Pokemon GO Mewtwo Raid Counters: Best Teams for Every Player

Mewtwo is back — and whether you’re planning your first attempt or looking to squeeze out every last second of damage, having the right team makes all the difference. With a raid boss CP of 54,148 and a punishing 6% base catch rate, Mewtwo is one of the most demanding Legendaries in the game. But it also has three clear weaknesses — Dark, Ghost, and Bug — and there are counters at every budget level, from a Gengar built from a common Gastly to a maxed Shadow Tyranitar.

What most guides miss: Mewtwo’s charge move matters as much as the counters you pick. Walk in with six Ghost-type attackers against a Mewtwo running Shadow Ball, and you’re dealing neutral damage instead of the 160% you planned for. We’ve dedicated a full section to moveset-specific team swaps below — it’s the single most useful thing you can read before entering the lobby.

Quick Mewtwo Raid Overview

Mewtwo is a pure Psychic-type Legendary, which means it’s weak to Dark, Ghost, and Bug — each deals 160% damage [1]. It resists Fighting and Psychic moves, so leave Psychic-type attackers at home entirely.

The shiny rate for Legendary raids is approximately 1-in-20 [1], so you won’t get lucky every run — but Mewtwo is worth repeating for both the shiny chance and the IV hunt. A high-IV Mewtwo with Psystrike (Elite Charged TM) is one of the strongest Psychic-type raid attackers in the game, and Shadow Ball makes it a formidable Ghost attacker too.

Top 15 Mewtwo Raid Counters

Ranked by DPS (damage per second) against a Psychic-type Mewtwo, based on Pokémon GO Hub’s Mewtwo raid guide and Pokebattler simulation data [2][3]. The best moveset for each counter is listed.

Mega bonus, explained: When you Mega Evolve a Pokémon in the lobby, every attacker of the same type in your group receives a 30% damage boost for the duration. Mega Gengar boosts all Ghost attackers; Mega Houndoom boosts all Dark attackers. If you’re raiding with friends, co-ordinating who Mega Evolves first — and re-evolving when it expires — has a measurable impact on total group damage [2].

A note on Pheromosa: this Bug/Fighting Ultra Beast exploits Mewtwo’s Bug weakness and competes at the damage ceiling for elite lobbies. The catch is its Fighting secondary typing — Pheromosa takes double damage from Focus Blast. Only bring it when you can confirm Mewtwo is running Psystrike, Ice Beam, or Hyper Beam.

Mewtwo’s Charge Move Changes Your Team

This is the section most counter guides skip entirely. Mewtwo’s charge move in any given raid instance can flip which counters are worth bringing — and which ones you should leave behind. If you’re raiding with friends, have someone call out the charge move as soon as it fires in the first few seconds of battle.

Shadow Ball (Ghost-type)

Ghost moves deal neutral damage to Ghost-type attackers, so Gengar and Chandelure aren’t punished — but they’re not dealing boosted damage from type advantage either. The real risk is Psychic-type attackers: Metagross, Alakazam, Espeon, and any other Psychic attacker takes 160% damage from Shadow Ball. Replace them immediately with Dark types [2].

Best choices with Shadow Ball active: Shadow Tyranitar, Hydreigon, Darkrai, Houndoom. Dark types resist Ghost moves, which gives them a meaningful edge over Ghost counters in this specific matchup.

Focus Blast (Fighting-type)

Focus Blast is Mewtwo’s most dangerous charge move for a standard counter team. Most top Dark attackers — Shadow Tyranitar, Shadow Hydreigon, Darkrai, Weavile, Absol — are all weak to Fighting and can be one-shotted if Focus Blast connects [3].

Swap to these when you see Focus Blast:

• Yveltal — Dark/Flying; Flying typing neutralises the Fighting weakness entirely
• Honchkrow — Dark/Flying; same advantage, far more accessible for newer players
• Mega Gengar — Ghost; no Fighting weakness, completely unaffected
• Giratina Origin — Ghost/Dragon; Dragon is neutral to Fighting
• Chandelure — Ghost/Fire; no Fighting weakness

Focus Blast has a noticeably slow charge animation — it’s one of the more dodgeable moves in raid battles. Experienced players can keep Shadow Tyranitar in and time the dodge; if you’re not confident dodging, just swap to Yveltal or Honchkrow and remove the risk entirely.

Ice Beam

Ice moves hit Dragon types for 160% damage. Both Giratina Origin (Ghost/Dragon) and Hydreigon (Dark/Dragon) are vulnerable here. If Mewtwo has Ice Beam, favour Dark-type counters without Dragon secondary typing: Darkrai, Houndoom, Weavile.

Moveset reference table

Team Builds for Every Experience Level

Here are three ready-to-use lineups. Adjust based on the moveset guidance above — particularly Focus Blast and Shadow Ball, which require the biggest counter swaps.

