Hoopa is one of the most sought-after Mythical Pokemon in Pokemon GO. Yet, it remains very elusive to most trainers! If you happen to face Hoopa in PVP, this guide will tell you how to counter it in Pokemon GO.
Hoopa is one of the Mythical Pokemon currently available in Pokémon Go. Many of the Mythical Pokémon in the series can only be obtained by using the Special Research mechanic. A mechanic that essentially acts like “Pokemon GO's story mode”.
If you are interested in how to catch Hoopa in Pokemon GO, then be sure to read our How To Get Hoopa In Pokemon Go Guide!
While you are here, make sure to check for the latest Pokemon Go promo codes.
Hoopa Resistance and Weaknesses
Hoopa (Confined) form is a Ghost and Psychic Hybrid Type Pokemon, which means that its resistances are broken down as follows:
- Resistant to: Poison | Psychic
- Double Resistant to: Normal | Fight
- Weak against: N/A
- Double Weak Against: Ghost | Dark
Hoopa (Unbound) form is a Dark and Psychic Hybrid Type Pokemon, which means that its resistances are broken down as follows:
- Resistant to: N/A
- Double Resistant to: Psychic
- Weak against: Fairy
- Double Weak Against: Bug
Pokemon GO Hoopa Attacks Breakdown
Hoopa has access to a seriously limited array of moves. The confined version can easily go up against other Psychic, Poison, and Fighting-type Pokemon. While the unbound form loses its edge over Fighting-type but remains an okay pick for Poison and Psychic-type Pokemon.
Sadly. Hoopa's stats heavily favor offensive, which means that its defensive stats are meager. You could easily get killed by quick attacks of any type other than Psychic, Normal, or Fighting before firing your own devastating Charged Attack.
These are the moves Hoopa currently has in its Pokemon GO kit:
Quick Attacks
- Astonish (Ghost-type Attack)
- Confusion (Psychic-type Attack)
Charge Attacks
- Psychic (Psychic-type Attack)
- Shadow Ball (Ghost-type Attack)
- Psybeam (Psychic-type Attack)[Confined Exclusive]
- Dark Pulse (Dark Attack)[Unbound Exclusive]
Hoopa's Role in Raids and Gym Battles
Hoopa, a Mythical Pokemon of Generation 6 that was introduced to us as the Star of the Season of Mischief. It took its place as a random Mythical Pokemon in the meta. Although it can act as a Psychic attack and Ghost Gym/Raid attacker, it has so much competition that is so much easier to obtain that it ended up as a mere filler Pokemon.
Hoopa Unbound on the other hand has a staggering 311 base Attack stat. This is more than even Mewtwo. Its raid performance is nowhere near the top tier. It is okay at best. It is a Psychic-type attacker that falls behind Mewtwo in terms of DPS.
This is because it does not have Mewtwo's devastating Psystrike. Its Dark secondary typing also removes Fighting-type resistance. It is a Ghost/Dark-type attacker and is limited by Astonish's poor parameters. Hoopa Unbound's Psychic/Dark typing gives it near immunity to Psychic resistance. This gives it incredible staying power against some Psychic bosses, allowing her to become a top-tier attacker despite Astonish's limited parameters.
Never use Hoopa to defend a gym if you care about actually protecting it! With a DEF of 191 in its unbound form, it will quickly fall victim to any even average attacker.
Hoopa's Role In PVP
Hoopa is a Ghost/Psychic-type with minimal coverage of weaknesses. Not to mention that the unbound form Dark/Psychic-type makes the Pokemon worse. Hoopa has barely any value besides filling in your Pokedex. Sorry, Hoopa fans.
Hoopa (Confined) fares best in the Ultra League. But while it can squeak out a win against Fighting-types, Hoopa will find it challenging to defeat most meta Pokemon. Hoopa's Shadow Ball access is the only tool it has against Armored Mewtwo and Deoxys (Defense Form). Confusion's slow animation speed makes the fight against any Gengar a surefire loss.
Cresselia and Lugia can beat Hoopa with no problem despite being weak to Shadow Ball! This is due to their speed advantage over Hoopa. You will quickly be left in the dust while they bombard you with Charge Moves earlier than Hoopa can land Shadow Balls in any even-shielding situation. If you are serious about winning consistently, it is best to pass on this Pokémon.
Like, why even bother with Hoopa? Umbreon with Snarl and Foul Play, Cofagrigus with Shadow Claw and Dark Pulse, Drifblim with Hex and Shadow Ball. There are SO MANY better Pokemon with similar typing to Hoopa. But with almost none of the downsides.
Due to all of the above, it's almost unheard of to see Hoopa in any serious Pokemon GO PVP match. That being said, here are some Pokemon that counter Hoopa:
- Umbreon with Snarl (Quick Attack) and Foul Play (Charged Attack)
- Cofagrigus with Shadow Claw (Quick Attack) and Dark Pulse (Charged Attack)
- Giratina (Altered Form) with Shadow Claw (Quick Attack) and Dragon Claw (Charged Attack)
- Driftblim with Hex(Quick Attack) and Shadow Ball (Charged Attack)
- Registeel with Lock-On (Quick Attack) and Zap Cannon (Charged Attack)
- Jellicent with Hex (Quick Attack) and Bubble Beam (Charged Attack)
- Zarud with Vine Whip (Quick Attack) and Power Ship (Charged Attack)
- Tyranitar with Smack Down (Quick Attack) and Stone Edge (Charged Attack)
- Zekrom with Charge Beam (Quick Attack) and Wild Charge (Charged Attack)
- Excadrill with Mud Shot (Quick Attack) and Rock Slide (Charged Attack)
- Metagross with Thunder Shock (Quick Attack) and Rock Slide (Charged Attack)
And then there are some less likely foes you could see in PVP I guess:
- Kommo-o – Dragon Tail | Close Combat
- Cresselia – Confusion | Future Sight
- Lugia – Dragon Tail | Sky Attack
- Regigigas Rock Smash | Focus Blast
- Mewtwo Psycho Cut | Focus Blast
- Meloetta Low Kick | Close Combat
- Thundurus Thunder Shock | Focus Blast
- Terrakion Smack Down | Sacred Sword
- Porygon-Z – Hidden Power | Blizzard
- Black Kyurem – Dragon Tail | Outrage
Hoopa is seriously not that useful for PVP Pokemon Combat. The many, many Psychic, Ghost and Dark Pokemon mentioned above are way better pick if you plan on winning.
I think Giratina (Altered Form) with Shadow Claw quick attack and Dragon Claw charged attack is the best overall counter pick to Hoopa, taking typing into consideration. Giratina is a very consistent meta pick for the Great and Ultra Leagues, and his arsenal of dragon and ghost-type moves will obliterate Hoopa without any problem.
These are the weaknesses and counters for Dragonite in Pokemon GO. You can find more information and guides in our Pokemon GO section. Be sure to check out Pokemon Go: 15 Best Master League Pokemon! (Updated March 2022) if you want to know what is in the current meta! And on the topic of counters! Be sure to check out Pokemon GO Dragonite Weaknesses And Counter Picks For Raids And PVP too!