Shadow Mewtwo
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
July 26, 2020; Go Fest. Shadow Mewtwo has been released, and Pokemon Go will never be the same.
Mewtwo was one of the original Pokemon to receive the 9% nerf to Pokemon with a CP over 4,000, and with good reason. At the time, it was one of the absolute strongest overall Pokemon in the game, and could operate in virtually any raid with neutral coverage alone. And now we're returning to those primordial times with Shadow Mewtwo; the new highest-DPS and overall strongest Pokemon in the entire game. To put its power into perspective, a 0/0/0 IV Shadow Mewtwo is still very superior to a 15/15/15 normal Mewtwo given the same level and moveset. So even if you didn't manage to obtain a high IV specimen, it's still extremely worth raising.
One flaw of Shadow Mewtwo is that, despite its astronomical power, it is burdened by Psychic being a relatively poor attacking type in raids. As a result, there is really only a handful of bosses that Shadow Mewtwo truly stand out against. However, Shadow Mewtwo's raw power still cannot be understated. During windy weather, Shadow Mewtwo's DPS is comparable to that of top tier super effective attackers when it's dealing neutral damage (think juggernauts like Shadow Mamoswine and Terrakion). Players who live in areas where windy weather is common can make tremendous use of Shadow Mewtwo's absurd power as a raid attacker.
DO NOT. PURIFY. SHADOW MEWTWO. PLEASE. WE BEG YOU.
Offense
Confusion is the Fast Move of choice in neutral scenarios or when Psychic is Super Effective. Psycho Cut works best when Psychic is resisted or the target has a double-weakness to Shadow Mewtwo's non-Psychic Charged Move, and is easier to dodge with.
- Confusion with Psystrike makes Shadow Mewtwo one of the objectively strongest things in the entire game, and is this Pokemon's biggest claim to fame. Psycho Cut has lower damage, but it allows for an easier time with dodging. Psychic is a viable option for those who do not have the Elite TM to teach it Psystrike.
- Flamethrower, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Shadow Ball* should pair with Psycho Cut or Confusion for the situations listed above. When in doubt, just default to Psycho Cut due to its higher energy generation and easier dodging.
- Counter* can pair with Focus Blast for an okay-ish pseudo-Fighting Type.
- Hyper Beam* is an easy-skip.
Psycho Cut gives Mewtwo the ability to use its charged moves faster, which is better suited for its squishy nature, whereas Confusion hits much harder through shields.
Psystrike is Mewtwo's cheapest charged move, and an extremely powerful one too, especially considering it benefits from STAB. Shadow Ball is as powerful as ever, and hits for widely unresisted damage. Focus Blast then covers any Normal-types that would resist Shadow Ball, and it nukes the numerous Steel-type threats, though it takes quite a long time to charge. Ice Beam has the same energy cost as Shadow Ball and offers extra coverage against Flying- and (non-Ghost or Steel) Dragon-types instead. Flamethrower has relevant coverage for the top Steel Types. Thunderbolt has less relevant coverage, but can be useful for covering a team weakness.
Shadow Mewtwo is incredibly squishy in any league that caps its CP due to its very high ATK stat, which makes it difficult to use. It can sweep enemy teams if given a major energy or shielding advantage, but likewise so can various other Pokemon. Overall this is probably not an idea worth pursuing for consistent results.
