough, one thing Drifblim lacks is any sort of Flying-type attack in Pokemon GO. While most Pokemon with two types have an option to run both types of attacks at the very least, Drifblim lacks that capability. While having a Flying-type attack would not provide Drifblim with any protection against its weaknesses, it would provide a coverage option with boosted damage.

This problem remains consistent with Drifblim even in the main series of Pokemon games. Drifblim learns six Flying-type moves in the main series. Only two of these can be learned naturally through levelling up, and to make things worse, only one of these attacks deal damage. Drifblim only knows Gust, a base 40 damage Flying-type attack, and Tailwind, a status move that boosts the speed of its teammates.

In summary, for players looking to use Drifblim in Pokemon GO, Hex and Shadow Ball are the best moves to have for it. Drifblim is also best used as a defensive tank that can stall out its opponents.