Pokemon GO introduced Skarmory alongside much of its Johto region counterparts in February 2017, and it has recently enjoyed a good amount of success in Great Battle League.
But what is it weak against?
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Skarmory is a dual Steel/Flying-type, giving it several more resistances than weaknesses, which is likely part of the reason it is so liked in PvP play. It possesses a total of ten resistances, but holds only two elemental weaknesses that can deal super effective damage to it. These types are Electric and Fire, with most other elements being included in its resistances. So in order for Pokemon GO trainers to take down Skarmory faster, they'll need to pick their moves carefully.
Pokemon GO: Top counters to beat Skarmory
While many options in Pokemon GO have Fire and Electric type moves available, some moves and Pokemon put themselves above the rest when it comes to beating Skarmory in particular. The circumstances may matter with regards to whether the player is battling Skarmory in a raid battle or a trainer battle, as certain Pokemon are restricted depending on the PvP Battle League they are fighting in. However, this list will omit any form of PvP restrictions and will work under the assumption that everything else is equal in an even playing field.
With respect to moves, there are a few fast and charged moves that will guarantee maximum damage against Skarmory:
Fast moves
- Fire Spin (Fire-type)
- Charge Beam (Electric-type)
- Fire Fang (Fire-type)
- Volt Switch (Electric-type)
- Fire Spin (Fire-type)
- Thunder Shock (Electric-type)
- Spark (Electric-type)
Charged moves
- Blast Burn (Fire-type)
- Wild Charge (Electric-type)
- Flamethrower (Fire-type)
- Overheat (Fire-type)
- Thunderbolt (Electric-type)
- Zap Cannon (Electric-type)
- Fire Blast (Fire-type)
- Thunder (Electric-type)
The moves themselves are impressive and reliable damage-wise, but the Pokemon using them matters in Pokemon GO much like it does in the main series. Having a high CP and high IV Pokemon will amplify the attacks' efficiency even further.
Recommended Pokemon to use against Skarmory include:
- Charizard
- Manectric
- Houndoom
- Ampharos
- Darmanitan (Standard)
- Chandelure
- Electivire
- Heatran
- Magnezone
- Luxray
- Flareon
- Blaziken
- Reshiram
- Zekrom
- Zapdos
- Therian Thundurus
- Moltres
- Raikou
This list is merely a sampling, as Skarmory in all likelihood won't need a legendary Pokemon like Zekrom or Moltres to bring it down. Many Pokemon can do well with the above moves at beating the tricky Steel/Flying-type, but the Pokemon listed above are some of Pokemon GO's best when it comes to using the listed moves to maximum effect.
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