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Pokemon Go Xerneas Raid Guide: Best Counters, Weaknesses and Moveset

The legendary fairy Pokemon is appearing in raids until Oct. 20.

Kevin Knezevic Former staff writer
Kevin has been covering video games and tech since 2010, with a particular focus on Nintendo and Pokemon. Squirtle is the best starter and nothing will convince him otherwise.
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Kevin Knezevic
2 min read
Xerneas in a forest

The legendary fairy Pokemon Xerneas is back in Pokemon Go for a limited time.

 Niantic

Pokemon Go's raid bosses have shifted once again, bringing back another legendary Pokemon for a limited time. Xerneas, the cover monster from Pokemon X, is appearing as a five-star raid boss until Oct. 20, giving you another chance to add one to your collection. On top of that, there's a chance the legendary Pokemon could be shiny.

Here are some tips to help you defeat and catch Xerneas before it leaves the raid rotation.

Xerneas raid hours

Xerneas will appear as a five-star raid boss from Oct. 8 to Oct. 20. These raids will occur periodically, but you'll have more opportunities to join one on Oct. 12 and Oct. 19, when Pokemon Go hosts its weekly Raid Hour event. More Xerneas raids will be happening at gyms from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time on those evenings, giving you more chances to battle and catch the legendary Pokemon.

Xerneas weaknesses

Xerneas is a pure fairy-type Pokemon, which means it's weak to only two types: poison and steel. Either will be helpful when battling the legendary Pokemon, but be sure to avoid using any dragon types; not only does Xerneas resist dragon moves, it deals supereffective damage to dragon Pokemon.

Best Xerneas counters

Here are some recommended Pokemon and moves to use when battling Xerneas:

Poison

  • Mega Beedrill: Poison Jab, Sludge Bomb.
  • Roserade: Poison Jab, Sludge Bomb.
  • Muk: Poison Jab, Gunk Shot.
  • Vileplume: Acid, Sludge Bomb.
  • Nidoking: Poison Jab, Earth Power/Sludge Wave.

Steel

  • Metagross: Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash.
  • Dialga: Metal Claw, Iron Head.
  • Cobalion: Metal Claw, Iron Head.
  • Zacian: Metal Claw, Iron Head.
  • Zamazenta: Metal Claw, Iron Head.

Best moveset for Xerneas

Despite being a fairy Pokemon, Xerneas is currently capable of learning only a single fairy-type move, so you'd be better served teaching it other kinds of attacks. In terms of damage output, Xerneas will fare best if it knows the Fast Attack Tackle and the Charged Attack Giga Impact. 

If you'd rather take advantage of its fairy typing, you can alternatively teach it the Fast Attack Zen Headbutt and the Charged Attack Moonblast. Since the latter move is the same type as Xerneas, it'll get a power boost when used.

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