Kyogre Trio Guide
Kyogre is the strongest Water-type in Pokemon Go, potentially for all time. The biggest threat to Kyogre's throne is none other than Kyogre itself - either with a non-TMable Origin Pulse, or a separate Primal Form. Kyogre Candy is therefore extremely valuable; whenever Kyogre resurfaces in Raids, you should prioritize raiding it as much as you realistically can. As always, raiding in groups of 5 or fewer is essential for maximizing rewards out of each Premium Raid Pass.
After the 20% HP buff in February 2019, the Kyogre duo is now borderline impossible. With Rainy Weather, Best Friends, and against the easiest moveset (Waterfall/Thunder), Level 40 Raikou has a TTW of 601.2 seconds, with 24 deaths. Theoretically, there is an extremely small chance to pull off the Rainy duo with incredible RNG, but for the most part this is impractical. This guide will therefore focus on the trio, which is much easier.
- Thunder is by far the easiest set to go against. Both Electric- and Grass-types resist Electric, making the fight against Thunder a relative cakewalk.
- Hydro Pump is boosted by STAB and has the highest raw power of any Kyogre moveset. Electric-types that aren't Raikou will find themselves struggling in this fight, especially if underleveled. Grass-types, with their resistance to Water, are much more reliable options against Hydro Pump, although Raikou is still the top dog with its sizeable bulk.
- For people relying on Grass-types to round out their teams, Blizzard will be the deadliest moveset to go up against. Every Grass-type will get oneshot by Blizzard if not dodged, as will Zapdos due to its part-Flying type. Only a small handful of Electric-types are viable for the trio against Blizzard.
- Rain boosts the power of Kyogre's Waterfall, Hydro Pump, and Thunder; however, it also boosts the power of your own Electric-type moves. Electric-type attackers will be the strongest overall counters in Rain; Roserade and the other top Grass-types are comparatively less powerful, although they are still viable for a trio.
- Sun boosts the power of your Grass-type moves; as such, Grass-type attackers rise in performance compared to Electric-type attackers. However, Blizzard is still deadly - avoid using Grass-types against Blizzard Kyogre, even if it's Sunny.
Viable Counters
Minimum viable levels assume Best Friends, No Weather.
Italics indicate a Legacy move.
The viable counters for Thunder and Hydro Pump are mostly identical. The most notable difference is that Electivire is significantly less viable against Hydro Pump, due to how frail it is. Hydro Pump will OHKO Electivire after 2 Waterfalls if not dodged, even at Level 40.
Against Blizzard, Grass-types are non-viable due to being OHKO'd every few seconds. The list of viable counters therefore consists solely of the top-tier Electric-types.