Datamines Reveal Movesets for Several Ultra Beasts and Paldean Pokemon

When it comes to new Pokemon information, little is more exciting than moveset datamines. We know about stats and typing as soon as they become common-knowledge in the Main Series, and we can guess potential moves shortly after. However, getting actual datamined information is huge, as movesets seldom see large differences between their datamined moves and release moves. That's why it's exciting to see that our friends at Pokeminers have pulled through with information on several Ultra Beasts and Pokemon from Paldea. We've got a few potential big-names that could change the way that Pokemon Go looks in the future, so let's take a look at the new movesets, and do a bit of speculation as to what they could mean.

Poipole

Poipole isn't super-likely to make waves on any front. Its balanced stats don't do it many favors in PvP, while its moves are good, but not great. This thing is destined to be walled by basically anything with a Steel typing that it may face.

Naganadel

Naganadel got lucky. It never had a real shot in the Dragon meta, but as a Poison Type it's set to be the best non-Mega in the game. It dwarfs basically everything else, falling short to only Mega Beedrill. That said, it's not quite good enough to allow Poison to finally shine outside of double-weaknesses (which only happens with Grass/Fairy), as it sits right around Chandelure or Volcarona without extenuating factors.

For PvP, Naganadel is a bit too frail to really do much, and it's very walled by Steel Types, so it's not likely to be a huge deal under most circumstances.

Stakataka

Stakataka definitely.... exists.... in terms of the PvE meta. It has an okay moveset and an okay-ish Attack stat, so it will be able to work as a Rock Type attacker, but it's almost as bad as the age-old Aggron. In short; it's a foot-note, and nothing more.

In PvP, this is basically Bastiodon with a worse base stat-line due to having higher Attack.It also trades off Bastiodon's Fire coverage for Ground coverage. That said, it could see some utility in the Ultra League thanks to its higher total stat product.

Blacephalon 

If there's one Pokemon on this list that hit the move jackpot, it's Blacephalon. Even without a Shadow boost, Blacephalon can rise to the doorstep of Shadow Chandelure in terms of Fire performance, and a bit worse than that as a Ghost Type attacker due to being cursed with Astonish. Still, this is one Pokemon strong enough to very much break through the viability barrier despite Astonish being so bad.

In PvP, it's got somegood moves, but it's still too frail to see huge utility, most likely. It's largely a worse version of Shadow Chandelure.

Zeraora

Spark and Wild charge will give Zeraora some real power, but in practice it's set to be a slightly better Electivire. It's honestly not destined to make major waves unless it eventually gets a good Signature Move in Plasma Fists down the line.

For PvP, Zeraora literally only has Electric Type moves to its name, so it's going to have trouble with anything that packs that single, solitary resistance.

Annihilape

Annihilape only got one new move in this update; Shadow Ball. This does almost nothing for it in the PvE meta, but may have some implications in PvP. For more info, we recommend checking out RyanSwag's video on the subject:

Wo-Chien

Wo-Chien is absolutely not going to make waves in PvE. This thing has a great Grass Type moveset and a good Dark Type moveset, but its Attack stat is way too low to make waves. Even if Ruination pans out, this thing is too offensively weak to make waves unless this entire quartet absolutely crush the Dark Type meta.

In PvP, Wo-Chien is pretty bulky and has solid neutral coverage in PvP, meaning it definitely has potential. On top of that, next to nothing in the Great League actually resists its STAB combo. However, it also lacks a low-cost move to spam/fake-out with, so it may have some issues, though the high energy-gains of Snarl help on that front.

Chien-Pao

Say hello to Shadow Weavile-lite. All kidding aside; in terms of Ice Type power it's around Galarian Darmanitan, so it's good but not great. As a Dark Type, it's basically a slightly bulkier Weavile. Of course, just about any Dark Type without Brutal Swing is DOA for the most part. That said, it's got potential if Ruination ever pans out.

For PvP, this thing is, again, basically just another Weavile.

Ting-Lu

Ting-Lu doesn't stand a chance as a PvE Pokemon. It's much the same story as Wo-Chien, where if it were to be considered "good" as a Dark Type thanks to Ruination, then then Chien-Pao and Chi-Yu would absolutely and totally dominate. 

Sadly, Ting-Lu will not be able to join the Great League at Lv.20, even if it has 0/0/0 IVs. However, it's also got a good stat-spread and great coverage that's very narrowly resisted, meaning it could pose an offensive threat. It's also got the potential to go beyond the Great League and see utility in the Ultra and even the Master league, where its strong typing and defensive stat-spread could make it a real threat.

Chi-Yu

Everyone's favorite fire-goldfish, Chi-Yu didnt really get much with this moveset update. It has a good Dark Type moveset, but it cannot compete with the top Dark Type attackers. On top of that, it also got a poor Fire Type moveset, so it's not making many waves as it swims through the magma that its body heat makes.

In PvP, this is another offensively-oriented Pokemon, so it's going to be unlikely to make huge waves here either.

Koraidon

Koraidon isn't in a great position offensively. It's got a good Dragon Type moveset, so it can definitely put in work there, but it's also behind the competition by a fair bit. It has the potential to be great in the Fighting meta, but only if its Signature Move, Collision Course, turns out to be broken.

In PvP, it's got some potential for the most part, but Fairy Types like Xerneas can potentially obliterate it in absolutely no time.

Miraidon

Miraidon is a worse Zekrom in PvE, and stands no chance of real potential unless it gets an absolutely broken Electrodrift.... though Zekrom can also get Bolt Strike at some point, so it's in a pretty iffy position regardless.

And much the same can be said of its performance in PvP, as it is going to need something to differentiate itself. It does have Thunder Shock and Dragon Claw to spam moves very quickly, but that may not be quite enough.

If everything remains as it seems now, then the Pokemon to watch out for in this batch are Naganadel and Blacephalon in PvE. For PvP, we've got a lot more potential for future utility, with Ting-Lu, Wo-Chien, Annihilape, Stakataka, Koridon, and Miraidon all showing various levels of promise. However, a lot of these Pokemon also have signature moves that Niantic can still tap into, so we may actually see even more utility in the future. Either way, the future seems pretty exciting with these Pokemon, so let's hope that they all see real utility when they eventually drop.