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Interactive Suicune Counters Guide

Suicune

The Third Global Catch Challenge has been complete, and in addition to triple stardust rewards, we’re getting Suicune day! Now with a chance of a shiny cobalt-blue mane!

The only Legendary beasty that isn’t definitely inspired by cats, this ribbony deer is most popularly known for its role in “Pokémon 4Ever – where it palled around with Celebi and cleaned up polluted water. 

Release Period: Saturday August 17th  4 -7PM (local time)

Pokemon Raid Day Info

Suicune will be featured for 3 hours during  August 17th! Assuming Niantic follows their patterns from the previous raid days:

All gyms will activate with a Tier 5 Suicune Raid for the full 3 hours from 4 -7 PM local Time.

You will get 5 free raid passes, but you only get them consecutively once the previous one is used, so you need to do all 5 raids in that time block.

Niantic appears to have settled on a 10% shiny rate for these events, but that can always change without warning.

Suicune in the Meta

ExtrasensoryHydro Pump (Raids)

Sadly, Suicune has extremely defensive stats that don’t lend themselves to raiding. It also lacks a STAB fast move (excluding the legacy hidden power water), so it is extremely low on the Water-Type rankings. Suicune is not a good Water-Type attacker.

Water-Type Ranking:

	NAME	FAST	CHARGE	RANK	GROUDON 5	ENTEI 5	ONIX 3	REGIROCK 5	MAROWAK_ALOLA_FORM 4
	Kyogre	Waterfall	Hydro Pump	100%	3.01	2.18	0.62	3.78	2.28
LEGACY	Swampert	Water Gun	Hydro Cannon	96%	3.19	2.37	0.68	3.77	2.34
LEGACY	Feraligatr	Waterfall	Hydro Cannon	90%	3.42	2.44	0.71	4.11	2.47
	Gyarados	Waterfall	Hydro Pump	89%	3.20	2.47	0.70	4.40	2.50
	Palkia	Dragon Tail	Hydro Pump	85%	3.49	2.41	0.87	4.52	2.60
	[LONG BREAK]
	Lanturn	Water Gun	Hydro Pump	58%	5.31	3.64	1.11	6.29	4.02
	Lugia	Extrasensory	Hydro Pump	58%	4.95	3.91	1.28	6.38	3.91
	Suicune	Extrasensory	Hydro Pump	57%	5.58	3.68	1.30	6.44	4.00
	Slowbro	Water Gun	Water Pulse	56%	5.29	4.01	1.11	6.64	4.12

Suicune in Gym Combat:

Suicune’s Legendary status means its defensive stats also can’t go in gyms, and its role as an attacker is limited as well. Steelix and Hippowdon are functionally the only good gym defenders that are weak to it, and there are far more important Pokemon to counter, and better Pokemon to do so.

Weather Counters

Here is a list of Pokemon that can perform similarly or better than the typical #1 option (in this case, Raikou) with weather bonuses:

Weather Table
Pokemon		Weather		Fast Move		Charge Move		Estimator @ L35
	Electivire		RAINY		Thunder Shock		Wild Charge	2.48
	Raikou		RAINY		Thunder Shock		Wild Charge	2.57
	Magnezone		RAINY		Spark		Wild Charge	2.57
	(Legacy) Zapdos		RAINY		Thunder Shock		Thunderbolt	2.63
	Roserade		CLEAR		Razor Leaf		Grass Knot	2.69
	(Legacy) Sceptile		CLEAR		Bullet Seed		Frenzy Plant	2.71
	(Legacy) Breloom		CLEAR		Bullet Seed		Grass Knot	2.72
	(Legacy) Venusaur		CLEAR		Vine Whip		Frenzy Plant	2.80
	Leafeon		CLEAR		Razor Leaf		Leaf Blade	2.81
	Exeggutor – Alola		CLEAR		Bullet Seed		Solar Beam	2.83
	Luxray		RAINY		Spark		Wild Charge	2.84
	Mewtwo		RAINY		Psycho Cut		Thunderbolt	2.84
	Jolteon		RAINY		Thunder Shock		Thunderbolt	2.90
	Tangrowth		CLEAR		Vine Whip		Solar Beam	2.91
	Raikou		NO_WEATHER		Thunder Shock		Wild Charge	2.94

Suicune Movesets

• Ice Beam will obliterate the less tanky grass types. More dangerous in some ways because there is only a 1/4 chance of facing it.
• Bubble Beam Triple Bar Charge Move.
• Water Pulse Double Bar Charge Move.
• Hydro Pump Single Bar Charge Move. Hardest in general since it can KO more Pokemon if you don’t dodge and is capable of offering a threat to Electrics.

General Suicune Counters

Suicune takes 1.6x damage from Grass / Electric .

Grass is Resistant to Water, but Weak to Ice.

Electric has no Resistances or Weakness to Water or Ice.

