Why Does Slaking Have Such High CP in Pokémon GO?
One glance at the Pokémon GO stat leaderboards raises some questions. Nestled among Mythical and Mega Evolved legends sits the mighty Slaking, clocking in at a maximum combat potential (CP) of 5010. For reference, this places Slaking firmly among the elite – higher than Dragonite, Tyranitar, and many other fan favorites. What gives? Slaking is notorious in the core games for being borderline unusable competitively due to its crippling Truant ability. Why does this hindrance translate to such an impressive CP ceiling? And what does this mean for Slaking‘s performance? Let‘s find out.
Slaking‘s Impressive Stat Spread
A deep dive into base stats provides some insights. In the main series games, Slaking boasts well-rounded capabilities, including:
- HP: 160
- Attack: 160
- Defense: 100
For comparison, Dragonite and Tyranitar sit at base 600 stat totals. Slaking surpasses this lofty benchmark at 670 total base stats, rivaling even some weaker legendaries in raw numbers! Specifically, its astronomical attack stat stands out in allowing it to reach strikingly high CP.
To demonstrate, let‘s compare Slaking to Dragonite and Metagross in a stat comparison table:
| Pokemon | HP | Atk | Def | Total Stats | Max CP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slaking | 160 | 160 | 100 | 670 | 5010 |
| Dragonite | 91 | 134 | 95 | 600 | 3691 |
| Metagross | 80 | 257 | 228 | 600 | 4346 |
As we can see, Slaking‘s offense-oriented statistics translate to the highest CP ceiling despite some middling defense. The CP formula directly factors a Pokemon‘s attack, defense, and stamina into the final number. So while Metagross boasts greater specialized defense, Slaking‘s well-balanced distribution allows it to reach the pinnacle for normal types.
Slaking Would Dominate…Without Truant
On paper, these excellent stats alongside strong move options like Play Rough and Earthquake would enable Slaking to compete with the cream of the crop in Pokémon GO, both as an attacker and gym defender. In simulations, even with just the lackluster fast move Yawn, Slaking posts numbers rivaling the top tier if it didn‘t have to rest every other turn.
For example, estimates indicate non-Truant Slaking would roughly match Mewtwo‘s performance in raid DPS with its current moves. Defensively, it has the sheer stats to stand among Snorlax and Blissey as an anchor. Tables below compare projected metrics:
| Pokemon | Raid DPS | TDO | Gym Defense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slaking | ~20 | 400+ | 270 days+ |
| Mewtwo | ~20 | 350 | 60 days |
| Snorlax | ~15 | 350 | 160 days |
However, Niantic knew perfectly well such dominance could not stand…which brings us to Slaking‘s one glaring weakness.
Why Truant Was Handled Uniquely In GO
Since its debut generation, the main series games have grappled with balancing Slaking‘s exceptional strength against its Truant drawback which causes it to rest every other turn. And Pokémon GO faced the same conundrum with a tricky translation – how to adapt Slaking faithfully while keeping gameplay healthy.
Their solution? Introduce Yawn – a move that deals no damage whatsoever. It simply builds energy for charge attacks at an average rate. Conceptually, this forces Slaking to take every other quick move off. The implementation elegantly conveys the spirit of Truant to the GO battle system.
While some may have envisioned a temporary stat debuff or other mechanic, Yawn maintains Slaking‘s identity. And it successfully reins in its potential domination. Few attackers or defenders can justify using only charge moves. So while Slaking still appears impressively on paper, Truant remains its Achilles‘ heel in practice.
Investment Costs and Upsides
Despite lackluster performance, some collectors still desire to power up a Slaking simply to place atop gyms as an intimidating figure. Be warned – maxing out Slaking requires a tremendous 296 candies and 225,000 star dust!
However, for rural players and new accounts, a decent Slaking can still contribute as a generalist attacker and defender when options are limited. It also provides a long-term goal to work towards. And who knows…perhaps Niantic may take pity and grant it a special event move someday to give it a niche!
In the weird world of Pokémon GO mechanics, how does a single Pokemon like Slaking end up with the 4th highest CP in the game, while also languishing as an afterthought in the meta? Simply put, Slaking‘s towering stats reached immense heights translating directly to high CP. But the necessity of balancing its Truant ability unfortunately keeps that potential bottled up. While Slaking exists as an outlier CP intimidation tool, we‘ll have to rely on other normals like Snorlax and Blissey for usable performance. Here‘s hoping the king of loafs somehow carves out a niche someday!
