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

The legendary Warrior Pokemon from the Galar region makes its highly anticipated return to five-star raid battles in Pokemon Go, appearing alongside its counterpart Zamazenta from August 18 through August 31. This marks only the second appearance of this coveted Fairy-type legendary since its initial debut approximately one year ago.

For trainers who missed the previous raid cycle or are returning after an extended break, this represents a prime opportunity to capture this powerful combatant. Veteran players can leverage this limited window to accumulate additional Candy and precious Candy XL resources for powering up their existing Zacian specimens. The timing coincides with Pokemon Go’s World Championship festivities, adding to the event’s significance for competitive battlers.

Zacian emerges as a formidable five-star raid boss beginning at 10:00 AM local time on August 18, maintaining its presence until the same time on August 31. During this period, it will share the legendary raid rotation with its sibling Zamazenta, meaning trainers should verify the boss before committing raid passes. Raid spawns occur randomly at gyms worldwide without fixed schedules, though the game provides notifications when raids initiate nearby.

Your most reliable method for encountering multiple Zacian raids involves the exclusive Raid Hours scheduled every Wednesday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time. During these windows, the majority of gyms feature five-star raids specifically highlighting Zacian. While two Raid Hours occur during this event period, only the August 24 session will showcase Zacian exclusively—mark this date strategically. Participation requires either your complimentary daily Raid Pass, a Premium Battle Pass for in-person engagements, or Remote Raid Passes for distant participation.

As a pure Fairy-type combatant, Zacian demonstrates significant vulnerability to Steel and Poison-type offensive techniques. This elemental weakness creates clear strategic pathways for assembling effective raiding parties. Below are optimized team recommendations categorized by type effectiveness:

• Steel-type Specialists: Metagross with Meteor Mash, Mega Scizor utilizing Bullet Punch and Iron Head, Dialga employing Metal Claw and Iron Head, Excadrill with Metal Claw and Iron Head
• Poison-type Experts: Mega Gengar using Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb, Mega Beedrill with Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb, Nihilego featuring Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb, Roserade employing Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb

Advanced Mega Evolution Tactics: When you deploy a Mega Evolved Pokemon during raid encounters, it provides two distinct damage amplification effects. All allies receive a 10% damage increase to their attacks, while Pokemon utilizing moves matching the Mega Pokemon’s type gain an additional 30% damage boost. Coordinate Mega deployments with your raid team to maximize type synergy—for instance, Mega Steelix enhances Steel-type attacks from allies but contributes minimal personal damage due to defensive stat allocation and absence of Steel-type fast moves.

Shadow Pokemon Advantage: Shadow variants deliver 20% increased damage compared to their purified or standard counterparts. However, they also sustain 20% additional damage received, requiring careful survival management. Deploy shadow versions of recommended counters when your team has sufficient numerical advantage to complete the raid efficiently.

Despite this being Zacian’s second feature in five-star raids, its shimmering shiny variant remains inaccessible in Pokemon Go. This absence may influence some collectors to postpone intensive raiding until its eventual shiny debut. However, the current event presents exceptional value for trainers focused on combat effectiveness rather than cosmetic variations.

This limited engagement offers prime opportunities for accumulating Zacian Candy and the elusive Candy XL resources necessary for maximizing this legendary’s combat potential. Strategic raiding during this period can provide sufficient resources to power up multiple Zacian specimens for various battle league formats. The extended absence between appearances underscores the importance of capitalizing on this farming window, as future availability remains uncertain beyond the confirmed August 31 conclusion.

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