Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Go appear as five-star raids, and you need to work with other players to take them down for a chance to catch them. Xerneas is one of the Legendary Pokémon you can challenge.
Before you start the fight, knowing the best way to take Xerneas is essential. These weaknesses give you insight into what Pokémon you should bring with you, but some are better than others. You’ll want to construct a reliable team to take it down in Pokémon Go, and it doesn’t hurt to bring a few friends with you to help in the effort. We’ll cover all Xerneas’ weaknesses and the best Pokémon you can use against it in Pokémon Go.
All Xerneas weaknesses in Pokémon Go
Xerneas is a pure Fairy-type Pokémon. It’s weak against Poison and Steel-type attacks but is resistant to Bug, Dark, Dragon, and Fighting-type moves in Pokémon Go. You want to avoid using Dragon-type Pokémon against Xerneas, since Fairy-types are a heavy counter to them.
Knowing the type of attacks Xerneas can use against you during a five-star raid is always good for helping craft your team. These are all the attacks Xerneas can use in Pokémon Go.
- Close Combat (Fighting-type)
- Geomancy (Fairy-type)
- Giga Impact (Normal-type)
- Mega Horn (Bug-type)
- Moonblast (Fairy-type)
- Tackle (Normal-type)
- Thunder (Electric-type)
- Zen Headbutt (Psychic-type)
Xerneas will use a handful of these attacks during the five-star raid. Given this thorough breakdown, these attacks reinforce the need to avoid Dragon-type Pokémon and any other Pokémon that Xerneas is resistant against. You want to primarily focus on utilizing Poison and Steel-type Pokémon throughout this battle to resist these attacks and withstand this difficult raid.
The best Pokémon counters to Xerneas in Pokémon Go
When battle against Xerneas in Pokémon Go, the best Pokémon you should use are Dusk Mane Necrozma, Metagross, and Excradill.
Dusk Mane Necrozma is a tremendously powerful Pokémon. The one issue is it’s a fusion Pokémon made up of Necrozma and Solgaleo in Pokémon Go. If you do not have any Solar Fusion Energy, you won’t be able to bring about this transformation. If you don’t, utilizing Solgaleo in its base form is also a solid choice, as it is a Steel and Fire-type Pokémon. The best moveset to teach Dusk Mane Necrozma is the fast move Metal Claw and the charged moves Sunsteel Strike and Iron Head.
Next, we have Metagross, a much easier Pokémon for you to track down in Pokémon Go. It’s another Steel-type Pokémon, capable of withstanding many of Xerneas’ attacks during this encounter, and it has several Steel-type moves that should be supereffective against the Legendary Pokémon during this battle. For anyone who wants to utilize more attack power over defense power, using the Shadow Metagross is a good idea. The best moveset to teach Metagross is the fast move Bullet Punch and the charged moves Meteor Mash and Earthquake.
The final Pokémon we recommend you use to counter Xerneas in Pokémon Go is Excradrill. Like Metagross, it’s a relatively more common Pokémon you can encounter in your local area and a fantastic choice as Steel and Ground-type. Excadrill has a large amount of attack power, which means it can utilize its Steel-type to endure Xerneas’ attack during this battle and deal a good amount of damage. The best moveset to teach it is the fast move Metal Claw and the charged moves Iron Head and Drill Run.
You do need to create a team of six Pokémon to use against Xerneas during this five-star raid. Here are some more Pokémon recommendations you can use to fill out the rest of your team in Pokémon Go.
- Aggron
- Beedrill
- Dialga
- Genesect
- Gengar
- Groudon
- Melmetal
- Mewtwo
- Naganadel
- Nihilego
- Scizor
- Toxicroak
- Vileplume
After defeating Xerneas at a five-star raid, all participants can catch it to add this Legendary Pokémon to their collection. There is a chance you will encounter a Shiny Xerneas after this battle in Pokémon Go.
