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Darkrai is returning to Pokemon GO in the upcoming month of October.
Darkrai has been a fan-favorite since its debut in the fourth generation of Pokemon. Whether it be the select few to receive the room key item (from the event to capture one on Newmoon Island) or those who saw its power in its movie, Pokemon: The Rise of Darkrai.
Along with Darkrai's revived relevancy, many players may find themselves wanting to use the malevolent master of nightmares on their Battle League team.
Darkrai in Pokemon GO: An Analysis
Many Pokemon GO players who missed out on their chance to catch Darkrai before will be given a chance in October. After capturing the Mythical Pokemon, players will be able to use it in battle. But which moves are best for Darkrai to use?
Darkrai has a couple of different options for fast attacks in Pokemon GO. Feint Attack and Snarl may both be Dark-type moves, but they have different characteristics.
Snarl is typically ran over Feint Attack for the sole reason that Snarl generates more energy. The damage difference between the two attacks is 0.2, a difference that small is almost unnoticeable.
Darkrai's charged attacks are where things get a little more interesting. Darkrai has access to Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast in Pokemon GO.
Dark Pulse, being a Dark-type move, is given a boost to its power due to Darkrai's Dark typing. However, Shadow Ball is typically ran over Dark Pulse. This is because it uses the same amount of energy as Dark Pulse but provides a higher damage output and gives coverage against more Pokemon.
As far as Focus Blast goes, it deals the most damage out of the rest of Darkrai's charged attacks in Pokemon GO and would be considered by some to be superior to Shadow Ball. However, Shadow Ball can be used a lot more than Focus Blast due to the energy cost, meaning that the opponent is more likely to burn up their shields from Darkrai's attacks.
Darkrai is a pure Dark-type Pokemon. This means that Darkrai takes more damage from Fairy, Bug, and Fighting-type attacks. In Pokemon GO, Darkrai can be easily countered by Lucario due to both Pokemon's typings. However, Focus Blast can be ran to deal super-effective damage to Lucario thanks to its Steel typing.
Darkrai also takes less damage from Ghost, Dark, and Psychic-type attacks. This means that Darkrai can be a great pivoter into an opposing Gengar or Alakazam and deal some huge damage to them in exchange.
Darkrai's stats are built to have it be more of a glass cannon type of fighter. In Pokemon GO, Darkrai has an attack stat of 285, a defense stat of 198, and a stamina stat of 172. While these stats are nothing to scoff at, it does leave Darkrai open to being down in only a couple of super-effective charged attacks.
In summary, Darkrai has a couple of different builds it can run effectively in Pokemon GO. Snarl should always be ran as a fast attack. However, Focus Blast is a great option for dealing more damage in certain situations, but Shadow Ball is more commonly ran and tends to be the more reliable choice for charged attacks.
Note: The article reflects the views of the writer.
