TL;DR
- Tornadus appears in 5-star raids from February 4-25 with guaranteed Wednesday Raid Hours
- Coordinate with 5-7 trainers using optimal Electric, Ice, and Rock-type counters
- Master curved Excellent throws with Golden Razz Berry enhancement for capture success
- Manage Premier Balls strategically and maximize damage contribution for bonus balls
- Prepare raid passes in advance and optimize team composition before engagement
Successfully capturing the legendary Tornadus requires strategic timing and preparation. This comprehensive guide provides actionable strategies to maximize your raid opportunities and ensure successful captures.
The Cyclone Pokémon makes its debut in Pokémon Go’s five-star Raid Battles, representing one of the three Forces of Nature from the Unova region. This limited-time appearance offers trainers their initial chance to add this powerful legendary to their collection through coordinated raid efforts.
Tornadus remains available in raids from February 4 through February 25, after which it will rotate out for the next legendary encounter. This three-week window provides multiple opportunities, but requires careful planning to ensure successful captures.
Identifying Tornadus raids involves monitoring gym activity for specific visual cues. Prior to raid commencement, a massive egg appears above gyms with a countdown timer. The egg’s coloration indicates raid difficulty level—specifically, blue eggs signify five-star Tornadus encounters. The game also provides push notifications when nearby raids are imminent.
While raid timing varies unpredictably, Niantic’s weekly Raid Hour guarantees consistent opportunities. Every Wednesday from 6-7 PM local time, most active gyms host Tornadus raids, dramatically increasing encounter chances during this designated period.
Raid participation requires proper pass management. Trainers can obtain one free daily raid pass by spinning gym photo discs, though inventory capacity limits holding multiple free passes simultaneously. Additional premium passes are available through the in-game shop for dedicated raiders.

Effective Tornadus raiding demands thorough preparation beyond basic participation. Unlike lower-tier raids that solo players can complete, legendary encounters require coordinated team efforts with 5-7 experienced trainers for consistent success rates.
Team coordination represents the most critical success factor. Before engaging, ensure your raid group contains sufficient high-level trainers with properly prepared counters. Communication through local Discord servers or Pokémon Go communities significantly improves coordination and success probability.
Resource preparation extends beyond raid passes. Stockpile healing items, particularly Max Revives and Max Potions, to maintain your battle team’s effectiveness across multiple attempts. Pre-select and power up your optimal counter team to maximize damage output and minimize revival downtime.
Battle initiation requires strategic positioning. Arrive at raid locations early to coordinate with fellow trainers and ensure optimal start timing. During combat, simultaneous attacks from all participants systematically reduce Tornadus’s health pool within the 300-second time constraint.
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Understanding Tornadus’s type vulnerabilities forms the foundation of successful raid strategy. As a pure Flying-type legendary, it exhibits particular susceptibility to Electric, Ice, and Rock-type attacks, taking 160% increased damage from these move types.
Optimal Electric-type counters include Zekrom with Charge Beam and Wild Charge, Raikou with Thunder Shock and Wild Charge, and Electivire with Thunder Shock and Wild Charge. These Pokémon deliver sustained super-effective damage while resisting Tornadus’s Flying-type moves.
Ice-type specialists provide excellent secondary options. Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche, Glaceon with Frost Breath and Avalanche, and Weavile with Ice Shard and Avalanche offer powerful alternative counters with favorable type matchups.
Rock-type alternatives round out effective counter teams. Rampardos with Smack Down and Rock Slide, Rhyperior with Smack Down and Rock Wrecker, and Tyranitar with Smack Down and Stone Edge deliver devastating damage, though they require careful positioning due to vulnerability against Hurricane attacks.
Move set awareness significantly impacts battle outcomes. Tornadus typically employs Air Slash as its fast move, paired with either Hurricane or Focus Blast as charged moves. Focus Blast poses particular threat to Rock and Ice types, necessitating strategic switching and dodge timing.
Victorious raid completion rewards participants with limited Premier Balls, representing the exclusive capture mechanism for Tornadus. Strategic ball management becomes paramount, as exhausting your Premier Ball supply results in the legendary fleeing, requiring additional raid completions for further capture attempts.
Premier Ball allocation depends on multiple performance factors. Damage contribution, gym control, and team contribution collectively determine your ball allocation, ranging typically from 8-14 balls per successful raid. Maximizing damage output through optimal counters directly increases your capture opportunities.
Advanced throwing techniques dramatically improve capture probabilities. Curved Excellent throws combined with Golden Razz Berry enhancements can increase success rates to approximately 15% per throw, compared to approximately 2% for straight throws without berries.
Circle locking technique represents a professional strategy for consistent Excellent throws. Hold the ball until the target circle reaches Excellent size, then release without throwing. Wait for Tornadus’s attack animation, then execute your curved throw during the animation’s conclusion when the circle remains fixed.
Bonus maximization through type medals further enhances capture odds. Gold Flying-type medals provide 1.3x catch multiplier, while silver medals offer 1.2x multiplier. These bonuses apply multiplicatively with other catch enhancements.
Action Checklist
- Stockpile daily raid passes and coordinate with local raid groups
- Power up optimal Electric, Ice, and Rock-type counters with recommended movesets
- Participate in Wednesday Raid Hours (6-7 PM local time) for guaranteed encounters
- Execute curved Excellent throws with Golden Razz Berry enhancement during capture phase
- Maximize damage contribution and gym control for additional Premier Balls
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