Pokemon Go Solgaleo Raids: Best Counters, Weaknesses, And More Tips

A new raid boss has arrived in Pokemon Go. Solgaleo, the mascot of Pokemon Sun, is now appearing in five-star raids for a limited time.

While the legendary Pokemon has been available in the mobile game since 2022, this is the first time it's appearing as a raid boss. You previously could only obtain one by evolving Cosmoem, so if you missed your chance to get a Cosmog, this is a good opportunity to add Solgaleo to your collection.

Like other legendary Pokemon, Solgaleo is a formidable opponent, so we've put together some tips to help you beat and catch it before it leaves raids next week.

Solgaleo Raid Schedule​


Solgaleo is appearing as a five-star raid boss from July 8-14, giving you less than a week to catch one before the next raid boss, Terrakion, replaces it.

Solgaleo raids will occur periodically throughout this time, but your best chance to join one will happen during the Solgaleo Raid Hour on July 9. The legendary Pokemon will take over most nearby gyms from 6-7 PM local time, giving you more opportunities than usual to battle and catch it.


Solgaleo Weaknesses​


Despite its fiery appearance, Solgaleo is a psychic- and steel-type Pokemon, which makes it weak to only a handful of types.

Since psychic and steel don't share any vulnerabilities, no Pokemon type will deal quadruple damage to Solgaleo, but the following will still dish out super-effective damage against the legendary Pokemon:

  • Fire
  • Ground
  • Ghost
  • Dark

Best Solgaleo Counters​


Any Pokemon that has a type advantage over Solgaleo will be helpful when battling the legendary, but here are some recommended choices to use during a Solgaleo raid:

Fire​

PokemonTypeRecommended Fast AttackRecommended Charged Attack
Mega Charizard YFire/FlyingFire SpinBlast Burn
Mega Charizard XFire/DragonFire SpinBlast Burn
Mega BlazikenFire/FightingFire SpinBlast Burn
ReshiramFire/DragonFire FangFusion Flare
HeatranFire/SteelFire SpinMagma Storm

Ground​

PokemonTypeRecommended Fast AttackRecommended Charged Attack
Primal GroundonGroundMud ShotPrecipice Blades
Mega GarchompDragon/GroundMud ShotEarth Power
Therian Forme LandorusGround/FlyingMud ShotSandsear Storm
Mega SwampertGround/WaterMud ShotEarthquake
ExcadrillGround/SteelMud-SlapScorching Sands

Ghost​

PokemonTypeRecommended Fast AttackRecommended Charged Attack
Mega BanetteGhostShadow ClawShadow Ball
LunalaPsychic/GhostShadow ClawShadow Ball
Origin Forme GiratinaDragon/GhostShadow ClawShadow Force
DragapultDragon/GhostAstonishShadow Ball
BlacephalonFire/GhostAstonishShadow Ball

Dark​

PokemonTypeRecommended Fast AttackRecommended Charged Attack
Mega TyranitarRock/DarkBiteBrutal Swing
Mega AbsolDarkSnarlBrutal Swing
Mega HoundoomDark/FireSnarlFoul Play
HydreigonDragon/DarkBiteBrutal Swing
Mega GyaradosWater/DarkBiteCrunch

Types To Avoid​


Thanks to its typing combination, Solgaleo resists a number of popular Pokemon types. Dragon, fairy, rock, grass, ice, and normal attacks will all deal half-damage, making them ineffective when battling the legendary Pokemon. Poison and other psychic types will deal even less damage, so you'll want to avoid using those Pokemon entirely when participating in a Solgaleo raid.


Can Solgaleo Be Shiny?​

Shiny Solgaleo is available in other Pokemon games, but you can't get one yet in Pokemon Go.
Unfortunately, shiny Solgaleo is not yet available in Pokemon Go, so you'll only encounter the standard white variant when you challenge one in raids. You can get a shiny Solgaleo in other Pokemon games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet for Nintendo Switch, but you'll need to wait a little longer before you can add one to your collection in Pokemon Go.


How To Fuse With Necrozma​


Solgaleo and its counterpart Lunala are unique among legendary Pokemon in that they're able to fuse with another legendary, Necrozma.

Once you've amassed enough Solar Fusion Energy, you can fuse Solgaleo with Necrozma to form Dusk Mane Necrozma. The fusion process costs 1,000 Fusion Energy, 30 Necrozma Candy, and 30 Cosmog Candy, and the two legendary Pokemon will remain fused until you manually separate them.

Dusk Mane Necrozma is a formidable Pokemon, maintaining Solgaleo's psychic/steel typing but gaining access to some powerful moves like the steel-type Charged Attack Sunsteel Strike. This makes it a particularly good counter against fairy and ice Pokemon.

Solgaleo may be leaving raids on July 14, but there's still plenty to do over the next few weeks. Be sure to check out our Pokemon Go July events guide for a look at everything happening in the mobile game this month.

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