How good is Kingdra in Pokemon GO?

"It is said that it usually hides in underwater caves. It can create whirlpools by yawning." - An Excerpt from Kingdra's Heartgold Pokedex entry (Image via The Pokemon Company)
"It is said that it usually hides in underwater caves. It can create whirlpools by yawning." - An Excerpt from Kingdra's Heartgold Pokedex entry (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Kingdra is one of the Pokemon added into Pokemon GO, along with others from the Johto region. Many players may remember battling Clair's Kingdra in Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, as well as Juan's Kingdra in Pokemon Emerald and finding it to be a challenging opponent. In Pokemon GO, battles are much different than in the main series games but is Kingdra still a storm of trouble, or is the Dragon Pokemon all washed up?


Kingdra in Pokemon GO: Analysis

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Kingdra is a Water and Dragon-type Pokemon. This typing helps Kingdra a lot as the Dragon typing covers all of the weaknesses of the Water-type, leaving Kingdra only weak to Fairy and other Dragon-type moves. Kingdra also resists damage from Steel, Fire, and other Water-type attacks, making Kingdra a slightly above average tank capable of withstanding common attacking types such as Water and Fire.

However, Kingdra's defensive stats say otherwise. Kingdra's defense and stamina stats are pretty average. With a defense of 194 and a stamina stat of 181, Kingdra should not be used solely as a defensive tank to absorb powerful charged attacks. Kingdra's attacking stat is quite average as well. Only coming in at an average of 194, Kingdra might not be the right Pokemon to break holes in a powerful defense. If Kingdra is not a powerful attacker or a bulky defender, what can Kingdra do?

Kingdra, along with its two pre-evolved forms, Horsea and Seadra (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Kingdra, along with its two pre-evolved forms, Horsea and Seadra (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Kingdra has an interesting role on the team as a designated debuffer for Trainer battles in Pokemon GO. Through the use of the move Octazooka, which is a move only Kingdra and Octillery have access to, Kingdra has a 50% chance of lowering its target's attack power by two stages. Tentacruel also fills this role as a debuffer but lowers the target's defenses rather than offenses. It is debatable that lowering attack power is more desirable as it can force the opponent to constantly switch their Pokemon in order to maintain a solid damage output.

Good battle synergies for Kingdra in Pokemon GO would be Pokemon that would appreciate having their opponent on the weaker side. Frailer Pokemon like Victreebel are great options for teammates. Victreebel also has access to Acid Spray, which is the same move that makes Tentacruel such a great utility Pokemon. If a debuffing utility team in Pokemon GO is something that interests you, keep in mind that your damage output would be coming from the secondary effect from these charged attacks followed by a flurry of fast attacks, so using moves that maximize energy generation is always recommended.

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But is Kingdra worth using in Pokemon GO? Short answer: not really. Kingdra is a very situational Pokemon that revolves around gimmicks and luck, as Octozooka does not guarantee lowering the opponent's attack. There is also the cost of obtaining a Kingdra. The effort for 125 Horsea candy and a Dragon Scale far outweighs the availability of Octillery, another Water-type that can do the same thing Kingdra can do, at the cost of 50 Remoraid candy.