Tapu Fini Raid Trio Guide

So you want DPS? Because oh boy has Mega Sceptile got DPS!

The highest DPS option in this raid, Mega Sceptile hits stupidly hard, and tanks Water Type attacks with ease thanks to its Grass/Dragon Typing, which is among the strongest type-combinations possible for taking on Water Types... it sure is a good thing that Tapu Fini doesn't have any attacks like Moonblast or especially Ice Beam to potentially drop poor Mega Sceptile in 1-2 hits... yeah, that would stink for everyone's favorite Hoenn-based Grass starter. That would totally stink.

Yeah, this is a counter is very, very moveset-reliant. Against the right moveset, it's very, very hard to beat the sheer power of Mega Sceptile when going into this raid. But if it's packing Moonblast, or especially Ice Beam, it might be better to consider other options.

• Strengths: Water Gun (2x), Surf (2x), Hydro Pump (2x)
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam (2x), Moonblast

Behold, one of the only really good Poison Types! Mega Gengar is a master of the short-player run, as it has huge DPS, and can also receive boosts from other Mega Gengar on the field in order to create a feedback-loop of damage. It's especially good against the Hidden Power/Moonblast set, as Hidden Power is always Fighting Type on raid bosses, which Mega Gengar triple-resists. 

For larger groups, it's still great for personal damage, but it's also less useful for the team as Poison Types aren't generally the best. Still, it's great if you want to aim for the personal damage award! 

For smaller groups, this is the pick for the "single Mega raid team" outlined above, as just bringing Mega Gengar and reviving it while boosting and being boosted by other players' Mega Gengar can result in obscenely high average DPS

• Strengths: Hidden Power Fighting (3x), Moonblast
• Weaknesses: None

Mega Manectric is very fast, hitting extremely high numbers and providing a very valuable Electric Type damage boost. A lot of teams will really appreciate having Mega Manectric on the team, as most of the top DPS counters are Electric Types themselves. It also doesn't have any weaknesses in this raid so it's a pretty safe and reliable choice.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None

While it's easy to overlook Mega Venusaur as the "budget, tanky counter", it's very much worth noting that this is a Pokemon with duo-worthy DPS alongside a tremendous TDO thanks in part to its near complete list of resistances against Tapu Fini, fearing only Ice Beam. While it's less flashy than the other options on this side of the list, Mega Venusaur is one of the best overall counters for this raid in practice.

• Strengths: Water Gun, Hidden Power Fighting, Surf, Hydro Pump, Moonblast
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam 

The original budget Mega Evolution can really shine here, even keeping pace with the absolutely stellar Mega Gengar due to the fact that it has a Poison Type Fast Move, and it can even provide boosts to mega Gengar's Sludge Bomb too. It also has a fairly similar level of resistance to the Hidden Power/Moonblast set, making it surprisingly bulky against these moves. Its low base Mega Evolution cost makes it a great choice for players on a Mega budget as well, with the only real drawback being the previously mentioned issue with Poison's lackluster average performance here

Mega Ampharos may seem like the black-sheep of the Electric Type family when compared to Mega Manectirc, but it actually has a few genuine advantages over the competition. In particular, its typing gives it a resistance to Water Type moves, so it has the potential to stay on the field a lot longer and spread its valuable Mega Boost to its teammates. However, it's also weak to Ice and Fairy Type moves, so it's a good but situational choice. Still, if your Ampharos is ready for its free Mega Evolution, then it's definitely worth considering!

• Strengths: Water Gun, Hydro Pump
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam, Moonblast

The true Supreme counter is here, and once again it cuts a worthless object.

Kartana hits extremely hard and had relatively great TDO given its high DPS thanks to its stellar Grass/Steel typing. This little flying papercut resists the majority of Tapu Fini's moves, with the exceptions being that it takes neutral damage from Ice Beam and is weak to Hidden Power. The fact that it has a weakness to literally 50% of Tapu Fini's moveset is a bit concerning, but overall it's hard to figure out a good reason to not bring Kartana to this raid. 

