The best moveset for Melmetal in Pokemon GO

Melmetal, a Pokemon created in celebration of Pokemon GO, certainly packs a powerful punch.

With both a 226 Attack stat and 264 Stamina stat, Melmetal can be both a defensive presence and a damage dealer at the same time. Its capabilities allow it to compete with Master League threats like Giratina Origin and Lugia. Melmetal has reached the top of the Master League rankings on PvPoke, making it a great Pokemon to add to any team.

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Optimal moveset for high-ranking Master League Pokemon

Melmetal is one of the most sought-after Pokemon in Master league (Image via Niantic)

Trainers shouldn’t have too much trouble deciding which quick move should go on Melmetal: it only learns Thundershock. That being said, Thundershock is an excellent fast option (600 ms) that out speeds other quick moves. It may be somewhat lacking in the damage department, but it makes up for it by charging 13.3 EPS.

Whereas Melmetal’s quick move options are limited, this Pokemon has several charge moves to choose from. Selecting a charge move will likely depend on how the trainer wants to use Melmetal.

A trainer who wants to use Melmetal in raids might want to teach it Flash Cannon to have a Steel-type STAB move. Unfortunately, since Melmetal doesn't have a Steel-type quick move to pair with, it will lag behind other Steel-type attackers.

This creates a Catch 22: trainers could pair Thunderbolt with Thundershock to make an Electric-type attacker, but Melmetal won’t have STAB. Either way, Melmetal is more useful in PvP than in Raid battles.

In PvP, specifically Master League, Melmetal should rock Rock Slide and Superpower. Rock Slide is a solid move in general, with a low energy cost and sound damage output. This move also allows Melmetal to surprise Ho-oh and Shadow Moltres.

Superpower, naturally, takes a tad bit longer to charge. This can take care of Dialga, though, which is a significant threat to handle. Due to its Steel and Dragon typing, Dialga doesn’t have many weaknesses outside of Ground and Fighting. This is why being able to hit it with Superpower is so valuable.