The strongest innates in SoulGold and the combos that use them

These 13 combos carried my Title Defense streaks and the level 85 Elite Four rematches. Each one tells you the level you need and what beats it. The order is mine. If you want every Pokémon’s innates, they’re in the innate list.

How I ranked them

I asked three things, in order:

1. Is the key innate in the 75 or 85 slot, so you have it for the fights that count?
2. Does it work with something the Pokémon already has, like its ability, its Mega ability, or a move?
3. Does the Title Defense pool have a cheap answer to it?

That third question knocked more of my early favorites off this list than the other two combined.

The ranking

1. Mega Typhlosion: Drought plus Solar Power (Lv 75)

Mega Evolve and the sun goes up. Solar Power then boosts its 149 Sp. Atk, on a Fire/Ground body with 120 Speed. Nothing else on this list is this good this early. Mine sat in more of my Title Defense teams than any other ‘mon.

At 95 it gets Heat Rush, which gives Fire moves +1 priority at full HP. That’s exactly when you want to fire off Eruption anyway.

Bring it into any Title Defense team that isn’t built on rain, and into Hard mode doubles where the sun helps your partner. Solar Power eats HP every turn. Watch for Drizzle on Quagsire (75), Goodra (75), Drampa (75) and Thundurus (95). Clair’s Title Defense Goodra has it on.

2. Mega Pinsir: Hustle plus No Guard (Lv 85)

Hustle gives you 1.5 times Attack and No Guard means you never miss. Mega Pinsir gets them at 75 and 85, so from 85 it hits like a truck and always connects. Base Pinsir gets Terrate at 95 instead, which is much worse.

Use it in singles, where one big hit a turn decides things. No Guard works both ways, though. Stone Edge, Focus Blast and Thunder never miss you either, and Rock does four times to Bug/Flying. Kleavor gets the same pair at 85 and 95, with Sharpness as its ability.

3. Ho-Oh: Flare, Blazing Sun, Reborn (Lv 75, 85, 95)

Blazing Sun makes every damaging Fire move burn. Flare makes Fire moves do 50% more to burned targets. So your first Sacred Fire burns, everything after it hits harder, and the burn cripples physical attackers.

Reborn at 95 lets Ho-Oh survive one lethal hit per battle and heal to full. You catch it at 65 or 80, depending on which wing you picked.

Take it into the Elite Four rematches, where burning the physical attackers wins the fight. It can’t burn Fire types or Permafrost users (the Swinub line, Glalie, the Baxcalibur line, Glastrier, Iron Bundle). Flash Fire eats the whole chain, and Rock still does four times.

4. Mega Lucario Z: Elemental Fist (Lv 75)

This is the Steeltite Mega: Fighting/Steel, 164 Sp. Atk, 151 Speed, Aura Guard. Elemental Fist makes punches use Sp. Atk, so Drain Punch, Meteor Mash and the three elemental punches all come off 164. Mind’s Eye at 95 lets its Fighting punches hit Ghosts.

It beats anything slower than 151 that isn’t a Ghost. Before 95, Ghosts wall it, and 70/70/70 bulk means it can’t take a hit back. Skip regular Mega Lucario (Mind’s Eye, Quick Feet, Aura Shield). Z is better.

5. Scizor: Technician plus Iron Fist (Lv 85)

Technician boosts weak moves and Iron Fist boosts punches. Bullet Punch is both. Bugsy’s Title Defense Scizor runs exactly this with Bugtite. Intimidate at 95 is a bonus. Mega Scizor swaps the first slot for Dry Skin and keeps the other two.

Use it to pick off anything weakened and to revenge-kill in Hard doubles. Fire does four times. Dazzling blocks your priority (Togekiss and Mimikyu at 95, Ribombee at 85). Phalanx halves your damage into Skarmory, Aegislash and Metagross at 95.

6. Mienshao: Maneuverability plus Technician (Lv 85)

Both innates hit moves of 60 power or less. Maneuverability gives them +1 priority and Technician boosts them. Fake Out and Triple Axel get both. Chuck’s Hard Title Defense Mienshao runs this. Limber at 95 stops paralysis.

In Hard doubles, priority Fake Out into Triple Axel wins you the first two turns. I lost count of the fights that opener decided for me. Dazzling stops it. So does Psychic Terrain from Psychic Surge on Chimecho (95), Farigiraf (75) and Wyrdeer (85). Flying and Fairy still hurt.

7. Mega Raichu Y: No Guard plus Speed Boost (Lv 85)

It has No Guard as its ability, 160 Sp. Atk, and Speed Boost at 85. Thunder never misses and the Speed sorts itself out after a turn. You need the Bondstone for it, because both Raichu Megas can’t share one Electrite.

Raichu X takes the Electrite. It has Electric Surge plus Plasma Surge at 95, so every hit paralyzes in its own terrain.

Y wins singles Title Defense fights once it gets a turn to boost. With 55 base Defense and No Guard, every Earthquake lands on it too. Don’t expect a Ground immunity. Electromagnetism is on Alolan Raichu at 85, not either Mega.

8. Mega Gallade: Sharpness plus Tough Claws (Lv 85)

Sharpness boosts slicing moves and Tough Claws boosts contact moves. Mega Gallade gets them at 75 and 85. Sacred Sword is both, so your best STAB gets double boosted. Psycho Cut, Leaf Blade and Night Slash are slicing too. Mind’s Eye at 95 adds Ghost coverage.

