With nearly 1,000 Pokemon to choose from out of a modern Pokedex, it can be difficult to whittle down that roster to six for a full party. The series is expanding rapidly, with each Generation bringing more and more Pokemon into the fray. The only way to create some semblance of balance is to downsize.

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This is exactly what Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee did when they were released. In an attempt to evoke Generation I, both titles downsized their rosters back down to the original 151 (albeit with one new addition). As a result, it’s actually easy to find a team of six! But if you’re looking for the best of the best, look no further.

Updated May 24th, 2023 by Stephen LaGioia: Not to be confused with the recent "Let's GO Research Task" for the mobile hit Pokemon Go, Let's Go stands as a delightful, overlooked Pokemon romp featuring Pikachu and Eevee. While heavy hitters like Scarlett and Violet have since overshadowed the game, Let's Go still stands as a charming, beginner-friendly RPG and a nice bridge between the mobile sensation and mainline games. And given the sheer amount of Pokemon in this surprisingly robust experience, we thought we'd add to our list of the game's strongest Pokemon.

19 Machamp

Machamp from Pokemon Let's Go Eevee & Let's Go Pikachu walking near Vermillion City

At least when it comes to sheer offensive potential, it's tough to beat this fighting champ. Clocking in at 130 attack and 505 max CP, this Pokemon can effectively overpower foes before they know what hit them. And as a useful bonus, most of its weaknesses take the forms of relatively rare monsters (Psychic and Fairy), other than Flying-Types.

Moves like Bulk Up and Scary Face can give Machamp a further competitive edge, while Dual Chop and Dynamic Punch can deal major damage. This is definitely a Pokemon offensive-minded gamers will want in the ring.

18 Melmetal

Pokemon Let's Go Melmetal

Pokemon Go players can take advantage of that game by connecting the mobile app to Let's Go in order to obtain this metallic force. It's definitely worth the extra effort, as this Steel-Type can be tough as nails to overcome.

This monster has 600 max CP and three other stats that reach well over triple digits — attack, defense, and HP. This makes Melmetal an all-around solid survivor in a heated battle. Added to this are some potent moves, including Superpower, Double Iron Bash, and Hyper Beam.

17 Alolan Golem

Pokemon Let's Go Alolan Golem in arena

While the default version of this rock behemoth is strong in its own right, the Alolan variant overshadows it. With max CP approaching 500 and solid standings with attack and defense, Golem is a highly tough obstacle to overcome, provided it stays away from Water or Grass in particular.

Moves like Earthquake, Explosion, and Heavy Slam can really leave their mark against most opponents. Meanwhile, this Golem's vast array of move Types makes it versatile and unpredictable.

16 Cloyster

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Cloyster (1)

On paper, Cloyster should be quite awful. With such a low Special Defense state, pretty much any Special Attack can knock out Cloyster in one shot. Its elemental Type — Water/Ice — barely gives it any advantage in itself, only increasing its weaknesses. So why is Cloyster on the strongest list? One word: defense.

Cloyster has the most solid defense stats in the entire game, standing at 180. Comparatively, this still eclipses the similarly stout Onix at 160. Special Attacks will absolutely throttle it, but everything else? Cloyster will stand loud and proud, tanking most hits, provided it's not a weakness like Electric. Naturally, you’ll need to use Cloyster wisely, only tossing it out when you know for sure it can survive.

15 Blastoise

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Blastoise

More often than not, starters will end up strong enough to help you get through the Elite Four, at the very least. Of course, the fact that Pikachu and Eevee aren’t on this list almost contradicts that notion, but remember that they are starters in the conventional sense. But Blastoise is the real deal. It's pretty tough to beat a massive turtle with cannons on its shell.

A pure Water-Type doesn’t give Blastoise all the advantages it may need, but its great moves and all-around higher-than-average stats make him one of the better starters to take into the post-game. At the very least, it's a better starter than Venusaur, although the competition is admittedly close.

Blastoise comes equipped with one of the higher max CPs in the game at 530, while defense and special defense hit triple digits at 100 and 105, respectively.

14 Alolan Exeggutor

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - alolan exeggutor smiling in grassy meadow

Traditionally, Grass-Types are not very strong, at least on their own. For whatever reason, they rarely, if ever, get the same focus as their Fire and Water counterparts. At the same time, this does not mean there are no potent Grass Types. While Venusaur did not make the list, its spirit lives on through Alolan Exeggutor and its extended tree-trunk neck.

