The best moveset for Mightyena in Pokemon GO

Mightyena is one of the most versatile Pokemon in Pokemon GO.

This Dark-type is best known for being spammed by every Team Aqua and Team Magma grunt in Generation III.

Despite the “mighty” in its name, Mightyena has never been much of a threat. With all the moves it has available, though, it is one of the more fun options to use in the game.

Note: This article reflects the opinions of the writer

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Which moves should Mightyena be using in Pokemon GO?

Perhaps the biggest appeal that Mightyena has for trainers is its ability to use all three elemental fangs. Thunder Fang, Fire Fang and Ice Fang are all great fast moves that charge a great 10 EPS in PvP.

However, the challenge is choosing the right one. Each of these moves counter at least a couple of threats in Great League. The move that counters the most threats, though, is likely Fire Fang.

Great League is teeming with strong Steel-types at the moment. Galarian Stunfisk, Skarmory and Registeel are all running amok. While Steel-types don’t directly resist Dark-types, their high defense stats can easily wall out a Pokemon with as small an Attack stat as Mightyena (171).

It’s unlikely that Mightyena can win the 1v1 against these Steel-types normally, so this is why Fire Fang is preferred. Thunder Fang deserves consideration, though, for beating Jellicent and Walrein.

Mightyena can learn all three elemental fangs (Image via The Pokemon Company)

As for the charge move, the no-brainer option would be Crunch. With an energy cost of only 45, Mightyena can have this move ready to go in only a couple of seconds. 70 base power is also decent for a move with that energy cost. It can deal great damage to annoyances like Jellicent and Trevenant.

The move that most Mightyena players will want to pair with Crunch would be Poison Fang. This is because although Poison Fang has a really small damage output, it will debuff the enemy’s Defense by one stage.

Applying this debuff makes the rest of Mightyena’s moveset even stronger. Some foes might get KOed by a Crunch after their Defense drops. It also might be helpful for Poison Fang to hit Steel-types to make Fire Fangs even more deadly (thankfully, there are no immunities in the mobile game).

Since it doesn’t apply any debuff, Play Rough really isn’t worth the 60 energy for Mightyena to use. This move would be more relevant in Ultra League, where more Dragons are flying around. However, that league is way too competitive for Mightyena.