Lugia is an old-time veteran of the Pokemon series. It made its first appearance in Generation II, where it rested in the Whirl Islands. It’s since made multiple appearances in games and even a couple of movies (the centerpiece of Pokemon 2000). One big thing Lugia is known for in the main series is having astronomically high defensive stats, and the same rings true in Pokemon GO.

Which moves should this legendary Pokemon be using?

Lugia has a nice pair of quick moves, and although one might be better in most circumstances, trainers can’t go wrong with either one. Both Extrasensory and Dragon Tail last for 1.5 seconds (1.1s in PvP), do similar amounts of damage, and cost similar energy.

One might think that Extrasensory is a clear choice here since it benefits from STAB. While it could be paired with Future Sight to turn Lugia into a nice Psychic-type attacker, this surprisingly isn’t a great option.

Lugia may be a defensive behemoth, but its offenses aren’t as strong. It only has 193 Attack, which means that even non-legendary Psychic-types will outperform in Raids. Trainers could do much better with even an Espeon than they would Lugia as a Raid attacker.

This makes Dragon Tail a much more viable option. In Master League and Ultra League, Lugia has to contend with many more Dragon-types. Giratina Altered, Giratina Origin, Dragonite, and others run rampant in those metas, so Dragon Tail can help check those Pokemon.

Surprisingly, Lugia can also get away with running dual Flying-type moves for its charge moves.

Sky Attack should always be used because it’s Lugia’s cheapest option in terms of energy. Future Sight, Hydro Pump, and Aeroblast use up a ton of energy, leaving Sky Attack to be the only charge move Lugia will have quick access to.

Lugia’s trainer could pair Sky Attack with a different move for coverage, but it’s tough to pass up on the 180 base power of Aeroblast (170 power in PvP). This move is so strong that it’s probably the way to go, even if it might mean Lugia sacrifices coverage. Aeroblast will probably still drop tons of damage on Pokemon that resist it anyways.

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