Quick facts
Species: Xerneas (Legendary)
Types: Fairy
Primary weaknesses: Poison, Steel
Recommended lobby: 3–7 trainers
Xerneas Raid Guide in Pokémon GO: Best Counters, Weaknesses, Movesets & Catch Tips
Xerneas is a Legendary Fairy-type Pokémon from the Kalos region in Pokémon GO. It appears in Tier 5 raids and is one of the strongest Fairy-type attackers in the game when using its signature move. Due to its high bulk and powerful Fairy-type moves, Xerneas can be a challenging raid boss if you do not bring the right counters.
In this complete Xerneas raid guide, you will learn about its weaknesses, best counters, movesets, weather boosts, CP ranges, recommended team setups, and battle strategies to defeat and catch Xerneas efficiently.
Table of Contents
Weakness Best Pokemon Regular Counters Shadow Counters Mega Counters Moveset Weather Effects Size Rewards FAQsUse Golden Razz Berries and aim for Excellent Curveball throws to maximize your catch chance.
Weaknesses & resistances
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Weak to |
 Poison •
 Steel
|
| Resists to |
 Fighting •
 Bug •
 Dragon •
 Dark
|
Best Xerneas Counters
Steel-type Counters
- Aggron: (Iron Tail / Heavy Slam)
- Melmetal: (Double Iron Bash)
- Scizor: (Bullet Punch / Iron Head)
Poison-type Counters
- Overqwil: (Poison Jab / Sludge Bomb)
- Roserade: (Poison Jab / Sludge Bomb)
Best Mega Evolutions
Recommended Megas to use against Xerneas:
- Metagross, Lucario, Aggron, Scizor – Steel boost
- Gengar – Ghost boost
- Gengar, Beedrill – Poison boost
- Rayquaza – Flying boost
Difficulty
Xerneas can use moves such as Moonblast, Thunder, Close Combat, and Giga Impact. While it isn’t extremely fast, Moonblast in particular can seriously hurt neutral targets, making bulky Steel-types the smartest choice for most teams.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zacian | Metal Claw / Air Slash | Play Rough / Close Combat / Giga Impact / Behemoth Blade | - | Air Slash (12) and Giga Impact / Behemoth Blade (200) |
| Genesect | Fury Cutter / Metal Claw | Hyper Beam / X-Scissor / Magnet Bomb | Techno Blast | Metal Claw (6) and Hyper Beam (150) |
| Origin Dialga | Dragon Breath / Metal Claw | Iron Head / Thunder / Draco Meteor | Roar of Time | Dragon Breath / Metal Claw (6) and Roar of Time (160) |
| Nihilego | Pound / Acid / Poison Jab | Gunk Shot / Sludge Bomb / Power Gem / Rock Slide | - | Poison Jab (13) and Gunk Shot (130) |
| Dialga | Metal Claw / Dragon Breath | Iron Head / Thunder / Draco Meteor | - | Metal Claw / Dragon Breath (6) and Draco Meteor (150) |
| Naganadel | Air Slash / Poison Jab | Acrobatics / Sludge Bomb / Fell Stinger / Dragon Pulse / Dragon Claw | - | Poison Jab (13) and Acrobatics (100) |
| 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) |
| Roserade | Poison Jab / Poison Sting / Razor Leaf / Magical Leaf | Sludge Bomb / Solar Beam / Grass Knot / Leaf Storm | Bullet Seed / Weather Ball | Magical Leaf (17) and Solar Beam (180) |
| Melmetal | Thunder Shock | Hyper Beam / Superpower / Rock Slide / Flash Cannon / Thunderbolt | Double Iron Bash | Thunder Shock (4) and Hyper Beam (150) |
| 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) |
| Metagross | Fury Cutter / Bullet Punch / Zen Headbutt | Earthquake / Flash Cannon / Psychic | Shadow Claw / Meteor Mash | Zen Headbutt (11) and Earthquake (140) |
| Eternatus | Poison Jab / Dragon Tail | Flamethrower / Dragon Pulse / Sludge Bomb | Dynamax Cannon | Dragon Tail (14) and Dynamax Cannon (215) |
| Dusk Mane Necrozma | Shadow Claw / Metal Claw / Psycho Cut | Dark Pulse / Iron Head / Future Sight / Outrage / Sunsteel Strike | - | Shadow Claw / Metal Claw (6) and Sunsteel Strike (230) |
| Zamazenta | Metal Claw / Ice Fang | Moon Blast / Close Combat / Giga Impact / Behemoth Bash | - | Ice Fang (12) and Giga Impact (200) |
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 Overqwil | Poison Jab / Poison Sting | Sludge Bomb / Shadow Ball / Aqua Tail / Ice Beam / Aqua Tail | - | Poison Jab (13) and Shadow Ball (100) |
| Shadow 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) |
| Shadow Dialga | Metal Claw / Dragon Breath | Iron Head / Thunder / Draco Meteor | - | Metal Claw / Dragon Breath (6) and Draco Meteor (150) |
| Shadow Excadrill | Mud Slap / Mud Shot / Metal Claw | Earthquake / Drill Run / Scorching Sands / Rock Slide / Iron Head | - | Mud Slap (19) and Earthquake (140) |
