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Tired of getting only a few balls to catch that hundo? Sick of waiting for the guy who was 5 minutes away 10 minutes ago? Here's the how, and why, you should build a solid team for raids
Pokemon Type Effectiveness
Pokemon Type Effectiveness
We will discuss each type in detail what the best option is, followed by a list a few different budget options so that you can tailor your raiding team to what you have available. But first, we'll go right down to the basics with a type effectiveness chart
Another more detailed list is available here: https://pokemongo.gamepress.gg/pokemon-go-type-chart
Another more detailed list is available here: https://pokemongo.gamepress.gg/pokemon-go-type-chart
What does DPS and TDO mean?
What does DPS and TDO mean?
DPS stands for Damage per Second, which is pretty self explanatory while TDO stands for Total Damage Output, which is how much damage a Pokemon can do before it faints in battler. Generally you want to use Pokemon who are consistently placed high on both criteria.
Where to start building a team?
Where to start building a team?
'd like to start off by saying that while IVs are important, level and number are far far more important. You'll get far more usage out of a random team of level 30+ Primape, Hariyama, Breloom etc than you will from a single perfect Machamp. In this case, quality can wait until you have the quantity. The best way to save your dust and get a team together is to evolve weather boosted Pokémon, they'll be ready to go without needing to spend any on improvement. In each of the following lists I will say what the top Pokemon are for each, with it's best moveset for that purpose listed in brackets. I won't be listing the movesets for the budget options but generally it is simply the moveset where both fast and charged are of the corresponding types. You can easily use either CalcyIV on Android or Pokegenie on Apple and within these apps you can scan a Pokemon and view their moveset to see which is the better choice, for example to find out which of Vaporeon's charged moves is best. If a move is in *italics* then it is a legacy move where the current is still usable, if it is **bolded** then it is a legacy move where the alternatives are not viable This does not however mean that said it is the best moveset but simply best for the type. An example of this is Moltres, it's best fire move-set is Fire Spin/Overheat but Sky Attack is actually a better charged move on it. If you were fighting a grass type then as Sky Attack and Overheat are both Super Effective then Sky Attack is the better option, if against a steel type (or against Grass when it's Clear weather where fire is boosted) then Overheat goes back to being your best option. Another example is Lugia, where despite being an incredible option when against fighting types, it will not appear on either the Psychic or Flying list as it's moves do not put it high into either category, despite combining to excellent use in that scenario There will also be many good options that won't be listed here as they are both difficult to obtain and power up while not being at the top of their leagues, Pokemon such as Magmortar and Absol are examples of this. They are still perfectly good options to use, but are not easily found or useful enough to justify using more than one.
Bug Type Pokemon
Bug Type Pokemon
Bug is a swarm dominated by one Pokemon: Genesect (Fury Cutter/X-Scissor) is both the highest DPS and bulkiest bug available right now. (Pinsir (Bug Bite/X-Scissor), Escavalier (Bug Bite/Megahorn), Scizor(Fury Cutter/X-Scissor), and Yanmega(Bug Bite/Bug Buzz). All four of these Pokemon have near identical DPS and TDO so are interchangeable depending on typing. Of the three Pinsir is probably the most attainable as it requires no evolution and is a more common spawn than the other two while Escavalier is a free evolution when traded.
Budget options for bug types are Durant, Scolipede, Crustle, Scyther and Mothim.
Budget options for bug types are Durant, Scolipede, Crustle, Scyther and Mothim.
Dark Type Pokemon
Dark Type Pokemon
Darkrai (Snarl/Dark Pulse) is the new ruler of the dark types, with far higher DPS than any other. Tyranitar(Bite/Crunch) lags ever so slightly behind higher DPS options such as Weavile (Feint Attack/Foul Play) and Honchkrow (Snarl/Dark Pulse) but makes up for that with a much higher TDO than any other dark type. Hydreigon (Bite/Dark Pulse) is a new and interesting option from Gen 5 as it boasts a higher DPS than Tyranitar as well as being bulky, in addition its dragon typing helps it to resist many opponents. Hydreigon (Bite/Dark Pulse) also has a higher DPS while also being almost as bulky as Tyranitar.
Budget options for dark types are Sharpedo, Cacturne, Crawdaunt, Shiftry, Alolan Muk, and Houndoom.
Budget options for dark types are Sharpedo, Cacturne, Crawdaunt, Shiftry, Alolan Muk, and Houndoom.
