Sun and Moon replaced gyms with Island Trials, and that changes how the tier list works. Instead of gym leaders, you face Totem Pokemon — buffed wild Pokemon with stat boosts and ally calls. Mimikyu's Disguise ability gives it a free hit in every fight. Toxapex walls almost everything with Regenerator. Alolan forms like Alolan Ninetales (Ice/Fairy) turn familiar Pokemon into completely different threats. Mega Stones aren't available until postgame, so Z-Moves are your primary power spike.

How to read this tier list
Elite Pokemon
Base Stat Total of 600+
Legendary
Story-central, catchable in-game
Mythical
Rare, event-exclusive
BST
Base Stat Total (sum of all 6 stats)
Fast with strong offense
Bulky with good offense
Very high offense, slow
Extremely bulky, low offense
High offense but fragile
Bulky support, low offense
Fast utility, momentum control

  • Mimikyu. Ghost/Fairy is one of the best defensive typings in the game, and Disguise gives it a free turn in every fight. Toxapex with Regenerator walls almost everything in Alola. Mudsdale from Mudbray on Route 4 with Stamina gets bulkier every time it's hit. For late-game raw power, Garchomp is available from Gible in Haina Desert.

  • Litten. Incineroar's Fire/Dark typing hits a wide range of Trials super effectively, and 115 Attack makes it the hardest-hitting starter. Popplio into Primarina (Water/Fairy) is a close second with great Sp. Atk and Fairy STAB that checks Dragon. Rowlet into Decidueye (Grass/Ghost) has the coolest typing but the slowest stats.

  • Alolan forms are regional variants of Gen 1 Pokemon with different types, stats, and abilities. Alolan Ninetales (Ice/Fairy) gets Snow Warning and is one of the best Fairy-types available. Alolan Marowak (Fire/Ghost) with Lightning Rod counters Electric-types cleanly. Alolan Muk (Poison/Dark) with Poison Touch hits hard and only has one weakness (Ground).

  • Z-Moves let any Pokemon use one massively powerful move per battle. You need a Z-Crystal that matches the move's type. This means any Pokemon with good stats can nuke one threat per fight, leveling the playing field somewhat. Z-Moves boost slower, bulkier Pokemon since they can absorb a hit and then fire off a Z-Move to remove the biggest threat. Infernium Z on Incineroar can one-shot most Totem Pokemon.

  • Incineroar (starter), Mudsdale from Mudbray on Route 4, Toxapex from Mareanie via SOS chain on Route 9, Mimikyu from the Thrifty Megamart trial, Magnezone from Magnemite at the Trainers' School, and Alolan Ninetales from Vulpix near Tapu Village. Handles every Trial Captain and Kahuna without needing to swap mid-game.

  • Sun gets Solgaleo (Psychic/Steel) and Moon gets Lunala (Psychic/Ghost). Lunala is the better pick for in-game since Ghost STAB hits a wider range of targets and it has higher Sp. Atk. For regular exclusives, Sun has Lycanroc Midday (faster) while Moon has Lycanroc Midnight (bulkier). Both versions also get different Ultra Beasts postgame.

  • No. Sun and Moon replaced gyms with Island Trials. Each Trial Captain sets up a challenge ending with a Totem Pokemon fight. Totem Pokemon have boosted stats and can call for ally Pokemon mid-battle, making some fights harder than traditional gym leaders. The final challenge on each island is a Grand Trial against the Island Kahuna, which plays more like a standard battle.