Pokemon Go Guzzlord Raid Guide

Understanding the matchup

Guzzlord is a Dark/Bug dual type, which sounds threatening on paper but is actually one of the more straightforward raid bosses if you know what you're doing. It has one of the lowest defensive stats for a Legendary-tier Pokemon in Pokemon Go, meaning damage output matters more than anything else. The key is exploiting its four weaknesses. Fire-type moves deal super effective damage, Fighting-type moves deal super effective damage, and Fairy-type moves deal super effective damage. Bug-type moves are resisted by Guzzlord's Dark typing, so avoid putting energy into Bug counters even though it might seem logical.

Pokemon Go Guzzlord Raid Guide

Top counters ranked by DPS Chandelure leads the pack. Shadow Chandelure hits hardest, followed by regular Chandelure, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Blaziken. These all run Fire-type moves exclusively. For Fighting types, Mega Lucario and Conkeldurr are solid choices. Hoopa Unbound also works well as a pseudo-Fire/Fighting hybrid since it can run both Flare Blitz and Close Combat. On the Fairy side, Mega Gardevoir and Tinkmaster are your best options, though they hit slightly softer than the Fire types. I ran a six-person low-level run once with nothing but level 30 Chandelures that had perfect movesets. We still finished in under three minutes with one or two members fainting. That's how forgiving Guzzlord's defense is when you bring the right types.

Move sets matter more than you'd think

Having a strong counter on paper means nothing if it's running the wrong moves. A level 40 Shadow Tyranitar with Crunch and Stone Edge will perform worse than a level 35 Mega Charizard Y with Fire Spin and Overheat. Always check the moveset before locking in your team. Look for Fast Moves that generate energy quickly so you can spam your charged attack. Fire Spin, Feint Attack, and Counter are the best fast moves across the top counters. One thing nobody warns you about: Guzzlord's Dark Pulse hits extremely hard and can wipe out a counter in one or two shots if you don't have enough CP or level buffer. I learned this the hard way when a friend brought a perfectly typed but underleveled Mega Gallade into a six-star raid. It fainted in three seconds. The workaround was simple — swap in a tankier Pokemon like Mega Blaziken at level 40 plus, or just stack more damage dealers so you finish before Guzzlord cycles through enough Dark Pulses to matter.

Practical team building

A standard six-person raid party with three to four Fire types and two to three Fighting types will clear this boss comfortably. If you're playing solo or with only two or three people, you need all of your Pokemon to be at least level 40 with perfect movesets. Level 45 helps significantly. Bring Mega Charizard Y if you have one, since it buffs all Fire-type attacks for the entire raid, not just your own Pokemon. Timing your charged attacks is the only real skill check here. Wait until Guzzlord uses Decapitate, which is its charging attack. It has a wind-up animation you can see, and dodging it saves enough HP to keep your Pokemon alive for one extra charged attack cycle. Most people die because they spam charged moves on auto and miss the dodge window on Decapitate. Turn off auto-battle, watch for that animation, and tap dodge when it starts. This alone can be the difference between winning and wiping your whole team.

What doesn't work

Don't bring Ghost types, Psychic types, or Normal types. Guzzlord resists all of them. Don't bring any Pokemon with Bug-type moves — they do half damage. Don't try a all-Fighting team unless your levels are genuinely high, because Guzzlord's dark typing means it takes neutral damage from Fighting and can outspace you in a longer fight. The meta is Fire, and anything else is optimization for marginal gains rather than necessity.

IVs and catch quality

After the raid, the Guzzlord you encounter will have IVs ranging from 0 to 15 per stat. You cannot affect this. There is no weather bonus for this encounter, no special research involved. Just tap and throw. If you're worried about getting a bad IV spread, just accept that raid bosses are a coin flip. A Guzzlord with 0/0/0 still has access to the same moves and can be viable in certain competitive formats if you invest enough candy and stardust leveling it up. Most players don't need a perfect one for any practical purpose.