Best Xerneas counters

Raid Battles

The best Xerneas counters in Pokémon GO are Dusk Mane Necrozma, Mega Gengar, Dawn Wings Necrozma, Shadow Metagross, Shadow Excadrill, Mega Rayquaza, and Dialga. These Pokémon perform best with the moves outlined below. We suggest a minimum group size of 3 - 7 Trainers to defeat Xerneas in a 5-Star Raid.

CogSimulation settings

          Best counter 👑

          Official artwork of Dusk Mane NecrozmaDusk Mane Necrozma
          Metal Claw / Sunsteel Strike
          #1
          Mega Pokemon BackgroundOfficial artwork of Mega GengarMega Gengar
          Shadow Claw / Sludge Bomb
          #2
          Official artwork of Dawn Wings NecrozmaDawn Wings Necrozma
          Metal Claw / Moongeist Beam
          #3
          Shadow Pokemon BackgroundOfficial artwork of Shadow MetagrossShadow Metagross
          Bullet Punch / Meteor Mash
          #4
          Shadow Pokemon BackgroundOfficial artwork of Shadow ExcadrillShadow Excadrill
          Metal Claw / Iron Head
          #5
          Mega Pokemon BackgroundOfficial artwork of Mega RayquazaMega Rayquaza
          Air Slash / Dragon Ascent
          #6
          Official artwork of DialgaDialga
          Metal Claw / Iron Head
          #7
          #
          Name
          Fast Attack
          Charged Attack
          DPS
          TDO
          Faints
          TTW
          Score
          1.Thumbnail image of Dusk Mane NecrozmaDusk Mane NecrozmaSteelMetal Claw SteelSunsteel Strike 49.281290.411317s95.3
          2.Mega Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Mega GengarMega Pokémon iconMega GengarGhostShadow Claw PoisonSludge Bomb 36.42874.117430s69.2
          3.Thumbnail image of Dawn Wings NecrozmaDawn Wings NecrozmaSteelMetal Claw GhostMoongeist Beam 34.62951.415450s67.6
          4.Shadow Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Shadow MetagrossShadow MetagrossSteelBullet Punch SteelMeteor Mash *34.85755.419451s64.9
          5.Shadow Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Shadow ExcadrillShadow ExcadrillSteelMetal Claw SteelIron Head 36.35630.123437s64.6
          6.Mega Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Mega RayquazaMega Pokémon iconMega RayquazaFlyingAir Slash FlyingDragon Ascent 33.61703.721468s62.1
          7.Thumbnail image of DialgaDialgaSteelMetal Claw SteelIron Head 31.89738.620491s60.2
          8.Thumbnail image of Origin Forme DialgaOrigin Forme DialgaSteelMetal Claw SteelIron Head 31.30767.719499s59.7
          9.Shadow Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Shadow GengarShadow GengarGhostShadow Claw PoisonSludge Bomb 34.11534.728468s59.4
          10.Thumbnail image of Primal GroudonPrimal GroudonGroundMud Shot GroundPrecipice Blades *27.77956.315556s56.8
          11.Shadow Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Shadow MagnezoneShadow MagnezoneSteelMetal Sound SteelFlash Cannon 31.47573.026503s56.5
          12.Thumbnail image of ExcadrillExcadrillSteelMetal Claw SteelIron Head 30.22624.824521s55.7
          13.Thumbnail image of Genesect (Douse Drive)Genesect (Douse Drive)SteelMetal Claw PoisonGunk Shot 29.66659.222529s55.5
          14.Thumbnail image of MetagrossMetagrossSteelBullet Punch SteelMeteor Mash *28.67738.920544s55.3
          15.Thumbnail image of MelmetalMelmetalElectricThunder Shock SteelDouble Iron Bash *27.46780.219566s54.0
          16.Shadow Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Shadow EmpoleonShadow EmpoleonSteelMetal Claw SteelFlash Cannon 30.71498.130519s53.9
          17.Thumbnail image of Primal KyogrePrimal KyogreWaterWaterfall WaterOrigin Pulse *27.84683.021561s53.1
          18.Thumbnail image of JirachiJirachiElectricCharge Beam SteelDoom Desire 27.08759.719574s53.1
          19.Mega Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Mega AggronMega Pokémon iconMega AggronSteelIron Tail SteelHeavy Slam 26.38822.718587s52.9
          20.Thumbnail image of Genesect (Shock Drive)Genesect (Shock Drive)SteelMetal Claw SteelMagnet Bomb 27.60613.424569s51.6
          21.Thumbnail image of GenesectGenesectSteelMetal Claw SteelMagnet Bomb 27.60613.424569s51.6
          22.Thumbnail image of Genesect (Chill Drive)Genesect (Chill Drive)SteelMetal Claw SteelMagnet Bomb 27.60613.424569s51.6
          23.Thumbnail image of Genesect (Burn Drive)Genesect (Burn Drive)SteelMetal Claw SteelMagnet Bomb 27.60613.424569s51.6
          24.Thumbnail image of GengarGengarGhostShadow Claw PoisonSludge Bomb 28.31528.428559s51.1
          25.Shadow Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Shadow MewtwoShadow MewtwoPsychicPsycho Cut PsychicPsystrike *28.88437.634554s50.0
          26.Thumbnail image of MagnezoneMagnezoneSteelMetal Sound SteelFlash Cannon 26.45573.126594s49.2
          27.Thumbnail image of NihilegoNihilegoNormalPound PoisonSludge Bomb 24.71715.820628s48.8
          28.Mega Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Mega BeedrillMega Pokémon iconMega BeedrillPoisonPoison Jab PoisonSludge Bomb 28.26419.435567s48.7
          29.Shadow Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Shadow MagnetonShadow MagnetonSteelMetal Sound SteelFlash Cannon 29.24364.641555s48.6
          30.Shadow Pokemon BackgroundThumbnail image of Shadow AggronShadow AggronSteelIron Tail SteelHeavy Slam 26.44506.729597s48.0
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          Group size

