Best Nihilego counters, movesets, and all weaknesses in Pokémon Go

Nihilego was the first Ultra Beast to debut in Pokémon Go. It was added as part of Go Fest 2022, but never had a Shiny form. That is changing in the Solstice Horizons event on June 16.

Nihilego’s Shiny form changes its light blue and white color scheme to yellow and white. If you’re as excited to catch it as I am, you’ll need to take part in a special Five-Star Raid during the event.

Don’t stress, though. Our experts have identified a number of Pokémon to counter it. I’ll list some of the best ones here but also expand on what its best moveset is and what its weaknesses are. That way, you’ll know exactly how to make it thrive once you finally catch it.

Best Nihilego counters in Pokémon Go

Nihilego is a Poison and Rock-type Pokémon, so it’s weak against Ground, Psychic, Steel, and Water-type Pokémon. Ground-type Pokémon are particularly strong against it since they counter both of its types. I’d recommend Garchomp, Groudon, Excadrill, and Rhyperior. Personally, I’d use a Primal Groudon with Mud Shot and Precipice Blades to counter it.

Related: All Solstice Horizons Starry Skies Research tasks and rewards in Pokémon Go

I also had a lot of success with Water-type Pokémon like Gyarados, Kingler, Kyogre, and Swampert—all of which can deal a significant amount of damage to it. Steel-type Pokémon like Aggron, Dialga, Excadrill, and Metagross are also a safe bet because they take reduced damage from it.

Best Nihilego movesets in Pokémon Go

In my experience, the best moveset for Nihilego in Pokémon Go is Poison Jab as the Fast Attack and Sludge Bomb as the Charged Attack. They have a higher damage output than any other combination.

Poison Jab deals 10 damage and generates seven energy. Sludge Bomb deals 80 damage and costs 50 energy. They’re both Poison-type moves, which means they’re strong against Grass and Fairy Pokémon and weak against Ghost, Ground, Poison, and Rock-type Pokémon.

If you’d rather not double up on Poison-type attacks, I suggest picking Rock Slide or Power Gem for the Charged Attack. They are both excellent options. Personally, I’d lean towards Rock Slide because it deals more damage per second and generates more energy per second, but it still loses out to Sludge Bomb by a smidge.

All Nihilego weaknesses in Pokémon Go

As mentioned above, Nihilego’s primary weakness is Ground-type moves. It takes quadruple damage from them since both of its types are weak against them. Drill Run, Earth Power, and Earthquake are super effective. I’ve seen them do absurd amounts of damage to it.

Water-type moves like Aqua Tail, Hydro Pump, and Surf and Steel-type moves like Flash Cannon, Iron Head, and Meteor Mash are effective too. They’re all viable options if you don’t have a Ground-type Pokémon in your party, but I’d highly recommend swapping one in.