What is the best moveset for Lopunny in Pokemon GO? (January 2023)

Lopunny is a Normal-type Pocket Monster in Pokemon GO and is the final evolved form of Buneary. However, it is also capable of Mega Evolution (into a Normal/Fighting-type) when it receives enough Mega Energy from its trainer.

In most situations, the non-mega-evolved iteration of Lopunny isn't much of a fighter. It can perform in PvE and PvP but tends to do better in specialty PvP formats like specialty cups.

Whatever the case, if a Pokemon GO trainer wants to use Lopunny in battle, they'll want to set it up for success. Since its stats aren't the best, the creature requires an optimized moveset to deal respectable damage before its opponent can defeat it.

However, it's important to note that Lopunny's ideal moveset in Pokemon GO differs depending on the arena it's entering.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinions of the writer

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Optimizing Lopunny's PvP and PvE movesets in Pokemon GO

Lopunny's combat capabilities vastly improve upon mega evolving (Image via Niantic)

Since Lopunny doesn't have much going for it when it comes to its stats (though its max defense is decent), it needs to make up for it with solid move choices. This will ensure it can still deal damage before it sustains too much itself.

Many opponents in Pokemon GO can outclass Lopunny, but this is exactly why the Rabbit Pokemon can thrive in some specialty cups in PvP. Many of these specialty formats limit CP or elemental types, giving the Pocket Monster an improved chance of success.

Optimized movesets for Lopunny in Pokemon GO

• PvE - Double Kick and Fire Punch or Double Kick and Focus Blast
• PvP - Double Kick, Fire Punch, and Fire Blast

These builds provide Lopunny with adequate damage output. Adding Fire Punch to the moveset gives it the ability to take on additional type matchups in both PvE and PvP.

As a Normal-type Pokemon in Pokemon GO, Lopunny's only real elemental weakness is Fighting-type foes. However, it doesn't have much in the way of countering them in its current learnable collection of moves. Be that as it may, Fire Punch at least offers it the capability to take on Bug, Grass, Ice, and Steel-type foes.

While Hyper Beam may seem like an enticing option for Lopunny since it receives a Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) to its damage, the move requires a substantial amount of energy generation.

Unfortunately for Lopunny, its relative lack of durability in battle means that it has an uphill battle on its hands to charge and fire off Hyper Beam once. By the time the attack successfully fires, it may not be capable of charging up again, limiting its utility in most battle formats.

At the very least, Pokemon GO players can depend on Focus Blast for a heavy-hitting nuke-type move. Granted, it has an energy cost that's only 10 points lower than Hyper Beam. However, this small difference can be pretty significant when it comes to dealing respectable damage per energy points committed.

The stat reduction after attacking with Focus Blast means players will want to use it wisely to avoid leaving Lopunny in an unfavorable situation.