Black Kyurem vs White Kyurem and How to Get Glaciate in Pokémon Go
- How good is Kyurem in Pokémon Go?
- Which version should you pick: Black Kyurem or White Kyurem?
- How will the new Unova event affect Pokémon Go Esports?
Starting with Pokémon Go Tour Unova, Kyurem can finally fuse with either Zekrom or Reshiram to create White Kyurem or Black Kyurem. But that leaves you with the difficult decision of which Legendary fusion to pick for your team if you can only have one.
During Pokémon Go Tour Unova - Global, you can easily obtain either White Kyurem or Black Kyurem, though there is only one way to guarantee that the Kyurem involved in the fusion knows the powerful move Glaciate. But which of the two fusions is better? Is Kyurem even a strong option in Pokémon Go?
Is Kyurem Good in Pokémon Go - White Kyurem and Black Kyurem Go Battle League Meta
Every variation of Kyurem is powerful in Pokémon Go, making the Legendary Pokémon one of the few options that you can actually use in any form if you build the right team. Specifically, in the Go Battle League’s Master League, all three Kyurem rank in the top 20 for the current meta as of March 1.
White Kyurem and Black Kyurem are some of the most meta-relevant additions to Pokémon Go in quite some time, with both fusions ranking in the top five of the current Master League meta post-Unova Tour. Each of their individual parts, Kyurem, Reshiram, and Zekrom, rank highly, too, according to PvPPoke.
- Black Kyurem (Rank 2)
- White Kyurem (Rank 5)
- Zekrom (Rank 11)
- Reshiram (Rank 16)
- Kyurem (Rank 17)
With the introduction of Black Kyurem and White Kyurem, Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem have almost become redundant in their respective Master League roles since the fusions are more powerful overall and have access to solid moves based on their fusion materials.
If you can’t get the right moveset down for your fused Kyurem, you can still use the separate Legendary Pokémon to great effect in GBL, other PvP modes, and Raids. However, Black Kyurem and White Kyurem are where the real damage can be done.
Which is Better in Pokémon Go, White Kyurem or Black Kyurem?
Based on the overall Master League meta, Black Kyurem is stronger than White Kyurem in Pokémon Go. Both are incredibly strong and viable options with their own strengths and weaknesses, though the Kyurem and Zekrom fusion has more unique wins where it matters.
As noted by Pokémon Go PvP analyst JRESeawolf, a solid 23 of 27 core Pokémon from the PvPPoke Master League are weak to Ice-type moves, making both White Kyurem and Black Kyurem dominant options that each handle different threats. Black Kyurem ends up getting the edge because it has more unique wins over other strong Pokémon and can also be used as bait to make your opponent use shields or switches even in losing matchups.
Both fusions share the same 273 attack, 166 defense, 218 HP, and 5,206 Max CP for best-case Master League stats along with the Dragon/Ice typing. Here is a full breakdown of Black Kyurem and White Kyurem’s available moves, along with the optimized movesets for both.
Moves | Black Kyurem | White Kyurem |
|---|---|---|
Fast Moves | Dragon Tail | Dragon Breath |
Charged Moves | Fusion Bolt | Ancient Power |
Best Moveset | FM: Shadow Claw | FM: Ice Fang |
No Exclusive Moves | Replace Freeze Shock with Blizzard | Replace Ice Burn with Blizzard |
Taking into account all of these factors, Black Kyurem is one of the most powerful Pokémon in the game and especially in Master League. Its moveset gives it wider coverage over more Pokémon, allowing it to quickly charge its Charged Moves with Shadow Claw and leaving no enemy to walk away unscathed.
White Kyurem has an edge over Steel-type opponents with Fusion Flare, though it runs into more Pokémon that cause it issues than its counterpart.
Here is some extra insight from JRE on the two Kyurem’s comparisons:
“Anyway, while both Black and White handle themselves well, and with similar overall records, obviously they DO get there in different ways. Kyurem Black will usually win the head-to-head thanks to superior energy gains, and the neutrality of Shadow Claw means unique wins like Xerneas, Primarina, Zacian, and Ho-Oh. (In fairness, that last one is due more to Fusion Bolt’s super effectiveness, but still.) The heavy Ice damage of White, by contrast, nails Dragons much harder (beating Dragonite that Blackie cannot, as the most obvious example), as well as Ice-weak Rhyperior (regular and Shadow) and especially-susceptible-to-Ice Landorus.
Related Article: How to Get and Use Trade Tokens in Pokémon TCG Pocket
For what it’s worth, White does pull ahead in shieldless (as compared to Black) and especially 2v2 shielding (as compared, again, to Black) scenarios. But these are both incredibly tough outs in Master League as it exists now, and without nerfs, absolutely earn their place within the Top 5 Pokémon wrecking face in the whole of the League.”
How to get Kyurem with Glaciate in Pokémon Go
When you look at both Black Kyurem and White Kyurem, their optimal meta movesets include their species exclusive moves, Freeze Shock and Ice Burn Charged Moves. The only way to get these moves on either fusion, as of March 1, is by fusing Zekrom or Reshiram with a Kyurem that knows Glaciate.
Freeze Shock and Ice Burn also have something called Adventure Effects, which allow you to use the moves outside of battle to gain special effects in the overworld.
Glaciate is Kyurem’s signature attack and has only been available for the Legendary Pokémon in specific events. That still holds true, though there are two ways you can currently get a Kyurem with Glaciate if you don’t have one already and no friends can trade you one.
During Go Tour Unova and some other events where Kyurem is featured in Raids, you can catch Kyurem after finishing a Raid, and it will automatically know Glaciate. The only other way to get the move is by using an Elite Charged TM on Kyurem to teach the move.
Once you fuse a Kyurem with either Reshiram or Zekrom, Glaciate should be replaced with Freeze Shock or Ice Burn for Black Kyurem or White Kyurem, respectively. Likewise, when you unfuse the Pokémon, Kyurem should retain Glaciate as its Charged Move.
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