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Donphan is a Pokémon you might encounter in Pokémon Go as a raid boss. It’s a hefty combatant that, with the proper team, you can defeat by yourself. Although, having a friend or two to help you is never bad. But make sure you know Donphan’s weaknesses are essential. Here’s what you need to know about all of Donphan’s weaknesses and the best Pokémon to counter it in Pokémon Go.

All Donphan weaknesses

Donphan is a Ground-type Pokémon. It will be weak against Grass, Ice, and Water-type moves, but it is resistant against Electric, Poison, and Rock-type attacks. We recommend focusing on Grass and Water-type moves to beat it.

Best Pokémon to counter Donphan

The best Pokémon you can use to counter Donphan include Kingler, Swampert, and Gyarados.

Kingler is a Water-type Pokémon. While it’s not a choice you typically see in the battle league or many PvP-related circumstances, it has far more use in raids. Using Kingler against Donphan is a solid choice. The best moveset to give Kingler is the fast move mud shot, and the charged moves crabhammer and x-scissor.

Next, we have Swampert, a Water and Ground-type Pokémon. Swampert is a Pokémon you’ll see throughout your time in Pokémon Go, both in raids and PvP battles. Given its attack power, we can’t praise this choice enough with a sizeable defense. The best moveset to give Swampert is the fast move mud shot, and the charged moves hydro cannon and earthquake.

The final option, Gyarados, is a Water and Flying-type Pokémon. Like Swampert, Gyarados is a suitable Pokémon that can do heavy damage against anything it’s super-effective against, especially with a balanced moveset. It has even more attack power than Swampert, and you can use the Mega version of this Pokémon. The best moveset for Gyarados to use is the fast move dragon tail and the charged moves aqua tail and outrage.

You’ll need to use a full team of six Pokémon to defeat Donphan. These are other options you may want to consider adding to your roster.

  • Empoleon
  • Exeggutor
  • Glaceon
  • Kyogre
  • Mamoswine
  • Roserade
  • Samurott
  • Tangrowth
  • Torterra
  • Weavile
  • Zarude

After battling against Donphan, you’ll have the chance to capture one to add to your collection. Unfortunately, you don’t have a chance of catching a shiny version.

About the author

Zack Palm

Zack Palm is the Senior Writer of Gamepur and has spent over five years covering video games, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Oregon State University. He spends his free time biking, running tabletop campaigns, and listening to heavy metal. His primary game beats are Pokémon Go, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and any newly released title, and he finds it difficult to pull away from any Star Wars game.

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