Pokemon GO Oranguru: Best moveset, counters, and is it any good in PvP and Raids?

Pokemon GO trainers who have obtained Oranguru may be curious about the Normal/Psychic-type creature's battle effectiveness. What are its best movesets, what are counters to be aware of that give it trouble, and is it any good in raids or PvP? Overall, Oranguru is a solid PvP option, but it doesn't have the firepower for raiding compared to other Normal and Psychic-type Pokemon.

Regardless of what form of battle Pokemon GO trainers want to use Oranguru in, it's best to be aware of its best combined Fast/Charged Attack movesets as well as the counters that can cause it problems. Once these are addressed, we can circle back to Oranguru's overall effectiveness in raids and PvP and see why it performs well and not the other.

The best movesets for Oranguru in Pokemon GO

Oranguru has access to seven total moves in Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

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As a Normal/Psychic-type in Pokemon GO, Oranguru primarily has access to Normal and Psychic-type moves but also has a Dark-type and Grass-type move thrown in for good measure. Overall, Oranguru can use seven different moves split between three Fast Moves and four Charged Moves, which can be found below:

Fast Moves

Zen Headbutt
Confusion
Yawn

Charged Moves

Psychic
Future Sight
Foul Play
Trailblaze

Oranguru's best PvE moveset

Although Oranguru doesn't perform well in PvE raids, it can still battle well enough in gym fights or against Team GO Rocket. With that in mind, Oranguru's best PvE moveset will be Confusion + Psychic, which deals the highest damage per second (DPS) of 11.41 and the highest total damage overall before fainting (TDO) of 363.7.

This is partially due to the fact that as a partial Psychic-type, Oranguru's use of Psychic-type moves increases its damage output thanks to the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB). Yawn is a near-useless Fast Move, and Psychic, while doing 30 less damage than Future Sight, has half the energy cost so it can be fired more often in PvE battles.

Oranguru's best PvP moveset

When it comes to using Oranguru in PvP, Confusion + Psychic will still offer the best overall damage and energy economy among Oranguru's potential movesets. However, it's advised to teach Oranguru a second Charged Attack that isn't a Psychic-type move to improve its ability to counter enemies with elemental types that Psychic-type attacks won't.

In this context, it's advised to use a PvP moveset of Confusion + Psychic + Foul Play. As previously mentioned, Future Sight is a bit too pricey energy-wise for 30 extra damage. Meanwhile, Trailblaze deals five fewer points of damage than Foul Play while both moves have the same energy cost of 50, making Foul Play the superior option.

Best Oranguru counters in Pokemon GO

Dark-type Pokemon like Hydreigon can be a problem for Oranguru (Image via The Pokemon Company)

With its fairly unique Normal/Psychic type combination, Oranguru is only weak to Bug and Dark-type moves. This naturally makes Bug and Dark-type Pokemon the best means to combat it, preferably those with high CP and IV stats for optimal damage dealing. Meanwhile, trainers should avoid using Ghost and Psychic-type moves, as Oranguru will resist them and reduce their damage.

Below, Pokemon GO players can find some of the best counter moves and Pokemon to defeat Oranguru in any battle arena:

Best Pokemon Counters

Tyranitar
Hydreigon
Weavile
Absol
Darkrai
Houndoom
Honchkrow
Pinsir
Heracross
Yveltal
Incineroar
Scizor
Zarude
Pheromosa
Volcarona
Guzzlord
Shiftry
Zoroark

Best Move Counters (Fast)

Bite
Snarl
Bug Bite
Struggle Bug
Fury Cutter
Sucker Punch

Best Move Counters (Charged)

Brutal Swing
Foul Play
Crunch
Dark Pulse
X-Scissor
Megahorn
Darkest Lariat
Bug Buzz

Is Oranguru good in Pokemon GO raids and PvP?

Oranguru isn't much of a raider, but it's a solid PvP option in Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Overall, Oranguru's base stats in Pokemon GO tend to make it a more durable Pokemon without a sizable amount of firepower. This means it doesn't perform well in raids (though it can be a solid gym defender), but its durability is much more useful in the Great and Ultra League PvP arenas as a result.

While it won't beat many opponents with sheer damage output, Oranguru can succeed in Pokemon GO PvP, thanks to it having a small number of weaknesses and solid Defense and Stamina stats that allow it to shrug off damage. Between the Great and Ultra League, it tends to battle better in the latter where it can neutralize many of the Fighting and Poison-type opponents in the meta.

Check out other articles on Pokemon GO:

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Edited by Ashmita Bhatt