A new raid boss has arrived in Pokemon Go. Solgaleo, the mascot of Pokemon Sun, is appearing in five-star raids until July 14, giving you a few days to add it to your collection.
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. Previously, Solgaleo could only be obtained by evolving Cosmoem, so if you missed your chance to get a Cosmog, you now have the opportunity to catch one if you’re able to defeat it in battle.
Like other legendaries, Solgaleo is a formidable opponent, so we’ve put together some tips to help you beat and catch the legendary Pokemon before it leaves raids next week.
Solgaleo Raid Schedule
Solgaleo is appearing as a five-star raid boss from July 8 to 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 to 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 types 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
| Pokemon | Type | Recommended Fast Attack | Recommended Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Charizard Y | Fire/Flying | Fire Spin | Blast Burn |
| Mega Charizard X | Fire/Dragon | Fire Spin | Blast Burn |
| Mega Blaziken | Fire/Fighting | Fire Spin | Blast Burn |
| Reshiram | Fire/Dragon | Fire Fang | Fusion Flare |
| Heatran | Fire/Steel | Fire Spin | Magma Storm |
Ground
| Pokemon | Type | Recommended Fast Attack | Recommended Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primal Groundon | Ground | Mud Shot | Precipice Blades |
| Mega Garchomp | Dragon/Ground | Mud Shot | Earth Power |
| Therian Forme Landorus | Ground/Flying | Mud Shot | Sandsear Storm |
| Mega Swampert | Ground/Water | Mud Shot | Earthquake |
| Excadrill | Ground/Steel | Mud-Slap | Scorching Sands |
Ghost
| Pokemon | Type | Recommended Fast Attack | Recommended Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Banette | Ghost | Shadow Claw | Shadow Ball |
| Lunala | Psychic/Ghost | Shadow Claw | Shadow Ball |
| Origin Forme Giratina | Dragon/Ghost | Shadow Claw | Shadow Force |
| Dragapult | Dragon/Ghost | Astonish | Shadow Ball |
| Blacephalon | Fire/Ghost | Astonish | Shadow Ball |
Dark
| Pokemon | Type | Recommended Fast Attack | Recommended Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Tyranitar | Rock/Dark | Bite | Brutal Swing |
| Mega Absol | Dark | Snarl | Brutal Swing |
| Mega Houndoom | Dark/Fire | Snarl | Foul Play |
| Hydreigon | Dragon/Dark | Bite | Brutal Swing |
| Mega Gyarados | Water/Dark | Bite | Crunch |
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?
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 Necrozma, another legendary.
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 Sunsteel Strike, a steel-type Charged Attack. This makes it a particularly good counter against fairy and ice Pokemon.
Solgaleo may leave raids on July 14, but there’s still plenty to do in Pokemon Go 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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