Suicune can be beaten by 3 players in optimal weather, with max friendship and perfect level 40 counters or by 5 unfriended players using level 20 counters from this guide. When caught, Suicune will be between 1627 and 1704 CP without a weather boost. In Rainy weather, Suicune will be between 2033 and 2130 CP when caught.

Raikou

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Raikou is the best counter due to no Ice Weakness and has great bulk to boot.

Raikou was recently available during its Raid Day, so hopefully you are holding onto a good one right now. That said, it is a legendary Pokemon, which are expensive to get candy for.

Thunder Shock Raikou with 15 attack IVs and Best Friend Bonus will notably improve at level 27.5

Electivire

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Electabuzz is available from “Use a Super Effective Charged attack in 7 Gym battles” quests, and does appear in nests, but hasn’t been featured much in events. You also need a Sinnoh Stone to evolve, which can be acquired at random from trainer battles.

Thunder Shock Electivire with 15 attack IVs and Best Friend Bonus, will notably improve at level 26.

Magnezone

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Resistant to both its Extrasensory and Ice Beam.

Magnezone evolves from Magnemite which is a nesting species that has been in raids in the past. Magnemite can also be found in Nests. It requires being evolved underneath a Magnetic Lure Module which can be purchased from the shop for 200 coins. These Lure Modules also have a chance to spawn Magnemite.

Spark Magnezone with 15 attack IVs and Best Friend Bonus and will notably improve at level 28.5.

Roserade

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Weak to both Extrasensory and Ice Beam.

Roserade evolves from Roselia, a very accessible Pokemon in the most common biomes. Roserade requires a Sinnoh Stone to evolve, which can be acquired (at random) after your first Trainer Battle each day. Roselia candy shouldn’t be too tough to get and they can often be found weather boosted during the common Sunny and Cloudy weathers.

Razor Leaf Roserade with 15 attack IVs and Best Friend Bonus and will notably improve at level 23,27, and 32.5

Zapdos

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Weak to Ice Beam

Zapdos is a legendary Pokemon so it’s not that easy to aquire, but has been featured as a 7 Day Field Research reward, and has gotten a Legendary Raid Day as well. That’s when it got its Legacy Move of Thunder Shock.

Thunder Shock Zapdos with 15 attack IVs and Best Friend Bonus, will notably improve at level 25.

Luxray Vs.

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐☆☆☆

Luxray evolves from Shinx, which is a raid and egg (10k) exclusive Pokemon. This makes it quite the pain to evolve, and it’s always aquired at level 20 (or 25 if caught during rain). Shinx raids have become a staple however and are pretty reliable, and are Tier 1 raids doable by almost anyone. Shinx as a Buddy acquires a candy every 5km, which is better than legendary Pokemon but still not great.

Spark Luxray with 15 attack IVs and Best Friend Bonus and will notably improve at level 23.

Alternative Suicune Counters

Sceptile

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Sceptile’s community day was in March (2019), which is relatively recent in terms of community days so hopefully you’ve got a good one. 

Venusaur

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐☆☆☆

Poison Duel Typing means its weak to Extrasensory.

Venusaurs community day was back in March (…2018), which is quite awhile ago at this point. It also returned in December 2018 for the end of the year community day event.

Breloom

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Fighting Duel Typing means it’s weak to Extrasensory. Legacy Breloom was only available in January (2019).

Mewtwo

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Resistant to Extrasensory, but weak to Bite.

Mewtwo is pretty inaccessible as the useful form hasn’t been released recently. Luckily, the moveset isn’t exclusive to its EX raid period! Trading for one is probably the most likely way you’d be able to get one of these, and you can use the candy you got from catching Armored Mewtwo to power it up.

Exeggutor

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Resistant to Extrasensory, but weak to Bite.

Exeggutor is relatively easy to acquire. You can get Exeggcute from Nests, “Hatch an Egg” quests, and as a common spawn in accessible biomes (possibly with the common Sunny weather boost). Exeggcute also spawn from Mossy Lire Modules. In addition, Exeggutor has been a classical Tier 2 Raid Boss. 

Exeggutor – Alola

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Dragon typing doubles its Grass features. It double resists water, but is double weak to ice.

Alolan Exeggutor is notably the second best counter in terms of Total Damage Output, behind Palkia (which didn’t even make this list). In practice however, he does phenomenally against the 3 Water Movesets, but should not be used against Ice Beam due to double weakness. 

Alolan Exeggutor was very common upon its initial release but since then has been more tough to get. Unlike many Alolan Pokemon, he is available in the wild and not Alolan eggs. It is pretty uncommon as a spawn however. In Pokemon Go it does not evolve from Exeggcute, and can only be found evolved. They were at least nice enough to hardcode it to give 5 candies when caught (like other evolution Pokemon). Alolan Exeggutor has been found both as a Tier 2 and Tier 4 Raid Boss in the past.