Casual — No Legendaries Required

Built entirely from Pokémon you can catch in the wild or during recurring events. Aim for 5–6 trainers using this setup. Our full raid guide covers how to organise groups and use Remote Raid Passes effectively.

1. Gengar — Lick / Shadow Ball
2. Gengar — Lick / Shadow Ball
3. Chandelure — Hex / Shadow Ball
4. Chandelure — Hex / Shadow Ball
5. Honchkrow — Snarl / Dark Pulse
6. Weavile — Snarl / Foul Play

Gastly is a common night spawn everywhere — build at least two Gengar if you can. Honchkrow from Murkrow (extremely common in Windy weather) rounds out the team with a useful Focus Blast resistance. This lineup won’t win any DPS records, but it contributes real damage in a group of five or six.

Intermediate — Some Legendaries and Shadow Pokémon

For players who’ve been raiding regularly and have accumulated a few Legendaries. Comfortable with 3–4 trainers at this level.

1. Mega Gengar — Lick / Shadow Ball (Mega Evolve first to boost the team)
2. Giratina Origin — Shadow Claw / Shadow Ball
3. Darkrai — Snarl / Dark Pulse
4. Shadow Tyranitar — Bite / Crunch
5. Hydreigon — Bite / Brutal Swing
6. Gengar — Lick / Shadow Ball

Hardcore — Maxed Shadows and Megas

For 2–3 player attempts with top-end teams. Stagger Mega Evolutions to keep the lobby boost active throughout the fight. Remember: swap Shadow Tyranitar and Shadow Hydreigon for Yveltal or Giratina if Focus Blast is confirmed.

1. Mega Gengar — Lick / Shadow Ball
2. Shadow Chandelure — Hex / Shadow Ball
3. Shadow Tyranitar — Bite / Brutal Swing
4. Shadow Hydreigon — Bite / Brutal Swing
5. Shadow Chandelure — Hex / Shadow Ball
6. Giratina Origin — Shadow Claw / Shadow Ball

Budget Counters: Building Your Team from Scratch

You don’t need a single Legendary to pull your weight in a Mewtwo raid. Here are the best accessible counters with exact build paths:

Gengar (from Gastly) — best budget Ghost attacker

• Gastly spawns commonly at night and during Halloween events in most regions
• Evolve: Gastly → Haunter → Gengar (100 Gastly candy, no special item)
• Moveset: Lick + Shadow Ball
• If you can catch a Shadow Gastly from Team GO Rocket, Shadow Gengar is significantly stronger — see our Shadow Pokémon guide for how Shadow bonuses affect raid output

Chandelure (from Litwick) — strong Ghost without Elite TM

• Litwick spawns during Halloween events and Pokémon GO Fire- or Ghost-themed events
• Evolve: Litwick → Lampent → Chandelure (100 Litwick candy + 1 Unova Stone)
• Moveset: Hex + Shadow Ball — no Elite TM needed, full Ghost STAB

Tyranitar (from Larvitar) — best budget Dark attacker

• Larvitar is available in 10 km eggs and featured in periodic Community Day recurrences
• Evolve: Larvitar → Pupitar → Tyranitar (125 Larvitar candy)
• Moveset: Bite + Crunch (or Brutal Swing with Elite TM for a meaningful upgrade)
• Caution: Weak to Focus Blast — check Mewtwo’s charge move before committing Tyranitar to the team

Weavile (from Sneasel)

• Sneasel is common in cold-weather biomes and winter events; appears in 5 km eggs
• Evolve: Sneasel → Weavile (100 Sneasel candy + 1 Sinnoh Stone; must evolve at night)
• Moveset: Snarl + Foul Play

Honchkrow (from Murkrow) — budget pick with a hidden advantage

• Murkrow is one of the most commonly encountered Pokémon in the game, especially in Windy weather and at night
• Evolve: Murkrow → Honchkrow (100 Murkrow candy + 1 Sinnoh Stone)
• Moveset: Snarl + Dark Pulse
• Advantage: Flying/Dark typing means Honchkrow resists Focus Blast — it survives considerably better than pure Dark counters when Mewtwo has that charge move

Weather Boost: Why Fog Is Your Best Raid Day

Weather cuts both ways in Pokémon GO, and picking the right day to raid matters more than most players realise. See our weather boost guide for the full breakdown — here’s what matters specifically for Mewtwo [4]:

Fog boosts Dark and Ghost-type moves. That’s your entire counter lineup. In Foggy conditions, every Dark and Ghost attacker in your team deals roughly 20% more damage. When you open Pokémon GO and see a Fog icon, that’s the ideal day to hunt Mewtwo.