| Shadow Metagross | Fury Cutter / Bullet Punch / Zen Headbutt | Earthquake / Flash Cannon / Psychic | Shadow Claw / Meteor Mash | Zen Headbutt (11) and Earthquake (140) |
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 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 Metagross | Fury Cutter / Bullet Punch / Zen Headbutt | Earthquake / Flash Cannon / Psychic | Shadow Claw / Meteor Mash | Zen Headbutt (11) and Earthquake (140) |
| Mega Scizor | Fury Cutter / Bullet Punch | Iron Head / X-Scissor / Trailblaze / Night Slash | - | Bullet Punch (10) and Trailblaze (65) |
| Mega Aggron | Smack Down / Iron Tail / Metal Sound / Dragon Tail | Stone Edge / Rock Tomb / Meteor Beam / Heavy Slam / Thunder | - | Iron Tail / Dragon Tail (14) and Meteor Beam (140) |
| Mega Rayquaza | Air Slash / Dragon Tail | Aerial Ace / Dragon Ascent / Ancient Power / Outrage | Hurricane / Breaking Swipe | Dragon Tail (14) and Dragon Ascent (140) |
| Mega Beedrill | Poison Jab / Poison Sting / Infestation | Aerial Ace / Sludge Bomb / X-Scissor / Fell Stinger | Bug Bite / Drill Run | Poison Jab (13) and Sludge Bomb / Drill Run (85) |
| Mega Lucario | Counter / Bullet Punch | Close Combat / Power-Up Punch / Aura Sphere / Shadow Ball / Flash Cannon / Meteor Mash / Blaze Kick / Thunder Punch | Force Palm | Counter (13) and Close Combat (105) |
Moves & Threats
Xerneas common fast moves are Tackle or Zen Headbutt. Charged moves include Giga Impact or Close Combat and Megahorn or Thunder or Moonblast. Elite moves include Geomancy.
Dangerous Move: Moonblast is very strong and should be dodged if possible.
Moonblast hits extremely hard and can quickly knock out fragile counters.
Best Team Compositions
Small Group (3–4 Trainers)
With strong Steel-type counters and at least one Mega Pokémon, Xerneas can be defeated by 3 to 4 high-level trainers.
Medium Group (5–7 Trainers)
A group of 5 to 7 trainers with good counters should defeat Xerneas comfortably.
Large Group (8+ Trainers)
With a large group, Xerneas becomes very easy, but avoid overfilling the lobby unnecessarily.
Weather Boost Effects
- Cloudy weather: Boosts Xerneas’s Fairy-type moves and also boosts your Poison-type counters
- Snowy weather: Boosts Steel-type counters
Snowy weather is the best condition for fighting Xerneas because it boosts your Steel-type attackers without boosting Xerneas’s own damage.
Recommended Teams
Optimized Team
- Mega Metagross
- Shadow Metagross
- Metagross
- Dialga
- Excadrill
- Genesect
Budget Team
- Metagross
- Excadrill
- Roserade
- Gengar
- Scizor
- Aggron
Battle Tips and Strategy
- Steel-types are the safest and strongest counters.
- Poison-types deal high damage but are usually more fragile.
- Dodge Moonblast whenever possible.
- Use Mega evolutions to increase team damage.
- Rejoin quickly if your team faints.
Shiny Xerneas
Shiny Xerneas is available in Pokémon GO. Its shiny form has a different color pattern and is highly sought after by collectors.
Rewards
- Chance to catch Xerneas (with boosted IVs)
- Rare Candy & XL Candy
Why Raid Xerneas?
It has a beautiful and popular shiny form. It is a top-tier Fairy-type attacker in Pokémon GO. It’s a fan-favorite Legendary from the Kalos region.
FAQ
Can Xerneas be shiny in Pokémon GO?
Yes! Shiny Xerneas is available in Pokémon GO. Its shiny form features light blue antlers and body.
What are best moveset of Xerneas?
Best moveset of Xerneas are Zen Headbutt which does damage of 11 under Fast Attack and Giga Impact of 200 under Charged Attack.
Are Shadow Pokémon better?
Yes—Shadow forms have +20% attack, making them excellent choices if available.
What is the best weather to raid Xerneas?
Snow weather to boosts Steel type moves, Cloudy weather to boosts Poison type moves.
What makes Xerneas strong?
Its high attack, strong resistances, and Meteor Mash make it a top-tier raid and PvP option.
Conclusion
Xerneas is a powerful Legendary Fairy-type Pokémon. Prepare strong Steel- and Poison-type counters, use Mega evolutions, and take advantage of weather boosts to defeat and catch Xerneas efficiently.
Related Guides
Looking for more counters? Check out our Mega Metagross Raid Guide, Mega Gengar Raid Guide, Mega Lucario Raid Guide
Summary
- Prioritize Steel-type Pokémon above everything else.
- Avoid Dragons and Fighters—they take super effective Fairy damage.
- Use bulky counters to maintain consistent DPS.
- Manage shields around Moonblast.
- Smaller groups can win easily with proper preparation.