Over the last year I've been playing a looot of Pokemon Go. I've seen rebalances, legacy movesets, events, and now, most exciting of all, Legendary Raids.
I think raids are probably the most exciting addition to the game so far. I often find myself joining nearby raids just to lend a hand and maybe get some TMs or rare candy. I think it's really brought the community together, and it's been fun to meet new players.
However, I know some people haven't had the best luck in raids for the current legendary in the rotation, Articuno. Be it plain old RNG or just not being able to make many raids, some players are getting a little worried that they may not get one before time is up.
In light of this, I've put together a quick guide for those of you who may be having some trouble with raids or just want to make the most of the last day of Articuno. Hopefully this'll give you guys a bit of an extra edge in ensuring you can finish those raids that have a small number of people, and maybe help you get a damage bonus for a couple extra balls too. Let's begin:
Don't use the autoselect!
When you first enter the raid lobby, 6 Pokemon will have been selected for you. Convenient, right? Actually, it's about the most frustrating aspect of raiding (From a game mechanics perspective anyway). Long story short, PoGo picks your lineup based on which Pokemon will have the best endurance in the raid, which would be great, IF you didn't have a time limit. Going into battle with Chansey or Blissey in your lineup puts the whole raid at risk of running out of time before you get your target's HP down to 0. Plan in advance which Pokemon you're going to use before you enter the lobby so you're not stuck rushing to figure it out. I'd recommend changing the name so they're easy to find in a search too. I'd do at least 12 so you have backups if your first group faints.
Speaking of which pokemon to use...
Learn Your Counters!
By now, most people have a good idea of type effectiveness, but some Pokemon, and some Pokemon moves, are more effective than others. Studying this list is a great way to get started. However, if you don't have the right mons or moves, just remember, there are other Pokemon that will work in a pinch, just check the moves to make sure they have ones that counter the type of the Pokemon you're after. In Articuno's case, most Fire or Electric will work in a pinch. You can use Magmar, Electabuzz, even Rapidash or Raichu. Just make sure they have the right type moves.
If it's other Legendaries you're after or even lower level raids, the same idea still applies. Take some time to look in your Pokemon storage to find some mons with the right type of moves in advance to fill out your lineup going into the raid.
Now that you have your counters set up, it's time to talk about...
Getting the Damage Bonus.
I'm sure you've noticed that you can get bonus Premiere Balls depending on how you and your team perform during the raid. Having a few extra balls can really increase your chance of catching that Legendary, so it's important to try to get those bonus chances, not to mention better rewards like TMs and Rare Candies.
Something you should know about the way damage is calculated: If your team faints and you have to re-enter the battle with a new team, your bonus damage is reset to 0. What's this mean? Well, this means an experienced player can go in with six of the best pokemon, fight almost all the way to the end, and if he or she ends up fainting out and needs to re-enter, they'll get almost no bonus at all! What to do? Well if you're in a big group (12 or more), you can put your tankiest Pokemon in the last slot to help you hold out until the end. However, if you have a smaller group, you run the risk of not completing the raid at all! Instead, assume you're going to faint out, pick your 6 weakest counters to run in the first time, and then pick your six toughest after they faint. This will help make sure that you get credit for as much damage as possible while still contributing enough damage to complete the raid before the time limit is up.
Hopefully this extra info will help you catch that legendary Pokemon. Good luck out there!
