Best Moveset for Magcargo in Pokemon GO

There are some Pokemon that make me wonder how anyone manages to take care of them. Slugma and Magcargo are good examples of this; they’re literally just pools of white-hot magma animated into slug-like forms. You can’t even pet such a thing, let alone keep it in your house. But on the bright side, their searingly-hot bodies do make them well-suited for the battle circuit. If you’ve got a lava slug you’re looking to get league-ready, then here’s the best moveset for Magcargo in Pokemon GO.

Magcargo Moves in Pokemon GO

Magcargo is a Fire/Rock type with the following moves available to it in its kit:

Quick Moves

• Ember (Fire)
• Rock Throw (Rock)
• Incinerate (Fire)

Main Moves

• Stone Edge (Rock)
• Heat Wave (Fire)
• Overheat (Fire)
• Rock Tomb (Rock)

Best Moveset for Magcargo in Pokemon GO

With a base defense of 191 and a base attack of 139, Magcargo is best suited for long-winded fights where the goal is to outlast an opponent rather than immediately beat them into submission. 

As it so happens, though, taking into account both flat damage and move cooldown and assuming ideal typing matchups, Magcargo’s ideal moves are actually the same for both offensive and defensive builds. The best moves you can use for Magcargo are Incinerate (DPS 15.1) for the Quick Move and Overheat (DPS 48) for the Main Move. 

As long as your opponent is weak against Fire type moves, or at least neutral to them, this setup should give Magcargo enough staying power to run out the clock on a battle of attrition. In the event that Fire isn’t an option, well, first of all, you probably shouldn’t use Magcargo. Secondly, though, if you have to mix it up, use Rock Throw for your Quick Move and Stone Edge for your Main Move. Just be aware that Stone Edge has a much bigger windup than Overheat, so you might not be able to deliver as many attacks.