Pokemon GO Fest 2023 is here with it is Mega Rayquaza’s debut, but the limited release in Osaka, London, and New York isn’t the only opportunity. This year’s Pokemon GO Fest will be spreading worldwide in just a couple weeks. On August 27, trainers worldwide will be able to take on Mega Rayquaza and plenty are already strategizing. In this guide we’ll go over how to beat Mega Rayquaza during Pokemon GO Fest 2023.
How to Beat Mega Rayquaza in Pokemon GO
Like other Mega Evolutions, the attacks and weaknesses of Mega Rayquaza are the same for regular Rayquaza. The main difference is that if you’re fighting Mega Rayquaza in a Battle League match, it will know the Flying move Dragon Ascent, which is required to mega evolve it.
Mega Rayquaza Attacks
There are two Fast Attacks that Rayquaza can possibly have: Dragon Tail (Dragon) and Air Slash (Flying). Both of these moves will get boosted damage due to the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB).
It has a much wider pool of potential moves for its Charged Attack:
- Aerial Ace (Flying)
- Ancient Power (Rock)
- Outrage (Dragon)
- Hurricane (Flying)
- Breaking Swipe (Dragon)
- Dragon Ascent (Flying)
Hurricane and Breaking Swipe need to be taught via an Elite TM to it, so you’ll only encounter those in a Battle League match against a regular Rayquaza. You want to be prepared for all of these options in a Mega Raid, but the Dragon and Flying moves have the highest chance of showing up.
Mega Rayquaza Weaknesses
Since Mega Rayquaza is a dual Dragon and Flying type Pokemon, you’ll want to utilize moves of the following type:
- Dragon
- Fairy
- Ice
- Rock
It’s vulnerable to Ice damage, as it’s the weakness of Dragon and Flying Pokemon. In addition to the above types, Flying, Dragon, and Psychic type attacks will be boosted against it in Mega Raids. This bonus damage is only applicable during Pokemon GO Fest 2023 events.
With that in mind, the best types of Pokemon to use in this battle are going to be Ice and Dragon types, as their attacks will deal the most damage. Dragons are typically weak to other Dragons, so bringing a weak Dragon should be avoided.
Pokemon You’ll Want to Avoid Bringing to fight Mega Rayquaza
For this encounter you don’t want to bring the following Pokemon types in your team.
- Fighting
- Bug
- Fire
- Water
- Ground
- Grass
Pokemon who deal Ground and Grass moves will inflict very little damage and take up valuable space on your team. Grass, Fighting, Bug types are all weak to Flying and are best left in their Poke Balls for this fight.
Best Mega Rayquaza Counters in Pokemon GO
The best counters to Mega Rayquaza, especially in Mega Raids during Pokemon GO Fest 2023 are the following:
- Black Kyurem: Dragon Tail, Blizzard
- Galarian Zen Darmanitan: Ice Fang, Avalanche, Punch
- Mamoswine: Powder Snow, Avalanche
- Ice Rider Calyrex: Confusion, Avalanche
- Weavile: Ice Shard, Avalanche
As the only Ice and Dragon dual type Pokemon, any version of Kyurem is the best for this battle. It’s almost like it was made to take down Mega Rayquaza. If you don’t have any of the above Pokemon, just pick your highest CP Ice or Dragon types for your team. That’s all you need to know about how to defeat Mega Rayquaza. For more Raid tips, Pokemon counters, Battle League teams or if a Pokemon’s Shiny version is available in game, check out our Pokemon GO guide library.
