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Xerneas Raid Trio Guide

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Tier 5 Raid Boss Guides
Title
Table of Contents
Difficulty:

Doable at trainer level 30 with proper counters

HP15,000 ATK197.57 DEF146.20
CP Range
Lvl 20 2073 - 2160 Lvl 25 2591 - 2701

Notable Weather

Boosts Boss's Moves Boosts Counters' Moves
Rain, Windy, Partly Cloudy, Cloudy Snow, Cloudy

Fast Move Difficulty

Move Difficulty
Tackle Easy
Zen Headbutt Intermediate

Charge Move Difficulty

Move Difficulty
Moonblast Easy
Close Combat Intermediate
Megahorn Intermediate
Giga Impact Challenging
Thunder Challenging

Overview

Xerneas is Pokemon Go's unfortunate new poster-child for unfulfilled potential, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a cake-walk to take down. Despite being limited to nothing but 100-energy cost charged moves and fast moves that aren't the best against many of its counters, the Life Pokemon's impressively wide movepool makes it a potentially dangerous threat in raids. A Duo is possible, but due to the fact that its viability can vary greatly depending on what moveset Xerneas is packing, this guide will focus on the Trio instead.

Approach

Team composition

  • Xerneas only has two weaknesses: Steel and Poison.

  • Steel Types tend to have superior performance in general, but we currently don't have a Steel Type Mega Evolution, and Snow isn't the most common weather in many parts of the world.

  • Poison Types have lower average performance, but are frequently weather boosted in many areas and can be boosted via several very viable Mega Evolutions.

  • Shadow Metagross is the general top pick, with normal Metagross not far behind

  • Try to work with your raid team in order to ensure that players use Poison Types with proper timing if a Poison Mega is going to be on the field

Battling strategy

  • Re-entering may be necessary; strong lineups won’t have to re-enter

  • Dodging is recommended.

Note: "Good" movesets are not necessarily viable at the level indicated.

Best Raid Boss Counters

Mega Evolution Counters

Mega Mega Beedrill
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Poison Jab Sludge Bomb Best

Pros:

  • Highest DPS Mega Evolution option
  • Mega Evolution, boost team Attack and Poison Type damage while on the field
  • Resists Moonblast and Megahorn, double resists Close Combat

Cons:

  • Weak to Zen Headbutt 
  • Taken out easily by Giga Impact unless dodged
  • Mega Evolution, requires energy to activate
  • Frail, appreciates dodging
Mega Gengar Mega Gengar
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Lick Sludge Bomb Best
Shadow Claw Sludge Bomb Best

Pros:

  • Second highest DPS Mega Evolution option by a small margin with substantially higher average TDO
  • Mega Evolution, boost team Attack and Poison Type damage while on the field
  • Resists Moonblast, double resists Megahorn, Tackle, and Giga Impact, triple resists Close Combat

Cons:

  • Weak to Zen Headbutt 
  • Mega Evolution, requires energy to activate
  • Best moveset is Elite
Mega Venu Mega Venusaur
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Vine Whip Sludge Bomb Best

Pros:

  • Mega Evolution, boost team Attack and Poison Type damage while on the field
  • Resists Moonblast, Close Combat, and Thunder. 

Cons:

  • Weak to Zen Headbutt 
  • Mega Evolution, requires energy to activate

Counters Viable at Lv.25

ShadowMetagross Shadow Metagross
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Bullet Punch Meteor Mash Best

Pros:

  • Best overall counter, sports an outstanding mix of DPS and TDO
  • Resists Moonblast, Tackle, and Giga Impact. Double resists Zen Headbutt

Cons:

  • Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration.
  • Best moveset is Elite
Metagross Metagross
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Bullet Punch Meteor Mash Best

Pros:

  • Best non-shadow counter, sports an outstanding mix of DPS and TDO
  • Resists Moonblast, Tackle, and Giga Impact. Double resists Zen Headbutt

Cons:

  • Best moveset is Elite
ShadowVictreebel Shadow Victreebel
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Acid Sludge Bomb Best

Pros:

  • Fastest non-Mega, Poison Type counter
  • Resists Moonblast, Close Combat, and Thunder. 

Cons:

  • Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration.
  • Taken out easily by Giga Impact unless dodged
  • Frail, dodging is highly recommended
Shadow Mewtwo Shadow Mewtwo
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Confusion Psystrike Best
Psycho Cut Psystrike Best

Pros:

  • Solid generalist option, useful in many raids
  • Resists Zen Headbutt and Close Combat

Cons:

  • Legendary Pokemon, candy can be difficult to obtain
  • Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration.
  • Weak to Megahorn
  • Taken out easily by Giga Impact unless dodged
  • Frail, appreciates dodging
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Metal Claw Iron Head Best

Pros:

  • Solid TDO option, great for staying in the game.
  • Resists Tackle, Zen Headbutt, Megahorn, Giga Impact, and Thunder

Cons:

  • Weak to Close Combat
  • Legendary Pokemon, candy can be difficult to obtain

Counters Viable at Lv.30

ShadowVileplume Shadow Vileplume
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Acid Sludge Bomb Best

Pros:

  • Resists Moonblast, Close Combat, and Thunder.

Cons:

  • Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration.
  • Taken out easily by Giga Impact unless dodged
  • Frail, dodging is highly recommended
ShadowScizor Shadow Scizor
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Bullet Punch Iron Head Best

Pros:

  • Resists Tackle, Zen Headbutt, Moonblast, Megahorn, and Giga Impact

Cons:

  • Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration.
Genesect Genesect
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Metal Claw Magnet Bomb Best

Pros:

  • Resists Tackle, Zen Headbutt, Moonblast, Megahorn, and Giga Impact
  • All Genesect variants are usable in this manner
Excadrill Excadrill
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Metal Claw Iron Head Best

Pros:

  • Resists Tackle, Zen Headbutt, Moonblast, and Giga Impact. Double-resists Megahorn and Thunder

Cons:

  • Weak to Close Combat
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Lick Sludge Bomb

Pros:

  • Resists Moonblast, double resists Megahorn, Tackle, and Giga Impact, triple resists Close Combat

Cons:

  • Weak to Zen Headbutt 
  • Best moveset is Elite
  • Frail, appreciates dodging
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Charge Beam Doom Desire Best

Pros:

  • Solid TDO option
  • Resists Moonblast, Tackle, and Giga Impact. Double resists Zen Headbutt

Cons:

  • Mythical Pokemon, candy can be difficult to obtain
aggron Shadow Aggron
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Iron Tail Heavy Slam Best

Pros:

  • Resists Tackle, Zen Headbutt, Moonblast, Megahorn, and Giga Impact
  • Yes, it's okay to use Shadow Aggron. Its performance is actually solid.

Cons:

  • Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration.
  • Double weak to Close Combat
Roserade Roserade
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Poison Jab Sludge Bomb Best

Pros:

  • Best non-Mega/non-Shadow Poison Type
  • Resists Moonblast, Close Combat, and Thunder. 

Cons:

  • Taken out easily by Giga Impact unless dodged
Shadow Machamp Shadow Machamp
Fast MoveCharge MoveRating
Bullet Punch Heavy Slam Best

Pros:

  • Resists Megahorn

Cons:

  • Weak to Zen Headbutt and Moonblast
  • Frail, dodging is highly recommended
  • Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration.
  • Taken out easily by Giga Impact unless dodged

Raid Graph

Xerneas Raid Counter Guide

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