Quick facts
Species: Lugia (Legendary)
Types: Psychic / Flying
Primary weaknesses: Rock, Ghost, Electric, Ice, Dark
Recommended lobby: 3–7 trainers
Lugia is a Psychic/Flying-type Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon GO known for its extremely high defense.
Table of Contents
Weakness Best Pokemon Regular Counters Shadow Counters Mega Counters Moveset Weather Effects Size Rewards FAQsWeaknesses & resistances
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Weak to |
 Rock •
 Ghost •
 Electric •
 Ice •
 Dark
|
| Resists to |
 Fighting •
 Ground •
 Grass •
 Psychic
|
Best Lugia Counters
Rock-type Counters
- Rhyperior: (Smack Down / Rock Wrecker)
- Rampardos: (Smack Down / Rock Slide)
- Tyrantrum: (Rock Throw / Meteor Beam)
Dark-type Counters
- Salamence: (Bite / Brutal Swing)
- Luxray: (Snarl)
- Houndoom: (Snarl / Foul Play)
Electric-type Counters
- Luxray: (Wild Charge)
- Zapdos: (Thunder Shock / Thunderbolt)
- Zekrom: (Charge Beam / Fusion Bolt)
Best Mega Evolutions
Recommended Megas to use against Lugia:
- Diancie – Rock boost
- Gengar, Banette – Ghost boost
- Rayquaza – Dragon boost
- Houndoom, Tyranitar, Absol – Dark boost
- Rayquaza – Flying boost
- Manectric – Electric boost
Difficulty
Small teams will need coordination and careful shield management, whereas larger groups can rely on sustained DPS rotations. Trainers should prepare diverse type counters to handle its wide range of attacks.
Best Regular Counters
Regular pokemon that amplify the right types give you a powerful edge. Below are top Regular counters with short notes on why they excel.
| Pokémon | Fast Moves | Charged Moves | Elite Moves | Best Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Kyurem | Dragon Breath / Steel Wing / Ice Fang | Blizzard / Ancient Power / Dragon Pulse / Focus Blast / Fusion Flare / Ice Burn | - | Steel Wing (14) and Focus Blast / Fusion Flare (140) |
| Thundurus | Bite / Volt Switch | Focus Blast / Sludge Wave / Thunder / Thunderbolt | Wildbolt Storm | Volt Switch (13) and Wildbolt Storm (150) |
| Zekrom | Charge Beam / Dragon Breath | Flash Cannon / Wild Charge / Outrage / Crunch | Fusion Bolt | Charge Beam (7) and Fusion Bolt (140) |
| Dawn Wings Necrozma | Shadow Claw / Metal Claw / Psycho Cut | Dark Pulse / Iron Head / Future Sight / Outrage / Moongeist Beam | - | Shadow Claw / Metal Claw (6) and Moongeist Beam (230) |
| Lunala | Air Slash / Shadow Claw / Confusion | Shadow Ball / Psychic / Future Sight / Moonblast | - | Confusion (19) and Moonblast (130) |
| Xurkitree | Thunder Shock / Spark | Power Whip / Discharge / Thunder / Dazzling Gleam | - | Thunder Shock / Spark (4) and Thunder / Dazzling Gleam (100) |
| Regieleki | Lock-On / Thunder Shock / Volt Switch | Hyper Beam / Thunder / Zap Cannon | Thunder Cage | Volt Switch (13) and Thunder Cage (220) |
| Black Kyurem | Shadow Claw / Dragon Tail | Stone Edge / Blizzard / Iron Head / Outrage / Fusion Bolt / Freeze Shock | - | Dragon Tail (14) and Freeze Shock (160) |
Best Shadow Counters
Shadow pokemon that amplify the right types give you a powerful edge. Below are top Shadow counters with short notes on why they excel.
| Pokémon | Fast Moves | Charged Moves | Elite Moves | Best Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Darkrai | Snarl / Feint Attack | Focus Blast / Shadow Ball / Dark Pulse | Sludge Bomb | Snarl / Feint Attack (11) and Focus Blast (140) |
| Shadow Mewtwo | Psycho Cut / Confusion | Focus Blast / Flamethrower / Thunderbolt / Psychic / Ice Beam | Hyper Beam / Shadow Ball / Psystrike | Confusion (19) and Hyper Beam (150) |
| Shadow Salamence | Fire Fang / Dragon Tail / Bite | Fly / Fire Blast / Hydro Pump / Draco Meteor / Brutal Swing / Crunch | Outrage | Dragon Tail (14) and Draco Meteor (150) |
| Shadow Tyrantrum | Rock Throw / Dragon Tail / Charm | Earthquake / Stone Edge / Meteor Beam / Rock Tomb / Crunch / Outrage | - | Charm (20) and Earthquake / Meteor Beam (140) |
| Shadow Hydreigon | Dragon Breath / Bite | Fly / Flash Cannon / Dragon Pulse / Dark Pulse | Brutal Swing | Dragon Breath / Bite (6) and Flash Cannon (100) |
| Shadow Tyranitar | Iron Tail / Dragon Breath / Bite | Stone Edge / Fire Blast / Crunch / Brutal Swing | Smack Down | Iron Tail (14) and Fire Blast (140) |
| Shadow Electivire | Low Kick / Thunder Shock | Thunder Punch / Thunder / Ice Punch / Wild Charge | Flamethrower | Low Kick (5) and Thunder (100) |
| Shadow Magnezone | Metal Sound / Spark / Charge Beam / Volt Switch | Flash Cannon / Mirror Shot / Zap Cannon / Wild Charge | - | Volt Switch (13) and Zap Cannon (140) |
| Shadow Raikou | Thunder Shock / Volt Switch | Aura Sphere / Shadow Ball / Thunder / Thunderbolt / Wild Charge | - | Volt Switch (13) and Aura Sphere / Shadow Ball / Thunder (100) |
| Shadow Zapdos | Charge Beam | Drill Peck / Ancient Power / Zap Cannon / Thunderbolt / Thunder | Thunder Shock | Charge Beam (7) and Zap Cannon (140) |
| Shadow Rhyperior | Mud Slap / Smack Down | Skull Bash / Superpower / Earthquake / Stone Edge / Surf / Breaking Swipe | Rock Wrecker | Mud Slap (19) and Earthquake (140) |
| Shadow Rampardos | Smack Down / Zen Headbutt | Rock Slide / Flamethrower / Outrage | - | Smack Down (13) and Outrage (110) |
| Shadow Weavile | Ice Shard / Feint Attack / Snarl | Focus Blast / Avalanche / Triple Axel / Foul Play | - | Feint Attack / Snarl (11) and Focus Blast (140) |
| Shadow Luxray | Hidden Power / Spark / Snarl | Hyper Beam / Wild Charge / Crunch | Psychic Fangs | Hidden Power (15) and Hyper Beam (150) |
Best Mega Counters
Mega pokemon that amplify the right types give you a powerful edge. Below are top Mega counters with short notes on why they excel.
