Shadow Lugia headlines the Raid Weekend event of August’s Taken Over event in Tier 5 Shadow Raids. These Raids can only be participated by using in-person Raid Passes and if you’re lucky, you can get a shiny Shadow Lugia!
Shadow Lugia can be caught with the following CP values, with an IV floor of 6/6/6:
- 1959 – 2115 CP (no weather boost, 100% Lugia at Level 20)
- 2450 – 2645 CP (Windy weather, 100% IV Lugia at Level 25)
Shadow Lugia is a Psychic and type and is weak to the Dark, Electric, Ghost, Ice, and Rock type attacks. It is one of the most difficult Raids to beat because of Lugia’s natural bulk as well as the challenging Shadow Raid mechanism. You will need to be well prepared with top counters, correct moveset, powered up Pokémon, and most importantly, Purified Gems.
Avoid weather that boosts Lugia, Windy weather, and ensure that you are using top-tier counters. Lugia Raids, in general, are tougher than other Legendaries. We would recommend a minimum of 6 trainers for Shadow Lugia.
The best raid counters according to our GO Hub battle simulator for Shadow Lugia are:
| # | Attacker | Fast Move | Charge Move | Faints | TTW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
Tyranitar (Mega)
|
Bite Dark | Brutal Swing Dark | 43 | 1389s |
| 2. |
Necrozma (Dawn Wings)
|
Shadow Claw Ghost | Moongeist Beam Ghost | 62 | 1266s |
| 3. |
Tyranitar (Mega)
|
Bite Dark | Brutal Swing Dark | 65 | 1368s |
| 4. |
Tyranitar
|
Bite Dark | Brutal Swing Dark | 65 | 1639s |
| 5. |
Necrozma (Dusk Mane)
|
Shadow Claw Ghost | Sunsteel Strike Steel | 62 | 1752s |
| 6. |
Gengar (Mega)
|
Lick Ghost | Shadow Ball Ghost | 107 | 1252s |
| 7. |
Gyarados (Mega)
|
Bite Dark | Crunch Dark | 65 | 1764s |
| 8. |
Rampardos (Shadow)
|
Smack Down Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 130 | 1305s |
| 9. |
Magnezone (Shadow)
|
Spark Electric | Wild Charge Electric | 75 | 1565s |
| 10. |
Banette (Mega)
|
Shadow Claw Ghost | Shadow Ball Ghost | 119 | 1386s |
| 11. |
Rhyperior (Shadow)
|
Smack Down Rock | Rock Wrecker Rock | 92 | 1449s |
| 12. |
Rayquaza (Mega)
|
Dragon Tail Dragon | Dragon Ascent | 79 | 1509s |
| 13. |
Diancie (Mega)
|
Rock Throw Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 91 | 1462s |
| 14. |
Raikou (Shadow)
|
Thunder Shock Electric | Wild Charge Electric | 89 | 1475s |
| 15. |
Gengar (Shadow)
|
Lick Ghost | Shadow Ball Ghost | 172 | 1349s |
| 16. |
Chandelure (Shadow)
|
Hex Ghost | Shadow Ball Ghost | 141 | 1389s |
| 17. |
Xurkitree
|
Thunder Shock Electric | Discharge Electric | 101 | 1463s |
| 18. |
Electivire (Shadow)
|
Thunder Shock Electric | Wild Charge Electric | 113 | 1444s |
| 19. |
Mamoswine (Shadow)
|
Powder Snow Ice | Avalanche Ice | 121 | 1433s |
| 20. |
Zapdos (Shadow)
|
Thunder Shock Electric | Thunderbolt Electric | 95 | 1515s |
| 21. |
Mewtwo (Shadow)
|
Psycho Cut Psychic | Shadow Ball Ghost | 99 | 1517s |
| 22. |
Weavile (Shadow)
|
Snarl Dark | Avalanche Ice | 116 | 1494s |
| 23. |
Manectric (Mega)
|
Thunder Fang Electric | Wild Charge Electric | 99 | 1539s |
| 24. |
Hydreigon
|
Bite Dark | Brutal Swing Dark | 82 | 1596s |
| 25. |
Gholdengo
|
Hex Ghost | Shadow Ball Ghost | 76 | 1753s |
| 26. |
Zekrom
|
Charge Beam Electric | Fusion Bolt Electric | 80 | 1649s |
| 27. |
Luxray (Shadow)
|
Spark Electric | Wild Charge Electric | 120 | 1539s |
| 28. |
Houndoom (Mega)
|
Snarl Dark | Foul Play Dark | 99 | 1596s |
| 29. |
Aerodactyl (Mega)
|
Rock Throw Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 91 | 1629s |
| 30. |
Blacephalon
|
Astonish Ghost | Shadow Ball Ghost | 165 | 1506s |
Lugia (Shadow)
Psychic
|
|||||||||
| Max CP at Level 40 3703 | Max CP at Level 50 4186 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATK 193 | DEF 310 | HP 235 | |||||||
|
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Lugia can have the following moves as a Raid boss:
| Fast moves | Charged moves |
|---|---|
|
|
Tips and Tricks
Communication will be key for this raid! You will want to plan not only your Mega Pokémon team positions, and counters, but also your use of Purified Gems, so be sure you communicate with your fellow trainers.
We would suggest groups of 5+ for trainers with top counters that are maxed out, and armed with Purified Gems, or 8-10+ for lower-level trainers and those without ideal counters. Purified Gems are a must!
While Shadow Pokémon are extremely expensive to power up, we have included the top Shadow Pokémon you can use against Shadow Lugia. Ensure you no longer have Frustration on these Pokémon before considering adding them to your team. If you have any of these as an option, while they may take more damage than non-shadow Pokémon, they will also deal more.
We would highly recommend the use of Mega Pokémon in Shadow Lugia raids. They provide not only greater damage output, but also boost Pokémon of the same typing in the raid. We would suggest discussing your counter choices with your fellow trainers, and plan Mega Pokémon, and their position in your team accordingly.
If you have a group of 6, for example, one person should have their mega in slot 1, the next slot 2, the next slot 3, etc., you can try to keep the mega boost going throughout the raid.
As these raids are in person only, you can make use of the Party Power raid bonus through Party Play! The Party Power is a Raid bonus that fills up as members of your Party attack the Raid Boss. Once the Party Power bonus is full, your next Charge Attack will receive a special boost. You can see the Party Power button and your progress towards achieving the bonus in the bottom left corner of your Raid Battle.
Related reading
- Pokémon GO Shadow Raids: Comprehensive Guide is an overall guide to all things Shadow Raids
As a shadow Raid, Lugia 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 boss’ moves. These tier 5 raids are extremely difficult, even for 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 defense.
You will need to subdue Shadow Lugia using Purified Gems, a new item that can be assembled from Shadow Shards.
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 Lugia 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!
All the best, trainers!
