Thundurus (Incarnate Forme) is Electric and Flying, so it’s weak to Ice and Rock — both deal 1.6x damage in a raid [1]. But most trios are grabbing the wrong half of that list. The sharper pick is Rock/Ground, not pure Ice, because despite Thundurus’s Flying typing, its actual Shadow Raid moveset carries zero Flying-type attacks [3][6]. Ground-type Pokemon are flat-out immune to the Electric moves it does carry. A Rhyperior can eat Thunder Punch for zero damage while a White Kyurem is quietly taking chip damage it never needed to.
Why Rock/Ground Beats the Obvious Ice Pick
Thundurus’s confirmed kit is Thunder Shock and Astonish as fast moves, with Thunder Punch, Thunder, Brick Break, and Crunch as charge moves [3][6] — Electric, Ghost, Fighting, and Dark damage, and nothing Flying-type at all. A boss’s own type chart only tells you what it resists and takes extra damage from, not what it can actually hit you with, and that gap is exactly what makes Ground-type Pokemon the overlooked pick here: they take zero damage from Electric attacks, no exceptions, no partial resistance, the move just fizzles. A Rock/Ground attacker like Shadow Rhyperior shrugs off every Thunder Punch and Thunder in the fight for free, while still landing Rock-type Smack Down and Rock Wrecker at 1.6x against Thundurus’s Flying half [3].
Pure Ice leaders don’t get that shield. White Kyurem and Black Kyurem top the raw damage charts and do resist Electric through their Dragon typing, but Brick Break is Fighting-type, and Ice-type Pokemon take double damage from Fighting moves. Score enough unlucky Brick Breaks in a two- or three-person lobby and an all-Ice trio burns through Max Revives and Max Potions that a Rock/Ground-anchored team never needed. Rock-type moves are also the single most effective attacking option against Thundurus overall, clocking 144% usage effectiveness in simulated raids, ahead of Ice at 104% [3].
Best Shadow Thundurus Counters
These are the top-ranked attackers from simulated raid data, mixing the Rock/Ground safety pick with the highest raw damage options [3]:
| Attacker | Type | Best Moves | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Kyurem | Ice/Dragon | Ice Fang / Ice Burn | Highest raw damage; resists Electric via Dragon typing, but still eats Fighting-type Brick Break |
| Mega Mewtwo Y | Psychic | Psycho Cut / Future Sight+ | Elite DPS if you have the mega energy; no type resistance to Thundurus’s kit |
| Black Kyurem | Dragon/Ice | Dragon Tail / Freeze Shock | Same Electric resistance and Fighting weakness as White Kyurem |
| Shadow Rhyperior | Rock/Ground | Smack Down / Rock Wrecker | Immune to every Electric move Thundurus carries; hits its Flying half for 1.6x |
| Mega Diancie | Rock/Fairy | Rock Throw / Rock Slide | 1.6x Rock damage plus a Dark resistance against Crunch |
The one-line takeaway: lead with Rock/Ground for the free Electric immunity, then close the raid out with your highest-DPS Ice or Psychic hitters once the enrage timer is tight.
When and Where Shadow Thundurus Raids Are Live
Shadow Incarnate Forme Thundurus is in five-star Shadow Raids every weekend from Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 6:00 AM local time through Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 10:00 PM local time, with a shiny chance on catch [2]. Shadow Raids only spawn at Gyms that Team GO Rocket has occupied, and Niantic doesn’t allow Remote Raid Passes on them — you have to be standing at the Gym [4]. Three- and five-star Shadow bosses also grow enraged mid-fight, getting temporary attack and defense boosts, which is the other reason a slow, mismatched trio runs into trouble: the boss keeps getting tankier the longer the fight drags. Purified Gems, if your group has them, temporarily knock the enrage boost back down [4].
What Moveset to Keep After You Catch It
Win the raid and you’ll get a catch attempt at a Shadow Thundurus with Frustration locked into its moveset until you spend Stardust and Candy to purify it [7]. Purifying gives a flat +2 to every IV (capped at 15), makes the Pokemon Level 25 outright, and replaces Frustration with a real charge move — the same fix any Frustration-locked Shadow catch needs. For a Shadow Legendary like Thundurus, that’s 20,000 Stardust and 20 Candy, with a 10% discount afterward on powering it up [7]. Once it’s purified, the best moveset is Thunder Shock and Thunder Punch — 12.78 DPS and 216.0 total damage output, edging out Thunder Shock and Thunder for anything shorter than a full energy-dump fight [5]. It won’t unseat the Rock/Ground leads above as a raid attacker, but it’s a serviceable Electric-type gym or future Shadow Raid pick once you’ve got it purified.
Sources
- Pokémon GO Hub. Thundurus (Incarnate Forme): Best Moveset, Counters & Max CP
- Leek Duck. Shadow Thundurus (Incarnate Forme) in Shadow Raids
- Pokémon GO Hub. Best Shadow Thundurus (Incarnate Forme) Raid Counters
- Niantic. Shadow Raids are coming to Pokémon GO!
- Pokémon GO Hub. Thundurus (Incarnate Forme) Best Moveset
- Pokémon GO Hub. Shadow Thundurus (Incarnate Forme) Best Moveset
- GamesRadar+. How to purify shadow Pokémon in Pokémon Go
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.