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Skarmory Steel Flying is a Tier 3 Raid Boss in Pokemon Go with 13859 CP. This guide goes over best Skarmory counters in Pokemon GO. In-game, Skarmory has the following stats: a Max CP of 2108, an Attack of 148, a Defense of 226, and a Stamina of 163.

Skarmory raid boss can have the following CP values when caught:

  • 1139-1204 CP without weather boost; level 20
  • 1424-1506 CP  in Windy and Snow; level 25

Skarmory is a very tough solo, even after the Stat Rework. It is not as hard to beat as Claydol and the still-impossible Shuckle, but it will be a challenge nonetheless. Only a handful of Pokémon at level 35 can make a actual attempt, and ideally you should go into the battle with level 40 Fire or Electric attackers boosted by Sunny or Rainy weather. Beyond that, realistically 2-4 high level players can tackle a Skarmory, and 5-20 lower level players can handle one.

Skarmory Counters

Italics indicates Legacy or Exclusive Moves.

Skarmory raid counters
Pokemon GO SkarmorySkarmory
WEAKNESS Fire Electric BOOSTED BY Windy Snow
Supreme Skarmory Raid Counters
Pokemon GO MoltresMoltres Fire Spin Fire Overheat Fire
No other counter on this list faints less than Moltres, except for Raikou. In neutral weather it is absolutely your best shot at a solo attempt, or your highest damage output in a group event. It might go to the sidelines for the likes or Electivire, Zapdos, and Raikou in Rainy weather, but in all other conditions it is the king.
Excellent Skarmory Raid Counters
An important note to make here is that Zapdos, Raikou, and Electivire are all almost interchangeable. Zapdos without a boost in weather actually has the shortest Time to Win in certain scenarios, but generally Electivire will have the edge in both Time and overall DPS. However the difference in time between all 3 is only anywhere from 1 second to 4 seconds, so use whichever you want.
Pokemon GO ZapdosZapdos Thunder Shock Electric Thunderbolt Electric
Pokemon GO RaikouRaikou Thunder Shock Electric Wild Charge Electric
Pokemon GO ElectivireElectivire Thunder Shock Electric Wild Charge Electric
Pokemon GO EnteiEntei Fire Spin Fire Overheat Fire
It is the usual story here: Entei does not dole out the damage that Moltres does but it is generally bulkier, and is the overall second best Fire type.
Good Skarmory Raid Counters
Pokemon GO FlareonFlareon  Fire Spin Fire Overheat Fire
Pokemon GO DeoxysDeoxys Charge BeamElectric Thunderbolt Electric
Pokemon GO CharizardCharizard Fire Spin Fire Blast Burn Fire
Pokemon GO BlazikenBlaziken Fire Spin Fire Overheat Fire
Pokemon GO LuxrayLuxray Spark Electric Wild Charge Electric
Pokemon GO MagmortarMagmortar Fire Spin Fire Fire Blast Fire

 

Skarmory has access to:

  • Steel Wing Steel and Air Slash Flying for Fast Moves.
  • Sky Attack Flying, Brave Bird Flying, and Flash Cannon Steel for Charge Moves.

Additional Counters

Anything on this list is only really serviceable for a Solo when Fire or Electric are boosted, as they otherwise cannot deal enough damage to take down Skarmory in time. In any case, these are still decent options if you are fighting in a large group.

  • Typhlosion with Ember/Blast Burn 
  • Arcanine with Fire Fang/Flamethrower
  • Mewtwo with Psycho Cut and either Flamethrower or Thunderbolt (Thunderbolt for Rainy and Neutral weather, Flamethrower for Sunny)
  • Jolteon with Thunder Shock/Thunderbolt
  • Salamence with Fire Fang/Fire Blast
  • Infernape with Fire Spin/Flamethrower

Weather Effects

Skarmory will be boosted by Snow and Windy weather, while being more vulnerable in Rainy and Sunny weather.

Weather Pro Con
Sunny Boosts Fire attackers –
Windy Allows a Level 25 Encounter from Weather Boost. Boosts Skarmory’s Air Slash, Brave Bird, and Sky Attack
Partly Cloudy – –
Cloudy– – –
Snow Allows a Level 25 Encounter from Weather Boost. Boosts Skarmory’s Steel Wing and Flash Cannon
Rainy Boosts Electric attackers –
Fog – –