Hello students! My name is Professor Geekbeak, and today, I wish to draw attention to Mega Rayquaza. I do not exaggerate when I say this is the best Pokemon in the game. That isn’t a subjective opinion, or one based on types, Mega Rayquaza is the best pokemon in general situations. Pick this one up whenever it is available. Grab your notebooks, class is in session. For those who wish to do their research independently, our raw data can be found here. And for those who wish for a simple visual guide, go ahead and take a look at the below visual guide by CaptGoldfish.

NOTE: Some visual guides will be outdated for the duration of GO FEST. They will remain mostly accurate, but lack modern counters, such as the Mega Mewtwo duo, or Eternatus. Not only that, please note that some raids will not be covered in an article for GO FEST, due to the sheer volume. Our team has decided that the best call is to only cover raids who are within the top 10 counters in their type. If you’re looking for a counter that does not have an article, feel free to use pokebattler.com

Course Schedule

This counter is one of many GO FEST raids. There are too many to put a coherent schedule here, but rest assured, pretty much every legendary, mega, and shadow under the sun will be going at some point. Look to your local GO FEST event or the Pokebattler.com raid schedule to see exactly what raids will be going.

As with most strong Pokemon, even though Mega Rayquaza is doubly weak to Ice, some moves that it has will hit Ice super effectively. So, be careful, and keep an eye on the raid boss to make sure you properly dodge.

Effectiveness	Types
Double Resist (0.4x)	Ground Grass
Resist (0.6x)	Fighting Bug Fire Water
Neutral	Normal Flying Poison Ghost Steel Electric Psychic Dark
Super Effective (1.6x)	Rock Dragon Fairy
Double Super Effective (2.6x)	Ice

Mega Rayquaza’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Aerial Ace
• Ancient Power
• Outrage
• Dragon Ascent
• Breaking Swipe

The Dean’s List consists of the top 5 counters to Mega Rayquaza. As always, the Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and the Third Ranked will have their best moveset alternatives in a table with their rankings and a table detailing their defensive prowess against the charge moves listed above.

White Kyurem A

Best Moveset: Ice Fang / Ice Burn

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Ice Fang	Ice Burn	100%
Dragon Breath	Ice Burn	87%
Steel Wing	Ice Burn	77%
Ice Fang	Blizzard	70%
Dragon Breath	Blizzard	62%
Ice Fang	Dragon Pulse	52%

Mega Mewtwo Y A

Best Moveset: Psycho Cut / Ice Beam

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Psycho Cut	Ice Beam	100%
Confusion	Ice Beam	94%
Counter	Ice Beam	86%
Psycho Cut	Psystrike	65%
Confusion	Psystrike	65%
Confusion	Psychic	59%

Black Kyurem A

Best Moveset: Dragon Tail / Freeze Shock

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Dragon Tail	Freeze Shock	100%
Shadow Claw	Freeze Shock	78%
Dragon Tail	Blizzard	76%
Dragon Tail	Outrage	60%
Dragon Tail	Stone Edge	57%
Dragon Tail	Fusion Bolt	57%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Outrage	⚔	—	⚔
Aerial Ace	—	—	—
Ancient Power	⚔	—	⚔

Mega Mewtwo X A

Best Moveset: Psycho Cut / Ice Beam

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Mamoswine A

Best Moveset: Powder Snow / Avalanche

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Mega Rayquaza

We here at Pokebattler Pokémon Research Institute can’t expect you to have the best counters every time. So, here are some of our other best options, most of which will be easier to find than the members of the Dean’s List.

Mega Gardevoir A

Best Moveset: Charm / Triple Axel

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Eternatus A

Best Moveset: Dragon Tail / Dynamax Cannon

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★★★

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Weavile A

Best Moveset: Ice Shard / Triple Axel

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Aurorus A

Best Moveset: Frost Breath / Weather Ball

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Garchomp A

Best Moveset: Dragon Tail / Breaking Swipe

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Of course, besides our 10 best counters, there are plenty of Pokémon that also work against Mega Rayquaza. Here are a few star choices, worthy of praise.

A	Mega AbomasnowMamoswineBaxcaliburPrimal KyogreShadow GarchompShadow RegigigasShadow MewtwoGalarian DarmanitanCetitanShadow GardevoirAurorusMega GlalieShadow ArticunoZamazenta - Crowned ShieldMega DiancieZacian - Crowned SwordWeavileDialga - OriginAvalugg

Sometimes, the weather can be your most powerful ally. In certain weather conditions, certain Pokémon on our list excel. The most transformative cases are noted below.

Cloudy

Mega Gardevoir (3.0)

Windy

Mega Rayquaza (2.7)Mega Garchomp (2.8)Eternatus (2.9)

Snow

Mega Gardevoir (2.8)Shadow Weavile (2.8)Shadow Aurorus (2.8)

Overall, Mega Rayquaza is one of the toughest raids you will face. While most will only take 2 to 3 trainers, this one takes at least 4, so be ready to bring everyone you can to take this beast down. Once you beat it, you’ll be rewarded with, again, the best Pokemon in the game. Of course, if you wish to do more research on your box’s best Pokémon for the job, Pokebattler.com itself can be a great help! Remember, the best counter is the one you have powered up and ready to go. I grant extra credit to those who use their best friend bonus and the weather to their advantage. Class dismissed!