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Pokémon Go Rayquaza counters, weaknesses and moveset explained

Everything you need to know about the return of Rayquaza.

Rayquaza returning to raids in Pokémon Go is invariably one of the most exciting reasons pick up your phone and head outside.

The Sky High Pokémon is a fan-favourite Dragon-type Pokémon. Not only does it have extremely good stats, but it looks awesome and has a Mega Evolution coming to Pokémon Go at some point in the future — a Mega Evolution that once broke competitive play in the main series games. Rayquaza, if you didn’t know, is kind of a big deal.

Like the legendary Pokémon it shares the Hoenn region with, including Groudon and Kyogre, Rayquaza will be available in five-star Raids, so, if you want to defeat this mighty dragon, you'll need to form a team of trainers.

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Cover image for YouTube videoPokemon Go! - Rayquaza Returns Teaser Trailer
Pokemon Go! - Rayquaza Returns Teaser Trailer

Rayquaza counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go

Beating Rayquaza in a raid will give you the opportunity to catch this super-powerful Pokémon. Below you’ll find the counters and weaknesses for Rayquaza to help you achieve this:

  • Rayquaza type – Dragon and Flying
  • Rayquaza is weak against – Dragon, Fairy, Ice (2x) and Rock types
  • Rayquaza Mega counters: Since Rayquaza is double-weak to Ice-type moves, we’re looking to go all-out on this type. This means Mega Glalie and Mega Abomasnow. This will also buff the other Ice types that your raid partners bring, helping you Bring Mega Dragons only if you only don’t have a mega Ice type, as your Dragon is naturally weak to Rayquaza.
  • Rayquaza counters: Galarian Darmanitan, Mamoswine, Glaceon, Weavile, Jynx, Mewtwo (with Ice Beam), Avalugg (or Hisuian Avalugg) and Kyurem.
  • Other Rayquaza notes: Rayquaza is double-weakn to Ice-type attacks, so bring Ice-type Pokémon that can maximise STAB and deal very high damage quickly.
Rayquaza is an extremely good Pokémon, and you should prioritise getting one with good stats.

Rayquaza CP in Pokémon Go

Here you can find the CP levels for battling and attempting to catch Rayquaza in Pokémon Go::

  • Raid Boss CP - 49,808
  • CP range for catching Rayquaza - 2102–2191
  • Weather Boost CP (Windy) range for catching Rayquaza - 2627 to 2739
  • Max Rayquaza CP - 4336

The World of Wonders season has come to Pokémon Go, giving you the chance to catch Poipole. The World of Wonders: Taken Over event is currently running, bringing the It's a Rocket World special research quest with it. 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.


Rayquaza Moveset in Pokémon Go

Our Rayquaza best moveset recommendation is Dragon Tail (Dragon, Fast) with Breaking Swipe (Dragon, Legacy Charged) and Hurricane (Flying, Legacy Charged) if you can afford a second Charged move.

Below you'll find Rayquaza's full moveset in Pokémon Go:

Rayquaza Fast Moves:

  • Air Slash (Flying)
  • Dragon Tail (Dragon)

Rayquaza Charged Moves:

  • Aerial Ace (Flying)
  • Ancient Power (Rock)
  • Breaking Swipe (Legacy, Dragon)
  • Hurricane (Legacy, Flying)
  • Outrage (Dragon)
The shiny version of Rayquaza is one cool-looking dragon.

Everything else we know about Rayquaza

The shiny form of Rayquaza was released in July 2019, and is available when Rayquaza is in raids. Remember, you always catch a shiny legendary Pokémon with your first ball after a raid, so don’t waste your Golden Razz Berries! Instead, chuck a Pinap Berry for some easy free Candy!

Rayquaza is a legendary Pokémon who hails from the Hoenn region. It is part of the elemental trio, alongside Groudon and Kyogre.

The members of this legendary trio are each a guardian of different elemental sphere. Groudon is the guardian of the lithosphere (land), Kyogre watches over the hydrosphere (the world’s seas), and Rayquaza guards the atmosphere.

When Groudon and Kyogre clash, which they inevitably do, Rayquaza descends from the sky to stop their fight and help them return to their slumbers.

When you see either Groudon or Kyogre make an appearance in Pokémon Go, you know Rayquaza isn’t far behind.

Good luck catching Rayquza!