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.

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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.

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