Quick facts
Species: Virizion (Legendary)
Types: Grass / Fighting
Primary weaknesses: Flying, Poison, Fire, Psychic, Ice, Fairy
Recommended lobby: 3–7 trainers
Virizion Raid Guide in Pokémon GO: Best Counters, Weaknesses, Movesets & Catch Tips
Virizion is a Legendary Grass/Fighting-type Pokémon from the Unova region in Pokémon GO. It appears in Tier 5 raids and is known for being one of the easier Legendary raid bosses due to its double weakness to Flying-type attacks. With the right counters, Virizion can be defeated very efficiently.
In this complete Virizion raid guide, you will learn about its weaknesses, best counters, movesets, weather boosts, CP ranges, recommended team setups, and battle strategies to defeat and catch Virizion quickly and safely.
Table of Contents
Weakness Best Pokemon Regular Counters Shadow Counters Mega Counters Moveset Weather Effects Size Rewards FAQsUse Golden Razz Berries and aim for Excellent Curveball throws to maximize your catch chance.
Weaknesses & resistances
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Weak to |
 Flying •
 Poison •
 Fire •
 Psychic •
 Ice •
 Fairy
|
| Resists to |
 Ground •
 Rock •
 Grass •
 Water •
 Electric
|
Best Virizion Counters
Flying-type Counters
- Galarian Moltres : (Wing Attack / Fly)
- Ho-Oh : (Brave Bird)
- Vikavolt: (Fly)
Fire-type Counters
- Salamence: (Fire Fang)
- Charizard Y: (Blast Burn)
- Blaziken: (Fire Spin)
Psychic-type Counters
- Ho-Oh: (Extrasensory)
- Lugia: (Extrasensory)
- Mewtwo: (Confusion / Psystrike)
Best Mega Evolutions
Recommended Megas to use against Virizion:
- Salamence, Charizard Y, Blaziken – Fire boost
- Rayquaza, Salamence, Pidgeot, Charizard Y, Blaziken – Flying boost
Difficulty
Virizion can use moves like Leaf Blade, Sacred Sword, and Stone Edge. While it isn’t extremely bulky, Stone Edge in particular can punish Flying-type Pokémon, so dodging or smart shield usage becomes very important, especially in small groups.
Best Regular Counters
Regular pokemon that amplify the right types give you a powerful edge. Below are top Regular counters with short notes on why they excel.
| Pokémon | Fast Moves | Charged Moves | Elite Moves | Best Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rayquaza | Air Slash / Dragon Tail | Aerial Ace / Dragon Ascent / Ancient Power / Outrage | Hurricane / Breaking Swipe | Dragon Tail (14) and Dragon Ascent (140) |
| Tornadus | Gust / Astonish | Focus Blast / Hurricane / Heat Wave / Psychic | Bleakwind Storm | Gust (25) and Bleakwind Storm (150) |
| Moltres | Wing Attack / Fire Spin | Ancient Power / Fire Blast / Heat Wave / Overheat | Sky Attack | Fire Spin (13) and Overheat (160) |
| Toucannon | Rock Smash / Peck / Bullet Seed | Drill Peck / Rock Blast / Flash Cannon | Beak Blast | Rock Smash (17) and Beak Blast (125) |
| Salamence | Fire Fang / Dragon Tail / Bite | Fly / Fire Blast / Hydro Pump / Draco Meteor / Brutal Swing / Crunch | Outrage | Dragon Tail (14) and Draco Meteor (150) |
| Staraptor | Quick Attack / Wing Attack / Sand Attack | Close Combat / Brave Bird / Fly / Heat Wave | Gust | Quick Attack / Wing Attack (10) and Brave Bird (130) |
| Braviary | Air Slash / Zen Headbutt | Brave Bird / Fly / Ominous Wind / Psychic / Dazzling Gleam | - | Air Slash (12) and Brave Bird (130) |
| Enamorus | Zen Headbutt / Astonish / Fairy Wind | Dazzling Gleam / Grass Knot / Fly | - | Zen Headbutt (11) and Dazzling Gleam (100) |
| Galarian Moltres | Sucker Punch / Wing Attack | Brave Bird / Ancient Power / Payback / Fly | - | Wing Attack (10) and Brave Bird (130) |
| Galarian Articuno | Psycho Cut / Confusion | Ancient Power / Brave Bird / Future Sight / Fly | - | Confusion (19) and Brave Bird (130) |
| Yveltal | Gust / Sucker Punch / Snarl | Hyper Beam / Focus Blast / Hurricane / Psychic / Dark Pulse | Oblivion Wing | Gust (25) and Hyper Beam (150) |
Best Shadow Counters
Shadow pokemon that amplify the right types give you a powerful edge. Below are top Shadow counters with short notes on why they excel.
