Mega Rayquaza 4-Person Raid Guide

Stats & Raid Information

CP Range

Move Difficulty

Overview

Get ready for the fight of your Pokemon Go life.

Mega Rayquaza is one of the absolute titans of the Pokemon world, and Niantic allowed it to keep that status in Pokemon Go very well. Breaking the rules of the dreaded 9-antic nerf with a lesser 3% nerf on top of tremendous base stats and a frightening moveset combined with its Tier-6 status makes Mega Rayquaza one of the most dangerous raids in the game to date. Add to this a double-weakness to a type that tends to be fairly weak overall and a devastating moveset and you've got something that's going to cause a lot of headaches for a lot of players. It's worth noting that in the main-series, Mega Rayquaza is capable of literally removing its Flying Type weaknesses via its ability, so let's be thankful that it can't do that in Pokemon Go!

A 3-player run is definitely possible, but we're going to focus this guide on the substantially more doable 4-person raid.

Approach

Team Composition

• Shadow Mamoswine is the strongest overall counter to MegaRayquazaa

• Mega Glalie is the Mega of choice for this raid, though Mega Abomasnow is extremely close..
• Mega Abomasnow pulls ahead in the TDO department unless Mega Rayquaza is packing Flying Type moves.

• Fill in with as many Mamoswine as possible

• Galarian Darmanitan offers more DPS than Mamoswine at the cost of some TDO, though TDO is generally very important in this raid

• Shadow Mewtwo comes close to Mamoswine's performance despite not being Ice Type, though it still falls a bit behind

Dodging Strategy

Outrage in particular is pretty likely to flatline even neutral counters with minimal existing damage, and Dragon Tail will eat into just about any of its counters along the way. Definitely be prepared to dodge, but note that even a dodged Outrage is likely to take a fair chunk of HP, so know when to let a Pokemon faint.

Best Raid Boss Counters

Supreme Mega Evolution Counters

If you're bringing a Mega Evolution to the is fight, then this is generally the one to go with. With superior DPS and a lone weakness to Ancient Power, this is a great option for getting ahead of the clock and scoring some huge gashes in Mega Rayquaza's HP bar, especially if your raid partner is doubled-up with their own Mega Glalie or a Shadow Mamoswine at the same time.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Ancient Power



While not quite up to Mega Glalie's power, Mega Abomasnow can hit all of the same major milestones, and is a perfectly viable option. In fact, it tends to have stronger TDO performance against Dragon movesets due to its higher natural bulk... though not by a whole lot. And it also has a weakness to Flying moves, so it can be riskier than Mega Glalie in general.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses Air Slash Aerial Ace Ancient Power



Mega Gardevoir has no Ice Type Fast Move, doesn't get STAB on its Ice Type Charged Move, and doesn't boost Dragon Types while on the field. However, it's also got massive TDO, primarily due to its extremely valuable double-resistance to Mega Rayquaza's extremely threatening Dragon Type moves.

• Strengths: Dragon Tail (2x), Outrage (2x)
• Weaknesses: None



The one thing that can overtake Mega Rayquaza's double-weakness is none other than Mega Rayquaza. The one true Dragon King, this monster will tear up opposing Mega Rayquaza with its own sheer power, though it's also going to drop fairly quickly for the same reasons. While it can keep up with the Ice Type Mega Evolutions, the down-side to Mega Rayquaza is that it boost Dragon Types while on the field, which are substantially less useful than Ice Types in most scenarios for this raid.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Dragon Tail, Outrage, Ancient Power



Good Mega Evolution Counters

The prime TDO-Mega for this raid, Mega Diancie. It may not have quite the TDO of Mega Aggron or Mega Tyranitar, but it keeps high enough DPS to still be worth considering in its own right. It has the advantages of resisting Flying Type and double-resisting Dragon Type movesets, and it also boosts two of the types that Mega Rayquaza is weak to; Fairy and Rock. However, since these types are not Ice, they will still tend to fall behind by comparison.

• Strengths: Dragon Tail (2x), Air Slash, Outrage (2x), Aerial Ace
• Weaknesses: None



Honestly, Mega Salamence can't compete with the above Mega Evolutions, even in Windy weather. Its main utility has to be if you're working with a low-level raid group that has a lot of Dragons in their team. But even then, it's largely a sub-optimal pick for this raid.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Dragon Tail, Outrage, Ancient Power



Same story as Mega Salemence, really.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Dragon Tail, Outrage



Supreme Counters

The lone monarch of this raid, Shadow Mamoswine stares down Mega Rayquaza defiantly. As the undisputed Ice Type King, it's no wonder why Mamoswine takes our #1 spot here. Nothing else in the game can quite keep up with it currently, and its TDO is relatively good as an added bonus. This is definitely the top priority for this raid!

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None



The ever-popular, universal-utility Ice Type, Mamoswine is the starting point for a Rayquaza raid for most players, and that logic extends perfectly to Mega Raquaza as well. Bring all of the Mamoswine that you can, as you're going to need them!

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None



Shadow Weavile has performance similar to Shadow Mamoswine, but a bit lower on DPS and a fair bit weaker in terms of longevity. Still, it's another genuine priority!

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Ancient Power



Baxcalibur has good DPS, but its typing is literally the worst of both worlds. Being a Dragon itself, it is always at risk of dropping to Mega Rayquaza's strongest moves, but it also takes heavy damage from Ancient Power due to its Ice typing. Still, it is a powerful Pokemon with good Ice Type damage output.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Dragon Tail, Outrage, Ancient Power



One of the strongest non-Shadow/Mega counters in terms of DPS, Galarian Darmanitan is definitely another top pick for this raid.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Ancient Power



No STAB/Super Effective Fast Move? No Problem! Once again, Shadow Mewtwo breaks its way into a raid guide by virtue of its coverage moves, and it's a great all-around pick for this raid.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None



Good Counters

Alongside Mamoswine, this is the budget-option. Eevee has traditionally been a really common Pokemon for the most part, so scoring a few Glaceon is an easy fix for a lot of players, and it works extremely well against Mega Rayquaza overall.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Ancient Power



Weavile's performance falls a bit when compared to its Shadow forme, but it's still a very viable though frail option for this raid.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Ancient Power



An oddball on this guide to be sure, Avalugg can actually holds its own with its great Ice Type moveset and solid bulk.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Ancient Power



Not as great as its Shadow forme, but still very worthwhile.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: None



Having a double Ice weakness brings out some strange counters, doesn't it? Well, the classic Team Mystic avatar bird's evil form actually has solid overall performance... just so long as Mega Rayquaza isn't packing Ancient Power.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Ancient Power (2x)



Kyurem may be cursed to not have access to an Ice Type Fast Move (even though it was given access to Ice Fang in Generation 9, NIANTIC), but the sheer power of Glaciate still makes it a solid option... even though it's seriously at risk against most of Mega Rayquaza's moves.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Dragon Tail, Outrage, Ancient Power



Another oddball, Shadow Regice has a strong TDO presenct, but a fairly low DPS. Still, if you happen to have already raised your Shadow Regice, then it's not the worst option to bring in against Mega Rayquaza.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Ancient Power



The dethroned king of Dragons.... but not really worthwhile here. As with the other dragons, Shadow Salamence is actually a sub-optimal counter to Mega Rayquaza due to its relative frailty and lack of double-weakness exploitation. Still, it's solid in Windy weather and/or with a Dragon Type Mega Evolution on the field.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Dragon Tail, Outrage, Ancient Power



Same story as Shadow Salamence, but a bit less DPS/a bit more TDO.

• Strengths: None
• Weaknesses: Dragon Tail, Outrage, Ancient Power