Thundurus - Incarnate Forme Raid Guide

Stats & Raid Information

CP Range

Move Difficulty

Overview

Thundurus is the second member of the Forces of Nature, and it's not a particularly easy duo. While Tornadus isn't extremely threatening due to its lesser coverage and Landorus can be preyed on due to its double weakness to Ice, Thundurus can be the best of both worlds with its powerful moveset and narrow weakness set. That said, this fight is largely matchup-dependent, with some moves being very duoable with its main counters, while others provide much more of a challenge.

Among Thundurus - Incarnate Forme's fast moves, Thunder Shock is the least threatening in its arsenal. Its damage output is low, even post-STAB, it's frequently resisted by many of Thundurus' top counters, and its energy generation is lower than Astonish. Speaking of which, Astonish has higher damage output and energy generation, plus great neutral coverage, meaning it's likely to be a bit of a problem for any would-be counter.

On the Charged Move side, Thunder is a nuke that can hit hard post-STAB, but the fact that it comes out frequently and is double-resisted by many of Thundurus' best counters makes it arguably the weakest Charged Move option. Still, it's also very hard to dodge, so it can be threatening in the right circumstances. Thunder Punch and Crunch are pretty similar. They both come out frequently and deal solid damage. Among the two, Crunch is arguably the more threatening of the two due to its higher damage output even when considering STAB on Thunder Punch, stronger neutral coverage, and narrower dodge window. Finally, Brick Break is the weakest Charged Move that Thundurus has on paper, but it also covers both Ice and Rock, is very hard to dodge, and comes out very frequently, making it very threatening in practice.

Approach

• Thundurus only has two weaknesses: Ice and Rock.
• Select Ice Types can potentially rule this raid, depending on Thundurus' moveset. In particular, Shadow Mamoswine can hit hard while double-resisting Electric Type moves.
• Many Rock Types have high average performance, though those that don't also have a Ground sub-typing can have issues with staying alive. Still, the high natural bulk of many Rock Types can help on that front.

Dodging Strategy

In general, it's probably best to not focus too heavily on dodging. Thunder Punch, Crunch, and especially Brick break come out so frequently that it can cost a fair bit of DPS to dodge frequently unless you're very confident in your timing. In general, it's probably best to only go out of your way to dodge these moves if it's likely to afford an additional Charged Move use.

On the other hand, we have Thunder. This move comes out infrequently, but is also hard to dodge. Still, it's worth dodging it if you're comfortable with doing so, as it's possible for a lot of Pokemon to last a very long time when facing it down with good dodge timing.

Best Raid Counters

Supreme Mega Evolution Counters

Mega Diancie is very much a bruiser in this raid, outright crushing the majority of its competition due to its huge DPS and Rock Type boosting capabilities. Add to that the fact that it takes neutral damage from Brick Break and resists Crunch, and it's pretty clear that Mega Diancie is a very safe choice for any Thundurus raid.

• Strengths: Crunch
• Weaknesses: None

Mega Glalie is a bit down on the DPS list when compared to other options... so why is it this high on our list? Because it's the top Ice Type DPS Mega Evolution, meaning it boosts Mamoswine and its Shadow version while on the field, meaning it can provide tremendous team-wide DPS under the right situation.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Brick Break

While generally behind Mega Glalie in terms of Ice Type Mega Evolution power, Mega Abomasnow can really shine in this raid due to its resistance to Electric Type damage. This means that it can situationally provide its Ice Type boost for a substantially longer time.

• Strengths: Thunder Shock, Thunder Punch, Thunder
• Weaknesses: Brick break

Similar to the Mega Glalie/Mega Abomasnow situation, Mega Tyranitar will tend to out-TDO Mega Diancie in many situations, meaning it's very much worth considering as an optimal counter. However, its few advantages go right out the window when facing down Brick Break.

• Strengths: Astonish, Crunch
• Weaknesses: Brick Break (2x)

Good Mega Evolution Counters

Mega Aerodactyl has great DPS, but its TDO suffers... especially when facing down Thundurus' Electric Type moves. Still, it can be a decent option against specific movesets... just be ready to dodge.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Thunder Shock, Thunder Punch, Thunder

No Rock or Ice typing, no Super Effective Fast Move, and no good Super Effective Charged Move? No problem! Just abuse a 377 Attack Stat to win! The one issue is that Mega Rayquaza has to have a second Charged Move unlocked in order to keep Dragon Ascent, which it needs in order to Mega Evolve.

• Strengths: Brick Break
• Weaknesses: None

Another slight oddity, Mega Gardevoir has surprisingly strong performance given its off-type moveset.

Strengths: Brick Break (2x)

Weaknesses: Astonish

Supreme Counters

The vanguard of Rock Types, Shadow Ramparados trades off its relative frailness with meteoric DPS that can quickly take huge portions of HP off of Thundurus. But, again, don't expect it to last an extremely long time, and be ready to dodge.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Brick Break

Shadow Rhyperior hits hard, has great bulk, and double-resists Electric Type moves. This thing is a monster that is definitely one of the top picks.

• Strengths: Thunder Shock (2x), Thunder Punch (2x), Thunder (2x)
• Weaknesses: Brick Break

Shadow Mamoswine is an Ice Type, but it actually has a bit more in common with many Rock Types in this raid due to its Ground sub-typing. This makes it surprisingly bulky against many movesets and capable of great neutral performance.

• Strengths: Thunder Shock (2x), Thunder Punch (2x), Thunder (2x)
• Weaknesses: Brick Break

When most players think of the top Rock Types, the top Pokemon in mind are generally Shadow Ramparados or Shadow Rhyperior. And that's with good reason, as they're overtly amazing. However, Shadow Gigalith doesn't fall very far behind them. It's a bit behind in this raid, but it's still an absolutely fantastic option.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Brick Break

It's not Shadow Mamoswine, but it still hits very hard with Ice Type damage... even if it drops pretty quickly.

• Strengths: Astonish, Crunch
• Weaknesses: Brick Break (2x)

Great Counters

The following Pokemon are all great counters, but they don't quite keep up with the competition above. Note that this is only