Source: Bulbapedia

The premier Fire type, Moltres soared into first among the Fire types since Generation 1 and has not looked back since. It leads in DPS and overall output thanks to a superb moveset. While its typing comes with an unfortunate double weakness to Rock, it does at least avoid the Ground weakness most Fire types suffer from.

Moltres has 251 attack, 181 defence and 207 stamina. Its attack is the sole outstanding stat but the other offer enough to keep it viable. Honestly, it would be a lot worse if another Fire/Flying type like Ho-oh had been given a proper moveset. You can read about Ho-oh here.

While Moltres didn’t have a lot of use during its initial release, it has gained a modicum of usefulness against the likes of Regice, Registeel and downing Metagross in gym battles. Definitely a step up from its debut when Fire types weren’t that useful. Get one if you can, it’s an amazing Pokemon.

Typing

Resists	Weak To	Normal Damage
Grass	Rock	Ghost
Bug	Water	Dark
Steel	Electric	Normal
Ground		Dragon
Fire		Psychic
Fighting		Flying
Fairy		Poison
		Ice

Fire/Flying brings that double Rock weakness to Moltres and that ought to be your main route of attack when facing off against it. Water and Electric work but not as well when combatting Ho-oh. I’d say Water would be the second best option given how Water types resist Fire moves. Electric can be used if you have don’t have enough of the other two types.

Moltres also comes with 7 resistances, just over a third of all the existing types and double resistances to Bug and Grass. Don’t use moves of those types on it. You’re gonna have a bad time if you do. If you’re using Moltres that means you’ll be well protected if you’re going up against the likes of Metagross, Machamp and Venusaur.

Moves

Fast Move	Type	Power
Ember	Electric	10
Fire Spin	Electric	14

Ember is a legacy move so its unavailable until Niantic decides to rerelease it. Fire Spin is a better move anyway so you’re better off with only having access to it.

Charge Move	Type	Power	Bars
Fire Blast	Fire	140	1
Heat Wave	Fire	95	1
Overheat	Fire	160	1
Sky Attack	Flying	80	2

Sky Attack is the legacy move, released during the 3 hour Moltres event and its actually the best charge move Moltres could have. A Fire and Flying combination does have overlaps, particularly being supereffective against Grass and Bug types. Personally I’d prefer a Flying fast move to accompany it but supereffective damage aside, this is the charge move which does the most neutral damage.

Of the 3 Fire charges moves, don’t ever use Heat Wave. 95 power for a 1 bar charge move is horrendous. Fire Blast is decent but Overheat is the best Fire move most players will be able to get. So with that in mind, the best moveset would be Fire Spin and Overheat.

Assembling The Team

Generally, Rock types with Rock moves should be the ideal counters against Moltres. If you can’t get enough Rock types, then get some

1:Tyranitar

Source:Bulbapedia

If you need a strong Rock type, Tyranitar is the go to Pokemon for the job. It resists Moltres’ moves and with the moveset of Smack Down and Stone Edge, deals a ton of damage. Bite and Crunch is good but not ideal against Moltres.

2:Rhyperior

Source:Bulbapedia

It has the same Rock moveset as Tyranitar but does a little less damage than Tyranitar. The upside to using Rhyperior is Smack Down is currently available and not hidden as a legacy move. Just be prepared to spend Sinnoh Stones if you want a few of them.

3:Golem

Source:Bulbapedia

It’s attack is worse than Rhyperior and Tyranitar but its no slouch either thanks to the double weakness Moltres has. Unlike the other two, you do have a choice when it comes to moves. Rock Throw must be your fast move but for charge move, you have the choice of Rock Blast and Stone Edge. Rock Blast is a 3 bar move , Stone is a 1 bar move. In terms of higher DPS, Stone Edge is the better move.

Honorable Mention

Source:Bulbapedia

Omastar has the amazing legacy moveset of Rock Throw and Rock Slide but even if you don’t have it, its double resistance to Rock should compensate it for a relatively low attack stat compared to the other Pokemon on this list. If you’re reading this in 2019 and you don’t have Rock Throw and/or Rock Slide, you can still use Omastar if you’ve got a good one. You’ll want to use Water Gun and Rock Blast if you don’t have any of its legacy moves, its your best bet.

Conclusion

Moltres is an amazing Pokemon to have and in terms of fighting it, its not the toughest raid boss out there. I personally love fighting Pokemon with double weaknesses, they are easier to short man and thus you get more premier balls to catch it with.