Why is Slaking So Powerful in Pokemon Go?

Let‘s kick things off by getting right to the point – Slaking is powerful in Pokemon Go because of its stats. With a monstrous base stat total of 670, Slaking has the raw power to rival Legendary Pokemon. Its base 160 attack stat is higher than Mewtwo‘s and matches Kyogre and Groudon. Meanwhile, its stamina stat of 284 is on par with top tanks like Blissey. This excellent stat spread allows Slaking to reach an incredible maximum CP of 5010, one of the highest caps in Pokemon Go.

However, Slaking is held back by its unique Truant ability and lackluster moveset. So while it seems like it should be one of the strongest Pokemon based on stats alone, it falls short of that potential in battle performance. Let‘s analyze the pros and cons in depth!

Slaking‘s Impressive Base Stats

To understand Slaking‘s strengths, we need to dive into the numbers. Here are its base stats compared to some notable legendaries:

As you can see, Slaking‘s attack matches Kyogre and Groudon, while its stamina exceeds many legendaries. This potent combo allows Slaking to reach over 5000 CP at its maximum. Only a handful of Pokemon like Mewtwo, the Creation trio, and Snorlax can surpass that mark.

Truant – A Double-Edged Ability

So with stats like those, why isn‘t Slaking considered one of the strongest Pokemon in Go? Truant is the culprit. This unique ability from the main series games prevents Slaking from attacking every other turn. While Slaking is loafing around, opponents are free to buff up, swap Pokemon, or attack into it without fear of retaliation.

This is crippling in competitive battles, but has less impact in Go since the AI won‘t strategize like human players. However, it still drags down Slaking‘s performance as we‘ll see.

Slaking‘s Strengths in Pokemon Go

Let‘s examine what situations allow Slaking to overcome its Truant weakness and shine in Go:

• Excellent gym defender – With massive CP powered by its stats, Slaking is intimidating on gyms. Its deficiencies are also less exploited by the AI.
• Yawn provides energy – Slaking‘s only Fast Move generates decent energy to charge moves despite dealing no damage.
• Powerful neutral damage – With sky-high attack, moves like Play Rough pressure most opponents despite no STAB bonus.

I‘ve had Slakings hold down gyms for weeks thanks to their huge CP acting as a deterrent. Yawn also charges moves quickly to dish out neutral damage.

Slaking‘s Weaknesses in Pokemon Go

However, Truant and other limitations prevent Slaking from excelling in raids and PvP:

• Truant halves damage output – Loafing every other turn cripples Slaking‘s raid DPS.
• Vulnerable to Fighting attacks – As a pure Normal-type, Slaking takes super effective damage from strong Fighting moves.
• No damage Fast Move – Yawn provides no damage, forcing dependence on charged moves.
• No STAB on charges – Without a Normal-type charged move, Slaking misses out on same-type attack bonus.

The combination of Truant and Yawn neuters Slaking‘s offense. Even resisting types like Rock and Steel can out-DPS Slaking in raids by simply attacking every turn.

Optimal Moveset

To maximize Slaking‘s performance, Yawn should be paired with Body Slam and Play Rough.

Body Slam provides reliable STAB damage that charges quickly thanks to Yawn‘s energy generation. Play Rough bolsters neutral coverage to pressure fighters. Hyper Beam is an option but requires more expensive energy. Meanwhile, Earthquake hits Steels for super effective damage but leaves Slaking totally walled by Ghosts.

Counters and Weaknesses

Fighting-type Pokemon running Counter and Dynamic Punch/Close Combat exploit Slaking‘s vulnerability:

• Machamp
• Lucario
• Breloom
• Hariyama
• Conkeldurr

Ghost, Steel, and Rock-types also counter Slaking by resisting its Normal-type attacks:

• Gengar
• Giratina
• Metagross
• Melmetal
• Rampardos

Avoid using Slaking against these threats!

Slaking Compared to Other Normal Types

Despite its power on paper, Slaking falls short of other Normal-types in Pokemon Go:

Defense

While Slaking has higher CP than Snorlax or Blissey, both are better gym defenders thanks to superior bulk and lack of Truant penalizing them.

Offense

For raid DPS and gym offense, consistent attackers like Miltank, Tauros, and Porygon-Z outperform Slaking. Truant halves Slaking‘s output, allowing weaker Pokemon to surpass it.

Slaking in PvP

The mechanics of PvP allow Slaking to overcome Truant more easily. The ability to shield charged moves gives Slaking opportunities to reliably attack and fire off Body Slams. Play Rough also pressures popular Fighters. However, Truant remains an enormous hindrance preventing Slaking from reaching top-tier usage.

The Verdict on Slaking

While Slaking boasts some of the best stats and highest CP in Pokemon Go, its Truant ability and lackluster moves prevent it from being a top-tier threat. Despite its fearsome presence in gyms, more consistent Normal-types surpass Slaking offensively. There are certainly viable niches thanks to play around shields, but sadly Slaking fails to live up to its potential in most scenarios. But it will likely continue terrorizing gyms with its imposing stats!

I hope this detailed guide has provided lots of insights into why Slaking is powerful on paper yet underwhelming in practice. Let me know if you have any other questions!