Pokemon GO Shadow Mewtwo raid guide (May 2023): Best counters, weaknesses, and more

As many players may have noticed, Shadow Raid Battles have started appearing all over Pokemon GO. To round out the first set of Shadow Raid Bosses to come to the popular mobile game, trainers around the world will once again have the chance to obtain Shadow Mewtwo. However, they will need to take it down in battle first.

Shadow Raids are already much more challenging than any standard battle in the game thus far. This is amplified by the fact that Shadow Mewtwo is one of the strongest creatures in the mobile title. This means that even experienced raiders need to develop a good strategy to take down this Legendary Pokemon.

So, what steps should players take to make their fight against the powerful Shadow Mewtwo in Pokemon GO?

With the number of creatures the mobile game contains, the catalog of suitable counters is surprisingly vast. This means that there are many different approaches players can opt for when preparing for this Raid Battle.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and solely reflect the opinions of the writer

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Everything to know about Shadow Mewtwo Raid Boss in Pokemon GO

Mewtwo as it appears in Pokemon Evolutions (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The first thing players need to know about any Raid Boss in Pokemon GO is its elemental typing. Knowing this can help trainers access proper offensive counters and defensive walls for the fight. In the case of Shadow Mewtwo, it is a pure Psychic-type Pokemon.

Having a pure Psychic typing, Mewtwo is weak to Dark, Ghost, and Bug-type attacks. However, preparing for a Mewtwo raid is much harder than some may think due to the number of coverage options that the Legendary Pokemon has access to. Players can never really prepare for every type of Mewtwo Raid Boss effectively, as the moveset may drastically differ between encounters.

One of the great choices that trainers have for this fight in Pokemon GO is Alolan Muk. Since this pick is a Dark and Poison-type creature, it only takes super-effective damage from Ground-type attacks, which Mewtwo cannot use. Its Dark typing also gives it access to some powerful attacks for dealing high burst damage to Mewtwo.

Pheromosa, Darkrai, and Chandelure are all great choices for this raid, thanks to their type advantages. However, despite their offensive prowess, players should express caution if they intend to use them. This is due to their low defenses and vulnerability to one of Mewtwo's potential charged attacks.

Weavile, Volcarona, Hydreigon, and Zoroark can also hold their own in this fight if lesser experienced players are looking for some more common counters. However, since a lot of these creatures are relatively frail, trainers should bring a solid number of defensive creatures like Umbreon or Skuntank.

In terms of team sizes, six experienced raiders should be sufficient to complete this Shadow Raid in Pokemon GO. However, this number increases to around eight for a team of average players.