Is the datamined Mega Rayquaza move Dragon Ascent in Pokemon GO PvP breaking?

Mega Rayquaza is coming during the Pokemon GO Fest (Image via Niantic)
Mega Rayquaza is coming during the Pokemon GO Fest (Image via Niantic)

Mega Rayquaza is coming to Pokemon GO during the 2023 GO Fest. This legendary Pocket Monster has been one of the best Dragon-type beasts in the game, and with an upcoming mega form, it will likely break the competitive scene of the game. Players have been very excited about this one beast in particular; in all fairness, it is justified.

To add to their already bubbly mood, Pokeminers recently revealed in one of their tweets that they had discovered the statistics for the signature moves of Rayquaza and its mega form. This move is called Dragon Ascent, and it will absolutely wreak havoc in the competitive scene of Pokemon GO.


Will Dragon Ascent be a good move for Rayquaza in the Pokemon GO PvP metagame?

Dragon Ascent is a Flying-type Charged move, giving you a 100% chance of reducing your enemies’ defense by one stage. It is going to have the following PvE stats:

  • Base Power: 140
  • Damage Per Second (DPS): 40
  • Charge Energy: 2 Bars
  • Damage Window: 3.2 seconds
  • Move Cooldown: 3.5 seconds
  • Damage Per Energy (DPE): 2.8
  • DPE*DPS: 112

From these numbers alone, you can estimate how overkill Dragon Ascent Rayquaza will be once it becomes available in Pokemon GO. It is slightly slower, like Outrage, a Dragon-type move, but it does a lot more damage.

Its Damage Per Second*Damage Per Energy reaches a staggering 112, and the competitive community speculates that Dragon Ascent will make Mega Rayquaza the best attacker in Pokemon GO.

It is safe to say that besides Sacred Fire ++, Apex Shadow Ho-Oh’s signature Charged move, and Aeroblast ++, Apex Shadow Lugia’s signature Charged move, Dragon Ascent is going to be the strongest Charged move that any beast has in the game.

When put up against other hard-hitting beasts in the game, Mega Rayquaza and its normal variant jump ahead of the competition. Even the likes of Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y fail to make a dent in the sheer caliber that Dragon Ascent holds.

Dragon Ascent does not make much of a splash in Pokemon GO PvP. It does 150 damage in exchange for 70 energy. It gives you a chance to buff your defense stat by one stage. It is not a bad move, but it is not as impressive as in PvE.

The move shares similar stats with other strong Charged moves like Overheat and Draco Meteor, but what makes this move stand out is its two energy bars. While you cannot use the latter in quick succession, it will give you that facility. Since this new move takes only 50 energy and has an insanely high damage output, it prevails over the one-bar moves.


We can all hope that Niantic does not alter the stats of Dragon Ascent when it is released in the game. Mega Rayquaza is set to create history in the world of Pokemon GO.

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