Pokemon GO: Best counters to take advantage of Shuckle's weaknesses

Shuckle has come to Pokemon GO in a 3-Star Raid Boss. Given its notoriety as having the highest defense stat out of every other Pokemon in the franchise so far, inexperienced players may have difficulties taking on this Raid Battle.

Shuckle debuted in the second generation of the Pokemon franchise. Shuckle was one of the Pokemon to be obtainable through the newly introduced method of encountering Pokemon via smashing rocks which have become a series staple ever since.

Pokemon fans may also remember Conway's Shuckle from the Sinnoh arc, who defeated Ash's Donphan and Noctowl before being defeated by Gible's Draco Meteor.

Players trying to defeat Shuckle in its Raid Battle may need additional information before challenging it. Knowing details like Shuckle's typing, stats, and which Pokemon are best suited for the battle can tip the scales in the player's favour and lead to them winning the war.

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Pokemon GO Raid Guide: Countering Shuckle

Shuckle as it appears in Pokemon Sword and Shield (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Shuckle is a Rock and Bug-type Pokemon. This typing combination cancels a lot of the resistances of the Rock typing, leaving it with only two resistances. Shuckle is weak to Water, Steel, and other Rock-type attacks while resisting Normal and Poison-type attacks.

While this sounds like Shuckle's biggest weakness, Shuckle loses its weakness to Fighting-type attacks and trades it for neutral damage, which helps it given how common Fighting-type attackers are in Pokemon GO.

Shuckle's stats are where things get more interesting. Shuckle has a defense stat of 396, the highest defense stat in the game. While this sounds amazing, every Pokemon GO player will agree that having a high defense does not make a Pokemon good or undefeatable.

A balance between defense and stamina is the key to having the perfect tank Pokemon. Shuckle's stamina stat is only at a shrimpy 85, which leaves it open to supercharged attacks.

Looking towards Pokemon that directly counter Shuckle in Pokemon, any defensive Pokemon does the trick. Shuckle has a terrible attack stat of 17, so any Pokemon with the slightest amount of defensive capabilities can hold its own against Shuckle.

Pokemon like Metagross and Magnezone will be some of the best possible Pokemon to bring this Raid Battle thanks to their Steel typing and great attacking power.

While Shuckle has the most robust defense in the franchise, it has its fair share of weaknesses. Shuckle's defense will make it hard for any player to chip away at its health in the allowed time in Raid Battles, so bringing two to three additional players is recommended.

Powerful Steel-type Pokemon are Shuckle's biggest weakness due to its weakness to Steel-type attacks, but Rock-type Pokemon can serve just as well.