Is Mega Skarmory good for Pokémon GO Raids?

Super Mega Skarmory Raid Day brings one of the new Legends: Z-A Mega Evolutions to Pokémon GO, and gives the undeniably cool Skarmory a new lease of life in the Raids meta.

A popular Steel/Flying type from Gen 2, Skarmory has been a staple in the Little and Great League formats, but has never made an impact in PvE. Now, with boosted stats through Mega Evolution, how good is Mega Skarmory in the Steel and Flying standings? Let’s find out after we explore its stats.

Mega Skarmory Overview

Max CP	4229
ATK	273
DEF	228
HP	163
Weak to
Resists
Fast moves	Steel Wing Air Slash
Charge moves	Flash Cannon Brave Bird Sky Attack

An ATK stat of 273 is neat, and while it’s definitely not enough to put Mega Skarmory in the top echelon of Steel and Flying attackers, it’s definitely viable now. Moreover, Steel Pokémon are infamous for their numerous resistances, and Mega Skarmory has 10 of them (especially against Bug, Grass, and Poison types). 

Taking into account Mega Skarmory’s decent DEF stat of 228 and the fact that it can boost the offensive power of its fellow teammates, courtesy of being a Mega Evolved Pokémon, this Bird has potential!

Mega Skarmory in the Steel Meta

Taking the help of our GO Hub DPS Comparer Tool:

Taking a look at the Steel type, we see that Mega Skarmory is way down the list in DPS, marginally behind Origin Forme Dialga in damage figures. To put into perspective, Mega Skarmory is even behind the likes of regular Steel types like Metagross and Lucario, with the former being widely available among players.

Of course, Mega Skarmory’s offering the Mega boost to its teammates is a perk, but the reason this Pokémon falters in its typing is the very factor that makes Steel types so popular: their resistances. While Mega Skarmory has several resistances, its Flying subtyping makes it take neutral damage from Ice and Rock, two types that Steel counters. Of course, there are others who share a similar trait, like Mega Lucario and Shadow Dialga, taking neutral damage from Fairy-type offense, but their damage output is far superior. Moreover, a bread and butter Steel Pokémon like Metagross (and its Mega and Shadow, obviously) resists all three types.

As such, there is no attractive reasoning for turning to Mega Skarmory when picking your counters in a Raid. It’s also the only entrant in this list that uses a weaker Steel Charged Attack (Flash Cannon), while others flex stronger moves. When it comes to the Steel typing, Mega Skarmory can be given the day off… always!

Mega Skarmory in the Flying Meta

We all know that Flying is one of the (if not THE) weirdest types in Pokémon GO. Its top attacker, Mega Rayquaza, is one of the most powerful in the entire game. Moreover, several powerhouses like Mega Charizard Y, Mega Salamence, and Shadow Salamence don’t pop in the rankings since they lack a Flying-type Fast/Charged Attack in Pokémon GO (which both Charizard and Salamence learn in the mainline games, by the way!). 

So, after Mega and regular Rayquaza, the Flying DPS standings are largely occupied by the Shadow variants of various Birds. Honestly, it’s often awkward spending your valuable Stardust, Candy XL, and time powering up these expensive Shadow Birds.

Enter Mega Skarmory. This is a Mega Evolution, so it’s way cheaper to power up and max out than those pesky Shadows and even some Legendaries. Additionally, while Mega Skarmory’s typing made it a liability in the Steel DPS rumble, it’s actually its biggest strength in the Flying meta! You see, with the Steel/Flying typing, Mega Skarmory enjoys a 0.391x resistance to Bug, Grass, and Poison type damage.

With its naturally high DEF, Mega Evolutions perks, and heavy resistance to Bug and Grass, Mega Skarmory is quite functional against Bug and Grass Raid Bosses. Note that many of these are often dual-typed with Poison or at least have a Poison coverage move, so Mega Skarmory comes in handy there as well. Of course, all this is bedtime stories if you have a high-level Mega Rayquaza, lol. But, if you don’t or are unable to use one, Mega Skarmory is a fine addition.

Do note that a powerful Fire/Flying type like Mega Charizard Y shrugs off Bug and Grass attacks with the same 0.391x resistance, so even without Mega Ray in tow, the iconic Mega Char Y is your next best bet. However, against some tough Bug and Grass Bosses, and in large groups, it is a good decision to use Mega Skarmory and offer unconditional support to your teammates. Ultimately, it is outclassed for sure, but Mega Skarmory does find its niche as a Flying-type attacker!

How good is Mega Skarmory for PvE?

Mega Skarmory is quite useful as a Flying-type attacker, due to the following reasons:

1. It is cheaper to power up compared to the many Shadows and few Legendaries in the Flying DPS list
2. It has high DEF, boosts the offensive strength of others in the Raid, and most importantly, its superb resistance to Bug, Grass, and Poison damage makes it quite effective against those Raid Bosses, although still wildly outclassed by DPS monsters like Mega Rayquaza and Mega Charizard Y.
3. As such, it is a great budget option and an impressive addition to Raids consisting of large groups. 

Unfortunately, it is pretty disappointing as a Steel-type attacker. Low DPS and resistances that actually make it a liability push it down the pecking order.