In addition to normal attacks, Pokémon GO also includes so-called legacy moves, i.e. attacks that a Pokémon was able to learn at a certain point in the game, but which are no longer available. Some of these attacks play an important role in the Pokémon GO meta, others less so.
If you want to be a successful trainer in Pokémon GO and maximize your Pokémon’s chances of victory in both Arena battles and Raids, you are constantly on the lookout for the optimal attack combination. In terms of DPS output, each Pokémon has attacks that stand out from all other available duos. Sometimes, however, one of these attacks is a so-called Legacy Move, an attack that is now no longer available in the game. Based on a guide from Pokemon Go Hub, we’ll now explain what these legacy moves are and how you can determine the value of such an attack.
Pokémon GO: How the concept of Legacy Moves works
Let’s first address the question of what a Legacy Move actually is. Legacy Moves – not to be confused with exclusive attacks – are specifically attacks that a particular Pokémon was able to learn at one point in time, but no longer can, only in the rarest of cases via charge or instant TMs. Other Pokémon can still learn the attack, but that specific Pokémon remains excluded from it. As a result, certain Pokémon that have already learned such Legacy Moves are particularly valuable to either collectors or trainers specializing in Raid and Arena battles – or even both.
An example of this is the Spirit Pokémon Gengar, which was available for a while with the Dark Claw attack. Gengar is now unable to learn Dark Claw, however the attack is one of the best attacks in the game that Gengar can use. Also, Gengar was one of the first Pokémon to get a Legacy Move, making Gengar with Dark Claw especially valuable to many players.
Pokémon GO: How to recognize the value of a Legacy Move
We have already indicated that the value of a certain Legacy Move is determined by the DPS achieved and the availability of the attack, among other things. However, other factors also have a defining effect.
Value of a Legacy Move – When was the attack actually available?
First of all, you have to ask yourself when and under which conditions the respective Legacy Move was available. Pokemon Go Hub cites Lapras with Ice Beam and Kicklee with Stomp as examples here, with Kicklee being more valuable than Lapras. This is because you could only get Kicklee with Stomper if you caught it in the wild. Kicklee hasn’t been able to learn Stomper since August 2016 – and there were no TMs back then.
In contrast, you could teach Lapras the Ice Beam attack using a TM, so it was easier to get a Lapras with Ice Beam than a Kicklee with Stomper.
Value of a Legacy Move – How long was the Legacy Move available?
To determine the value of a Pokémon with a Legacy Move, also consider how long the corresponding attack was available for that Pokémon. Some attacks were only available for a few weeks, others for more than a year, so trainers had different amounts of time to collect the Pokémon. Accordingly, the value of a Pokémon with Legacy Move increases the shorter it was able to learn or possess that particular attack.
Value of a Legacy Move – At what evolutionary level did the Pokémon learn the Legacy Move?
Pokémon of the first evolutionary level, i.e. that have not yet evolved, are more valuable in combination with a Legacy Move than the evolved version – at least in terms of the rarity of the respective Pokémon. This may seem counterintuitive at first glance. However, it can again be explained by the sheer presence of the corresponding pocket monsters: Players who have a Pokémon with a Legacy Move that is particularly good will most likely evolve the Pokémon for Arena and Raid battles. Therefore, non-evolved Pokémon are less common and have a higher value to collectors.
Value of a Legacy Move – How were you able to collect the Pokémon?
This is where it gets interesting: The question of how difficult it was to get the corresponding Pokémon with the Legacy Attack plays a significant role in the value of the Legacy Move. Did the Pokémon with the corresponding attack only exist in Raids? Then it is especially rare. Less valuable, on the other hand, are Pokémon that received their Legacy Move as part of a Community Day event – after all, theoretically all players had the opportunity to obtain the respective pocket monster relatively easily here, even if only for a limited time.
The lowest value has a Pokémon with Legacy Move, which you could teach the attack at any time via a TM. By the way, Legacy Moves are always more valuable than exclusive attacks that Pokémon could get during a Community Day.
Value of a Legacy Move – How relevant is the Legacy Move to the meta?
Last but not least – and this is especially crucial for trainers who value Arena and Raid battles – the role of the Legacy Move in the meta plays a significant role in its value. What attacks a particular Pokémon possesses or can learn determines how well it actually does in battle against other Pokémon. Good defense and attack values are of no use if the Pokémon cannot produce enough DPS.
As an example, Pokemon Go Hub aptly mentions Giratina, which received the attack Shadow Strike instead of Spook Ball and is thus completely useless in the meta – in contrast to Metagross with Star Strike or Zapdos with Thunder Shock, for example. If you want to know which Legacy Moves are especially important in the Pokémon GO meta, just take a look at our separate guide to Legacy Moves in the meta. As usual, you can find more current tips and news about Niantic’s mobile app on our Pokémon GO topic page.
Pokémon GO
Pokémon Go is the mobile spin-off of Nintendo’s popular Pokémon game series for Android and iOS. It is a so-called “location-based game”, i.e. a game that uses the player’s immediate surroundings. It is based on the principle of augmented reality.
Pokémon Map: Between landmarks and sights
Pokémon Go uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine the player’s location and displays it on a map that also represents the playing field. The map is based on OpenStreetMap maps. The game is played mostly outdoors and uses landmarks, landmarks and other notable or eye-catching objects in the world to position either PokéStops or arenas there for you to battle for supremacy. Join either Team Intuition (Team Yellow, Zapdos), Team Wisdom (Team Blue, Arktos), or Team Daring (Team Red, Lavados). Under their flag you can then fight for the arenas, which are placed at hotspots like churches or similar. Pokémon can appear anywhere, though.
Pocket monsters visible on the Pokémon Go Map are randomly loaded into the game’s virtual map by the game server. If several players are playing in the same location, each player can see and catch the Pokémon independently of the others.
Pokémon Go Updates, News, Raids and More
The developers at Niantic regularly provide Pokémon Go with new updates or special raids that should only be tackled in a group of several people. The Pokémon Go Raids are therefore very popular, as they also offer the prospect of particularly rare Pokémon. For example, in the past, legendary Pokémon could always be caught on special occasions (Pokémon Go events). For particularly eager mobile or smartphone Pokémon trainers, there is also an external IV calculator, such as the online tool from Pokemon.gameinfo.io or on Pokefans.net, to check the values of your Pokémon.
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