Hoopa Unbound is an Elite Raid Boss available only during Elite Raid weekends. Unbound Hoopa is a Psychic and Dark-type Pokémon, which leaves him vulnerable only to Bug (double) and Fairy-type moves.
Best Pokémon to defeat Hoopa Unbound are strong Bug-type Pokémon, select Mega Pokémon (Mega Scizor and Mega Beedrill) and top tier Fairy-type Pokémon, who don’t take super-effective damage from Hoopa’s moves.
Hoopa Unbound can be caught in the following Combat Power ranges:
- 2197 CP – 2289 CP (no Weather Boost, LVL 20)
- 2746 CP – 2862 CP (Windy or Fog weather, LVL 25)
We recommend fighting Hoopa Unbound with a minimum of 5 Trainers with perfect counters, or 8+ Trainers with suboptimal counters. Given its limited availability, we recommend larger group sizes for this encounter.
Best Hoopa Unbound Counters
We already mentioned that Hoopa Unbound is only weak to Bug and Fairy moves. Do not take this fight lightly, it is quite challenging.
With that being said, here are the best counters for Unbound Hoopa in Pokémon GO:
| # | Pokemon | Fast Move | Charge Move | Time to win | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
Scizor (Mega)
|
Fury Cutter Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 322.80s | 12.17 |
| 2. |
Beedrill (Mega)
|
Bug Bite Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 294.03s | 24.17 |
| 3. |
Pheromosa
|
Bug Bite Bug | Bug Buzz Bug | 365.15s | 37.83 |
| 4. |
Vikavolt
|
Bug Bite Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 433.56s | 25.67 |
| 5. |
Yanmega
|
Bug Bite Bug | Bug Buzz Bug | 437.54s | 25.17 |
| 6. |
Genesect (Normal)
|
Fury Cutter Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 472.07s | 22.67 |
| 7. |
Genesect (Douse)
|
Fury Cutter Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 472.75s | 23.00 |
| 8. |
Genesect (Burn)
|
Fury Cutter Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 473.51s | 23.00 |
| 9. |
Pinsir
|
Bug Bite Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 473.90s | 27.83 |
| 10. |
Scyther
|
Fury Cutter Bug | Bug Buzz Bug | 472.28s | 28.17 |
| 11. |
Accelgor
|
Infestation Bug | Bug Buzz Bug | 468.17s | 30.33 |
| 12. |
Absol (Mega)
|
Snarl Dark | Megahorn Bug | 489.25s | 23.50 |
| 13. |
Scizor
|
Fury Cutter Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 492.20s | 25.00 |
| 14. |
Escavalier
|
Bug Bite Bug | Megahorn Bug | 499.15s | 25.17 |
| 15. |
Golisopod
|
Fury Cutter Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 508.97s | 23.17 |
| 16. |
Galvantula
|
Fury Cutter Bug | Bug Buzz Bug | 501.92s | 34.83 |
| 17. |
Durant
|
Bug Bite Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 521.69s | 27.00 |
| 18. |
Heracross
|
Struggle Bug Bug | Megahorn Bug | 527.16s | 31.50 |
| 19. |
Leavanny
|
Bug Bite Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 533.93s | 31.50 |
| 20. |
Kartana
|
Razor Leaf Grass | X-Scissor Bug | 561.61s | 30.83 |
| 21. |
Scolipede
|
Bug Bite Bug | Megahorn Bug | 547.12s | 40.20 |
| 22. |
Alakazam (Mega)
|
Counter Fighting | Dazzling Gleam Fairy | 563.51s | 36.00 |
| 23. |
Charizard (Mega Y)
|
Fire Spin Fire | Blast Burn Fire | 578.01s | 28.50 |
| 24. |
Venomoth
|
Bug Bite Bug | Bug Buzz Bug | 562.44s | 42.20 |
| 25. |
Gengar (Mega)
|
Shadow Claw Ghost | Sludge Bomb Poison | 542.13s | 45.17 |
| 26. |
Ninjask
|
Fury Cutter Bug | Bug Buzz Bug | 549.13s | 48.60 |
| 27. |
Buzzwole
|
Counter Fighting | Fell Stinger Bug | 605.84s | 29.67 |
| 28. |
Blastoise (Mega)
|
Water Gun Water | Hydro Cannon Water | 627.74s | 26.83 |
| 29. |
Crustle
|
Fury Cutter Bug | X-Scissor Bug | 603.30s | 34.17 |
| 30. |
Samurott
|
Fury Cutter Bug | Megahorn Bug | 608.46s | 33.67 |
| 31. |
Xurkitree
|
Thunder Shock Electric | Dazzling Gleam Fairy | 610.94s | 36.17 |
| 32. |
Butterfree
|
Bug Bite Bug | Bug Buzz Bug | 601.77s | 42.33 |
| 33. |
Altaria (Mega)
|
Dragon Breath Dragon | Dazzling Gleam Fairy | 640.73s | 28.83 |
| 34. |
Latios (Mega)
|
Dragon Breath Dragon | Dragon Claw Dragon | 637.60s | 30.33 |
| 35. |
Mothim
|
Bug Bite Bug | Bug Buzz Bug | 586.67s | 53.20 |
Hoopa Unbound’s moves
| Fast Moves | Charge Moves |
|---|---|
|
|
Hoopa Unbound has a few tricks up its sleeve, including Astonish and Shadow Ball, both strong Ghost-type moves, and most of its moves deal neutral damage to Bug types. The exception is Dark Pulse, which deals reduced damage to Fairy types, so Fairy-typed attackers may fare better against Dark Pulse.
Other than that, there is not much we can say for Hoopa’s moves – all of them are good, and its a strong opponent, so bring your best Pokémon and try to dodge as much as you can.
Reminder about Elite Raids
Elite Raids are a new type of raid focused on in-person play, and they will appear at selected EX Gyms worldwide. Elite Raids are designed to be challenging, a bit over Tier 5 difficulty, and they can only be completed in-person.
Elite Raid Eggs take 24 hours to hatch, and Trainers will have only 30 minutes to complete them once the Raid Egg has hatched. Since these Raids can only be completed in-person, Trainers are encouraged to organise well ahead of time and not be late for the spawn.
Elite Raids can only start at one of the following local times:
- 11:00 a.m.
- 2:00 p.m.
- 5:00 p.m.
Trainers will see a special Raid Egg on top of an EX Gym 24 hours before the Raid starts, and the Elite Raid Eggs will also be visible on the Nearby radar, and in Niantic Campfire.
For more information see our Elite Raids are coming to Pokémon GO article.