In Pokémon GO, Mega Latias and Mega Latios are currently dominating the level-6 raids. The two are extremely difficult to defeat and catch. How can you do it?
What are 6-star raids? Level-6 raids are currently extremely challenging raids where you encounter the Mega forms of the legendary Pokémon Latias and Latios. Even at their debut in 2022, the 6-star raids were nearly impossible for many trainers, and even now, upon their return, players are really struggling with them.
What are the problems? Currently, there are basically two problems that players are facing. There are numerous posts in the Pokémon GO community on reddit revolving around this.
Point 1: Mega Latias and Mega Latios have a CP of 84,000, meaning they can really take a lot of damage. This makes the raid very challenging: Typically, it takes around six players with strong counters to defeat them.
While it is possible with fewer players, exceptionally good counters must be brought in, and the right conditions must be met. And if some participants do not bring the right counters, it could even require seven to eight players.
This complicates the raid because you must find and coordinate so many people on site. If you want to use remote raids, you can use apps like Pokégenie or Campfire. There, you are likely to find the necessary number of players, but again, you have no control over which counters the others will bring.
And then there’s Point 2: Some trainers report problems with catching after the raid. The two seem to be very difficult to catch once they have been defeated. This is compounded by the high flee rate of Latias and Latios, as well as the reduced number of balls you receive during a long raid duration.
In short: It is not easy to defeat the two, let alone catch them. How can you increase your chances?
How to have a chance in the level-6 raid with Mega Latias and Mega Latios
How to defeat Mega Latias and Mega Latios? Here, it is clear: You should not simply use the suggested team in the raid, but instead, use appropriate counters against the two.
Both monsters are weak against the types Bug, Ghost, Ice, Dragon, Dark, and Fairy. So focus on the best attackers of these types and corresponding moves. Top monsters like Mega Rayquaza, Mega Garchomp, or Mega Tyranitar greatly enhance your chances.
- You can find strong counters against Mega Latias here
- And strong counters against Mega Latios can be found here
Definitely bring a Mega Evolution that boosts the attacks of your team’s Pokémon. You can find suitable options in the counter guides above.
If you are battling on site: Use the team-play option. If you connect in a group of up to four players in a team, you can utilize “team power.” This further boosts your charge attacks when you face the raid together. How this works is explained in the overview of team play in Pokémon GO.
And both remotely and on-site: Do not attempt it with too small groups of players. Especially if you are using one of the remote raid apps, try to enter a lobby with enough players – preferably too many. This way, you have a chance to compensate for weaker counters.
How to catch Mega Latias and Mega Latios? There is no guarantee, but you can increase your chances with the following points:
- Bring a buddy Pokémon at a level that supports your throws. Then, you get another chance on blocked balls.
- Use golden razz berries. It is best to not take a single throw without one.
- Aim for the excellent throw. Reduce the circle to the appropriate size by holding your thumb on the screen, and wait for the attack from Latias or Latios. Just before the end of the animation, you throw. But this requires practice.
- If you cannot reliably hit excellent throws, aim for great throws instead to avoid throws without a bonus.
- Use curveball throws for a slightly increased catch chance.
If you encounter specimens with particularly high stats that simply do not want to stay in the ball, you also have the option to throw your master ball. That would ensure a catch, but the master ball will be gone afterward. You should carefully consider whether Latias or Latios are worth this investment. You can find monsters that are worth using the master ball on here.
What is the exception? Your best chance of catching them is if Latias or Latios appears in their shiny variant. Then, you just need to hit, and the catch is guaranteed. In such cases, you can also throw silver raspberries to increase the number of candies during the catch.
By the way, this is not the first time that Latias and Latios have caused trainers problems with catching them. Even during the Hoenn Tour 2023, they frustrated players with high flee rates. And there they were simply wandering in the wild.
