Pokemon Sword and Shield – How to Beat Gigantamax Snorlax

The first event Gigantamax Pokemon has arrived in Sword and Shield. Starting off with Gigantamax Snorlax, players have a tough challenge ahead of them. You first need to encounter this rare character, but then you need to beat and catch him. We’ll break all of this down for you, cause it can be pretty tricky. Here’s how to beat Gigantamax Snorlax in Pokemon Sword and Shield, showing you the best counters and how to catch him.

How to Get Gigantamax Snorlax

To beat Snorlax, you first need to encounter him. Gigantamax Snorlax will only appear (at least in higher numbers) between early December 2019 and early January 2020. You’ll want to fight and catch as many of them as you can. To do this make sure your session is connected to the internet. Hit Y and Plus then check the top right to make sure it says you are connected before proceeding. This will trigger your game to figure out if you’re qualified to encounter this rare Pokemon, so make sure you do this whenever you’re hunting for Gigantamax raids.

After this you just need to head to the Wild Area and check out all of the Raid Dens. If a Pokemon is inside it will have a red or purple light shining into the air. Go up to it and hit A then see if Snorlax is inside. If so the silhouette will show him laying on his back with a tree sprouting off his belly and into the air. You can also join other Gigantamax Snorlax raids by checking for stamps. Once you encounter it, you need to beat it, so here’s more on that.

How to Beat Gigantamax Snorlax with the Best Counters

The short answer is to make sure others join you. The random AI NPCs will not be enough to beat Gigantamax Snorlax due to his many area of effect attacks. With most Pokemon you can figure out a good counter to use, but given Snorlax is a Normal type only Fighting moves do super effective damage. If you have a strong attacker with Fighting type moves you’ll want to use them, but shy away from full Fighting Pokemon like Machamp. Snorlax has psychic attacks that can wipe them out. So the question of how to beat Gigantamax Snorlax with the best counters really does come down to using your strongest characters.

Eternatus is always a solid choice thanks to his Dynamax Cannon attack. Otherwise you can use anything that’s level 60 or higher, as long as you have other players to help you with the fight. Watch for his shields though, and focus on using Dynamax and your attacks to wither it away as quickly as possible. Keep your characters alive and deal as much damage as you can as quickly as possible and you’ll take him down quickly. Then just use whatever Poke Ball you want, likely an Ultra Ball to catch him.

And that’s how to beat Gigantamax Snorlax in Pokemon Sword and Shield, showing you the best counters and how to catch him.