This Tapu Koko Raid Guide Counters will help even the most seasoned Pokemon Go player take down one of the Legendary Tapus of the Alola region.
Tapu Koko, of course, is by far the most recognizable of the fourth Tapus of the Gen 7 games and is often regarded as one of the more powerful as its typing and moveset can deal major damage to a number of Pokemon in the game.
Before we go too far into how to actually take down Tapu Koko and the best counters for it, let’s talk about what many Pokemon Go players are looking for.
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Can You Catch Shiny Tapu Koko in Pokemon Go?
The short answer is, yes.
With the latest Crackling Voltage event, Tapu Koko can now appear in Five-Star Raids in its Shiny form.
Shiny Tapu Koko is one of the coolest shinies in all of Pokemon, swapping out its yellow coloring for a meaner-looking black. As with other Shiny Pokemon caught in Raids in Pokemon Go, trainers won’t know they have encountered a Shiny until they have defeated the Raid Pokemon and enter the capture screen.
The Crackling Voltage event will give trainers a higher chance of encountering it in Raids during the duration of the event, but, also, whenever Tapu Koko returns to the Raids in the future it’s Shiny will forever have a chance to be caught.
Tapu Koko Pokemon Go Counters
| Pokemon | Moveset |
|---|---|
| Mega Swampert | Mud Shot and Earthquake |
| Mega Beedrill | Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb/Drill Run |
| Mega Gengar | Lick and Sludge Bomb |
| Rhyperior | Mud Slap and Earthquake |
| Excadrill | Mud Shot and Earthquake |
| Landorus | Mud Shot and Earthquake |
| Groudon | Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb |
| Nidoking | Poison Jab and Earth Power |
| Garchomp | Mud Shot and Earth Power |
| Nihilego | Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb |
Tapu Koko is an Electric and Fairy-type, making it weak to just Ground and Poison-type moves.
Since the introduction of Tapu Koko into Pokemon Go, more Megas have been introduced that will help trainers take down this Legendary with ease.
Mega Steelix was the only Ground-type Mega Pokemon, but now it’s outclassed by Mega Swampert.
The Gen 3 Water-type Starter Pokemon will deal major damage to Tapu Koko with its Ground moves while also giving other Pokemon that use Ground attacks a boost. Of course, Mega Steelix could also be used to give a boost, but its moveset is not the best so if you can use Mega Swampert that’s the Pokemon we recommend.
Pair Mega Swampert with other powerful Ground types like Garchomp, Mamoswine, Rhyperior and Landorus.
If you’re looking to bring powerful Poison types, trainers can use Mega Gengar or Mega Beedrill.
Mega Beedrill will take advantage of Tapu Koko’s Poison weakness and has access to a plethora of moves to weaken the Legendary. Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb are great moves to hit Tapu Koko hard, but it having access to Drill Run gives Beedrill another attacking option. However, be aware that Mega Beedrill is a glass cannon and probably won’t last too long in battle.
While Mega Gengar doesn’t have the Fast Attack to take advantage of its Poison typing, the boost it gives alongside Sludge Bomb is a viable option.
Pokemon like Nihelego and Nidoking also take advantage of their Poison typing.
Here’s a list of viable options to take into battle against Tapu Koko.
Tapu Koko Moveset
| Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|
| Volt Switch | Thunderbolt |
| Quick Attack | Dazzling Gleam |
| Row 2 - Cell 0 | Brave Bird |
| Row 3 - Cell 0 | Thunder |
Tapu Koko’s Fast Attacks consist of the Electric-type Volt Switch and the Normal-type Quick Attack. Ground types will excel against Tapu Koko’s Volt Switch, but Steel and Rock types like Rhyperior, Steelix and Excadrill will resist both attacks.
As for Tapu Koko’s Charged Attacks, Thunderbolt and Thunder are the Legendary’s main STAB attacks. Again, Pokemon like Rhyperior, Steelix, Excadrill and Roserade will resist them. Rock and Steel types will also resist Tapu Koko’s Brave Bird Charged Attack. Its Flying typing does hit Mega Beedrill and Roserade super effectively.
Dazzling Gleam is Tapu Koko’s one Fairy-type move and will damage Pokemon like Rhyperior and Groudon neutrally. It will also deal super effective damage against other Ground types like Garchomp and Krookodile, so be aware of which moves the Legendary has. Steel and Poison types like Steelix, Excadrill, Mega Beedrill and Roserade all resist Dazzling Gleam.
Steelix and Excadrill are the two Pokemon that actually resists all of Tapu Koko’s attacks so it may be useful to bring them into battle.
Oddly enough, Pokemon Go doesn’t have immune typings. Ground types usually are not damaged by Electric moves, but in Pokemon Go they just make it resist so Mega Swampert will still be hit by these attacks, just not effectively. Unfortunately, its Water typing makes Tapu Koko’s Electric attacks hit neutral.
Despite this, Mega Swampert is still the best Ground-type Mega in the game currently. The good outweighs the bad so go with the Starter if you’d like.
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