Pokemon GO: Lugia Raid Guide, Weaknesses, & Best Counters

Lugia has been in raids many times before, but now this Legendary finally has its signature attack, Aeroblast. But first, you’ll need to beat the Diving Pokemon in a raid to add it to your team. Use this Lugia raid guide to help you find all the best counters for exploiting the weaknesses of this big Psychic bird.

Lugia Raid Guide for Pokemon GO

There hasn’t been a raid boss in a long time that is as formidable as Lugia. Thanks to a ridiculously high defense stat, this Legendary bird from Johto can easily survive long enough to take out a full team of your Pokemon even if you have five or six trainers in the raid.

It is technically possible to win a Lugia raid with just three trainers in the battle, but you’ll need all optimal counters at level 40 with tons of weather and friend boosts. In other words, you might as well invite a few more people to more comfortably be able to win the Lugia raid.

Once you complete the raid, the Lugia that you can catch will be between CP 2028 and 2115. If the raid boss is boosted by Windy weather, then it’ll be in the range of CP 2535 and 2645. There’s also a chance that you could get a shiny version from the Lugia raid.

Lugia Weaknesses

Lugia has great defenses, but if you have the proper counters for this raid, then it’ll make this behemoth bird seem a bit less sturdy. Lugia has many weaknesses that let you get a little creative with what raid counters you pick. You can find the Lugia weaknesses list below:

• Dark
• Ice
• Rock
• Ghost
• Electric

Best Lugia Raid Counters

You absolutely need to take advantage of the weaknesses that Lugia has by selecting the best counters. This is probably the most important part of the Lugia raid guide since you’re going to need some truly powerful Pokemon to be successful here.

The Lugia raid counters listed below are from a Pokebattler simulation with level 35 ‘mons and no attack boosts of any kind. Mega and Shadow Pokemon will be listed in their own ways since they’re currently quite costly and difficult to obtain.

• Megas:
  • Mega Houndoom (Snarl|Foul Play)
  • Weather Boost: Fog
    Mega Houndoom leads the pack when it comes to Lugia raid counters. It doesn’t hit as hard as Mega Gengar, but it’ll survive much longer. Just be careful if Lugia has Hydro Pump. Mega Houndoom can take a few hits, but that Water attack will do a number on this Pokemon.
  • Mega Gengar (Lick|Shadow Ball)
  • Weather Boost: Fog
    Just like the non-Mega counterpart, Mega Gengar is one fragile Pokemon. The only thing that makes up for its low defense and HP is the fact that it hits like a truck. Mega Gengar may get KO’d quickly, but it’ll surely leave a mark before it goes.

• Zekrom (Charge Beam|Wild Charge)
• Weather Boost: Rain
  Zekrom is one of the most powerful Pokemon to be added to Pokemon GO in the last year and its Electric-type attacks make it a great counter in the Lugia raid. Just keep an eye out for a Lugia with Dragon Tail since it’ll be able to land some super effective attacks on Zekrom.
• Origin Forme Giratina (Shadow Claw|Shadow Ball)
• Weather Boost: Fog
  Origin Forme Giratina yet again plays second fiddle to Mega Gengar when it comes to Ghost-types. This Legendary Ghost will last much longer than Mega Gengar, but it won’t deal damage as quickly. Yet, it’s still a solid counter for the Lugia raid
• Darkrai (Snarl|Shadow Ball)
• Weather Boost: Fog
  Darkrai is a fun counter to use in the Lugia raid. It resists Lugia’s dark attacks and it has two attacks of different types. Both Snarl (Dark) and Shadow Ball (Ghost) exploit different weaknesses that Lugia has. It’ll survive just about as long as Mega Houndoom, which isn’t terribly impressive. But it’s long enough to do some solid damage.
• Magnezone* (Spark|Wild Charge)
• Weather Boost: Rain
  This is one of the best Pokemon you can use the Shadow version of for this raid, but even the regular one is awesome here. It also has the advantage of getting boosted in Rain which is much more common weather than the Fog required for a handful of other Lugia raid counters.
• Tyranitar* (Smack Down|Stone Edge or Crunch)
• Weather Boost: Partly Cloudy or Fog
  Just like with Magnezone, you can’t go wrong with the shadow or regular version of Tyranitar. Let the weather be your guide to determine which Tyranitars to use. If there’s Fog, then use Crunch. And if it’s Partly Cloudy, then use Stone Edge. Or just use a combination of both if you have plenty of other trainers raiding with you. Just look out for Lugia’s Hydro Pump.
• Rhyperior (Smack Down|Rock Wrecker)
• Weather Boost: Partly Cloudy
  Every Flying-type raid until the end of time will likely include Rhyperior. The only issue here is if you run into a Lugia that has Hydro Pump. If the raid boss has Sky Attack or Future Sight, then just keep slamming that glorified seagull with Rock-type attacks.

• Other Viable Lugia Raid Counters:
  • Hydreigon (Bite|Dark Pulse) – Weather Boost: Fog
  • Raikou* (Volt Switch|Wild Charge) – Weather Boost: Rain
  • Weavile* (Snarl|Avalanche) – Weather Boost: Fog or Snow
  • Electivire* (Thunder Shock|Wild Charge) – Weather Boost: Rain
  • Zapdos (Thunder Shock|Thunderbolt) – Weather Boost: Rain
  • Galarian Darmanitan (Ice Fang|Avalanche) – Weather Boost: Ice

*Shadow version also viable

Lugia Raid Moveset

Lugia isn’t one of those raid bosses that’ll KO your counter Pokemon with a single charge attack. It’ll surely KO a lot of your team, but not because it’s extremely strong offensively. AS was mentioned before, Lugia has high staying power

Fast Attacks

• Dragon Tail (Dragon)
• Weather Boost: Windy
  Dragon Tail is a powerful fast attack, but it’s only super effective against one of Lugia’s counters. Zekrom will take damage quickly from this move. Your other Pokemon will also take quite a bit of damage, but not as much as a Dragon-type will.
• Extrasensory (Psychic)
• Weather Boost: Windy
  This fast attack absolutely destroys Mega Gengar. You might get two charged attacks off in this situation. Other Pokemon will also take decent damage, but nowhere near as much as Mega Gengar. Use Darkrai or Mega Houndoom to resist this attack.

Charge Attacks

• Hydro Pump (Water)
• Weather Boost: Rain
  Hydro Pump is a tough one since it’s super effective against Mega Houndoom, Tyranitar, and Rhyperior, three of the best counters for the Lugia raid. Even if your Pokemon aren’t weak against Water-type attacks, Hydro Pump will quickly KO your team.
• Future Sight (Psychic)
• Weather Boost: Windy
  Future Sight is one of the most powerful Psychic-type attacks in the game, but it’s so easy to beat. Lugia has a weakness to Dark-type moves and Dark Pokemon resist Psychic attacks. It’s a match made in counter heaven. Darkrai, Tyranitar, and Mega Houndoom become especially useful here.
• Sky Attack (Flying)
• Weather Boost: Windy
  Good thing Aeroblast is only on the Lugia you can catch. Sky Attack is already plenty to deal with. It’s not as powerful and doesn’t hit weaknesses like Hydro Pump, but it’s more effective against Lugia raid counters than Future Sight.

That’s all there is to know about the Lugia raid, counters, and weaknesses. If you follow this Lugia raid guide, then chances are you’ll be able to grab a few of these Legendary Pokemon for your own team.