| Pokémon | Fast Moves | Charged Moves | Elite Moves | Best Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Diancie | Tackle / Rock Throw | Rock Slide / Power Gem / Moonblast | - | Rock Throw (13) and Moonblast (130) |
| Mega Banette | Hex / Shadow Claw | Shadow Ball / Thunder / Dazzling Gleam | - | Hex (8) and Shadow Ball / Thunder / Dazzling Gleam (100) |
| Mega Gengar | Hex / Shadow Claw / Sucker Punch | Focus Blast / Drain Punch / Sludge Bomb / Shadow Ball | Lick / Sludge Wave / Shadow Punch / Psychic / Dark Pulse | Hex (8) and Focus Blast (140) |
| Mega Tyranitar | Iron Tail / Dragon Breath / Bite | Stone Edge / Fire Blast / Crunch / Brutal Swing | Smack Down | Iron Tail (14) and Fire Blast (140) |
| Mega Manectric | Charge Beam / Thunder Fang / Snarl | Flame Burst / Overheat / Thunder / Wild Charge / Psychic Fangs | - | Snarl (11) and Overheat (160) |
| Mega Rayquaza | Air Slash / Dragon Tail | Aerial Ace / Ancient Power / Outrage | Hurricane / Breaking Swipe | Dragon Tail (14) and Outrage (110) |
| Mega Houndoom | Fire Fang / Snarl | Fire Blast / Flamethrower / Crunch / Foul Play | - | Fire Fang (13) and Fire Blast (140) |
| Mega Absol | Psycho Cut / Snarl | Megahorn / Thunder / Dark Pulse / Payback | Brutal Swing | Snarl (11) and Megahorn (105) |
Moves & Threats
Lugia common fast moves are Extrasensory or Dragon Tail. Charged moves include Sky Attack or Fly or Hydro Pump and Future Sight. Elite moves include Aeroblast.
Weather Effects
Rainy weather : boosts Electric type moves and Lugia Hydro Pump is also boosted, so be aware. Partly Cloudy weather : boosts Rock attackers. Foggy weather : boosts Dark attackers.
Recommended Teams
Dark/Ghost Team (Best)
- Mega Tyranitar
- Darkrai
- Hydreigon
- Giratina (Origin)
- Chandelure
- Tyranitar
Rock/Electric Backup Team
- Rampardos
- Rhyperior
- Electivire
- Raikou
- Magnezone
- Terrakion
Battle Strategy
- Lugia is very bulky — bring high DPS counters.
- Use Dark, Ghost, or Rock attackers.
- Dodge Sky Attack when possible.
- 4+ trainers recommended for consistent clears.
Rewards
- Chance to catch Lugia (with boosted IVs)
- Rare Candy & XL Candy
Why Raid Lugia?
Its combination of tankiness and versatile moves provides a strategic challenge, testing your team-building and raid coordination skills. Capturing Lugia also unlocks powerful counters for future PvE and PvP battles.
FAQ
Can Lugia be shiny in Pokémon GO?
Shiny Lugia has a red belly and looks majestic! It's available during raid.
What are best moveset of Lugia?
Best moveset of Lugia are Dragon Tail which does damage of 14 under Fast Attack and Aeroblast of 180 under Elite TM Attack.
Are Shadow Pokémon better?
Yes—Shadow forms have +20% attack, making them excellent choices if available.
What is the best weather to raid Lugia?
Rainy weather to boosts Electric type moves, Partly Cloudy weather to boosts Rock type moves, Fog weather to boosts Dark type moves.
What makes Lugia strong?
Its high attack, strong resistances, and Meteor Mash make it a top-tier raid and PvP option.
Conclusion
Lugia is one of the bulkiest raid bosses in Pokémon GO. Use strong Dark, Ghost, or Rock attackers and expect a longer battle.
Related Guides
Looking for more counters? Check out our Mega Gengar Raid Guide, Mega Tyranitar Raid Guide
Summary
To defeat Lugia efficiently, bring high-level Electric and Dark-type Pokémon. For smaller raids, shield management is critical; larger raids can focus on raw DPS. Always account for weather boosts, move type coverage, and attack timing to maximize efficiency.