TL;DR
- Lunala raids run July 22-28 with peak availability during July 23 Raid Hour (6-7 PM local)
- Exploit dual weakness to Dark and Ghost types for quadruple damage multipliers
- Prioritize Mega Tyranitar and Mega Banette as top-tier counter choices
- Shiny Lunala has standard legendary rates with distinct visual appearance
- Necrozma fusion requires specific items and provides significant combat enhancements
The legendary Lunala makes its raid debut in Pokemon Go as a formidable five-star encounter. This psychic/ghost type legendary from the Alola region offers trainers a limited window to add this powerful battler to their collections.
Lunala’s raid availability spans from July 22 through July 28, providing exactly seven days to coordinate battles before Virizion rotates into the five-star raid slot. The compressed timeframe demands strategic planning to maximize capture opportunities.
While raids occur randomly throughout the event period, your optimal chance arrives during the dedicated Lunala Raid Hour on July 23. Between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM local time, gyms experience dramatically increased Lunala spawn rates, creating ideal farming conditions for groups and solo players alike.
This marks Lunala’s inaugural raid appearance, previously accessible only through the challenging Cosmoem evolution path. The raid method eliminates the 100-candy evolution requirement, making this significantly more accessible for trainers who missed Cosmog research tasks.
Lunala’s unique psychic/ghost dual typing creates specific offensive vulnerabilities that savvy trainers can exploit. This combination results in only two weaknesses, but both deliver devastating damage potential.
The legendary Pokemon takes quadruple super-effective damage from both Dark-type and Ghost-type moves. This damage multiplier makes proper counter selection absolutely critical for successful raid completions.
Defensively, Lunala resists Fighting and Normal attacks completely while taking reduced damage from Poison-type moves. This defensive profile makes common raid attackers like Machamp and Conkeldurr virtually useless against this particular boss.
Understanding type effectiveness mechanics reveals why Dark and Ghost attacks outperform neutral damage dealers by significant margins. Even powerful neutral attackers cannot compete with the 1.96x damage multiplier that super-effective moves provide.
Building an effective counter team requires prioritizing Pokemon that leverage Lunala’s dual weaknesses while surviving its potent psychic and ghost attacks. Mega evolved forms provide the highest damage output through their stat boosts and same-type attack bonuses.
Top-tier Dark-type specialists dominate the counter rankings. These Pokemon combine high attack stats with optimal move sets to maximize damage per second while maintaining sufficient bulk to survive multiple charged attacks.
| Pokemon | Type | Recommended Fast Attack | Recommended Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Tyranitar | Rock/Dark | Bite | Brutal Swing |
| Mega Absol | Dark | Snarl | Brutal Swing |
| Mega Houndoom | Dark/Fire | Snarl | Foul Play |
| Hydreigon | Dragon/Dark | Bite | Brutal Swing |
| Mega Gyarados | Water/Dark | Bite | Crunch |
Ghost-type alternatives provide excellent secondary options, particularly when boosted by weather conditions or lacking optimal Dark-type counters. These Pokemon benefit from same-type attack bonus when using ghost moves.
| Pokemon | Type | Recommended Fast Attack | Recommended Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Banette | Ghost | Shadow Claw | Shadow Ball |
| Hisuian Zoroark | Normal/Ghost | Shadow Claw | Shadow Ball |
| Dragapult | Dragon/Ghost | Astonish | Shadow Ball |
| Gholdengo | Steel/Ghost | Hex | Shadow Ball |
| Mega Sableye | Ghost/Dark | Shadow Claw | Foul Play |
Advanced strategy involves mixing mega evolved Dark and Ghost types to maintain constant damage boosts throughout the raid. Start with Mega Tyranitar for the dark boost, then switch to Mega Banette once it faints to continue the damage amplification.
Certain type matchups perform disastrously against Lunala and should be excluded from your battle parties. Fighting and Normal types deal significantly reduced damage due to Lunala’s dual resistances, making them complete liabilities in this specific raid context.
Psychic-type attackers face particular challenges since Lunala resists psychic damage while potentially carrying ghost moves that deal super-effective damage in return.
Common raid mistakes include using generalist Pokemon like Mewtwo with neutral moves, underestimating the damage difference between super-effective and neutral attacks, and failing to account for Lunala’s charged move variations.
Dodging strategy varies based on Lunala’s moveset. Against ghost-type charged moves, Dark types take neutral damage but Psychic attacks hit them super-effectively, requiring careful timing and awareness of the boss’s attack patterns.
Shiny Lunala represents one of the most sought-after variants in Pokemon Go. The shiny form features a striking color palette shift from deep blues to vibrant magenta and gold accents, creating a visually distinct appearance.

Shiny encounter rates follow the standard legendary raid probability of approximately 1 in 20 encounters. This means most trainers will need multiple successful raids to obtain the shiny variant.
Optimizing shiny chances involves maximizing raid completions during the event window. The July 23 Raid Hour provides the most efficient farming opportunity, potentially allowing 5-8 raids within the concentrated time frame.
Catch mechanics remain identical between standard and shiny variants. However, shiny legendary Pokemon feature a 100% catch rate when hitting excellent or great throws, eliminating the risk of the Pokemon fleeing after a successful raid.
Lunala possesses the unique ability to fuse with Necrozma, creating the powerful Dawn Wings Necrozma form. This fusion mechanic requires specific items and provides significant combat advantages for both PvE and PvP content.

The fusion process demands acquiring the N-Lunarizer item, typically available through special research tasks or limited-time events. This device enables the transformation when used on a Lunala in your inventory.
Dawn Wings Necrozma gains substantial stat improvements and expanded movepool options compared to the base forms. The fused Pokemon maintains the psychic/ghost typing while receiving boosted attack and defense stats.
Strategic fusion considerations include timing the transformation to maximize raid performance and understanding the fusion’s duration limitations. The temporary nature of the fusion means strategic deployment becomes crucial for maximizing its combat effectiveness.
Action Checklist
- Build optimal counter teams with 6 Mega Tyranitar, Mega Banette, or Hydreigon
- Coordinate raid groups for July 23 Raid Hour (6-7 PM local)
- Practice excellent curveball throws with Golden Razz berries
- Secure N-Lunarizer for future Necrozma fusion
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » Pokemon Go Lunala Raids: Best Counters, Weaknesses, And More Tips Master Lunala raids with optimal counters, timing strategies, and fusion mechanics explained
