Suicune
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
The legendary that lives in the shadow of Vaporeon, who lives in the shadow of Milotic, who in turn lives in the shadow of Gyarados, who lives in the whale-sized shadow of Kyogre… That says it all about the unfortunate fate of Suicune. On the bright side, while Suicune once had to play around a 1/15 chance to get a STAB Fast Move, Water Gun has given it.... something? It's still not great, but at least it can run a full Water moveset!
Offense
- Water Gun is Suicune's superior fast move thanks to STAB.
- Snarl is good for off-type Charged Moves.
- Extrasensory is right behind it, though it offers different type coverage.
- Hidden Power is generally an inferior move. Ice can at least give it a full Ice Type moveset, though it's not great in that role.
- Hydro Pump is optimal for its raw power, while Bubble Beam has more flexibility with 3 bars.
- Water Pulse has weak DPS and is laggy to boot.
- Scald is the same story.
- Ice Beam may have given Suicune a tiny breath of life on defense, but since Suicune can't be posted in gyms, it's entirely outclassed. Even if paired with Hidden Power Ice, it's still painfully bad.
Snarl is generally preferable due to its significantly better energy gains, though Ice Fang can provide useful coverage against common typings, while Water Gun has very well rounded stats post-STAB.
Scald offers good damage at a moderate cost, and its high chance of debuffing Attack synergizes well with Suicune's high bulk. Ice Beam covers Grass- and Dragon-type Pokemon. Bubble Beam is Suicune's cheapest Charged Attack and offers a guaranteed Attack debuff, but its damage output is beyond pitiful and is just a much worse move than Scald. Hydro Pump is too expensive and Water Pulse is just horrid.
Suicune is a relatively tanky Pokemon, and with a mono-Water typing it had difficulty standing out among the very populated Water-type picks. The December 2023 update gave it a much needed reliable Water-type Charged Attack in Scald, and the December 2025 update gave it Water Gun, though Suicune can still struggle to stand out. Nevertheless, its good bulk, debuff potential, and coverage in Ice Beam at least makes it a viable choice, especially in limited cups.
