Pokemon Go players are always looking for ways to elevate their team, whether for PvE, Raid battles or Go Battle League challenges. However, the best picks for a well-rounded team aren’t always Megas from Five-Star Raids. In fact, some powerful contenders only take a Sinnoh Stone to acquire.
For many of us, playing Pokemon Go can be a bit of a trap. It’s easy to look at the raid schedule for an ongoing event and peg the Mega, Legendary, or Gigantamax that is featured as a great fit for your competitive team.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of factors that go into useability. The cost of evolution, the stats of the Pokemon, and the access to it are all factors that need to be considered when labeling something as “the best”.
Thankfully, some extremely powerful Pokemon can be obtained with relative ease, and factors beyond stats and attack power make them more favorable options. Some of them even beat out the best Megas out there. Below are our picks for Sinnoh Stone evolutions that beat out Megas in Pokemon Go, ranked on their useability, evolution requirements, catch difficulty, and overall stats.
Sinnoh Stone evolutions in Pokemon Go That Beat Megas
Sinnoh Stones are a special item added to Pokemon Go that evolves a handful of Pokemon originally added during the Gen 4 era of the video game series. Many of these evolutions were for Pokemon that originally debuted in the first three gens, adding additional stages to their evolutionary lines.
While none of these are sporting Pseudo-Legendary stats, they hit harder than a Basic or Stage 1 Pokemon, and many are extra powerful due to the lengths players had to go to when obtaining them in Diamond in Pearl.
In the chart below, we have listed our picks for the best Sinnoh Stone evolutions, and why you should consider them over some of the generic powerhouses of Pokemon Go.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
| Pokemon | Evolution Requirements | Type | Best Moves | Reason to Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mamoswine | Evolve Swinub into Piloswine for 24 Swinub CandyEvolve Pilowswine into Mamoswine using 100 Swinub Candy and 1 Sinnoh Stone | Ice/Ground-type | Fast Attack:Mud-Slap (19)Charged AttackAvalanche (85) | With a relatively low Candy cost of 125 total, a powerful Ice/Ground combo, and solid defensive stats, Mamoswine is a beast. You won’t need to wait for it to turn up in raids, as it can spawn in the wild in the correct biomes. |
| Gliscor | Evolve Gligar into Gliscor with 100 Gligar Candy and 1 Sinnoh Stone | Ground/Flying-type | Fast Attack:Sand Attack (4)Charged AttackAvalanche (140) | Gliscor’s claim to fame is its 100-Candy evolution requirements and its ability to learn Earthquake. The powerful move is a showstopper and mixed with a fast recovery time on Sand Attack, it can hit hard, especially at a high CP. |
| Rhyperior | Evolve Rhyhorn into Rhydon for 25 Ryhorn Candy.Evolve Rhydom into Rhyperior with 100 Ryhorn Candy and 1 Sinnoh Stone | Ground/Rock-type | Fast Attack:Smack Down (13)Charged AttackRock Wrecker (110) | Rhyperior is best run as a Rock-type Attacker thanks to the brute force it can deal with its moveset. While it can be fragile due to its typing when put up against Water and Grass, it will wreck shop against Electric, Fire, and Steel types. |
| Gallade | Evolve Male Ralts into Kirlia for 25 Ralts Candy.Evolve Kirlia into Gallade with 100 Ralts Candy and 1 Sinnoh Stone | Psychic/Fighting-type | Fast Attack:Confusion (19)Charged Attack Psychic (95) | Now, Gallade isn’t going to be knocking the socks off anyone with its fighting moves, but it can be a very powerful asset as a Psychic attacker. It also has the added benefit of being a Sinnoh Stone Mega, and having a high max CP. It’s a good mid-range option, and its easy to get ahold of. |
| Weavile | Evolve Sneasel into Weavile with 100 Sneasel Candy and 1 Sinnoh Stone | Dark/Ice-type | Fast Attack:Snarl (11)orIce Shard (10)Charged Attack Foul Play (70)orAvalanche (85) | Weavile is a sleeper agent with its Ice/Dark typing, cheap evolution, and the ability to be a powerful attacker for either. In fact, it’s not a bad idea to get two and outfit either with Ice or Dark moves, so you are prepared for any battle that comes your way. |
The above options are excellent Sinnoh Stone evolutions to prioritize over Megas, as they can be obtained outside of Raids, don’t require Mega Energy to use, and can all be present on a team, where only one Mega can be active at a time. Additionally, mixed typing allows players to take advantage of a variety of strategies.
The trick to using these non-mega options effectively is to try and catch a Basic with good stats, spend time increasing CP, and select the best moves for what your team needs.
For a full list of Sinnoh Stone evolutions in the game, and an in-depth walkthrough on how to find them, check out our how to get Sinnoh Stones’ guide here.
How to Farm Sinnoh Stones in Pokemon Go
While Sinnoh Stones were rare when they first became available in Pokemon Go, they have since become relatively easy to get ahold of. Here are the best ways to grind them quickly.
- Battle Team Leaders: Take on Spark, Blanche, or Candela in training battles to increase your odds of receiving Sinnoh Stones.
- Claim Research Breakthroughs: Players who finish their weekly research tasks may receive a Sinnoh Stone as a Research Breakthrough reward.
- Participate in Go Battle League: Sinnoh Stones are sometimes available are rewards when competing in the Go Battle League.
The best way to get Sinnoh Stones is through PvP, or completing your weekly research tasks to earn the Research Breakthrough rewards. For many, it is likely you already have Sinnoh Stones taking up room in your inventory, as they are often received and abandoned in preference of big, bad Raid Bosses like Mega Lucario or Mega Rayquaza.
While it might seem tempting to try and build an all-Mega team in Pokemon Go, it’s worth considering the options that cost less, do competitively solid damage, and don’t cost Mega Energy or Raid Passes to get. And who knows, you may even surprise an opponent entrenched in the Mega and Gigantamax hype saturating the Meta with your powerful lineup.
