Pokémon Go's December events kicked off this week. The legendary Swords of Justice has already made a few appearances this year. This month it's time for Viridium to shine in Five Star Raid Battles.
If you're not a seasoned Pokémon veteran, Viridium is one of four Swords of Justice Legendaries that first appeared in Black and White Pokémon in 2012. Swords of Justice Legends are a nod to the novel. of the Three Musketeers, and are then designed around a sword and fighting them. All four have some type of combat as a secondary.
How to beat Viridium
Viridium will begin appearing in five-star level raids on December 17 at 13 p.m. PST. In order to defeat and catch him, trainers will need to develop a strategy suited to his typing and stats. Viridium is a Grass and Fighting type. This gives him enormous weakness for flying type attacks. Use it to your advantage and prepare your strongest Flying-type Pokémon.
If you're struggling to find a Flying-type on your team, anything weak for Grass-type or Fighting-type Pokémon will always take away a good chunk of Viridium's health bar. Be aware of both types. For example, Ice can be an effective type against Grass, but will break into Fighting-type moves, so it's best not to use an Ice-type Pokémon against Viridium.
Good type benefits against Viridium include:
Flying
Feu
Psychic
Fairy
According to Bulbapedia, The Ice Type deals twice as much damage to Viridium. If you want to include certain types of ice in your roster, beware of the combat moves Viridium may have.
Avoid bringing weak Pokémon on the grass or fighting moves. Such as Dark, Ground, or Water types, to name a few.
Now that your team is ready, you will need friends. Viridium will only appear in Five Star Raids. You can't fight this thing alone. If you're only surrounded by small, local Poké Stops, it's time to hit town or get together with friends. If you go for your friends, you will need a lot of them. One or two won't work. Five Star Raids require the largest party you can muster.
If you have a small group, you'll have a hard time defeating Viridium, even with the best type perks and high CP Pokémon. If you find yourself in a large group, Viridium will drop quickly. For additional Poké Balls, consider trying to be a part of a party consisting mostly of your team (Valor, Instinct, or Mystic).
How to catch Viridium
Viridium can only be caught after defeating. The battle will end and it will progress to the capture stage. Depending on your team's performance in battle, you will be awarded Poké Balls. The better your team is, the more Poké Balls you will get and the more chances you have to catch Viridium.
The process of catching is the same as that of any Pokémon Pokémon Go. Add a berry, aim, throw the ball and hope the luck is on your side. Even with all the great throws and berries, Viridium can still escape. In the event that he escapes, you will need to find another raid and fight for him.
Viridium now appears in five star raids.