Pokemon GO Espeon PvP and PvE guide: Best moveset, counters, and more

Yu hi he bngThe recent release of the Out to Play event in Pokemon GO has driven up player interest in the Eevee family of evolutions once again. Thanks to a stark increase in the amount of spawns for the monster, you can finally grind for the remaining candies to get the evolution you want for your battling party.

One of the evolutions you may consider using is the Pschic-type Espeon. It is one of the older members of the Eevee family, debuting in the second generation of the franchise.

Despite being known for its strong psychic powers, is Espeon good enough in Pokemon GO?

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Is Espeon good in Pokemon GO PvP?

The unfortunate truth about Espeon is that the pick is terribly built for the current state of Pokemon GO's meta. With bulky monsters being key, glass cannons like Espeon have very little value in the Great League.

However, it gets significantly better in the Ultra and Master Leagues. This is thanks to the pick having much more favorable match-ups here, as well as the capability to unleash its full potential with maxed out IVs.

Espeon's greatest asset is its access to Shadow Ball. This one Ghost-type attack grants it the potential to deal with some of the biggest threats in Ultra and Master League, while also having its native Psychic typing in its wider moveset, granting it a vast net of favorable offensive match-ups. Trevenant, Venusaur, and Buzzwole are three examples of its best match-ups.

Those looking to use Espeon competitively should take a moveset of Confusion, Psychic Fang, and Shadow Ball. These not only grants the pick a great balance of both coverage and damage, but also makes the creature a great spam user, allowing it to easily bait out an opponent's shields.

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Is Espeon good in Pokemon GO PvE?

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

Giving players the choice to choose their fights does Espeon a lot of favors in terms of its viability. The pick suffers from having an awkward stat spread for Pokemon GO's live-action battling system, but does very well in terms of its offensive prowess. This makes it ideal in raids where it has the type advantage.

Espeon's glass cannon stat spread leaves it virtually useless for defending gyms. In these scenarios, creatures that possess a strong stamina and defense stat are preferred as they can defend these gym locations for longer, netting more Pokecoins.

This means using Espeon for defending gyms is very counterproductive.

Those who still want to use Espeon for PvE should take a moveset comprised of Confusion and Psychic.

This particular combination will provide Espeon with the Psychic-type damage it needs to be useful. However, its weak defenses and bulk could mean that it will only see much use either right at the start of a Raid Battle, or right at the end as a closer.