Shadow Lugia
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Lugia was the first Cover Legend released in Pokemon Go, and has long been a popular Pokemon in general. However, its utility has long been something of a meme in terms of the PvE meta, as the overwhelming consensus has been to avoid using it outside of select scenarios. But here we are, looking Shadow Lugia in its blood-red eyes as it demands a place on our teams.
Shadow Lugia retains a near-identical TDO to its basic counterpart (TDO which sits near the top of all Pokemon, mind you), but sees a large boost to its DPS as well. This increase is just enough to make an Shadow Lugia a real threat in raids, as it just became one of the most ideal anchors in the entire game for raids weak to Flying and/or Psychic. And while anchors aren't in high demand nowadays, Shadow Lugia's boosted DPS puts it in a solid place in Flying weak raids in particular.
Thanks to Aeroblast+'s insane power, Apex Shadow Lugia can put in a respectable amount of work despite its lack of a Flying-type Fast Attack. Avoid purifying it if you care about its raid performance. With that said, even Apex Shadow Lugia's power pales in comparison to Dragon Ascent Rayquaza and Fly Shadow Salamence.
In short; it's a solid Pokemon (in more ways than one), and can be useful for sure, but it's still not a top-tier pick for most raids.
Offense
- Extrasensory is Shadow Lugia’s best quick move, targeting Poison and Fighting-types for STAB effective damage. Dragon Tail isn't really worthwhile for Lugia.
- If you're going for a Flying Type Charged Move, which you should, then you've got two main choices. Fly out-paces Aeroblast and Sky Attack, though Aeroblast+ is slightly stronger than Fly. That said, don't purify an Apex Shadow Lugia unless you have a really good reason, please!
- Future Sight can work if you're determined to stick with a full Psychic Type moveset, though there are genuinely better options for that role.
- Hydro Pump has little to no use for Shadow Lugia.
Dragon Tail is almost always the way to go by way of Fast Moves. While Extrasensory has higher power thanks to STAB, it's not worth it as the difference is very small and Psychic's coverage isn't very relevant in most PvP metas. On top of this, Shadow Lugia REALLY wants to quickly stockpile energy quickly for Aeroblast, so Dragon Tail's higher energy generation is VERY important.
Fly is a very efficient move, benefits from STAB, and costs the least amount of energy, and vastly outclasses Sky Attack. Aeroblast, Shadow Lugia's signature move, possesses immense power, blowing apart enemies even when resisted; it has a steep 75 energy cost but Shadow Lugia's bulk makes it very realistically reachable. Hydro Pump can be used to cover threats like Rhyperior, but otherwise a resisted Aeroblast deals just about as much as a neutral Hydro Pump. Future Sight and Return lack both the power and coverage to be worthwhile.
Aeroblast+, the signature move of Apex Shadow Lugia, is functionally identical to basic Aeroblast in PvP, so don't worry if you don't have it.
Nope.
