Pokemon GO Lapras Weaknesses and Counter Picks for Raids and PVP

This is a list of the top Lapras counters in Pokemon GO, so you can take advantage of these natural weaknesses and sink the battleship of your foe.

New generations bring new members to the large Ice and Water-type families. But some of you might remember the humble beginnings of the Ice-type family. Only a handful of Pokemon had this typing in Gen 1. And one of them was the sought-after Lapras!

Many of Lapras's best moves were made legacy, and are now only available via Elite TMs. Furthermore, they are being replaced by moves like Surf that it doesn't benefit from. However, this does not mean that Lapras is irrelevant. Its HP is still outstanding and its Water / Ice dual typing is a threat to both Fire-type counters and Grass.

Lapras, despite its shortcomings, is still an acceptable option for defense. It has a large bulk and the ability to take on “counters”.?It's no longer relevant on offense due to the introduction of major names in both its types.

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Lapras Resistance and Weaknesses

Lapras is a Water and Ice Hybrid Type Pokemon, which means that its resistances are broken down as follows:

• Resistant to: Water
• Double Resistant to: Ice
• Weak against: Fighting, Grass, Rock, Electricity
• Double Weak Against: N/A

Pokemon GO Lapras Attacks Breakdown

Lapras has access to quite a wide array of moves. Sadly, his best ones have been “retired” and replaced by worse ones. So you have to use some Elite TMs to gain his best attacks. He can easily go up against Flying, Grass, Ground, Rock, Fire, and Dragon-type Pokemon. He's not quite an undisputed meta menace. But he definitely has his uses for PVP! These are the moves Lapras currently has in its Pokemon GO kit:

Quick Attacks

• Frost Breath (Ice-type Attack)
• Water Gun (Water-type Attack)
• Ice Shard (Ice-type Attack) [Elite TM Exclusive!]

Charge Attacks

• Surf (Water-type Attack)
• Blizzard (Ice-type Attack)
• Hydro Pump (Water-type Attack)
• Skull Bash (Normal-type Attack)
• Dragon Pulse (Dragon-type Attack)[Elite TM Exclusive!]
• Ice Beam (Ice-type Attack)[Elite TM Exclusive!]

Lapras Raid Counters

Lapras is a Tier 3 Raid Pokemon. His maximum CP reaches up to 1509, or 1888 CP if it's currently basking in the glorious Snow or Rain weather boost.

The difficulty of running a Lapras Raid has been reduced from a Duo down to a Solo due to the departure of Tier 4 raid bosses.?Solo players may have some trouble tackling raids alone doe. The two types of attacks that Lapras has going for itself can cover the spectrum of most Pokemon.

This can make it difficult to form a “safe” team against a Lapras raid.?Lapras can be a valuable lesson in team diversity and an excellent benchmark for players looking to build a strong PvE team.

I already mentioned that Lapras takes 2 times the normal damage from Fighting, Grass, Rock, and Electricity type attacks. Due to this, it would be wise to get someone with such moves. Preferably, the charged attack rather than a quick attack. Or both!

Here are our recommendations:

• Machamp with Counter (Quick Attack) and Dynamic Punch (Charged Attack)
• Zarud with Vine Whip (Quick Attack) and Power Ship (Charged Attack)
• Lucario with Counter (Quick Attack) and Aura Sphere (Charged Attack)
• Tyranitar with Smack Down (Quick Attack) and Stone Edge (Charged Attack)
• Conkeldurr with Counter (Quick Attack) and Dynamic Punch (Charged Attack)
• Zekrom with Charge Beam (Quick Attack) and Wild Charge (Charged Attack)
• Lopunny with Low Kick (Quick Attack) and Focus Blast (Charged Attack)

Lapras PVP Counters

Lapras is a water/ice type known for his powerful moveset. Some of his best moves were made into legacy movesets a while back. Lapras is highly sought after in trades due to the limited availability of rare legacy movesets.

This could make it a valuable player, as having them might net you the needed advantage over your opponents. Lapras is a popular pick for PvP, but it must compete with other Water-type picks such as Azumarill, which tend to do better overall. His 4 weaknesses are a big problem in the current meta.

Lapras is commonly used in Great and Ultra Leagues thanks to his max CP of 2641. In Master League, he tends to get trashed by most meta picks, and even some off-metas.

That being said, here are some of his worst nightmares:

• Sirfetch'd with Counter (Quick Attack) and Close Combat (Charged Attack)
• Deoxys (Defense Forme) with Counter (Quick Attack) and Rock Slide (Charged Attack)
• Togekiss with Charm (Quick Attack) and Ancient Power (Charged Attack)
• Registeel with Lock-On (Quick Attack) and Zap Cannon (Charged Attack)
• Medicham with Counter (Quick Attack) and Dynamic Punch (Charged Attack)
• Machamp with Counter (Quick Attack) and Dynamic Punch (Charged Attack)
• Zarud with Vine Whip (Quick Attack) and Power Ship (Charged Attack)
• Lucario with Counter (Quick Attack) and Aura Sphere (Charged Attack)
• Tyranitar with Smack Down (Quick Attack) and Stone Edge (Charged Attack)
• Conkeldurr with Counter (Quick Attack) and Dynamic Punch (Charged Attack)
• Zekrom with Charge Beam (Quick Attack) and Wild Charge (Charged Attack)
• Lopunny with Low Kick (Quick Attack) and Focus Blast (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
• Blaziken Counter | Focus Blast
• Urshifu Counter | Dynamic Punch
• 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

Lapras is an excellent pick for PVP Pokemon Combat. Despite being weak to fighting type moves, which are very much in the meta right now.?In Great and Ultra Leagues is where it shines the most. But at the same time, so many great water Pokemon like Jellicent or Swampert are just such better picks than the poor Lapras. Not to mention the already stated problem of too many Pokemon capable of using the fighting type moves in the meta at the moment for him to handle.

I think Deoxys (Defense Forme) with counter quick attack and rock slide charged attack is the best overall counter pick to a Lapras, taking typing into consideration.?Deoxys being a very consistent meta pick for the Great and Ultra Leagues, and his arsenal of fighting and rock-type moves will obliterate Lapras 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!