How Many to a Raid?

As I've mentioned in my post about how raids work, it is possible to undertake the raids in Pokémon Go with only a few people, even just one. This does beg the question: just how many people does it take to raid? The short answer is not as many as one might think (and often indicated by the "Suggested Group Size"); the long answer is that it is dependent on different factors, whether they be of the Trainers, the Pokémon involved, and the environment (weather). All these influence the successes of particular raids and therefore those that can or want to participate.

It has been proven that just one Trainer can sufficiently raid even up to Tier 3 raids, but they would have to have sufficiently strong and able Pokémon with CPs in the thousands, which means the Trainer Level has to be high as well to sustain those Pokémon. Legendary Pokémon obtained through Tier 5 raids also help too, though there is merit among some Trainers that try not to use them for Tier 3 and below. Beyond that, Tiers 4 and 5 practically demand cooperation among many Trainers and the most powerful Pokémon possible.

As raids are Pokémon battles with the possibility of cooperation, basic strategies that apply to Pokémon battles also apply here, especially for those who are familiar with how the main series games work. There are differences in type interactions (though minor, and this is also present in similar ways in Shuffle, for example), move structures (two moves instead of four), and battle method (action-based rather than turn-based), but the basics remain the same, where certain Pokémon are better suited against others. This may be the trigger for cooperation if desired and necessary, when a Trainer lacks the suitable battlers.

Weather too plays a part. Weather does not determine which raid bosses appear when, but it does affect how a battle progresses, which may prove beneficial to Trainers or not. On the other hand, some raid bosses are not only stronger in certain weather, but also have the potential to be Shiny, in which case interested Trainers should make a concerted effort to obtain them. Weather is regardless a potential factor to be considered for those wishing to take part.

The bottom line is that so many factors go into raids and so many different outcomes may result, though successes are indeed possible even without a great number of Trainers. It is up to them to decide when they can succeed in smaller groups and when they need reinforcements. But as I've said in my previous post, raids were (and still are) designed as cooperative activities, and that's where I see the enjoyment, as much as there is also enjoyment in taking down very powerful Pokémon and catching them as part of the loot.

One year ago: To Be Continued... maimai ORANGE (PLUS)