Some of the best things come in threes, and that’s certainly true with Legendary Pokemon. They comprise some of the strongest Pokemon in the game, and most of them come in threes thanks to the incredible lore surrounding them. But what does that mean for competitive battling?
Certainly, some of these trios will just be made up of Pokemon banned from competition for being too powerful. Still, some are better than others. This list will look at the trios recognized either officially by Pokemon or the general Pokemon community, and stack them against each other to find out which triangle stands the tallest.
11 The Lake Guardians: Azelf, Mesprit, & Uxie
While they all surpass the typically high 580 base stat total threshold expected from Legendary Pokemon, the Lake Guardians have more going against them than for them compared to the other Pokemon on this list.
For one, they are all pure Psychic-type, and that can be more of a detriment than an advantage. They also suffer a bit from subpar movepools. Regardless, they are Legendary, so they have some use in competitive battling, with each member have distinct stat spreads. Of the three, Azelf definitely saw the most use, being a commonly used lead during its introductory generation, Generation IV.
10 The Legendary Beasts: Suicune, Entei, & Raikou
In terms of popularity, the Legendary beasts might be surprisingly low on this list, considering how much attention they’ve been given by different Pokemon media. The reality is, Suicune, Entei, and Raikou have seen better days in terms of competitive viability.
Frankly, their singular typing hurts them. A pretty high base stat total of 580 each doesn’t necessarily help when there’s not enough focus given on one particular stat, and there’s only one type for you to take offensive power from. It’s not like they’re completely washed, though, as you can regularly see these three in mid-tier competitive play, in equal measure.
9 The Swords Of Justice: Terrakion, Cobalion, & Virizion
While the Swords of Justice are technically a quartet with Keldeo, Keldeo is generally regarded as on a different level than the other three members: Terrakion, Cobalion, and Virizion.
Those remaining three have had pretty good stints in competitive Pokemon, though they aren’t on the same level as Keldeo in terms of viability, thanks to not having access to Secret Sword. How Terrakion, Cobalion, and Virizion differ is mainly in their types and stat spreads: Terrakion is Rock-type and specializes in Attack, Cobalion is Steel-type and specializes in Defense, and Virizion is Grass-type and specializes in Special Defense.
8 The Legendary Birds: Articuno, Zapdos, & Moltres
The first ever Legendary trio has been a persistent competitive presence for quite a while now. These days, they’re not strong enough to be banned from regular competition, but they are strong enough to dominate there. That’s particularly true with Zapdos and Moltres, but Articuno, while still sporting a great base 580 base stat total, suffers from its terrible Ice-Flying typing.
Their Galarian regional variants are just as strong, and kind of took the competitive scene by storm with their unique battling niches. They all come with new typings and abilities and even have brand new signature moves to boot.
7 The Forces Of Nature: Tornadus, Thundurus, & Landorus
Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus have been consistent mainstays in competitive Pokemon since their introduction in Generation V. None of them are broken, overpowered monsters or anything, but all three can play specific roles and play them well.
They’re most commonly seen in their Therian Formes, mainly because of the superior abilities they carry. While Tornadus and Thundurus are more straight-up attackers, Landorus is a Swiss army knife, working great in any role the teambuilder needs. They have the stats to back it up, with Tornadus and Thundurus rocking a 580 base stat total and Landorus sitting pretty at 600.
6 The Crown Tundra Trio: Glastrier, Spectrier, & Calyrex
While the Legendaries of the Crown Tundra aren’t officially listed as a trio, it might as well be one since Calyrex gets a very similar treatment to Kyurem, fusing with one of the remaining two to create a powerful alternate forme. The other two in question are Calyrex’s steeds: Glastrier and Spectrier.
Either of the two Legendary horses can hold their own, with Spectrier even reaching Smogon’s Ubers tier. That’s great since Calyrex by itself is essentially powerless. When fused with either of the two, though, Calyrex in either the Ice Rider or Shadow Rider forme respectively bolts up to 680 base stat total.
5 The Aura Trio: Xerneas, Yveltal, & Zygarde
This is the first trio on this list to consist of box art mascots (if you don’t count Calyrex and the Crown Tundra), and all three of these Pokemon very easily find themselves in Smogon’s Ubers tier.
Xerneas and Yveltal have the exact same base stats, adding up to 680 total, and Zygarde can reach up to 708 base stat total in its Complete forme. What makes them totally different is their typing, with Xerneas being a Fairy-type, Yveltal being a Dark-Flying type, and Zygarde being a Dragon-Ground type. Their signature moves also allow them to be used quite differently in battle.
4 The Creation Trio: Dialga, Palkia, & Giratina
Among the box art Legendary trios, the Creation trio is probably the one that’s closest to have all three members be equal in strength. It does help that all of them are Dragon-type, and have a secondary typing that goes extremely well with it.
Of course, it also helps that all three are insanely powerful, all reaching the 680 base stat total threshold. What makes them powerful is quite different, though, besides the shared Dragon-typing. Their stats are distributed a bit differently, with Giratina even getting two formes that sport different stat spreads.
3 The Tao Trio: Reshiram, Zekrom, & Kyurem
As alluded to, the Tao trio work similarly to the Crown Tundra’s main trio of Glastrier, Spectrier, and Calyrex, but they differ in that Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem can all kick tons of butt on their own.
That’s less so for Kyurem since it used to rely on the other two Dragon-type Legendaries for power, but its regular forme is still pretty hard to beat in regular competition. Meanwhile, Kyurem-Black, Kyurem-White, Reshiram, and Zekrom are all banned, and for good reason. They have incredible abilities (Turbloblaze or Teravolt), awesome signature moves, and great typings to boot.
2 The Light Trio: Solgaleo, Lunala, & Necrozma
With Necrozma having three incredibly powerful formes to its name, it’s hard for its trio not to earn one of the higher spots of this list off that alone. Of course, said three formes consist of Dusk Mane, Dawn Wings, and Ultra Necrozma.
Of course, the two other Legendaries that fuse with Necrozma to create the former two formes are plenty strong, as well. Solgaleo and Lunala fall under the typical 680 benchmark for incredibly strong Legendaries, but they stand out thanks to their interesting typing of Psychic-Steel and Psychic-Ghost respectively, as well as their massive attacking power.
1 The Weather Trio: Groudon, Kyogre, & Rayquaza
It’s hard to argue against three Pokemon that have either Primal Reversions or Mega Evolutions that are insanely overpowered in their own way. Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza transcend their Legendary status to be in a league all their own. There’s not much else to expound on here.
Mega Rayquaza is the most powerful Pokemon that ever graced console screens, and Primal Groudon and Kyogre are not far behind. They have incredible base stat totals, powerful signature moves, and unfair signature abilities. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on who you ask), these formes are inaccessible in Sword and Shield.
NEXT: 12 Tips For Catching Legendary Pokémon When You Don’t Have A Master Ball
