Pokemon Go Moltres Day: raid tips to get a Shiny Moltres with Sky Attack

Pokemon Go trainers today have a rare chance to catch themselves a Shiny Moltres on the appropriately named Moltres Day, September 8. On this page we're going to tell you everything you need to know - tips for taking down that Moltres Raid boss and netting a shiny legendary.

Moltres Raid Day - will give Pokemon Go players the chance to catch the fire-type Legendary Bird Pokemon that made its debut in Pokemon's first generation (Red/Blue/Green/Yellow). There's even a chance for a Shiny Moltres to appear, making this a unique opportunity to catch something really, properly rare. These don't come around often!

Players have earned the right to Moltres day by completing community challenges out in the world over the last few weeks. Players all around the world have worked towards this in the wake of Pokemon Go Fest in Yokosuka, Japan - and now this is their chance to net a reward. Here's how it all works...

Pokemon Go Moltres Day Start Time and End Time

Thanks to the successful completion of the tasks set by Professor Willow, Moltres Day is a go today, Saturday 8 September. Beware, however - this is a mere three-hour event. There's small three-hour window where players will be able to find Moltres in raids and have a chance at catching a Shiny Moltres, plus the other rewards. Here are the start times for the event:

• Asia/Pacific: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Japan Standard Time
• Europe/Middle East/Africa/India: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. UK Time (FMT), 11:00am to 2:00pm Centeral European Time (CET)
• US/Canada: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time, 2:00pm to 5:00pm Eastern Time

Be sure to have Pokemon Go updated and be in a location where you'll be close to gyms at these times in order to get yourself a chance to battle in one of these raids. They're your only chance to nab yourself one of those Shiny Moltres beasts... other than relying on the pure low-chance luck for a Shiny Legendary at other times.

Pokemon Go Moltres Day: how to get extra free raid passes

Usually Pokemon Go is happy to charge you for Raid Passes, but since Moltres Day is a special event, the developers are loosening things up a bit, giving players an opportunity to get in on the raids even if they're typically free-to-play Pokemon Go players who are starved of Raid Passes. All you have to do is head to PokeStops out in the world on Moltres Day. It's that simple - when you spin them, there's an increased chance you'll be able to nab up to five free raid passes, which will in turn help you get in on the raids.

Beyond this if you run out you can of course head to the in-game store and pick up more raid passes that way - but be sure to grab your free raid passes, as even if you don't use all five on Moltres Day they'll come in handy later on.

Pokemon Go Moltres Day rewards: Shiny Moltres, candy bonuses and Guaranteed Sky Attack

There's a lot of good reasons to take part in Moltres Day. The main reward is of course a guaranteed chance to encounter and catch a Moltres via a raid battle. There are a few other important key bonuses, however. The most important of these is the chance to encounter a Moltres that's a Shiny Moltres is hugely increased. You can see the difference in a shiny Moltres, with its unique, bright color scheme, pictured above.

In order to get a shiny Pokemon Go Moltres, you'll just need to participate in some of the event day raids to catch some of the legendary birds and hope for the best - it's ultimately still down to random chance, but you have a much better shot at it happening today in that three-hour period. If you do catch a Moltres during this Pokemon Go event one thing is guaranteed, however: shiny or not, your new Moltres will have a unique move, Sky Attack.

Sky Attack is a really interesting reward. It's a flying-type move, but one that's extremely powerful. Typically, the best charged move for Moltres would be the fire-type Overheat, but Sky Attack is so powerful it broadly speaking has the same damage output and damage-per-second when used in an optimum fashion - around 24 DPS. While Overheat is still very desirable for a Moltres too, Sky Attack can make the creature more viable in a number of different scenarios, including for battling Fighting-type Pokemon - who are weak to flying-type.

Finally, Moltres Day also has a candy boost on - so if you catch a couple of Moltres you'll get some bonus candy that you can use to level up and boost whichever your best Moltres stats-wise is. This is vital for if you want to take these legendary Pokemon into battle.

It's important to note that aside from being a rare and desirable legendary Pokemon, Moltres is actually one of Pokemon Go's Best Pokemon. It ranks seventeenth on our list of the best and most powerful Pokemon in terms of raw attack power in Pokemon Go, and though a few other legendary types are above it, it's definitely one of the best fire-type Pokemon in the game. Its defense and stamina stats are nothing to sniff at, either, though they're not high enough to chart.

The fire-type is really useful, too - it clears out Ice, Grass and Bug type Pokemon like it's nothing, though it does have weaknesses to beware of. We'd generally describe fire-type as situational in terms of its usefulness, but Moltres being part bird-type certianly helps its battle viability. You can read more about that in our Pokemon Go Type Chart and guide.

Moltres Day Raid Strategy: Best Counters, Weaknesses and Other Tips

The Moltres raid battle won't be easy, so you'll need to approach it with caution and consider the team you use against it carefully. Your victory will be determined by choosing the best Pokemon for the battle in a team - and ultimately, the aim will be to battle with a team of Pokemon who act as the best possible counter to Moltres and its natural strengths and weaknesses.

• Moltres is weak to Ground, Rock and of course Water-type attacks. There's a laundry list of Pokemon who'll work well, but probably the best and most powerful option is Tyranitar (you can get one of these through Pokemon Go egg hatching and evolution if you're lucky). Golem is a great second bet, and is evolved from one of the most basic, common Pokemon evolutionary lines (Geodude).
• If you're attacking with Water-type Pokemon, Kyrogue is a great high-impact water option, while Omastar is a great non-legendary water-type that can exploit those weaknesses.
• Because Moltres is also part flying-type, it's also surprisingly weak to electric-type Pokemon. You should've recently had the chance to catch a Zapdos and a Raikou - both are great electric legendary options to deploy. Jolteon is also a solid bet if it's been boosted and powered up enough.
• Moltres is strong against Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Ice and Fairy-type Pokemon. Leave those in your Pokedex.
• Dodging is absolutely key. Perfect your dodge timing, as Moltres has such powerful attacks that if you're not on it with your dodges you're going to end up down and out all too quickly regardless of how strong your team is.
• Remember that Raid Pass access lasts for a whole hour, and you can absolutely heal up and head right back in to help the others around you.
• Coordinate with the other members of your team to ensure at least one person is in the raid at all times. If the raid is empty, a damaged Moltres will begin to heal itself and undo your hard work.

Moltres Move List: every move your Moltres could have

Aside from how it'll definitely have Sky Attack, there's a few other moves that Moltres can have in Pokemon Go - and these are also the moves you'll see crop up being used against you when facing a Moltres in a Raid Battle:

• Fire Spin: Moltres' only fast move, a fire-type
• Fire Blast: a charge fire move with a potential DPS of 22
• Overheat: a charge type fire move with a potential DPS of 24
• Heat Wave: a charge electric type move with a potential DPS of 20
• Sky Attack: a charge electric type move with a potential DPS of 24