Ice moves deal 2.56x damage to Shadow Landorus (Incarnate Forme); Water moves deal only 1.6x. Landorus is Ground/Flying, and Pokémon GO stacks its two 1.6x weaknesses (1.6 × 1.6 = 2.56) where the main-series games would call it 4x. Lead with White Kyurem, Mega Mewtwo Y or X, Primal Kyogre and Shadow Mamoswine, and bring at least four trainers with Purified Gems.
Shadow Landorus is in five-star Shadow Raids on weekends from October 7 to November 3, per Leek Duck, with a shiny chance. By that calendar the weekends still to come are Oct 17–18, Oct 24–25 and Oct 31–Nov 1. Shadow Thundurus held this slot from September 9 to October 6; our Shadow Thundurus counters explain why Rock/Ground beat Ice there. Landorus flips that logic, because Ground attacks are the worst thing you can bring.
Why Ice hits 2.56x and Water only 1.6x
Ice is the only attack type that hits both halves of Landorus. Ground is weak to Ice and Water, Flying is weak to Ice, and Water does nothing extra to the Flying half. The Pokémon GO Hub counters database lists the result as Ice +156% and Water +60%, which is 2.56x and 1.6x once you add the base 1.0.
That gap is bigger than it looks: an Ice move with the same power as a Water move deals 60% more damage (2.56 ÷ 1.6 = 1.6). Everything else that GO Hub does not list is neutral, and several types are worse than neutral.
| Move type | Damage vs Shadow Landorus | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ice | 2.56x | Weak on both the Ground and Flying halves |
| Water | 1.6x | Weak on the Ground half only |
| Everything not listed (Psychic, Dragon, Fairy, Rock and others) | 1.0x | Weaknesses and resistances cancel out or don’t apply |
| Bug, Electric, Fighting, Poison | 0.625x | Resisted |
| Ground | 0.39x | The Flying half nearly shuts Ground moves out |
Takeaway: only Ice earns the 2.56x bonus, so count Ice attacks on a Pokémon, not Ice types. The attack’s type is what the multiplier reads.
Best Shadow Landorus counters
Every one of the top six in GO Hub’s simulation carries an Ice attack, but only two of them are Ice-types. Mega Mewtwo and Shadow Mewtwo get their 2.56x from the Ice Beam charged move, and Primal Kyogre gets it from Avalanche. The ranking below uses GO Hub’s five-star raid simulation (15,000 HP boss, level 50 attackers, updated October 14), so treat the DPS as an estimate, not a field test.
| Rank | Attacker | Fast / charged move | Sim DPS | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | White Kyurem | Ice Fang / Ice Burn | 46.15 | Highest DPS; 21 estimated faints in a solo run |
| 2 | Mega Mewtwo Y | Psycho Cut / Ice Beam | 42.23 | Psychic type; Ice Beam does the 2.56x work |
| 3 | Mega Mewtwo X | Psycho Cut / Ice Beam | 40.84 | Fewest faints of the top six (14) |
| 4 | Primal Kyogre | Waterfall / Avalanche | 38.15 | Water fast move at 1.6x, Ice charged move at 2.56x |
| 5 | Shadow Mewtwo | Psycho Cut / Ice Beam | 35.83 | Hits harder, faints sooner (29) |
| 6 | Shadow Mamoswine | Powder Snow / Avalanche | 35.03 | Best pure Ice option outside Kyurem |
| 12 | Mamoswine | Powder Snow / Avalanche | 31.61 | Budget pick, no Shadow penalty |
| 15 | Baxcalibur | Ice Fang / Avalanche | 31.71 | Budget pick |
| 21 | Cetitan | Ice Shard / Avalanche | 29.54 | Budget pick |
Takeaway: the budget Ice trio lands at roughly two-thirds of White Kyurem’s simulated DPS (31.6 against 46.2 for Mamoswine), so a group of them still works if the lobby is big enough.
