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Pokémon Go Mega Rayquaza counters, weaknesses and moveset explained

How to defeat the mega evolved Dragon and Flying-type Pokémon.

Mega Rayquaza is the Mega Evolved form of Rayquaza - the fan favourite to end all fan favourites. This Pokémon is so good in the main series - so game-breakingly good - that its arrival in the world of Pokémon Go has been awaited with bated breath.

Mega Rayquaza has now been released globally as part of Go Fest Global 2023! Jump into a Mega Raid to battle this legendary dragon and make sure you complete the Sky High special research quest to earn a Meteorite for its Mega Evolution.

Like all Mega Evolutions, Mega Rayquaza can’t be caught directly in Pokémon Go. Instead, you need to keep defeating it in Mega Raids until you’ve collected enough Mega Rayquaza Energy for its temporary evolution. However, due to how obscenely powerful it is, there are a couple of other hoops you need to jump through: Meteorites and Dragon Ascent.

Below you’ll find Mega Rayquaza’s counters and weaknesses to help you succeed in Pokémon Go - just remember you need to have an Rayquaza in your Pokémon storage to perform its Mega Evolution.

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How to get Mega Rayquaza in Pokémon Go

First things first: Mega Rayquaza is not like other Mega Pokémon.

Rayquaza.

While Pokémon Go has avoided move-based evolutions, it has adopted this special evolution method for Mega Rayquaza. This means that on top of using Mega Energy, Rayquaza can only mega evolve if you have the right move - and if you’re a fan of the main series games, you probably know which move we’re talking about.

If you’re already reaching for your Elite TMs, we have bad news for you - you can only learn the move you need Rayquaza’s signature move Dragon Ascent with the brand new item: Meteorite.

One of the ways you can get a Meteorite is by completing the Sky High special research quest. Players who purchased a Go Fest Global 2023 ticket can earn an additional Meteorite through the Super Sky High quest, which automatically unlocks after completing the free-to-play version of the quest.

So, to mega evolve Rayquaza in Pokémon Go, you need to:

  1. Get a Meteorite
  2. Use a Meteorite to teach Rayquaza the Charged move Dragon Ascent
  3. Have enough Mega Energy
  4. Click Mega Evolve

Good luck getting the Meteorites you need at Go Fest 2023!

Mega Rayquaza counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go

The fastest way to collect Mega Rayquaza energy is to defeat one in a Mega Raid. Below you’ll find the counters and weaknesses for Mega Rayquaza to help you achieve this:

  • Mega Rayquaza types - Dragon and Flying
  • Mega Rayquaza is double-weak against - Ice
  • Mega Rayquaza is weak against - Dragon, Fairy and Rock
  • Mega Rayquaza is resistant to - Bug, Fighting, Fire and Water
  • Mega Rayquaza is double-resistant to - Grass and Ground
  • Mega Rayquaza Mega counters - Mega Abomasnow with Powder Snow and Weather Ball is the way to go. After this, Mega Latios, Mega Salamence and Mega Latias are your best counters, due to their raw power, but they’re weak to Rayquaza’s Dragon-type attacks. After this, Mega Glalie and Mega Aerodactyl are your best options, but we don’t recommend them if you have anything else in this list.
  • Mega Rayquaza non-Mega counters - Avalugg is your strongest counter, running Ice Fang and Avalanche. Kyurem (Glaciate) follows, with Galarian Darmanitan, Aurorus and Hisuian Avalugg, both with Ice attacks. If you need something budget, Glaceon, Jynx and Mamoswine (both with Ice attacks), are decent options, but make sure you raid with a couple of other trainers. Beartic, Mr. Rime, Mewtwo, Weavile and Vanilluxe are also good counters choices if you want to mix up your team.
  • Mega Abomasnow, Avalugg and Kyurem are your top three counters
  • Number of players to beat Mega Rayquaza - Thanks to its double weakness, Mega Rayquaza should be beatable with two to three Trainers bringing optimal Level 40 counters.
  • Tactics - Channel your inner 90s child and bring Ice, Ice, baby. Mega Abomasnow is a fairly budget one as a non-Legendary, and there are decent budget options for those who don’t have the likes of Avalugg and Kyurem. Just bring your strongest Ice-type Pokémon and tell Rayquaza to chill.

Mega Rayquaza CP in Pokémon Go

Below you’ll find the CP levels for battling for Mega Rayquaza and, if defeated, catching an Rayquaza after the fight in Pokémon Go:

  • Mega Rayquaza Raid CP - 88,200 CP
  • CP range for catching Rayquaza - 2102 to 2191 CP
  • Weather (Windy) when being caught - 2627 to 2739 CP

The Season of Timeless Travels has arrived in Pokémon Go! The Along the Routes event is here, bringing Gift Exchange and the A Route to New Friendships quest with it. During it, take the time to try out Routes and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.


Best Mega Rayquaza moveset in Pokémon Go

Mega Rayquaza is the new, undisputed Dragon-type overlord in Pokémon Go - as befitting of the Mega Pokémon that can subdue Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon. Also, look at that face - something that looks that cool is going to be undeniably powerful. That’s just how games work.

Mega Rayquaza.

But, given that you need a specific move for Mega Rayquaza to simply exist, you’re going to want to know if it is any good. While we can’t confirm the attack damage and energy, as Niantic can (and sometimes does) change the numbers up to the wire, we expect the move to pretty powerful.

Dragon Ascent is this Pokémon’s signate move - Origin Pulse, Precipice Blades, Glaciate and all the other signature moves we’ve had lately have been very good. We don’t expect this one to disappoint either.

So, with that in mind, we expect the best Mega Rayquaza moves moves to be Dragon Tail (Fast), Breaking Swipe (Charged) and Dragon Ascent (Charged). The first two are Dragon-types and the third, believe it or not, is Flying-type. No, we don’t know why Dragon Ascent is a Flying-type move, but yes, we agree it’s a little bit silly.

Here are all the Fast and Charged moves Mega Rayquaza can use in Pokémon Go:

Fast Moves:

  • Air Slash (Flying)
  • Dragon Tail (Dragon)

Charged Moves:

  • Outrage (Dragon)
  • Aerial Ace (Flying)
  • Ancient Power (Rock)

Legacy Charged Moves:

  • Breaking Swipe (Dragon)
  • Hurricane (Flying)
  • Dragon Ascent (Flying)

Everything we know about Rayquaza

The Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza, is ridiculously good.

Rayquaza is a Dragon/Flying-type that cannot evolve – apart from its Mega Evolution. (Image via pokemongolive.com)

Not only is it very good, but it is also a very cool-looking Pokémon. You first encountered this sweet Pokémon after beating the Elite Four is Sapphire and Ruby. As part of the end-game content, you battle and (hopefully) catch Rayquaza before jetting off into space to battle and (hopefully) catch Deoxys!

If you want to learn more about the flying green noodle, you can read its official Pokédex entry below:

  • Rayquaza: 'Rayquaza is said to have lived for hundreds of millions of years. Legends remain of how it put to rest the clash between Kyogre and Groudon.'

For those looking for a shiny, you’ll be pleased to know that shiny Rayquaza was released in July 2019. As a result, Mega Rayquaza is also in the game, and it looks incredible!

Shiny Rayquaza and shiny Mega Rayquaza swap green for jet black! It’s a simple change, but there’s no denying it’s an effective one.

Image credit: Niantic

Good luck defeating Mega Rayquaza in Pokémon Go!

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