Pokémon Duel has dozens of figurine choices, and many of the best ones are rare or expensive to buy. If you’re an advanced player who’s been dueling for a while, we’ve compiled a tier list for nine of our top picks overall.
As outlined in our beginner’s guide, we classify figures in Pokémon Duel in three categories: sprinters, battlers and defense. Since you’re a formidable challenger, we suspect you already have a vague idea of what these roles entail. That being said, let’s get right to the good stuff.
WHICH POKÉMON ARE THE BEST RARE SPRINTERS?
Latios [EX]: Latios is a solid sprinter, but he’s not without limitations. His three white attacks numbered at 70, 120 and 60, mean he’ll be knocking out tons of strong monsters along the way. There’s also two dodge spaces too, which means he’s hard to hit. The only real downside, however, is that Latios can’t be revived after he’s fainted. He’s great if the spinners work in your favor, but he should be backed up by some strong alternatives in case he fails.
Ghastly [R]: Ghastly’s main claim to fame is its special ability called Gaseous Form. With it, not only can he pass through any Pokémon in the field for an effective rush, but he also can’t be surrounded. With so much freedom, this figure can put lots of doubt in your opponent if you’re able to keep it in play.
Destiny Bond is also a cool attack: killing any Pokémon that manages to kill Ghastly. You can use him to suicide defenders, like you would with Voltorb on lower levels.
Greninja [EX]: Greninja’s best asset is its Water Shuriken attack that multiplies its damage for consecutive spins while instantly KO’ing a second nearby opponent if they spin a purple move. That advantage is a seriously strong one. It’s 60-percent Hydro Pump attack isn’t bad either. Where you get into real trouble, however, is if you can’t spin Water Shuriken. If that happens enough times, you could be stuck waiting on a revive.
WHICH POKÉMON ARE THE BEST RARE BATTLERS?
Moltres [EX]: If you’re looking for pure firepower, Moltres is the legendary bird to save up for. In terms of white attacks, Steel Wing does 60 damage and Crushing Flames does 110. Together, those two moves make up 48 percent of its starting spinner. Flame Charge also burns Pokémon in battle and any others in the same row. There’s so much potential damage to inflict on every turn.
Gabite [R] : Gabite’s main strength as a battler lies in its special ability called Sand Veil. With it, you can avoid battle by burying under an opposing Pokémon and moving to a nearby space. After that shift, a battle doesn’t occur. When you're ready to fight, there’s 110 damage points spread across 56 percent of its spinner. Its evolution may be a bit stronger, but you’re still well equipped even if Garchomp isn’t around.
Lugia [EX]: Lugia is another top-tier figure greatly helped by the conditions of its attacks rather than the attacks themselves. Hurricane is a three-star purple attack that moves an opponent to the bench while also giving them Wait. It can only lose to gold and other blue spins. Paired with a full Pokémon Center, the impact can keep huge threats out of comission for a long time. Outside of that, two Aeroblast attacks make up 50 percent of the spinner and do 70 damage each.
WHICH POKÉMON ARE THE BEST RARE DEFENSE?
Articuno [EX]: If you’ve got Moltres on offense, Articuno is your master of defense. A two-star blue attack, called Ice Charge, has a base size of 20 percent, and it freezes the impacted Pokémon and ones in the same row. Even if you can’t stall a rush, two 70- and 90-point white attacks should kill a lot of formidable threats. A blue move, called Roost, also offers instant heal in exchange for Wait, making Articuno tough to remove.
Wobbuffet [R]: What makes Wobbuffet a great defense is its 60 percent Counter attack and 8 percent Protect. With Counter, any Pokémon that deals 20 or more damage is instantly KO’ed. This will apply to many of the sprinters your opponent rushes in. On top of killing, being able to gain Wait through Protect makes this figure hard to move.
Aggron [EX]: Aggron is essentially Wobbuffet on steroids. It has the same Counter and Protect that take up 32 percent of its spinner. Fifty-two percent of its spinner can also dole out 130 combined damage points. This is a great stat paired with its Territoriality ability. An opponent can never pass beside Aggron without having to battle it. It’ll swat away sprinters like flies.
Pokémon Duel is available now on Android and iOS. Be sure to check out our beginner’s guide and our beginner’s tier list if you’re just getting started.
What are your best rare Pokémon Duel decks right now? Are there any good options we missed? Tell us in the comments section!