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Although his Alolan counterpart is acting as the Grass rep, Exeggutor is great in his own right. It’s just that Alolan Exeggutor brings out all of Exeggutor’s latent potential front and center. Its special attack is particularly dangerous, towering at a whopping 125. With solid stats and good move variety, Alolan Exeggutor is the perfect Grass-Type for any party in need of one.

13 Charizard

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Charizard floating in grassy field

Even if Charizard wasn’t ridiculously strong, it would still be kind of a fan favorite. This is evidenced by the fact that Charizard wasn’t all too great in Generation I, if only because of how long it took to actually get him going. Picking Charmander was basically Gen I’s hard mode, giving you a disadvantage from start to finish.

Nowadays, though, Charizard is bolstered thanks to powerful moves like Flare Blitz, solid stats, and awesome Mega Evolutions. Both Mega Charizard Y and Mega Charizard X are fantastic additions to any party. Even then, though, base Charizard is enough to pack one heck of a punch.

12 Lapras

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Lapras carrying player in sea

It’s an oddity that Lapras is as good as it is. Despite some truly baffling typing, this cool Water/Ice-Type can overcome inherent flaws thanks to some fairly unique moves and balanced stats. A well-trained Lapras can do some serious damage with Ice Beam, Sheer Cold, or Hydro Pump, for instance.

At the same time, Lapras is not a Pokemon who can just brute force its way to victory. If you want to use Lapras properly, you need to strategize around them. This does mean it’s one of the more high-maintenance 'strong' Pokemon on this list, but it is worth using thanks to high CP, balanced stats, and some surprisingly strong moves. Catch your own Lapras in the waterway routes!

11 Snorlax

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Snorlax and player in grassy fenced pathway

Snorlax has always been one of Generation I’s better Pokemon. High defense, potent offense, and massive HP (160), Snorlax is the quintessential JRPG tank in Pocket Monster form. Later Generations have only made Snorlax all the stronger thanks to the inception of held items. Unfortunately, Let’s Go drops said mechanic.

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This goes to show how powerful Snorlax is. Even without held items to bolster its strength, Snorlax still holds up in a post-Gen I world where Pokemon are actually balanced. He may not have his signature Leftovers, but Snorlax can survive and destroy more than enough in its path to warrant a place on any party—a rarity for Normal-Types.

10 Gyarados

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee Gyarados Swimming In The Ocean

From a purely stat-concerned perspective, of course, the unique water monster Gyarados is as awesome as it is. With a highly distinct style, fantastic moves, and high offense and defense, it’s no surprise Gyarados is as powerful as it is. At the same time, what makes Gyarados great is its usability, not its stats or moves. Be careful who you bully at level 5.

Considering you can buy a Magikarp incredibly early in the game for dirt cheap, you can get Gyarados ridiculously fast should you put in the effort to do so. It absolutely is worth it since Gyarados is one of the few early-game Pokemon (that isn’t a starter) whom you can comfortably bring all the way to the Elite Four. Simply juice up this Pokemon with Dragon Dance, and blast foes into oblivion with Hyper Beam.

9 Arcanine

Pokemon Let's Go Arcanine in dark arena using fire move

Although Charizard is the fan favorite when it comes to Kanto Fire-Types, it can barely hold a candle to the likes of Arcanine. One of the most underrated Pokemon in all of Gen I, Arcanine hits hard, hits fast, and takes a surprising amount of damage for a Pokemon that so often goes ignored.

An Arcanine with a Lonely nature gets the job done with even more ease. Although its Lonely nature will decrease Arcanine’s base defense quite a bit — and it’s a stat it does need — the elevated attack (110) paired with the naturally high speed (95) can ensure dominant battles if trained properly.

8 Moltres

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Moltres staring down player in battle

Moltres has always been the weakest of Kanto’s three Legendary birds. Whether it be Gen I, Gen III, or Let’s Go, there’s little Moltres can do to get a leg (wing?) up over its brethren. At the same time, 'worst' is by no means synonymous with 'bad.' Moltres is still the strongest Fire-Type in Let’s Go, boasting a roaring 580 CP and 125 special attack.

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As Water-Type Pokémon tend to be overwhelmingly strong thanks to moves like Surf, building a good team around a strong Fire-Type can be hard. While Moltres will still take perhaps more damage than it should from Water-Type moves, its high stats and versatile move pool make it a strong enough Pokémon to put up a great fight.

