All 6 Slow-family Pokemon have had some sort’ve relevance in Pokemon GO’s PvP scene through cups. Given that Slowbro, Slowking, Shadow Slowbro, Shadow Slowking, Galarian Slowbro, and Galarian Slowking are all upgraded by the Community Day exclusive Charge Move Surf, it could be good to know which IVs may give you an extra edge in your climb to Legend in GO Battle League. The article below details which stats and associated IV spreads are most relevant for each member of the Slow-family.
Note: this guide discusses the hidden true stats of Pokemon in Pokemon GO. In order to see these true stats you need to use an IV checking app (CalcyIV, Pokegenie) or an IV checking website (GOStadium, PvPIVs.com, or PvPoke itself). To make things simple, the guide also features standard PvP IV tables.
If you’re not familiar with PvP IVs, check out this PvP IVs Simplified video.
PvP IV Tables
The tables below feature the IV spreads with hyperlinked tables that meet some of the more important stat checks highlighted in the article. It’s important to review the guide itself to make sure you’re getting what you want out of your Slowdudes. For example, you may want a slightly higher HP weight for more consistency.
Note: Nearly all featured IV spreads can be found with the “0-1attack&2-4defense&2-4hp” search string, which means the “+slow&age0&2-4attack,0-2defense,0-2hp&!4” inverted search string should be safe for rapid bag clearing mid-Community Day.
Slowbro & Slowking 118.4 Def, 144 HP
- Higher HP is generally better
Shadow Slowbro & Slowking 113.7 Atk, 117.8 Def, 141 HP
- 113.7 Atk covers the Rank 1 and 2 Galarian Stunfisk, 114.95 covers the Rank 3
- In general, HP > Def
Galarian Slowking Mirror Slayer 116.7 Atk, 117.5 Def, 138 HP
- More Atk for more CMP potential
- More Def for more Bruxish protection
Galarian Slowbro Generalist/Mirror 118.48 Atk, 108.83 Def, 144 HP
- HP > Def > Atk
Galarian Slowbro Bulk Focus 109 Def, 146 HP
- 147 HP for Shadow Victreebel 0-1 consistency
- The Rank 2 (0/15/10) may 2-1 high bulk Umbreon
Slowbro and Slowking in the Great League
In general, the original Slowbro and Slowking don’t have any significant Atk Breakpoints to their name, so bulk/stat product should be the focus. 144 HP is relevant for the Metagross 0-1, Claydol 0-0 (w/ Ice Beam), Galarian Stunfisk 0-1, and most mirrors that end on a Fast Move (depends on if you have Psychic and if Psychic lands at all). ~118.4 Def keeps that HP value consistent. Lower Def can be made up for with more HP, but lower HP generally won’t be made up for with higher Def. All in all, if you have the Rank 1, go with the Rank 1.
Between these two Slowdudes, the only difference is that Slowbro has Ice Beam and Slowking has Fire Blast and Blizzard. Generally, Slowbro has the better moves. In a format where all you really need is Water Gun/Confusion with Surf and maybe Psychic though, Slowking could have better shield pressure with the threat of a big Charge Move (even if it only has Surf + Psychic, your opponent doesn’t know that). Both dudes have value, but maybe evolve your best one into Slowbro.
If you’re curious about Return, purifying Slowbro or Slowking will put their level too high for Great League PvP.
Shadow Slowbro and Slowking in the Great League
Unlike their non-Shadow Slow-Brethren, the Shadow Slowdudes want at least 113.71 Atk to enable the Galarian Stunfisk 2-2 and to possibly KO before a Rock Slide bait into Earthquake in the 1-1. This Atk covers the Rank 1 and 2 Galarian Stunfisk. The Rank 3 has considerably more Def and requires 114.95 Atk, so keep that in mind when deciding which Shadow Slowsibling to bring to the battlefield.
For bulk, 116.9 Def with 141 HP enables the Feint Attack Bronzong 2-2. The table for this guide is cut at 117.8 Def to account for a slight Atk weight on Bronzong. This bulk also helps keep consistency for the Medicham 0-0.
If you have an ultra high Atk of 118.43-119.78, you could overtake Galarian Rapidash in the 2-2. No bulk standard was identified for this Atk weight. It could be risky to run, even in a GDash heavy meta, but GDash definitely won’t appreciate it.
Similar to the non-Shadows, Shadow Slowbro is generally better due to Ice Beam access, but Shadow Slowking has more shield pressure and nuke potential, depending on the format.
Galarian Slowking in the Great League
Galarian Slowking’s greatest enemy is itself, so having high Atk for CMP is a priority. 138 HP helps in the 0-0 and 2-2 mirror, enables the Slowbro 1-1 without baiting, and makes various Victini matchups more consistent. Also, Slowking can’t dump its Def entirely, as it’ll want at least 117.5 Def for the Claydol 1-1 and Bruxish 1-1. In general, more Atk is better for more CMP potential, but higher Def will keep Galarian Slowking more fortified against the Bruxish.
Galarian Slowbro
So far the Slowfamily has been pretty straightforward, but in comes their goofy cousin Galarain Slowbro to make things complicated. At a base, all Galarian Slowbro want at least 118.83 Def and 144 HP. The Def covers Claydol while also helping the Shadow Swampert 1-0 and making the Walrein 2-2 more consistent. 144 HP can enable the Alolan Raichu 0-0 and enables the Scrafty 1-2.
Higher Def will be required to cover Shadow Swampert better, and if you hit above 110.6 Def you may even overcome the Umbreon 2-1 without Focus Blast. Higher HP can enable the Altaria 0-0 (145), Shadow Walrein 2-2 (146), and Shadow Victreebel 0-1 potential (147, easily missed if they have a mediumish Atk weight though). Not to mention, covering the Alolan Raichu 0-0 at a wider variety of Atk weights (146 for max reasonable consistency). Overall, this makes the Rank 2 Galarian Slowbro (0/15/10) look the best before considering Atk weights.
When it comes to Galarian Slowbro’s Atk Breakpoints, Pelipper (0-0 & 2-2) and Shadow Charizard (1-0 farm potential) are covered by ~118.23 Atk. You may want as high as a 120.9 Atk weight to fully farm down Shadow Alolan Ninetales though. Overall, they’re not the biggest priorities or gains in general, but it could be useful to evolve and star a couple with these Atk weights just in case the meta calls for it.
Closing
While multi-Pokemon Community Days are exciting, they can make it difficult on PvP minded players to get good IVs for all of them- especially when you consider Breakpoints. Fortunately, all members of the Slowfamily appear to fit the “+slow&age0&2-4attack,0-2defense,0-2hp&!4” inverted search string for mid-Community Day bag space clearing. Happy hunting!
