Gigantamax Snorlax Counters and Battle Guide for Pokemon GO

With its colossal size and a forest growing on its belly, Gigantamax Snorlax has crashed into Pokémon Go as one of the game’s most formidable Max Battle bosses yet. Don’t let its sleepy appearance fool you-this titan boasts massive defenses, a single weakness, and a moveset that can outlast even the most prepared teams. Ready to topple this living island and maybe catch a Shiny? Here’s everything you need to know about Gigantamax Snorlax’s counters, weaknesses, and the battle strategies that will give you the edge.

Snorlax will specifically be around on Gigantamax Snorlax Max Battle Day on April 19 from 2-5 p.m. in your local time, showing up every 30 minutes or so at Power Spots in your area.

Below we list Gigantamax Snorlax’s best counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go, as well as general battle tips for the lazy fat cat.

Gigantamax Snorlax weakness

Gigantamax Snorlax is a pure Normal-type Pokémon, which means it has only one weakness: Fighting-type moves. This makes Fighting-types like Machamp, Passimian, and Falinks your best choices for dealing super effective damage and quickly wearing down its massive HP pool. On the other hand, Gigantamax Snorlax resists Ghost-type attacks, so those should be avoided in your lineup. Its exceptional bulk and access to healing moves like G-Max Replenish can make battles lengthy, so assembling a team focused on strong Fighting-type attackers is essential for success.

As a normal-type Pokémon, Snorlax only has one weakness: fighting-type moves, which means we only have a few options for super effective attacks, annoyingly enough.

Since it’s normal-type, Snorlax will resist ghost-type moves, so you definitely don’t want to use those as your attackers in this case.

Gigantamax Snorlax best counters

The most effective counters for Gigantamax Snorlax in Pokémon Go are strong Fighting-type Pokémon, as Snorlax’s only weakness is to Fighting moves. Machamp stands out as the top choice, especially when equipped with Counter and Max Knuckle, delivering the highest damage output against this bulky Normal-type boss. Other excellent Fighting-type options include Passimian and Falinks, also using Counter and Max Knuckle. If you lack high-level Fighting-types, consider using powerful Gigantamax Pokémon like Charizard, Venusaur, Kingler, or Blastoise, though they won’t be as effective as Fighting-types. For best results, ensure your counters are leveled up and have their Max Moves boosted, and coordinate with a large group of trainers-at least 10, but ideally up to 40-to maximize your chances of victory.

Try to bring at least one of these attackers to deal the most damage:

Dynamax Machamp with Counter
Dynamax Passimian with Counter
Gigantamax Kingler with Metal Claw
Gigantamax Charizard with Dragon Breath
Dynamax Falinks with Counter

It should be noted that the DPS difference between Machamp and the rest of these Pokémon is large. It is really annoying to somewhat “have” to level up a Dynamax Machamp when we know that Gigantamax Machamp is on the horizon (as it’s been shown in trailers for this season). That being said, if you do not have the extra Machop resources and you would prefer to save them for Gigantamax Machamp, that is totally cool, just bring one of the other aforementioned choices.

Notably there is a Timed Research set active right now until the end of the raid day event that rewards you with Machop Candy and a Dynamax Machop to help you get a powered up Machamp! As a reminder, you can also trade Machops with your friends to reduce the cost of evolving Machoke into Machamp (from 100 Machop Candy to zero!), which should help ease the candy requirements for powering up and evolving this thing.

For your tanks, you’ll want to bring one or two of these with leveled up Max Guard to tank damage and build up your gauge:

Dynamax Blissey with Pound
Dynamax Chansey with Pound
Gigantamax/Dynamax Gengar with Shadow Claw
Gigantamax Lapras with Water Gun

Notably you should have Max Spirit (healing) unlocked for your Blissey and Chansey. There is a chance that Snorlax will know Superpower, a fighting-type move that will give Blissey/Chansey and Lapras a hard time – in which case you can use your Gengar to charge your meter instead. (Though it’s entirely possible for your very tanky Blissey to just eat the attacks and heal through it.)

The ideal strategy would be to bring two Blisseys and a Machamp, have the Blisseys tank and charge the meter, and then swap to Machamp to dish out Max Knuckle damage.

Even if you don’t have these powered up, consider just bringing the strongest Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon you have. If you have a maxed out Gigantamax Toxtricity and your Dynamax Machamp isn’t leveled (and you don’t have the means to power it up), just bring your Toxtricity. This one is particularly tough due to the lack of options and the looming fear of power creep due to Gigantamax Machamp’s upcoming introduction.

General Gigantamax Snorlax tips

Gigantamax Snorlax is an exceptionally bulky and challenging opponent in Pokémon Go Max Battles, requiring careful preparation and teamwork to defeat. Its pure Normal typing means it is only weak to Fighting-type moves, so prioritize building teams around powerful Fighting-type attackers like Machamp, Passimian, or Falinks for maximum effectiveness. Due to its massive HP boost and access to disruptive G-Max Moves, you’ll need a large group-ideally 10 to 40 players-to reliably take it down, with each group of four trainers balancing roles between attackers, defenders, and healers to maximize survivability and damage output. Make strategic use of Max Moves, shields, and healing abilities, and don’t hesitate to relobby if you encounter a particularly tough moveset from Snorlax. Finally, coordinate with your team, use weather boosts when possible, and remember that persistence pays off-your Max Particles are only consumed upon a win, allowing multiple attempts if needed.

