Pokémon gave Ash a tremendous challenge in the Masters Eight, pitting him against some of the strongest and most skilled trainers in the world. Ash brought the team he had most recently cultivated to take on the task, and fortunately, they were up to the job. One can't help but wonder, though: how did each of the individual Pokémon on his team contribute to his victory?

Ash's team in Pokémon Journeys consists of Dragonite, Dracovish, Lucario, Sirfetch'd, Gengar, and, of course, Pikachu. Some are popular picks, like Lucario, while others are more unusual choices, like Sirfetch'd. To determine who contributed the most, we looked at how many enemy Pokémon each member of Ash's team knocked out, versus how many times it was knocked out or forced to retreat. This does give the Pokémon used in round 1 (which was only 3-on-3) a bit of an edge, but it most effectively and efficiently covers their contributions towards the tournament as a whole.

6 Sirfetch'd Just Couldn't Hang In There

1 Win, 3 Losses

Coming in at the bottom of the list is, unfortunately, Sirfetch’d. Throughout the Masters Eight, Sirfetch’d only managed to knock out one Pokémon: Cynthia’s Milotic, in the second round. It was shortly afterwards knocked out by her Garchomp, although not before landing a powerful blow on it. Sirfetch’d fought Leon’s Mr. Rime in the final round, but was recalled when he couldn’t effectively hit the opponent. Sirfetch’d came back out to battle Leon’s Rillaboom, but was taken out first, leaving Sirfetch’d with 2 KOs and a retreat versus only 1 KO.

Most fans would agree that Sirfetch’d is the weak link on Ash’s team. As a Fighting-type, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table that Lucario didn’t already cover, and the spot would likely have been far better off given to a Pokémon of a type that Ash didn’t have, like Fire, Dark, or Ice. While Sirfetch’d was fun as a character, it just isn’t that great of a choice for a high-stakes tournament like this.

5 Dragonite Fought On Even Footing in a Crowded Arena

1 Win, 2 Losses

Dragonite was a fantastic choice for the Masters Eight; so fantastic, in fact, that both Lance and Iris brought their own Dragonite in addition to Ash’s. Ash’s Dragonite, however, didn’t actually fare all that well when one looks at how the battles played out. Dragonite was utterly obliterated in its first appearance in the second round, where it was hit by a Sucker Punch from Cynthia’s Spiritomb before being put to sleep and subjected to repeated Dream Eater attacks until it was down. Dragonite had a much better performance against Leon, defeating his Dragapult before succumbing to Rillaboom.

Dragonite really just got very unlucky to have been the one up against Cynthia’s Spiritomb; none of Ash’s Pokémon really would have done well in that scenario. Alas, there’s nothing to be done about that, however. Dragonite’s loss to Rillaboom is particularly disappointing, as Dragonite had a strong type advantage and should’ve been able to handle the Pokémon easily. With Dragonite and Sirfetch’d wiped out by Rillaboom back-to-back, the battle swung hard in Leon’s favor, making Dragonite’s defeat perhaps the most critical issue with Ash’s battle.

4 Dracovish Made a Splash With Its Tournament Debut

2 Wins, 2 Losses

Dracovish was a wild card in the tournament; no one had ever seen this Pokémon before, so it had the advantage of unpredictability. Dracovish first debuted in the second round match versus Cynthia, dealing some damage to her Garchomp before she recalled it and switched to Roserade. Dracovish was able to overcome and defeat Roserade, and remained in battle afterward, eager to prove itself. Unfortunately, it was ultimately defeated by Milotic. In the finals, Dracovish battled Leon’s Dragapult, dealing some big damage before being forced to switch. Dracovish came back out for Rillaboom, defeating it, but then fell to Cinderace.