Leafeon

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Leafeon evolves from Eevee, which is a nesting species, who has also been featured in community day, AND in many many events. Eevee is also just a decently common Pokemon in general, with even increased spawns in Partly Cloudy weather which is fairly common. If all else fails, you can acquire a shiny Eevee from the “Jump Start” Special Research quest part 4/6. Eevee is also a quest reward for the “Evolve a Pokemon” Field Research quests. “A Ripple in Time” Special Research also rewards a normal Eevee in both part 3 and part 4. After acquiring enough Eevee candy, Leafeon can be acquired in one of two ways: either you get a Mossy Lure Module and evolve Eevee while within its boundaries, or you use a ONE TIME USE naming trick, naming your Eevee “Linnea” prior to evolving. Leafeon do not spawn in the wild ever.

Jolteon

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jolteon evolves from Eevee, which is a nesting species who has also been featured in community day, AND in many many events. Eevee is also just a decently common Pokemon in general, with even increased spawns in Partly Cloudy weather which is fairly common. If all else fails, you can acquire a shiny Eevee from the “Jump Start” Special Research quest part 4/6. Eevee is also a quest reward for the “Evolve a Pokemon” Field Research quests. “A Ripple in Time” Special Research also rewards a normal Eevee in both part 3 and part 4. After acquiring enough Eevee candy, Jolteon can be acquired in one of two ways: Either, you evolve normally and have a 1/3 chance to get a Jolteon, or you use a ONE TIME USE naming trick, naming your Eevee “Sparky” prior to evolving.

Tangrowth

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Tangela has been a Tier 3 raid boss, and also spawn from Mossy Lure Modules. Tangela has been available in “Evolve 2 Grass-type Pokemon” quests. Outside of that though, Tangela are not a common wild spawn and do not nest. To Evolve into Tangrowth, you need a Sinnoh Stone, which can be acquired (at random) from your first Trainer Battle each day.

Victreebel

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Weak to Extrasensory.

Victreebel evolves from Bellsprout which is a decently common Pokemon. They also spawn from Mossy Lure Modules, and Victreebel has been a Tier 4 Raid Boss. The “Use 5 Berries to help catch Pokemon” Quest rewards a Weepinbell.

Deoxys

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐☆☆☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐☆☆☆☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐☆☆☆☆

Resistant to Extrasensory, but weak to Bite.

Deoxys is currently limited to EX Raids. To get invited to an EX raid you need to Raid at EX Gyms (there will be a label in the bottom right corner of the gym screen). Niantic has not been consistent with what day of the weak Invites go out, but generally there are a wave each week., and they come for everyone at the same time. If you know someone going to one of these Raids, they can invite 1 friend if their friendship level is at least “Ultra Friend.” Deoxys forms cannot be traded at this time.

Shiftry

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐☆☆☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Double resistant to Extrasensory, and normal resistance to Bite.

Shiftry evolves from Seedot, which are common in a variety of areas. Shiftry itself has also existed as a Tier 4 raid boss. It also gets weather boosted from the very common Sunny weather.

Magneton

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐☆☆☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Resistant to Extrasensory and Ice Beam.

Magneton evolves from Magnemite which is a nesting species that has been in raids in the past. Magnemite can also be found in Nests. The Magnetic Lure Modules also have a chance to spawn Magnemite.

Manectric

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Manectric evolves from Electrike which is a decently common spawn, especially in rainy weather. 

Carnivine

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐☆☆☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐☆☆☆☆

Carnivine is a Region-Exclusive Pokemon. The very definition of inaccessible if you are outside a handful of South-East American states. 

Torterra

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐☆☆☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Double weak to Ice, and has it’s Water resistance canceled out.

Turtrigs are decently common pokemon, and you can also acquire one from the “Jump Start”  Special Research, Part 4/6. it has an upcoming community day, but that won’t happen in time for Suicune.

Golem – Alola

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐☆☆☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Weak to Water.

Alolan Geodudes can be found in the wild and in 7k eggs. To get a 7k egg. 7k Eggs are added at random from opening gifts when you have an open Egg Inventory Slot, and when hatched will be marked as the location where the Gift originated from. Alolan Geodudes were incredibly common during the 3rd Anniversary Pokemon Go Event. Alolan Geodudes spawn from Magnetic Lure Modules as well.

Tangela

⚔️ Raw Damage: ⭐☆☆☆☆
🛡️ Survival/Bulk: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
📉 Consistency: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌐 Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Tangela has been a Tier 3 raid boss, and also spawn from Mossy Lure Modules. Tangela has been available in “Evolve 2 Grass-type Pokemon” quests. Outside of that though, Tangela are not a common wild spawn and do not nest. 

Closing Thoughts

Suicune might not be a particularly powerful water type attacker, but its got a stunning shiny coming with 3k stardust per raid. Suicune’s going to be a challenge compared to the previous beasts, so be sure to come prepared and make sure your teammates are as well! 

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