Rayquaza Counters Guide

Rayquaza Counters Guide

Best Rayquaza Counters in Pokémon GO are strong Ice-types such as Mamoswine, Weavile, Ice Beam Mewtwo, and Jynx. Rayquaza is a Tier 5 Boss with 49808 CP. You can catch Rayquaza in the following CP ranges:

  • 2102 – 2191 CP at Lvl 20, no weather boost
  • 2627 – 2739 CP at Lvl 25 with Windy weather

Since the introduction of Mamoswine and Weavile, Rayquaza can now be easily duoed. We recommend groups of 2-4, for high-level trainers, or 5-20 for lower leveled players. For our Simulator’s list of counters, check here.

 

Rayquaza Counters

The following table shows best Pokemon to use versus a Rayquaza raid boss:

Rayquaza Counters
RayquazaRayquaza
WEAKNESS Dragon Rock Fairy Ice x2 BOOSTED BY Windy
Supreme Rayquaza Raid Counters
MamoswineMamoswine Powder Snow Ice Avalanche Ice
Mamoswine charges onto the scene as the number one counter to Rayquaza. Although you still cannot solo the legendary beast with it, using a team full of Mamoswine makes for a very easy Rayquaza duo raid.
WeavileWeavile Ice Shard Ice Avalanche Ice
Weavile is another absolute beast against Rayquaza. You cannot go wrong with inserting him into your lineup.
MewtwoMewtwo Psycho Cut Psychic Ice Beam Ice
Mewtwo, with a good move like Ice Beam and its high attack stat, is actually one of the top counters for Rayquaza, boasting both survivability and damage output.
JynxJynx Frost Breath Ice Avalanche Ice
Think of Jynx as an Ice version Gengar, it is a glass cannon. Use it as a lead mainly, unless a solo is the goal then it can pull it off alongside Weavile in Snowy weather.
Excellent Rayquaza Raid Counters
ArticunoArticuno Frost Breath Ice Ice Beam Ice
A short time ago, Articuno would not have ever been this high on a list for counters, but with the changes to Super Effective damage, and with Rayquaza being dual weak to Ice, Articuno can shine as an effective, and slightly bulky, counter.
CloysterCloyster Frost Breath Ice Avalanche Ice
RegiceRegice Frost Breath Ice Blizzard Ice
Bet you did not expect this one, did you? Yes, Regice is a top tier counter against Rayquaza, it has the lowest faint count, and can dole out respectable damage. If you invested in a Regice at any point, now is a good time to use it.
WalreinWalrein Frost Breath Ice Blizzard Ice
Good Rayquaza Raid Counters
Time to win rises considerably from here, and these Pokémon are best kept to B-teams when weather is beneficial or used when a large group is active.
LaprasLapras Frost Breath Ice Ice Beam Ice
GlalieGlalie Frost Breath Ice Avalanche Ice
DragoniteDragonite Dragon Tail Dragon Outrage Dragon
Porygon-ZPorygon-Z Charge Beam Electric Blizzard Ice
FroslassFroslass Powder Snow Ice Avalanche Ice
TyranitarTyranitar Smack Down Rock Stone Edge Rock
RayquazaRayquaza Dragon Tail Dragon Outrage Dragon

*Italics indicates Legacy.

Rayquaza is double weak to Ice and weak to Fairy, Dragon and Rock type moves. Consequently, the list of counters follows this to the letter, with Ice types leading the charge. Back in the day, aka in February 2018 when Rayquaza was first introduced to Pokemon GO, we recommended a mixture of Ice  and Dragon typed counters, as Ice selection was extremely limited.

Today, with Mamoswine, Weavile and Ice Beam Mewtwo being readily available, we can only recommend teams filled with Ice Pokemon. Our ideal setup for Rayquaza duo raids is the same one we would use regularly: a team of six strong Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche (L30+).

Mamoswine is incredible versus Rayquaza, especially when you consider that our previous best options was Articuno and Cloyster. Not only is it the fastest, it’s also the bulkiest and the most reliable Rayquaza counter. There is really no reason to overthink it: Mamoswine is your go-to option. Even if you have Stone Edge / Ancient Power as your charge move and Powder Snow as fast move, you’ll still be able to be a useful member of your raiding group. Although we don’t advise this for duos.

Rayquaza’s stats and moveset difficulty

RayquazaRayquazaDragon Flying
Max CP 3835
ATK 284 DEF 170 HP 213
Weak toStrong Against
Dragon Fairy Ice Rock Bug Dragon Fighting Grass
Fast MovesCharge Moves
  • Dragon Tail Dragon
  • Air Slash Flying
  • Outrage Dragon
  • Aerial Ace Flying
  • Ancient Power Rock

Rayquaza fights generally fall into two categories: versus Outrage and versus anything else. Outrage is a move that can potentially have massive damage output, especially if it’s frequently activated, and it’s the real reason why Dragon types are not preferred Rayquaza counters. Ice types resist Outrage and Dragon Tail easily, especially Mamoswine, and they make the whole fight much easier.

In terms of difficulty, here’s how Ray’s charged moves stack up:

  • Outrage is the most difficult, even for Ice types, roughly 20-30% more difficult in terms of KOs
  • Ancient Power is the easiest one, especially for teams using Mamoswine and Ice Beam Mewtwo
  • Aerial Ace is “middle of the road” difficulty and nothing to worry about

Given a good setup, however, you will tear through Rayquaza like a Snorlax in an all-you-can-eat restaurant.