Buy the $4.99 ticket only if you will run more than six raids in the three-hour window. That is the number that decides it: the free route gives you up to six Raid Passes from spinning Gym Photo Discs, and the ticket raises that to up to 14, plus an extra 5,000 XP and 5,000 Stardust from every Super Mega Raid. Niantic has not published a shiny rate for this event, only an “increased chance” of Shiny Chandelure in Super Mega Raids. The one figure out there, 1 in 10 raids, comes from Pokémon GO Hub, which gives no source for it, so it is not an official rate.
The boss is Ghost/Fire, so bring Dark, Ghost, Ground, Rock or Water attackers and a group of at least seven Trainers, each with a Mega Pokémon on their team, per GO Hub. The base Chandelure you catch after the fight comes in at 1,784–1,867 CP (2,231–2,335 with Fog or Sunny boost). Ominous Wind+ hits for 145 power in raids. Super Max is reachable, but only after you raise Chandelure to Max Mega Level first. Everything below is checked against the official event post, LeekDuck and GO Hub on October 31, 2026, and values can change with the event’s launch.
Free route vs ticket: what the $4.99 changes
The ticket changes how many raids you can start, and adds a small reward on each one. It does not change the boss, the odds of winning or the catch. Both routes get the Remote Raid limit raised to 20 until Saturday, October 31 at 8:00 p.m. PDT, so remote raiding is not what you are paying for.
| What you get | Free | With the $4.99 ticket |
|---|---|---|
| Raid Passes from Gym Photo Discs | Up to 6 | Up to 14 |
| Extra XP per Super Mega Raid | None | +5,000 |
| Extra Stardust per Super Mega Raid | None | +5,000 |
| Rare Candy XL from raids | Standard | Increased chance |
| Shiny Chandelure chance | Increased | Increased (the free bonus still applies) |
| Chandelure starts at | Mega Level 1 | Mega Level 1 |
In short, the ticket lifts the pass cap by eight (up to 14 instead of up to 6), not the shiny rate. The ticket’s bonuses run 2:00–5:00 p.m. local time, and the in-game ticket stays on sale until 5:00 p.m. It cannot be bought with PokéCoins, and purchases are non-refundable. The Web Store version, the Ultra Ticket Box, is also $4.99 and adds one Premium Battle Pass.
Who should buy: a verdict by player type
The ticket pays off for the player who has people to raid with and enough Gyms nearby to fill 14 passes. It is wasted on anyone who would stop after a handful of raids.
| Player type | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Casual, wants one Mega Chandelure encounter | Skip | Up to six free passes already give you up to six attempts. |
| Shiny hunter | Buy | See the math below: 14 raids versus 6 shifts your odds a lot, if the 1-in-10 figure holds. |
| Wants Super Max Chandelure | Buy | Taking part in more Mega Raids is how you earn Chandelure Mega Energy. The amount is not published (see below). |
| Few Gyms nearby, small raid group | Skip | You cannot use 14 passes if Photo Discs and Trainers are scarce. |
| Stardust or XP grinder | Buy | At most 14 raids × 5,000 = 70,000 Stardust and 70,000 XP, if every pass is spent on a Super Mega Raid. |
The shiny math. Taking GO Hub’s 1-in-10 figure at face value and assuming you win every raid, six raids give about a 47% chance of at least one shiny (1 − 0.96). Fourteen raids give about 77% (1 − 0.914). That is my calculation from an unsourced third-party number, not an official rate, so treat it as a rough guide. If the real rate is lower, both percentages fall.
Counters for a Ghost/Fire boss
Attack with Dark, Ghost, Ground, Rock and Water. GO Hub lists those as the five types Mega Chandelure is weak to, and it ranks Shadow Hydreigon, Shadow Tyranitar, Shadow Darkrai, Shadow Kyogre and Shadow Garchomp as the top five counters. Shadow Rhyperior and Shadow Groudon follow.
- Other recommended picks: GO Hub also lists Mega Tyranitar, Mega Garchomp, Mega Houndoom, Mega Swampert, Mega Mewtwo Y and Greninja.
- What to leave at home: the boss resists Fire, Grass, Ice, Steel, Fairy, Bug, Fighting, Normal and Poison, so Fire and Grass attackers waste a slot.
- No Primals: GO Hub warns that “Primal Pokémon cannot be used to break shields in Super Mega Raids.”
- Group size: at least seven Trainers, each with a Mega Pokémon on their team, per GO Hub.
For the full type logic, see our Pokémon GO raid boss counters guide, and the Pokémon GO tier list to check which of your attackers are worth powering up.
The Super Max path and Ominous Wind+
Chandelure from a Super Mega Raid starts at Mega Level 1, and Mega Chandelure can reach Super Max, which is past Max. Mega Evolving alone is not enough: the official post says you must use its Mega Energy by taking part in Mega Raids, and you must reach Max (the third Mega Level) before Super Max. Neither Niantic nor LeekDuck publishes how much Mega Energy that takes, so this article does not guess a figure. Our Mega Level guide and Mega Energy guide cover how the system works.
Ominous Wind+ is the extra Charged Attack Chandelure gets while Mega Evolved. It does 145 power in Gyms and Raids, but only 50 in Trainer Battles, where it has a chance to raise your Attack and Defense by one stage. Its power grows with Mega Level.
The Global Challenge: raid now, reward from November 2
Raids completed worldwide unlock Global Challenge tiers until Saturday, October 31 at 8:00 p.m. PDT. The rewards arrive later, from Monday, November 2 to Sunday, November 15: Mega Level 1+ Chandelure gets a base power boost to Ominous Wind+, and Super Max Chandelure gets a CP boost. The Ominous Wind+ boost does not apply in GO Battle League. The official post does not say how many tiers exist or how large the boosts are, so what you gain is unknown until the tiers are unlocked.
What to do before 5 p.m.
- Spin every Gym Photo Disc you can reach before the event starts, since passes come from spins.
- Decide on the ticket before 2:00 p.m. if you want its bonuses for the whole window. They only run 2:00–5:00 p.m., and the in-game ticket is on sale until 5:00 p.m.
- Line up your Megas and a Dark, Ghost or Ground attacker for each slot. If you are hunting the shiny, our shiny guide explains how encounter odds work.
Sources
- Pokémon GO (Niantic). Chandelure Super Mega Raid Day. pokemongo.com
- LeekDuck. Chandelure Super Mega Raid Day. leekduck.com
- Pokémon GO Hub. Super Mega Chandelure Raid Guide. pokemongohub.net
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.