What is the best moveset for Haxorus in Pokemon GO?

Thanks to Pokemon GO's Axew Community Day event on June 10, 2023, plenty of trainers have been able to obtain Haxorus, Axew's final evolution. Even more intriguing is the fact that players who did so through evolution also obtained a Haxorus with a new Charged Move in the form of Breaking Swipe.

While that's all well and good, trainers may be wondering just how good Haxorus is in battle and if the inclusion of Breaking Swipe improves its battle capabilities. In certain respects, the answer is yes, particularly in PvE environments where Haxorus can thrive with a pure Dragon-type moveset.

Although PvE is one thing, there's still the matter of Haxorus' PvP viability in Pokemon GO, and trainers will want to outfit this Dragon-type with the right moveset depending on which arena it's battling in.

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What is Haxorus' best moveset in Pokemon GO PvE?

Since Haxorus is a mono Dragon-type Pokemon, it benefits the most in PvE from fighting with a Dragon-type moveset. This is because of the in-game Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB), which increases damage output when a move's type is the same as its user. Haxorus also benefits from a nice collection of Dragon-type moves.

It's advised to use Dragon Tail and Breaking Swipe when using Haxorus in Pokemon GO's PvE environments, like raids, gym attacks, or Team GO Rocket battles. Although Breaking Swipe doesn't hit quite as hard in gyms and raids (35 power compared to 50 in trainer battles), it has a relatively low energy cost.

If you didn't access Breaking Swipe during Axew's Community Day, you can still utilize Dragon Tail and Dragon Claw at the very least. Dragon Tail serves as a great way to deal consistent DPS and earn energy, and Dragon Claw has a base power of 50 in both PvP and PvE, with a solid energy cost of 35.

The debuff to attack stats that Breaking Swipe provides to Haxorus' opponents in Pokemon GO (in trainer battles) is preferred, but not every trainer had the chance to snag the move during the Community Day, so you may have to make do with Dragon Claw until you have a chance to acquire Breaking Swipe elsewhere.

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What is Haxorus' best moveset in Pokemon GO PvP?

When most Pocket Monsters enter Pokemon GO PvP, they tend to need to diversify their movesets. This is due to the many different opponents that you encounter in GO Battle League, which are tougher to predict compared to PvE raid bosses or Team GO Rocket teams.

You have a few options in PvP for Haxorus, but you'll want to key in on the two selected Charged Moves, Breaking Swipe and Night Slash. From here, you can either give Haxorus the Fast Move Counter or Dragon Tail, depending on your preference and the current state of the format's meta that Haxorus is participating in.

Counter possesses a lower base damage per second compared to Dragon Tail and also doesn't receive STAB. Despite this, it is a Fighting-type move that should allow Haxorus to deal super effective damage to Normal, Dark, Ice, Rock, and Steel-type opponents, which may prove more useful than Dragon Tail.

On the flip side, Dragon Tail serves Haxorus well in Pokemon GO PvP, much like it does in PvE. It doesn't have the type coverage of Counter, but it does receive STAB and deals more damage while also generating quality energy sums. The final decision ultimately depends on your preference and who you're facing.