Pokemon Go Deoxys guide: Best counters, weaknesses and moves – CNET

pogo-deoxys

The DNA Pokemon Deoxys is back in raids until March 1.

Niantic

Deoxys has returned to Pokemon Go for a limited time. All four forms of the mythical Pokemon will appear in five-star raids over the next few weeks, and each one has a chance of being shiny. Here are some tips to help you beat and catch Deoxys before it leaves the game again.

Deoxys schedule

All four forms of Deoxys will return to raids over the next few weeks. A different form will appear every few days, so you’ll need to check the game often if you’re hoping to capture all of them. You can see when each form will appear below:

Normal Forme

  • Feb. 16 – Feb. 19

Attack Forme

  • Feb. 19 – Feb. 22

Defense Forme

  • Feb. 22 – Feb. 25

Speed Forme

  • Feb. 25 – Mar. 1

Deoxys Raid Hours

Two Raid Hour events will occur during Deoxys’ stint in the raid rotation, giving you more opportunities to catch the mythical Pokemon. Each Raid Hour will occur from 6-7 p.m. local time on their designated evening:

  • Feb. 16 – Normal Forme
  • Feb. 23 – Defense Forme

Deoxys weaknesses

Regardless of which form it takes, Deoxys is a pure psychic-type Pokemon, so it has the same weaknesses to bug, dark and ghost types. You’ll want to use Pokemon of those types when battling against any form of Deoxys. 

Although they don’t deal super-effective damage to the mythical Pokemon, steel types will resist Deoxys’ psychic-type attacks, making them good defensive Pokemon to use if you need to round out your team.

Best Deoxys counters

Here are some recommended Pokemon and moves to use when battling against Deoxys:

Bug

  • Mega Beedrill: Bug Bite, X-Scissor
  • Pinsir: Bug Bite, X-Scissor
  • Scizor: Fury Cutter, X-Scissor
  • Escavalier: Bug Bite, Megahorn
  • Genesect: Fury Cutter, X-Scissor

Dark

  • Houndoom: Snarl, Crunch
  • Tyranitar: Bite, Crunch
  • Absol: Snarl, Dark Pulse
  • Weavile: Snarl, Avalanche
  • Bisharp: Snarl, Dark Pulse
  • Darkrai: Snarl, Dark Pulse
  • Zoroark: Snarl, Foul Play

Ghost

  • Gengar: Lick, Shadow Ball
  • Banette: Hex, Shadow Ball
  • Origin Forme Giratina: Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball
  • Chandelure: Hex, Shadow Ball

Best moves for Deoxys

Deoxys is one of the most powerful Pokemon available in Pokemon Go, making it a great attacker. Since each of its four forms emphasizes a different stat, you’ll want to teach them all different moves to maximize their potential. Here are some great attacks to give each form:

  • Normal Forme: Zen Headbutt, Hyper Beam
  • Attack Forme: Zen Headbutt, Zap Cannon
  • Defense Forme: Counter, Thunderbolt
  • Speed Forme: Zen Headbutt, Thunderbolt

There are still other events happening in Pokemon Go this month, including the Pokemon Go Tour: Johto on Feb. 26. You can catch up on everything else going on in our February events roundup.

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