Chansey - Gym Prestige Trick in Pokemon Go

Did you catch a Chansey?  It likely had a really low CP value and you may be tempted to transfer it.

So just in case you are getting ready to transfer it let me clearly say....DO NOT TRANSFER IT.

Chansey is a very Rare Pokemon and has some amazing quirks that make it one of the most special Pokemon in all of Pokemon Go. So now you are looking at this Cute maybe a little weird looking dude and your saying ok what the heck do I do with a Chansey.

The Chansey Prestige Quirk:

Lets get one thing straight Chansey is a freak of the Pokemon world in that it really is a one of a kind.  What make Chansey freaky?  Its his HP.  Chansey has MASSIVE amounts of HP that do not count toward its CP value. This means that Chansey is able to battle far beyond its CP value. Often a 400 CP Chansey can take on a 800+ CP Pokemon. Where this discrepancy becomes important is how Prestige is added to gyms.

Prestige is the factor that determines a gyms level.  The higher the gym's prestige the higher its level.  The higher the gym's level the more Guardian Pokemon can be housed their to guard the gym.  Prestige is awarded by beating Pokemon in the gym.  If you beat a gym controlled by your team then beating a Guardian Pokemon will increase that gym's Prestige.  If you beat a gym controlled by another team then beating a Guardian Pokemon will lower that gym's prestige.  The amount of Prestige that is gained/lost by the gym has to do with CP of the defeated Guardian Pokemon against that of an Attacker.    In other words: If you attack a gym with a high CP Pokemon that is higher than the Guardians the amount of Prestige effected will be low, but if you can attack and defeat a high CP Pokemon with a low CP Pokemon then you can create a HUGE Prestige swing.

Creating huge swings in Prestige with only a few battles offers a few big advantages
1) You can take over, or build up a gym VERY QUICKLY.
2) By doing less battles you will use less potions/revives

The general strategy employed by people without Chansey is to use Bubble Pokemon.  A Bubble Pokemon is installed in a gym.  It has high CP but a bad move set or a glaring weakness.  Typically my favorite Bubble Pokemon has been a high CP Parasect and I have used a low CP Pigeot to destroy him.  This takes advantage of Pigeot Type advantage of Flying over Parasect's Bug Type




What Chansey does is offer a tool that can be used for this type of thing regardless of the types at the gym.  Its high CP allows it to destroy many of the low level guardians of the gym and rack up massive amounts of Prestige.  One thing to note is that if you take over a gym with a friend you can still install a bubble Pokemon for Chansey.  There are a few people who have dropped in high CP Magicarps that are pretty ineffective in battle.  Chansey rocking on a high CP Magicarp will cause a gym's prestige to skyrocket very quickly.

There is one problem with using Bubble Pokemon though.  When you use a Bubble Pokemon you are basically giving your own gym a weakness then exploiting it.  However, once your gym is leveled up that weakness still exists.  A smart gym attacker will exploit the same Bubble Pokemon to take down your gym just the way you used it to build it up.  The other problem with Bubble Pokemon is that you need a friend or a team to install tougher Pokemon once the level is raised.  Otherwise your Bubble Guardian will simply get knocked down and another team will take over.  Your gym is definitely at high risk when all it has is a bubble Pokemon.  If you are in a high traffic area a Bubble Pokemon may not even be an option.

Chansey does not have this issue.  You can still a pretty threatening Pokemon as the starter Guardian Pokemon.  This means your gym will be safer and you can still earn a massive amount of Prestige.

Chansey also makes a descent gym Guardian if its at a high CP because Prestige earned on it will tend to be so low.  Effectively a Chansey Guardian is like the opposite of a bubble Pokemon.  I would not recommend putting Chansey in as the first Pokemon of a gym because it would be very hard to build up that gym but as a 2nd defender he could make a lot of sense.  A Chansey gym would also be funny to watch as people attack and are startled by how tough a 400 CP Chansey is.

Chansey Post Update:
There is a new update that allows you to take 6 Pokemon to take on a gym.  The Prestige seems to be based off the highest CP Pokemon.  You can still do the Chansey trick just take 5 low CP Ratattas on your team along with the Chansey.





Video Of Chansey Battle: