Best moveset for Empoleon in Pokemon Go & is it any good?

Cassidy Stephenson
Empoleon in Pokemon Go

If Piplup was your go-to starter in the Generation 4 games, here’s everything you need to know about its moveset to correctly build it in Pokemon Go.

Introduced in Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, Empoleon is the final evolution of the Water-type starter Piplup. Compared to its previous evolutions, Empoleon adopts a Steel typing, making it resistant to many different moves.

While Pokemon Go trainers participate in the Road to Sinnoh event, some are facing Prinplup in 3-star Raids.

If you have now evolved that Prinplup into an Empoleon, keep reading for the ‘mon’s best moveset and its viability in competitive play.

pokemon anime empoleon

Empoleon general stats in Pokemon Go

This Water-type evolution has an attack-based stat spread of 210 (ATK), 186 (DEF), and 197 (STA) and can reach a max CP value of 3279 in Pokemon Go, which can be boosted by Rainy or Snowy weather.

As a Water/Steel dual-type, Empoleon is weak to Electric, Fighting, and Ground-type moves. However, it is resistant to Ice, Poison, Steel, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Normal, Psychic, Rock, and Water-type attacks.

Best moveset for Empoleon

The best moveset available for Empoleon is Metal Claw as a Fast Move and Hydro Cannon as a Charged Move, with 16.22 damage per second and 479.8 damage before the Pokemon faints.

You can also replace Metal Claw with Waterfall if you need extra Water-type coverage during an encounter. No matter what, both movesets will benefit from the Same Type Attack Bonus.

Empoleon in Pokemon anime

All moves Empoleon can learn

This Water-type creature can learn a total of two Fast Attacks and five Charged Attacks.

Empoleon Fast Moves

  • Metal Claw (Steel/STAB)
  • Waterfall (Water/STAB)

Empoleon Charged Moves

  • Flash Cannon (Steel/STAB)
  • Drill Peck (Flying)
  • Blizzard (Ice)
  • Hydro Pump (Water/STAB)
  • Hydro Cannon (Water/STAB/Elite TM)

Is Empoleon any good in Pokemon Go?

Empoleon isn’t that great of a choice to pick for competitive play in Pokemon Go. Currently, it sits at #194 in the Master League and #195 in the Ultra League, according to PvPoke.

Despite having a decent defense and dealing a good amount of damage with its Fast Moves, it simply lacks the power compared to other Water-type options in the mobile game, such as Kyogre or Gyarados.

That’s all you need to know about Empoleon’s moveset and its viability in Pokemon Go battles. For more game content, check our guides below:

Best Pokemon in Pokemon Go | All upcoming Spotlight Hours | Current Raid bosses | Arlo counters guide | Cliff counters guide | Giovanni counters guide | Sierra counters guide | Grunt counters guide | How to catch a Ditto | What are Strange Eggs? | How to get Remote Raid Passes | Fastest way to get Best Buddy status | Pokemon Go catching tips