Top 5 Worst Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO

Legendary Pokemon are considered to be some of the best and most sought after in Pokemon GO. However, with over 900 Pokemon in the franchise, power creep is sure to wear down the viability of not just regular Pokemon but legendaries as well.

Pokemon GO's battle system is much different than that of the main series, so even some legendary Pokemon that perform excellently in the main series can be rather underwhelming in Pokemon GO.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

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5 of the Worst Legendary Pokemon to use in Pokemon GO

5) Azelf

Azelf as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While Azelf is not a particularly bad Pokemon in Pokemon GO, it's just painfully mid-tier. Its movepool lacks the variety that many Psychic-types like Alakazam and Gardevoir have. The only attack it has that is not a Psychic or Normal-type is Fire Blast.

On top of its lacking moveset is its frail defense stat of 151, which is exceptionally low for a legendary Pokemon. In a game like Pokemon GO, where Pokemon are guaranteed to take damage in a battle, defense can be a very important factor in a Pokemon's viability.

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4) Terrakion

Terrakion as it appears in the 15th movie, Kyurem Vs. the Swords of Justice (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Much like Azelf, Terrakion is not a bad Pokemon in Pokemon GO, just simply mid-tier. Having such a title like "Legendary Pokemon" leaves players believing that the Pokemon will exceed expectations and carry teams in the Battle League. In Terrakion's case, however, it is simply outperformed as a Fighting-type.

Due to it having an astonishing total of seven weaknesses, Terrakion will not be able to stay in battle very long and is not supported in any way by its mid-tier defense stat of 191.

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3) Virizion

Virizion as it appears in Kyurem Vs. the Swords of Justice. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The Swords of Justice just cannot seem to catch a break in Pokemon GO. The main factor holding Virizion back from viability in Pokemon GO is its Grass typing. Grass-type Pokemon are notorious for having a multitude of common weaknesses like Fire, Flying, and Bug-type attacks, just to name a few.

When both of a Pokemon's types share a weakness to one of the most common attacking types, it puts a huge gap in a Pokemon's viability. Virizion has a massive weakness to Flying-type attacks, which is something most players bring to counter Fighting-type Pokemon.

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2) Yveltal

Yveltal as it appears in Pokemon Generations (Image via The Pokemon Company)

For a Pokemon portrayed as the embodiment of death in the Pokemon world, Yveltal is pretty bad. In Pokemon GO, Yveltal lacks a good moveset, as well as some important resistances. In the current state of Pokemon GO's metagame, Ice-type Pokemon are making a comeback and Fairy-type Pokemon are as prevelant as ever.

Yveltal is weak to both of these types of attacks, as well as having a low defense stat of 185. Yveltal's best moves are Gust and Hurricane, while every other attack it has is painstakingly mediocre. You know a Pokemon is far from the best when Gust is its best fast attack; especially a legendary Pokemon.

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1) Xerneas

Xerneas as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Alright, hear out the explanation for this one. A pure Fairy-type Legendary Pokemon is a great idea on paper, due to how oppressive the Fairy typing as a whole is in the franchise. However, a good Pokemon requires more than just a great typing; a good Pokemon requires good stats to go alongside a good typing and good moveset.

Where Xerneas is held back is by its terrible movepool. Xerneas only has one Fairy-type move in its entire movepool and that is Moonblast, which is a charged attack. For a fast attack, Xerneas' best one is listed as Tackle. Not even Rattata's best fast attack is Tackle.

It can be heartbreaking to see such powerful Pokemon be given the worst treatment by Niantic. With the knowledge of the worst legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO, hopefully players can save the time and resources knowing some 5-Star Raids are simply not worth the effort and they can avoid using these Pokemon in the Battle League.