Great League PvP guide
Malamar (Shadow) Pokémon GO – PvP, Best Moves, IVs & Counters
Malamar (Shadow) is a Dark/Psychic-type Pokémon in Pokémon GO. Its strongest current PvP league is Great League, where it currently ranks #44. Its recommended PvP moveset is Psywave with Foul Play and Superpower.
Great League
#44
Strong pick
Type
Dark/Psychic
Best Fast Move
Psywave
Charged Moves
Max CP
2,667
Updated for the current Pokémon GO season · September 2026
Rankings, moves and matchup data are updated automatically from the latest available PvP data.ABOUT MALAMAR (SHADOW)
Is Malamar (Shadow) Good in Pokémon GO PvP?
Malamar (Shadow) is currently a strong PvP option in Great League where it is ranked #44.
Malamar (Shadow) is also a strong PvP option in Ultra League where it is ranked #52.
Malamar (Shadow) PvP Rankings
| League | Rank | PvP Score | Recommended Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great LeagueBest | #44 | 89.7 | Psywave, Foul Play, Superpower |
| Ultra League | #52 | 88.4 | Psywave, Foul Play, Superpower |
Best Moveset for Malamar (Shadow) in Pokémon GO PvP
Fast Move · STAB
Strong vs: Fighting, Poison
Neutral vs: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Grass, Ground, Ice, Normal, Rock, Water
Weak vs: Dark, Psychic, Steel
Charged Move · STAB
Strong vs: Ghost, Psychic
Neutral vs: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Fire, Flying, Grass, Ground, Ice, Normal, Poison, Rock, Steel, Water
Weak vs: Dark, Fairy, Fighting
Charged Move
Strong vs: Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel
Neutral vs: Dragon, Electric, Fighting, Fire, Grass, Ground, Water
Weak vs: Bug, Fairy, Flying, Ghost, Poison, Psychic
The recommended PvP moveset for Malamar (Shadow) is Psywave with Foul Play and Superpower.
Alternative movesets
All Fast and Charged Moves currently available to Malamar (Shadow) in the imported game data.
Fast Moves
Fast Move
Strong vs: Bug, Fighting, Grass
Neutral vs: Dark, Dragon, Fairy, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Ground, Ice, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Water
Weak vs: Electric, Rock, Steel
Fast Move · STAB
Strong vs: Fighting, Poison
Neutral vs: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Grass, Ground, Ice, Normal, Rock, Water
Weak vs: Dark, Psychic, Steel
Fast Move · STAB
Strong vs: Fighting, Poison
Neutral vs: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Grass, Ground, Ice, Normal, Rock, Water
Weak vs: Dark, Psychic, Steel
Charged Moves
Charged Move · STAB
Strong vs: Ghost, Psychic
Neutral vs: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Fire, Flying, Grass, Ground, Ice, Normal, Poison, Rock, Steel, Water
Weak vs: Dark, Fairy, Fighting
Charged Move
Neutral vs: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Grass, Ground, Ice, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Water
Weak vs: Ghost, Rock, Steel
Charged Move · STAB
Strong vs: Fighting, Poison
Neutral vs: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Grass, Ground, Ice, Normal, Rock, Water
Weak vs: Dark, Psychic, Steel
Charged Move
Strong vs: Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel
Neutral vs: Dragon, Electric, Fighting, Fire, Grass, Ground, Water
Weak vs: Bug, Fairy, Flying, Ghost, Poison, Psychic
Malamar (Shadow) PvP Move Counts
Psywave → Foul Play
10 Fast Moves from empty energy
Repeating count
Psywave → Superpower
10 Fast Moves from empty energy
Repeating count
Malamar (Shadow) Battle Guide
Matchup values below come from the Great League matchup data in PoGoCoach. A value above 500 means Malamar (Shadow) wins the matchup; below 500 means it loses.
Strong Matchups
- Melmetal622
- Corviknight593
- Vigoroth564
Difficult Matchups
Malamar (Shadow) Weaknesses & Resistances
Defensive type multipliers below combine Malamar (Shadow)'s Dark/Psychic typing using the current Pokémon GO battle type chart.
Weak to
- bug2.56×
- fairy1.6×
Resistant to
- psychic0.244×
Best Counters to Malamar (Shadow) in Pokémon GO PvP
Recommended attacks are measured against Malamar (Shadow) in Great League. Charged Move percentages show estimated unshielded damage to Malamar (Shadow)'s league HP.
