Kyogre Raid Guide

CP Range

Move Difficulty

Waterfall is a strong Fast Move post-STAB, but it is unrated here as it's Kyogre's one and only Fast Move option, so there's nothing to compare it to.

Thunder is hard to dodge and hits pretty hard, but both of the types that Kyogre is weak to resist it, so it's generally not as threatening as it might be in other raids. Hydro Pump hits very hard, but it too is resisted by Grass, so it's potentially less threatening depending on the raid team. Blizzard hits hard, and is a major threat to Grass Types, so it can be a very dangerous move to face. Finally, Surf has similar average damage output to Hydro Pump when comparing them energy-to-energy directly, but it also comes out far more frequently due to its status as the only multi-bar Charged Move that Kyogre will utilize in a raid, making it pretty threatening.

Overview

Kyogre is a member of the old-guard of top-tier Raiders, and is still relevant to this day thanks to Origin Pulse making it a very good attacker and its Primal Reversion making it one of the strongest things in the game. But how exactly has the difficulty of this raid changed over the years? Well, Kyogre itself is largely unchanged as a Raid Boss since the old-days outside of gaining access to Surf, but the counter options have definitely changed. In particular, we now have a vanguard of Grass Types that can heavily dent Kyogre, out-DPSing the top Electric Types in the game even when facing down Blizzard in many situations. All-in-all, this is a raid that has gotten substantially easier over the years, but don't be fooled; Kyogre can still pack a punch!

Approach

Kyogre has a grand total of two weaknesses to exploit: Grass and Electric

• Grass pulls ahead due to its stronger resistances and superior DPS in many situations, though most Grass Types need to be weary of Blizzard. Also, only the very top Grass Types are truly the apex for this raid, as their power drops fairly quickly when going down the list.
• Electric is a strong type, with largely universal utility in this raid. Most Electric Types tend to be a bit frail, but the top Pokemon of the type still have outstanding overall performance.

Dodging Strategy

This one can be a bit tricky. Most of Kyogre's moves are notoriously difficult to dodge, but have the potential to be extremely damaging. In general, try to dodge if you're comfortable doing so, but know when to let a Pokemon faint and move on.

Best Raid Counters

Supreme Mega Evolution Counters

Mega Sceptile is a monstrous Pokemon in this raid. This thing has obscene DPS, and artificially outstanding TDO thanks to its double-resistance to the majority of Kyogre's moves. This thing has the potential to cut huge amounts of HP off of Kyogre while on the field, and is arguably the single best counter on this list.... so long as it doesn't eat a Blizzard.

• Strengths: Waterfall (2x), Hydro Pump (2x), Thunder (2x), Surf (2x)
• Weaknesses: Blizzard (2x)

If you're going for Electric damage, then Mega Manectric is the Mega Evolution for you. It can't keep up with Mega Sceptile, but it's the best option for boosting its fellow Electric Types, and a great option when it's raining.

• Strengths: Thunder
• Weaknesses: None

Good Mega Evolution Counters

Strong and reliable, Mega Venusaur has a solid performance in this raid, though it can't quite compete with the above.

• Strengths: Waterfall, Hydro Pump, Thunder, Surf
• Weaknesses: Blizzard

Mega Ampharos has more in common with Grass Types than its fellow Electric Types by virtue of its Dragon sub-typing. It's behind Mega Manectric by a fair bit, but it's still a good backup.

• Strengths: Waterfall, Thunder (2x), Hydro Pump, Surf
• Weaknesses: Blizzard

Supreme Counters

This little origami soldier is the apex of Grass Types, and with excellent reason. It has tremendous DPS, and its TDO is boosted substantially thanks to its Steel sub-typing, which also makes it so that it has no weakness among Kyogre's moves.

• Strengths: Waterfall, Thunder, Hydro Pump, Surf
• Weaknesses: None

Shadow Electivire can keep up with Kartana in terms of DPS for the most part, but it's also more frail than paper, ironically.

• Strengths: Thunder
• Weaknesses: None

Xurkitree is very comparable to Shadow Electivire, though it sports a bit more TDO.

• Strengths: Thunder
• Weaknesses: None

Shadow Raikou is basically cut from the same cloth as the above; a bit more TDO, a bit less DPS.

• Strengths: Thunder
• Weaknesses: None

Good Counters

While the above Pokemon are the absolute best, many other Pokemon are capable in this raid as well. They have varying degrees of viability, but they can all work very well.