Some of the coolest and most powerful Pokemon are the Legendary ones. But could Articuno beat Rayquaza on its own?
Some of the best things come in threes, and Legendary Pokemon are definitely one of those things. They are some of the most powerful Pokemon in the game, and most of them come in groups of three because of the amazing stories about them. But what does that mean for battles between teams?
Some of these trios will probably be made up of Pokemon that can’t compete in battles because they are too strong. Some are better than others, though. This list compares the trios that have been publicly recognized by Pokemon or by the Pokemon community as a whole to see which one is the strongest.
The Original Titans: Regirock, Regice, And Registeel
When it comes to raw power and ability to compete, the first three Regis are pretty much the best of the bunch. Regigigas has much better numbers, and both Regieleki and Regidrago have shown to be much better offensively.
Still, Regice hasn’t been very useful, but the other two have their own strengths and work well in their own competition tiers. Regirock is a physical defensive beast with solid offensive numbers similar to those of a tank and a good set of moves. Registeel has been a sort of standout in competitive play, making changes in the meta with its all-around defensive stats and movepool that focuses on utility.
The Lake Guardians: Azelf, Mesprit, And Uxie
Even though all of the Lake Guardians are pure Psychic types and have similar move sets, their competitive viability is very different. Because their stats are so different, this trio is made up of two low- to mid-tier lurkers and one of the most important Pokemon in the history of competition Pokemon.
Uxie has been the least useful of the three in the metagame because its defenses aren’t as good because it’s a pure Psychic type, and Mesprit has been the least bad of the three because it can be used in a variety of ways as a support Pokémon. On the other hand, Azelf is a competitive game-changer who once changed the way the lead part was played and is still doing well today.
The Legendary Beasts: Suicune, Entei, And Raikou
If popularity was taken into account, it might be strange how low the Legendary beasts are on this list, given how much attention they have gotten from different Pokemon media. In fact, Suicune, Entei, and Raikou are not as good as they used to be when it comes to competing.
The beasts used to be the best competitive Pokemon, but now they aren’t as good as other Legendaries, which are more flexible, because they only have one type and a small number of moves. They’re not totally done, though. Suicune and Raikou are still going strong in mid- to high-level competitive play, while Entei is kind of on the outside looking in. They all play predictable but powerful offensive roles.
The Swords Of Justice: Terrakion, Cobalion, & Virizion
Even though Keldeo makes the Swords of Justice a foursome, Keldeo is usually thought of as the fake little brother of the other three members, Terrakion, Cobalion, and Virizion.
The last three have all done pretty well in competitive Pokemon, but they aren’t as good as Keldeo because they don’t have Secret Sword. Terrakion, Cobalion, and Virizion are mostly different in their types and how their stats are spread out. Terrakion is a Rock-type Pokémon that is good at Attack, Cobalion is a Steel-type Pokémon that is good at Defense, and Virizion is a Grass-type Pokémon that is good at Special Defense.
The Legendary Birds: Articuno, Zapdos, And Moltres
The first Legendary trio has been in the game for a long time and has been a constant threat. They aren’t so strong now that they should be banned from regular play, but they are strong enough to win. This is especially true of Zapdos and Moltres. Articuno, on the other hand, has a great sum of 580 for its base stat. But its Ice-flying type is terrible.
Their Galarian versions are just as strong, and with their own ways of fighting. They kind of took the competition scene by storm. All of them had new types and skills, and some of them even had their own unique moves.
The Forces Of Nature: Tornadus, Thundurus, And Landorus
Like the Swords of Justice, this group used to be a trio. But Enamorus joined them in Legends: Arceus, making them a quartet. Still, the first three Forces of Nature that were presented in Unova are all very good at battle and are considered elite in some way.
Most of the time, you’ll see them in their Therian Forms because those forms give them better abilities. Tornadus and Thundurus are more direct attackers. But Landorus is like a Swiss Army knife and can fill any job that the teambuilder needs. Tornadus and Thundurus both have 580 starting stats, and Landorus has 600.