Great League
Recommended attacks
- Shadow Clawghost
Fast Move
Neutral
- Foul Playdark
Charged Move
Neutral
54% HP
- Drain Punchfighting
Charged Move
Neutral
28% HP
Great League
Recommended attacks
- Fairy Windfairy
Fast Move
Super Effective
- Gigaton Hammersteel
Charged Move
Neutral
80% HP
- Bulldozeground
Charged Move
Neutral
41% HP
Great League
Recommended attacks
- Shadow Clawghost
Fast Move
Neutral
- Shadow Sneakghost
Charged Move
Neutral
53% HP
- Play Roughfairy
Charged Move
Super Effective
101% HP
Great League
Recommended attacks
- Dragon Breathdragon
Fast Move
Neutral
- Moonblastfairy
Charged Move
Super Effective
72% HP
- Flamethrowerfire
Charged Move
Neutral
45% HP
Great League
Recommended attacks
- Peck
Fast Move
Neutral
- Divewater
Charged Move
Neutral
35% HP
- Fly
Charged Move
Neutral
56% HP
Ratings are shown from Malamar (Shadow)'s perspective: the lower the value, the harder the matchup is for Malamar (Shadow).
Best Teammates for Malamar (Shadow) in Pokémon GO PvP
Good teammates for Malamar (Shadow) should help cover some of its most difficult matchups while adding useful coverage against the current Great League meta.
Covers 3 of Malamar (Shadow)'s 5 hardest current matchups.
Covers 4 of Malamar (Shadow)'s 5 hardest current matchups.
Covers 4 of Malamar (Shadow)'s 5 hardest current matchups.
Covers 3 of Malamar (Shadow)'s 5 hardest current matchups.
Teammates are calculated from the current Great League rankings and matchup data, and update automatically with each PvP data import.
Best PvP IVs for Malamar (Shadow)
| League | Rank | IVs | CP | Level | Stat Product |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great League | #1 | 0/15/9 | 1,500 | 24.5 | 1,922,276 |
| #2 | 2/14/14 | 1,500 | 24 | 1,921,180 | |
| #3 | 1/15/14 | 1,496 | 24 | 1,921,120 | |
| #4 | 1/15/15 | 1,499 | 24 | 1,921,120 | |
| #5 | 0/12/12 | 1,499 | 24.5 | 1,917,633 | |
| Ultra League | #1 | 3/15/15 | 2,500 | 50 | 4,117,999 |
| #2 | 4/15/15 | 2,499 | 49.5 | 4,116,311 | |
| #3 | 3/15/14 | 2,494 | 50 | 4,095,121 | |
| #4 | 3/14/15 | 2,493 | 50 | 4,095,121 | |
| #5 | 2/15/15 | 2,486 | 50 | 4,095,121 |
Malamar (Shadow) Stats in Pokémon GO
Malamar (Shadow)'s real battle stats in each league, at the CP cap and that league's best IV combination.
Great League
Malamar (Shadow) 0/15/9 (Best IV)
- Level
- 24.5
- CP
- 1,500
- Attack
- 117
- Defense
- 119
- HP
- 138
Ultra League
Malamar (Shadow) 3/15/15 (Best IV)
- Level
- 50
- CP
- 2,500
- Attack
- 151.3
- Defense
- 151.3
- HP
- 180
Malamar (Shadow) Evolution
Shadow Pokémon cannot Mega Evolve in Pokémon GO. You have to purify Malamar (Shadow) first, and the purified Pokémon can then Mega Evolve into Malamar (Mega). Purifying removes the Shadow attack bonus, so the Mega form never keeps Shadow stats.
Pokémon Similar to Malamar (Shadow) in Pokémon GO PvP
Shares Psychic typing · Same Psywave fast move · Great League #85
Shares Psychic typing · Same Psywave fast move · Mega Ultra League #108
Same Psychic / Dark typing · Master League #243
Same Dark / Psychic typing
Shares Psychic typing · Same Psywave fast move · Great League #246
Shares Psychic typing · Same Psywave fast move · Ultra League #577
More PoGoCoach tools
Malamar (Shadow) Pokémon GO PvP FAQ
What is the best moveset for Malamar (Shadow) in Pokémon GO PvP?
Malamar (Shadow)'s recommended PvP moveset is Psywave with Foul Play and Superpower.
Is Malamar (Shadow) good in Pokémon GO PvP?
Malamar (Shadow) is currently a strong PvP option in Great League, where it is ranked #44.
What counters Malamar (Shadow) in Pokémon GO PvP?
Sableye (Shadow), Tinkaton and Mimikyu are among the strongest current counters to Malamar (Shadow) in Great League.
What is Malamar (Shadow) weak to in Pokémon GO?
Malamar (Shadow) is weak to Bug (2.56×), Fairy (1.6×).