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There are two versions of Rapidash inPokémon GO: the regular Fire-type version from the Kanto region, and the Fairy/Psychic-type regional variant from the Galar region. As well as having different elemental typings, they can both learn different attacks, so if you’re looking to teach Rapidash its best moveset, it depends on which variant you’ve evolved.
Pokémon GO’s September Community Day event put both Ponyta and Galarian Ponyta in the spotlight, withboosted Shiny oddsand event-exclusive research tasks to enjoy. Their evolutions, Rapidash and Galarian Rapidash, also got access to the featured move Wild Charge. This is a powerful Electric-type Charged Attack, but how does it affect their performance?
Best Moveset For Rapidash In Pokémon GO
Wild Charge Is An Excellent Addition To Its Movepool
The best moveset for regular Rapidash in PvP Trainer Battles isIncinerate as its Fast Attack combined with Flame Charge and Wild Charge as its Charged Attacks. Incinerate is the best Fast Attack for Rapidash because it has better Power and Energy generation than its other options, which gives it quicker access to its Charged Attacks. It also benefits from Same-Type Attack Boost (STAB), which always helps.
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When it comes to Charged Attacks, Flame Charge is a great choice because it has STAB and gives Rapidash a strong Fire-type combo to destroy Bug, Grass, Ice, and Steel-type opponents. Wild Charge is looking like the best secondary Charged Attack for Rapidash, giving it coverage against Water-type opponents that would otherwise have an easy time taking it out on the battlefield. It also has an impressive 100 Power for just 45 Energy.
Best Moveset For Galarian Rapidash In Pokémon GO
Stick With Fairy-type Attacks To Get STAB
The best moveset for Galarian Rapidash in PvP Trainer Battles isFairy Wind as its Fast Attack combined with Body Slam and Wild Charge as its Charged Attacks. Fairy Wind is great at generating Energy, although Psycho Cut can be used if preferred. Body Slam is a cheap Charged Attack that can be spammed to get rid of your opponent’s shields, while Wild Charge is good for extra coverage and dishing out high amounts of damage.
Having said that, Galarian Rapidash is generally much better positioned to use as an attacker inRaid Battlesthan in PvP Battles. If you want it to become a Fairy-type attacker, go withFairy Wind and Play Roughas its moveset. If you want it to become a Psychic-type attacker, go withPsycho Cut and Psychicinstead. Either way, it’s a nice backup option for your Raid team.
Is Regular Rapidash Or Galarian Rapidash Better?
One For Trainer Battles, The Other For Raid Battles
Neither version of Rapidash is going to set the battlefield alight inPokémon GO, but the addition of Wild Charge actually looks like a fairly good improvement for regular Rapidash. At the time of writing, it’s sitting in 60th place onPvPoke’sUltra League ranking, which is based on its potential matchups in the current meta. It could perform even better in special cups where it’s eligible to compete, so it’s worth having two Rapidash that know Wild Charge, one built for the 1500 CP format and another built for the 2500 CP format.
On the other hand, Wild Charge doesn’t do much to help Galarian Rapidash’s poor performance in PvP Trainer Battles, so you don’t need to worry too much about building one that knows this attack. Galarian Rapdiash is, however, a fairly reliable attacker for Raid Battles inPokémon GO, so it’s worth evolving one with good stats and teaching it a full Fairy-type moveset to use against Dark, Dragon, and Fighting-type Raid Bosses, or a full Psychic-type moveset to use against Fighting and Poison-type Raid Bosses.
Some of the top Fairy-type attackers are Zacian, Xerneas, Togekiss, Gardevoir, and Sylveon. Some of the top Psychic-type attackers are Mewtwo, Latios, Lunala, Alakazam, and Metagross. Galarian Rapidash can provide good support for them in Raid Battles, but it shouldn’t be your top priority if you have any of those Pokémon in your collection already.
Finally, it’s worth considering whether or not you want to spend your precious resources on powering up Rapidash and Galarian Rapidash inPokémon GO. There are several Pokémon out there that can do what these two creatures do better. I’d recommend taking a look at thebest Ultra League Pokémonfor alternatives to Rapidash, and consider the Pokémon in the tip box above if you’re looking for Raid attackers other than Galarian Rapidash.
