What is the best Gym attack team in Pokémon GO, and which are the best Gym attackers overall? The answer depends on the Defender lineup, but if you optimize for the average Gym defender pool — dominated by Blissey, Chansey, Togekiss, Dragonite, Metagross, and Wobbuffet — there is a mathematically optimal answer. This guide identifies the best Gym attack team in Pokémon GO using a shortest-path analysis across the most common defender lineups.
The Optimization Setup
This analysis treats gym attack as a shortest-path problem: minimize total clear time across the 6 defenders. The assumptions:
- Defender lineup: The most common gym defender mix — Blissey + Chansey (Normal), Togekiss (Flying), Dragonite (Dragon/Flying), Metagross (Steel/Psychic), Wobbuffet (Psychic) — fixed in attack order.
- Attacker pool: One Pokémon from each of the 18 types, picked greedily for fastest clear vs. its assigned defender slot.
- Switching: Attackers can be switched freely; we compute the path that minimizes total time-to-faint (TTF) across all defenders.
- Build assumption: All attackers at PL40 with optimal Fast + Charged moves, neutral weather.
Last updated: 2026-04-29. Data source: based on values recalculated on this site from the live Pokémon GO game master — Doctor Pokégogo's own DPS / TTF analytics (last re-computed on 2026-04-28).
The 5 Best Gym Attackers in Pokémon GO
Each Pokémon below was selected because it minimizes TTF against its specific defender role.
1
Lucario — Required Type #1 (Fighting)
The Blissey / Chansey wall is the longest TTF in any gym, and Fighting is the only type that breaks it efficiently. Lucario's Counter + Aura Sphere is the best Fighting moveset short of Mega Lucario.
2
Pheromosa — Required Type #2 (Bug)
Wobbuffet (Psychic) needs Bug coverage; Pheromosa wins the TTF on raw Attack stat. Gengar or Darkrai are within 1 second and work as substitutes.
3
Xurkitree — Required Type #2 (Electric)
Togekiss (Flying) needs Electric coverage. Xurkitree's Thunder Shock + Discharge is the fastest non-Mega clear.
4
Mamoswine — Required Type #2 (Ice)
Dragonite (Dragon/Flying) is double-weak to Ice. Mamoswine's Powder Snow + Avalanche is the most efficient non-Mega Ice option, and Ground secondary covers Steel-Electric matchups.
5
Reshiram — Free Slot (Fire)
Metagross (Steel/Psychic) is weak to Fire. Reshiram's Fire Fang + Fusion Flare clears Metagross cleanly. The 6th slot is fully flexible — pick anything you enjoy.
Why These Gym Attackers Work Against Common Defenders
The optimization reduces to two type categories plus a free slot:
Required Type 1 — Fighting (counters Normal)
Blissey and Chansey are the longest-TTF gym defenders. Without Fighting, the entire team's clear time blows up. Lucario is the cleanest non-Mega Fighting attacker, but Mega Mewtwo X (Fighting) and Conkeldurr / Machamp (Fighting) work as substitutes.
Required Type 2 — Anti-Fighting-resist coverage
Pokémon that resist Fighting (Psychic / Flying / Fairy) need to be hit by their respective weakness types: Bug / Ghost / Dark / Electric / Ice / Rock / Steel. The default optimal picks are Bug (Pheromosa for Wobbuffet), Electric (Xurkitree for Togekiss), and Ice (Mamoswine for Dragonite). One of each fills three of the four open slots.
Free slot — Steel coverage filler
The remaining slot deals with Metagross-class defenders that resist both Required Type 1 and Required Type 2. Fire (Reshiram, Chandelure) is the natural fit. Alternative: pick a "fun" attacker for win-streak farming — the math doesn't care.
Best Gym Attackers in Pokémon GO: At-a-Glance Comparison
| Slot | Pokémon | Type | Defender Target | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Lucario | Fighting / Steel |
Blissey / Chansey |
| 2 | |
Pheromosa | Bug / Fighting |
Wobbuffet |
| 3 | |
Xurkitree | Electric |
Togekiss |
| 4 | |
Mamoswine | Ice / Ground |
Dragonite |
| 5 | |
Reshiram | Fire / Dragon |
Metagross |
Related Resources
- Type Ranking — DPS / eDPS leaders by attack type, the data set behind these picks.
- Raid Boss Guide — current raid rotation with recommended counters.
- Regi Family Tier List — Regieleki / Registeel / Regirock notes for budget alternatives.
- All Pokémon Ratings — drill-down evaluations for every Pokémon.
About the Author
Doctor Pokégogo (about page) has been publishing data-driven Pokémon GO analyses since 2020. The shortest-path optimization on this page uses the same DPS / eDPS data set as the Type Ranking page; methodology details are linked there.
