I'm level 32 and considering a few mons to power up or eventually max out. I've got about 250k stardust though, so I'm open to suggestions about which ones would be actually worth it.
1) Exeggutor, level 22, 84% IV, C+SeB
2) Snorlax, level 25, 40% IV, L+BS
3) Snorlax, level 19, 27% IV, ZH+BS
4) Blastoise, level 20, 93% IV, WG+HP
5) Cloyster, level 26, 89% IV, FB+B
6) Gengar, level 22, 93% IV, SC+ShB
NOTE: as you can see I'm open to some "fun" options even though they aren't necessarily elite or must-have mons. I like them, so if they're fun to use while still effective in battle I'll be happy to spend some dust on them - for the same reasons I've already powered up Alakazam, Slowbro, Poliwrath, Tangela... (let's be honest, Blastoise is so much cooler than Vaporeon!)
As an Exeggutor lover, I'd say #1 for sure if you're looking for a solid defender (depends on the gyms in your area).
And maybe #5 until lvl 30 for an awesome Dragonite counter.
3 could be tempting but with only 250k dust, might cost you a lot until lvl 30+ so I don't really know what to think (considering also very low IVs).
The problem with lower IV's is the long-term investment; by the time one reachs lv38 (currently the highest level needed to fully max out mons) it will have cost a fair amount of stardust and candy to max out any mon.
Although that isn't the main concern, the fact that they will have lower IVs will affect gym placement (compared to other lv38's and above with max'ed out snorlaxes). Once the meta-game reaches a point where a proportion of players have access to maxed out snorlaxes, those snorlaxes (with possibly worse movesets) will sit higher no gyms. In these situations, the snorlax is not as valuable (in my opinion). A counter argument would be this would only hold true for gyms with multiple snorlaxes, as the majority of mons don't reach a cp equivalent to snorlax's max.
A further counter argument is the gym rework. If gyms are reworked in such a way that cp is not the determining factor for gym placement, this argument/point is no longer valid.
My advice would be to take into account whether or not you believe a potential gym rework will eliminate cp as a determining factor, and if you do not believe it will, then it may be worth checking to see if either of those snorlaxs will at least place above the majority of blissey's (a currently maxed out blissey sits at 3173) so maybe if either snorlax hits 3150 [or some number that you deem the majority of blissey's will sit at] then it will be worth to power them up.
In my opinion, I would power up that nasty gengar and possibly the exeggutor if you have the stardust.
A stronger counter argument would be that both Tyranitar an dragonite have higher max cp, so they will sit even higher in gyms regardless of the IV's, in the end if it becomes a CP arms race, you'll be competing against tyranitars and not snorlaxes, so the IV's of any non tyranitar pokemon are not even relevant at that point.
If your gengar's "SB" = shadow ball I'd say power him up for a fun character. you'd have the best ghost moveset available and with high IV, you won't regret powering up. If "SB" means sludge bomb, i say naw. Cloyster is the only unique one i'd power up, but honestly 250k goes quickly so if you ever catch a high IV chansey/dratini/lavitar, you should save
If it were me, I would choose 1, 3, and 6.
The first two are great defenders and probably two of my favorite Pokemon to use in the game. These two move sets in particular hit like a truck on defense. I, personally wouldn't worry about the low IV of the Snorlax. It has a legacy move set which happens to make it the second best defender in the game.
The Gengar is just plain fun to use if you're looking for that with the strongest DPS moves in the game.
I'd power up the ZH/BS Snorlax and the Cloyster. The Snorlax is for obvious reasons. Personally, the gyms closest to me always get multiple dragonites, so I use my cloyster and jynx often (only have one lapras and not enough candies).
The Lick Snorlax isn't really worth it, although as it is, it's not a bad attacker. The exeggutor isn't the defensive monster it once was. With the addition of strong dark mons, he has less value. Not saying he is bad, but lower priority. Keep the Blastoise as is, to be a prestiger. Should be 12XX CP, which is a good range. Besides, a solid water attacker can be gotten much for cheaply from eevee. Blastoise is better for prestige as is (zero investment).
Gengar is up to you, but, when I was in a similar boat, I powered mine up.
blastoise at that level is a pretty boss prestiger.
most people don't know what they are talking about when they talk about IVs. Obviously, more makes the CP higher, but most people don't know how much higher or lower. a 2800 cp snorlax at any level is still a 2800 cp snorlax. its ceiling is limited, but most people won't even reach that level.
1 and 3 are the most annoying on defense, while 4 is great as is. wish i could get a wg/hp blastoise for prestiging.
