Best Latias Counters in Pokemon GO (2026)

Latias is one of Pokemon GO’s most recognizable Legendary raid bosses — a dual Dragon/Psychic type with a base defense of 246 and a max CP of 3,968 at Level 50. That defensive bulk makes it a genuine challenge in five-star raids, but its typing comes with a significant trade-off: six different attacking types deal super-effective damage. If you build your team around those weaknesses, Latias falls faster than its stats suggest. This guide covers the current 2026 meta picks, verified against Pokebattler and GamePress data, so every counter recommendation here is backed by DPS calculations, not guesswork.

Latias can appear as a standard five-star raid boss, as a Mega Latias (Mega Raid), or as a Shadow Latias variant. The core counter logic is the same across all three forms — Dragon, Ghost, Dark, Fairy, Bug, and Ice all hit super-effectively — but Mega Latias has significantly boosted HP and attack, requiring a larger group. Shadow Latias hits harder but has lower bulk, making it easier to burn down quickly.

Latias Type Effectiveness

Understanding Latias's typing is the foundation of good counter selection. As a Dragon/Psychic type, it inherits weaknesses from both.

Six weaknesses gives you a lot of flexibility in team-building. Avoid Electric, Fire, Grass, Water, Fighting, and Psychic attackers — they'll hit for reduced damage and waste raid time.

Top 10 Best Latias Counters in Pokemon GO (2026)

The following picks represent the highest-performing counters across all raid variants. The table uses the optimal moveset for each Pokemon against Latias specifically.

1. Eternatus — The New #1 Dragon Attacker

Eternatus dethroned Mega Rayquaza as the top Dragon-type attacker in Pokemon GO following its release. Dragon Tail generates energy efficiently while Dynamax Cannon — its signature move — delivers massive Dragon-type damage that outpaces the competition in DPS. Its bulk is also exceptional, giving it more time on the field compared to frailer options. If you have an Eternatus with the right moveset, it leads your Latias raid team.

2. Mega Rayquaza — Team Booster

Even with Eternatus in the picture, Mega Rayquaza earns its spot because of its passive team-wide Dragon-type damage boost. Every Dragon-type attacker on your team deals more damage while Mega Rayquaza is active, making it a force multiplier rather than just a solo DPS machine. Dragon Tail + Breaking Swipe (or Outrage) gives it excellent coverage. In groups running multiple Dragon types, Mega Rayquaza effectively makes the whole team hit harder.

3. Dawn Wings Necrozma — Top Ghost Counter

Dawn Wings Necrozma (Ghost/Psychic) exploits Latias's Ghost-type weakness with both its fast and charged moves. Shadow Claw is a high-energy generation fast move, and Moongeist Beam — Dawn Wings's signature charged move — is a powerful Ghost-type attack that charges quickly. The double-Ghost moveset makes it one of the cleanest type-matched counters available. A great pick if you're light on Dragon-type options or if Latias has Dragon Breath and you want to avoid the damage trade.

4. Mega Garchomp — Accessible Mega Dragon

Mega Garchomp is more accessible than Mega Rayquaza for most trainers and still puts up impressive Dragon-type damage numbers. Dragon Tail + Outrage is its best raid moveset. Like Mega Rayquaza, it provides a Dragon-type boost to teammates while active. If you're running a mixed Dragon team and can't supply Mega Rayquaza, Mega Garchomp is the next best Mega Evolution for this fight.

5. Origin Forme Dialga — Dragon With Steel Durability

Origin Forme Dialga stands out among Dragon attackers for its survivability. As a Dragon/Steel type, it resists Latias's Fairy-type moves and takes reduced damage from many common attacks. Dragon Breath + Roar of Time gives it strong Dragon-type DPS while its Steel typing provides passive damage reduction in longer raid encounters. It's not quite as explosive as Eternatus or Mega Rayquaza, but it stays on the field longer, which matters in smaller groups.

6. Shadow Salamence — High-Risk, High-Reward

Shadow Salamence is one of the most powerful non-Mega Dragon attackers available when running Dragon Tail + Outrage. The Shadow boost amplifies its already-strong attack stat, making it capable of bursting Latias down fast. The trade-off is fragility — Shadow Salamence faints quickly if it absorbs Latias's Dragon-type charged moves. Best used when you have a large raid group so fainted Pokemon can be replaced quickly.

