XL candies are hard to come by in Pokémon GO. Here we show you 9 Pokémon that can actually benefit from XL candies and where the candy search is not too difficult.
This is how you get XL candies: The coveted XL candies allow you to further power up a Pokémon from Level 40. However, they are hard to come by. You receive XL candies when catching and transferring Pokémon, but not for every Pokémon. Especially monsters with higher levels yield more XL candies.
Recently, there is a new method to earn XL candies.
Here’s what we show: The most XL candies will currently come from Pokémon that frequently appear in the wild but are not very strong. We show you a selection of monsters that benefit from the power-ups and can at least be found a bit more often.
Legendary Pokémon have been completely excluded from the list. So far, you need to do hundreds of raids to have enough XL candies for power-ups. We focus on more common Pokémon.
The best Pokémon for XL candies
Gastly and Gengar: Among the ghost attackers, Giratina and Darkrai dominate. Gengar is an alternative, but it becomes particularly interesting when powered up to Level 50. At this level, Gengar is better than a Darkrai at Level 40.
Gastly can be obtained from the quest “Land 3 great throws” and it is not uncommon in the wild in the right weather. Additionally, there are always events that spotlight Gastly. So make sure to capitalize when Gastly appears in an event.
Pinsir or Scyther: Among the bug attackers, Genesect is actually the top choice. However, a Pinsir or Scyther at Level 50 is better than a Genesect at Level 40.
Pinsir and Scyther appear occasionally in nests: especially there you can make a good profit. Otherwise, there have been multiple events where one or both Pokémon appeared more frequently. You can also hope for this in the future.
Machop and Machamp: The best fighting attacker is Lucario. Even a Machamp at Level 50 is not as strong as a Lucario at Level 40. However, it comes dangerously close, which is why it is worth hunting for Machops.
The best chance of getting XL candies from Machop is the Community Day in January. Everything revolves around Machop, and you can farm XL candies endlessly. Otherwise, there are always events where Machop appears more frequently.
Swablu and Altaria: Altaria is already the best ice attacker at Level 40, and that remains true at Level 50. XL candies from Swablu are therefore very valuable.
Swablu appears especially more frequently during winter and when there is snow in the game. So you should catch every Swablu you see. It was only in December 2020 that Swablu had a spotlight hour – at best, you also collected XL candies then.
Eevee and Espeon: Among the psychic attackers, Mewtwo dominates by a wide margin. An Espeon at Level 50 cannot compete with it. However, it comes much closer and is easier to obtain.
Eevee appears quite frequently in partly cloudy weather and is always a part of events due to various hats. Therefore, XL candies from Eevee can be collected quite well. Another advantage of Eevee: you can get further strong evolutions with Leafeon, Glaceon, and Umbreon (only useful for PvP players).
Pokémon GO: Eevee Evolution – Names, Kilometer Trick, Lures
Drifloon and Excadrill: Among the ground attackers, there is a lot of choice: Groudon, Landorus, or Excadrill are among the best attackers. An Excadrill at Level 50 outshines all ground Pokémon at Level 40.
Drifloon could primarily be caught during the event around Generation 5. Otherwise, it appears occasionally in sunny weather. You should not miss a Drifloon, as Excadrill is important for your team.
Rhyhorn and Rhyperior: Rhyperior is along with Rampardos and thanks to the Community Day move the best rock attacker. At Level 50, it easily outshines Rampardos at Level 40.
Rhyhorn is occasionally part of events and appears more frequently there. Additionally, there was a big Community Day in December, when Rhyhorn also appeared more frequently. Here, diligent collectors may have already gathered a stock of XL candies.
Mudkip and Swampert: The water starter from Generation 3 is inferior to Kyogre and Kingler among water attackers, but comes dangerously close to both Pokémon when powered up to Level 50.
The chance for many XL candies might happen during the Hoenn event, which takes place at the end of January. Hydropi will certainly also be a focus there. So be sure to go hunting then.
Treecko and Sceptile: Currently, Roserade is the strongest grass Pokémon in the game. However, when at Level 40, Sceptile at Level 50 would be significantly stronger.
Treecko, like Mudkip, can be caught more frequently during the Hoenn event at the end of January. So take your chance and catch loads of Treecko.
In January, a lot is happening in the game. We provide you with an overview:
Pokémon GO: All events in January – Which ones are worth it?