Dracovish is a bold Pokémon that relishes battle, so its performance is about as expected. Its defeat of Rillaboom helped Ash start his comeback, and the damage it inflicted on Dragapult was substantial. Its loss to Cinderace is a bit disappointing, as Dracovish should’ve had the edge, but Cinderace’s Libero ability simply made it too hard to predict. It was definitely a key player on Ash’s team, though, and its mysterious nature certainly came in handy.

3 Gengar Came Ready for the Big Leagues

2 Wins, 2 Losses

Ash used Gengar in all three rounds of the Masters Eight tournament to great success. In the first round, Gengar battled Aggron and was able to pull off a victory through attrition after inflicting a severe burn on Aggron. It was then up against Cradily, which restored its health so fast Gengar couldn’t keep up, and was defeated. In round 2, Gengar took on Cynthia’s Roserade, burning it and hitting it with Shadow Ball, but Cynthia switched to Spiritomb and knocked Gengar out. During the final round, Gengar Gigantamaxed against Leon’s Inteleon, easily defeating it. Gengar then lost to Mr. Rime, although not without some parting shots.

Gengar’s performance in the Masters Eight is a little uneven, since it didn’t successfully knock out any Pokémon in the second round, but its use of status effects helped to turn the tables for some other Pokémon, giving it a slight edge in utility over Dracovish. The ability to Gigantamax definitely helped it, and things might’ve gone much more poorly for Gengar if it couldn’t do that.

2 Lucario Turned the Tides of Battle

3 Wins, 1 Loss

Ash first pulled out Lucario in the second round, hoping to clean up and finish the battle. After dealing with a Dynamaxed Togekiss, Lucario was able to finally defeat it once it returned to normal, and then had a brutal showdown with Cynthia’s Garchomp before finally emerging victorious. In the final round, Lucario was called upon and even Mega Evolved, easily wiping out Leon’s Mr. Rime.

Unfortunately, Lucario faced a much more difficult battle against Dragapult, who hit it with a super-effective Flamethrower. Though Ash recalled Lucario, Dragapult’s Dragon Tail dragged it back out again, sealing Lucario’s fate.

Lucario was a powerhouse in the Masters Eight tournament; it defeated Mr. Rime with a single attack, and its ability Inner Focus came in clutch against Togekiss. Lucario’s victory over Garchomp is especially impressive, since Garchomp had the type advantage and Lucario can often be a bit frail. Being able to Mega Evolve was definitely a game-changer for Lucario as well, increasing its attack power substantially.

1 Pikachu Was Ash's Ace-in-the-Hole

4 Wins, 1 Loss, 1 Tie

Ash’s Pikachu is well known for being far more powerful than it has any right to be, and that was very much the case in the Masters Eight as well. In the first round, Pikachu easily defeated Cradily, overcoming the healing factor that Gengar couldn’t. Pikachu managed to defeat Steven’s Mega Metagross with the Z-move 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt, making it through without sustaining much damage. In round 2, Pikachu went up against Cynthia’s Gastrodon, which it managed to defeat even with a type disadvantage, only to be taken down by Spiritomb’s Destiny Bond.

Pikachu was essential to the defeat of Leon in the finals. Ash started out with Pikachu, but was forced to switch in the face of Cinderace. Pikachu later came back out, using its Z-move again on Leon’s Gigantamax Charizard to cancel an incoming attack. When Eternatus showed up, Pikachu Gigantamaxed against Leon’s Gigantamax Cinderace, culminating in Cinderace’s defeat. That left Pikachu vs. Charizard, and after a long and strenuous battle, Pikachu took out Charizard as well, winning the day.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Ash's Pikachu was the biggest contributor in his Masters Eight performance, given the close bond they share and how much Ash relies on Pikachu's power. The use of Z-moves was definitely an essential element to Pikachu's victory, and that's something no other competitor had (although they could have). With so much more experience than Ash's other team , Pikachu was certainly best prepared for long, drawn-out battles. For that reason, it's undeniable that Pikachu was Ash's strongest Pokémon in the Masters Eight.