Pokemon GO Mankey raid (December 2022): Best counters, weaknesses, and more

As of the beginning of December, Pokemon GO has changed its raid rotation for the winter season. Among the five one-star raid bosses, Mankey has appeared as a creature that can be battled.

The Pocket Monster has been a part of the game since its launch in 2016, and the Fighting-type remains popular among trainers in some circles. It evolves into the empowered Primeape; however, players shouldn't find taking on Mankey as a raid boss in its unevolved state too difficult. Be that as it may, those unfamiliar with the breadth of in-game Type matchups may need a little help.

Fortunately, taking down Mankey in Pokemon GO as a raid boss is fairly simple. You'll just need the right team of counters for the job.

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Effective counters to use against Mankey in Pokemon GO

Psychic Types like Alakazam are effective counters to Mankey in Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

As a Fighting-type, Mankey is weak to Psychic, Flying, and Fairy-Type moves or entities in Pokemon GO. Using these counters should lead to the raid boss being defeated rather quickly, as it's only a one-star boss and doesn't benefit from the CP/stat boosts that higher-level raid Pocket Monsters enjoy.

You also won't need to bring along as many fellow trainers or healing items, as Mankey is far less dangerous than its counterparts, and you can even defeat it solo with the right team.

Top Pokemon counters to use against Mankey

• Mewtwo
• Hoopa
• Lunala
• Espeon
• Alakazam
• Galarian Articuno
• Gardevoir
• Deoxys
• Latios
• Latias
• Galarian Moltres
• Yveltal
• Staraptor
• Togekiss
• Exeggutor
• Gallade
• Honchkrow
• Ho-Oh
• Azelf
• Florges
• Metagross
• Mesprit
• Aria Form Meloetta

Top moves to use against Mankey

• Confusion
• Psycho Cut
• Charm
• Zen Headbutt
• Wing Attack
• Gust
• Peck
• Extrasensory
• Air Slash
• Fairy Wind
• Psystrike
• Psychic
• Brave Bird
• Psycho Boost
• Dazzling Gleam
• Future Sight
• Moonblast

Mankey will receive a boost to its stamina as long as it's a raid boss in Pokemon GO. But it won't get enough extra health to sustain continuous super-effective damage. Due to this, the raid boss should faint relatively quickly when trainers counter it effectively. Additionally, Pokemon that can deal with Mankey's elemental type should be able to resist its Fighting-type attacks quite well.

Of course, if you want, you're still free to bring in your fellow trainers in the battle, which will undoubtedly lead to its conclusion faster. Multiple Pokemon GO gamers hammering away at Mankey in the raid should see it fall in record time, allowing them to reap the most rewards possible.

Once the creature's raid has been defeated, trainers will also be given the opportunity to capture Mankey for their own use. If players repeat the raid a few times or are considerably lucky on their first attempt, they may even catch a Mankey with high IV stats, which should be a valuable asset during the battle once it evolves into Primeape.

Primeape is considerably capable in PvP and PvE, even if it isn't exactly at the top. It can take on Dark, Ice, Rock, Normal, and Steel-type opponents with improved effectiveness thanks to its type advantage over them. Furthermore, this creature recently received a new evolutionary form known as Annihilape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and it may only be a matter of time before this evolution is included in Pokemon GO.