Onix (Shadow) Raid Guide

Shadow Onix is available from Tier 3 Shadow Raids. Shadow Raids can only be participated in using in-person raid passes. Shadow Onix can be shiny from Shadow raids!

Shadow Onix can be caught with the following CP values, with an IV floor of 6/6/6:

541- 629 CP (no weather boost, 100% Onix at Level 20)
677 – 787 CP (Partly Cloudy and Sunny weather, 100% IV Onix at Level 25)

Shadow Onix is an Rock and Ground type and is 2x weak to Grass and Water types. It is also weak to Fighting Ground Ice and Steel type attacks. Shadow Onix is an immensely difficult tier 3 raid due to the Shadow Raid mechanism. You will need to be well prepared with top counters, correct movesets, powered up Pokémon, and most importantly, Purified Gems.

We would suggest that if you intend to solo this raid, you keep an eye on the weather. Utilise weather that boosts your Grass or Water types, and choose counters accordingly. Sunny weather will boost your Grass types, but it will also boost Onix so be wary, whereas Rainy weather will boost your Water types, but not Onix. Ensure that you are using top tier counters. These are much more difficult raids than your usual tier 3 raid. If you are lower level or without ideal counters, you will definitely need to bring a friend, or two!

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Shadow Raid Information & Advice

As a shadow raid, Onix will hit harder than ever before, so make sure your counters are powered up, have the right moveset, and aren’t weak to the raid bosses moves. These tier 3 raids are a tricky solo task for even the most prepared trainers, and you will need Purified Gems to defeat them. Shadow Raid Bosses will grow enraged as you battle them, boosting their attack and defence.

You will need to subdue Shadow Onix using Purified Gems, a new item that can be assembled from Shadow Shards.

Pokémon GO Purified Crystal — Purified Gem

Shadow Shards are mysterious gem pieces that may be dropped by Team GO Rocket grunts, leaders, and from Shadow Raids. You will need to gather enough shards to use Professor Willow’s newly invented Shard Refiner, and in return you’ll be rewarded with a Purified Gem. Be sure to have collected as many as you can before you attempt a Shadow Onix raid, as without them you won’t be able to return it to its normal, non-enraged state.

There are multiple ways Purified Gems can assist your battle against enraged Shadow Raid Bosses:

When you use a Purified Gem during a Shadow Raid, the enraged Shadow Raid Boss’s attack and defence will be lowered temporarily. This can give you the opening you need to take them down.
You and your fellow Trainers can use more than one Purified Gem during a Shadow Raid. If used at the same time, their effects will stack.
If enough Purified Gems are used, the enraged Shadow Raid Boss will be subdued—returned to its non-enraged state—which might give you the edge you need to defeat it!

Purified Gems will show in the bottom left corner of the raid battle when you are able to use them, so be sure to communicate with your raid group to stack their effects!

Best Shadow Onix Counters

Since Shadow Pokémon are extremely expensive to power up and require specific events to remove Frustration with a Charge TM, they will NOT be listed as raid counters in this article. That being said, if you have the shadow form of a listed raid counter Pokémon powered up and TMed, use it.

The best raid counters according to our GO Hub battle simulator for Shadow Onix are:

#	Pokémon	Fast Move	Charge Move	TTW	Deaths
1.	Sceptile (Mega)	Bullet Seed Grass	Frenzy Plant Grass	42.07s	0.25
2.	Swampert (Mega)	Water Gun Water	Hydro Cannon Water	45.61s	0.00
3.	Blastoise (Mega)	Water Gun Water	Hydro Cannon Water	48.12s	0.25
4.	Kyogre (Primal)	Waterfall Water	Origin Pulse Water	51.24s	0.00
5.	Venusaur (Mega)	Vine Whip Grass	Frenzy Plant Grass	52.60s	0.00
6.	Gyarados (Mega)	Waterfall Water	Hydro Pump Water	50.94s	0.25
7.	Kartana	Razor Leaf Grass	Leaf Blade Grass	57.46s	0.63
8.	Kyogre	Waterfall Water	Origin Pulse Water	65.15s	0.25
9.	Slowbro (Mega)	Water Gun Water	Surf Water	66.15s	0.25
10.	Groudon (Primal)	Mud Shot Ground	Solar Beam Grass	71.21s	0.13
11.	Abomasnow (Mega)	Leafage Grass	Energy Ball Grass	64.40s	0.75
12.	Zarude	Vine Whip Grass	Power Whip Grass	70.41s	0.25
13.	Blaziken (Mega)	Counter Fighting	Focus Blast Fighting	67.42s	0.75
14.	Latios (Mega)	Zen Headbutt Psychic	Solar Beam Grass	74.01s	0.38
15.	Greninja	Water Shuriken Water	Hydro Cannon Water	68.22s	1.00
16.	Kingler	Bubble Water	Crabhammer Water	69.07s	1.00
17.	Tapu Bulu	Bullet Seed Grass	Grass Knot Grass	75.53s	0.50
18.	Swampert	Water Gun Water	Hydro Cannon Water	77.25s	0.38
19.	Roserade	Razor Leaf Grass	Solar Beam Grass	73.86s	0.88
20.	Tsareena	Magical Leaf Grass	Grass Knot Grass	75.90s	0.63
21.	Feraligatr	Water Gun Water	Hydro Cannon Water	78.27s	0.50
22.	Empoleon	Waterfall Water	Hydro Cannon Water	77.98s	0.50
23.	Chesnaught	Vine Whip Grass	Solar Beam Grass	79.58s	0.38
24.	Sceptile	Bullet Seed Grass	Frenzy Plant Grass	76.49s	0.75
25.	Tangrowth	Vine Whip Grass	Solar Beam Grass	80.03s	0.50
26.	Breloom	Bullet Seed Grass	Grass Knot Grass	77.90s	0.86
27.	Samurott	Fury Cutter Bug	Hydro Cannon Water	79.51s	0.63
28.	Crawdaunt	Waterfall Water	Crabhammer Water	75.51s	1.00
29.	Gyarados	Waterfall Water	Hydro Pump Water	79.34s	0.63
30.	Exeggutor (Alola)	Bullet Seed Grass	Solar Beam Grass	80.76s	0.50
31.	Celebi	Magical Leaf Grass	Leaf Storm Grass	81.22s	0.50
32.	Clawitzer	Water Gun Water	Crabhammer Water	76.09s	1.00
33.	Simisage	Vine Whip Grass	Solar Beam Grass	80.53s	0.67
34.	Sharpedo	Waterfall Water	Hydro Pump Water	79.30s	0.50
35.	Lopunny (Mega)	Double Kick Fighting	Focus Blast Fighting	79.92s	0.75