Many players are actively searching online for the best Pokemon Go Lugia counters now that the powerful Gen 2 Legendary Pokemon and its box-art counterpart Ho-Oh have been added to Pokemon Go as Raid Bosses once again. While both Pokemon are up for grabs, players are more likely to spend their time focusing on the potion-efficient Lugia, as it has its very own niche carved out in the Pokemon Go meta. Here’s everything you need to know about Pokemon Go Lugia counters, as well as details on how to catch Lugia and the best Lugia movesets in Pokemon Go.
How to Catch Lugia in Pokemon Go
First things first; before we get into the nitty-gritty bits behind the best Pokemon Go Lugia counters, it’s important to establish how to encounter Lugia in the first place. Lugia and Ho-Oh will be appearing as Raid Bosses in Pokemon Go for the entirety of this weekend, starting today, Friday, December 14, and finishing on Monday, December 17. The exact times are as follows:
- Start: Friday, December 14, 2018, at 1 PM PST (4 PM ET, 9 PM GMT).
- End: Monday, December 17, 2018, at 1 PM PST (4 PM ET, 9 PM GMT).
So, you’ll be taking Lugia on as a Raid Boss if you’re planning on catching it. That’s why you need to know what best Pokemon Go Lugia counters are, as this Flying/Psychic type monster is not to be taken lightly. Here are the best Lugia counters in Pokemon Go.
How to Counter Lugia in Pokemon Go
The best Pokemon Go Lugia counters might seem a little strange at first, but Lugia is a tricky Pokemon to take down. With a max CP of 3703 and a whopping base defense stat of 310, Lugia is an incredibly bulky Pokemon that can soak up an incredible amount of damage before fainting. This makes it a valuable mon for your team, but it also makes it hard to catch.
Perhaps the best Pokemon Go Lugia counter is Tyranitar. With massive bulk and DPS potential to boot, Tyranitar is a strong choice for Raids in general. With Lugia, though, Tyranitar’s typing gives it a perfect advantage. As a Rock/Dark type, Tyranitar has access to two different super-effective STABs (same-type attack bonus). Lugia’s biggest downfall is that it has five weaknesses—Rock, Ice, Dark, Ghost, and Electric—two of which are assigned to the pseudo-Legendary T-Tar. If you’re up against a dual-Psychic move Lugia, using Tyranitar pretty much guarantees a victory.
If you’ve got a Tyranitar with either Smack Down or Bite as its Fast Move and Crunch or Stone Edge as its Charged Move, you’re likely going to be able to deal with most Lugias with very little hassle. Be careful, though, as some Lugias carry Hydro Pump as a Charged Move, which is pretty much useless in terms of meta, but can do a whole lot of damage to your Tyranitar.
If that’s the case, Mewtwo is another decent counter who resists Lugia’s Psychic moves. If you’ve got a Mewtwo with the legacy Shadow Ball moveset, you’ll be able to deal with dual-Psychic Lugias easily and won’t be damaged super-effectively by either Sky Attack or Hydro Pump. Use a Mewtwo with either Confusion or Psycho Cut as its Fast Move so that you can generate your Shadow Ball as quickly as possible.
Other Legendaries like Zapdos and Raikou make for great counters, too, as well as Jolteon. However, a Raikou with Thundershock and Wild Charge will do particularly well, resisting both Sky Attack and Hydro Pump while dealing super-effective damage to Lugia with both its Fast Move and its Charged Move.
Best Pokemon Go Lugia Movesets
The thing about Pokemon Go Lugia counters it that they can be used against your Lugias, too. As a Pokemon with five weaknesses, Lugia isn’t always the best bet for Raid Battles. However, with Trainer Battles being added to the game, Lugia might see some more action than before.
While Lugia isn’t particularly viable all of the time, it is probably the single best Pokemon to use in Fighting-type Raid Battles, having enough potential to defeat a Machamp Raid Boss solo. Lugia can also do pretty well against Gyms, as it has HP to burn and is one of the most potion-efficient Pokemon in Pokemon Go. This means that on average it deals more damage than it takes, which reduces the amount of healing items you need to keep it in shape between battles.
As for movesets, the best Lugia moveset is probably Extrasensory/Sky Attack. With a STAB Psychic Fast Move and a STAB Flying Charged Move, this plays into both of Lugia’s STAB pools and allows it to dish out tons of DPS while tanking damage with its massive Defense stat. While Lugia has access to Dragon Tail and Hydro Pump, the former has no place in the meta and the latter is completely useless, foregoing both Sky Attack and Future Sight.
Future Sight used to be Lugia’s best Charged Move, but after its damage got buffed from 70 to 80, Sky Attack is generally seen to be the better of the two. It is unknown at present if Lugia will be able to learn its signature move from Gen 2, Aeroblast. Perhaps it will be released as part of a legacy moveset soon alongside Ho-Oh’s Sacred Fire.
That’s pretty much it for Pokemon Go Lugia counters. Head in with Tyranitar, Mewtwo, and Raikou and you’ll defeat Lugia quicker than you can say Sky Attack.
