Battle Raid enthusiasts in Pokemon GO have the most success when they take the time to study each boss' strengths and weaknesses before heading into any of the more difficult fights. When it comes to Legendary and Mega Raids, it's absolutely essential to do that homework ahead of time so that no precious resources (time, Raid Passes, and Max Revives) are wasted with failed attempts. When it comes to Deoxys and its multiple Formes, this part of the planning isn't quite as confusing as it may initially seem.
In Pokemon GO, players have a chance to battle various Formes of Deoxys. Depending on the current Battle Raid rotation players may encounter Normal Forme, Attack Forme, Defense Form, or Speed Forme Deoxys at Legendary Battle Raid locations. Luckily, there are not four different sets of weaknesses and counters to master though. Every Forme of Deoxys is a pure-Psychic type, which means they all share weaknesses to Bug-, Dark-, and Ghost-type moves.
Trainers should be able to prepare one shared battle roster strategy and feel confident heading into battle against any Deoxys Form (as long as they bring enough friends along for the fight). There are some very powerful Mega counters that can be put to use in Deoxys Battle Raids, but players can definitely get by without that strategy if they are short of Mega Energy resources.
Deoxys Weaknesses (All Formes)
Due to its pure Psychic-type, Deoxys (regardless of forme) is weak to Bug-, Dark-, and Ghost-type moves.
Best Deoxys Counters
- Gengar (Mega) - Lick/Shadow Ball
- Houndoom (Mega) - Snarl/Foul Play
- Gyarados (Mega) - Bite/Crunch
- Pheromosa - Bug Bite/Bug Buzz
- Darkrai - Snarl/Shadow Ball
- Giratina (Origin) - Shadow Claw/Shadow Ball
- Chandelure - Hex/Shadow Ball
- Hydreigon - Bite/Dark Pulse
- Gengar - Lick/Shadow Ball
- Beedrill (Mega) - Bug Bite/X-Scissor
- Mewtwo - Psycho Cut/Shadow Ball
Even with a perfect counter roster Deoxys can still be a very challenging Battle Raid. That means that trainers should try to enter the battle with at least three or four friends who are also using strategically planned counter rosters. Take the time to invest some Stardust, Candy, and TMs to fine tune the counter roster before spending any Premium Raid Passes on this fight. The most skilled players may be able to take down Deoxy with smaller groups if they have the right friendship bonuses and weather boosts, but a group of five or more is a much safer bet for the average player.
Be sure to check back in the near future for more Pokemon GO news, updates, and strategy guides. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!
Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on mobile devices.