Posted in: Games, Mobile Games, Niantic, Pokémon GO | Tagged: Niantic, Niantic Labs, pokemon, pokemon go, xerneas

Xerneas Raid Guide For Pokémon GO Players: May 2021

We are just one day away from one of the most anticipated Legendary releases in Pokémon GO. Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 4th at 10 AM local time, Xerneas will enter raids as the first Legendary from the region of Kalos to arrive in the game. Let's take a look at the top counters to help trainers take down Xerneas, a pure Fairy-type species.

Top Xerneas Counters

Pokebattler, which calculates all possible combinations of Pokémon and moves, lists the top 10 Xerneas counters as such:

• Shadow Metagross (Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash)
• Mega Gengar (Lick, Sludge Bomb)
• Metagross (Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash)
• Mega Beedrill (Poison Jab, Sludge Bomb)*
• Dialga (Metal Claw, Iron Head)
• Shadow Scizor (Bullet Punch, Iron Head)
• Shadow Mewtwo (Confusion, Psystrike)
• Genesect (Metal Claw, Magnet Bomb)
• Burn Drive Genesect (Metal Claw, Magnet Bomb)
• Excadrill (Metal Claw, Iron Head)

* Please note that you can only have one Pokémon Mega Evolved at a time. Because of this, you will want to prioritize the better counter, which in this case is Gengar rather than Beedrill.

It is recommended to power up your counters as much as possible, but creating that amount of strong Shadow or Mega Pokémon with their moves unlocked is a tall order for even the most practiced players. Here are ten additional non-Shadow and non-Mega counters that can help take down Xerneas with efficiency.

• Roserage (Poison Jab, Sludge Bomb)
• Gengar (Lick, Sludge Bomb)
• Jirachi (Charge Beam, Doom Desire)
• Regigigas (Steel-type Hidden Power, Giga Impact)
• Mewtwo (Confusion, Psystrike)
• Scizor (Bullet Punch, Iron Head)
• Heatran (Fire Spin, Iron Head)
• Ho-Oh (Steel Wing, Brave Bird)
• Vileplume (Acid, Sludge Bomb)
• Victreebel (Acid, Sludge Bomb)

How Many Trainers Are Needed?

Xerneas can be defeated with three trainers, but if you cannot guarantee the top counters with maxed out CP and the best moves, your best bet is to make sure you have four or five players. At the very least, be sure to prioritize Steel-types and Poison-types with Steel-type and Poison-type moves.

Using the Circle Lock Technique to guarantee Great or Excellent throws, along with Golden Razz Berries, is the best way to catch Xerneas. Be careful, though, as Xerneas has quite a strange circle placement that may take some adjustment.

Shiny Odds & 100% IVs

Xerneas will not be available to encounter in its Shiny form.

Happy raiding, fellow trainers!

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