What is a Gym in Pokémon Go? A Gym is a special location in Pokémon Go where players can battle their Pokémon against those of other teams to gain control and earn rewards. Can you build a gym in Pokémon Go? No, you cannot build a gym; they are pre-determined locations that appear on the game’s map. Who is the best Pokémon for gym defense? The “best” Pokémon can vary depending on the current meta, but generally, Pokémon with high Defense and Stamina stats, along with good typing advantages, are excellent gym defenders.
Making your mark on the Pokémon Go world often starts at the Gyms. These vital landmarks are the battlegrounds where teams clash for supremacy. Gaining and maintaining Gym control is a cornerstone of gameplay, offering valuable rewards and a sense of accomplishment. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to effectively engage in Gym battles, bolster your defenses, and become a Gym-dominating force.
Image Source: i.ytimg.com
The Fundamentals of Pokémon Go Gyms
Gyms are more than just PokéStops; they are strategic points of interest that fuel the competitive spirit of Pokémon Go. They are dynamic, changing hands frequently based on player activity and battle outcomes. Understanding how Gyms function is the first step toward mastering them.
Types of Gyms
There are two primary types of Gyms you’ll encounter:
- Neutral Gyms: These Gyms have no Pokémon defending them and are not controlled by any team. They are ripe for the taking, allowing any player to place a Pokémon inside and claim it for their team.
- Team-Controlled Gyms: These Gyms have Pokémon from one of the three teams (Mystic, Valor, or Instinct) defending them. To gain control of a Team-Controlled Gym, you’ll need to engage in Gym battles.
Gym Locations
Gyms are typically found at significant real-world locations, such as:
- Public art installations
- Monuments and statues
- Parks and nature reserves
- Libraries and community centers
- Historical landmarks
These locations are often marked on the in-game map with a 3D model of a Gym.
Engaging in Gym Battles: Offense is Key
Attacking gyms is how you challenge the opposing team’s hold and ultimately claim victory. This involves strategically selecting your Pokémon and executing effective battle tactics.
How to Attack a Gym
- Approach the Gym: Walk to a Gym location. If it’s neutral, you can place a Pokémon. If it’s controlled by another team, you’ll see their Pokémon defending it.
- Initiate Battle: Tap on the Gym. You’ll see the defending Pokémon. Tap the “Battle” button.
- Select Your Pokémon: You’ll be presented with a team of six Pokémon. Choose a team that has type advantages against the defending Pokémon. The game often suggests a recommended team, but don’t always rely solely on that.
- The Battle: Battles are real-time. Tap your screen to make your Pokémon attack. Swipe left or right to dodge incoming charged attacks from the opponent. Each Pokémon has a charged move that you can activate by tapping and holding the screen when your energy meter is full.
- Victory: When you defeat all the defending Pokémon, you’ll have the opportunity to place one of your Pokémon in the Gym.
Strategic Attacking: Winning Battles Consistently
-
Type Matchups are Crucial: This is the most important aspect of Pokémon battles. Exploiting weaknesses and avoiding resistances will significantly increase your chances of winning. For example, a Fire-type Pokémon is super effective against Grass and Bug types.
Attacking Type Effective Against Weak Against Normal None Fighting Fire Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel Rock, Water, Ground Water Fire, Ground, Rock Grass, Electric Grass Water, Ground, Rock Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug Electric Water, Flying Grass, Electric, Dragon Ice Grass, Ground, Flying, Dragon Fire, Fighting, Rock, Steel Fighting Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark, Steel Flying, Psychic, Fairy Poison Grass, Fairy Ground, Psychic Ground Fire, Electric, Poison, Rock, Steel Water, Grass, Ice Flying Grass, Fighting, Bug Electric, Ice, Rock Psychic Fighting, Poison Bug, Ghost, Dark Bug Grass, Psychic, Dark Fire, Flying, Rock Rock Fire, Ice, Flying, Bug Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground, Steel Ghost Ghost, Psychic Ghost, Dark Dragon Dragon Ice, Dragon, Fairy Dark Ghost, Psychic Fighting, Bug, Fairy Steel Ice, Rock, Fairy Fire, Fighting, Ground Fairy Fighting, Dragon, Dark Poison, Steel -
Pokémon Stats Matter: While type matchups are vital, a Pokémon’s base stats—Attack, Defense, and Stamina—play a significant role. A Pokémon with a high Attack stat will deal more damage, while high Defense and Stamina ensure it can withstand more hits. Look for Pokémon with high Defense and Stamina for effective Gym defenders, and high Attack for attackers.
- Movesets are Key: The Fast Attack and Charged Attack a Pokémon has can make a huge difference. A Pokémon with a strong Fast Attack can build energy quickly, allowing for more frequent use of its Charged Attack. The ideal moveset often combines good damage output with efficient energy generation.
