Pokemon Go Moltres counters and how to beat the legendary fire bird in raids

Pokemon Go Moltres counters
(Image credit: Niantic)

The best Pokemon Go Moltres counters are essential information to know, as like Articuno and Zapdos before it, Moltres offers a chance at a powerful Legendary Pokemon to use in battle for any Pokemon Go trainer. With Moltres returning to Raids, it’s a great time to catch as many as possible in hopes of obtaining one with high stats or an elusive Shiny. Of course, it won’t be that easy to defeat and catch this Kanto region Legendary.

However, if you put the work in and find a few friends, Moltres can be taken down easily in Pokemon Go and we are here to help. This guide will give all the information trainers needs to know about Moltres including what moves it will use and the best Pokemon Go Moltres counters for defeating it, and a little insight in how to find a Shiny Moltres in Pokemon Go.

Pokemon Go Moltres counters

Pokemon Go Moltres counters

(Image credit: Niantic)
Moltres Key Info

Type: Fire/Flying
Weaknesses: Rock (x2), Water, Electric
Resistances: Fighting, Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Fairy
Boosted Weather: Sunny/Windy
100% IVs: 1980 (L20) / 2475 (L25)

Moltres is a Fire and Flying-type Pokemon, which means it is weak to Electric, Water and Rock-type attacks. However, using Rock-type moves will deal four times the damage to Moltres, so trainers really should consider bringing a team of stone boys to defeat the Legendary Pokemon with ease.

Currently, the only Rock-type Mega is Mega Aerodactly and it will help deal a ton of damage to Moltres, as well as boost the Rock moves of your other Rock-type Pokemon. It’s the cornerstone for any Rock-type team.

Trainers could use an Electric team with either Mega Manectric or Mega Ampharos holding the Mega slot down. The same can be said of Mega Blastoise and bringing an all-Water team. But we really do recommend just going in with just all Rock types.

With that in mind, the Rock-type Pokemon trainers should use include Pokemon like Tyranitar, Rampardos and Rhyperior. Not only do they have high attack power, but they have access to powerful Rock moves that will certainly put the hurt on the Fire and Flying-type Legendary.

Here’s a list of possible counters to use against Moltres in Pokemon Go.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Moltres counters in Pokemon Go
PokemonMoveset
Mega AerodactylRock Throw and Rock Slide
RampardosSmack Down and Rock Slide
RhyperiorSmack Down and Rock Wrecker
TyranitarSmack Down and Rock Slide
GigalithSmack Down and Rock Slide
Alolan GolemRollout and Stone Edge
Mega BlastoiseWater Gun and Hydro Cannon
Mega ManectricCharge Beam and Wild Charge
TyrantrumRock Throw and Stone Edge
ZekromCharge Beam and Wild Charge

Pokemon Go Moltres moveset

Pokemon Go Moltres counters

(Image credit: Niantic)

Moltres has two different potential Fast Attacks, one being Fire Spin (a Fire move) and Wing Attack (a Flying move). Both attacks will barely deal damage to Rock-type Pokemon, which is another reason why a team of them is optimal.

Electric types would resist Moltres’ Flying moves while Water types will resist its Fire attacks, so if that’s the team you’re going with it’s not completely lost.

As for Moltres’ Charged Attacks, there are four options. There are three Fire moves (Overheat, Fire Blast and Heat Wave) and one Rock move (Ancient Power). Again, Rock types will resist Moltres’ Fire moves but won’t resist Ancient Power unless its secondary typing does, like Rhyperior’s Ground typing.

Electric and Water types won’t resist Ancient Power either unless their secondary typing does as well. However, there’s such a huge probability that the Moltres you face will have a Fire Charged Attack that trainers shouldn’t think about Ancient Power too much.

Here are Moltres’ moves trainers will encounter in Pokemon Go Raids.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Moltres moves in Pokemon Go
Fast MovesCharged Moves
Fire SpinOverheat
Wing AttackFire Blast
Row 2 - Cell 0 Heat Wave
Row 3 - Cell 0 Ancient Power

How to catch a shiny Moltres in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go Moltres counters

(Image credit: Niantic)

Shiny Moltres – like all the other legendaries on the Pokemon Go shiny list – has much higher odds of showing up after a successful raid than a standard wild Pokemon encounter being shiny. You have a 5% chance of Moltres being shiny during the catch phase, and if you are lucky enough to find one, use a Pinap Berry rather than a Golden Razz because it has a 100% catch chance, as long as you land your throw.

Trainers will have more chances to find a Shiny Moltres on July 20 when from 6-7 p.m. local time every Raid will house a Moltres. That will give trainers as many chances to battle and catch Moltres as possible, as long as they have a Raid Pass.

Phillip Martinez

I'm currently a GamesRadar guide contributor with a specialty in everything Pokemon GO. If you've wanted to know the best way to take down a Rayquaza, there's a good chance you read one of my guides. I previously have written for IBT Media, Newsweek and Screen Rant. I'm a huge fighting game fan and everything Pokemon, but I've grown to love RPGs.

With contributions from
Read more
A Flareon in a top hat from the Pokemon anime
Pokemon streamer beats the hardest challenge the RPG offers after 4,000 attempts over 15 months, all thanks to the Flareon that could
Palkia ex in Pokemon TCG Pocket, between Vaporeon and Manaphy
Pokemon TCG Pocket best decks tier list (March 2025)
Lapras seen in the Pokemon anime.
Former Pokemon world champ uses a "stupid strategy" that "should never work" to transform a Lapras into an OHKO machine so powerful it can even take out enemies in alternate dimensions
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
A single frame in the new Pokemon Legends Z-A trailer gives hardcore shiny hunters and Nuzlocke runners hope for a huge quality-of-life change
Zoomed in art of the Sudowoodo illustration rare card in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
Pokemon's literal god of the universe is almost unstoppable in TCG Pocket – the only thing that can save us is a smiley tree and a concussed dinosaur
Palkia ex in Pokemon TCG Pocket, between Vaporeon and Manaphy
Best Palkia ex deck build in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Latest in Pokemon
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A is the first game its lead has directed, and he's focused on making the RPG a "good one" as it reportedly continues through its "final fine-tuning phase"
Psyduck looking stressed next to Misty
Pokemon streamer builds a controller so bad that it takes them a full 80 minutes to walk to FireRed's first city
Pokemon Horizons: The Series
New Pokemon leak reveals a surprise first for the next chapter of the anime series – and it fixes a complaint fans have had for over 25 years
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot of a Mega Lucario standing in a street.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A is breaking years of tradition to get 10+ age rating, and I think I might know why
Pokemon Go players brace for the worst as Niantic is sold off for $3.5 billion: "This game is entering its death knell"
Pokemon Go player trying to catch a Croagunk
Pokemon Go developer Niantic is being bought for $3.5 billion, CEO says it'll help its games be "'forever games' that will endure for future generations"
Latest in Guides
Chris Pratt in The Electric State
The Electric State post-credits scene: does the Russo brothers' new Netflix movie have a post-credits scene?
FC 25
FC 25 Season 6 Ladder Players list and how to unlock them all
Fortnite Gold Veins
Fortnite Gold Veins: How to mine them for Bars
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 locker codes guide to free MyFaction cards
A Sim draws a tattoo in The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies
The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies cheats for small business success
Fortnite Outlaw Keycard
Fortnite Outlaw Keycard: How to unlock it and what does it do