March is officially here, which meansPokemon GOis ready to roll out another month of events,breakthrough rewards, and challenging new Legendary Raid Battles. As usual, the Niantic mobile AR game is on the ball and already has a big month planned including the return of a popular Legendary Pokemon who hasn’t had a ton of time in the Raid spotlight just yet.
Starting on Monday, March 2,Pokemon GOtrainers will have a chance to battle Tornadus in level five Battle Raids once again in the mobile game. The genie-like Pokemon is a powerful Flying-type with two forms. Each form has its own weaknesses, but the main counters are actually going to be the same for either battle.
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So far it doesn’t seem like Tornadus will have a major impact on thePokemon GOPvE or PvP metagame, but having a powerful Legendary Flying-type is pretty exciting. This also marks the opportunity for a new Pokedex entry, so the Raids are going to be popular for at least the first week or so as all players rush out to get one step closer to the elusive dex completion.
“Starting Monday, June 07, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −7), Thundurus, the Bolt Strike Pokémon, will be in five-star raids! This Pokémon, originally discovered in the Unova region, will be making its Pokémon GO debut. It’s said that Thundurus flies around the Unova region firing off lightning bolts from the spikes on its tail, so watch out for this Electric- and Flying-type Legendary Pokémon!
Get ready to take it on with Pokémon that know Ice- and Rock-type attacks!”
Best Tornadus Counters
Rampardos - Smack Down/Rock Slide (Warning: Rampardos becomes a huge liability of Tornadus has Grass Knot)
Terrakion - Smack Down/Rock Slide
Mamoswine - Powder Snow/Avalanche
Although that list includes all of the best plays for trainers, there are obviously many other reasonable substitutions. Tyranitar, Glaceon, and Weavile are all just one tier down from the best counters and can definitely do some serious damage if they make an appearance during these Battle Raids. Just don’t forget that level five Raids can be pretty tough even with the right counters, so try to head into the Raid Lobby with at least a few high-level friends as well.
For now, players may want to keep hunting downthe best Unova Pokemon in the gameif improving their Battle Raid rosters is their primary goal. Be sure to check back in the near future for morePokemon GOstrategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!
Pokemon GOis available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.
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