7 Zapdos

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Zapdos electric action move in battle

Zapdos has always been a fantastic Pokémon. Even all the way back in Generation I, Zapdos was worth taking right to the very end. A level-50 Zapdos can realistically dominate most of the Elite Four with careful and strategic play. High stats, a nice Type advantage, and a great set of moves turn Zapdos into more than just an electrocuted oversized pigeon.

The only real downside to Zapdos is that you probably won’t want another Electric-Type on your team if you're playing Let's Go Pikachu. If you’re playing Let’s Go Eevee, however, Zapdos can be a highly valuable asset for your late-game team. There’s a bit of a stigma against using Legendaries, but Zapdos is cool enough to toe that line.

6 Articuno

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Articuno ice move in icy cave

Traditionally, Zapdos tends to be the best of Kanto’s three Legendary birds. In general, Electric-Types fare much better in battle than Ice-Types do. In fact, Ice-Type Pokemon are arguably the weakest in the series as a whole. Not that that’s going to stop the actual strongest Legendary bird, Articuno.

Perhaps it’s because of Let’s Go’s slightly reconfigured mechanics, but Articuno is easily the best of the three Legendary birds this time around. It, of course, still suffers from a poor Type and some less-than-stellar moves, but Articuno makes up for its weaknesses with raw stats — especially its 125 special defense and the sheer novelty of being a cool Ice-Type worth using.

5 Dragonite

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Dragonite flying over building

Dragon-Types were so overpowered that the modern Generations in the series needed to introduce Fairy-Types just to rival them. Naturally, now we have two very overpowered elements, but that’s not always a bad thing — especially if you fancy Dragon-Type Pokemon like the appropriately named Dragonite.

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Like any good Dragon-Type, Dragonite has wide access to a host of different typed moves that naturally allow it to fight off its weaknesses nearly effortlessly. Dragonite itself is particularly useful due to how well-varied its stats are. A well-trained Dragonite is an asset to any party, dealing and taking far more damage than it realistically should.

4 Mew

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Mew in grassy field battle

It goes without saying, but Mew is one of the strongest available Pokemon in all of Let’s Go. Now, you aren’t going to get your hands on a Mew anytime soon unless you've invested in the Pokeball controller. Still, that just makes its appeal greater, given the rare, illusive nature of this cute and deceptively dangerous Pokemon.

Mew’s biggest claim to fame is its ability to learn every single move in the game. Although a Psychic-Type by nature, you can mold Mew into anything you want it to be. Naturally, as Mew is a Legendary, it has the stats to fill any role. Only one Pokemon triumphs over Mew in terms of sheer usability, but Mew is a very close second.

3 Mega Gyarados

Pokemon Let's Go Mega Gyrados info card

With a max CP that sits comfortably in the top five overall, it seemed that this awesome Dark-Type variant of Gyarados warranted its own entry. Its solid defense and special defense, 109 and 130, respectively, help it weather its slew of Type weaknesses.

Meanwhile, it can counterpunch in a big way with a whopping 155 attack. And this gets bumped up even further if it comes with the Adamant nature.

2 Mewtwo

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - Mewtwo energy ability in dark cave battle

It really should come as no surprise that Mewtwo is among the strongest Pokemon in the game. Even in Generation I, Mewtwo was the end-all, be-all who trainers could only get at the literal end of their games. Naturally, it’s only fitting for Game Freak to reward players with an obscenely strong Pokemon to make use of, boasting a massive 780 max CP.

What makes Mewtwo even stronger this time is that it can Mega Evolve. Both Mewtwo X and Mewtwo Y raise Mewtwo’s stats to astronomical levels. As is, he would already be powerful enough to decimate anything in his path, but Mega Evolving a Legendary makes battles a different game entirely. So with that...

1 Mega Mewtwo

Pokemon Let's Go Mega Mewtwo in arena

If there's any monster that can manage to eclipse Mewtwo, it's only the monstrous Mega renditions (both X and Y). Courtesy of the Mewtwo Mega Stone (in the Cerulean Cave near Mewtwo), you'll be able to steamroll opponents with this legend. While both are beasts, the "X" version is even more useful, being Psychic and Fighting-Types.

Not only does it have a sky-high 780 max CP, but Mega Mewtwo also boasts an attack power near 200, special attack of 154, and respectable speed clocking in at 130.

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