Hello students! My name is Professor Noctowl, and today, I wish to draw attention to Pheromosa. Unlike its buff Ultra Beast cousin, Pheromosa is much more useful in raids, serving as a glass cannon styled Bug 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.

Course Schedule

This raid will take place from May 13th to May 19th. It will be preceded by Mega Camerupt and Nihilego, coincide with Buzzwole, Mega Glalie, and Xurkitree, and will be followed by Mega Altaria and Tapu Bulu. Please note that Ultra Beasts are regional encounters, with Pheromosa being found in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India.

Funnily enough, despite the change in physique, Pheromosa shares typing with Buzzwole, both being Bug Fighting. Therefore, the double effective Flying weakness stands out once again.

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

Pheromosa’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Bug Buzz
• Close Combat
• Focus Blast
• Lunge

The Dean’s List consists of the top 5 counters to Pheromosa. 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 Rayquaza A

Best Moveset: Air Slash / Dragon Ascent

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★★

1

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Air Slash	Dragon Ascent	100%
Dragon Tail	Dragon Ascent	84%
Air Slash	Hurricane	73%
Air Slash	Aerial Ace	71%
Air Slash	Breaking Swipe	58%
Dragon Tail	Aerial Ace	56%

Shadow Moltres A

Best Moveset: Wing Attack / Fly

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★☆☆☆

1

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Wing Attack	Fly	100%
Wing Attack	Sky Attack	92%
Fire Spin	Fly	88%
Fire Spin	Sky Attack	81%
Wing Attack	Overheat	63%
Wing Attack	Fire Blast	60%

Rayquaza A

Best Moveset: Air Slash / Dragon Ascent

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★★☆

1

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Air Slash	Dragon Ascent	100%
Dragon Tail	Dragon Ascent	84%
Air Slash	Hurricane	74%
Air Slash	Aerial Ace	72%
Air Slash	Breaking Swipe	59%
Dragon Tail	Aerial Ace	57%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Focus Blast	🛡	🛡	🛡
Close Combat	🛡	🛡	🛡
Bug Buzz	🛡	🛡🛡	🛡
Lunge	🛡	🛡🛡	🛡

Shadow Salamence A

Best Moveset: Fire Fang / Fly

DPS★★☆☆☆

Tank★★☆☆☆

Reliability★★☆☆☆

1

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Salamence A

Best Moveset: Fire Fang / Fly

DPS★★☆☆☆

Tank★★☆☆☆

Reliability★★★★☆

1

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Enamorus

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 Ho-Oh A

Best Moveset: Hidden Power / Brave Bird

DPS★★☆☆☆

Tank★★☆☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

1

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Moltres A

Best Moveset: Wing Attack / Fly

DPS★★☆☆☆

Tank★★☆☆☆

Reliability★★☆☆☆

1

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Galarian Articuno A

Best Moveset: Psycho Cut / Fly

DPS★☆☆☆☆

Tank★☆☆☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

1

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Yveltal A

Best Moveset: Gust / Oblivion Wing

DPS★☆☆☆☆

Tank★★☆☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

1

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Pidgeot A

Best Moveset: Gust / Brave Bird

DPS★☆☆☆☆

Tank★★☆☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

1

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

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

A	Shadow ZapdosShadow TornadusSalamenceShadow LugiaMega Charizard YBraviaryShadow StaraptorTornadus TherianHisuian BraviaryShadow ToucannonHo-OhLugiaMega BlazikenShadow VikavoltShadow TalonflameStaraptorToucannonGalarian MoltresZapdos

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.

Windy

Enamorus (0.5)Shadow Ho-Oh (0.5)Moltres (0.5)

Overall, Pheromosa has a similar scheme to Buzzwole. Bring a flying type, and this Ultra Beast won’t look so Ultra. 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!