Xerneas made its debut in Pokémon GO as a Tier 5 raid boss in May 2021, and it has been a popular and challenging target for many trainers ever since. It’s common to look for the best Xerneas counters in Pokemon GO.
All things considered, we will provide you with a detailed guide on how to beat this Legendary in Pokémon GO.
Xerneas stats and moveset in Pokémon GO
Before we dive into the best counters for Xerneas, let’s take a look at its stats and moveset. Knowing this information can help you understand its strengths and weaknesses, as well as plan your attack accordingly.
Xerneas is one of the most powerful and majestic Pokémon. It is the legendary Pokémon of life, and it can create forests and bless living creatures with its horns. For this reason, Xerneas can take on a group of unprepared players.
Base stats
- Max CP: 3,781
- Attack: 250
- Defense: 185
- Stamina: 246
Moveset
Xerneas can have the following moves in Pokémon GO:
- Fast moves: Zen Headbutt (psychic), Tackle (normal)
- Charged moves: Moonblast (fairy), Giga Impact (normal), Megahorn (bug), Thunder (electric), Close Combat (fighting)
Xerneas’s fast moves are not very threatening, as they are both resisted by steel-type Pokémon. However, its charged moves can be more dangerous.
Giga Impact is a normal-type move that can deal neutral damage to most types. However, it has a long animation time, which means you can dodge it easily or use it as an opportunity to charge your own moves.
What types beat Xerneas?
Xerneas is a pure fairy-type Pokémon, which means it has only two weaknesses: poison and steel. However, it also has many resistances, including dragon, fighting, bug, and dark.
Moreover, Xerneas has a very high defense stat, making it a bulky and durable opponent. Therefore, you need to prepare your best poison and steel-type attackers in order to counter Xerneas in Pokémon GO.
How to counter Xerneas in Pokémon GO?
Now that you have learned about Xerneas’s stats and moveset, let’s move on to the best counters for Xerneas in Pokémon GO. These are the Pokémon that can deal the most damage in the shortest time possible while surviving its attacks.
The best counters will be divided here into two categories: mega evolutions and regular Pokémon. Mega evolutions are special forms of some Pokémon that boost stats and abilities. However, they require mega energy to activate, and only one can be used per raid.
Regular Pokémon are the normal forms of Pokémon that do not require any special items or energy to use. They can be used in any raid without any restrictions. However, they may not be as powerful or as beneficial as mega evolutions.
You can also use shadow Pokémon, as they have a boosted damage output. However, they also have a decrease in their defense stat, which makes them more fragile. Therefore, you should only use them if you have enough resources and confidence to power them up.
Mega Evolutions to counter Xerneas
- Mega Gengar: The best overall counter for Xerneas. Mega Gengar can deal insane damage with its poison-type moves and resist most of Xerneas’s moves.
- Best moveset: Lick and Sludge Bomb
- Mega Beedrill: The second best counter for Xerneas. Mega Beedrill can also deal huge damage with its poison-type moves and also resist Xerneas’s moves.
- Best moveset: Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb
- Mega Scizor: The third best counter for Xerneas. Mega Scizor can deal decent damage with its steel-type moves and resist most of Xerneas’s moves.
- Best moveset: Bullet Punch and Iron Head.
Other mega evolutions that can counter Xerneas are Mega Aggron, Mega Metagross, Mega Alakazam, Mega Steelix, and Mega Venusaur. However, they are either not as fast or as effective as the ones mentioned above, or they have some drawbacks that make them less optimal.
Regular Pokémon to counter Xerneas
- Metagross: The best non-mega counter for Xerneas. Metagross can deal solid damage with its steel-type moves and resist Xerneas’s moves.
- Best moveset: Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash.
- Nihilego: The second best non-mega counter for Xerneas. Nihilego can also deal great damage with its poison-type moves and resist Xerneas’s bug and fairy-type moves.
- Best moveset: Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb.
- Dialga: The third best non-mega counter for Xerneas. Dialga can deal decent damage with its steel-type moves and resist Xerneas’s psychic and bug-type moves. However, it is weak to Xerneas’s fighting-type move, which can hurt it a lot.
- Best moveset: Metal Claw and Iron Head.
Other regular Pokémon that can work well against Xerneas are Melmetal, Zacian, Genesect, Roserade, and Excadrill.
The optimal raid size and weather for counter Xerneas in Pokémon GO
Now that we have learned about the best counters for Xerneas, it’s time to optimal raid size and best weather. These are some factors that can affect how many trainers and which Pokémon you need to beat Xerneas successfully.
Best weather to counter Xerneas
Cloudy is the best weather for Xerneas raids, as it boosts the damage of poison-type moves. This means that poison-type counters will deal more damage to Xerneas, while Xerneas’s fairy-type move will deal less damage.
Raid size
Five to seven trainers with Pokemon that counter Xerneas can beat a raid safely. Consider our list of recommendations and optimized movesets, as well as the weather during the raid.
You are now able to add this incredible Legendary to your team for future Pokémon battles. We wish you good luck and happy raiding!
