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Pokémon Go Darkrai counters, weaknesses and moveset explained

Can you add Darkrai, the creator of nightmares, to your Pokédex?

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Guide by Lottie Lynn Guides Editor
Additional contributions by Nic Bunce
Updated on

Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon, has come to bring our nightmares to life in Pokémon Go.

This fan-favourite Pokémon is the opposite to Cresselia, and together they make up the Lunar Duo. This is pretty interesting because given how strong Cresselia is in Go Battle League, it’s no surprise that this Legendary Pokémon Pokémon is a demon in PVE. If you want to add one (or ideally several) to your team, you’ll need to bring your strongest Bug, Fairy and Fighting-type Pokémon.

Remember, shiny Darkrai has been out for a while in Pokémon Go, so if you still need one, this is your perfect chance to catch your very own shiny Legendary Pokémon!

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Darkrai counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go

The best counters to a given Pokémon ebb and flow as different Pokémon are added to the game. Here’s a list of the best Darkrai counters, as of October 2023:

  • Darkrai type – Dark-type
  • Darkrai is weak against – Bug, Fairy and Fighting-types
  • Darkrai Mega counters – Mega Blaziken (Counter and Focus Blast) is your best bet, followed by Mega Rayquaza for sheer damage output and Mega Gardevoir (Charm and Dazzling Gleam), though all three perform very similarly. After this, there’s a big step down to Mega Alakazam, Mega Pinsir and Mega Beedrill.
  • Darkrai non-Mega counters: Terrakion (Double Kick and Sacred Sword) is far and away the best Pokémon to bring here, followed by Keldeo, Shadow Machamp, Shadow Hariyama (though that’s academic because who is building that?), Pheromosa and Lucario.
  • Number of players to beat Darkrai – The dark days of needing a veritable army to take down this Pokémon are long behind us. With a reasonable set of counters, three players at Level 40 is perfectly reasonable!
  • Tactics – Fighting is your obvious go-to, given the abundance of strong counters in the game, and the never-ending supply of Shadow Machops you can turn into big beaters. Fairy is an option, but for once, weirdly, the Bug-type options are somehow better. Still, you really should focus on Fighting-types if you want to beat (up) the darkness!
  • Other Darkrai notes: There is a shiny available, and shinies are caught automatically after a raid as long as you connect with one of your Premier Balls. Use a Pinap Berry, take a screenshot and then enjoy catching yourself a new shiny!

Darkrai CP in Pokémon Go

Darkrai will have the following CP ranges when try to catch it:

  • Raid Boss CP – 53,623
  • CP range when being caught – 2048 to 2136
  • Weather boosted (fog) CP range when being caught – 2560 to 2671

Thank you to kashifaz from reddit for the help with this information.

Darkrai Moveset in Pokémon Go

Darkrai will be able to learn and use a variety of moves in Pokémon Go, including:

Possible Fast Moves:

  • Feint Attack (Dark)
  • Snarl (Dark)

Possible Charged Moves:

  • Dark Pulse (Dark)
  • Focus Blast (Fighting)
  • Shadow Ball (Ghost)
  • Sludge Bomb (Legacy Poison)

The World of Wonders season has come to Pokémon Go, which has brought the World of Wonders quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.

Everything we know about Darkrai

Known as the Pitch-Black Pokémon, Darkrai is the embodiment of nightmares.

Cresselia is the other member of the Lunar Duo.

Originating from the Sinnoh region, Darkrai is a member of the Lunar Duo, alongside its counterpart, Cresselia. Each legendary Pokémon inhabits an island that geographically sit opposite each other; Cresselia lives on Fullmoon Island, while Darkrai can be found on Newmoon Island.

Darkrai has the ability to both create and inhabit nightmares. People who have cursed with dreams by Darkrai often become trapped within them, unable to wake up. If this happens, the dreamer can only be saved by a Lunar Wing from Cresselia.

If you wanted to catch Darkrai in Pokémon Platinum, you had to save Sailor Eldritch’s son from his nightmares using the Lunar Wing. You would then be able to access the Harbor Inn in Canalave City using the Member Card. Here you would fall into a nightmare and find yourself on Newmoon Island.

Good luck catching Darkrai in Pokémon Go!

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