Catching Raikou is no easy task. Right now, you can do that by challenging Giovanni and making your way through the special A Professor's Work is Never Done research task. Completing this task will pit you against the leaders of Team Rocket GO Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo. After that, you face off against their leader, Giovanni, who captured Raikou and turned them into Ghost Pokémon.
Raikou is a pure Electric-type Pokémon, so if you've worked on your Ground and Rock Type collection, you'll have an easier time taking it apart. Here are some of the best Pokémon to use to take down this tough opponent.
Garchomp
Garchomp, a Ground-type and Dragon-type Pokémon, is always a great choice for taking on Raikou. They have a max CP of 3962, attack of 261, defense of 193, and stamina of 239. You mostly want to use a Garchomp that has Ground type moves, with earthquake being the best option. If you have a Garchomp with Mud Shot and Earthquake, you should find it does an extraordinary amount of damage against Raikou. While not the best Garchomp to use in other cases, it is an ideal choice against Giovanni.
Excadrill
Excadrill is a Ground and Steel-type Pokémon, which means it takes minimal damage when hit by Electric, Poison, or Rock-type moves. It has a max CP of 3, Attack of 244, Defense of 255, and Stamina of 129. Unfortunately, the weakest defense is this Pokémon's Achilles Heel. However, given the amount of damage it takes from Electric-type moves, you should do well against Raikou. You need to make sure you focus on using an Excadrill with ground type attacks, such as Drill Run, Mud Slap, or Earthquake.
G
Golem is a Rock and Ground-type Pokémon, and like Excadrill, it takes low amounts of damage from Electric-type attacks. He has a max CP of 2, offense of 949, defense of 211, and stamina of 198. For those who have struggled to face the other leaders of Giovanni's Team Rocket Go, Golem is a great choice in because of its higher defense. At the same time, he may not launch the most important attack. He can undoubtedly withstand any attack from an angry Raikou. You want to use the one that has Mud Shot and Earthquake.
Steelix
Steelix is a Steel and Ground-type Pokémon with a max CP of 2 with Attack of 414, Defense of 148, and Stamina of 272. For those who thought Golem had high defense, Steelix puts it out of the park, but that does mean you have to focus on using Ground type attacks against a Raikou. While a Steelix doesn't take too much damage from Electric-type attacks, you don't want to lose a battle of attrition with a weak attack. You want to use the one that has Iron Tail or Dragon Tail with Earthquake.
Rhyperior
Rhyperior is a Ground and Rock-type Pokémon and is the evolved form of Rhydon if you use a Sinnoh Stone. He has a max CP of 3, attack of 733, defense of 241, and stamina of 190. Rhyperior is on par with Garchomp in terms of potency, but with Raikou you need to make sure that you consistently hit them with rapidity - attack fires on the ground. Mud Slap and Earthquake are Rhyperior's top picks, so if you've got one with this ideal combination, you shouldn't have a hard time taking down the Shadow Pokémon.
While these choices are going to handle Giovanni's Raikou well, you still have to face off against the first two Pokémon Giovanni throws at you. Make sure to build your team to take on all of Giovanni's Pokémon and prepare for a tough battle.