Dragon Type Pokemon
Dragon Type Pokemon
This is not an easy type to slay nearly every dragon is extremely powerful and have situations where one excels over the others so I'm simply going to list them all and explain what they do best. The "top" dragon is Rayquaza (Dragon Tail/Outrage) with sky high attack and a 2-bar charged moves it has the highest DPS of all the dragons, but among the heavy hitters it is the most fragile. Dragonite (Tail/Outrage) is a slightly lower DPS but higher TDO option with the same moveset. Salamence also got Outrage during community day giving it a more consistent powerful move. Garchomp is a fine addition to this group and is bulky as fuck while dealing out massive damage with (Tail/Outrage) again with its typing giving it different niches over other dragons. Zekrom (Breath/Outrage) is again a very high DPS option with a very interesting typing. The other dragon "class" are those that have Draco Meteor as a charged move which is an incredibly powerful 1 bar move, these are Dialga (Dragon Breath), Palkia (Tail), Salamence (Tail), Reshiram (Breath). Salamence has the highest DPS by a fraction and is more accessible than the other two, but it has far less bulk than them. Palkia excels when up against something with Fire or Water moves as it resists them with both of it's typings. Dialga's main niche is going against other Dragons carrying nuclear moves such as Outrage or Draco Meteor, as it has Steel typing and massive bulk it is usually the only Dragon that can survive these moves and throw them right back. Latios (Dragon Breath/Dragon Claw) is slightly weaker than the other options except Latias, but again it carries a psychic typing and an extremely fast moveset for dodging. The other Dragon Claw option is Haxorus (Tail/Claw) which has a DPS almost as high as Palkia but falls short on bulk while also being a massive investment Budget options are Kingdra, A-Exeggutor, and Flygon.
Electric Type Pokemon
Electric Type Pokemon
With the arrival of the Gen 5 dargons came Zekrom (Charge Beam/Wild Charge) and puts in a shockingly good performance, beating out competition in every single metric possible. Raikou (Thunder Shock/Wild Charge) is still a prime choice for an electric team, with a fantastic bulk and moveset it's generally a very comfortable option. Electivire (Thunder Shock/Wild Charge) has a slightly higher DPS but lower TDO, Zapdos (*Thunder Shock*/Thunderbolt) is slightly worse all round than Raikou but can fill in a niche with it's Flying typing. Magnezone (Spark/Wild Charge) comes in as another fantastic option, possessing good stats and resistances to half the game making it very usable in raids.
Budget options are Jolteon, Manectric, Magneton, both Raichu and Alolan Golem
Budget options are Jolteon, Manectric, Magneton, both Raichu and Alolan Golem
Fairy Type Pokemon
Fairy Type Pokemon
We have the raw power of Gardevoir (Charm/Dazzling Gleam) and Togekiss (Charm/Dazzling Gleam) which has slightly less attack and higher bulk. A very serviceable option while also being fantastically budget is Granbull (Charm/Play Rough), stats are slightly lower then the aforementioned powerhouses but its common enough that it would take not much effort to whip a full team up with weather boosted catches.
Budget options are Clefable, Wigglytuff, and Donphan
Budget options are Clefable, Wigglytuff, and Donphan
Fighting Type Pokemon
Fighting Type Pokemon
The once champions have lost their titles and been replaced by some younger blood, Lucario (Counter/Aura Sphere) has a much much higher DPS than any other fighting Pokémon but does lack the bulk that the competitor Conkeldurr (Counter/Dynamic Punch) has, it's a slightly slower option but lasts longer, usually enough to almost match Lucario.The old guard still cling to utility though, and in the blue corner we have Machamp (Counter/Dynamic Punch) while in the green we have Breloom (Counter/Dynamic Punch). Once against a balance of the extra DPS Breloom has compared to the much higher TDO of Machamp. Budget options are Blaziken, Hariyama, Toxicroak, Sirfetch'd, and Sawk
Fire Type Pokemon
Fire Type Pokemon
Turning up the heat we have Reshiram (Fire Fang/Overheat) coming in as undisputed top, with the highest DPS and TDO in the category. Darmanitan (Fire Fang/Overheat) comes in ever so slightly lower by DPS but is only a little over half as bulky. Blaziken(Fire Spin/**Blast Burn**) and the flaming turkey Moltres (Fire Spin/Overheat) sit on their perches. While Chandelure (Spin/Overheat) performs almost identically to Blaziken and mostly comes down to typing. Heatran (Fire Spin/Flamethrower) has massive TDO and resistances but is slightly slower in dealing damage. Entei (Fire Fang/Overheat) is also a bulky option.
