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Pokemon Go Latias raid event: counters, weaknesses and strategy for this weekend's special raids

Alex Donaldson avatar
Guide by Alex Donaldson Assistant Editor
Published on

Legendary duo dragon Pokemon Latias is back in Pokemon Go raids this weekend - but only for a limited time. You'll need to abuse counters and weaknesses to beat it fast if you want to catch one - but we're here to help.

Pokemon Go loves a good weekend event, and this weekend we've actually got a few. For a start, Clamperl arrives as part of a special research day event for a few days this weekend where players will have the opportunity to catch and evolve this new addition to the Pokemon Go Pokedex. Over in the world of raids, meanwhile, Latias is making a triumphant return - but only for a couple of days.

Pokemon Go Latias Special Raid Weekend: event date, start time and end time

First off, Latias will only be returning to the gym raids in Pokemon Go for a certain period of time. Other than that, the current Pokemon Go Raid bosses list remains in place - so if you want more information on the current raids, hit up that page.

Latias, meanwhile, will appear at random between the following dates and times:

  • Latias Raid Event Start: February 22nd 2019, 9pm UK time, 10pm CET, 3pm EST, 1pm PST
  • Latias Raid Event End: February 25nd 2019, 9pm UK time, 10pm CET, 3pm EST, 1pm PST

As part of this event, there's a chance that Shiny Latias will appear - and it's a cool looking golden/yellow and green variant.

Pokemon Go Latias Raid: best counters, weaknesses, strategy and advice

Okay, so - now you're facing the prospect of battling Latias. Before we get into counters, weaknesses and so on, let's talk briefly about the Latias you'll be fighting.

Latias can have boss CP up to around 48,000 - meaning this isn't a solo-friendly raid. In fact, in an ideal world you're going to need at least three to four players with optimal Pokemon stats and counters, but in real terms this is a raid designed for a lot of players to take on at once. Prepare accordingly.

When the time comes to catch Latias, its default catch CP will be between 1921 and 2006 CP. If you're lucky enough to have a catch encounter boosted by Windy weather, that catch CP can be as high as 2500.

Finally, these are the moves you can expect Latias to have:

  • Dragon Breath (fast, Dragon-type)
  • Zen Headbutt (fast, Psychic-type)
  • Psychic (charged, Psychic-type)
  • Thunder (charged, Electric-type)
  • Outage (charged, Dragon-type)

Latias Counters & Weakness List for the Pokemon Go event raid

Latias has a good number of weaknesses you can use to your advantage. Specifically, Latias is weak to Bug, Dark, Dragon, Fairy, Ghost and Ice-type moves and Pokemon. This leaves you a good range of Pokemon and moves you can exploit.

Remember too that Weather Boost can have an effect on counters - we'd avoid fighting Latias in windy conditions if you can at all help it, unless you're countering with a dragon-type Pokemon yourself. Rain should also be avoided if possible, as if you get a Latias with an electric-type charge attack to tackle, it'll boost its power significantly.

Based on the type weaknesses and the Pokemon Go Best Pokemon Tier List, below are the Pokemon we feel are the best counters for taking down Latias in the event, plus the moves that'll help them to remain effective:

  • Rayquaza (with Dragon Tail & Outrage)
  • Palkia (with Dragon Tail & Draco Meteor)
  • Draonite (with Dragon Tail & Outage)
  • Mamoswine (with Power Snow & Avalance)
  • Tyranitar (with Bite & Crunch)
  • Salamence (with Dragon Tail & Draco Meteor)
  • Gengar (with Sucker Punch & Shadow Ball)
  • Latios (with Dragon Breath & Dragon Claw)
  • Scizor (with Fury Cutter & X-Scissor)

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