With the Luminous Legends Y event beginning around the world in Pokémon GO comes teh arrival of the new Legendary raid boss Yveltal. The counterpart to Xerneas, which debuted a couple of weeks ago, this Dark and Flying type foe will be a challenge for any player. But we’re here to help with this raid guide, giving you the best Yveltal counters in Pokémon GO.
The Best Yveltal Counters in May 2021
The table below shows you the best counters against Yveltal in all of Pokémon GO in May 2021. You’ll be using a lot of strong Electric type attackers, if you have any available. But Rock is also a solid choice. Keep reading to find out if there are any alternative Shadow or Mega Pokémon you can use on your team.
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
| Zekrom | Charge Beam | Wild Charge |
| Thundurus (Therian) | Volt Switch | Thunderbolt |
| Rhyperior | Smack Down | Rock Wrecker |
| Rampardos | Smack Down | Rock Slide |
| Magnezone | Spark | Wild Charge |
| Raikou | Volt Switch | Wild Charge |
| Zapdos | Thunder Shock | Thunderbolt |
| Electivire | Thunder Shock | Wild Charge |
| Terrakion | Smack Down | Rock Slide |
For your Mega evolution, should you have the energy to spare, we recommend Mega Manectric with Charge Beam and Wild Charge, with Mega Abomasnow using Powder Snow and Weather Ball (Ice) as a potential alternative. As far as powered up and Frustration-free Shadow Pokémon. Along with all of those listed above in Shadow form you could use Shadow Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche, Shadow Gardevoir with Charm and Dazzling Gleam, or Shadow Tyranitar with Smack Down and Stone Edge.
And now to cover all your other questions about how to beat Yveltal we have a full raid guide.
Yvelatal Raid Guide
Let’s start answering questions with the most important one. To beat this Legendary foe you need to know when he’ll be around.
When do Yveltal Raids Begin and End
Yveltal will make his Pokémon GO raid debut on Tuesday, May 18th at 10am in your local time zone. While he may return at a future date, he will only be available for 2 weeks. Yveltal raids will go away on June 1st at 10am local time.
How Many Players to Beat Yveltal
If you have a few best friends in Pokémon GO and all of you have teams made up of the characters above then you may be able to take Yveltal down with just 3 players total. However, weather and other factors can be against you, and trying to win with 3 will be pretty tough. Instead we recommend teams of 5 or more players just to be safe.
What Weather to Watch for
Here’s what to watch for when it comes to weather during Yveltal raids.
- Fog – Boosts Yveltal
- Rainy – Boosts your Electric counters
- Partly Cloudy – Boosts your Rock counters
Can Yveltal be Shiny, How to Catch Shiny Yveltal
Just like Xerneas before him, Yveltal cannot be shiny when caught in May 2021 in Pokémon GO. This is the first release in the game and as with most of these Legendary debuts Shiny Yveltal will not be included. However, there will be an event or other change some time in the future that will see Shiny Yveltal released, so just be patient and you’ll catch one one day.
And that’s our raid guide for the best Yveltal counters in Pokémon GO.
