Best Barbaracle moveset in Pokemon Go: Battle League & raids

Brent Koepp
Barbaracle in Pokemon Go standing on Beach shore

With Binacle making its Pokemon Go debut during Sustainability Week, players may be wondering which moves its evolution, Barbaracle, should be using. Here is the Kalos ‘mon’s best moveset for the Battle League and raids. 

Niantic used Pokemon Go’s Sustainability Week event to introduce Gen VI’s Binacle and Barbaracle into the mobile title. The barnacle-inspired ‘mon were appropriately the headline for the environmental-based celebration.

Trainers looking to use the Rock/Water-type will need to use the right moveset if they want to compete in PVE and PVP. We will go over which moves you should be teaching the creature.

Binacle and Barbaracle Pokemon Go Dex
The Gen VI ‘mon made its Go debut in April 2021.

Pokemon Go Barbaracle best moveset

There has been a lot of hype around Barbaracle being added to Pokemon Go. The Kalos ‘mon’s dual-typing looked to provide a nice shake-up to the game’s competitive meta – at least on paper.

Thankfully based on early analysis, fans of the barnacle-like creature will not be disappointed as it’s already become a strong contender in Battle League’s first two tiers right out of the gate.

Below we will break down Barbaracle’s best moveset for both the Battle League and raids. Learning these attacks will have you dominating your opponents in no time at all.

Pokemon Go Battle League promotional art.Barbaracle is already a strong contender in most of Battle League’s tiers. 

Barbaracle’s best moveset in Pokemon Go Battle League

Great League

Barbaracle Pokemon Go Dex Fast Attack: Fury Cutter  Charge Attack: Cross Chop / Stone Edge

Fury Cutter might seem odd on paper, but the move makes up for its lack of damage by being able to create energy quickly. The Fast Attack then gives Barbaracle quick access to its secondary moves.

For the creature, we recommend Fighting-type move Cross Chop for its Charge Attack. Its low cost means it can be spammed to bait opponents’ shields, and is the perfect counter to popular Rock/Steel-type, Bastiodon.

Ultra League

Barbaracle Pokemon Go Dex Fast Attack: Fury Cutter  Charge Attack: Cross Chop / Stone Edge

The Gen VI character actually shines better in Ultra League due to its high defense stat. Just like GL, Barbaracle’s Fury Cutter and Cross Chop combo will put a quick stop to popular choice Melmetal.

The Fast Attack will also destroy Grass-types such as Exeggutor. For a secondary pick, we recommend Stone Edge as it will decimate Flying Pokemon such as Altaria or Articuno.

Master League

Barbaracle Pokemon Go Dex Fast Attack: Fury Cutter  Charge Attack: Cross Chop / Stone Edge

While Barbaracle is dominating in Battle League’s first tiers, it doesn’t really stand up to most ‘mon in the Master League. Perhaps this will change in the future should Niantic give it access to a new move pool

Unfortunately, it’s the overall stats which weigh them down. Still, not every Pokemon has to be used in every PVP tier. We recommend using the ‘mon in Great and Ultra League instead.

Screenshot of Pokemon Go Raid Boss logo.
The Dragon-type is a strong attacker in PVE raids.

Barbaracle’s best moveset in Pokemon Go raids

Barbaracle Pokemon Go Dex Fast Attack: Water Gun  Charge Attack: Stone Edge / Cross Chop

Unlike PVP, Barbaracle should lean on its Fast Attack, Water Gun. Its decent attack damage and quick energy gains makes it perfect against Fire-type raid bosses. It also gives it quick access to its Charge move.

Many popular 5-star raid bosses such as Articuno or Moltres are weak to Stone Edge. Luckily, the Gen VI creature has a handful of move types to counter various foes in online raid battles, making it a solid pick.

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About The Author

Brent is a former writer at Dexerto based in the United States, who covered topics such as Pokemon, Gaming, and online Entertainment.