Pokemon GO: The Best Mega Raichu Counter is Not What You Think
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Although Pokemon GO Fest Global just concluded, the popular mobile game is keeping the 10th anniversary festivities going. In the midst of this week’s Pikachu Celebration event, Pokemon GO will launch another Super Mega Raid day this weekend, for both the X and Y forms of Mega Raichu.
Mega Raichu X and Y should be high on every Pokemon GO player’s radar, specifically the Y form, as it will be the best electric-type raid attacker in the game with Thunder Shock as its fast move and Wild Charge as its charged move. Mega Raichu X is a decent electric-type raid attacker, but it is the Y form that players should prioritize using their free raid passes on.
After a weekend of Mega Mewtwo X and Y Super Mega Raids, I don’t anticipate Raichu will pose as much of a challenge, but Pokemon GO players should still jump into the raid as prepared as possible. That means having strong electric-type counters on their Pokemon GO team, but be aware that the best counter for Mega Raichu X and Y is not the Pokemon you might think.
What is the Best Mega Raichu X and Y Counter in Pokemon GO?
While typically the best counter for an electric-type Pokemon is a ground-type Pokemon, this is a Super Mega Raid so there is a crucial element to consider. You might think that Primal Groudon would be the go-to here, but because Primals don’t count as Megas (not yet at least), they are not as useful for that all-important shield-breaking mechanic.
Instead, the best Mega Raichu counter is Mega Garchomp with the fast attack Mud Shot and the charged attack Earth Power. If you don’t have a Mega Garchomp that knows Earth Power and don’t want to use an Elite Charged TM to get it, your next best bet is one that knows Earthquake. Even so, the main goal for the Super Mega Raid is breaking the shields, and for that it doesn't really matter what Pokemon you use, just that they are Mega-evolved.
How to Break Shields in Super Mega Raids
For those that might not be familiar, Super Mega Raids work a little differently from the usual Legendary Raid. At a certain point in the battle, the Pokemon will protect itself and a shield symbol will appear next to its HP bar. That shield symbol will have a certain number inside of it, which corresponds to the number of charged attacks from Mega-evolved Pokemon that are required to break that shield. So if the shield has an 8, then 8 separate Mega-evolved Pokemon from 8 different trainers must use their charged attacks against Mega Raichu to break that shield. If you don’t break all those shields, it becomes practically impossible to defeat the raid target. Yes, you could do it, but it would be a marathon race against the clock rather than a fairly easy sprint to the finish.
If you have Mega Garchomp, that’s the way to go. But if you don’t, then any Mega with a set of ground-type moves will work in a pinch. And if you have no options for Mega ground-types, Mega-Evolve a Pokemon first and foremost, put it in the 6th spot on your team, and then load up on non-Mega ground-types like Excadril, Groudon, or Rhyperior.
Scopely Explore has put some safeguards in place to ensure teams don’t fail the Super Mega Raid, like showing how many Mega-evolved Pokemon are in the lobby and switching in your Mega-evolved pokemon when the shield goes up, but it’s not foolproof. If you still see a multicolored border around the Mega-evolved Pokemon’s shield then your Mega-evolved Pokemon has not used its charged attack. With a full lobby, you might be fine, but if you still see that border after some time, it’s best to leave the lobby, revive and heal your Mega, and then rejoin. If your Mega is not in the 6th slot, it can get knocked out before the shield phase.
Mega Raichu X vs Mega Raichu Y: Which is Better?
Not every Super Mega Raid is going to be as important as the next, but this one is well worth doing, beyond shiny hunting. As I mentioned, Mega Raichu Y is going to be the best electric-type attacker in the game, so that’s the form to focus on.
To be honest, Mega Raichu X is far less desirable than Y since, unlike Mega Mewtwo where the X and Y versions excel in different categories, the X version is merely a worse electric-type attacker. And since Y and X have the same optimal moveset (Thundershock and Wild Charge), you’re better off unlocking both forms on one Raichu.
The Raichu Super Mega Raid kicks off this Saturday from 2pm to 5pm local time with up to six free raid passes available during that window. There is also a $4.99 Event Ticket that increases the raid pass count to 14, gives you an extra 5,000 XP and 5,000 Stardust per raid, and increases your Rare Candy XL chances from raids.
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