The 5 next best Team Rocket counters in Pokemon GO
A while ago, aabicus went over the the 5 best Team Rocket counters in Pokemon GO. His list was very strong for the grunts back then. However, we’ve received more Pokemon over time, and some Grunts have changed. Aabicus’s list is still a great setup that can beat any team you come across. But there are other Pokemon worth considering. Specifically, the ones in this list!
Machamp
Machamp is great. Sure, you can use Lucario or that other guy. But Machamp is simply too easy to get, power up and give a second move to. Sure, you can give Riolu a second move for cheaper, but you save 100 candies evolving a traded Machop or Machoke. And the difference between the top fighters is tiny. Counter is a stupidly good fast move and Dynamic Punch charges pretty quickly. You don’t even really need a specific Machamp for fighting Grunts, any random one you have for raids is good enough.
However, I would 100% recommend getting Rock Slide as a second move on Machamp. It’s an amazing coverage move, and it charges up super fast. In fact, it’s nearly as good as Cross Chop for breaking shields early as well. Sure, second moves are pricey, but on Machamp, it’s really worth it.
Kyogre
The times when you use Water types aren’t that common. It’s mostly just fire, rock and ground. But Kyogre is a colossal tank of a whale. And, most importantly, it dishes out tons of damage with its fast move Waterfall alone. This means you can just farm down anything in your way, even if you’re not doing Super Effective damage.
If you can’t get a Kyogre, then a Swampert is a great choice, since its moves Hydro Cannon and Muddy Water/Surf are quick-charging and high-damaging. However, you are trading power for frailty, since Swampert isn’t nearly as tanky as Kyogre is, and also requires an Elite TM. For a more… budget option, Vaporeon with Aqua Tail is actually a pretty damn good choice. It’s rather bulky, all things considered. But Aqua Tail charges fast enough that you don’t give them a chance to attack anyway.
Rhyperior
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Rhyperior is just too good. Flying, Ice, Electric, Fire, Poison, all covered on a single Pokemon! Not to mention you can make a dent in Steel and Normal types too.
It’s not just Rock Wrecker that’s strong though. Smack Down is a slow but hard-hitting fast move. However, Rhyperior also boasts Mud Shot, a fast-charging fast move, as well as Earthquake, a great nuke. If you’re feeling spicy, then Super Power is an option too, to cover Rhyperior’s weaknesses. Surf… is fun but I never found a use for it.
Roserade
Grass has a rather limited use. It’s only good against Water, Rock and Ground. However, grunts for those three are quite common. And Roserade, a Pokemon that we should have lots off, is a hard-hitting choice. More importantly, unlike the probably-better Venusaur, you can find Roselias in the wild and weatherboosted quite highly, so you can get your hands on a high CP Roserade with ease. Grass starter Pokemon are generally better with Frenzy Plant, but generally take too long to charge an attack. Roserade though will just tear through things with her fast moves.
But Roserade also works amazingly well as a Poison type. Normally, no one would care about Poison, but we now have Fairy Grunts. While normally you’d just use Metagross, the Fairy Grunts have a hidden trick up their sleeves. Snubbull and Granbull both regularly have Bite as a fast move, and that will tear through a Metagross. Roserade may be a glass cannon, but she can more than handily deal with Snubbulls while also not taking Super Effective damage.
Origin Form Giratina
Now, if I’m honest, Origin Form Giratina doesn’t get used much. Its main use is actually against Giovanni of all people. Which sounds odd, because most of Giovanni’s Pokemon are Normal types. However, Origin Form Giratina resists most normal moves thrown at it
Sure, a Snarl Persian will hurt, but that’s why you pair Giratina up with a Machamp. The tag-team combo will sweep through Giovanni’s Pokemon, allowing your last Pokemon to specifically counter whatever the Legendary of the Month is.
So there we have it, five more Pokemon that will have Team Rocket scurrying off in a hurry. And, amazingly, only Machamp is ever actually used by Team Rocket! Probably for the best, to be honest…