'Pokémon Go' Raid Counters: Guide to choosing Pokémon to topple some of the toughest raids
Raids have arrived in Pokémon Go, and they provide the community with strong Pokémon to catch and new items like the Golden Razz Berry and technical machines. Although players level 25 and above can now participate in raids, lower-level trainers might have a tough time, especially if they haven't been active with battling before.
If that sounds like you, or you're just looking to shore up some of your weak points with strong Pokémon, we've got some of the best Pokémon you can build around for the current state of raids.
Pokémon Go Raid Counters: Pokébattler chart breaks down some of the best raid boss counters with options
An article on Pokébattler by celandro breaks down the best counters for each of the tier 3 and 4 raid bosses, since tier 3 and 4 are when raids are no longer doable single player. Celandro has several options for each raid boss, so you don't have to worry about catching a single, specific Pokémon to counter them as well.
Ideally, you should be able to find a counter for the raid boss you're having trouble with somewhere in this list, but if you're still not sure, remember to capitalize on type advantages as well.
Pokémon Go Raid Counters: Tyranitar, Rhydon and Machamp make great raid additions
If you're looking for the most effective counters to common tier 3 and tier 4 raid bosses, you're in luck. A Silph Road user, Level34Dewgong, used celandro's data and came up with four Pokémon that counter a large number of raid bosses.
A Machamp with Counter and Dynamic Punch will serve you well, according to Level34Dewgong, because it's a top counter for three current raid bosses: Lapras, Snorlax and Tyranitar. Cross Chop is also an acceptable charged move substitution as well, according to their data.
Tyranitar is another powerful counter, especially with a one-two punch of dark moves like Bite/Crunch. This makes the Pokémon super effective against the psychic-type Alakazam and the ghost-type Gengar. If you want to sacrifice some ghost-killing power for a fire-type advantage, Stone Edge is a good choice for a charged move.
Rhydon can also be effective against fire types, but only with a suite of ground type moves like Mud Slap and Earthquake. Finally, Level34Dewgong recommends getting a Dragonite with Dragon Tail and Outrage, to assist with countering Machamp and Gengar.
Hopefully you've already got one of these monsters in your pocket, but if not, you can currently acquire all of them from raids anyway.
More Pokémon Go news, updates, tips and tricks
Raids are here! See why they may be the key to legendary Pokémon. Find out how to determine how long it will take you to reach level 40, and see what we think of the Gen 2 Pokémon added to the game. Here are the kinds of Pokémon you get from 10-kilometer eggs, and here's where you can check out what you missed during the Water Festival and Solstice events. Find out more about the upcoming Chicago event and why you'll probably be able to catch Unown while you're there — if you're not busy searching for rare evolutionary items, that is.