The single best budget option is Flareon, followed by Houndoom, Infernape. Charizard and Arcanine.
The single best budget option is Flareon, followed by Houndoom, Infernape. Charizard and Arcanine.
Flying Type Pokemon
Flying Type Pokemon
A murder of Honchkrow (Peck/Sky Attack) will ruin anybody's day, while Moltres is now completely dominant with it's new move (Wing Attack/**Sky Attack**). Rayquaza (Air Slash/Aerial Ace) is a powerful option too. Slipping into 4th place is Unfeazant (Air Slash/Sky Attack). Zapdos can also potentially be used with (**Thunder Shock**/Drill Peck) as well as Ho-Oh (Hidden Power Flying/Brave Bird) Yanmega (Wing Attack/Aerial Ace) and Togekiss (Air Slash/Aerial Ace), but these 4 are all noticeably slower than the first 3 options.
Budget options are Staraptor, Swellow, and Fearow.
Budget options are Staraptor, Swellow, and Fearow.
Ghost Type Pokemon
Ghost Type Pokemon
Sending a shiver down your spine, Gengar (*Shadow Claw* or *Lick*/Shadow Ball) is far and away the best Ghost for DPS. Giratina-Origin (Shadow Claw/Ball) is slightly behind in DPS but is massively bulky, and of course doesn't have the weakness to Psychic types that Gengar does. Chandelure (Hex/Shadow Ball) is also a very good option as it has good bulk and better resists opponents than Gengar does. Banette (Shadow Claw/Ball) and Mewtwo (Psycho cut/Shadow Ball) are both good options with Banette being a very available Pokémon.
Budget options are Mismagius and Drifblim
Budget options are Mismagius and Drifblim
Grass Type Pokemon
Grass Type Pokemon
Overgrowing and overpowering, Roserade (Razor Leaf/Grass Knot) is undisputedly the top plant, Sceptile (Bullet Seed/**Frenzy Plant**) and Breloom (Bullet Seed/**Grass knot**) both perform very well though. Tangrowth(Vine Whip/Power Whip) has massive TDO but lags behind the other options in DPS. I'd also like to note that both Breloom and Sceptile can pull ahead of Roserade in situations such as when facing a raid boss with Ground moves, as Roserade's poison typing works against it in these cases. Leafeon (Razor Leaf/Leaf Blade) is now a very good and very accessible option provided you find a mossy lure. Grass has many budget options including both Exeggutors, Venusaur, Victreebel, Shiftry, Cacturne, Vileplume.
Ground Type Pokemon
Ground Type Pokemon
Every other options quakes in their boots before Groudon (Mud Shot/Earthquake), as both the highest TDO ground type it is a good option. however by having better moves Excadrill (Mud Slap/Drill Run)and Landorus (Mud Shot/Earth Power) beat it for DPS. Garchomp (Mud Shot/Earthquake) is very even with Groudon, but the typing gives it a massive additional resistance to Electric moves and also a resistance to Fire. Following behind are Rhyperior (Mud Slap/Earthquake) and Mamoswine (Mud Slap/Bulldoze) as well as Golurk (Mud Slap/Earth Power) Budget options are Rhydon, Swampert, Golem, Flygon, Gastrodon, and Donphan.
Ice Type Pokemon
Ice Type Pokemon
Galarian Darmanitan (Ice Fant/Avalanche) now dominates the typing, with a much higher DPS than Mamoswine (Powder Snow/Avalanche) settles in as the top ice type in both DPS and TDO, following is Weavile (Ice Shard/Avalanche) and Glaceon (Frost Breath/Avalanche) as being a little behind the other two but incredibly common as all Eeveelutions are. Budget options are Jynx, Beartic, and Cloyster.
Normal Type Pokemon
Normal Type Pokemon
Porygon-Z (Lock-On/Return) has the highest DPS but there is pretty much no reason to use normal types in raids.
Just don't, please...
Just don't, please...
