Spend your Mega Energy on Mega Charizard Y, not X. Y is the stronger Fire attacker (319 attack against X’s 273, and 21.33 against 18.44 damage per second on Pokémon GO Hub’s best moveset for each), and it is the easier boss to beat: Hub plans for roughly 1–2 trainers against Y and 2 against X. The reason is the type chart. Y is Fire/Flying and takes 256% damage from Rock, so Rock attackers melt it. X is Fire/Dragon and its weaknesses (Dragon, Ground, Rock) each sit at only 160%. Both bosses are in Mega Raids until Tuesday, October 27 (10:00 PM local time per Leek Duck; Dittobase says 8:00 PM), so tomorrow is the last day.
Why the two counter lists look nothing alike
Y’s list is almost pure Rock; X’s is a mix of Dragon and Ground attackers with lower numbers. Pokémon GO Hub’s Mega Charizard Y page and its Mega Charizard X page both use a 9,000 HP Mega Raid setting, so the difference comes from the multipliers, not from a bigger health bar.
| Boss | Typing | Takes extra damage from | Resists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Charizard Y | Fire/Flying | Rock 256%, Electric 160%, Water 160% | Bug, Grass (39.1%); Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Ground, Steel (62.5%) |
| Mega Charizard X | Fire/Dragon | Dragon 160%, Ground 160%, Rock 160% | Fire, Grass (39.1%); Bug, Electric, Steel (62.5%) |
The takeaway: against Y, bring Rock first (Electric and Water only reach 160%); against X, bring the strongest Dragon or Ground attacker you own, because no single type gets a big multiplier.
| Top counters vs Mega Charizard Y | DPS | Top counters vs Mega Charizard X | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Diancie (Rock Throw / Rock Slide) | 46.91 | Eternatus | 38.97 |
| Shadow Rhyperior (Smack Down / Rock Wrecker*) | 45.78 | Mega Rayquaza | 37.92 |
| Shadow Rampardos (Smack Down / Rock Slide) | 47.61 | Mega Garchomp | 34.74 |
| Shadow Tyrantrum (Rock Throw / Meteor Beam) | 44.25 | Primal Groudon | 32.46 |
| Mega Tyranitar (Smack Down* / Stone Edge) | 41.57 | Shadow Palkia | 32.90 |
Hub ranks by effective DPS, so the order isn’t strictly by the DPS column. An asterisk marks a legacy move that needs an event or an Elite TM. The gap is still visible: the figures on Y’s top ten run from 39.22 to 47.61, while X’s top ten start at 38.97 and fall to about 30.5.
If you lack the top Rock picks: a non-shadow Rampardos (40.40 DPS) and Glimmora (39.22) are the ninth and tenth picks on Hub’s list, so a plain Rock attacker is still the right call. For X, Mega Dragonite (31.36) is eighth.
Which Mega is worth the Mega Energy
You earn the Mega Energy of the boss you fight, and Nintendo Life notes that clearing faster pays more. Guides put a win at 150–250 energy. The first Mega Evolution costs 200 for both Charizards, 40 for later ones at base level. So Y’s energy comes only from beating Y, and X’s only from beating X.
| If you are… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Casual, few raid passes | Fight Y only. Hub’s trainer estimate is lighter for it (1–2 against 2), and a fast win is your best chance at the 200 energy for the first Mega Evolution. |
| Optimiser | Evolve Y and use it only against bosses weak to Fire. Hub rates Y second among Fire attackers (S tier) but says it “struggles to perform in Raids” overall, so it’s a specialist, not an all-rounder. |
| Collector | Do both raids. Energy is per boss, so X energy never funds Y. Only Y repays the cost: Hub calls X “completely outclassed by Mega Charizard Y in the Fire-type department” and ranks it seventh among Fire attackers. |
One caveat on the 21.33 against 18.44 figures: both use Blast Burn, which Hub marks as a legacy move. A Charizard without it has a different moveset, and I couldn’t find a DPS figure for that case, so treat the gap as a ceiling. The Mega Energy rule is also the reason to plan ahead. Mega Sableye starts October 28 and runs to November 8, and each new Mega raid asks for its own clears. For a fuller breakdown, see our Mega Energy guide and the Mega Level guide.
Catch CP and shiny odds
Both raids end with the same Pokémon encounter: a regular Charizard, not a Mega. Hub lists its catch CP as 1,574–1,651, or 1,968–2,064 with Sunny or Windy weather boost, on both counter pages. Leek Duck lists a shiny Charizard (and shiny Mega forms) but gives no rate, and I found no official one. Since both raids end in the same encounter, there’s no sign that picking X or Y changes your shiny chance.
Times, and what I did not test
Leek Duck lists the window as 6:00 AM October 21 to 10:00 PM October 27 local time. Dittobase gives 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Those two disagree by an hour at the start and two at the end, so check the in-game timer before you plan a last-day raid. I haven’t fought either boss for this piece. The DPS, trainer counts and weaknesses are Pokémon GO Hub’s values as of October 26, 2026, and Hub’s rankings shift when its data updates. For another X/Y decision, see Mega Raichu X vs Y.
Sources
- Leek Duck. Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y in Mega Raids. Leek Duck, October 2026
- Dittobase. Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y in Mega Raids (Oct 2026). Dittobase
- Pokémon GO Hub. Best Mega Charizard Y Raid Counters. Pokémon GO Hub database
- Pokémon GO Hub. Best Mega Charizard X Raid Counters. Pokémon GO Hub database
- Pokémon GO Hub. Mega Charizard Y: stats, moves, best counters. Pokémon GO Hub database
- Pokémon GO Hub. Mega Charizard X: stats, moves, best counters. Pokémon GO Hub database
- Nintendo Life. Pokémon GO Mega Evolutions list and how to get Mega Energy. Nintendo Life
- Upcomer. How to get Mega Energy in Pokémon GO. Upcomer
- Leek Duck. Mega Sableye in Mega Raids. Leek Duck, October 2026
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.