What weather boosts Dark-type moves?

Fog weather boosts Dark-type moves by 1.2× alongside Ghost moves. Fog is the rarest weather condition in the game, making Foggy windows extremely valuable for grinding Larvitar, Houndour, Deino, and Pawniard Community Days, and for running Mega Tyranitar in raids.

Best Dark Type Attackers in Pokemon GO

Tier S

Best in class

S

1

Shadow Thundurus (Therian) BiteWildbolt Storm 20.5DPS 405TDO 43.3eDPS 2

Mega Absol SnarlBrutal Swing 18.8DPS 321TDO 38.2eDPS 3

Shadow Darkrai SnarlDark Pulse 18.6DPS 334TDO 38.3eDPS

Tier A

Top picks

A

4

Deoxys (Attack) Zen HeadbuttDark Pulse 18.4DPS 266TDO 35.9eDPS 5

Mega Tyranitar BiteBrutal Swing 17.5DPS 414TDO 38.7eDPS 6

Shadow Hydreigon BiteBrutal Swing 17.5DPS 388TDO 38.0eDPS 7

Shadow Absol SnarlBrutal Swing 17.4DPS 297TDO 35.4eDPS 8

Shadow Tyranitar BiteBrutal Swing 17.4DPS 410TDO 38.3eDPS

Tier B

Solid options

B

9

Thundurus (Therian) BiteWildbolt Storm 17.1DPS 338TDO 36.1eDPS 10

Shadow Weavile SnarlFoul Play 16.8DPS 303TDO 34.7eDPS 11

Mega Houndoom SnarlFoul Play 16.7DPS 318TDO 34.8eDPS 12

Shadow Haxorus Dragon TailNight Slash 16.1DPS 310TDO 33.8eDPS 13

Shadow Honchkrow SnarlDark Pulse 15.7DPS 371TDO 34.6eDPS 14

Darkrai SnarlDark Pulse 15.4DPS 278TDO 31.8eDPS 15

Shadow Houndoom SnarlFoul Play 15.3DPS 292TDO 32.0eDPS

Tier C

Usable

C

16

Shadow Salamence BiteBrutal Swing 15.2DPS 345TDO 33.2eDPS 17

Mega Gengar Sucker PunchDark Pulse 15.2DPS 247TDO 30.5eDPS 18

Absol SnarlBrutal Swing 15.0DPS 256TDO 30.5eDPS 19

Shadow Archeops Wing AttackCrunch 15.0DPS 286TDO 31.3eDPS 20

Shadow Reshiram Fire FangCrunch 15.0DPS 324TDO 32.3eDPS 21

Mega Gyarados BiteCrunch 14.8DPS 335TDO 32.3eDPS 22

Shadow Sharpedo BiteCrunch 14.8DPS 266TDO 30.5eDPS 23

Shadow Conkeldurr Force PalmBrutal Swing 14.8DPS 363TDO 32.9eDPS 24

Mega Sharpedo BiteCrunch 14.7DPS 264TDO 30.2eDPS 25

Zoroark SnarlFoul Play 14.7DPS 239TDO 29.5eDPS 26

Mega Salamence BiteBrutal Swing 14.6DPS 331TDO 31.9eDPS 27

Hydreigon BiteBrutal Swing 14.6DPS 323TDO 31.7eDPS 28

Mega Blastoise BiteHydro Cannon 14.5DPS 286TDO 30.5eDPS 29

Tyranitar BiteBrutal Swing 14.5DPS 341TDO 31.9eDPS 30

Mega Ampharos Volt SwitchBrutal Swing 14.4DPS 313TDO 31.1eDPS

Editor's verdict

Tyranitar is the answer to almost everything Dark — and it's your Rock core too, which makes it the best-value build in the entire game. Two of them with Bite and Crunch and you're set. Yveltal and Hydreigon are strong non-Mega alternatives. Mega Tyranitar or Mega Houndoom for the team boost.

Toni Ramón

Founder & lead editor · 2026-08-30

Methodology

Every fast + charged move combination is simulated at level 40 (CPM 0.7903) against a generic Tier 5 boss with 160 effective Defense. At least one move must be Dark-type. Only the best moveset per Pokemon is listed.

DPS: Damage per second over one full attack cycle.
TDO: Total damage dealt before fainting — rewards bulk.
eDPS: Composite score: (DPS³ × TDO)^0.25.
STAB: 1.2× when the move type matches the Pokemon type.
Shadow: +20% Attack, −17% Defense.
Mega: Ranked with boosted base stats.

Tier cut-offs

Tier S: Top 5% or top 3
Tier A: Top 15% or top 8
Tier B: Top 25% or top 15
Tier C: Top 35% or top 22
Tier D: Everything else

Editor's notes

Dark offense, where it matters and what to build.

Dark type in Pokemon GO

Dark-type Pokemon GO is one of the most flexible attacking types in the game. Dark moves are super-effective against Psychic and Ghost — the same coverage as Bug, but with higher overall DPS thanks to attackers like Mega Tyranitar, Hydreigon, Yveltal, and Shadow Weavile. Dark types also resist Psychic and Ghost moves themselves, making Dark attackers the safest pick for Mewtwo and Origin Giratina raids. Signature Dark moves include Foul Play, Brutal Swing, Dark Pulse, Crunch, Bite, and Sucker Punch. Dark types are weak to Bug, Fairy, and Fighting, with Fairy and Fighting being especially common attacking types in PvP and raids.

