Is Sylveon good in Pokemon GO?

Pokemon GO will be introduced to the latest Eevee evolution this month, but will the Fairy-type Sylveon be worth investing in for battles and raids?

Although it may look non-threatening, Sylveon's status as a Fairy-type Pokemon makes it a natural counter against Pokemon GO's dreaded Dragon-types. It has two type weaknesses in particular (Poison and Steel-types), but also has a large number of type resistances as well. It won't ever be confused for a top attacker like Mewtwo, Salamence, or Chandelure, but it can be used effectively in type matchups nonetheless.

Pokemon GO: What moves should be used for Sylveon?

Compared to some Fairy-types, Sylveon's available attacks in Pokemon GO may seem limited. Aside from Fairy moves, it is only capable of learning Normal-type moves. Here is a list of its available moves and their types:

Charm (Fairy)
Quick Attack (Normal)
Dazzling Gleam (Fairy)
Draining Kiss (Fairy)
Moonblast (Fairy)
Last Resort (Normal) (Legacy move, highly difficult to acquire.)

Thanks to measurable damage metrics dedicated that Pokemon GO players have compiled, it is also possible to find the top move combinations for Sylveon before its release. The metrics in question are:

Damage per Second (DPS): The amount of damage a move does every second during battle.
Total Damage Output (TDO): The maximum amount of damage a Pokemon may do in battle before it faints from health loss. This total is calculated by taking the Pokemon's DPS and multiplying it by the amount of time it remains in the fight before being defeated.
Time to First Activation (TTFA): The amount of time it takes before the Pokemon's Charged Move is usable for the first time during the battle.

With those three numbers in mind, Sylveon's moves can be further inspected. For the sake of accessibility, Last Resort will not be included in this move list, as it is exceptionally difficult to find as a Legacy Charged Move:

Charm + Dazzling Gleam: 13.8 DPS - 695.29 TDO - 7.5 second TTFA
Quick Attack + Dazzling Gleam: 13.4 DPS - 675.10 TDO - 4 second TTFA
Charm + Moonblast: 13.19 DPS - 664.22 TDO - 15 second TTFA
Charm + Draining Kiss: 12.02 DPS - 605.65 TDO - 7.5 second TTFA
Quick Attack + Draining Kiss: 10.75 DPS - 541.29 TDO - 4 second TTFA
Quick Attack + Moonblast: 10.61 DPS - 534.59 TDO - 8 second TTFA

Sylveon won't be one of Pokemon GO's greatest in all likelihood, but its use as a strong counter to Dragon, Dark, and Fighting-type Pokemon gives it a good utility role if needed. While Pokemon GO trainers probably won't consider it a staple, expect to see it in rotation in battles, especially against Dragons.