Orthworm Pokémon GO — Stats, Counters, Is It Good & Can It Be Shiny?

A brand new Pokémon is wriggling into the game! Orthworm makes its official Pokémon GO debut during the Steeled Resolve event (April 28 – May 4, 2026) as a 3-Star raid boss. Here's every single thing you need to know about it.

What Is Orthworm?

Orthworm is the Earthworm Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet (Generation 9) from the Paldea region. It's the creature famously known as the Lurking Steel Titan in Scarlet & Violet a massive Steel-type worm that burrows underground and coats itself in iron from the soil. Pretty cool lore for what is essentially a giant metallic earthworm!

In Pokémon GO, Orthworm has no evolutions it's a standalone Pokémon. That makes each encounter even more valuable since you're always catching the final product.

📊 Orthworm Stats in Pokémon GO

Orthworm leans defensive its Defense stat is notably higher than its Attack. It's built to take hits rather than dish them out, which shapes how useful it is in the meta.

⚔️ Orthworm Weaknesses — What to Use Against It

Orthworm is a pure Steel-type, which gives it three clear weaknesses:

• 🔥 Fire — super effective
• 🥊 Fighting — super effective
• 🌍 Ground — super effective

Steel-types resist almost everything else (11 resistances!), but those three types will shred through it quickly. As a 3-Star raid, Orthworm is soloable with the right counters you don't need a big group.

🏆 Best Counters for Orthworm

💡 Best budget solo pick: Chandelure with Fire Spin + Overheat widely available, easy to power up, and melts Orthworm fast.

💡 Best overall: Mega Charizard Y if you have one leveled up the Mega bonus also boosts your whole team's Fire-type damage.

✨ Can Orthworm Be Shiny?

Yes and shiny launches day one! 🎉

This is a big deal. Not every new Pokémon gets its shiny form on debut, so Orthworm is a great one to hunt right from the start.

• Regular Orthworm: Metallic reddish-brown body
• Shiny Orthworm: Striking vivid blue body 💙

The blue shiny is a clean, gorgeous contrast absolutely one of the better debut shinies in recent memory. Since it's a 3-Star raid, odds are low per attempt (roughly 1 in 128), so do as many raids as you have passes for during the event window.

🤔 Is Orthworm Any Good in Pokémon GO?

Let's be real with you Orthworm is not a meta-defining attacker. Here's the honest breakdown:

• It currently ranks F-Tier as a Steel-type attacker (rank #124) due to its low Attack stat
• Its best moveset of Iron Tail + Iron Head deals decent Steel-type damage but won't replace Metagross, Dialga, or Excadrill in raids
• In PvP, it has niche potential in Great League thanks to its strong bulk and Steel resistances, but it's not a top pick right now

So why should you still catch it?

• ✅ It's a new Pokémon catch it for your Pokédex
• ✅ It's raid-exclusive during the event this may be your only easy way to get it for a while
• ✅ Shiny is available on day one collector value is high
• ✅ Niantic sometimes buffs Pokémon with new moves in future updates Orthworm's bulk could become very relevant
• ✅ As the Lurking Steel Titan from Scarlet & Violet, it's a fan-favourite that many trainers will want

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💡 Bottom line: Don't power it up for raiding. Do catch as many as possible for the shiny, and keep your best IV one in case it gets a buff later.

🎯 Hundo CP Values to Watch For

After winning the 3-Star raid, look for these CPs on your catch screen:

✅ Quick Checklist

• Bring Fire, Fighting, or Ground-type counters
• Lead with Mega Charizard Y or Chandelure
• This is soloable no big group needed
• Check every encounter for the blue shiny body 💙
• Use Pinap Berries no evolution but candy helps with future trades
• Aim for CP 1,245+ for a potential good IV spread

Good luck trainers 🎉