List of double counters (8.2)

Gameplay Pet Battles
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This post is a repost from the old forums, with an added paragraph thanks to improved formatting and writing from scratch. I think there is more to learn about the new features…

This is a list of double counters understood as pets both resistant to a family and with an attack of strong type against it.
Not all of these pets are equally useful; several strong attacks have too low baseline damage to have mattered, but they’re listed nevertheless.

You can look for any family and attack combination in various resources such as Warcraft Pets, wow-pets or Rematch, but sometimes they show false positives (i.e. non-damaging or %-based abilities). I did my best to avoid them so you can look at it ‘as is’.

Slash (/) means that abilities share one slot. Bolding indicates which creatures stand out against their less gifted cousins, other abilities included. Slightly subjective at times.

Anti-aquatic: magic type + flying attacks

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  • Enchanted Broom (Sandstorm); better used as a killing blow only
  • Enchanted Pen (Quills/Feathered Frenzy); a decent setup; only the first ability prevents you from a cooldown gap
  • Jade Owl (Slicing Wind, Lift-Off/Cyclone)

Anti-beast: flying type + mechanical attacks

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  • Cerulean Moth (Call Lightning)
  • Crimsonwing Moth (Call Lightning)
  • Dragon Kite (Call Lightning)
  • Dusty Sporewing (Call Lightning)
  • Francois (Make It Rain)
  • Mechanical Axebeak (Haywire)
  • Skywisp Moth (Call Lightning)
  • Stormwing (Call Lightning); a decent setup
  • Vale Flitter (Call Lightning); the most powerful moth

Anti-critter: humanoid type + beast attacks

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  • Adventurous Hopling (Vicious Fang)
  • Bonkers (Bite & Going Bonkers!)
  • Corefire Imp (Rush)
  • Curious Wolvar Pup (Bite & Maul)
  • Cursed Dune Watcher (Headbutt)
  • Dandelion Frolicker (Bite)
  • Deathy (Roar)
  • Fiendish Imp (Rush); you’re not likely to use that. :wink:
  • Flayer Youngling (Triple Snap & Rampage)
  • Globe Yeti (Rampage & Roar)
  • Grommloc (Smash)
  • Harbinger of Flame (Impale; however, one ability has to be an elemental one -.-)
  • Hogs (Bite & Headbutt/Maul)
  • Kelpfin (Tail Smash; low damage)
  • Kun-lai Runt (Thrash & Rampage; however, you want to use his Elemental/Humanoid combo against any pets BUT critters)
  • Lil’ Bad Wolf (Claw & Pounce); debuffs to defence aswell
  • Stunted Yeti (Thrash & Rampage)
  • Thistleleaf Adventurer (Bite)
  • Whomper (Rampage)
  • Zan’jir Poker (Tail Smash)

Anti-dragonkin: undead type + humanoid attacks

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  • Barnaby (Jab & Haymaker/Tornado Punch); Haymaker is very risky unless you’ve got accuracy buffs
  • Blightbreath (Dreadful Breath which can be buffed by Acid Rain)
  • Bone Serpent (Call Darkness)
  • Burnout (Takedown; a combo with Clobber)
  • Crypt Fiend (Call Darkness; can be buffed)
  • Cursed Birman (Call Darkness)
  • Detective Ray (Jab & Kick)
  • Macabre Marionette (Macabre Maraca)
  • Scourged Whelpling (Call Darkness & Dreadful Breath)
  • Spectral Raven (Vicious Slice & Call Darkness)
  • Weebomination (Haymaker)
  • Widget the Departed (Call Darkness); a synergic setup and one of strategy attendants :slight_smile:

Anti-elemental: critter type + aquatic attacks
Most of them are snails with a skill limited by RNG/cooldown.

