Grafajita
Unlocking a second Charge Move on Pokémon in Pokémon GO is often seen as a game feature primarily used or reserved for PvP. However, there are several dual-type Pokémon that excel as dual attackers, and unlocking a second charge move can be beneficial. Below is a list of Pokémon that excel in one or multiple of the following categories: Raids, Gym Battles, and Team Go Rocket Battles.
Note: Ideal moves will be in white and moves with an asterisk (*) are Legacy Moves.
Swampert
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| FAST MOVE(S) | CHARGE MOVE(S) |
| Mud Shot Water Gun | Earthquake |
| Swampert is a great Pokémon who functions at a high level as both a Water- and Ground-type Pokémon excelling in all facets of the game. Its exclusive Community Day move Hydro Cannon isn’t readily available, so trainers can’t just TM Hydro Cannon away for Earthquake, if you want to utilize Swampert as a Ground-type. Being a starter Pokémon, unlocking the second Charge Move for Swampert is really cheap, only costing 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy. It is also worth noting that Swampert does have a Mega Evolution that will eventually be released, only raising its dual capabilities to higher heights. | |
| Stardust: 10,000 | Candy: 25 |
Garchomp
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| FAST MOVE(S) | CHARGE MOVE(S) |
| Dragon Tail Mud Shot | Earthquake |
An excellent Dragon- and Ground-type Pokémon, Garchomp is already a beast, and will only get stronger when its Mega Evolution is released. Unlike other Pokémon on this list, Garchomp doesn’t currently have an exclusive Community Day or Raid move, so trainers can just use TMs (for Raid battles), but you won’t get all the benefits in Team Go Rocket Battles. Mud Shot is arguably the best Fast Move to generate Charge Move energy; pair this with a strong Pokémon and great moves, and you have yourself a TGR slayer. Sand Tomb is an amazing shield bait move and also lowers the opponent’s defense. Outrage is a heavy hitter dealing massive damage to anything that is not a Fairy- or Steel-type. Earthquake can also be used, but Sand Tomb usually performs better against TGR Leaders and Giovanni, if Garchomp is in charge of dispersing shields. | |
| Stardust: 75,000 | Candy: 75 |
Moltres
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| FAST MOVE(S) | CHARGE MOVE(S) |
| Fire Spin Wing Attack | Ancient Power |
Definitely on the expensive end of unlocking a second charge move, it is still worthy of unlocking the second charge move if you have the resources to spare. Moltres is a premiere Flying-type attacker and is also a top-notch Fire-type attacker. Unfortunately, Sky Attack is a Moltres Raid Day exclusive move, so trying to acquire one with excellent IVs isn’t particularly easy. This also means you can’t just use Charge TMs to simply flip between Sky Attack and Overheat. As far as TGR battles go, Moltres excels extremely well against Grass- and Bug-types, including the pesky Fury Cutter Scyther. A cheaper alternative (and arguably better) to Moltres is Charizard, which will be covered later in this article. | |
| Stardust: 100,000 | Candy: 100 |
Rhyperior
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| FAST MOVE(S) | CHARGE MOVE(S) |
| Smack Down Mud-Slap | Earthquake |
Rhyperior makes this list because it’s an excellent Ground- and Rock-type attacker. To excel at its full potential as a Rock-type, Rhyperior needs the CD exclusive move Rock Wrecker. So if you want to use your already powered-up Rhyperior as a Ground-type, you’ll need to unlock the second Charge Move to use Earthquake. As far as TGR battles go, there are situations where having both moves can help against Leaders whenever they switch from a lead with a Rock weakness to a Ground weakness and vice versa. | |
| Stardust: 50,000 | Candy: 50 |
Melmetal
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| FAST MOVE(S) | CHARGE MOVE(S) |
| Thunder Shock | Flash Cannon |
It’s no secret that Metagross is pretty much the only Steel-type attacker that matters, so why is Melmetal included on this list (it doesn’t even have a dual-typing)? Melmetal makes the list because it is simply a beast in Team Go Rocket battles. With its singular Steel-typing Melmetal sports 10 resistances, has an excellent energy gaining Fast Move Thunder Shock, a great shield bait move in Rock Slide, and a hard-hitting move in Superpower. The best and worst part about Melmetal is that candy is either extremely easy or difficult to come by. For those who have access to a Switch and a copy of Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee, candy is easy to come by; for those who don’t, acquiring candy can be tedious. Nevertheless, Melmetal is a great addition to add to your TGR repertoire. | |
| Stardust: 100,000 | Candy: 100 |
Charizard/Mega Charizard Y/X
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| FAST MOVE(S) | CHARGE MOVE(S) |
Air Slash | Blast Burn* |
Before the release of its Mega Evolutions, Charizard could be considered as a budget Moltres, sharing the same typing. However, with the introduction of two new Megas, Charizard’s status has been catapulted. Both Megas are a force to be reckoned with, but Mega Charizard Y is scary to go up against, and the new Fire-type king. If you find yourself battling TGR with Mega Y, it will run roughshod through the opposition, without looking back at the damage it is dealing. The huge elephant in the room is, of course, the Mega Evolution stipulation. Charizard Mega Energy may be easy for some to acquire, and difficult for others. Either way, its mentioning belongs in this article. Regular Charizard is still no slouch for Raids or TGR. Dragon Claw is a great shield bait move, and only costs 10,000 stardust and 25 candy to unlock. *Dragon Breath will be Charizard’s October Community Day exclusive move. | |
| Stardust: 10,000 | Candy: 25 |
Lucario
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| FAST MOVE(S) | CHARGE MOVE(S) |
Counter | Aura Sphere |
Last but not least is Lucario. Fighting is a wonderful typing, and its use in the metagame is ever-present. Unlocking the second Charge Move will do wonders for those who love battling TGR. If unlocked smartly, the Charge Move will only cost 10,000 stardust and 25 candy, if unlocked while still a Riolu. Otherwise, the second Charge Move becomes much more expensive, jumping up to 75,000 stardust and 75 candy. Power-Up Punch allows for easy shield clears (and boosts the user Attack stat), and Aura Sphere provides massive damage. | |
| Stardust: 10,000/75,000 | Candy: 25/75 |
Honorable Mentions
For those who have more resources, i.e. more stardust or candy, some or all of the following Pokémon can benefit from unlocking their second Charge Move.
 |  |  |
| Tyranitar | Weavile | Mamoswine |
 |  | |
| Gyarados | Snorlax |
Closing Thoughts
If it wasn’t already noticed, many Pokémon on this list had some variation of a legacy move. This ultimately forces trainers to unlock a second Charge Move to take advantage of these Pokémon’s dual-typing or multiple movesets. Others just have an advantageous pool of Charge Moves. One this that is certain is the cost of unlocking a second Charge Move can be daunting to some individuals, due to the stardust and candy requirements. This article tried to include a variety of Pokémon that trainers of all levels can take advantage of, and after reading this article, come to realize second Charge Moves are not just for PvP.