7. Shadow Dragonite — Bulkier Shadow Dragon

Shadow Dragonite trades a small amount of raw DPS for better bulk compared to Shadow Salamence. Dragon Tail + Outrage gives it excellent Dragon damage output, and it stays on the field slightly longer under pressure. For smaller raid groups where you need your Pokemon to last more than a few hits, Shadow Dragonite is often the more reliable choice over Shadow Salamence.

8. Mega Tyranitar — The Dark Option

Mega Tyranitar brings powerful Dark-type damage that bypasses Latias's Dragon resistances entirely. Latias has no resistance to Dark, and Bite + Brutal Swing delivers consistent dark-type pressure that Latias cannot shrug off. Mega Tyranitar also provides a Dark-type team boost while active, making it ideal if your squad is running multiple Dark-type attackers. Particularly effective against Latias variants with Psychic-type charged moves.

9. Shadow Tyranitar — Non-Mega Dark Powerhouse

Shadow Tyranitar with Bite + Brutal Swing is the non-Mega version of the same Dark-type approach. It loses the team-wide boost but still delivers strong individual DPS. Shadow Tyranitar is one of the most broadly useful attackers in the game, and if you have a powered-up Shadow Tyrant, it earns a slot in your Latias team regardless of the raid variant.

10. Origin Forme Giratina — Ghost Anchor

Origin Forme Giratina runs Shadow Claw + Shadow Force for double Ghost-type coverage against Latias. Shadow Force has a long charge time, but it hits hard when it lands. Giratina's bulk keeps it alive longer than faster but frailer Ghost attackers. It pairs well with Dawn Wings Necrozma if you're leaning into the Ghost-type strategy — both exploit Latias's Psychic-type weakness with Ghost-type moves.

Budget Counters: Best F2P Options

Not every trainer has access to Shadow Legendaries or Mega Evolution resources. These Pokemon are obtainable without extensive raiding and still deal super-effective damage to Latias.

Gardevoir — Charm + Dazzling Gleam (Fairy)

Gardevoir is the best budget counter for Latias. Charm is one of the strongest fast moves in the game by damage-per-turn, and Dazzling Gleam delivers solid Fairy-type charged move damage. Gardevoir can be evolved from a Ralts caught in the wild, making it genuinely accessible. It won't outperform Shadow Legendaries, but it will contribute meaningful damage and can be brought in bulk by players without premium picks.

Dragonite — Dragon Tail + Outrage (Dragon)

Non-Shadow Dragonite is a solid Dragon-type attacker available to most trainers. Dragon Tail + Outrage is its best raid moveset. It's a step below the Shadow variants in raw DPS, but it's reliable, can be powered up with common Dratini candy, and holds up well in medium-sized groups. A powered-up Level 40 Dragonite performs noticeably better than under-leveled premium options.

Glaceon — Frost Breath + Avalanche (Ice)

Glaceon exploits Latias's Ice weakness. Frost Breath + Avalanche gives it the best possible Ice-type DPS output, and Glaceon is easy to obtain by evolving an Eevee with an Ice Lure. Ice is often underrepresented in raid teams, but Latias's Dragon typing makes it just as vulnerable as to Dragon-type attacks.

Weavile — Snarl + Avalanche (Dark/Ice)

Weavile is a dual Dark/Ice type that hits Latias with super-effective Snarl (Dark) as its fast move and Avalanche (Ice) as its charged move. Both move types are super-effective, making Weavile's moveset particularly efficient against Latias. It's fragile, but it's also relatively common as a trade target and doesn't require rare Candies to power up.

Gengar — Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball (Ghost)

Gengar is widely available from raid encounters and Community Day events. Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball gives it a dual Ghost-type moveset that hits Latias super-effectively on both moves. Gengar is glass-cannon fragile and faints quickly, but it's a legitimate damage contributor in larger groups where faint frequency matters less.

Houndoom — Snarl + Foul Play (Dark)

Houndoom is one of the most accessible Dark-type attackers. Snarl + Foul Play gives it consistent dark-type output, and while it falls well behind Mega Tyranitar in raw DPS, it's a genuine budget pick that trainers on most levels of progression can field. A reasonable gap-filler if your Dragon and Ghost teams are thin.

Raid Strategy: How to Beat Latias

Group Size Recommendations

Standard five-star Latias can be defeated by two to four trainers using high-level meta counters. Casual trainers with mixed teams should aim for four to six. Mega Latias is considerably tankier — plan for six or more unless your group is running multiple Mega Evolutions and top-tier Shadow Legendaries. Shadow Latias is the most fragile of the three variants and can be two-manned by experienced trainers with optimal teams.

Latias's Raid Moveset

Latias can use Dragon Breath or Zen Headbutt as its fast move, and Outrage, Mist Ball, or Psychic as its charged move. The most dangerous combination is Dragon Breath + Outrage, which punishes Dragon-type counters heavily. If your team is Dragon-heavy, watch for this pairing and consider diversifying with Ghost or Dark options. Mist Ball is its signature move — a strong Psychic-type charged attack. Ghost-type counters take neutral damage from Mist Ball, making them safer picks against that variant.

Weather Boost Considerations

Windy weather boosts Dragon-type moves for both Latias and your Dragon-type counters. In windy conditions, Latias hits harder with Dragon Breath and Outrage, but your Dragon attackers also gain a damage boost. The trade-off slightly favors high-attack Dragon counters but makes the fight more punishing. Fog weather boosts Ghost and Dark-type moves, making it ideal if you're running Origin Forme Giratina, Dawn Wings Necrozma, or Tyranitar.

When to Dodge

In smaller groups, dodging Outrage is worth the energy reduction — it's a high-damage charged move that can knock out Dragon-type counters in one hit at low HP. In larger groups where DPS matters more than survivability, most players skip dodging to maximize damage output. Mist Ball and Psychic are more manageable without dodging.

Latias in Pokemon GO PvP

Latias's best PvP moveset is Dragon Breath and Aura Sphere, a combination that came into its own after the September 2025 move rebalance. The updated Dragon Breath generates energy faster, and Aura Sphere gives Latias a low-cost charged move that can be thrown repeatedly. Mist Ball remains a viable second charged move choice — its occasional Attack debuff on the opponent is a useful bonus effect in shield scenarios.

In the Great League, Latias is over the CP cap. In the Ultra League it hits its CP ceiling (3,968) and can compete, but it struggles against Steel-type tanks like Registeel and Steelix that wall its Dragon-type attacks completely. In the Master League, Latias sees the most use, where Dragon Breath + Aura Sphere gives it tools against several common targets, though it faces stiff competition from Dragonite, Garchomp, and Dialga for Dragon-type team slots.

Its six weaknesses — Bug, Dark, Dragon, Fairy, Ghost, Ice — mean PvP opponents have plenty of options to pressure it. Latias works best in formats where its defensive stats (246 base defense) can absorb chip damage while it fires off repeated Aura Spheres. It is a viable Master League pick but not a top-tier meta defining threat at this point in the game.

When Latias is used as a PvP attacker itself, Dragon Breath + Outrage is a high-ceiling option for dealing burst Dragon damage, though Outrage's high energy cost makes it vulnerable to being shielded out.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many players does it take to beat Latias in Pokemon GO?

Standard five-star Latias can be beaten by two to three experienced trainers with high-level Shadow Legendary counters at optimal levels. Casual groups should bring four to six trainers to guarantee success. Mega Latias requires more firepower — plan for six or more players unless your team includes multiple Mega Evolutions. Shadow Latias is the easiest variant and can sometimes be duo'd by two trainers running top meta picks.

What is Latias weak to in Pokemon GO?

Latias is weak to six attack types: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Fairy, Ghost, and Ice. Each of these dealing 160% damage. Dragon types are the most widely available and deal the most total damage, but Ghost and Dark options like Dawn Wings Necrozma and Mega Tyranitar are excellent alternatives, especially if Latias has Dragon-type moves in its raid moveset.

Is Latias worth catching in Pokemon GO?

Yes, for several reasons. Latias can Mega Evolve into Mega Latias, one of the strongest Dragon/Psychic-type Mega Evolutions available for raid support. As a PvP pick, it has improved viability in the Master League post the September 2025 move rebalance. Shiny Latias is also a sought-after variant with a distinct golden coloration. Even if you're not actively using it in your team right now, catching a high-IV Latias during its raid window is a worthwhile investment.

Sources

• Bulbapedia — Latias Pokédex entry and type data
• Game Rant — Mega Latias Raid Guide: Counters and Weaknesses
• Dexerto — Mega Latios & Latias Counters and Weaknesses
• Pokemon GO Hub — Eternatus PvE Guide