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  • Amethyst Softshell (Dive/Shell Rush)
  • Blackchasm Crawler (Dive)
  • Bloodfeaster Larva (Creeping Ooze)
  • Muck Slug (Dive)
  • Mudshell Conch (Dive)
  • Prismatic Softshell (Dive/Shell Rush; AoE)
  • Rapana Whelk (Dive)
  • Rusty Snail (Dive)
  • Scooter the Snail (Dive)
  • Shimmershell Snail (Dive)
  • Silkbead Snail (Dive)
  • Spireshell Snail (Creeping Ooze & Dive)
  • Trench Slug (Dive)

Anti-flying: dragonkin type + magic attacks

  • Anima Wyrmling (Arcane Storm)
  • Azure Whelpling (Arcane Storm & Surge of Power)
  • Bronze Proto-Whelp (Wing Buffet; high CD)
  • Bronze Whelpling (Arcane Slash & Arcane Storm); very versatile one
  • Celestial Dragon (Arcane Storm & Moonfire; not so good moveset)
  • Chrominius (Arcane Explosion & Surge of Power); ‘the’ Howl Combo
  • Discarded Experiment (Arcane Storm)
  • Dream Whelpling (Emerald Bite); a great defence
  • Emerald Proto-Whelp (Emerald Bite); see above
  • Emerald Whelpling (Emerald Bite & Moonfire)
  • Emmigosa (Arcane Storm & Surge of Power)
  • Essence of Competition (Competitive Spirit; not obtainable)
  • Infinite Whelpling (Weakness; quite /yawn move for this purpose and a slow speed)
  • Ironbound Proto-Whelp (Wing Buffet; high CD)
  • Lanticore Spawnling (Corrosion)
  • Lil’ Nefarian (Wing Buffet; CD; not obtainable)
  • Lil’ Tarecgosa (Arcane Blast, Surge of Power & Arcane Storm/Arcane Explosion)
  • Nether Faerie Dragon (Arcane Blast & Moonfire); a popular choice for boss fights because of Life Exchange
  • Netherwhelp (Nether Blast & Soulrush); not quite obtainable
  • Nexus Whelpling (Mana Surge & Arcane Storm; one boosts another)
  • Nightmare Whelpling (Nightmare)
  • Spirit of Competition (Competitive Spirit); not obtainable
  • Sprite Darter Hatchling (Arcane Blast & Moonfire); see Nether Faerie Dragon
  • Stormborne Whelpling (Mana Surge & Arcane Storm)
  • Sun Darter Hatchling (Blinkstrike); priority attack + defensives
  • Yu’la, Broodling of Yu’lon (Jadefire Lightning – AoE)

Anti-humanoid: beast type + undead attacks
Almost all are spiders and grubs with shared limitations; better options will be highlighted.

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  • Antoran Bile Larva (Diseased Bite & Plagued Blood)
  • Amethyst Spiderling (Leech Life)
  • Ash Spiderling (Leech Life)
  • Bile Larva (Diseased Bite & Plagued Blood)
  • Burrow Spiderling (Leech Life)
  • C’thuffer (Shadow Shock)
  • Crystal Spider (Leech Life; unique spider as with Crystal Prison)
  • Dart (Consume)
  • Desert Spider (Leech Life)
  • Devouring Maggot (Consume)
  • Dusk Spiderling (Leech Life)
  • Fel Pup (Diseased Bite)
  • Felspider (Leech Life); unique moveset
  • Festering Maggot (Consume)
  • Feverbite Hatchling (Leech Life)
  • Forest Spiderling (Leech Life)
  • Fossorian Bile Larva (Diseased Bite & Plagued Blood); the highest power among bile larvas
  • Infernal Pyreclaw (Cleave); AoE
  • Jumping Spider (Leech Life)
  • Jungle Grub (Consume)
  • Larva (Consume)
  • Lost Netherpup (Shadow Shock)
  • Maggot (Consume)
  • Molten Hatchling (Leech Life); unique moveset
  • Mr. Grubbs (Consume)
  • Nursery Spider (Leech Life)
  • Redridge Tarantula (Leech Life)
  • Scabby (Diseased Bite & Rabid Strike)
  • Skittering Cavern Crawler (Leech Life)
  • Smolderweb Hatchling (Leech Life)
  • Spider (Leech Life)
  • Terror Larva (Consume)
  • Twilight Spider (Leech Life)
  • Venomspitter Hatchling (Leech Life)
  • Widow Spiderling (Leech Life)

Anti-magic: mechanical type + dragonkin attacks

  • Mechanical Pandaren Dragonling (Breath)

Anti-mechanical: elemental type and attacks

  • Even after 3,5 years, still too lazy for that! :flushed:
    There are combos such as Immolate + Conflagrate or freezing abilities + Ice Lance.

