Hello students! My name is Professor Geekbeak, and today, I wish to draw attention to Mega Skarmory. While both of Mega Skarmory’s types are inhabited by some of the strongest Pokemon in the game, Mega Skarmory’s typing allows it to enjoy some incredible resistances. So, it is still worth bringing as a damage tank, and is great for buffing both Steel and Flying in raids that want both, such as Grass or Bug. 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.

Course Schedule

This raid is a special raid hour, taking place on June 27th from 2pm to 5pm in PST. Though, check your area to make sure you know exactly when this raid will be happening.

As mentioned above, Mega Skarmory has some incredible double resists of Poison, Bug and Grass. There are only a couple holes in the effectiveness chart for Mega Skarmory, and luckily, there are no surprise charge moves in Mega Skarmory’s learnset that can hit these counters hard.

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

Mega Skarmory’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Flash Cannon
• Brave Bird
• Sky Attack
• Return

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

Shadow Reshiram A

Best Moveset: Fire Fang / Fusion Flare

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Fire Fang	Fusion Flare	100%
Fire Fang	Overheat	92%
Dragon Breath	Fusion Flare	69%
Fire Fang	Stone Edge	67%
Dragon Breath	Overheat	66%
Fire Fang	Draco Meteor	64%

Mega Charizard Y A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Blast Burn

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Fire Spin	Blast Burn	100%
Ember	Blast Burn	94%
Fire Spin	Overheat	91%
Fire Spin	Flamethrower	89%
Fire Spin	Fire Blast	85%
Ember	Overheat	83%

Shadow Heatran A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Magma Storm

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Fire Spin	Magma Storm	100%
Fire Spin	Flamethrower	91%
Fire Spin	Fire Blast	88%
Bug Bite	Magma Storm	82%
Fire Spin	Stone Edge	70%
Bug Bite	Flamethrower	65%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Brave Bird	—	—	🛡
Sky Attack	—	—	🛡
Flash Cannon	🛡	🛡	🛡🛡

Shadow Electivire A

Best Moveset: Thunder Shock / Wild Charge

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Regieleki A

Best Moveset: Thunder Shock / Thunder Cage

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Shadow Raikou

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 Zapdos A

Best Moveset: Thunder Shock / Thunderbolt

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Magnezone A

Best Moveset: Volt Switch / Wild Charge

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★★

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Reshiram A

Best Moveset: Fire Fang / Fusion Flare

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Xurkitree A

Best Moveset: Thunder Shock / Discharge

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★★

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Zekrom A

Best Moveset: Charge Beam / Fusion Bolt

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★★

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

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

A	Mega BlazikenMega ManectricMega Charizard XMega Mewtwo YThundurus TherianShadow EnteiShadow Ho-OhHeatranShadow LuxrayShadow ThundurusMega Mewtwo XMega HoundoomRaikouMega AmpharosElectivireShadow MoltresBlacephalonShadow Alola GolemShadow Darmanitan

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.

Sunny/Clear

Reshiram (1.1)Mega Blaziken (1.1)Mega Charizard X (1.2)

Rainy

Shadow Raikou (1.1)Shadow Magnezone (1.1)Shadow Zapdos (1.1)

Overall, Mega Skarmory will be a simple raid. Due to only having a couple weaknesses, it narrows a lot of what is effective against this tank of a bird, but what is effective will burn or shock through its staggering defense eventually. 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!