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Nihilego Raid Duo Guide

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Tier 5 Raid Boss Guides
Nihilego
Difficulty:

Easy at trainer level 30 with optimized counters or weather boost

HP15,000 ATK196.78 DEF189.67
CP Range
Lvl 20 2167 - 2256 Lvl 25 2709 - 2821

Notable Weather

Boosts Boss's Moves Boosts Counters' Moves
Partly Cloudy, Cloudy Snow, Sunny / Clear, Rain, Windy

Fast Move Difficulty

Move Difficulty
Acid Easy
Pound Easy

Charge Move Difficulty

Move Difficulty
Sludge Bomb Intermediate
Gunk Shot Easy
Rock Slide Intermediate
Power Gem Intermediate

Overview

Nihilego is the first of the Ultra Beasts, and it sits in a precarious position. With solid base stats and a few potentially dangerous moves, for all the world it Nihilego should be at least a bit of a pain to raid.... but we're living in the post-Primal world, where the Ground Types that can prey on its double-weakness are a genuine threat, so it's actually not that hard to take down in practice, in fact it's pretty easy with the right counters, and could be soloed with a Primal Groudon in sunny weather if you're good at dodging and extremely fast at getting back into the battle once it faints.

Approach

Team composition

  • Ground Type Pokemon are the name of the game. That double-weakness combined with a resistance to all but one of Nihilego's attacks gives them a huge edge.

  • Primal Groudon is the king of this raid, absolutely annihilating Nihilego with its deadly STAB moves.

Battling strategy

  • The vast majority of Nihilego's attacks are resisted by the vast majority of Nihilego's top counters, so dodging shouldn't be a huge deal. The main exception is Gunk Shot, which deals decent damage to its counters and is pretty easy to dodge, so a few well-timed dodges here can put a huge dent in Nihilego.

Best Raid Boss Counters

Supreme Mega Evolution Counters

Primal Groudon Primal Groudon
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The Ground Type attacker, Primal Groudon crushes Nihilego, to the point where it's possible to make a solo run in Sunny weather. If you've got this monster ready to go and one or two other players, then this raid won't be much of a challenge.

Good Mega Evolution Counters

Mega Swampert Mega Swampert
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If you don't have Primal Groudon, then Mega Swampert is still a really strong counter that's very much worth having on your team. Its high mix of DPS and TDO makes it a great option to fill your Mega Evolution needs.

Supreme Counters

Shadow Garchomp Shadow Garchomp
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Shadow Garchomp is a titanic force in this raid, utilizing its outstanding resistances and near-apex DPS to deal huge damage to Nihilego. This is the strongest non-Mega counter for this raid, and should be the priority if you're lucky enough to have one or two good ones.

ShadowSwine Shadow Mamoswine
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If you're lucky enough to have a good Shadow Mamoswine, TM it to Ground Type moves and turn it loose here. It doesn't actually resist Rock Type moves due to its Ice sub-typing, but it's still a huge DPS option to say the least. 

Excadrill Excadrill
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This humble little mole is definitely one of the VIPs of this fight. It resists literally every move that Nihilego can throw at it, even going so far as to double resist Rock and triple resist Poison. Add to that high DPS, and this is definitely a whole-package Pokemon that's worth having on any Nihilego raid team!

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Even if you don't Mega Evolve Groudon, it's still got the sheer power needed to act as one of the best counters for this raid. 

Shadow-Golurk Shadow Golurk
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Easily overlooked in the face of the other power-house options on this list, Shadow Golurk has a surprisingly solid presence in this raid. It resists Rock and double-resists Poison, meaning it's a great mix of DPS and TDO to help knock this raid down a peg.

Rhyperior Rhyperior
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While definitely lower on the DPS scale when compared to the competition, Rhyperior's tremendous TDO combines with its still-duo-worthy DPS to make it one of the most reliable counters for this raid.

Good Counters

Garchomp Garchomp
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One of the overall power-house Ground Types, Garchomp definitely puts in some great work here! It has a solid mix of survivability and DPS to make it a great all-around option.

Shadow-Golem Shadow Golem
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Shadow Golem is basically a worse Rhyperior for this raid, but it's still a strong option that can put in the work.

Landorus (Therian Forme) Landorus (Therian Forme)
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A power-house of a Pokemon that can easily keep up with the shadows, Landorus' Therian form will definitely put in the work here. However, its lower bulk, especially against Rock Type movesets which it takes neutral damage from, leaves it a bit below the other top Ground Types for this raid. It's great, but not a top pick.

Mamoswine Mamoswine
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One of the classic raiders, Mamoswine will be a staple for many long-time players for this raid. It's a simple matter of switching them to Ground Type moves and tearing into Nihilego with abandon.

Landorus (Incarnate Forme) Landorus (Incarnate Forme)
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The other Landorus. Often overlooked as it flies in the shadow of its more bestial self, but it's still a very good Pokemon in its own right that can put in the work for this raid!

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Golurk, much like its Shadow forme, is easily overlooked but very strong in its own right.

ShadowSwampert Shadow Swampert
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Have a good Shadow Swampert? Well, now's it's time to shine! Its Water sub-typing doesn't hurt or hinder it, but it's an all-around solid choice nonetheless! 

ShadowMetagross Shadow Metagross
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One of the absolute strongest Pokemon in the game, and it's all the way down here. This really says something for just how strong that 2x weakness really is! Shadow Metagross can put in the work with its 2x Poison resist and resistance to Normal Type moves, but most Ground Types do a better job.

Shadow Mewtwo Shadow Mewtwo
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Shadow Mewtwo is surprisingly strong despite lacking any Ground Type moves, but the ability to hit Nihilego for a 1x Super Effective Psystrike still hurts a lot! It's mainly down this far due to its comparatively low TDO.

Raid Graph