After a successful run of its first entirely virtual GO Fest, Pokemon GO continues to treat players to exciting in-game bonuses. As of 1 PM (local time) on July 31, Dragon Week has commenced, and the Sky High Pokemon, Rayquaza, has returned to Raid Battles.
Dragon Pokemon are set to be featured throughout the entirety of this week, which is the first of three Ultra Unlock Bonus weeks earned by players after GO Fest 2020. Among other dragon-themed perks, the powerful Rayquaza is set to make appearances in 5-star Raid Battles.
This Gen III Legendary Pokemon is a Dragon and Flying-type, so it's weak to several types of attacks, including Dragon and Fairy-type. That being said, Ice-type moves are doubly Super Effective because of Rayquaza's dual typing. Players should try and form strategies using Ice-type attacks to take advantage of the additional damage bonus.
Below is a brief overview of Rayquaza's current stats in Pokemon GO:
- Dragon/Flying-type Pokemon
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, Ice, Rock
- Potential Fast Attacks: Air Slash (Flying), Dragon Tail (Dragon)
- Potential Charged Attacks: Aerial Ace (Flying), Ancient Power (Rock), Outrage (Dragon)
Rayquaza's unique typing makes the Legendary Pokemon especially resistant to Grass and Ground-type attacks, although it also resists Bug, Fighting, Fire, and Water-type attacks at the standard rate. Given Rayquaza's glaring weakness to Ice-type attacks, players should simply focus on using powerful Pokemon with Ice-type moves at their disposal. Of course, players should also aim for these Pokemon to be Ice-typed themselves, as that gives the icy attacks an additional power boost.
Stylish powerhouses like the recently arrived ice-dragon, Kyurem, may seem like tempting choices, but players should try and steer clear of Dragon-type Pokemon - Rayquaza's Dragon-type moves will tear right through other dragons. And although Rock and Fairy-type moves are Super Effective against the Legendary too, the added bonus given to Ice-type attacks makes them much more viable. Not to mention, there are a decent number of Ice-type options readily available to players.
For those ready to build a party, here are some tangible suggestions:
- Ice-type counters: Mamoswine (Powder Snow/Avalanche), Weavile (Ice Shard/Avalanche), Jynx (Frost Breath/Avalanche), Beartic (Powder Snow/Ice Punch), Piloswine (Ice Shard/Avalanche), Walrein (Frost Breath/Blizzard)
- Viable alternatives: Rampardos (Smack Down/Rock Slide), Mewtwo (Psycho Cut/Ice Beam), Electivire (Thunder Shock/Ice Punch), Dragonite* (Dragon Tail/Outrage)
* A small advantage of Dragonite's (over other dragons) is the fact that it would be resistant to Rayquaza's Flying-type attacks.
Players should be sure the above Pokemon have been powered up to at least level 30 for them to be truly useful against Rayquaza. On a similar note, players should also realize that a Pokemon's attacks ultimately matter more than their typing - for example, Electivire is listed as a viable alternative, but, only an Electivire with access to Ice Punch would actually be useful in practice. Counters aside, Rayquaza is thankfully challenging players in raid battles, so trainers have the opportunity to fight the legend with help from their friends too. And unlike Team GO Rocket battles, which require Trainers to defeat other Pokemon before capturing a rare Shadow Legendary, Rayquaza is a standalone fight - only one enemy to worry about.
Pokemon GO is available now on the App Store and Google Play.
Source: Team GTR-Storm