Necrozma

Professor Noctowl's Raid Research: Necrozma

A Scholarly Analysis from the Pokebattler Pokémon Research Institute

Raid Introduction

Hello students! My name is Professor Geekbeak, and today, I wish to draw attention to Necrozma. While not great on its own, Necrozma is instrumental in making Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings Necrozma, both of which are incredible. 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.

Visual Guide

Raid Syllabus

Course Schedule

This raid will be taking place between June 17th and June 23rd. It will be preceded by Zekrom and Mega Lopunny, coincide with Mega Scizor, and be followed by Mega Pidgeot, Celesteela, and Kartana.

Course Information

  • Catch CP: 2018 - 2104
  • Boosted (Windy): 2522 - 2630
  • Minimum Required Trainers (Lvl 40, best friends, optimal weather): 2
  • Recommended: 3+ with Lvl 20 counters

Type Effectiveness & Moveset List

Counters should beware of Dark Pulse, as it will hit hard on some counters.

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

Necrozma’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

  • Dark Dark Pulse
  • Steel Iron Head
  • Psychic Future Sight
  • Dragon Outrage

The Dean's List - Top 5 Counters

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

Necrozma - Dawn Wings A

Best Moveset: Ghost Shadow Claw / Ghost Moongeist Beam
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Quick Move Charge Move Efficacy
Ghost Shadow Claw Ghost Moongeist Beam 100%
Psychic Psycho Cut Ghost Moongeist Beam 98%
Steel Metal Claw Ghost Moongeist Beam 90%
Ghost Shadow Claw Dark Dark Pulse 65%
Ghost Shadow Claw Psychic Future Sight 55%
Ghost Shadow Claw Steel Iron Head 55%
Mega Mewtwo Y

Mega Mewtwo Y A

Best Moveset: Psychic Psycho Cut / Ghost Shadow Ball
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Quick Move Charge Move Efficacy
Psychic Psycho Cut Ghost Shadow Ball 100%
Psychic Confusion Ghost Shadow Ball 90%
Fighting Counter Ghost Shadow Ball 88%
Psychic Psycho Cut Electric Thunderbolt 62%
Psychic Psycho Cut Normal Hyper Beam 60%
Psychic Psycho Cut Ice Ice Beam 59%
Mega Tyranitar

Mega Tyranitar A

Best Moveset: Dark Bite / Dark Brutal Swing
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Quick Move Charge Move Efficacy
Dark Bite Dark Brutal Swing 100%
Rock Smack Down Dark Brutal Swing 87%
Dragon Dragon Breath Dark Brutal Swing 84%
Dark Bite Dark Crunch 83%
Steel Iron Tail Dark Brutal Swing 79%
Rock Smack Down Dark Crunch 73%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move NECROZMA_DAWN_WINGS_FORM MEWTWO_MEGA_Y TYRANITAR_MEGA
Dragon Outrage
Dark Dark Pulse ⚔⚔ 🛡
Psychic Future Sight 🛡 🛡 🛡🛡
Steel Iron Head
Mega Absol

Mega Absol A

Best Moveset: Dark Snarl / Dark Brutal Swing
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Shadow Darkrai

Shadow Darkrai A

Best Moveset: Dark Snarl / Ghost Shadow Ball
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Also Noteworthy: A: Shadow Hydreigon

Honor Roll - The Bottom 5

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.

Shadow Tyranitar

Shadow Tyranitar A

Best Moveset: Dark Bite / Dark Brutal Swing
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Mega Heracross

Mega Heracross A

Best Moveset: Bug Fury Cutter / Bug Megahorn
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Mega Mewtwo X

Mega Mewtwo X A

Best Moveset: Psychic Psycho Cut / Ghost Shadow Ball
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Shadow Regigigas

Shadow Regigigas A

Best Moveset: Ghost Hidden Power / Normal Crush Grip
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)
Mega Houndoom

Mega Houndoom A

Best Moveset: Dark Snarl / Dark Foul Play
DPS
Tank
Reliability
2
Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Honorable Mentions

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 Mega GengarMega GengarShadow AbsolShadow AbsolShadow SalamenceShadow SalamenceShadow ChandelureShadow ChandelureMega RayquazaMega RayquazaMega BanetteMega BanetteShadow WeavileShadow WeavileMega PinsirMega PinsirShadow VikavoltShadow VikavoltTyranitarTyranitarShadow HoundoomShadow HoundoomDarkraiDarkraiHydreigonHydreigonShadow MewtwoShadow MewtwoLunalaLunalaMega SalamenceMega SalamenceMega ScizorMega ScizorMega GyaradosMega GyaradosBlack KyuremBlack Kyurem

Weather Specialists

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.

RainyRainy
Mega Heracross (1.6)Mega Pinsir (1.7)
Partly CloudyPartly Cloudy
Shadow Regigigas (1.7)
WindyWindy
Mega Rayquaza (1.7)
FogFog
Shadow Hydreigon (1.5)Shadow Tyranitar (1.5)Mega Mewtwo X (1.6)

Raid Conclusion

Overall, Necrozma is fairly easy. Only having 1 type makes most of these counters simple. Beware of Dark Pulse though. 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!