How to Defeat and Catch Lugia in Pokemon Go

Lugia has returned this weekend in Pokemon Go, and Trainers will be clamoring to catch the Pokemon Silver mascot all weekend. Here’s all you need to know to defeat Lugia and help you recruit one easier:

Lugia Raid Basics

The raid boss Lugia clocks in at a whopping 42753 CP. Its catchable CP is anywhere from 1956 (bad IVs) to 2056 (perfect IVs.) Lugia can come equipped with either: Extrasensory (Psychic) or Dragon Tail (Dragon) as its fast moves. For its charge moves, Trainers can expect Future Sight (Psychic), Hydro Pump (Water), and Sky Attack (Flying). As such, Pokemon that can resist these moves should be considered to battle Lugia.  

Counters

The following Pokemon have been considered the absolute best Lugia counters in Pokemon Go. They either resist all or most of what Lugia can dish out, and strike back with powerful attacks.

Raikou

The legendary thunder dog makes the overall best counter to Lugia. Using Thunder Shock/Wild Charge Raikous will make short work of Lugia. Plus, its natural bulk will help it resist Lugia’s neutral attacks and further help it resist Hydro Pump.

Tyranitar

The tyrant of Pokemon Go also makes a great counter for Lugia. Whether you’re using the Smack Down/Stone Edge moveset or a Bite/Crunch moveset, or anything in between, Tyranitar functions as a strong counter against Lugia. Be wary of Hydro Pump, though.

Mewtwo

Yeah, Mewtwo is a good counter against everything, but a Mewtwo packing Shadow Ball will shred Lugia’s defenses and help you get closer to catching it for yourself.

Gengar

Keeping the Shadow Ball theme going, Gengar is a great Pokemon to bring to prey on Lugia’s Psychic typing. A Gengar with Shadow Claw will only expedite the process. Be warned, though, that Lugias with Psychic type moves will deal super effective damage to Gengar.

Articuno

You still have all those Articunos from a last week, right? Articuno’s Ice type attacks and bulky defenses can help you defeat Lugia and get your icy bird a measure of revenge against its keeper.

Any Rock, Electric, Ghost, Ice, Dark, or Steel Type

If your box doesn’t feature many (or any) of the above types, simply countering Lugia’s Psychic and Flying typing will lead to success. Pokemon like Golem, Omastar, Jolteon, Aggron, Absol, Kabutops, Cloyster, etc. can help you achieve your end goal and bring Lugia home.

Solo

Nice try. Bring your friends to bring down Lugia, you’ll need them.

Weather

Lugia is boosted by Windy conditions, and Pokemon it is weak to are boosted by Foggy and Partly Cloudy weather. A weather boost would bring Lugia’s catchable CP to 2462 - 2570, though. Despite the increased challenge, Trainers will be rewarded for their efforts with a more powerful Lugia.

Shiny?

The Pokemon Go Twitter account made no mention of Shiny Lugias being available in this block of raids, but if you see one, let us know!

Best of luck to any Trainers going after Lugia! We’ll be back with more Pokemon Go guides as new raid bosses are released. Until then, check out some Pokemon Go events we want to see in the future!