Pokemon Go Mewtwo Raid Counters Guide: How to Catch, Shiny?

Starting September 20, Mewtwo moves from being Pokemon Go's EX Raid boss to spawning on a regular basis. This means that Trainers (like me!) who haven't been able to attend an EX Raid in the past will finally be able to bring home the king of Pokemon. Here, we'll discuss Mewtwo's Raid CP, its catchable CP, its moves, and best counters. We'll also discuss what weather conditions are ideal for catching the legendary Pokemon, too. Without further ado, let's get started. 

Mewtwo Raid Basics 

Mewtwo spawns at 60540 CP and can be catchable at 2167-2275 CP (normal) and 2730-2844 CP (Weather Boosted) for Trainers who defeat it. Here's a quick breakdown of Mewtwo's possible moves: 

Fast Moves	Charge Moves
Confusion	Psychic
Psycho Cut	Focus Blast
	Ice Beam*
	Flamethrower*
	Thunderbolt*
	Shadow Ball**
	Hyper Beam**

* New moves added as level 5 raid boss

** Legacy moves; no longer obtainable

UPDATE: Mewtwo now has some new moves it can use in the form of Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Flamethrower. However, Trainers no longer have the opportunity to catch a Mewtwo with Shadow Ball or Hyper Beam. Mewtwo's role will now resemble more of a "jack-of-all-trades" attacker, depending on its Charge move. Ice Beam makes Mewtwo the best general Rayquaza counter, while Thunderbolt makes it a key option against Blizzard Kyogre. Flamethrower will allow it to damage Steel-types, but generally speaking, you'll be using Moltres and Entei to battle those Pokemon. As far as its traditional moves are concerned, Focus Blast does the most damage to common Gym defenders like Blissey and Snorlax. Psychic is obviously great for the STAB, but is a situational move. 

Mewtwo Best Counters

Tyranitar

No surprises here. Bite/Crunch Tyranitars are the obvious choice for the number one Raid attacker when battling Mewtwo. Focus Blast will hurt quite a bit, though, so perhaps avoid the Tyranitar army.

Houndoom

Hopefully those Level 3 Raids and that Johto event paid off! Houndoom, armed with Snarl and Foul Play, actually presents a legitimate threat to Mewtwo, just be sure it doesn't have Focus Blast, or you'll be in for a world of hurt. 

Mewtwo

Yes, we know you're here for Mewtwo. But if you have a Shadow Ball Mewtwo or two (or six,) they offer the best option against their own species. With the new update, you no longer have to worry about Shadow Ball, which may make things easier for your raid party.  

Scizor

Scizor's Bug/Steel typing resists anything Mewtwo can throw at it and hit back with super effective Bug-type attacks. Bug Bite or Fury Cutter along with X-Scissor bring Mewtwo to its knees. (Does Mewtwo even have knees?)

Pinsir

Pinsir isn't as resilient against Mewtwo's attacks as its cohort Scizor, but Pinsir can bring some serious pain. Using Bug Bite or Fury Cutter along with X-Scissor is Pinsir's best bet to deal damage. 

Any Dark, Ghost, or Bug-Type Attacker

If you lack any of the above, play on Mewtwo's weaknesses. Bulky Dark, Ghost, or Bug-type Pokemon like Gengar, Bannette, Sharpedo, and Absol will yield good results. Just stay calm, bring a lot of friends, and mash that screen, Trainer! 

Alolan Raticate

We want to give a special shoutout to these Trainers, who successfully Zerg Rushed a poor Mewtwo with an army of Alolan Raticate. We hope this inspires you to give this a try yourself. 

Weather 

Mewtwo will be weather boosted under Windy conditions, meaning it will do more damage, but be catchable at a higher CP. Rainy weather boosts Bug-type moves and Fog will boost Dark and Ghost-type moves. Hopefully your date with Mewtwo has some crappy weather, but not too bad that you can't play!

Shiny

We know what Shiny Mewtwo looks like, but we don't know if it will be available in Pokemon Go. The more likely option is that we'll have a "Mewtwo Day," where the shiny form will be available, hopefully with a special move like Psyshock. 

Best of luck in catching Mewtwo, Trainers! While you wait for Mewtwo to become a widespread raid boss, check out how to defeat the legendary birds, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres!