Easy at trainer level 30 with optimized counters or weather boost
| HP | 9,000 | ATK | 202.24 | DEF | 165.90 |
|---|
| CP Range | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lvl 20 | 1889 - 1972 | Lvl 25 | 2361 - 2466 |
Notable Weather
| Boosts Boss's Moves | Boosts Counters' Moves |
|---|---|
| Fog, Rain | Sunny / Clear |
Fast Move Difficulty
| Move | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Volt Switch | Intermediate |
| Thunder Shock | Easy |
Charge Move Difficulty
| Move | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Shadow Ball | Challenging |
| Wild Charge | Intermediate |
| Thunderbolt | Intermediate |
| Thunder | Easy |
Overview
The once-and-former king of the Electric Types, Raikou has fallen off. Still, it's worth raiding if only for the candy as it's not a terribly difficult raid. Raikou's lone weakness is Ground, which greatly limits its viable counters. However, where Ground was once one of the weakest attacking types in the game to the point where many Dragons were competitive with the best on-type counters when Raikou first dropped, it's now a type that has some of the absolute strongest attackers in the entire game. That said, Raikou is still a bit too bulky to duo outside of the top 8 or so counters, so our guide will focus on the Trio.
Again; the Duo is very much doable, but it needs the top counters or clear weather to actually do successfully.
Approach
Team composition
- Ground Types are the way to go, and the king of them all is Primal Groudon. Not only does this monster destroy Raikou, it also boosts all Ground Types on its team just by being on the bench.
- All of the top counters to Raikou double or even triple-resist almost all of its attacks, with the lone stand-out being Shadow Ball.
Dodging
- The main move to dodge is Shadow Ball, as all of the top counters take at least neutral damage from it.
- Thunderbolt and Wild Charge don't hit too hard considering the laundry-list of Electric resistances among Raikou's counters, but can be dodged if a Pokemon is low on HP and close to their next Charged Move.
- Thunder hits the second-hardest per attack among Raikou's attacks in most cases, but it's fairly hard to dodge.
Best Raid Boss Counters
Supreme Mega Evolution Counters
Primal Groudon
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Mud Shot | Precipice Blades | Best |
Nothing in the game compares to Primal Groudon when it's up against Electric Types. With its titanic base stats, powerful moveset, double-resistance to Electric Type attacks, and Primal boost, there really isn't scenario where Primal Groudon sholdn't be brought along if ready for Primal Reversion.
Good Mega Evolution Counters
Mega Swampert
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Mud Shot | Earthquake | Best |
Best known for its Water power, Mega Swampert works extremely well as a Ground Type Mega Evolution as well. It only has a 1x resistance to Electric Type attacks thanks to its Water/Ground typing and genuinely cannot compare to Primal Groudon, but it's still a great backup option for Ground Type damage output.
Mega Rayquaza
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Dragon Tail | Outrage | Best |
The master of neutral damage, Mega Rayquaza has the raw power needed to still be worthwhile against Raikou, though it definitely falls off when compared to the competition. Sadly, it should not use Dragon Ascent due to Raikou's resistance to Flying Type moves.
Mega Sceptile
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Fury Cutter | Earthquake | Best |
A double-resistance to Electric Type attacks similar to most of the Ground Types on this list, a sky-high Attack stat, a Super Effective Charged Move, and a fast move that generates energy very quickly makes Mega Sceptile a worthwhile second-tier Mega Evolution option, but its lack of STAB and lack of a Super Effective Fast Move don't do it any favors.
Mega Blaziken
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Counter | Blast Burn | Best |
Another great neutral damage option, Mega Blaziken can kick into a higher weight class and work if needed.
Supreme Counters
Shadow Garchomp
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
With an unprecedented triple-resistance to Electric Type moves and a very high damage output, very few Pokemon can compare with Shadow Garchomp.
Mega Gengar
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Lick | Shadow Ball | Best |
Mega Gengar can work, but it's not going to last very long in this raid. It's not great, but it can work if need be.
Shadow Mamoswine
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Mud Slap | High Horsepower | Best |
The classic Ice Type power-house can be TMed over to absolutely annihilate Rikou. It's a bit frail when compared to the other top counters, but it can definitely cut into Raikou's HP very quickly.
Groudon
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Mud Shot | Precipice Blades | Best |
While Primal Groudon is easily the king of this raid, but basic Groudon still has more than enough power to put Raikou into an early grave.
Good Counters
Excadrill
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Mud Slap | Scorching Sands | Best |
While its Steel typing doesn't give Excadrill any advantages in this raid, its base power and stellar moveset allowes it to act as an outstanding counter to Raikou and Electric Types in general.
Landorus (Therian Forme)
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Mud Shot | Earthquake | Best |
Its Flying type does it no favors, but Landorus - Therian still has the power needed to be great.
Shadow Golurk
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Mud Slap | Earth Power | Best |
Shadow Golurk works well, but it genuinely does not like facing Shadow Ball.
Garchomp
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Mud Shot | Earth Power | Best |
Among the longest-lasting counters to Raikou thanks to its triple-resistance to Electric Type attacks, Garchomp is definitely an outstanding counter for this raid.
