Roggenrola or Geodude: Which is a better choice in Pokemon GO?

In Pokemon GO, there is no shortage of Rock-type creatures to catch and use in battle, and two examples can be seen in the forms of Geodude and Roggenrola. Both creatures are relatively unimpressive at first, but evolve into capable species like Golem and Gigalith, respectively. But which of these two Rock-types should trainers prioritize? All signs point to Roggenrola being a better pick.

Although Roggenrola's stats in Pokemon GO are technically inferior to Geodude's, Roggenrola has a better selection of moves. Also, its final evolution Gigalith is considered an improvement over Golem, Geodude's last evolution. However, for a closer look, it doesn't hurt to examine why Roggenrola is a better option over Geodude.

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Why Roggenrola is a better pick than Geodude in Pokemon GO

Roggenrola ultimately has more to offer than Geodude in Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Before diving too deeply into why Roggenrola is a better option than Geodude in Pokemon GO, it's worth taking a look at both of these Pokemon's stats and learnable Fast and Charged Moves:

Pokemon	Base Stats	Learnable Fast Moves	Learnable Charged Moves
Roggenrola	121 Atk 110 Def 146 Sta 1,362 Max CP	Tackle Smack Down	Bulldoze Rock Blast Stone Edge Power Gem
Geodude	132 Atk 132 Def 120 Sta 1,462 Max CP	Tackle Rock Throw	Dig Rock Slide Rock Tomb Return (After Purification from a Shadow Form)

Based on the information above, Geodude has better base stats than Roggenrola in Pokemon GO, but the latter's moves like Smack Down, Bulldoze, and Stone Edge outclass Geodude's like Rock Throw and Dig.

However, trainers aren't likely to use Geodude or Roggenrola on their own in their unevolved forms, which is where a comparison between Gigalith and Golem is required.

Pokemon	Base Stats	Learnable Fast Moves	Learnable Charged Moves
Gigalith	226 Atk 201 Def 198 Sta 3,650 Max CP	Mud Slap Smack Down	Rock Slide Solar Beam Superpower Heavy Slam Meteor Beam
Golem	211 Atk 192 Def 190 Sta 3,334 Max CP	Mud Slap Mud Shot Rock Throw	Rock Blast Stone Edge Earthquake Ancient Power Return (After Purification from a Shadow Form)

Although Golem does get some pretty great moves post-evolution in Pokemon GO, Gigalith retains quality moves; it also has better stats than Golem in every measurable category. Moreover, Gigalith has access to attacks like Heavy Slam (Steel-type), Superpower (Fighting-type), and Solar Beam (Grass-type), giving it the ability to counter more opponent types in Pokemon GO.

None of this is to say that Golem is terrible, as it can be a decent fighter, particularly in Ultra League PvP. However, its stats and maximum CP hold it back significantly in various battle formats, including Great/Master League PvP as well as higher-end PvE raids. Meanwhile, Gigalith doesn't suffer from some of the same limits.

Gigalith has multiple advantages over Golem in GO battles (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Gigalith isn't a world-beater in every battle format, but it's considered to be a better raiding option while also having niche applications in every major PvP format. It's certainly a better PvE fighter. Gigalith is nonetheless a better pick over Golem, which, by extension, makes Roggenrola a better overall option compared to Geodude.

Even though Gigalith requires more candy to be obtained via evolution, both it and Golem can be obtained for free by trading a Boldore or a Graveler, respectively. Since both these Pokemon can be obtained via trade evolution for no candy, the difference in the candy cost isn't all that significant. This seals the deal for Roggenrola as the better overall option for trainers to have in Pokemon GO.