Niantic has finally released legendary bird Moltres to the public! Here are some strategies to prepare yourself and your team for the fight to catch a Moltres.
Luckily, Moltres is not going to be nearly as difficult to defeat as Articuno. Players suggest they can do it with four or five good players, and easily with the average 7-10 players needed to win a fight with an Articuno.
More good news: If you caught an Articuno, you may be able to use it to your advantage, although many Pokemon are more effective in your lineup. Pokemon you should not include in your team are bug, ice, fairy, steel, and fighting type Pokemon.
Moltres are weak to ground, water, electric, ice, and have a double weakness to rock. The best counters include Omastar, Tyranitar, Golem, Vaporeon, and surprisingly, Sudowoodo.
Here is the breakdown of some of the best counters.
1. Omastar
Fast move: Rock Throw
Charge move: Rock Slide
Omastar will have some of the best survivability, since it is resistant to fire. Any combination of double rock moves works best, but will still be effective as a counter if it has a water move.
2. Golem
Fast Move: Rock Throw
Charge Move: Stone Edge
This will have a little less survivability than Tyranitar, but a higher damage output if you have the double rock moves.
3. Tyranitar
Fast Move: Bite
Charge Move: Stone Edge
Even though it does not have a double rock move set, it has a huge CP and overall damage output advantage.
4. Vaporeon
Fast Move: Water Gun
Charge Move: Hydro Pump
For water Pokemon, Vaporeon is the best counter. They have high CP, are fairly easy to get, and always have decent movesets.
5. Kingdra
Fast Move: Water Gun
Charge Move: Hydro Pump
Kingdra has less survivability, but it is still comparable in effectiveness to Vaporeon.
6. Kabutops
Fast Move: Fury Cutter
Charge Move: Ancient Power
Less effective than other contenders, but still top 6. Fury Cutter / Stone Edge is also a good moveset.
7. Dragonite
Fast Move: Dragon Tail
Charge Move: Outrage
If you don’t already have a team assembled from the other six, Dragonite is always a great counter and made No. 7 on the list.
For other top counters, use Rhydon, Gyarados, Feraligatr, and Sudowoodo. If you don’t have any of the listed Pokemon, stick to the weakness typing and you should still be good in a larger group of players.
Capturing Moltres
Niantic has raised the base percentage of catching legendary Pokemon from 2 percent to 3 percent (oh, boy). If you use a Razz Berry and get a great throw, it increases to 6.5 percent. Using a Golden Razz Berry with a great throw will get you an 11 percent catch rate, which is pretty good comparatively. The best chances you have are when you use a Golden Razz Berry and get an excellent curveball, where you will have a 23 percent catch rate.
The best way to actually get a ball to hit Moltres, if you are having trouble, is to throw the ball as the bird is ending its attack sequence, before you see the circle reappear around the target Pokemon. For many players on Android phones, it is nearly impossible to hit if Moltres is up in the air when you throw a primer ball. The best bet for those players, like myself, is to wait until they return to the ground.
Do not get discouraged if you do not actually capture the Pokemon within the first few raids. You will have one week to get your hands on a Moltres, which means at least seven free tries. Keep calm and battle on!
