Pokemon Go Tapu Lele Raid Guide: Best Counters, Weaknesses, Raid Hours, And More Tips

The Alola region continues to expand in Pokemon Go with Tapu Lele emerging as the latest five-star raid challenge. This legendary guardian brings unique strategic considerations for trainers preparing their assault.

The next five-star raid in Pokemon Go is Tapu Lele, guardian of Alola.

Tapu Lele marks the second legendary Pokemon from Alola to join Pokemon Go’s raid rotation, following Tapu Koko’s earlier introduction. This Psychic/Fairy-type guardian becomes available starting March 22 at 10:00 AM local time, remaining active until March 26 at 8:00 PM local time. Its appearance coincides with the Lush Jungle event during the Season of Alola, creating multiple engagement opportunities for dedicated trainers.

While raid spawns follow random patterns throughout the event period, trainers have one guaranteed method to encounter Tapu Lele: the weekly Raid Hour on Wednesday, March 23 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time. During this concentrated window, nearly every gym features the Land Spirit Pokemon, making coordination with raid groups significantly more efficient. For optimal results, scout potential raid locations beforehand and coordinate with local communities to maximize your capture opportunities.

Understanding raid mechanics is crucial for success. Unlike standard Pokemon encounters, legendary raids require careful planning and team coordination. The random nature of raid spawns means checking your nearby gyms frequently and having backup plans when preferred locations don’t feature the desired boss.

Tapu Lele’s unique Psychic/Fairy typing creates both opportunities and challenges for raiding teams. This dual-type combination possesses vulnerabilities to only three damage types: Ghost, Poison, and Steel. Each of these types deals super-effective damage, making them essential components of any successful raid strategy.

Ghost-type attackers like Gengar and Chandelure excel against Tapu Lele, particularly when equipped with Shadow Ball or Shadow Claw movesets. Their resistance to Psychic-type attacks provides additional survivability during extended battles. For Poison-types, Roserade with Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb offers excellent damage output, while Mega Gengar (when available) provides both Ghost and Poison coverage with devastating effectiveness.

Steel-types represent the third pillar of effective counter strategies. Metagross with Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash stands as the premier Steel-type option, dealing consistent super-effective damage while resisting Tapu Lele’s Fairy-type moves. Escavalier and Scizor provide solid alternatives with their Bug/Steel typing offering additional resistances.

When building your raid team, prioritize Pokemon with optimal movesets and high individual values (IVs). Shadow variants of recommended counters often provide additional damage output but require significant investment. Always check move compatibility using apps like PokeGenie to ensure your team deals maximum damage.

For trainers lacking specialized counters, heavy hitters like Kyogre with Waterfall and Surf, Groudon with Mud Shot and Earthquake, or Rhyperior with Smack Down and Rock Wrecker can still contribute meaningful damage through raw stats and type-neutral matchups.

Understanding Tapu Lele’s resistances proves equally important as knowing its weaknesses. The guardian Pokemon completely nullifies damage from Dragon, Fighting, and Psychic-type attacks, making typically powerful Pokemon virtually useless in this specific matchup.

Dragon-type powerhouses like Dragonite, Salamence, and Garchomp suffer double resistance due to Fairy-type immunity to Dragon moves. Similarly, Fighting-types including Machamp, Conkeldurr, and Lucario find themselves severely handicapped, dealing only minimal damage throughout the encounter.

Psychic-types face similar challenges, with legendary Pokemon like Mewtwo and Metagross (when using Psychic moves) becoming ineffective choices. This triple resistance pattern means approximately one-sixth of all Pokemon types become non-viable options against Tapu Lele.

Common team building mistakes include over-relying on favorite Pokemon without considering type effectiveness. Another frequent error involves bringing Pokemon with suboptimal movesets that don’t capitalize on super-effective damage multipliers. Advanced trainers should focus on creating balanced teams that include both primary counters and backup heavy hitters to ensure consistent damage output throughout the raid.

Strategic considerations include preparing multiple battle parties for quick rejoining and having revival items readily available. The battle typically requires 3-6 trainers depending on individual levels and Pokemon quality, making proper preparation essential for success.

Once you’ve successfully captured Tapu Lele, strategic integration into your Pokemon roster opens new gameplay possibilities. The Land Spirit Pokemon performs exceptionally well in Go Battle League, particularly in Ultra League formats where its typing and stats create favorable matchups against common meta picks.

Beyond PvP applications, Tapu Lele serves as a valuable asset for future raid scenarios. Its Psychic/Fairy typing makes it effective against Fighting, Poison, and Dragon-type raid bosses, providing long-term value beyond the current event.

Advanced preparation involves more than just assembling counters. Consider powering up key Pokemon beforehand, stocking up on Golden Razz Berries for capture attempts, and coordinating with raid groups through Discord or other community platforms. Time management becomes crucial during limited-time events, with experienced trainers often completing multiple raids within the available window.

For comprehensive team building strategies that apply across multiple Pokemon Go scenarios, consult our Class Guide for detailed breakdowns of optimal configurations.

Remember that successful raiding extends beyond type advantages. Proper dodging techniques, energy management for charged moves, and understanding raid boss attack patterns all contribute to consistent success rates. These skills transfer effectively to other gameplay aspects, including Complete Guide for Pokemon Go’s broader mechanics and systems.

No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Pokemon Go Tapu Lele Raid Guide: Best Counters, Weaknesses, Raid Hours, And More Tips Master Tapu Lele raids with optimal counters, strategic timing, and battle-tested team compositions