| Pokémon | Fast Moves | Charged Moves | Elite Moves | Best Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Vikavolt | Mud Slap / Bug Bite / Spark | Fly / X-Scissor / Discharge / Crunch | Volt Switch | Mud Slap (19) and Fly (90) |
| Shadow Honchkrow | Peck / Snarl | Brave Bird / Sky Attack / Osychic / Dark Pulse | - | Snarl (11) and Brave Bird (130) |
| Shadow Toucannon | Rock Smash / Peck / Bullet Seed | Drill Peck / Rock Blast / Flash Cannon | Beak Blast | Rock Smash (17) and Beak Blast (125) |
| Shadow Unfezant | Air Slash / Steel Wing | Hyper Beam / Sky Attack / Heat Wave | - | Steel Wing (14) and Hyper Beam (150) |
| Shadow Zapdos | Charge Beam | Drill Peck / Ancient Power / Zap Cannon / Thunderbolt / Thunder | Thunder Shock | Charge Beam (7) and Zap Cannon (140) |
| Shadow Moltres | Wing Attack / Fire Spin | Ancient Power / Fire Blast / Heat Wave / Overheat | Sky Attack | Fire Spin (13) and Overheat (160) |
| Shadow Lugia | Extrasensory / Dragon Tail | Sky Attack / Fly / Hydro Pump / Future Sight | Aeroblast | Dragon Tail (14) and Aeroblast (180) |
| Shadow Staraptor | Quick Attack / Wing Attack / Sand Attack | Close Combat / Brave Bird / Fly / Heat Wave | Gust | Quick Attack / Wing Attack (10) and Brave Bird (130) |
| Shadow Mewtwo | Psycho Cut / Confusion | Focus Blast / Flamethrower / Thunderbolt / Psychic / Ice Beam | Hyper Beam / Shadow Ball / Psystrike | Confusion (19) and Hyper Beam (150) |
| Shadow Ho-Oh | Hidden Power / Steel Wing / Incinerate / Extrasensory | Brave Bird / Fire Blast / Solar Beam | Earthquake / Sacred Fire | Incinerate (32) and Solar Beam (180) |
| Shadow Salamence | Fire Fang / Dragon Tail / Bite | Fly / Fire Blast / Hydro Pump / Draco Meteor / Brutal Swing / Crunch | Outrage | Dragon Tail (14) and Draco Meteor (150) |
Best Mega Counters
Mega pokemon that amplify the right types give you a powerful edge. Below are top Mega counters with short notes on why they excel.
