Thundurus is an Electric- and Flying-type Legendary Pokémon originally discovered in the Unova region. Its tail discharges immense bolts of lightning as it flies. Learn which Pokémon will be most effective in Raid Battles against Thundurus, how to catch Thundurus after winning a Raid Battle, and how best to use the Bolt Strike Pokémon after you’ve caught it.

Which Pokémon to Use in a Thundurus Raid in Pokémon GO

As an Electric- and Flying-type Pokémon, Thundurus is vulnerable to Ice- and Rock-type attacks. When selecting six Pokémon for your Thundurus Raid Battle lineup, it’s important to choose Pokémon that have an Ice- or Rock-type Fast Attack and Charged Attack if you want to deal maximum damage as quickly as possible. It’s not necessary to choose only Ice- or Rock-type Pokémon, but a Pokémon that shares a type with these attacks will benefit from a same-type attack bonus, which will allow these attacks to deal an additional 20% damage. If you’re not sure which type to choose, Ice-type attacks will deal the greatest damage to Thundurus.

If you have multiple Pokémon that know Ice- or Rock-type attacks, choose the Pokémon with the highest CP and best overall stats. Remember that speed of victory affects how many Premier Balls you will receive at the conclusion of a successful Raid Battle, so bring your strongest Pokémon and defeat Thundurus as quickly as you can.

• Glalie / Mega Glalie (Ice)

  • Fast Attack: Frost Breath (Ice), Ice Shard (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice)

• Abomasnow / Mega Abomasnow (Ice/Grass)

  • Fast Attack: Powder Snow (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Blizzard (Ice), Weather Ball (Ice)

• Weavile / Shadow Weavile (Ice/Dark)

  • Fast Attack: Ice Shard (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice)

• Glaceon (Ice)

  • Fast Attack: Frost Breath (Ice), Ice Shard (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice), Ice Beam (Ice), Icy Wind (Ice)

• Mamoswine / Shadow Mamoswine (Ice/Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Powder Snow (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Ancient Power (Rock)*, Avalanche (Ice), Stone Edge (Rock)

• Galarian Darmanitan (Ice)

  • Fast Attack: Ice Fang (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice), Ice Punch (Ice)

• Baxcalibur (Ice/Dragon)

  • Fast Attack: Ice Fang (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice)

• Golem / Shadow Golem (Rock/Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Rock Throw (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Ancient Power (Rock), Rock Blast (Rock), Stone Edge (Rock)

• Aerodactyl / Mega Aerodactyl (Rock/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Rock Throw (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Ancient Power (Rock), Rock Slide (Rock)

• Tyranitar / Shadow Tyranitar (Rock/Dark)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)*

  • Charged Attack: Stone Edge (Rock)

• Rampardos (Rock)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Rock Slide (Rock)

• Rhyperior (Ground/Rock)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Rock Wrecker (Rock)*, Stone Edge (Rock)

• Terrakion (Rock/Fighting)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Rock Slide (Rock)

• Tyrantrum (Rock/Dragon)

  • Fast Attack: Rock Throw (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Meteor Beam (Rock), Stone Edge (Rock)

*An Elite Fast TM or an Elite Charged TM is typically required to teach this Pokémon this attack.

Make the Most of Premier Balls and Berries

After a successful Thundurus raid, you’ll have a limited number of Premier Balls you can use to catch Thundurus, so make each one count. You can earn extra Premier Balls for battling with friends and defeating Thundurus more quickly.

In an encounter with Thundurus, your chance of catching it is greatest when the target ring is small enough for you score Excellent Throws. Throwing Curveballs can improve your chances even more. But work within your abilities—if you don’t think you can reliably make Excellent Curveball Throws, aim for Nice Throws or Great Throws rather than risk missing the target ring completely.

Thundurus isn’t going to make it easy on you by sitting still while you’re trying to catch it. Don’t waste your Premier Balls by throwing while it’s moving around. Watch Thundurus to get a feel for its cycle of movement and the pauses in between the cycles. During one of these pauses, wait for the target ring to reappear, and then throw as it starts to grow smaller to increase your odds of making a Great Throw or an Excellent Throw.

Berries can help you catch Thundurus. A Razz Berry will make Thundurus easier to catch, and a Golden Razz Berry will make it much easier to catch. If you find yourself failing to land any throws, a Nanab Berry will calm Thundurus, making its movements less erratic and allowing you to make precise throws more easily. If you need extra Thundurus Candy, using a Silver Pinap Berry will make Thundurus easier to catch and grant you extra Candy when you catch it.

Buddy Pokémon with a Buddy Level of Great Buddy or higher have the Catch Assist Perk. If Pokémon—even a Legendary Pokémon—deflects a Poké Ball, your buddy might bounce it back for a second catch opportunity!

Like all Legendary Pokémon, Thundurus is tricky to catch, so don’t be discouraged if it escapes. Get a second wind by stocking up on useful items—like Max Potions, Max Revives, and Golden Razz Berries—and try again.

What To Do with Thundurus Once You’ve Caught It

As an Electric- and Flying-type Pokémon, Incarnate Forme Thundurus is resistant to Grass-, Fighting-, Ground-, Flying-, Bug-, and Steel-type attacks. While Incarnate Forme Thundurus is not the best choice for the GO Battle League, it can still bring the thunder in raids as an Electric-type attacker. With a reasonably high max CP and the ability to learn Electric-type Fast and Charged Attacks, Incarnate Forme Thundurus is useful against Legendary Pokémon including Lugia, Kyogre, and Palkia. And while Incarnate Forme Thundurus might not be the most powerful Electric-type Pokémon, it can broaden your Electric-type lineup, especially if you’ve strengthened it as much as possible. Raising Incarnate Forme Thundurus’s CP to its maximum requires a lot of Thundurus Candy and Stardust, so try to catch as many Thundurus as possible to help speed things along.

As an Electric- and Flying-type Pokémon, Therian Forme Thundurus is resistant to Grass-, Fighting, Ground-, Flying-, Bug-, and Steel-type attacks. With a reasonably high max CP and a lengthy list of resistances, Therian Forme Thundurus can be useful in Raid Battles as one of the strongest Electric-type Pokémon against Mega-Evolved Pokémon like Mega Blastoise, Mega Pidgeot, Mega Slowbro, and Mega Gyarados, as well as Legendary Pokémon like Tornadus and Lugia. When deciding which Fast Attack or Charged Attack to teach Therian Forme Thundurus, keep in mind that Electric-type attacks will benefit from a same-type attack bonus.

If you’re aiming to bring Therian Forme Thundurus to the GO Battle League, you’re likely to have the most success with it in the Master League due to its high CP threshold. This Pokémon isn’t popular in the GO Battle League, but there are always powerful Flying-type Pokémon like Lugia and Togekiss that will fear Therian Forme Thundurus’s Wildbolt Storm. Raising its CP to its maximum for the Master League requires a lot of Thundurus Candy and Stardust, so try to catch as many Thundurus as you can to help speed things along—and don’t forget the Pinap Berries!

Good luck with your next Raid Battle—and remember that you can refer back to Pokemon.com/Strategy for more Pokémon GO, video game, and Pokémon TCG tips.