Summary
- The addition of Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO allows trainers to catch and use powerful versions of regular Pokemon with more attack power.
- Players can challenge Team Rocket grunts at Pokestops to wrestle control of Shadow Pokemon, but they need to be prepared for the different types of Pokemon each grunt may possess.
- Some grunt battles can be challenging due to unexpected Pokemon, such as the Male Water Grunt's chance of using a powerful Gyarados, the Rock Grunt's dual-typed Rock Pokemon, and the Dark Grunt's Dark/Poison Pokemon that resist Fighting-type attacks.
Many features have been added to the mobile monster catcher game Pokemon GO since its release, with players able to now do much more than simply catch the original 151 Pokemon. The addition of Shadow Pokemon, powerful versions of regular Pokemon with more attack power in Pokemon GO, allowed trainers to catch and use these enhanced creatures. However, to get a chance at capturing Shadow Pokemon, players have to wrestle control of them away from Team Rocket grunts.
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Spawning at Pokestops, players need only spin in order to challenge Team Rocket grunts for control of their Shadow Pokemon. Each grunt can bring a variety of Pokemon to a battle, the general type of which can be gleaned through hints given by the grunts themselves prior to the battle. Presently, there are various grunts to be battled, some possessing Pokemon teams more challenging than others.
10 Male Water Grunt
At first glance, many trainers would rejoice in encountering the Male Water Grunt. Unlike his female counterpart (who possesses a plethora of Water-type Pokemon to throw at the player), the Male Water Grunt uses exclusively Shadow Magikarp. Even with the boosted power that Shadow affords, a Magikarp is no threat to any trainer.
If this is the case, why then can the Male Water Grunt be challenging? It all comes down to whether a trainer is unlucky enough to encounter Magikarp's evolved form Gyarados, which the grunt has a chance of using in the third slot. Gyarados is a titan of a Pokemon that can throw a spanner in the works for unprepared trainers only expecting to deal with powerless Magikarp.
9 Rock Grunt
The Rock Grunt, as one would expect, uses Rock-type Pokemon against trainers that challenge them. Knowing that the Kantonian Rock/Ground line of Geodude, Graveler, and Golem can appear, trainers may be tempted to bring the 4x effective Water-type into the mix. In any regular case, this would be a smart move. However, the Rock Grunt has some surprises up their sleeve.
Whilst the Rock/Ground Graveler and Golem can indeed appear, the Rock Grunt possesses a variety of dual-typed Rock Pokemon that can dry up the effectiveness of Water-type attackers, including the part-Grass Lileep. It is the Alolan form of Golem that can cause the most grief however as, with its part-Electric typing, it can cause chaos to a weakened Water attacker.
8 Dark Grunt
Like many tricky grunts in Pokemon GO, the difficulty of the Dark Grunt comes with their use of dual-typed Pokemon resistant to usual counters. Indeed, a strong Fighting-type like Machamp should take one through a Dark-type team, especially the Dark/Normal-type Alolan Rattata and Raticate.
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However, the other possible Dark Pokemon on the Dark Grunt's prospective team provide a stumbling block for any Fighting-type counters. Alolan Grimer and Muk keep their Kantonian counterpart's Poison typing and add the Dark type, reducing Fighting-type damage to neutral. Additionally, the Dark Grunt can call upon a Kantonian Muk which is a pure Poison type, potentially walling any Fighting-type attackers.
7 Ice Grunt
A powerful Fire-type attacker will get one far when facing the Ice Grunt, with half of its possible eight team members having a 4x weakness to the type. In fact, a Fire-type will face little challenge against the first two slots on the Ice Grunt's team, with even Shadow Swinub's super-effective Ground typing being outweighed by its relative weakness.
It is only when trainers are faced with the third slot that things can go awry rather quickly. In this slot, the Ice Grunt has access to two Water/Ice types: Cloyster and Lapras. Having the part-Water typing spells trouble for any Fire type facing these Pokemon, with Lapras additionally having a bulk that makes it difficult to put down regardless of type advantage.