• Strengths: Water Gun, Surf, Hydro Pump
• Weaknesses: Hidden Power Fighting

if you want to shock Tapu Fini within an inch of its life, then Xurkitree is here for you. This tangle of Christmas tree lights and industrial wires packs a huge punch, and sits atop the Electric meta as one of the absolute top attackers. On top of that, its mono-Electric typing allows it to enter this fight with no weaknesses that Tapu Fini can exploit, so it can run perfectly regardless of the moveset.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None

Shadow Electivire has huge DPS on its side that rivals Xurkitree, making it an outstanding Pokemon for getting ahead of the clock in this raid. It also has no weaknesses, so it's a universal pick that can be thrown in against literally any moveset without breaking a sweat. Just note that it's a bit frail, so dodging can be important

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None

This is basically Shadow Electivire with a tiny bit less DPS and a fair bit more bulk. Every bit as viable as the above.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None

Shadow Magnezone is a bit overlooked due to having a lower DPS than the other big-name Shadow Electric Types, but it's still extremely useful nonetheless! It's the only Electric Type counter on this list that resists Ice Beam and Moonblast, and its overall performance is actually very competitive with the competition. This could very well be your longest-lasting Pokemon for this raid with a bit of dodging, but watch out for Hidden Power, as it's always Fighting Type on raid bosses and Shadow Magnezone doesn't like Fighting Type moves.

• Strengths: Ice Beam, Moonblast
• Weaknesses: Hidden Power Fighting

Nice to finally see a "normal" Pokemon on the list! This Legendary monster sports competitive DPS when compared to the other Electric Types on this list, while also sporting a very useful Water resistance, meaning it can potentially survive a very long time on select raids. Too bad it's also weak to Ice Beam and Moonblast....

• Strengths: Water Gun, Surf, Hydro Pump
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam, Moonblast

Shadow Zapdos is a great Pokemon here, but its Flying typing doesn't do it many favors when compared to Raikou or Electivire. A bit less overall power, but still very good. Just watch out for Ice Beam and you'll be fine. But hey, at least it resists Hidden Power Fighting!

Note that Thundershock is generally superior to Charge Beam, but if you don't want to drop an Elite TM then the latter is still perfectly fine.

• Strengths: Hidden Power Fighting
• Weaknesse: Ice Beam

This is practically the same as Mega Venusaur, but a bit weaker and a lot less bulky. It's a great overall counter for this raid, but keep an eye out for Ice Beam sets! Picking up Frenzy Plant is ideal, but Sludge Bomb is an okay alternative if you don't want to drop an Elite TM

• Strengths: Water Gun, Hidden Power Fighting, Surf, Hydro Pump, Moonblast
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam

Shadow Mewtwo can slot into so many raids, and this is one of them! Give it Thunderbolt and it really doesn't have many disadvantages to speak of, save dealing neutral damage with Psycho Cut. But if Mega Gengar can do it, then dangit; Shadow Mewtwo can too

• Strengths: Hidden Power Fighting
• Weaknesses: None

A bit easy to overlook as just another bulky Grass Type, Shadow Tangrowth has the power and the moves needed to put in some serious work! Its performance is very similar to Shadow Venusaur, with the one trade-off being that it doesn't resist Hidden Power Fighting. On the bright side, it also doesn't need an Elite TM to operate at peak performance!

• Strengths: Water Gun, Surf, Hydro Pump
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam

If you managed to score a good Zarude, then this is a great chance to utilize it. This thing is surprisingly bulky here, sporting one of the best average TDOs of anything currently available and a strong DPS to boot. This is despite weaknesses to Ice beam and Hidden Power Fighting

• Strengths: Water Gun, Surf, Hydro Pump
• Weaknesses: Hidden Power Fighting, Ice Beam

Shadow Luxray is basically a lesser Shadow Electivire. Its DPS is fairly close, but its TDO is substantially lower. Still, it's a solid choice overall

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None

While on the glassy side, Shadow Sceptile makes a fine vanilla-Grass attacker.

• Strengths: Water Gun, Surf, Hydro Pump
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam

No Poison Jab? No problem.

• Strengths: Hidden Power Fighting (3x), Moonblast
• Weaknesses: None

Definitely a glass cannon, but Thundurus: Therian Forme is worth using on your raid team. It's weak to Ice Beam, but at least it resists Hidden Power Fighting.

• Strengths: Hidden Power Fighting
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam

While not on a par with the big names, Shaymin - Sky Forme is still a solid counter here.

• Strengths: Hidden Power Fighting, Water Gun, Surf, Hydro Pump
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam, Ice Beam (2x)

Shadow Manectric has a DPS rating similar to Zekrom, but its TDO is substantially lower. Still, it's a solid choice.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None

Shadow Torterra trades Grass Type's Water resistance away for... a 2x Ice weakness. Yeah, it probably won't last a super-long time.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam (2x)

• Strengths: Water Gun, Surf, Hydro Pump
• Weaknesses: Hidden Power Fighting, Ice Beam, Moonblast

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None

• Strengths: Water Gun, Hidden Power Fighting, Surf, Hydro Pump, Moonblast
• Weaknesses: Ice Beam