Why Water, the obvious pick, trails. A pure Water kit tops out at 1.6x on both moves. Mega Swampert, with Water Gun and the legacy Hydro Cannon, ranks 17th at 28.73 DPS, behind Shadow Mamoswine at 35.03. Water Pokémon earn a slot only when they carry Ice coverage: Primal Kyogre with Avalanche, or Mega Blastoise with Ice Beam (23rd, 27.82 DPS).
The catch with Ice teams. Landorus’s movepool includes Rock Throw, Rock Slide and Focus Blast, and Rock and Fighting moves both hit Ice-types for 1.6x, according to the GO Hub Landorus database page. Outrage also hits Dragon-types, which includes both Kyurem. I couldn’t confirm which of those moves a raid boss rolls, so expect Ice-types to faint more than the bulkier Mewtwo.
How many trainers, and what the Purified Gems do
Four to seven trainers is the sweet spot. GO Hub’s simulator sets the minimum at 3, the optimal range at 4–7 and calls it very easy at 8 or more. Its raid guide is stricter: 4–6 trainers with Purified Gems as a floor, 5 or more if everyone has maxed counters, and 8–10 or more for lower-level teams.
The reason is the enrage mechanic. Three- and five-star Shadow bosses gain attack and defence mid-fight, and a Purified Gem lowers both temporarily, according to the official Shadow Raids announcement. Shadow Raids are also in-person only, with no Remote Raid Passes. Our Shadow Raid guide covers the enrage math, and the Purified Gems guide covers when to spend them.
| If you have | Bring | Lobby size |
|---|---|---|
| Maxed White Kyurem or Mega Mewtwo, plus Purified Gems | Those first, Ice Beam and Ice Fang movesets | 5+ (GO Hub guide) |
| Budget Ice attackers (Mamoswine, Baxcalibur, Cetitan) and gems in stock | Your best Ice Pokémon, all with Avalanche or Ice Fang | Top of the 4–7 range (my reading of GO Hub’s two figures) |
| Lower-level counters or no gems | Whatever Ice you own; wait for a bigger lobby | 8–10+ (GO Hub guide) |
One team tip from GO Hub’s database: Mega Pokémon add 10% attack for the whole raid and 30% for attacks matching the Mega’s own type, and the bonuses don’t stack. An Ice-type Mega such as Mega Abomasnow (9th in the simulation) or Mega Glalie (16th) pushes everyone’s Ice moves by 30% instead of the flat 10%.
Weather, CP and the catch
GO Hub gives the catch at 1,897–2,050 CP, or 2,372–2,563 CP with Sunny or Windy weather. Snow boosts Ice moves and Rain boosts Water moves, so check the in-game weather before you pick your six. A shiny is possible; Dittobase quotes 1 in 20, though I found no official figure to back that up. The caught Pokémon arrives with Frustration, so read how to remove Frustration before you power it up.
Verified against Leek Duck and the Pokémon GO Hub database on October 14, 2026. The sources disagree on the November 3 end time (Leek Duck says 10 PM, Dittobase 8 PM), but that is a Tuesday, after the final weekend. Simulated DPS shifts with each balance update, so recheck before you spend Candy.
Sources
- Leek Duck. Shadow Landorus (Incarnate Forme) in Shadow Raids. Leek Duck — Pokémon GO News and Resources
- Pokémon GO Hub. Best Shadow Landorus (Incarnate Forme) Raid Counters. Pokémon GO Hub Database (updated October 14, 2026)
- Pokémon GO Hub. Landorus (Incarnate Forme): Best Moveset, Counters & Max CP. Pokémon GO Hub Database
- Pokémon GO Hub. Shadow Landorus (Incarnate) Raid Counters Guide. Pokémon GO Hub
- Pokémon GO. Shadow Raids are coming to Pokémon GO! pokemongo.com
- Dittobase. Shadow Landorus (Incarnate Forme) in Shadow Raids, Oct 2026. Dittobase
- Dittobase. Best Shadow Landorus Incarnate Counters — Pokémon GO (2026). Dittobase
- Pokémon GO Hub. Pokémon GO October 2026 Events. Pokémon GO Hub
- PokéBase. Shadow Landorus (Incarnate Forme) — Pokémon GO. PokéBase
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.