6 Flying Grunt
Any trainer facing the Flying Grunt will have a hard time preparing for the team they will field, with all three of their team slots having three Pokemon as possibilities. If lucky, a trainer can breeze through their bird-like opponents with a strong Rock-type attacker such as a Tyranitar, especially if the three opposing Pokemon are the Zubat evolution line.
However, there are two specific Pokemon that can cause more than just a fuss if they appear as an opponent: Gyarados and Dragonite. Not the first Pokemon to come to mind when one thinks of the Flying type, unprepared trainers can find themselves frazzled by the appearance of either. Dragonite holds the generally powerful Dragon type whilst Gyarados can devastate a Rock type with Water-type attacks.
5 Fighting Grunt
When the baby Pokemon Tyrogue was introduced in Generation 2, it retroactively made Generation 1 staples Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan second-stage evolutions, along with then-new evolution Hitmontop. In Pokemon GO, the Fighting Grunt uses all three of these evolved forms in varying configurations.
Battling the Shadow versions of these second-stage Fighting types can put pressure on the most powerful of Pokemon, even those that have a type advantage such as Psychic and Flying. A powerful Mewtwo or Rayquaza, if used too contently, can be brought low by the relentless assault of Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, and Hitmontop.
4 Dragon Grunt
Even after the introduction of the Fairy type in Generation 6, the Dragon type still holds a reputation as one of the strongest typings in all of Pokemon. Being weak to only Fairy, Ice, and itself, and with resistances to Electric, Fire, Grass, and Water types, Dragon-type Pokemon are never simple to battle against, making the Dragon Grunt more difficult to deal with.
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Being able to throw Dragonite, Dragonair, and Alolan Exeggutor in trainers' paths, a strong Ice type usually proves best when dealing with the Ice Grunt considering Dragonite and Alolan Exeggutor's secondary typings. Still, regardless of type advantages, the Dragon Grunt can overpower a team if not properly thought through.
3 Male 'Winning Is For Winners' Grunt
The Male 'Winning Is For Winners' Grunt differs from the regular Team Rocket minions, mainly due to the cryptic nature of his dialogue giving no indication of the Pokemon team he will use. With nothing to go on and the fact that he uses multiple types, trainers must rely on trial and error to build a team that deals with this grunt's Pokemon.
This grunt possesses an interesting set of Pokemon team members: the first-stage Kanto starters, the second-stage Johto starters, and the third-stage Hoenn starters. This mix of Grass, Fire, and Water types provides a unique challenge to any trainer wanting to battle this grunt. Of course, one may be lucky and face three opponents of one type, but it is equally likely that this will not be the case.
2 Psychic Grunt
Being a strong type in general, the Psychic Grunt already has their best foot forward when it comes to a battle. That being said, a strong Dark, Ghost, or Bug-type can quite easily power through a fully Psychic team, but it is when one takes into account the different secondary typing held by Pokemon possessed by the Psychic Grunt that problems begin to arise.
The second slot possibility Raltz can be a real annoyance considering its powerful Fairy secondary type, creating a roadblock for any Dark-type attacker. Third slot possibilities Metang and Alakazam can also represent potential team-killers if not handled properly, with Metang's Psychic/Steel typing being difficult to deal with and Alakazam being a powerful pure Psychic type.
1 Female 'Winning Is For Winners' Grunt
The Female 'Winning Is For Winners' Grunt stands leagues above her male counterpart in difficulty, with her team including some of the toughest non-Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO. Trainers that challenged her can only pull together their highest CP Pokemon and hope they do not face the dreaded triple Shadow Snorlax configuration.
Her other team members are just as dangerous, with possibilities of Dragonite, Poliwrath, Gardevoir, and Gyarados appearing throughout the second and third slots, as well as other Snorlax. A strong Fighting type like Lucario or Machamp can deal with a Snorlax but will struggle to survive three consecutively. Also, an Electric-type can be useful to deal with Dragonite, Gyarados, and Poliwrath that appear.
Pokemon GO is available on iOS and Android.