Anti-undead: aquatic type and critter attacks
Almost all of them are frogs and turtles. Look for the details, please.

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  • Barrier Hermit (Scratch & Mudslide)
  • Benax (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies); a bit of defence
  • Biletoad (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Bloodseeker (Sneak Attack)
  • Caverndark Nightmare (Skitter)
  • Chitterspine Deepstalker (Skitter; can be buffed)
  • Chitterspine Devourer (Skitter)
  • Chitterspine Needler (Skitter)
  • Chitterspine Skitterling (Skitter & Swarm; can be buffed)
  • Coastal Bounder (Tongue Lash & Mudslide)
  • Coastal Scuttler (Stampede)
  • Cou’pa (Chomp)
  • Crimson Frog (Tongue Lash, Vicious Streak & Swarm of Flies)
  • Darkmoon Turtle (Powerball). This ability is not that great on these pets, and it deals relatively low damage. Same for all cases below.
  • Deeptide Fingerling (Chew; cooldown gap)
  • Elusive Skimmer (Scratch & Stampede); highlighted for general PvE potential
  • Emerald Turtle (Powerball)
  • Fleeting Frog (Tongue Lash & Swarm)
  • Frog (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Froglet (Tongue Lash)
  • Garden Frog (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Gulp Froglet (Mudslide & Swarm); highlighted for general PvE potential
  • Hissing Chitterspine (Skitter; can be buffed)
  • Horny Toad (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Huge Toad (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Inland Croaker (Tongue Lash)
  • Jubling (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Jungle Darter (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Leopard Tree Frog (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies); the fastest of old frogs
  • Lightless Ambusher (Skitter; can be buffed)
  • Mac Frog (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Mindlost Bloodfrenzy (Swarm)
  • Mojo (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Mud Jumper (Tongue Lash & Mudslide/Swarm of Flies); a bit of defence
  • River Frog (Tongue Lash)
  • Small Frog (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • River Otter (Powerball); not a turtle :stuck_out_tongue:
  • Softshell Snapling (Powerball)
  • Speedy (Powerball)
  • Spiny Terrapin (Powerball)
  • Spotted Bell Frog (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Swamp Croaker (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies); a bit of defence
  • Toad (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Tonguelasher (Tongue Lash)
  • Tragg the Curious (Tongue Lash)
  • Tree Frog (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Turquoise Turtle (Powerball)
  • Void-Scarred Toad (Tongue Lash)
  • Wood Frog (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)
  • Yellow-Bellied Bullfrog (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies); the most powerful of old frogs
  • Young Sand Sifter (Scratch)
  • Yellow Junkhopper (Tongue Lash & Swarm of Flies)

Supplement: Custom counters (last reviewed 8.1.5)

There are more pets to counter than just ones with attacks belonging to their family, such as the non‑Elementals mentioned above. A bit ago I had created a table to account for all specific family/attack combinations. Recently, I've included some statistics aswell.

The table itself

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cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/327799938790719489/557309147142553613/011.png

How to use:

  • Select your target’s type (family) in the ‘Pet’ row, pick the column below.
  • Select your target’s prominent attack in the ‘Attack’ column, pick the row starting from it.
  • Look at the crossing of the column and the row, not unlike the multiplication table.
  • The bigger, coloured symbol is your pet’s family. The smaller, gray one is your pet’s attack.

Example: Against a penguin, which is an aquatic with elemental attacks, you need a critter with flying attacks.

Statistic markers:

Caution: CE, promotional and unobtainable pets are not included.

  • The red tile means a combination does not exist yet.
  • The yellowish tile means the only abilities involved are too weak or detrimental in a way.
  • The blue tile means there are no more than 3 unique, viable counters.
  • The blue tile with an asterisk means there are no more than 3 viable, unique counters and all other pets could’ve been contained in the ‘yellowish’ section.

Some basic conclusions

  • The most versatile family is elemental.
  • The least versatile family is dragonkin (which is also the least numerous).
  • The most ‘endangered’ family is critter. It’s also the only family which can’t deploy strong attacks against their natural enemy.
  • On a contrary, magic pets are rarely countered by direct means. The racial itself ensures it aswell.
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