| Pokémon | Fast Moves | Charged Moves | Elite Moves | Best Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Rayquaza | Air Slash / Dragon Tail | Aerial Ace / Dragon Ascent / Ancient Power / Outrage | Hurricane / Breaking Swipe | Dragon Tail (14) and Dragon Ascent (140) |
| Mega Pidgeot | Air Slash / Steel Wing | Hurricane / Aerial Ace / Brave Bird / Feather Dance | Wing Attack / Gust / Air Cutter | Gust (25) and Brave Bird (130) |
| Mega Salamence | Fire Fang / Dragon Tail / Bite | Fly / Fire Blast / Hydro Pump / Draco Meteor / Brutal Swing / Crunch | Outrage | Dragon Tail (14) and Draco Meteor (150) |
| Mega Blaziken | Counter / Fire Spin / Ember | Focus Blast / Aura Sphere / Brave Bird / Overheat / Blaze Kick | Stone Edge / Blast Burn | Counter / Fire Spin (13) and Overheat (160) |
| Mega Charizard Y | Air Slash / Fire Spin | Dragon Claw / Fire Blast / Air Cutter / Overheat | Dragon Breath / Ember / Wing Attack / Flamethrower / Blast Burn | Fire Spin (13) and Overheat (160) |
Moves & Threats
Virizion common fast moves are Quick Attack or Double Kick or Zen Headbutt. Charged moves include Close Combat or Stone Edge or Leaf Blade. Elite moves include Sacred Sword.
Dangerous Moves: Close Combat and Sacred Sword hit very hard and should be dodged if possible.
Stone Edge can be dangerous for Flying-type Pokémon, so be prepared to dodge if you are using fragile attackers.
Best Team Compositions
Solo
Virizion is one of the few Legendary Pokémon that can be reliably soloed using strong Flying-type counters, especially with a Mega boost.
Small Group (2–3 Trainers)
With decent Flying-type teams, 2 to 3 trainers can easily defeat Virizion.
Medium & Large Groups (4+ Trainers)
With 4 or more trainers, Virizion becomes extremely easy and will go down very quickly.
Weather Boost Effects
- Sunny weather: Boosts Virizion’s Grass-type moves
- Cloudy weather: Boosts Virizion’s Fighting-type moves
- Windy weather: Boosts Flying- and Psychic-type counters
Windy weather is the best condition for fighting Virizion because it boosts your Flying-type attackers without boosting Virizion’s own damage.
Recommended Teams
Optimized Team
- Mega Rayquaza
- Rayquaza
- Moltres
- Yveltal
- Staraptor
- Honchkrow
Budget Team
- Staraptor
- Honchkrow
- Togekiss
- Gardevoir
- Moltres
- Unfezant
Battle Tips and Strategy
- Always prioritize Flying-type attackers because of the double weakness.
- Dodge Stone Edge if possible to keep your best attackers alive.
- Use a Mega Flying-type Pokémon to boost your team’s damage.
- Avoid using Water-, Electric-, and Dark-types because Virizion resists them.
- Rejoin quickly if your team faints to save time.
Shiny Virizion
Shiny Virizion is available in Pokémon GO. Its shiny form has a different color pattern and is popular among collectors.
Rewards
- Mega Energy for Virizion
- Chance to catch Virizion (with boosted IVs)
- Rare Candy & XL Candy
Why Raid Virizion?
Its role as a stylish and rare Legendary from the Swords of Justice trio. Useful coverage in certain PvP and themed PvE teams.
FAQ
Can Virizion be shiny in Pokémon GO?
Yes, shiny Virizion is available in Pokémon GO raids.
What are best moveset of Virizion?
Best moveset of Virizion are Zen Headbutt which does damage of 11 under Fast Attack and Close Combat or Stone Edge of 105 under Charged Attack.
Are Shadow Pokémon better?
Yes—Shadow forms have +20% attack, making them excellent choices if available.
What is the best weather to raid Virizion?
Windy weather boosts Flying-type counters, Sunny weather boosts Virizion’s Grass-type moves, Cloudy weather boosts Virizion’s Fighting-type moves.
Conclusion
Virizion is one of the easiest Legendary raid bosses in Pokémon GO. Prepare strong Flying-type counters, use Mega evolutions, and take advantage of Windy weather to defeat and catch Virizion quickly and efficiently.
Related Guides
Looking for more counters? Check out our Mega Rayquaza Raid Guide, Mega Salamence Raid Guide
Summary
- Flying-type Pokémon are by far the best counters.
- Watch out for Stone Edge and manage shields or dodging.
- Don’t rely only on Grass or Fighting counters—they are not optimal here.
- Keep damage output high with aggressive rotations.
- Smaller groups can win easily with the right counters.