          You need at least 3 Trainers to defeat a Xerneas in a 5-Star Raid.

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          • Minimum group size: 3 Trainers
          • Optimal group size: 4 - 7 Trainers
          • Very easy with: 8+ Trainers
          • Probably impossible with less than 3 Trainers

          Xerneas CP range from Raids

          Xerneas can be caught with the following Combat Power after being defeated in Raids:

          • From 2073 CP to 2160 CP, with no weather boost
          • From 2591 CP to 2701 CP with Cloudy weather boost

          Xerneas weaknesses

          Xerneas type chart

          When fighting Xerneas, keep in mind the that Fairy-type Pokémon are weak to Poison and Steel-type moves. They take reduced damage from Bug, Dark, Fighting, and Dragon-type moves.

          Weaknesses

          • PoisonPoison160.0%
          • SteelSteel160.0%

          Resistances

          • DragonDragon39.1%
          • BugBug62.5%
          • DarkDark62.5%
          • FightingFighting62.5%
          More informationMore information
          • Xerneas takes increased damage from Poison and Steel type moves.
          • Xerneas takes reduced damage from Dragon, Bug, Dark, and Fighting type moves.
          • Type chart shows the percentage (%) of damage taken from an incoming attack of a particular type.

          Best move-types and best weather for defeating Xerneas

          Move-typeUsage (%)Weather
          Steel180.0%
          • snowSnow
          Poison50.0%
          • cloudyCloudy
          Ground28.0%
          • sunnySunny
          Ghost24.0%
          • fogFog
          Psychic24.0%
          • windyWindy
          Electric18.0%
          • rainRain
          Water16.0%
          • rainRain
          Fire16.0%
          • sunnySunny
          Grass14.0%
          • sunnySunny
          Flying12.0%
          • windyWindy
          Rock12.0%
          • partlyCloudyPartly Cloudy
          Normal6.0%
          • partlyCloudyPartly Cloudy

          About our ranking methodology

          Our guide provides detailed information on recommended Pokémon and moves that are most effective against Xerneas in Raid Battles. Whether you're looking for the best counters to take Xerneas down quickly with high DPS, or the tankiest counters that can withstand its attacks, our guide has something for every trainer.

          This guide displays a list of best Xerneas counters in Pokémon GO with their Fast Attacks, Charged Attacks, DPS (damage per second), TDO (total damage output), faints, TTW (time to win), and score. The list is sorted by the score, which is calculated based on the DPS and TDO. Each Pokemon's move type is indicated by an icon beside the move name.

          When calculating the best counters for any Pokémon, our simulator takes into account various factors, such as the defender's typing and average DPS against each attacker, the weather's influence, energy left over from using charge attacks, Shadow Pokémon attack and defense stat changes, and more. During the initial phase of simulations, we calculate DPS and TDO for each attacker that is currently available in the game, and then we continue to rank them.

          We use a ranking method developed by a Reddit user named /u/Elastic_Space, which is described in detail in this Reddit post. It is a fairly complicated, but very well thought-out mathematical model for predicting simulation results without actually running the simulations. It also correlates with field data almost too well not to be used. Reddit

          Our Time to Win (TTW) and Faint numbers are also estimated, and should be taken with a grain of salt. Since we do not account for factors like Friendship and Mega damage boost, they will differ from actual experience in the field.