Introduction
On December 17th, Virizion will be taking over the raid scene in Pokemon GO. Virizion is the final member of the Swords of Justice trio. However, there is a mysterious fourth member we have yet to see, the mythic Pokemon Keldeo. It’ll be interesting to see if Keldeo will make it into the general raid pool, will be event-based, or will become an EX raid boss as the mythical Pokemon haven't had consistent treatment.
Keldeo aside, Virizion is a Grass/Fighting dual-type Pokemon, making it doubly weak to Flying-type attacks. Mewtwo can stay home because this fight is for the birds. The article below details just which Flying-types best counter Virizion as well as Virizion’s use in the meta.
Counters
Source: @RyanSwag
The best counters to the Virizion raid are Moltres and Rayquaza. Due to Virizion’s doubled up weakness to Flying-type attacks, Moltres and Rayquaza function best with their dual Flying-type movesets Wing Attack + Sky Attack and Air Slash + Aerial Ace. Overall, dual flying Moltres soars ahead of Rayquaza, but if you’re lacking the event exclusive move Sky Attack, Moltres’s performance falls below other optimal options.
The next best counters after Moltres and Rayquaza are Honchkrow and Unfezant, both with dual Flying-type movesets. Yes, these ultra common birds finally have a purpose! What makes these birds stand above the rest of the flock are their superior stat spreads and access to Sky Attack. By level 30, both have the performance of a maxed-out Psystrike Mewtwo in this matchup. Therefore, even with sub-optimal IV spreads, these common Pokemon will perform far better than near any other Pokemon.
Breakpoints and Bulkpoints
It’s not mandatory to hit these breakpoints or bulkpoints, but they are the levels where your attacker will have a noticeable improvement in their performance. If you are unfamiliar with what a breakpoint or bulkpoint is, we suggest checking out our guides on breakpoints and bulkpoints. If you’re curious about the breakpoints of other Pokemon or fast moves, you can find them using our breakpoint tool. You can find your Pokemon’s unique bulkpoints using our bulkpoint tool as well.
Weather boosts will also affect the breakpoints of Pokemon. We have noted the relevant breakpoints for weather boosted Pokemon down below. Friendship will also influence breakpoints. This article will assume a best friend status as you will need friends to take this boss down.
| Pokemon | Breakpoints | Weather | Bulkpoints |
|---|---|---|
| Moltres, Wing Attack | 23.5, 27.5, 33.5 | 25.5🎐, 29🎐, 35🎐 | 34.5, 36.5, 38.5 |
| Rayquaza, Air Slash | 26.5, 28.5, 31, 35.5 | 28🎐, 30🎐, 33🎐, 37🎐 | 27.5 |
| Honchkrow | 25, 28.5, 33.5 | 27.5🎐, 31🎐, 37.5🎐 | 33, 35, 37 |
| Unfezant | 26, 28.5, 32.5, 38 | 28🎐, 30.5🎐, 35, 40🎐 | 28.5, 30, 33.5, 35.5 |
| Mewtwo, Confusion | 29.5, 34, 39 | 29.5🎐, 33🎐, 37🎐 | 32 |
| Mewtwo, Psycho Cut | 29.5, 34, 39 | 29.5🎐, 33🎐, 37🎐 |
Use in Meta
For raid content, there is no hope for Virizion to stand out with its 192 attack stat. However, Virizion isn’t terrible in PvP. Due to Close Combat’s recent buff and Leaf Blade being one of the greatest moves in PvP, Virizion is only held back by its Fast Moves. While Zen Headbutt is terrible, Quick Attack isn’t that bad. Despite this flaw, Virizion actually stands out in the Ultra League.
The Ultra League is dominated by Giratina and the variety of Steel, Water, Ice, Fairy, and Normal-type Pokemon that counter it. While Virizion is decimated by Giratina, it does a solid job of handling the Pokemon that oppose it (aside from Fairies). Other Fighting-type Pokemon can fill this role but generally have trouble with Blastoise, Swampert, Gyarados, and the future Gen 5 Pokemon Jellicent. Similarly, Virizion does well countering its Fighting-type brethren. Even with Quick Attack holding it back, Virizion is great now in the Ultra League and stands to improve in the future.
Virizion has similar benefits in the Master League, beating down Pokemon that threaten Giratina. However, the Master League highlights more Pokemon that give Virizion trouble such as Dialga, Mewtwo, Dragonite, Lugia, Togekiss, Metagross, and Heatran. There are worse Pokemon to pick for the Master League, but with these threats, Virizion isn’t exactly the best. It could stand a chance down the road with an improved Fast Move, or if its signature attack Sacred Sword can compete with Close Combat, but for now it should probably stick to the Ultra League.
Conclusion
On December 17th, Virizion will complete the current raid rotation as the third member of the Swords of Justice. Given its typing, it will be double weak to Flying-types, allowing some ultra common Pokemon a chance to shine in battle. Honchkrow and Unfeasant are superior options for Trainers who lack dual Flying Moltres and Rayquaza.
Virizion has no raid viability in its future, but it has a spot in PvP. While the Ultra league will be the most viable for this four-legged beast, the Master League may become an option in the future if Niantic continues to add to and adjust movepools. Its Fighting-type advantage allows it to counter non-Fairy Giratina counters. For now, Virizion is most weakened by its sub-par Fast Move options but no one can predict what is going to come down the pipeline.