Top Dark attackers explained

The top Dark attackers are Mega Tyranitar, Mega Houndoom, Yveltal, Hydreigon, and Shadow Tyranitar. Mega Tyranitar (Rock/Dark) with Bite and Brutal Swing has the highest Dark DPS in the game and doubles as a top Rock attacker. Mega Houndoom (Dark/Fire) with Snarl and Crunch flexes between Dark and Fire roles. Yveltal (Dark/Flying) with Snarl and Dark Pulse is the best non-Mega Dark attacker. Hydreigon with Bite and Brutal Swing is a strong budget Dark option. Shadow Tyranitar, Shadow Weavile (Dark/Ice), and Shadow Hydreigon round out the Shadow tier.

Dark in GO Battle League

Dark types are PvP heavyweights. Sableye (Ghost/Dark) is one of the top three Great League Pokemon ever. Skuntank (Poison/Dark) and Mandibuzz (Dark/Flying) anchor open Great and Ultra League cores. Drapion (Poison/Dark), Pangoro (Dark/Fighting), and Krookodile (Dark/Ground) flex into specialty cups. In Master League, Yveltal, Hydreigon, and Mega Tyranitar lead the Dark charge. Galarian Moltres (Dark/Flying) is a Daily Adventure Incense rarity that surprises with Brave Bird and Sky Attack. Hoopa Unbound (Psychic/Dark) brings unique typing to limited formats. Houndoom and Mightyena offer budget Great League play.

When to field Dark attackers

Dark attackers shine against Psychic (Mewtwo, Lugia, Latios, Cresselia) and Ghost (Origin Giratina, Mega Gengar, Trevenant). They are 1.6× weak to Bug, Fairy, and Fighting — and Dark/Flying duals like Yveltal take 4× damage from Electric and Ice. Foggy weather boosts Dark by 1.2× alongside Ghost. Avoid Dark attackers against Crowned Zacian, Xerneas, Togekiss, Mega Lucario, Conkeldurr, and Genesect. Dark is the safest type to use against Mewtwo since most Dark attackers (Tyranitar, Hydreigon, Yveltal) resist Psychic and hit super-effectively at the same time. Dark/Steel duals are non-existent in Pokemon GO (regrettably).

Community Day picks & notable investments

Dark Community Days have included Larvitar → Tyranitar with Smack Down (Rock/Dark dual typing makes it a Dark CD too), Sneasel → Weavile with Avalanche, Houndour → Houndoom, Poochyena → Mightyena with Play Rough, Purrloin → Liepard, Deino → Hydreigon with Brutal Swing, Pawniard → Bisharp, and Inkay → Malamar. Mega Tyranitar debuted in 2022 and is still considered the best Mega Dark attacker. Mega Houndoom and Mega Absol appear in Mega Raid rotations. Yveltal arrived in 2024 with Brave Bird-tier raid attacks. Hoopa Unbound was the first Elite Raid in 2022. Shadow Tyranitar is one of the most-farmed Pokemon during Take Over events.

FAQ

What is the #1 ranked Dark-type attacker right now?

Based on our DPS simulations, Shadow Thundurus (Therian) currently ranks first among Dark-type attackers in Pokemon GO, followed by Shadow Thundurus (Therian), Mega Absol, Shadow Darkrai. The full tier list above shows every viable Dark attacker with its optimal moveset, DPS, TDO, and eDPS values.

Which raid bosses should I use Dark attackers against?

Dark-type attacks deal super-effective damage to Ghost, Psychic-type Pokemon, so use Dark attackers when those types appear in 5-Star, Mega, Elite, or Primal raids. Always weather-check the boss before launching the raid to maximize damage with the appropriate weather boost.

What is the best Dark-type attacker in Pokemon GO?

Mega Tyranitar is the strongest Dark attacker in the game thanks to its Rock/Dark dual typing and Bite/Brutal Swing moveset. Yveltal is the best non-Mega Dark attacker. Shadow Tyranitar is the top Shadow option for trainers who farmed during Team Rocket events.

Why is Dark good against Psychic and Ghost?

Dark-type moves deal 1.6× damage to both Psychic and Ghost types, and Dark types resist Psychic and Ghost moves themselves. This makes Dark attackers the safest and highest-DPS counter to Mewtwo, Lugia, Latios, Origin Giratina, and Mega Gengar raids — they hit hard and survive multiple charged moves.

What are Dark types weak to?

Dark types take 1.6× damage from Bug, Fairy, and Fighting moves. Yveltal (Dark/Flying) takes 4× from Electric and Ice. Mega Tyranitar (Rock/Dark) takes 4× from Fighting. Common counters include Mega Heracross, Genesect, Crowned Zacian, Xerneas, Mega Lucario, and Conkeldurr.

Is Yveltal worth powering up?

Yes. Yveltal with Snarl and Dark Pulse (or legacy Hurricane) is the best non-Mega Dark attacker in the game and a top-tier Master League PvP pick. Its Dark/Flying typing resists Bug, Ghost, Dark, Psychic, and Grass, making it one of the most defensively flexible legendaries in raids and PvP.

Explore more

Dark Pokedex Every Dark-type Pokemon with stats and moves Raid bosses Counters for every boss in rotation All attacking types Best attackers for the other 17 types