Our time with Thudurus - Incarnate Forme is rapidly coming to a close, leading into another version of it that many players have been less than thrilled about in general; Thundurus - Therian Forme.
The issue with Thundurus - Therian Forme was always the same-old song for many Pokemon: its moveset. While its very high Attack stat once gave players hope for its performance as a raider, its moveset, which was revealed when Generation 5 was first added to the game, gave it little hope.
| Fast Moves | Charged Moves |
|---|---|
| Astonish, Thunder Shock | Crunch, Thunder, Brick Break, Thunder Punch |
With the exception of Thunder Shock, these moves are lackluster in the PvE meta, leaving Thundurus - Therian as a dex filler and nothing more.
But that's no longer the case. Our friends at Pokeminers have just announced that Thundurus-Incarnate Forme just received a moveset update, and it's actually pretty exciting!
Thundurus Therian just had a move shake up!
— PokeMiners (@poke_miners) March 15, 2021
It's new fast moves are:
Bite
Volt Switch
It's new charged moves are:
Sludge Wave
Thunder
Focus Blast
Thunderbolt
It's also 1.5m taller in the Pokedex.
While the loss of Thunder Shock is a bit of a blow to its viability, the addition of Thunderbolt is enough to make it a viable attacker, and actually worth raiding for!
What's Changed
So what's changed with this new moveset? First, let's look at the estimated general performance of Thundurus - Therian Forme's new moveset:
Image Source: The Comprehensive DPS/TDO Spreadsheet. Calculations are for Lv.40 Pokemon without Mega Evolution bonuses active.
And here is its performance using its best possible old moveset with the same calculations in play:
This represents an increase of about 13% in its DPS, which is just enough to net Thundurus - Therian Forme the title of highest DPS non-Shadow/non-Mega Electric Type Pokemon in Pokemon Go to date.
But is everything as it seems with Thundurus?
While its DPS and TDO alike have seen a very solid increase, it also has a few note-worthy shortcomings. First is the fact that its closest competition is Zekrom. Zekrom packs a punch, and is substantially bulkier than Thundurus, sporting a much higher TDO that makes it far more attractive given the small DPS difference betwene the two. Typing-wise, they are fairly close. Both are Electric Types that are weak to Ice Type moves, and also resist Grass Type moves. However, Zekrom's typing is also generally superior in its ability to resist Water Type moves, one of two types that Electric is Super Effective against. Flying does bring a few advantages to the table, but they will tend to be more niche than what Dragon does for Zekrom.
The other issue is its fast move. Volt Switch is an okay move overall, but it is weaker than Thunder Shock, and is also very slow. This is an issue for a Pokemon like Thundurus that can't rely on its bulk to save it through multiple strong moves, as it makes dodging fairly difficult. Players intent on dodging may find themselves waiting to use Volt Switch in preparation for a predicted charged move, which can eat into their DPS substantially over time.
So do these issues make Thundurus - Therian Forme bad? No, not at all. It's still a strong Pokemon that's worth farming for when it hits raids. However, players with strong Shadows or a powered up Zekrom are likely to find less utility in the Bolt Strike Pokemon (its actual species name, not to be confused with Zekrom's signature attack), as its disadvantages are definitely worth taking into consideration. Weigh your team's needs before investing in Thundurus - Therian Forme, but don't be afraid to add it to your team!
