Pokemon Go: Zekrom Raid guide – Counters, weaknesses, more

The second of the Tao trio has finally made its way to Pokemon Go. Zekrom can be found in five-star Raid Battles now.

It replaces Reshiram, and like the dual dragon and fire-type, it will seemingly be available for three weeks. There have also been three Raid Hour events confirmed for the introduction of Zekrom.

• June 17, 6pm to 7pm local time
• June 24, 6pm to 7pm local time
• July 1, 6pm to 7pm local time

The Vast Black Pokemon will be appearing more frequently in Raid Battles during this time. If you’re struggling to find other trainers to partner up with then this is the best time to go on the hunt.

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Zekrom stronger than Reshiram?

In terms of stats, Zekrom and Reshiram are identical. Their attack, defense, stamina and even max CP are exactly the same.

• Attack 275 – 17 of 688
• Defence 211 – 50 of 688
• Stamina 205 – 132 of 688

However, their difference in typing and moves mean they won’t perform the same in battle. Zekrom is a dual dragon and electric-type. This means it does have four weaknesses – dragon, fairy, ground and ice – but also has six resistances. They are electric, fire, flying, grass, steel and water – the first of which is a double resistance.

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Both of these Gen 5 legends have Dragon Breath for a Fast Move which would seemingly be favorable considering its impressive damage and energy generation. However, Zekrom has Charge Beam which while it only deals 1.66 DPT, it does generate 3.66 EPT.

• Read More: 5 annoyingly overpowered Pokemon in GO Battle League

Sometimes a lack of damage can be enough to not use that move. In this case though, there is definitely an argument to use it. Zekrom has both Outrage and Wild Charge which deal 110 and 100 damage respectively. The latter requires just 45 energy too, so using this alongside Charge Beam could be very annoying for trainers that come up against it!

Counters

It’s clear that Zekrom is a Pokemon you want to have on your team – especially in the Master League setting of GO Battle League. You’re going to have to defeat it first.

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Interestingly, due to their dragon-type moves, both Zekrom and Reshiram are among the best counters for Zekrom. This is providing they are using their dragon-types moves, however.

While they will be weak if the Raid Boss is also using dragon-type moves, their incredible attack stat means they are ideal for Raid Battles. The same can be said for Dialga and Palkia who also boast as good attack stats and have top of the range dragon moves as well.

• Read More: Why Pokemon Go Raid Battles are a game of cat and mouse

Alternative dragon options include Dragonite, Rayquaza and even Salamence. Zekrom is also weak to fairy, ground and ice. The best of these is Excadrill and Mamoswine. Fairy-types aren’t ideal because while the options are available do have fantastic defense stats, their attack isn’t up to the challenge of a five-star Raid Battle.