Windy weather boosts Psychic-type moves — meaning Mewtwo’s Psycho Cut or Confusion fast move hits harder. Mewtwo’s difficulty scales up noticeably in Windy conditions, especially for smaller groups. Weather-boosted Mewtwo also catches at a higher CP (2,868–2,984 at Level 25 vs. 2,294–2,387 at Level 20), which signals stronger minimum IVs on the catch — but the extra danger in a small group rarely makes that trade-off worth it.

How Many Trainers Do You Need?

A duo is technically achievable — Pokebattler’s raid simulator confirms the math holds up under optimal conditions [3]. But “optimal conditions” means maxed Shadow counters, a staggered Mega boost throughout the fight, Fog weather boost, and the Best Friends +10% ATK bonus active — our friendship levels guide explains how to reach and maintain Best Friends status for raid bonuses. That’s a lot of conditions to stack simultaneously. For most players, 4–5 trainers is the realistic sweet spot: comfortable enough to win, flexible enough to handle mixed roster quality without panic.

How to Catch Mewtwo

Mewtwo has a 6% base catch rate — one of the lowest of any Legendary raid boss [5]. Stock up before you enter: you’ll want at least 10 Golden Razz Berries in your bag.

Optimal throw combination:
Ultra Ball + Golden Razz Berry + Excellent Curveball = approximately 14.45× multiplier on base catch rate [5]

Don’t swap Golden Razz for Nanab or Silver Pinap on Mewtwo — the reduced catch multiplier from a Silver Pinap is not worth the extra candy when you’re starting from a 6% base rate. Golden Razz on every single throw.

Circle Lock technique — the most reliable method for Mewtwo:

1. Hold the Poké Ball until the target ring shrinks to its smallest size (Excellent range)
2. Release your finger — the ring freezes in place
3. Wait for Mewtwo to complete its attack animation
4. As the animation ends, throw your curveball into the frozen ring

Timing the throw just as Mewtwo’s head settles back to resting position after an attack gives the most consistent Excellent hits — the ring stays locked and the window is clean. I’ve found turning AR mode off makes a noticeable difference too; the target ring tracks much better on a static background than a moving camera view.

A few more tips:

• Spin the ball early — start your curveball spin before you lock the ring, so the throw is already curved when you release
• Best Friends bonus applies — the +10% ATK bonus from Best Friends also improves the quality of the Premier Balls you receive post-raid; always raid with Best Friends when you can
• Weather-boosted catches save power-up resources — weather-boosted Mewtwo catches at Level 25 instead of Level 20; both have the same 10/10/10 minimum IV floor, but the higher starting level saves a significant amount of Stardust and Candy if you plan to power it up to Level 40 or 50

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mewtwo worth raiding as a casual player?
Absolutely. Mewtwo is one of the best Psychic-type attackers in the game for PvE raid battles — even at Level 30 it contributes well in Legendary raid groups. The ~1-in-20 shiny rate also makes it worth raiding multiple times if Mewtwo is in rotation.

Can I solo Mewtwo in Pokémon GO?
No — it’s not soloable. Mewtwo’s HP pool and the 300-second time limit make a solo attempt impossible even with maxed-out counters. Minimum viable group is two to three players with near-optimal teams; most casual groups should aim for four or five.

Does the shiny rate improve with more raids?
No — each raid attempt is an independent random roll at the same odds (approximately 1-in-20 for Legendary bosses). Previous non-shiny encounters don’t increase future chances.

Should I get Psystrike or Shadow Ball on my Mewtwo?
Psystrike (via Elite Charged TM) is Mewtwo’s best Psychic-type move and makes it an elite Psychic raid attacker. Shadow Ball turns it into a solid Ghost attacker. Prioritise Psystrike — it’s the rarer, more impactful upgrade, and Psychic attackers have more raid targets than Ghost.

Is Shadow Mewtwo available?
Shadow Mewtwo has appeared via special Team GO Rocket events and is extremely rare. If you have one, it’s among the strongest attackers in the entire game. See our Shadow Pokémon guide for how to power it up effectively without wasting Stardust on a low-IV Shadow.

What’s the best moveset for Mewtwo as a raid attacker?
For Psychic raids: Psycho Cut + Psystrike (Elite TM). For Ghost raids: Psycho Cut + Shadow Ball (Elite TM). Confusion is a slightly higher DPS fast move than Psycho Cut in some scenarios, but Psycho Cut charges energy faster — most players prefer Psycho Cut for the quicker charge moves.

Sources

1. Pokémon GO Hub — Mewtwo Raid Counters Guide [linked above]
2. Pokémon GO Hub Database — Mewtwo Counters (updated February 2026)
3. Pokebattler — Mewtwo Raid Simulator [linked above]
4. Niantic — Pokémon GO Weather Boosts
5. Pokebattler — Professor Willow’s Catch Probability Handbook
6. Pokémon GO Hub — Shadow Hydreigon and Shadow Tyranitar Meta Analysis
7. GamePress — Mewtwo