If you’ve been struggling in Max Battles, here’s some general tips to survive – and make sure you’re an asset to your team. Gigantamax battles involve way more strategy than the usual rampant tapping that you do in raids, so make sure to know what you’re doing before jumping in.

Make sure you have enough players. High-efficiency groups with maxed out investments can take down the Snorlax with fewer people, but practically, if you don’t have hundreds of spare candy and even more Stardust laying around, this isn’t going to be an option for you. Make sure you have as many people as possible to ensure that you get your sleeping road obstacle.
Don’t sleep on Max Spirit and Max Guard. Teams work best when there’s a variety of moves, not just maxed-out attacks. Each player should bring Pokémon with the defensive and healing moves unlocked as well. Max Guard will focus single-target damage towards you and reduce the damage taken; Max Spirit will heal the whole party. These moves are really important to make sure your damage-dealers can keep dishing.
Remember to swap to super effective moves when it’s time to Dynamax. For Dynamax Pokémon, their max moves are determined by whatever type their fast move is. This means if you have a Darmanitan with Fire Fang, it will know Max Flare. A Gengar with Lick will know Max Phantasm. Take advantage of this and make sure to swap to a Pokémon that will deal super effective damage to your target before Dynamaxing, if you can.
Focus on your fast moves. You want to spam your fast moves to build up that Dynamax meter and often times, using your charge move is actually a DPS loss when compared to the damage you could be doing with your max move will be. Spam those attacks!
Level up a few ’mons, but you don’t have to go too hard. Depending on your group size, you absolutely do not need to max out all your Dynamax Pokémon to level 40-50. While this will make it easier on the rest of your group, if this isn’t an investment you can make, you don’t have to stress about it. Power things up as high as you can afford to, but don’t fret if you don’t have a maxed out Pokémon.
That all being said, make sure to come as prepared as you can be. This is a team effort and there’s a chance that a full group of four can still fail. Do not just bring your unleveled Dynamax Wooloo expecting a free ride to a powerful Pokémon. (After all, if everyone does that, then you certainly won’t clear the battle.) Again, you don’t have to completely max out your Pokémon, but it will be better for everyone involved if you bring something helpful to the table.
Keep your eye out for a shiny Snorlax! If you clear the raid, there is a chance that the Snorlax you catch will be shiny – which also means it’ll be a guaranteed catch. Use a Pinap Berry to score extra candy if you get lucky enough to find a sparkly Snorlax.

How can I exploit Gigantamax Snorlax’s only weakness in battles

To exploit Gigantamax Snorlax’s only weakness-Fighting-type moves-you should build your team around strong Fighting-type Pokémon and prioritize using their most powerful Fighting-type attacks. Here’s how to maximize your advantage:

Select Top Fighting-type Counters: Machamp is the standout choice, especially with moves like Counter or Karate Chop (Fast Moves) and Dynamic Punch (Charged Move). Passimian and Falinks are also effective options if you lack a high-level Machamp.
Use Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB): Deploy Pokémon whose type matches their Fighting-type moves, as this increases damage output.
Maximize Team Efficiency: If possible, use Dynamax or Gigantamax versions of your Fighting-types to further boost their HP and attack power.
Coordinate with Others: Gigantamax Snorlax is extremely bulky, so teaming up with as many players as possible will help you bring it down faster.
Avoid Ghost-type and Non-effective Moves: Snorlax resists Ghost-type attacks, so focus solely on Fighting-type moves for maximum efficiency.
Strategic Battle Roles: Assign some team members to tank hits (using Pokémon like Blissey) while others focus on dealing damage with Fighting-type moves.

By focusing your attack strategy on powerful, well-leveled Fighting-type Pokémon and moves, and coordinating with a large group, you can efficiently exploit Gigantamax Snorlax’s only weakness and defeat this formidable raid boss.

What fighting moves are most effective against Gigantamax Snorlax’s bulk

The most effective Fighting-type moves against Gigantamax Snorlax’s immense bulk are those with high damage per second (DPS) and quick energy generation, allowing you to unleash powerful Max Moves rapidly. The top choices are:

Counter (Fast Move): This is the premier Fighting-type fast move, offering excellent DPS and energy gain. Machamp, Passimian, and Falinks all excel with Counter as their Fast Move.
Karate Chop (Fast Move): Another solid fast move for Machamp, though Counter is generally superior.
Dynamic Punch (Charged Move): Machamp’s signature Fighting-type charged move, dealing heavy damage and benefiting from Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB).
Close Combat (Charged Move): Available to several Fighting-types, this move hits hard but comes with a defense drop, so use it strategically.
Max Knuckle (Max Move): In Max Battles, your Max Move type is determined by your Fast Move. Using a Fighting-type Fast Move like Counter ensures you’ll unleash Max Knuckle, which is super-effective and crucial for breaking through Snorlax’s defenses.

To maximize your impact, stack your team with well-prepared Machamps using Counter and Dynamic Punch, and supplement with other strong Fighting-types if needed. Always prioritize moves that are super-effective and avoid using Ghost-type attacks, as Snorlax resists them.