Trainers! The New Year 2026 event is starting with a bang… quite literally! Blacephalon, the explosive Ultra Beast, is making a comeback in Five-Star Raids, and this time, it’s learning its signature move: Mind Blown.
Blacephalon: The Fireworks Pokémon
Blacephalon
FireGhost
| Max CP | 3727 |
|---|---|
| ATK | 315 |
| DEF | 148 |
| HP | 142 |
| Weak to |      |
| Resists |          |
| Fast moves |
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| Charge moves |
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*Legacy Move
A look at Blacephalon’s Strengths and Weakness
Blacephalon has always been a glass cannon — a Pokémon that hits incredibly hard but can’t take a hit in return. Its Attack stat sits among the highest in the Fire and Ghost categories, making it a powerhouse on paper. Even before this update, it was already a decent Fire attacker and a slightly better Ghost option for raids, only held back cause of its flimsy bulk.
Now, with Mind Blown added to its movepool, things get even more interesting. With the kind of stats Blacephalon has, it needed something insane to even have a fleeting chance to shine, but somehow with the grace of GO devs, the chance has finally arrived. Mind Blown is pure insanity: 130 damage for just 33 energy. The move boosts Blacephalon’s Fire type raid performance to No. 3 in terms of raw DPS, just behind Mega Blaziken and Mega Charizard Y. That’s an impressive standing!
However, it’s not all fireworks. Blacephalon’s paper-thin bulk means it faints faster than most other top-tier Fire types. Combined with long move durations for both Incinerate and Mind Blown, it ends up as a high-risk attacker, one that can struggle to dodge or maintain uptime against bosses with heavy-hitting charged moves. In practice, this means its real-world performance may lag behind more durable choices like the Megas or Heatran. You’ll often watch it faint quickly through the raid, forcing a relobby unless you have stacked teams or raid friends backing you up.
When Blacephalon Shines
Despite its fragility, Blacephalon does have something going for it:
- resistance to 9 different types, which also includes double resistance to Normal, Fighting and Bug type moves.
Against raid bosses which it counters like Genesect, Celesteela, Zacian or Kartana, Blacephalon actually has a very safe match-up against a lot of their charge moves like X-Scissor, Giga Imapact or Body Slam. Thus, it can actually survive long enough to deal impressive damage. In these matchups, it performs close to its theoretical maximum potential.
Should You Build One?
Blacephalon
FireGhost
If you enjoy the thrill of walking the razor’s edge which includes hitting hard, dodging perfectly, and squeezing out every bit of DPS, then sure, Blacephalon is your kind of Pokémon. For more practical raiders, it’s still worth adding one to your collection. And even if you don’t plan to use it often, it’s still worth raiding for that shiny… it looks fantastic and makes for a great flex in your collection!
Parting Words
That is it Trainers! So, gear up, get your raid passes ready, and let Blacephalon start your New Year with a literal explosion. Whether you’re chasing top DPS or just want variety in your raid lineups, Blacephalon is ready to make your New Year event mind-blowing.
Some of you may ask, Well what about PvP? How does Blacephalon perform with the new move? Worry not, here is PvP Veteran JRE47 answering your PvP questions: A PvP Analysis of Blacephalon with Mind Blown.
Want to know about the best counters for Blacephalon raids: Blacephalon Raid Guide
Also let us know which Ultra Beast is your favourite? What do you think about Ultra Beasts returning in any future Pokémon game? With that thought, its time say Goodbye. Stay Safe Trainers! Happy New Year! May Arceus bless 2026 with boosted shiny odds!
