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Trainers! Another Shadow Raid Day is here, and this time, it’s the Volcano Pokémon itself taking centre stage. Shadow Entei Raid Day is set for Saturday, May 2nd, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time, with boosted Shiny odds and extra free passes to keep the raids rolling. We’re once again heading back to the Johto days, when Legendary Pokémon felt rare, iconic, and larger than life. Entei has always had that larger-than-life aura, but in today’s PvE meta, nostalgia alone is never enough, so the real question is not whether it looks cool, but whether this old legend still has the heat to justify the grind.
Shadow Entei: Stats, Profile and Typing
Shadow Entei
Fire
| Max CP | 3926 |
|---|---|
| ATK | 235 |
| DEF | 171 |
| HP | 251 |
| Weak to |    |
| Resists |       |
| Fast moves |
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| Charge moves |
|
Shadow Entei is a pure Fire type Pokémon, packing strong stats and a hard-hitting moveset. It shines against Grass, Bug, Ice and Steel raid bosses, offering impressive offensive pressure while still bringing respectable bulk for a Shadow Pokémon. With the upcoming Shadow Entei Raid Day giving trainers a focused chance to battle and catch it, this is a great opportunity to invest in a fiery Legendary.
Shadow Entei in Pokémon GO PvE
Raids
Shadow Legendary Pokémon always create the same question in Pokémon GO: Is this something you need, or just something nice to have? Shadow Entei lands in an interesting middle ground, because it is undeniably powerful in raids, yet it still sits a step below the absolute Best Fire Attackers in the game.
The best way to describe Shadow Entei is that it is safely elite, but not unbeatable. Its gap behind the very best Fire attackers is small but consistent. That matters because Fire is a crowded attacker class. When players already have Pokémon like Reshiram or other premium shadow and mega-level options built, Shadow Entei can feel less transformative than it first appears. For players without a deep Fire roster, though, Shadow Entei is much easier to appreciate. It gives you a high-end specialist that can immediately improve your raid lineup whenever Fire is the correct answer. That is really the core of Shadow Entei’s PvE story. It hits hard, it is reliable, but it is not a format-defining monster.
Shadow Entei in Pokémon GO PvP
Ideal Moveset: Fire Fang + Flame Charge & Scorching Sands
PvP is where the excitement drops off. Shadow Entei has some play, but its more realistic use case is as a niche/spice PvP pick rather than a core meta threat. A pure Fire type is not especially valuable in PvP, and Shadow Entei does not have the kind of moveset flexibility or defensive profile needed to consistently pressure the broader PvP meta.
Great League
Shadow Entei encountered from raids have a CP range of 1834-1984 at Level 20 with no weather boost. However, it is possible to have a Great League eligible Shadow Entei below 1500CP provided you completed Team GO Rocket Special Research March 2020.
For Trainers, who don’t have a Great League eligible Shadow Entei, you are not really missing out. Shadow Entei’s Great League performance is fairly underwhelming, with only a small handful of projected wins, such as Scizor, Tinkaton, and Forretress, while dropping matchups against Pokémon like Quagsire, Jellicent, Diggersby, Shelgon, Cradily, and Furret. That said, the 2v2 shields scenario looks much more promising. With Flame Charge boosting its Attack and Scorching Sands offering both coverage and the chance to lower the opponent’s Attack, Shadow Entei can flip into a positive win-loss spread, adding matchups like Empoleon, Fearow, Wigglytuff, Morpeko, Charjabug, and Furret to its win column. The main caveat is that this is still a simulation-based result. Such a performance may not translate in practice which can make Shadow Entei fell less consistent than the numbers suggest.
At the time when Shadow Entei was released, the IV floor for Shadow Legendary Pokémon was 0/0/0. Hence, Shadow Entei’s ideal IV spread for Great League is: 1/15/15, 1498 CP, Level 16.
Ultra League
In Ultra League, Shadow Entei’s stock drops off noticeably. While it can still scrape together a few expected wins against targets such as Scizor, Tinkaton, Alolan Ninetales, and Virizion, those victories are too limited to give it any real consistency in the format. Its loss column remains far more concerning, with defeats against notable opponents like Regidrago, Tentacruel, Gastrodon, Skeledirge, Bellibolt, Florges, and Cobalion, making it difficult for Shadow Entei to carve out a dependable role. Even though its results improve somewhat in zero and 2v2 shields scenarios, that improvement still falls short of what you would want from a serious Ultra League pick.
Since encounters from five-star Shadow Raids have a IV floor of 6/6/6, Shadow Entei’s ideal IV spread for Ultra League is: 7/15/15, 2497 CP, Level 26.
Master League
In Master League, Shadow Entei’s performance drops off quite a bit regardless of shield alignment, making it much harder for it to keep pace with the format’s top threats. While it can still pick up some respectable wins like Zacian (both forms), Dusk Mane Necrozma, and Xerneas, these positives are outweighed by a much shakier overall matchup spread. Its weaknesses become more apparent against the heavier hitters that define the league, with losses to major opponents like Reshiram, Kyogre, Rhyperior, Zekrom, and Marshadow exposing both its limitations in coverage and its inability to consistently handle the broader Master League meta.
Shadow Entei’s ideal IV spread for Master League is: 15/15/15, 3926 CP, Level 50.
Is Shadow Entei Worth Building?
If your focus is PvE, the answer is Yes! Shadow Entei is a premium Fire attacker with excellent raid value, and while it does not redefine the meta, it is good enough to reward the effort if you regularly build specialized raid teams. If your focus is PvP, the answer is much less convincing. Shadow Entei is playable in niche spots, but it is not the kind of Shadow Legendary that dramatically upgrades your PvP options. Put simply, powering up Shadow Entei for PvP is much harder to justify than building it for raids.
Parting Words
In the end, Shadow Entei feels a lot like the legend it has always been: powerful, iconic, and still very worth respecting, even if it is no longer the undisputed king of Fire types. It may not be the absolute best investment for every Trainer, but it is still a strong raid attacker that can put in serious work. If you are building for PvE, Shadow Entei is absolutely worth raiding, especially if your Fire roster is still developing or you simply want another elite option in your lineup. If you only care about PvP, though, this is much easier to skip without much regret.
So if you are heading out for Shadow Entei Raid Day, enjoy the extra passes, chase that shiny, and make the most of the event. Even in a crowded meta, some legends still know how to bring the heat.
Also, do let us know, which one of the three Legendary Johto Beasts is your favourite? And don’t forget to TM away Frustration on your good IV Shadow Entei while the Taken Over event is still on!
And as always, stay safe and happy raiding! May you get a 13/13/13 Shadow Entei!
