Hi travelers,
I've been working on optimizing my Team Rocket Grunt grind to be as fast as possible. We all know that using Charge Moves, while efficient for damage, kills momentum due to the animation time, the swiping mini-game, and the delay afterward.
I wanted to find the absolute best counters that can defeat Grunts relying solely on Fast Move pressure (Raw DPS + STAB), so you can just tap your screen without looking and move on.
The Methodology: I compiled a list for every Grunt type, pokemon stats and fast attack stats focusing on the highest Fast Move DPS available in the current meta (taking into account the recent Mud-Slap buff).
- Constraint: No Charge Moves used. Just "farm down".
- Hierarchy: 1. Shadow (Highest DPS) > 2. Legendary (Highest DPS) > 3. Standard Non-Legendary.
- Key Moves: Heavy emphasis on high-damage moves like Razor Leaf, Charm, Bite, Smack Down, Dragon Tail, and Mud-Slap.
- Energy vs. Damage: I prioritized consistent damage over energy generation. For example, Mud-Slap Excadrill is preferred over Mud Shot Ground-types for this specific strategy.
Special Case: The "Mixed" Starter Grunt: For the grunt that uses Bulbasaur/Charmander/Squirtle (Taunt: "Don't bother" / "Winning is for winners"), hitting Super Effective is inconsistent. The best strategy here is Resistances. High-level Dragons resist Fire, Water, and Grass, allowing them to farm down safely regardless of what spawns.
The Cheat Sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k76-VRFO1tcESl-XgE2orl4gbakl4csMJGwFN7jNtLI/edit?usp=sharing
Table Notes: (*) These Legendaries rely on high-energy/low-damage Fast Moves (like Mud Shot or Snarl). For a strictly "Fast Move only" strategy, the Standard options with heavy-hitting moves (like Mud-Slap or Bite) are often faster. (**) Shadow version not yet globally released/available, listed as the theoretical best.
Key Takeaways:
- Kartana is a Monster: Even as a non-Shadow, Kartana with Razor Leaf outclasses almost everything for Water/Rock/Ground grunts.
- Mud-Slap Dominance: Since the recent rebalance, Shadow Excadrill and Shadow Rhyperior delete Electric, Fire, and Poison grunts instantly.
- The "Bite" Squad: Shadow Tyranitar remains the king of AFK farming for Ghost and Psychic grunts.
Hope this helps anyone looking to speedrun their Rocket Radars!
Any suggestions, recommendations to adjust the model, or other considerations would be appreciated.
PS: Annihilape is the best generalist, but the focus here is purely on speed.
Edit/Correction:
I – For the Normal and Snorlax grunts, Shadow Conkeldurr is actually better than Shadow Machamp. Since both use Counter, Conkeldurr wins due to its higher base Attack stat (243 vs 234). Machamp is usually preferred for its spammy Charge Moves, but since we are ignoring those, Conkeldurr is the DPS King here.
II – Dragon grunt was updated to consider resistance/weakness.
by epachon