Best moveset for Shadow Annihilape in Pokémon Go

Team Rocket has gone out of their way to capture more Shadow Pokémon in Pokémon Go and added a Shadow Mankey to their ranks. If you can catch and rescue this Pokémon, you can eventually evolve it into the powerful Shadow Annihilape and use it on your team.

As one of the stronger Fighting-type Pokémon you can get in Pokémon Go, adding a Shadow Annihilape version to your collection is always a good idea. It also comes down to what moveset and attacks you want to teach it to give your team the best edge to take down your opponents. There are several combinations, but only a handful make Annihilape a powerful addition to your team. Here’s what you need to know about the best moveset for Shadow Annihilape in Pokémon Go.

Shadow Annihilape’s best moveset in Pokémon Go

Before you can worry about acquiring Shadow Annihilape, your main focus will be to catch a Shadow Mankey. You can do this by encountering the Team Rocket grunt while exploring your local area, and it should be the Fighting-type one. When you catch one and evolve it into a Shadow Annihilape, the next step is to figure out the strongest attacks to teach them in Pokémon Go. The best moveset you want to use features the fast move Counter and the charged moves Night Slash and Shadow Ball. Shadow Annihilape has a diverse moveset that makes it a fantastic addition to most teams, similar to Shadow Primeape.

Counter is a great fast move for Shadow Annihilape to learn as a Fighting-type attack. The move does eight damage and provides three energy per turn, which is an excellent turnaround for Annihilape to use many of its charged moves during a Pokémon Go battle. The only other fast move it can use is Low Kick, an attack you want to avoid. It only does four damage and gives 2.5 energy. While it only provides slightly less energy per attack than Counter, Low Kick’s overall damage is significantly worse. Make sure you always teach Annihilape to use Counter.

For Shadow Annihilape’s charged moves, several moves can make this Pokémon a standout option. These are all the charged moves Annihilape can learn in Pokémon Go.

• Close Combat (Fighting-type)
• Frustration (Normal-type)
• Ice Punch (Ice-type)
• Low Sweep (Fighting-type)
• Night Slash (Dark-type)
• Shadow Ball (Ghost-type)

Of these choices, the ones that stand out as the best options will be Night Slash and Shadow Ball. While those aren’t Fighting-types, they give Annihilape a diverse moveset, giving it a depth of use during battles. Night Slash is a Dark-type attack that only needs 35 energy to do 50 damage, and it has a 12.5 percent chance to increase the user’s attack stat by two ranks. Although the chances of increasing it are low, it’s still there, which always helps. Shadow Ball is a much stronger attack, dealing 100 damage for 55 energy, and Annihilape is also a Ghost-type Pokémon, which boosts the Ghost-type move.

Is Shadow Annihilape good in Pokémon Go?

When it comes down to it, Shadow Annihilape is a niche choice throughout Pokémon Go. This version is significantly stronger than the standard one, and if you’re planning to use it against other players, you’ll want to focus on bringing it to the Ultra League. There was a time Annihilape was acceptable in the Master League, but we’ll need to wait for further adjustments before it can return. Right now, you’ll want to stick with the Ultra League, or niche Pokémon Cup competitions.

If you plan to use it in PvE scenarios, Shadow Annihilape is excellent in these, and you can use its full power in five-star raids. It’s an ideal choice to battle against Normal-type Pokémon, and you can also expect to use it against Bug, Fighting, Poison, and Rock-type Pokémon. You’ll want to avoid having it face off against Fairy, Flying, Ghost, or Psychic-type Pokémon or ones that can use these attacks.