Hello students! My name is Professor Noctowl, and today, I wish to draw attention to Blacephalon. Blacephalon holds the title of the strongest non-mega, non combination Ghost Type pokemon, meaning it is worth bringing in most cases that involve a ghost type. 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NOTE: Some visual guides will be outdated for the duration of GO FEST.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. However, please note that despite this being GO FEST, Ultra Beasts are still locked to their regions. Blacephalon is locked to the WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

Blacephalon has a pretty wide list of weaknesses, and only has charge moves in its own types, so it should be pretty clear what could hit hard on your counters.

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

Blacephalon’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Shadow Ball
• Overheat
• Mystical Fire
• Mind Blown

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

Primal Kyogre A

Best Moveset: Waterfall / Origin Pulse

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Waterfall	Origin Pulse	100%
Waterfall	Surf	95%
Waterfall	Hydro Pump	90%
Waterfall	Thunder	72%
Waterfall	Blizzard	67%
Waterfall	Return	65%

Primal Groudon A

Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Precipice Blades

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Mud Shot	Precipice Blades	100%
Mud Shot	Earthquake	91%
Dragon Tail	Precipice Blades	81%
Dragon Tail	Earthquake	75%
Mud Shot	Fire Blast	51%
Mud Shot	Solar Beam	48%

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	99%
Bite	Stone Edge	86%
Smack Down	Stone Edge	86%
Bite	Crunch	83%
Smack Down	Crunch	83%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Overheat	🛡	🛡	🛡
Shadow Ball	—	—	🛡
Mystical Fire	🛡	🛡	🛡

Mega Swampert A

Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Hydro Cannon

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Tyranitar A

Best Moveset: Bite / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Shadow Kyogre

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 Hydreigon A

Best Moveset: Bite / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Garchomp A

Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Earth Power

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Diancie A

Best Moveset: Rock Throw / Rock Slide

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Groudon A

Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Precipice Blades

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Rhyperior A

Best Moveset: Mud-Slap / Rock Wrecker

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

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

A	Mega RayquazaShadow GreninjaMega HoundoomShadow TyrantrumMega BlastoiseMega AbsolShadow SalamenceShadow GarchompShadow SwampertNecrozma - Dawn WingsShadow GigalithMega GyaradosShadow DarkraiShadow CrawdauntMega SalamenceMega AerodactylShadow FeraligatrEternatusKyogre

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

Mega Garchomp (1.2)Shadow Garchomp (1.3)

Rainy

Shadow Kyogre (1.2)Shadow Greninja (1.3)Mega Blastoise (1.3)

Partly Cloudy

Mega Diancie (1.3)Shadow Rhyperior (1.3)Shadow Tyrantrum (1.3)

Windy

Mega Rayquaza (1.3)

Fog

Shadow Hydreigon (1.2)Mega Houndoom (1.3)Mega Absol (1.3)

Overall, Blacephalon is a pretty accessible raid. Having so many weaknesses means that Blacephalon can be beaten by a wider scope of Pokemon, not always needing the specific best counters to beat efficiently. 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!