A whole new set of Pokemon are coming to Pokemon Go. While we’re still probably a few months away from the release of “Gen 3” Pokemon, it’s never too early to start looking at some of the new Pokemon and see how they might impact the game. We’re going to take a look at all of the Pokemon that will be included in Pokemon Go‘s next wave of releases based on their types.
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Today, we’re talking about Dark-Type Pokemon, one of the most underrepresented types of Pokemon in Pokemon Go. While one of the game’s most powerful Pokemon (Tyranitar) is a Dark-Type, there’s only a handful of Dark-Types in the game so far, and most can’t be used in any sort of attack or defense scenarios. However, a flood of Dark-Type Pokemon is coming, many of which will be solid secondary attackers or defenders for those who want to fill out a team of Dark-Type Pokemon. Here’s a look at the Dark-Type Pokemon coming to the game:
Poochyena and Mightyena
Poochyenaย and Mightyenaย could becomeย Pokemon Go‘s most populous Dark-Type Pokemon. These hyena-like Pokemon were pretty common inย Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, and there’s no reason to believe that they won’t spawn everywhere whenย Pokemon Go adds more Pokemon.ย
Mightyenaย was one of the Pokemon commonly used by Team Magma grunts in the Hoennย region. Although they look and seem dangerous, they’re not very powerful and won’t make much of an impact inย Pokemon Go.ย Its CP is a bit lower than Sneasel and it doesn’t have any impressive stats that could give it a niche in the game. Catching Poochyenaย and Mightyenaย will be useful for Stardust purposes, but that’s about it.ย
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Nuzleaf and Shiftry
Nuzleaf and Shiftryย are the evolved form of Seedot, a Grass-Type Pokemon that we expect to commonly spawn inย Pokemon Go. As Seedotย evolves, it becomes a Grass/Dark dual-type Pokemon, a type combination that we haven’t seen before inย Pokemon Go.
Shiftryย has an okay Attack stat, so it could be useful to players who need a secondary Dark-Type attacker.ย Unfortunately, it has a painfully low Defense stat and plenty of weaknesses, so we don’t recommend using it as a gym defender, even though its above average Stamina stat means that it’ll have a lot of HP. We don’t see Shiftryย having much use inย Pokemon Go, unless it has access to some new type of attacks.ย
Sableye
Gen 3’s weakest Dark-Type Pokemon is Sableye, an impish Pokemon with jeweled eyes.ย Sableyeย is actually based on theย Hopkinsvilleย Goblin, an infamous alien encounter that supposedly occurred in Kentucky.ย Sableye’sย appearance and movements were meant to mimic theย Hopkinsvilleย Goblin, although most Pokemon fans won’t recognize the resemblance.ย
Before the introduction of Fairy-Type Pokemon,ย Sableyeย had no weaknesses inย the Pokemon franchise, which made it somewhat useful despite its weak stats. However, since Fairy-Type Pokemon are in the game,ย Sableyeย won’t be very effective, at least not until Mega Evolutions are added toย Pokemon Go.ย ย
Carvahna and Sharpedo
Carvanhna and Sharpedoย are fearsome looking Water/Dark dual types with nasty looking teeth. Sharpedoย was one of the signature Pokemon of Team Aqua, the villainous team that players faced off inย Pokemon Sapphire.ย
Despite its low CP, Sharpedoย could turn out to be a really useful Pokemon inย Pokemon Go. Sharpedoย has an Attack stat of 243, putting it in the upper echelon of attackers in the game. Although its Defense and Stamina stats are both mediocre, Sharpedoย could be a powerful glass cannon inย Pokemon Go, able to deal out a lot of damage in a short period before fainting.
Cacturne
Cacturneย is another Grass/Dark hybrid, but with a better Attack stat thanย Shiftry.ย Cacturne’sย Attack stat is comparable to bothย Sceptileย andย Exeggutor, which means that it should be a top tier Grass-Type attacker.ย
Cacturne’sย secondary Dark-typing might also give it versatility against Psychic-Type Pokemon likeย Espeon,ย Mewtwo, orย Lugia. Although there’s stronger Dark-Type Pokemon, players won’t have a ton of options andย Cacturne’sย Attack stats are comparable to that ofย Houndoom.ย Cacturneย won’t be a mainstay on most players’ teams, but it should still have its uses.ย
Crawdaunt
Crawdauntย is a lobster-type Pokemon with strong claws and a love of battling. Its tough shell is covered with claws from its various battles over the years. You might notice that Crawdaunt’s shell bares a little bit of a resemblance to Sharpedo’s coloration, which many believe is a sign of mimicry.
Crawdaunt is another Water/Dark dual-type, although this one is a little more balanced than Sharpedo. Although its Attack stat isn’t as high as Sharpedo, Crawdauntย has better Stamina and Defense stats, meaning that it might be a little more useful in battles where you need Pokemon to last longer in battle.ย
Absol
Absolย is probably the strangest and most anticipated Dark-Type Pokemon being added toย Pokemon Go. Absolย seems to be based off of several different types of mythological creatures ranging from the sphinx to the Chinese baiย ze, to the Japanese kutabe.ย Absolย is known as a harbinger of disaster, and it’s said to only appear to warn people of approaching trouble.
Although its appearance is ominous, Absolย should be a pretty useful Pokemon inย Pokemon Go. Like other Dark-Types, Absolย has a high Attack stat, but low Defense and Stamina stats, making it somewhat of a glass cannon. Absolย has the second highest Attack stat of any Dark-Type Pokemon, so this is the Pokemon you’ll want to have if you’re looking to add Dark-Type gym attackers to your collection.ย