- Max CP Considerations: While not the only factor, a Pokémon’s Max CP (Combat Power) indicates its overall strength. Pokémon with higher Max CP generally perform better in battles, especially in higher-level Gyms. However, a lower-CP Pokémon with a type advantage can still defeat a higher-CP Pokémon with a type disadvantage.
- Battle in Waves: Most Gyms have a limit of six Pokémon defending. You can only battle a maximum of six Pokémon at a time. If you defeat all six, you’ll significantly reduce the Gym’s prestige. You might need to battle the same Gym multiple times to break through its defenses.
Defending Gyms: Building an Unyielding Fortress
Defending gyms is about placing the right Pokémon in the right order to discourage attackers and maintain your team’s control.
How to Defend a Gym
- Claiming a Gym: If a Gym is neutral, tap on it and select one of your Pokémon to defend it.
- Reinforcing a Gym: If your team controls a Gym, you can add one of your Pokémon to it, provided there is an open slot (up to six Pokémon).
- Feeding Berries: You can feed Berries to your defending Pokémon to raise their motivation and help them stay in the Gym longer. Golden Razz Berry is the most effective for this, as it fully restores a Pokémon’s motivation and can even increase the chance of it fending off attackers.
Choosing Your Gym Defenders
- High Defense and Stamina: Prioritize Pokémon with excellent defensive stats. They will last longer in battles, making it harder for attackers to defeat them.
- Strategic Typing: Place Pokémon with diverse typings to cover a range of potential attackers. Avoid placing multiple Pokémon with the same weaknesses.
- CP Placement Order: The order in which Pokémon are placed in a Gym matters. The Pokémon with the highest CP are typically placed first, meaning attackers will have to defeat them to reach the Pokémon lower down. However, some players strategically place lower-CP Pokémon with good defensive typings at the top to surprise attackers.
- Good Movesets: Even in defense, a Pokémon’s moveset is important. Moves that are fast to execute or have a high damage output can be effective.
- Avoid Common Attackers: Don’t place Pokémon that are commonly used as attackers (e.g., strong Dragon-types) if they have easily exploitable weaknesses.
Gym Prestige and Motivation
- Gym Prestige: This stat determines the Gym’s level and how many Pokémon it can hold. When you successfully defend a Gym, its prestige increases. When you attack a Gym and defeat defending Pokémon, you reduce its prestige.
- Pokémon Motivation: Each defending Pokémon has a motivation meter. As Pokémon are attacked, their motivation decreases, which also lowers their CP. Once a Pokémon’s motivation drops to zero, it will return to its trainer. Feeding Berries, especially Golden Razz Berry, is the best way to keep Pokémon motivated.
Maximizing Rewards: The Fruits of Gym Control
Holding Gyms and participating in battles earns you valuable rewards that are essential for your progression in Pokémon Go.
Earning Gym Badges
- Gym Badges: You earn a Gym Badge for each Gym you interact with. The type of badge you get depends on your actions at that Gym.
- Badge Tiers: There are several tiers of Gym Badges, starting from “Beginner” and progressing through “Hobbyist,” “Expert,” “Ace,” “Great,” “Ultra,” and finally, “Elite.”
- Earning Badge Progress:
- Battling: Winning Gym battles and defending Gyms earns you points towards your badge.
- Placing Pokémon: Successfully placing a Pokémon in a Gym also contributes.
- Spinning Gym PokéStops: If the Gym is also a PokéStop, spinning it grants you a small amount of badge progress.
- Feeding Berries: Feeding berries to defending Pokémon contributes to your badge progress.
- Higher Tiers, Better Rewards: As your Gym Badge tier increases, you’ll receive better bonuses when interacting with that Gym, such as more items from spinning the PokéStop or increased rewards for winning battles. An “Elite” Gym Badge signifies significant dedication to that location.
Daily Gym Bonuses
- Defender Bonus: Each day, you can collect a bonus for having Pokémon defending Gyms. The bonus includes:
- Coins: You receive 5 coins for each Pokémon you have defending a Gym, up to a maximum of 50 coins per day.
- Stardust: You also receive Stardust for each defending Pokémon.
- Collecting Your Bonus: To collect your daily bonus, you need to have at least one Pokémon defending a Gym. You can then tap the shield icon in the top-right corner of the Gym screen to claim your rewards.
- Maxing Out Your Daily Coin Collection: To get the maximum 50 coins, you need to have 10 Pokémon defending Gyms. The longer they stay, the more coins you earn over time, but remember, there’s a daily cap.
Special Events and Raids
Gyms are also the focal points for special events and Raid Battles.
