5 best Charged Attacks in Pokemon GO (December 2022)

One of the many differences between Pokemon GO and the main series games comes in the form of the mobile title's unique battle system. Rather than the turn-based strategy battles that Pokemon fans will be familiar with, GO takes a different approach and opts for a more action-oriented real-time combat system.

One of the major changes that sets this system apart is how Niantic handles moves. Rather than giving players a choice of four different attacks with differing base powers, Pokemon GO gives each creature a light Fast Attack and one or two heavy Charged Attacks.

However, there are some moves that are better than others. Considering how impactful Charged Attacks can be in a battle, having access to some of the best in the game can give players the upper hand in any competitive fight, Raid Battle, or skirmish with the villainous Team GO Rocket.

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5 great Charged Attacks that give players the competitive edge in a Pokemon GO battle

5) Sacred Fire ++

Ho-oh using Sacred Fire in the movie (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Sacred Fire is the signature move of an event-exclusive variant of Ho-oh. Given out during the 2021 Johto GO Tour, players could encounter and catch the first Apex Shadow Pokemon to appear in the franchise. If Ho-oh is still in its Shadow form, it will have Sacred Fire +. However, when it is purified, this attack becomes the powerful Sacred Fire ++.

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4) Glaciate

Kyurem as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The signature move of the Legendary Pokemon Kyurem, Glaciate performs differently in both Raids and PvP battles. This move has a minuscule cooldown and energy cost that allow it to be spammed easily.

The solid Ice-type damage it deals makes it a great option to have for almost every battle. However, finding a Kyurem in Pokemon GO is quite rare as there has been no word of its return to 5-Star Raid Battles.

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3) Solar Beam

Tapu Bulu using Solar Beam in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

A much more common move than the previous two entries, Solar Beam is a Grass-type move in Pokemon GO available to most Grass and Fire-type Pokemon. Always worth the slot on almost every creature that can learn it, Solar Beam is a powerful attack with a modestly low energy cost of 80.

Venusaur, Infernape, Tapu Bulu, and Volcarona are some of the notable creatures that can learn Solar Beam.

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2) Giga Impact

Sylveon using Giga Impact in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Giga Impact is the most powerful Normal-type attacks in the game. Though it is an incredibly common attack in the main series, Giga Impact is surprisingly exclusive in Pokemon GO and is only available for Regigigas and Xerneas. Regigigas is one of the worst Pokemon in the main series, but Giga Impact makes it one of the best Normal-types to use in Raid Battles in Pokemon GO and a nice pick in PvP as well.

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1) Aeroblast ++

Lugia using Aeroblast in the movie (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Much like Sacred Fire ++, Aeroblast ++ is the signature move of the purified Apex Shadow Lugia. It's the most powerful attack that players can use for Raid Battles, so it's a bit unfortunate that Apex Shadow Lugia is no longer available for players to catch. However, this makes it incredibly valuable if you already have one.

Aeroblast ++ is also the most powerful for PvP battles. Though there is no difference between all three different variants of Aeroblast in Pokemon GO for PvP, the added value for raids makes Aeroblast ++ the optimal Charged Attack to use for Lugia (as well as the strongest Charged Attack in the game).