Today, on July 7, 2021, the weekly raid hour in Pokémon GO starts again. In the level 5 raids, you will encounter Deoxys in its defense form this time. We at MeinMMO have taken a look at whether the raid hour is worth it and which counters you should use.
What is a raid hour? Every Wednesday, an hour-long raid event takes place in Pokémon GO. During this short event, level 5 raids with legendary or mysterious Pokémon start in almost all gyms.
During the raid hour this week, you can encounter the mysterious Pokémon Deoxys. This Pokémon has several forms. However, you will currently only find the defense form in the raid. We have summarized all the information about Deoxys in the defense form for you.
Raid Hour with Deoxys (Defense Form) – Information and Counters
When does it start? The raid hour with Deoxys (defense form) starts today at 6:00 PM local time. You can already see black raid eggs over the gyms before it starts, which will hatch on time. The event lasts one hour and ends at 7:00 PM. The raids will then become less frequent.
These counters you should use: Deoxys is a mysterious Pokémon from Generation 3. It is one of the so-called shapeshifters, which is why there are several different forms of Deoxys to catch in the game. Besides the normal form, it also has an attack, speed, and defense form. The latter is currently available in level 5 raids.
Deoxys is a Psychic-type Pokémon, which means it is weak to Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks. You should take advantage of this weakness and put together a corresponding team.
The best counters against Deoxys (defense form) have been summarized for you with the help of the overview from Pokebattler (via pokebattler.com).
| Pokémon | Moveset |
| Mega-Gengar | Dark Claw and Shadow Ball |
| Mega-Houndoom | Yell and Leech Life |
| Shadow Mewtwo | Psychic Blade and Shadow Ball |
| Shadow Snivy | Yell and Leech Life |
| Shadow Tyranitar | Bite and Crunch |
| Darkrai | Yell and Shadow Ball |
| Shadow Banette | Dark Claw and Shadow Ball |
| Giratina (Altered Form) | Dark Claw and Shadow Ball |
| Skelabra | Burden and Shadow Ball |
| Gengar | Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball |
| Trikephalo | Bite and Dark Aura |
| Yveltal | Yell and Dark Aura |
How many trainers do you need? If you have the most effective counters, you can defeat Deoxys (defense form) with just three trainers. However, we recommend bringing one or two more trainers.
If you find a larger group for the raids, it will definitely be a bit easier. You can also invite friends for remote raids or have them invite you.
Is there a Shiny variant of Deoxys in defense form? Unfortunately, the shiny variant of Deoxys in defense form is not yet available in the game.
Is the raid hour worth it?
According to the overview from PvPoke, the defense form of Deoxys has rather poor stats in terms of attack and stamina (via pvpoke.com). However, it performs well in defense. Since it is not impressive in attack, it is not a suitable candidate for use in raids.
However, the situation is different in the PvP league. Due to its high defense, you can confidently use it there. So if you need a strong Psychic-type Pokémon for the PvP league, you should definitely take advantage of the raid hour. It is also suitable for completing the Pokédex.
Shiny hunters among you will, however, have no luck regarding a shiny specimen. The shiny version of Deoxys in defense form is still missing from the game.
What’s next? You can continue to catch Deoxys in defense form in the game after today’s raid hour. It will still be available as a raid boss in level 5 raids until July 16, 2021, at 10:00 AM local time. Additionally, there is currently the anniversary celebration for the 5th birthday of Pokémon GO taking place. We have summarized what to expect at this event for you.
Will you participate in the raid hour today and secure a strong Deoxys (defense form)? Or have you already caught enough and are skipping this week’s raid hour? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments here at MeinMMO.
