Pokemon Go players shocked after Rocket Grunt uses “disgusting” CP Dragonite

A Pokemon Go player has shared their epic battle with an absurdly powerful Dragonite used by a Team Rocket Grunt, with a much higher CP than normal.

Team Rocket may have disbanded in the mainline Pokemon games, but they’re very much active in Pokemon Go, where they haunt PokeStops and travel around in air balloons, waiting to be challenged by trainers.

Luckily, most Team Rocket members won’t pose a challenge in Pokemon Go, as the regular Grunts tend to use low CP monsters. The exception to this is the Team Rocket Leaders and Giovanni, who not only have powerful Pokemon but will utilize Protect Shields against your team.

Sometimes, the members of Team Rocket will throw a powerful Pokemon against players in Pokemon Go, and when that happens, you just have to hope for the best and make sure you have something strong to counter it.

Niantic / The Pokemon Company

A Pokemon Go player faced a 10k CP Dragonite used by a Team Rocket Grunt

A user on the Pokemon Go Reddit has shared their battle with a Team Rocket Grunt who used an eye-wateringly powerful Dragonite with a CP of 10165. Players were quick to joke about the source of this Dragonite’s powers.

“Its widely known that team rocket uses an unregulated steroid to “beef up” their pokemon. absolutely disgusting,” one user wrote, while another said, “Using some of that rocket energy drink.”

The CP range of the Team Rocket members in Pokemon Go is based on the player’s level. While a 10k CP Pokemon is rare, it is possible to encounter one at higher levels. Some users in the Reddit thread mentioned fighting Team Rocket Pokemon with an even higher CP, going up to 13-14k.

Luckily, the CP value doesn’t mean a Pokemon is overwhelmingly powerful. Several factors come into play, including Pokemon type, the moves they’re using, and how well the player manages their Protect Shields. These all need to be taken into account when facing a strong Pokemon.

Running into a Dragonite that powerful is unlucky, especially as the lowly Team Rocket Grunts rarely whip out anything that strong. Fortunately, you don’t permanently lose anything when facing a Team Rocket member in Pokemon Go, so it’s just the player’s pride on the line.