GO Battle League analysis: Porygon-Z post Community Day

Anyone wanting to use Porygon-Z in GO Battle League has been left disappointed as, bluntly, it is a terrible choice. However, it has now been given Tri Attack to add to its arsenal. Does this new move make it PvP worthy, though?

Porygon was the September Community Day headliner. As anyone who has ever participated in a Community Day will know, the featured Pokemon is given an exclusive move upon evolving it into its final form.

That move this time around was Tri Attack. Now the event has passed, Tri Attack can only be taught by using an Elite Charged TM. However, we wouldn’t recommend wasting one on this particular move. Find out why below.

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Porygon headlined the Pokemon Go September 2020 Community Day…

Tri Attack

Firstly, let’s take a look at exactly what Tri Attack brings to the table. It is a normal-type move which means it isn’t super effective against any Pokemon.

Despite this, it is weak against rock, steel, and especially ghost-type ‘mons. That doesn’t mean you should avoid ghost-type attacks, however, as normal-type Pokemon are doubly resistant to them.

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Porygon-Z desperately needed a Charge Move that required less than 75 energy. That is why many trainers were excited by the prospect of the new move.

Tri Attack requires 50 energy and deals 65 damage. It also has a 50% chance of lowering your opponent’s attack and defense by one.

When Tri Attack was initially revealed, it was considered somewhat underwhelming. That’s because other exclusive moves – such as Blast Burn and Hydro Cannon – had a DPE of at least 2. Tri Attack has a DPE of 1.3.

Poor stats

Expert trainers would argue, and perhaps rightly so, that Tri Attack is ‘spammy’ enough alongside the highest energy-generating Charge Move in Pokemon Go – Lock On. It’s certainly a valid point, as any move requiring less than 50 energy with Lock On would generate insanely fast.

The other side of the argument is, even with such a fast charging move, Porygon-Z can’t survive long enough to really utilize the move. Its stats heavily favor attack, which is in contrast to the defensive bulk that GO Battle League requires.

Porygon-Z’s stats are as follows:

• Attack: 264 (68 of 903)
• Defense: 150 (412 of 903)
• Stamina: 198 (187 of 903)

That means if you don’t have any Protect Shields to lean on, Porygon-Z may not last long enough to deal any real damage.

As a result, choosing when to use your Porygon-Z is of the utmost importance. You should avoid Pokemon with hard-hitting Fast Moves and, of course, fighting-type attacks. An example of one move you want to avoid at all costs is Charm.

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To summarize Porygon-Z can be effective in GO Battle League with Tri Attack, but only in specific situations. Due to the difficulty of finding these spots, there are definitely superior alternatives. Don’t be afraid to try it for yourself, though!