- Raid Battles: When a Raid Egg appears on a Gym, it signifies an upcoming Raid Battle. Once the egg hatches, a powerful Raid Boss Pokémon will appear, and players can team up to battle and catch it.
- Event Bonuses: Many in-game events offer bonuses related to Gyms, such as increased Stardust for defending Gyms or bonus items for winning Gym battles.
Advanced Strategies for Gym Domination
Beyond the basics, several advanced tactics can help you achieve ultimate Gym control.
Layering Defenders
When attacking a Gym, it’s often beneficial to take down Pokémon in a strategic order. However, when defending, you can “layer” your Pokémon. This involves placing Pokémon of varying CP and defensive capabilities to make it a more arduous task for attackers.
- The “Bait” Defender: Place a high-CP Pokémon that is easily countered by a common attacker at the top. Attackers might focus on defeating it quickly, only to find more resilient Pokémon beneath.
- The “Stall” Defenders: In the middle slots, place Pokémon with high Defense and Stamina that have good defensive typings but might not be top-tier attackers. These Pokémon are designed to make attackers expend more resources and time.
- The “Wall” Defender: At the bottom, place your absolute strongest defender, ideally with a type advantage against commonly used attackers. This Pokémon should be the hardest to defeat.
Berry Management: The Golden Rule
- Golden Razz Berry Usage: Reserve your Golden Razz Berry for Pokémon that are about to be defeated or for Gyms you absolutely want to keep in your team’s control. A well-timed Golden Razz can turn the tide of a defense.
- Nanab and Pinap Berries: While not as potent for defense, Nanab Berries can slow down a Pokémon’s attack animation, potentially making it easier for your other defenders to land attacks. Pinap Berries are primarily for catching Pokémon.
Know Your Opponent’s Weaknesses
When attacking, always be aware of what Pokémon your opponents are likely to use in defense. Common Gym defenders often include:
- Snorlax: High CP, good HP, and decent defense. Weak to Fighting.
- Blissey/Chansey: Extremely high HP and Stamina, making them very difficult to knock out. Weak to Fighting.
- Wigglytuff/Clefable: Fairy types that can resist Dragon and Dark types. Weak to Poison and Steel.
- Gyarados: High CP, but weak to Electric and Rock.
- Machamp: A strong Fighting-type attacker, effective against Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, and Dark types. Weak to Flying, Psychic, and Fairy.
The Art of Reviving and Healing
Keep a good stock of potions and revives. You’ll need them to keep your Gym defenders healthy and ready to battle. Reviving a fainted Pokémon and then healing it with potions is essential for maintaining a strong defensive presence.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: How many Pokémon can defend a Gym?
A: A Gym can hold a maximum of six Pokémon.
Q2: How long can my Pokémon stay in a Gym?
A: Your Pokémon can stay in a Gym indefinitely until they are defeated in battle or you recall them. However, their motivation will decrease over time, making them easier to defeat.
Q3: What happens if all my defending Pokémon are knocked out?
A: If all your defending Pokémon are defeated, the Gym will become neutral, and you will have to reclaim it for your team. You will also receive your Pokémon back in their fainted state.
Q4: Can I put Pokémon in Gyms of other teams?
A: No, you can only place your Pokémon in Gyms that are neutral or controlled by your own team.
Q5: Is there a limit to how many Gyms I can defend at once?
A: You can defend as many Gyms as you have Pokémon available to place in them, up to the six-Pokémon limit per Gym.
Q6: What is the fastest way to get Gym Badges?
A: The fastest way to earn Gym Badges is to consistently battle at Gyms, defend them, and feed berries to your Pokémon. Participating in Gyms that are frequently contested will accelerate your progress.
Q7: How do I get Golden Razz Berries?
A: You can obtain Golden Razz Berry by completing Raid Battles, completing certain Field Research tasks, or spinning Gyms (though this is less common).
Q8: What does “Max CP” mean?
A: Max CP represents the highest possible Combat Power a Pokémon can achieve at its current level and with maximum potential for powering up. It’s a good indicator of a Pokémon’s overall strength.
Q9: What is the best strategy for defeating a Blissey in a Gym?
A: Blissey has incredibly high HP and Stamina but low Defense. You need Pokémon with high Attack stats and strong offensive moves, preferably with Fighting-type attacks like Machamp or strong neutral attackers like Metagross.
Q10: How many Gyms can I earn coins from per day?
A: You can earn a maximum of 50 coins per day from defending Gyms, regardless of how many Gyms you have Pokémon in beyond ten.
By mastering the intricacies of Gym battles, strategic defense, and reward collection, you can significantly enhance your Pokémon Go experience. So, get out there, take on those Gyms, and dominate today!