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Nihilego

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Nihilego Raid Counter Guide
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Nihilego Raid Duo Guide

Table of Contents

Shiny Variant Not Available
  • Original
  • Shiny

Pokemon Ratings

Attacker Tier List See all B+
Great League PVP Rating See all 0 / 5
Ultra League PVP Rating See all 2 / 5
Master League PVP Rating See all 2.5 / 5

Pokemon Stats

Type
55.50 kg Weight
1.20 m Height
Pokemon Max CP
Level 50: 4,465
Level 40: 3,949
Level 25: 2,821 (Raid + Weather)
Level 20: 2,256 (Raid)
Level 15: 1,692 (Research Tasks)
ATK 249
DEF 210
STA 240

PVE Movesets Grades

Quick Charge ATK DEF
Poison Jab
Sludge Bomb
A
Poison Jab
Gunk Shot
B
Pound
Sludge Bomb
B-
Show Suboptimal/Unranked Movesets

PVE Offensive Moves Explanation

  • Poison Jab is Nihilego's best Fast Attack. Acid is very slightly worse.
  • Pound lacks STAB and can't be Super Effective against anything. 
  • Sludge Bomb is the best Charge Move for offense, with more flexibility as a 2-bar move.
  • Gunk Shot is less consistent as a 1-bar move.
  • Rock Slide is better for Rock-type Pokemon.
  • Power Gem sucks. 

PVE Overview

Nihilego paves the way for the introduction of Ultra Beasts into Pokemon Go, with huge stats and an interesting typing. It is the best Poison attacker in the game, but this utility is rather limited and mayb be outclassed by other types. For areas with frequent cloudy weather (or when a Mega Evolved Poison-type Pokemon is in play), Nihilego can be one of the top options for taking down Fairy-type bosses.

PVP Movesets Grades

Quick Charge ATK
Poison Jab
Sludge Bomb
Rock Slide
A

PvP Moveset Explanation

Poison Jab + Rock Slide and Sludge Bomb or Gunk Shot

Poison Jab is a solid Fast Attack, providing above average damage and energy generation. Acid and Pound are both very poor moves.

Rock Slide is Nihilego's best Charged Attack, dealing good damage and having a moderately cheap energy cost. Sludge Bomb costs a moderate amount of energy, and benefits from STAB to deal respectable damage. Gunk Shot's high cost might seem like a strange move to consider, but Nihilego can often already perform its job simply with Poison Jab and Rock Slide. As such, Gunk Shot can be used simply as a surprise burst damage option. Power Gem has no real use because it has both lower DPE and higher energy cost than Rock Slide.

PvP Rating Explanation

Great League: N/A

Nihilego's CP is too high for this league. 

Ultra League: 3 / 5

Nihilego has decent stats for a CP capped Ultra League, with a unique Poison/Rock typing that makes it very vulnerable to Ground-type attacks. Nihilego's matchups can be polarizing, completely dominating Fairy- and Flying-type Pokemon, but being completely helpless against Steel- and Ground-type Pokemon.

Master League: 3.5 / 5

Narrowly avoiding the 9% stat tax, Nihilego boasts very high stats and unique corebreaking potential courtesy of its typing. It is the best Zacian counter in the game, being able to destroy it from full HP entirely with Poison Jab damage. Nihilego also dispatches other Fairy- and Flying-type Pokemon without breaking a sweat. And that's not all - Nihilego's stats and strong moveset lets it even go toe to toe against Giratina-O, despite Poison Jab being resisted.

It is worth remembering once again that Nihilego's typing is a double-edged sword. While it provides a unique offensive combination, it is saddled by unsalvageable weaknesses. The Master League is home to numerous Steel- and Ground-type Pokemon that can effortlessly wall Nihilego, and Pokemon like Mewtwo and Kyogre give further complications. Nihilego is not the easiest Pokemon to slot into a team, and may find itself being a little reliant on alignment or team composition to make progress.

Fast Moves

9
Acid
More Info

Poison

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
0.80
0.20
10.00
11.25
14.06
7
Pound
More Info

Normal

.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
0.60
0.20
10.00
11.67
14.58
10
Poison Jab
More Info

Poison

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
0.80
0.60
8.75
12.50
15.63

Charge Moves

80
Sludge Bomb
More Info

Poison

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
2.30
1.00
0.00
 1.60
34.78
43.48
 55.65
130
Gunk Shot
More Info

Poison

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
3.10
1.00
0.00
 1.30
41.94
52.42
 54.52
80
Rock Slide
More Info

Rock

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
2.70
1.10
0.00
 1.60
29.63
37.04
 47.41
80
Power Gem
More Info

Rock

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
2.90
0.75
0.00
 1.60
27.59
34.48
 44.14

Secondary Charge Move Unlock Cost

Candy
Stardust

Other

Buddy Distance 5 km

Pokemon Type Chart

Vulnerable

256% damage
160% damage
160% damage
160% damage

Resistant

62.5% damage
62.5% damage
62.5% damage
62.5% damage
62.5% damage
39.1% damage

Related Articles

Nihilego Joining Five-Star Raids
Nihilego and its Place in the Meta
The Ultra Beasts: Speculation on Future Viability
Niantic Teases the Release of Ultra Beasts

Pokemon Min/Max CP Values

How to use: You need to know your Pokemon's exact level. To find exactly what level your Pokémon is, power up your Pokémon following this chart until you're certain of your level from Stardust cost changes.

A Pokémon's minimum level is 1.

Every time you power up, your Pokémon gains half a level.

StardustLevelMin CPMax CP
20014955
2001.5102115
2002154175
2002.5207234
4003260294
4003.5312353
4004365413
4004.5418473
6005470532
6005.5523592
6006576651
6006.5629711
8007681771
8007.5734830
8008787890
8008.5839949
100098921009
10009.59451069
1000109971128
100010.510471185
13001110971241
130011.511471298
13001211971354
130012.512471410
16001312971467
160013.513461523
16001413961580
160014.514461636
19001514961692
190015.515461749
19001615961805
190016.516461862
22001716951918
220017.517451974
22001817952031
220018.518452087
25001918952144
250019.519452200
25002019952256
250020.520442313
30002120942369
300021.521442426
30002221942482
300022.522442539
35002322942595
350023.523442651
35002423942708
350024.524442764
40002524932821
400025.525432877
40002625932934
400026.526432990
45002726933046
450027.527433103
45002827933159
450028.528433216
50002928933272
500029.529423329
50003029923385
500030.530173413
60003130423441
600031.530673470
60003230923498
600032.531173526
70003331423554
700033.531673582
70003431923611
700034.532173639
80003532423667
800035.532673695
80003632913723
800036.533163752
90003733413780
900037.533663808
90003833913836
900038.534163864
100003934413893
1000039.534663921
100004034913949
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