It isn’t easy to find a more useful legendary Pokémon for the Great League in Pokémon Go outside of Defense Forme Deoxys. You won’t be using it for raids, battle against Team Rocket members, or compete in the Master League, but Deoxys Defense Form excels in the Great League, and you can also choose to use it in the Ultra League. This guide covers how you can best use Defense Forme Deoxys in Pokémon Go and what makes it suitable.
How to best use Defense Forme Deoxys
Deoxys Defense Forme is a Psychic-type Pokémon, making it weak to Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type moves, but it is resistant against Fighting and Psychic-type attacks. As a result, you’ll see quite a few Fighting-type Pokémon close to the top of the Great League, such as Medicham, Machamp, Hitmontop, Lucario, and Primeape. These Pokémon are easy prey for Deoxys Defense Forme, but you want to be on the lookout for Azumarill, Altari, Umbreon, Swampert, and Alolan Ninetales.
For the Great League, the maximum CP you want Deoxys Defense Forme to have will be 1,491, and it will have an attack of 101, a defense of 221, and a stamina of 98. Because of Defense Forme Deoxy’s exceptional defense, it’s a tough Pokémon to defeat. Your opponent will need to have a Pokémon with Bug, Dark, or Ghost-type move, and even then, that might not be enough to stop it. It’s a Pokémon that can withstand many attacks and dish out a decent amount of damage. While it will not break the damage charts, it will win most endurance challenges.
The best moveset you can teach Deoxys Defense Forme will be the fast move Counter, followed by the charged moves Psycho Boost and Thunderbolt. This gives the Pokémon a wide variety of coverage in battle, and counter gives it a good energy recharge time, allowing it to fire out its charge attacks pretty frequently, making it difficult for most Pokémon to remain in a fight for too long.
When placing Deoxys Defense Forme in your roster, the best role to give will be the Closer, which means it will be the final Pokémon in your roster. You don’t want to start with Deoxys Defense Forme when battling another trainer, so it won’t be the Lead choice, and you also don’t want to rely on it being your Switch Pokémon.
Is Defense Forme Deoxys good?
Using it as your final Pokémon, you can expect it to be the last defense against an opposing trainer. Unless they have a Bug, Dark, or Ghost-type Pokémon, or a Pokémon with one of these attacks, most players will run into trouble.
Deoxys Defense Forme is perfect for any trainer looking to compete in the Great League. You want to teach it the best moveset and ensure it has the best IVs and stats. Even if your Deoxys Defense Forme is a little off from the perfect IVs or stat, it will still be a fierce competitor.
