How to Beat Suicune in Pokémon GO

Did you ever have one of those playground arguments about how to pronounce “Suicune” growing up? I knew at least a few kids who swore on their lives that it was pronounced “soo-e-sine.” Which, like… how? There’s only one “i” in the word, how would you even get that pronunciation? Man, we were seriously dumb as kids. Well, once you’ve figured out how to pronounce it, here’s how you can beat Suicune in Pokémon GO.

Despite what its crystalline appearance may imply, Suicune is not an Ice type, but a pure Water type. This means it only has two weaknesses, Electric and Grass, is super effective against Fire, Ground, and Rock, and is resistant to Fire, Ice, Steel, and other Water types. That’s quite the narrow pathway in itself, but Suicune’s particular loadout can complicate matters even further. Suicune’s moves break down like this:

Quick Moves

• Extrasensory (Psychic)
• Snarl (Dark)
• Ice Fang (Ice)

Charge Moves

• Hydro Pump (Water)
• Bubble Beam (Water)
• Water Pulse (Water)
• Ice Beam (Ice)

How to Beat Suicune in Pokémon GO

If your first assumption is to pack a Grass type, you might want to think again, as those Ice moves will be super effective against them. Therefore, your best course of action is to bring pure Electric types with doubled-up Electric moves. As far as regular Pokémon go, Electivire, Magnezone, and Luxray are all solid choices; Magnezone and Luxray can use Spark and Wild Charge, while Electivire can use Thunder Shock. If you’ve got some legendaries under your belt, you can’t go wrong with Zekrom, Zapdos, or Suicune’s own fellow legendary beast Raikou. 

If Grass types are your only option, make sure it’s one that can tank a few hits, such as Venusaur (preferably Mega Venusaur), Tangrowth, or Sceptile. If you’re lucky, Suicune won’t have its Ice moves equipped, but I wouldn’t suggest banking on that.