This is a list of the top Xerneas Raid Counter in Pokemon GO, so you can take advantage of these natural weaknesses and ground your foe. This guide also offers an in-depth look at Xerneas PVE and PVP usefulness.
Xerneas made its Pokemon Go debut on Tuesday, 4th of May in 2021. Players around the world were eagerly awaiting the chance to capture this legendary creature in Niantic's mobile game.
Xerneas is the cover star for Pokemon X on Nintendo 3DS and is instantly recognizable by any die-hard Pokemon fan. The Nintendo 3DS game was launched in 2013 and introduced players to the Kalos region. Xerneas is closely related to Yveltal who was the cover star for Pokemon Y. Who also joined Pokemon Go a week after his rival.
How can you catch Xerneas by yourself in Pokemon Go??Read all about it in our How To Get Xerneas In Pokemon Go.
While you are here, make sure to also check our list of the latest Pokemon Go promo codes.
Xerneas Resistances and Weaknesses
Xerneas is a Fairy-Type Pokemon, which means that its resistances are broken down as follows:
- Resistant to: Dark | Bug | Fighting
- Double Resistant to: Dragon
- Weak against: Steel | Poison
- Double Weak Against: N/A
Pokemon GO Xerneas Attacks Breakdown
Xerneas has access to quite a wide array of moves that cover some of his weak spots. He can use Normal, Psychic, Fighting, Bug, Fairy, and Eletcric-type moves which give him options, on top of options. He can easily go up against Flying, Fighting, Grass, Normal, Water, and Dark-type Pokemon. This is all in theory though! In practice, he's quite bad in the current Meta of Pokemon GO. His Quick Attacks are his downfall sadly. These are the moves Xerneas currently has in its Pokemon GO kit:
Quick Attacks
- Tackle (Normal-type Attack)
- Zen Headbutt (Psychic-type Attack)
Charge Attacks
- Moonblast (Fairy-type Attack)
- Close Combat (Fighting-type Attack)
- Megahorn(Bug-type Attack)
- Giga Impact(Normal-type Attack)
- Thunder(Electric-type Attack)
Xerneas Raid Counters
Xerneas is a Tier 5 Raid Pokemon. His maximum CP when being caught after a raid reaches up to 2160, or 2700 CP if it's currently basking in its weather boost.
The difficulty of running an Xerneas Raid is fairly standard for a Tier 5 Raid. You need 2 extremely experienced people with top counters or a team of 3 with okay Pokemon. From 4 people all the way down to 20, the raid becomes much, much easier to handle. Xerneas is vulnerable to Steel-type and Poison-type moves. It is immune from Dragon attacks and resists Fighting, Bug and Dark moves. There are three options for Poison-type Mega Pokemon, but due to the lack of strong Poison counters, it is best to concentrate on Steel, particularly Metagross or Shadow Metagross.
Here are our recommendations:
Mega Counters
- Mega Venosaur with Vine Whip(Quick Attack) and Sludge Bomb (Charge Move)
- Mega Beedrill with Poison Jab (Quick Attack) and Sludge Bomb (Charge Move)
- Mega Gengar with Lick (Quick Attack) and Sludge Bomb (Charge Move)
Regular Counters
- Metagross with Bullet Punch (Quick Attack) and Meteor Mash (Charged Attack)
- Excadrill with Metal Claw (Quick Attack) and Iron Head (Charged Attack)
- Genesect with Metal Claw (Quick Attack) and Magnet Bomb (Charged Attack)
- Dialga with Metal Claw (Quick Attack) and Iron Head (Charged Attack)
- Gengar with Lick (Quick Attack) and Sludge Bomb(Charge Move)
- Jirachi with Charge Beam (Quick Attack) and Doom Desire(Charged Attack)
Xerneas PVP Counters
Xerneas SHOULD be one of the strongest Fairy-type Pokemon in all of the game. It is a strong Pokemon with great stats and decent STAB Charged Moves. But its Fast moves are… so bad. It does not have a Fairy-type fast move. Unless it acquires one, Xerneas will never be relevant in the PvP metagame.
Before Xerneas can be used in PvP, a solid quick move is required as a base of any Pokemons kit. Xerneas Zen Headbutt is so terrible, that anything he has going for him crumbles into dust. You can use Zacian instead, who has similar stats and charge moves to Xerneas but has a fast move that allows you to actually take advantage of these.
That being said, here are some of Xerneas best counters:
- Metagross with Bullet Punch (Quick Attack) and Meteor Mash (Charged Attack)
- Excadrill with Metal Claw (Quick Attack) and Iron Head (Charged Attack)
- Genesect with Metal Claw (Quick Attack) and Magnet Bomb (Charged Attack)
- Dialga with Metal Claw (Quick Attack) and Iron Head (Charged Attack)
- Gengar with Lick (Quick Attack) and Sludge Bomb (Charge Move)
- Jirachi with Charge Beam (Quick Attack) and Doom Desire (Charged Attack)
- Zacian with Metal Claw (Quick Attack) and Iron Head (Charged Attack)
- Deoxys (Attack Forme) with Poison Jab (Quick Attack) and Dark Pulse (Charged Attack)
- Togekiss with Charm (Quick Attack) and Ancient Power (Charged Attack)
- Registeel with Lock-On (Quick Attack) and Flash Cannon (Charged Attack)
- Zekrom with Charge Beam (Quick Attack) and Wild Charge (Charged Attack)
And then there are some less likely foes you could see in PVP I guess:
- Regigigas Rock Smash | Focus Blast
- Thundurus Thunder Shock | Focus Blast
- Terrakion Smack Down | Sacred Sword
Xerneas is a terrible pick for PVP Pokemon Combat. Despite being resistant to Dragon, Dark, and Fighting type moves, which are very much in the meta right now. He simply lacks the foundation that any Pokemon needs for great fast attacks. Master League is where it “shines” the most. But he can hardly stand up to any basic Pokemon it doesn't hard counter thanks to resistances. So maybe skip out on picking up Xerneas for your PVP teams.
I think Metagross with Bullet Punch quick attack and meteor mash charged attack is the best overall counter pick to a Xerneas, taking typing into consideration. Metagross is a very consistent meta pick for the Master League, and his arsenal of steel-type moves will obliterate Metagross without any problem.
These are the weaknesses and counters for Dragonite in Pokemon GO. You can find more information and guides in our Pokemon GO section. Be sure to check out Pokemon Go: 15 Best Master League Pokemon! (Updated March 2022) if you want to know what is in the current meta! And on the topic of counters! Be sure to check out Pokemon GO Dragonite Weaknesses And Counter Picks For Raids And PVP too!