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With Pokemon GO having so many options available for battle, things can get confusing when it comes to the best moves for the best situation.
With respect to Dodrio, the speedy Normal/Flying-type Pokemon, there is a pool of six moves available for it to learn. Regardless of whether they are being used in trainer battles or in gym raids, two moves in particular provide an edge in overall damage and damage per second.
The two moves are Feint Attack and Drill Peck, providing the best overall damage when all factors are considered.
Pokemon GO: Why are Feint Attack and Drill Peck right for Dodrio?
Pokemon GO operates somewhat differently from the main entries in the series, offering one Fast Move and one Charged Move as opposed to four attacks of any form. With that in mind, optimizing offensive ability comes down to finding the correct combination of Fast Moves and Charged Moves
Although other attack combinations such as Steel Wing/Brave Bird or Steel Wing/Aerial Ace can also provide solid damage, Feint Attack and Drill Peck allow for the highest damage per second and over time out of all current combinations.
Broken down into three categories, DPS, TDO, and TTFA, the numbers prove the effectiveness of this combination when type differences are neutral. But first, a breakdown of terminology for Pokemon GO attacks specifically:
- DPS (Damage Per Second): The amount of damage a move deals every second it is used.
- TDO (Total Damage Output): The maximum amount of damage a Pokemon can deal with its moves before it faints in battle.
- TTFA (Time to First Activation): The amount of time it takes in seconds before the first Charged Move becomes available to use.
With that being said, the move combinations can be broken down in a statistical sense. Each move combo can be broken down into the three categories listed above in order to give insight into the damage potential:
- Feint Attack + Drill Peck: 14.27 DPS, 371.51 TDO, 3.6 second TTFA
- Steel Wing + Brave Bird: 13.93 DPS, 362.59 TDO, 13.6 second TTFA
- Steel Wing + Drill Peck: 13.91 DPS, 362.03 TDO, 4.8 second TTFA
- Steel Wing + Aerial Ace: 12.46 DPS, 324.20 TDO, 4.8 second TTFA
- Feint Attack + Aerial Ace: 11.98 DPS, 311.90 TDO, 3.6 second TTFA
- Feint Attack + Brave Bird: 11.97 DPS, 311.48 TDO, 10.8 second TTFA
- Steel Wing + Air Cutter: 11.93 DPS, 310.45 TDO, 7.2 second TTFA
- Feint Attack + Air Cutter: 11.05 DPS, 287.58 TDO, 5.4 second TTFA
Although the implementation of Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO can add or subtract from these numbers as well as the type-effectiveness matchup, these are the baseline numbers.
Players looking to take extra advantage should keep in mind that Feint Attack is super effective against Ghost and Psychic-type Pokemon, while Drill Peck is super effective against Bug, Fighting, and Grass-types.
With the correct application, trainers can maximize their Dodrio's use in both Battle League and Gym Raid situations in Pokemon GO. While certainly not the greatest combatant, a maximized Dodrio on offense is capable, especially against the types it matches favorably against.
Read more: The best moveset for Spritzee in Pokemon GO