Poison Type Pokemon
Poison Type Pokemon
Every rose has it's thorn, and Roserade (Poison Jab/Sludge Bomb) is no exception, not content with only being the best grass type it is also fairly comfortably the best option for Poison. Gengar is also usable with (*Lick*/Sludge Bomb) as well as Toxicroak (Jab/Bomb) and Victreebel (Acid/Sludge Bomb) Budget are Scolipede, Skuntank,, the Muks, Nidoking, Vileplume, and Beedrill
Psychic Type Pokemon
Psychic Type Pokemon
Don't need to read any minds to know that Mewtwo (Confusion/**Psystrike**) will reign supreme here (Psychic) Mewtwo is second only to itself but unless you already have it powered up there's no reason to invest in one without Psystrike, Deoxys-Attack (Zen Headbutt/Psycho Boost) is a hilariously suicidal option, with insane attack and paper thin defense. Alakazam (Confusion/*Psychic*) is the highest DPS that isn't legendary but needs the legacy move to pull ahead of the pack. Without it Espeon (Confusion/Psychic) and Latios (Zen Headbutt/Psychic) both beat it for DPS. Metagross (Zen/Psychic), Exeggutor (Confusion/Psychic), Gallade (Confusion/Psychic) and Gardevoir (Confusion/Psychic) all perform relatively similarly with pulling ahead of each other coming down to typing and the like. The pixies Celebi and Jirachi (both Confusion/Psychic) perform relatively well but generally can't justify the investment over the cheaper options. Budgets are Jynx and Mr.Mime but honestly Espeon is budget enough.
Rock Type Pokemon
Rock Type Pokemon
And roll with our wonderful dino Rampardos (Smack Down/Rock Slide), possessing a catastrophically high attack and an insane moveset it is an insane DPS increase all the competition. However what Rhyperior (Smack Down/**Rock Wrecker**) lacks in damage it massively makes up for in TDO, having nearly twice that of Rampardos. Following these two is Terrakion (Smack Down/Rock Slide) with just being a little less than Rhyperior. Next closest Tyranitar (**Smack Down**/Stone Edge) has long lost what made it such a dominant Pokemon but is still very usable. Another option is Aerodactyl (Rock Throw/Rock Slide), slightly more fragile than the others but has a niche with it's flying typing. Budget options are Gigalith (trade discount), Golems, Crustle, Lunatone, Solrock and Sudowoodo, and Aggron.
Steel Type Pokemon
Steel Type Pokemon
Ringing out in victory is Metagross (Bullet Punch/**Meteor Mash**), owner of the single most broken move in the game on top of extremely strong stats, Metagross blows every other option out of the water at the cost of it being a limited window to obtain the move. Dialga (Metal Claw/Iron Head) is the second best option, with Excadrill (Metal Claw/Iron Head) and Genesect (Metal Claw/Iron Head) being behind it. Scizor is acceptable as a budget option but the true budget is Aggron.
Water Type Pokemon
Water Type Pokemon
There's always a bigger fish, except when you're Kyogre (Waterfall/Hydro Pump), bigger whale than some of the Edinburgh lot and has the stats to prove it. Kingler (Bubble/Crabhammer) beats it in DPS but is a little more fragile while Crawdaunt (Waterfall/Crabhammer) is just a worse version of it but still the 3rd best water. Swampert (Water Gun/**Hydro Cannon**) Gyarados (Waterfall/Hydro Pump) and Feraligatr (Waterfall/**Hydro Cannon**) are your best options after it, with Gyarados occasionally performing better with it's flying typing. Budget options are Floatzel, Sharpedo, Blastoise (**Hydro Cannon**) and Vaporeon as well as a few other banter options.
With that all of the types in the game has been covered
Ever raid is different, and some are far tougher than others. But as a general rule of thumb you are looking for a team of Pokémon that are at least level 30, you get diminishing returns from powering up past that point so I would advise only taking things up if they are either a top option of that type and have good IVs.
Most of the budget options are there because they are commonly found in the wild, or have a lesser candy cost of 50 to evolve, making them much more accessible to throw into a team. Again though they need to be at around level 30 otherwise they simply won't perform well enough to get the job done.
How good is my team?
How good is my team?
To check how well your team will perform against a raid boss under different criteria, upload details of your pokemon to Pokebattler or Pokegenie which be used to estimate damage output. This will help you understand if you will be able to solo a raid boss or build your confidence to be able to complete a raid with fewer players if your combined damage output under the criteria is above 100% damage output.
Once you have established a strong team you will then be able to slowly work towards building a more costly team of legendary Pokemon and rare top tier counters.
Gamepress have created a comprehensive list of damage output for Pokemon based of all the available move sets to help you along your Pokémon Journey.
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