Hello students! My name is Professor Noctowl, and today, I wish to draw attention to Necrozma. While Necrozma isn’t very useful on its own, one is REQUIRED to create both Necrozma combination Pokemon, both of which are incredibly useful, not only as raiders, but for their adventure effects. 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NOTE: Some visual guides will be outdated for the duration of GO FEST.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.

Please be aware of charge moves, some of the best counters to Necrozma are DOUBLY WEAK to Dark Pulse, so be advised to not be suddenly wiped out.

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

Necrozma’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Dark Pulse
• Iron Head
• Future Sight
• Outrage

The Dean’s List consists of the top 5 counters to Necrozma. 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.

Necrozma - Dawn Wings A

Best Moveset: Shadow Claw / Moongeist Beam

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Shadow Claw	Moongeist Beam	100%
Psycho Cut	Moongeist Beam	97%
Metal Claw	Moongeist Beam	91%
Shadow Claw	Dark Pulse	65%
Shadow Claw	Future Sight	55%
Shadow Claw	Iron Head	55%

Mega Absol A

Best Moveset: Snarl / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Snarl	Brutal Swing	100%
Snarl	Payback	84%
Snarl	Dark Pulse	84%
Psycho Cut	Brutal Swing	83%
Snarl	Megahorn	81%
Snarl	Return	66%

Mega Tyranitar A

Best Moveset: Bite / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Bite	Brutal Swing	100%
Smack Down	Brutal Swing	87%
Dragon Breath	Brutal Swing	84%
Bite	Crunch	83%
Iron Tail	Brutal Swing	79%
Smack Down	Crunch	73%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Outrage	—	—	—
Future Sight	🛡	🛡🛡	🛡🛡
Dark Pulse	⚔⚔	🛡	🛡
Iron Head	—	—	⚔

Shadow Darkrai A

Best Moveset: Snarl / Shadow Ball

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Hydreigon A

Best Moveset: Bite / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Shadow Tyranitar

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 Heracross A

Best Moveset: Fury Cutter / Megahorn

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Regigigas A

Best Moveset: Hidden Power / Crush Grip

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Houndoom A

Best Moveset: Snarl / Foul Play

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Absol A

Best Moveset: Snarl / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Gengar A

Best Moveset: Lick / Shadow Ball

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

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

A	Shadow ChandelureShadow SalamenceMega BanetteMega RayquazaShadow WeavileMega PinsirShadow VikavoltShadow HoundoomTyranitarShadow MewtwoDarkraiLunalaMega SalamenceHydreigonMega ScizorMega GyaradosBlack KyuremRegigigasZamazenta - Crowned Shield

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.

Rainy

Mega Heracross (1.6)Mega Pinsir (1.7)Shadow Regigigas (1.8)

Partly Cloudy

Shadow Regigigas (1.7)

Windy

Mega Rayquaza (1.7)

Fog

Shadow Tyranitar (1.5)Mega Houndoom (1.6)Mega Gengar (1.7)

Overall, Necrozma is a pretty simple raid. There are only a few weaknesses, and a few strong pokemon to fit into those slots. However, it is very prudent to be careful of Charge Moves against Necrozma, as some of them can hit extraordinarily hard. 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!