The Crown Tundra Trio: Glastrier, Spectrier, And Calyrex
Even though the Legendaries of the Crown Tundra aren’t mentioned as a trio, they might as well be. Since Calyrex fuses with one of the two horses, Glastrier and Spectrier.
Both of the Legendary horses, Glastrier and Spectrier, can hold their own. In fact, the fast Spectrier was banned from normal competitive play because it was too fast. Even though Calyrex can’t do much on its own in a race, it quickly becomes too strong when fused with one of the steeds to make the Ice Rider or Shadow Rider form, taking on the fighting styles of the steeds in the process.
The Creation Trio: Dialga, Palkia, And Giratina
The Creation trio, the first box art Legendary trio on the list, is probably the one where all three members are the most similar in strength. It does help that they are all Dragon-type Pokémon with an additional type that goes well with that.
All three are very strong, with a total of 680 base stats, and after Dialga and Palkia got their own in Legends: Arceus. All three now have optimized Origin forms. Dialga is good at defense, Palkia is good at offense, and Giratina can do either based on its form.
The Tao Trio: Reshiram, Zekrom, And Kyurem
The Tao trio works like the main three Pokemon in the Crown Tundra, which are Glastrier, Spectrier, and Calyrex. However, Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem can all do a lot of damage on their own.
All three are offensive mega-tanks with great attack stats, good defense numbers, powerful signature moves, and movepools that aren’t too small. That includes Kyurem in its most basic form. So you can only picture how much damage it can do when fused with either of the other two. In Uber-tier Singles, Kyurem-White has been the most popular choice for getting the most damage out of stats.
The Light Trio: Solgaleo, Lunala, And Necrozma
Necrozma has three strong forms that can change into each other. Because of this, it would be hard for its trio to not be in one of the top spots on this list. Dusk Mane, Dawn Wings, and Ultra Necrozma are, of course, the three forms that make up those three forms.
The two other Legendaries that Necrozma fuses with to make the first two forms are also very strong. Solgaleo and Lunala are both very strong Legendaries, but they stand out because of their interesting types (Psychic-steel for Solgaleo and Psychic-ghost for Lunala) and their huge attack power.
The Aura Trio: Xerneas, Yveltal, And Zygarde
Not only are the Kalos Legendaries not allowed to be used in normal competitive play. But they also have a special trait that none of the other Legendaries on the box art have.
Geomancy is Xerneas’s signature move and probably the best set-up move in 8 Ball Pool game. It raises its special stats and speed by two stages (ideally in one turn with a Power Herb) and gives it a speed boost.The Dark/Flying-type Yveltal, on the other hand, is the most popular Pokemon in the Ubers format because it does well against most other box art Legendaries. Last but not least, Zygarde has its Complete Forme, which it can change into in the middle of a fight.
The Darkest Day Trio: Zacian, Zamazenta, And Eternatus
The end of the Sword and Shield base games was led by Zacian, Zamazenta, and Eternatus. It makes sense that they would cause as much trouble as the second Darkest Day. Since all three Pokemon are pretty much too strong.
But Zacian is without a doubt the best of the group. He has probably the best typing in the game, and his Intrepid Sword ability in its Crowned Sword form is completely unfair. Even though there is no legal way to get Eternamax Eternatus. The Poison/Dragon type is still very strong on its own. Even though Zamazenta is the weakest of the three, the Behemoth Bash will still be a big deal.
The Weather Trio: Groudon, Kyogre, And Rayquaza
It’s hard to argue against three Pokemon that, in their own way, have Primal Reversions or Mega Evolutions that are way too strong. Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza go above and beyond what it means to be a Legendary Pokémon. There’s not much more to say about this.
Mega Rayquaza is the most powerful Pokemon ever to appear on a computer screen. But Primal Groudon and Kyogre aren’t far behind. They have great starting stats, powerful signature moves, and unfair signature abilities. Since Sword and Shield, you haven’t been able to use these forms. Which is either bad or good, based on who you ask.
