Niantic has announced that Rayquaza will be available in Pokemon GO’s 5-star raids once again, running from July 31st (Wednesday) until September 2nd (1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)). In addition to having the opportunity to defeat and catch Rayquaza, Trainers will have a chance to encounter a shiny Rayquaza for the first time in Pokemon GO! The shiny Rayquaza event has been highly anticipated by Pokemon GO players, as Rayquaza is one of the most beloved shiny legendary Pokemon ever.
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| Event | Rayquaza returns as a Tier 5 Raid boss |
| Date + Time | From Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at 1 p.m. until Monday, September 2, 2019, at 1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7) |
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Shiny Rayquaza Odds in Pokemon GO
In Pokemon GO, odds to find a shiny Legendary are roughly 5% (1 in 20 raid encounters), but it is yet to be seen if shiny Rayquaza follows the same pattern. The official wording states that “if your luck soars sky-high, you may encounter a Shiny Rayquaza” which has us worried a bit, but let’s stick with 5% for time being.
If our calculations are correct, and if the odds to get a shiny Rayquaza are 5%, the following stands true:
- There’s an 81.60% chance you will get a shiny Rayquaza if you do only 1 Rayquaza raid every day from July 31 to September 2nd (33 raids)
- If you do two Rayquaza raids every day (66 raids), the chance to get a shiny is 96.61%
- If you do 100 Rayquaza raids, your chance to get a shiny is 99.41%
Actually, here’s a chart that compares the number of raids and the odds to get 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 shiny Rayquaza (calculated with the help of dskjal.com Chance Calculator and 5% chance to get a shiny):
| Number of raids | 1 | 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At least 1 shiny | 5% | 40.13% | 72.76% | 92.31% | 99.41% |
| 0 shiny | 95% | 59.87% | 27.74% | 7.69% | 0.59% |
| 1 shiny | 5% | 31.51% | 36.5% | 20.25% | 3.12% |
| 2 shiny | 0% | 7.46% | 23.05% | 26.11% | 8.12% |
| 3 shiny | 0% | 1.05% | 9.3% | 21.99% | 13.96% |
| 4 shiny | 0% | 0.10% | 2.69% | 13.60% | 17.81% |
| 5 shiny | 0% | 0.01% | 0.6% | 6.58% | 18.00% |
Judging by the table above, the optimal number of raids to get a shiny Rayquaza should be above 30 if you want to be sure to get one. However, as anecdotal evidence often suggests, these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt and they do not guarantee you will get a shiny. Players have reported varying results when shiny hunting Raid Legendaries, with some getting their first shiny in the first 10 raids and others not getting them even after completing 70+ raids.
(*) The 100 raids column has additional rows for 6 and 7+ shinnies, but we omitted them for simplicity. The chance drops rapidly, as in previous columns.
Rayquaza Duo Raids and Counters
Wondering which Pokemon should you use to counter Rayquaza? Use Mamoswine (best), Weavile, Glaceon, Ice Beam Mewtwo (all three are great), Jynx, Articuno, Lapras, Regirock, Cloyster, Walrein (good performers).
Mamoswine
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Weavile
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Glaceon
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Avoid Dragon based counter teams as Rayquaza will devastate you with Outrage, Rayquaza’s deadliest charge move. Not only that – Dragons perform worse in terms of DPS in this fight and are often topped by the likes of Cloyster, Lapras and even Regice. You didn’t expect that, did you?
In preparation for the event, we’ve updated our Rayquaza Raid Counters guide with new counters and a whole new section on Rayquaza Duo Raids, which will be undoubtedly popular. Rayquaza is one of the easiest Legendary Raid bosses in Pokemon GO, as its double Ice weakness allows for easy duo raids. There’s no word if Rayquaza’s health will be increased throughout the duration of the event. Combine the speed and efficiency of duo raids with the chance to get a shiny and we think this will be a popular topic in the days and months to come.
Increased Pokémon Storage
Pokémon storage has been increased by 500 to 2500. For the collectors out there this is welcome news as storage has been an issue for a while now. What say you, Trainers? are you excited for the extra 500 spots?
