Just as the case has been for the previous Pokemon titles, both Sun and Moon have a few subtle differences. However, possibly the most important to a lot of trainers is the different legendary Pokemon that can only be found in one of the games. For Sun and Moon, Solgaleo is the cover ‘mon for Sun and Lunala is the Moon alternative.
While both Pokemon are incredibly powerful, many trainers will want to know exactly which game they should pick up dependent on which is going to be the more powerful addition to their team. To establish that, we’ll need to take a closer look at each one.
Solgaleo
“It is said to live in another world. The intense light it radiates from the surface of its body can make the darkest of nights light up like midday.”
Solgaleo is the Pokemon you’re gonna grab if you’ve picked up Pokemon Sun. This majestic-looking Lion is a Psychic and Steel-type Pokemon, meaning it is vulnerable to a few different types such as Fire, Ground, Ghost, and Dark. When it comes to base stats, Solgaleo’s total clocks in at 680. The breakdown of these stats is below, and it’s these which determine one of the main differences between itself and Lunala.
- HP – 137
- Attack – 137
- Defense – 107
- Sp. Attack – 113
- Sp. Defense – 89
- Speed – 97
It’s worth noting here that Solgaleo excels in both the standard Attack and Defense stats more so than its Sp. Attack and Sp. Defense. As you’d expect, many of the moves that Solgaleo will learn naturally take this into consideration and so you’ll get far more physical attacks that rely on this Attack stat than Sp. Attack.
If you’re looking for a strong Psychic and/ or Steel-type, then Solgaleo may be the right legendary for you. Just be sure that any TMs you might want to teach it will play to its enhanced Attack stat rather than Sp. Attack.
Lunala
“Said to live in another world, this Pokémon devours light, drawing the moonless dark veil of night over the brightness of day.”
In the opposite corner is Lunala. A psychic and ghost-type Pokemon, Lunala has far fewer type weaknesses than Solgaleo, but it does sustain far heavier damage from Ghost and Dark that it is susceptible to. Luckily, these are far less common and more manageable to handle than the number of Solgaleo’s weaknesses. In order to keep things fair, Lunala’s base stats also come in at 680, however, the way these points are distributed is where it differs from Solgaleo.
- HP – 137
- Attack – 113
- Defense – 89
- Sp. Attack – 137
- Sp. Defense – 107
- Speed – 97
What we essentially see between the two legendary Pokemon is their Attack and Defense stats swapping with the others Sp. Attack and Sp. Defense stats. For example, Solgaleo’s Attack of 137 is the same as Lunala’s Sp. Attack, and the same applies for the other respective stats. As for HP and Speed, the two match up pretty equally. Due to the better Sp. Attack, many of the moves that Lunala will learn naturally will be special rather than physical attacks.
If you’d like an incredibly strong psychic and ghost-type Pokemon, Lunala is more than likely the legendary you’re going to want to pick in Sun and Moon.
Which is Best?
Ultimately, which one is best comes down to the rest of your team and how each one would fit into your team. Both offer incredibly handy types and some formidable attacks, though it should be noted that a look at both legendary’s naturally learned moves shows that Solgaleo just about edges Lunala when it comes to having more heavy hitting moves.
It’s also worth noting here that both legendary Pokemon have great abilities. Lunala’s Shadow Shield reduces the amount of damage it takes while its HP is full, while Solgaleo’s Full Metal Body prevents other Pokemon’s moves or abilities from lowering its stats.
Though Lunala is vulnerable to fewer different types of attacks, it does sustain heavier damage from those it is susceptible to. While these will wipe Lunala’s health out fast, these are two weaknesses which are far more manageable than the plethora of weaknesses Solgaleo faces. Therefore, you’ll need to work out the balance of your potential team and see which one would be a better fit.
The differences between Solgaleo and Lunala are so slight that many trainers will be delighted to have either of them in their team. However, if we were going to pick an outright winner, we’d go with Lunala. Thanks to its incredibly useful Shadow Shield ability that reduces damage when at full health, Lunala will be able to hang in far longer than Solgaleo. Combined with the limited number of weaknesses Lunala faces in comparison to Solgaleo, Lunala is going to be an outright tougher Pokemon to face.
Which legendary do you prefer? Feel free to let us know down in the comments below.
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