Tonight, on December 20th, the big raid weekend with Lugia and Ho-Oh kicks off in Pokémon GO. We will show you counters, usefulness, and times of the event.
What kind of event is this? The raid weekend was announced together with other events in December. Lugia and Ho-Oh will appear in legendary raids this weekend.
You can encounter them as Shiny and secure some specimens before they disappear again on Monday.
Schedule of the raid weekend with Lugia and Ho-Oh
When does it start? The event starts tonight, on December 20th, at 10 PM. For us Germans, there will be no raids then. So we can only join starting Saturday. On Monday at 10 PM it will be over again, and the two legendary birds will disappear.
What is a raid weekend? Such an event has occurred several times before. During this time, legendary raids are usually more frequently encountered. Although you won’t find a raid everywhere, as is the case during the raid hour, you will find significantly more than outside of an event.
What happens during the event? Niantic only announced that Lugia and Ho-Oh will be available in raids during this time. No additional bonuses or other event Pokémon have been announced. There will thus be an increased number of raids.
Virizion will also continue to be in the raids. You can catch it over the weekend. An analysis of Virizion’s usefulness can be found here.
These tips you should follow: To make the most of the weekend, you should consider the following tips:
- Prepare effective battle teams in advance and pay attention to the moves as well
- Raid in small groups, as they can be better organized
- Find good locations beforehand where there are many gyms
- Make it clear in advance which player wants which Pokémon – Just to make sure nobody is left out because they only want one of the two Pokémon
The best counters against Lugia and Ho-Oh
What is effective against Lugia? Lugia is vulnerable to Ice, Electric, Rock, Dark and Ghost types. The best counters are Darkrai, Giratina, and Raikou.
You can find a list of the best counters against Lugia here.
What is effective against Ho-Oh? Rock, Electric, and Water are the types that Ho-Oh is weak against. The best counters here are Rhyperior, Tyranitar, and Terrakion.
You can find a list of the best counters against Ho-Oh here.
How many players are needed? Ho-Oh can already be defeated in a duo. However, you will need strong Rock attackers that are at least level 35.
For Lugia, you need more players. Even with the best counters at maximum level, you need 4 players to defeat Lugia. If you benefit from weather bonuses, 3 trainers might suffice. The battle against Lugia will definitely be a challenge.
Shiny Lugia and Shiny Ho-Oh – What you need to know
Are there Shinies? Both Pokémon are available in their shiny form. You will be able to recognize them easily. Lugia will be found in red instead of blue, and Ho-Oh is golden.
What are the chances for the Shinies? The chance for a legendary Shiny is at least 1 in 19. During such events, Niantic often increases the Shiny chance as well. However, this is not yet confirmed.
How good will Lugia and Ho-Oh be?
Are Lugia raids worth it? The Pokémon is actually an ideal defender. Unfortunately, legendary Pokémon cannot be placed in gyms, meaning we can’t really utilize Lugia.
Its attack value is weak, and as a Psychic attacker, Lugia has too much competition. However, Lugia is somewhat more useful in PvP battles. If you are more active here, then a good Lugia is worthwhile.
Are Ho-Oh raids worth it? For Ho-Oh, the situation looks a bit worse. While its attack value is somewhat higher than Lugia’s, its moves are correspondingly weaker. So you won’t really be able to use it in battle.
Should you still do the raids? Lugia and Ho-Oh are good options for the hunt for Shinies. However, if you already have enough Shinies, there’s no need to go wild here.
The rewards in level 5 raids are solid, though. If you still need rare candies, you should also do legendary raids.
Do you still have problems with the buddy feature? Then check this out:
