Are you getting a good start in Pokemon Go battles, but struggling to seal the deal? Lead and Switch Pokemon wiping the floor, but your final choice barely doing better than a Magikarp? Have no fear, as we've scoured the meta for the very best Pokemon to close out your team.
In Pokemon Go, closers are your final Pokemon whose purpose is to finish off your opponent's team. As such, they usually have great defensive stats and can last without the assistance of shields. While preferences in closers have shifted slightly ever since PvP was introduced in 2018, there are several Pokemon who remain solid picks.
10 Heracross
Perhaps a rogue choice, but Heracross is a good all-rounder in most areas to make the Single Horn Pokemon a solid closer. Perhaps the biggest perk of Heracross is the moveset - Counter is one of the best fast moves going. with both great damage and a surprisingly good energy generation, allowing the Pokemon to unleash the powerful nuke move Close Combat before your opponent's charge move.
Paired with either Mega Horn for STAB damage or Earthquake for coverage, and you have one hard-hitting closer.
9 Trevenant
Trevenant is a popular pick as a Lead Pokemon, but works just as well for closing purposes.
Grass is statistically one of the most vulnerable types in the game, but Trevenant's combination as a Ghost-type also helps nullify this problem slightly. The typing also helps significantly with its moveset - it gets STAB with the powerful fast move Shadow Ball, as well as Seed Bomb which can add shield pressure.
8 Shadow Raikou
Shadow Raikou works very similar to Shadow Electivire lower down on this list - use Thunder shock to generate energy fast, and then use the nuke move Wild Charge, which teeters on being overpowered if the shields are down. Having Shadow Ball also can act as a nuke and also helps expand Raikou's rather limited coverage.
The only downside compared to Electivire is the relative difficulty in catching Raikou and the expense in powering up - but if you have one anyway at a high CP, then go for it.
7 Regirock
Despite a few nerfs over the years, the Regis have remained a great pick as solid closers, especially as they are some of the few legendaries allowed in the Great League.
Much like its counterparts, Regirock can take quite the punishment before crumbling, making the Legendary Pokemon an ideal closer to draw out any last-ditch efforts. With the right moveset Regirock can also give out as good as it gets - Lock On, though weak, will produce five energy every turn, soon building up nuke charge moves such as Stone Edge or Earthquake.
6 Altaria
Dragon-types are notorious for their few weaknesses and high average stats, and the addition of Flying-type also gives Altaria a favourable matchup against bug, fighting and grass types.
However, as a homage to its Mega Evolution, Altaria can also learn Fairy-type moves such as Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam - providing Altaria with good coverage against tricky opponents such as Sableye. Even against neutral matchups, Altaria should be tanky enough to get you the win.
5 Regice
As with Regirock, the play with Regice is to spam Lock On – one of the best energy-generating moves in the game – in order to get those charge moves deployed quickly.
Unlike the other Regis, however, Regice has few resistances and a couple of notable weaknesses – but the charge move Earthquake should counter most of those, and, combined with Blizzard. you have a tank with surprisingly wide coverage. You'll be sending popular picks such as Shadow Nidoqueen and Trevenant to the ice age.
4 Shadow Electivire
Electric-type Pokemon are a great pick for closers due to their sole weakness of Ground, but Shadow Electivire in particular is a bit of a beast. Combining the energy-generating fast move Thunder Shock with the charge move Ice Punch makes Electivire a dire threat against meta picks such as Skarmory, Azumarill and Walrein, while Wild Charge is an absolute nuke move with STAB damage whether it is super effective or not.
Shadow Electivire in particular has a huge attack that can finish off your opponent's team in no time - but his poor defence means you'll run into trouble if your rival is able to draw things out.
3 Skarmory
Steel-type Pokemon are a good pick as closers in general due to their high defence, but Skarmory stands out due to its unique dual Flying-Steel typing.
This gives Skarmory an incredible ten resistances, including being a double threat to any poor Grass-types the Armour Bird Pokemon encounters. Skarmory is helped by a strong movepool also including Air Slash and Sky Attack - but it is Brave Bird that will absolutely devastate any opponent out of shields. Popular choices such as Medicham and Walrein don't stand a chance.
2 Registeel
As some of the few Legendary Pokemon allowed in the Great League, it's no surprise that the Regis have remained a popular pick as closers ever since the beginning despite a few nerfs to their charge moves. Registeel's type makes it the best of the bunch however, with a high defence and relatively few weaknesses, along with charge moves such as Focus Blast that can take out meta choices such as Galarian Stunfisk. However, make sure there is enough coverage in your team to counter Registeel's weaknesses, which are reasonably popular in competitive Pokemon Go battling.
1 Azumarill
Azumarill may seem like an odd choice when in the company of Legendaries such as the Regi trio, but the Aqua Rabbit Pokemon has an exceptionally high defence that makes it a great choice for a closer.
Azumarill can take a beating without having to rely on shields just long enough for you to scrape a comeback, and has a rather versatile moveset - Ice Beam can counter its Grass-type weakness, or be swapped out for Play Rough which covers several popular meta picks such as Sableye.