Group size estimator

How many trainers do I need to invite?

The Estimator is already "trainers of this attacker needed to finish inside the timer", so this page does not invent a number: it reads it off the boss's own ranked counter list for three realistic parties and re-simulates each of them at every level from 20 to 50.

Raid bossTierIVsWeatherFriendshipDodgingShadow attackersMega attackersLegendary attackers

Invite 2 to be safe — 2 if everyone is prepared

At level 40, a party of Crustle's top six counters needs 1.32 trainers (round up: 2), and a mixed lobby of ranks 13-24 needs 1.73 (round up: 2). The raid timer is 180 seconds and one prepared trainer alone would take 3:52. No level in this range makes it soloable with a prepared party. A duo works from level 20.

Crustle · Shadow Tier 3

bugrock

Weak to

rocksteelwater

Boss CP: 18,825
Boss HP: 4,000
Raid timer: 180s
Party used: 6

Trainers needed, by attacker level

Scroll sideways for the mixed-lobby column.

Trainers needed to beat Crustle at each attacker level
Attacker level	Six of the best counter	A prepared party	A mixed local group	Prepared solo time	Faints per timer
Level 20	2(1.48)	2(1.89)	3(2.49)	5:31	5.3
Level 25	2(1.32)	2(1.63)	3(2.08)	4:47	4.8
Level 30	2(1.10)	2(1.43)	2(1.90)	4:12	4.3
Level 35	2(1.08)	2(1.38)	2(1.79)	4:02	4.0
Level 40	2(1.05)	2(1.32)	2(1.73)	3:52	3.8
Level 45	2(1.04)	2(1.29)	2(1.66)	3:46	3.5
Level 50	2(1.00)	2(1.25)	2(1.59)	3:40	3.4

Whole trainers in bold, the raw estimator in brackets — 2.04 means two trainers is right on the line and three is comfortable.

Six of the best counter

Every trainer brings six copies of the single best counter — the theoretical floor.

2 trainers at level 40

Zacian (Crowned Sword)1.05

A prepared party

Each trainer brings the boss's top six counters, powered up and correctly TM'd.

2 trainers at level 40

Zacian (Crowned Sword)1.05
Zamazenta (Crowned Shield)1.06
Necrozma (Dusk Mane)1.14
Metagross1.49
Inteleon1.59
Dialga (Origin)1.60

A mixed local group

Ranks 13-24: reasonable but unoptimised parties, which is what a public lobby usually is.

2 trainers at level 40

Necrozma (Dawn Wings)1.68
Rampardos1.69
Kyurem (White)1.68
Eternatus1.69
Empoleon1.72
Excadrill1.75

The party these numbers assume

1. Zacian (Crowned Sword)

Metal Claw + Behemoth Blade

2. Zamazenta (Crowned Shield)

Metal Claw + Behemoth Bash

3. Necrozma (Dusk Mane)

Metal Claw + Sunsteel Strike

4. Metagross

Bullet Punch + Meteor Mash

5. Inteleon

Water Gun + Hydro Cannon

6. Dialga (Origin)

Metal Claw + Roar of Time

See the full ranked counter list for Crustle · check a real lobby (win chance, who brings what) · make a share card of the top six

How this is worked out

The boss is ranked once at level 40 with rankCached (the same memoised call /raids makes), then the three bands — rank 1, ranks 1-6, ranks 13-24 — are re-simulated at each attacker level with an 8-run Monte Carlo each. Holding the party fixed and moving only its level is deliberate: it answers "what if my party were level 20" rather than "what would a level-20 player's completely different party be", and it is about ten times cheaper than re-ranking every attacker seven times. The Estimator itself is Pokebattler's definition, time to win including rejoin time divided by the raid timer.