It’s your physical slot for Title Defense, and it trades well with Steven’s Aggron and Metagross. Flying, Ghost and Fairy beat it, and so do the Phalanx walls. Base Gallade has Moxie instead of Sharpness, which is worse on something this frail.

9. Aggron and Steelix: Stamina into Siegebreaker (Lv 95)

Siegebreaker makes attacks use two thirds of Defense instead of Attack or Sp. Atk. Aggron gets Stamina at 85, which raises Defense every time it’s hit. So every hit Aggron takes makes its next Head Smash bigger. Battle Armor at 75 stops crits from skipping the boosts.

Steelix gets Siegebreaker at 95 too, with Filter at 75. Both Megas keep the same lists.

Use it in Title Defense against physical teams. Steven’s Aggron is level 85, so his doesn’t have Siegebreaker. Yours at 95 does. Special attackers ignore the whole plan. Breaking (Chesnaught, Tyrantrum, Hawlucha, Pyroar) drops your Defense on entry, and that drops your damage with it.

10. Crobat and Staraptor: Flier (Lv 75 and 85)

Flier makes Fly a one-turn move with 50% more power. That’s a 135-power STAB move with no turn in the air. Crobat gets it at 75 and outspeeds almost every challenger. Staraptor gets it at 85, on top of Gale Wings at 75 for Flying priority at full HP.

Rufflet and Braviary get Flier too. Chinchou, Lanturn, Finizen and Palafin get Diver, which is the Water version.

Use it to clear the level 85 Fighting and Grass types before they move. Rock, Electric and Ice hit it hard, and Dazzling stops the Staraptor version.

11. Milotic: Guardian, Fae Soul, Regenerator (Lv 75, 85, 95)

Guardian pulls single-target attacks onto Milotic and cuts that damage by 15%. Fae Soul adds Fairy, so you swap the Dragon weakness for a Dragon immunity. Regenerator at 95 heals on every switch.

On Hard, Title Defense and the Elite Four rematches are doubles, so a redirecting Water/Fairy wall earns a slot. Put it next to something frail like Mega Lucario Z. Electric, Grass and Poison hurt it. Propeller Tail (the Poison-type Slowbro form, 85) ignores the redirect.

12. Darkrai: Stygian plus Dark Void (Lv 75)

Stygian gives +1 priority to moves aimed at a sleeping target. Dark Void puts them to sleep. From turn two on, every Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot and Dream Eater goes first.

You catch Darkrai at 70 after a forced Mega Darkrai boss fight, and the Mega keeps the same innates. You’re five levels from 75.

It works in singles against anything that can’t stop sleep, and a lot of the pool can. Insomnia is on Cresselia, Alakazam, Polteageist, Sinistcha, Flutter Mane and Spectrier. Sweet Veil covers the Tinkaton line, Scream Tail and Iron Valiant. Electric Terrain from the Alolan Geodude line or Mega Raichu X stops it cold.

13. Arceus: Omega plus Aura Shield (Lv 75 and 85)

Omega is the strongest innate in the game. Everything Arceus hits is super effective and everything that hits it isn’t very effective. Only type immunities and absorbing abilities still work. Aura Shield at 85 blocks the first hit.

It’s last because of the price. Oak gives you the egg for catching all 608 non-legendaries, then you level it from scratch. By then, the only thing left is Title Defense streaks for fun. Mine still felt worth every candy.

A Normal Arceus still can’t touch Ghosts. Flash Fire, Water Absorb, Earth Eater and Smouldering still eat the matching move. Infiltrator and Mold Breaker go through Aura Shield.

Full write-ups

Some of these deserve their own page, with the whole set, where to catch them and what beats them:

• Breloom: Triage makes Drain Punch a +3 priority move
• Mawile: Huge Power at 75, then Mega Mawile hits twice
• Reuniclus: Showtime sets Trick Room on entry
• Tornadus: Windburst gives you Tailwind for free
• Machamp, Electivire, Heracross, Gengar, Jirachi and Mega Salamence

If you want the team around them, start with how to build a team in SoulGold.

Skip these combos

Alakazam’s Elemental Fist (75). Alakazam already has special coverage, so you don’t need to tutor four punches. Put this innate on Mega Lucario Z, where the punches are STAB.

Farfetch’d’s Prepared (85). Two-turn moves in one turn is great on a Pokémon you stopped using fifty levels ago. Sirfetch’d doesn’t get it.

Serperior’s Like a Dragon and Meganium’s Pixilate (both 95). Both are real type changes, and Serperior learns Draco Meteor to use it. They’re also 95 unlocks on mid-tier Grass starters. That’s more candy than most teams can spare.

Most Soul innates. An extra type brings extra weaknesses. Phantom Soul makes Ninetales Fire/Ghost at 75. You drop Normal and Fighting but pick up Ghost and Dark. It’s only worth it because Magic Bounce comes at 85. I ran Phantom Soul Ninetales anyway and spent ten levels regretting it.

Aura Shield on anything but Arceus. One blocked hit a battle is a free Focus Sash. Good, not broken. Infiltrator ignores it, and Gengar, Umbreon, Grimmsnarl, Chien-Pao and Flutter Mane all have Infiltrator at 85 or above.

Regigigas’s Tireless (85). Giga Impact with no recharge is as strong as it sounds. You still deal with its regular ability at the start of every fight, and you catch it at 70.

If you want to build toward these before the credits, start with the Hard mode team and grab the stones from the Mega Evolution guide. Then head to the postgame guide, where the cap finally lifts.