Moltres

Professor Noctowl's Raid Research: Moltres

A Scholarly Analysis from the Pokebattler Pokémon Research Institute

Raid Introduction

Hello students! My name is Professor Geekbeak, and today, I wish to draw attention to Moltres. Moltres has not withered as much as some of the earlier legendaries, managing to stay afloat as a strong Flying type attacker. Grab your notebooks, class is in session. For those who wish to do their research independently, our raw data can be found here. And for those who wish for a simple visual guide, go ahead and take a look at the below visual guide by CaptGoldfish.

Visual Guide

NOTE: Some visual guides will be outdated for the duration of GO FEST. They will remain mostly accurate, but lack modern counters, such as the Mega Mewtwo duo, or Eternatus.

Raid Syllabus

Course Schedule

This counter is one of many GO FEST raids. There are too many to put a coherent schedule here, but rest assured, pretty much every legendary, mega, and shadow under the sun will be going at some point. Look to your local GO FEST event or the Pokebattler.com raid schedule to see exactly what raids will be going.

Course Information

  • Catch CP: 1896 - 1980
  • Boosted (Sunny/Clear): 2370 - 2475
  • Minimum Required Trainers (Lvl 40, best friends, optimal weather): 1
  • Recommended: 2+ with Lvl 20 counters

Type Effectiveness & Moveset List

The Flying and Fire type combination makes Moltres doubly weak to Rock, and Moltres has no charge moves to take care of Rock types.

Effectiveness Types
Double Resist (0.4x) Bug Bug Grass Grass
Resist (0.6x) Fighting Fighting Ground Ground Steel Steel Fire Fire Fairy Fairy
Neutral Normal Normal Flying Flying Poison Poison Ghost Ghost Psychic Psychic Ice Ice Dragon Dragon Dark Dark
Super Effective (1.6x) Water Water Electric Electric
Double Super Effective (2.6x) Rock Rock

Moltres’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

  • Fire Heat Wave
  • Rock Ancient Power
  • Fire Fire Blast
  • Fire Overheat
  • Normal Return
  • Flying Fly
  • Flying Sky Attack

The Dean's List - Top 5 Counters

The Dean’s List consists of the top 5 counters to Moltres. As always, the Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and the Third Ranked will have their best moveset alternatives in a table with their rankings and a table detailing their defensive prowess against the charge moves listed above.

Mega Diancie

Mega Diancie A

Best Moveset: Rock Rock Throw / Rock Rock Slide
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Quick Move Charge Move Efficacy
Rock Rock Throw Rock Rock Slide 100%
Rock Rock Throw Rock Power Gem 97%
Normal Tackle Rock Rock Slide 70%
Normal Tackle Rock Power Gem 69%
Rock Rock Throw Fairy Moonblast 66%
Normal Tackle Fairy Moonblast 25%
Shadow Rhyperior

Shadow Rhyperior A

Best Moveset: Rock Smack Down / Rock Rock Wrecker
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Quick Move Charge Move Efficacy
Rock Smack Down Rock Rock Wrecker 100%
Rock Smack Down Rock Stone Edge 88%
Ground Mud-Slap Rock Rock Wrecker 77%
Rock Smack Down Water Surf 74%
Rock Smack Down Dragon Breaking Swipe 67%
Rock Smack Down Normal Skull Bash 66%
Shadow Rampardos

Shadow Rampardos A

Best Moveset: Rock Smack Down / Rock Rock Slide
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Quick Move Charge Move Efficacy
Rock Smack Down Rock Rock Slide 100%
Psychic Zen Headbutt Rock Rock Slide 73%
Rock Smack Down Fire Flamethrower 61%
Rock Smack Down Dragon Outrage 58%
Rock Smack Down Normal Frustration 45%
Psychic Zen Headbutt Dragon Outrage 32%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move DIANCIE_MEGA RHYPERIOR_SHADOW_FORM RAMPARDOS_SHADOW_FORM
Fire Overheat 🛡 🛡 🛡
Fire Fire Blast 🛡 🛡 🛡
Flying Fly 🛡 🛡 🛡
Rock Ancient Power 🛡
Fire Heat Wave 🛡 🛡 🛡
Shadow Tyrantrum

Shadow Tyrantrum A

Best Moveset: Rock Rock Throw / Rock Meteor Beam
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Mega Tyranitar

Mega Tyranitar A

Best Moveset: Rock Smack Down / Rock Stone Edge
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Also Noteworthy: A: Mega Aerodactyl

Honor Roll - The Bottom 5

We here at Pokebattler Pokémon Research Institute can’t expect you to have the best counters every time. So, here are some of our other best options, most of which will be easier to find than the members of the Dean’s List.

Shadow Gigalith

Shadow Gigalith A

Best Moveset: Rock Smack Down / Rock Meteor Beam
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Shadow Tyranitar

Shadow Tyranitar A

Best Moveset: Rock Smack Down / Rock Stone Edge
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Rampardos

Rampardos A

Best Moveset: Rock Smack Down / Rock Rock Slide
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Rhyperior

Rhyperior A

Best Moveset: Rock Smack Down / Rock Rock Wrecker
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Glimmora

Glimmora A

Best Moveset: Rock Rock Throw / Rock Meteor Beam
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Honorable Mentions

Of course, besides our 10 best counters, there are plenty of Pokémon that also work against Moltres. Here are a few star choices, worthy of praise.

A TyrantrumTyrantrumShadow AggronShadow AggronTerrakionTerrakionShadow AerodactylShadow AerodactylShadow AurorusShadow AurorusShadow OmastarShadow OmastarGigalithGigalithTyranitarTyranitarShadow Alola GolemShadow Alola GolemShadow GolemShadow GolemPrimal KyogrePrimal KyogreShadow RegigigasShadow RegigigasShadow LandorusShadow LandorusMega RayquazaMega RayquazaStonjournerStonjournerShadow ArcheopsShadow ArcheopsShadow SudowoodoShadow SudowoodoMega BlastoiseMega BlastoiseMega AggronMega Aggron

Weather Specialists

Sometimes, the weather can be your most powerful ally. In certain weather conditions, certain Pokémon on our list excel. The most transformative cases are noted below.

Partly CloudyPartly Cloudy
Shadow Gigalith (1.0)Mega Aerodactyl (1.0)Shadow Tyranitar (1.0)

Raid Conclusion

Overall, Moltres is a very simple counter. That double weakness to Rock types is incredibly difficult to overcome. Of course, if you wish to do more research on your box’s best Pokémon for the job, Pokebattler.com itself can be a great help! Remember, the best counter is the one you have powered up and ready to go. I grant extra credit to those who use their best friend bonus and the weather to their advantage. Class dismissed!