The Best Counter to the Shiny Rayquaza Raid: Ursaluna Bloodmoon!

If you're struggling to take down the five-star Shiny Rayquaza raid on your own, then this is the guide you need. Popular counters like Sylveon and Azumarill work well but may rely on your teammates being human, not the random AI trainers that us solo players have to work with. For those solo trainers who aren't having the best luck with their fairy armies, Ursaluna Bloodmoon is an awesome alternative.

Why Ursaluna Bloodmoon is the best Rayquaza counter

Ursaluna Bloodmoon boasts a monstrous maximum special attack of 405 when throwing 252 EVs into the stat. In addition to its sky-high special attack, it sports massive physical defense and HP, allowing it to tank Rayquaza's physical attacks, like Earthquake, with ease.

Its Achilles' heel is its less-than-stellar special defense and its low speed tier. The latter isn't as much of a concern given this is a 4 vs. 1 battle. The lower-than-average special defense stat will pose a problem if Rayquaza's AI starts to spam Dragon Pulses. But, with the moveset below, you'll be able to take down the Pokémon Emerald mascot and claim a shiny new addition to your team.

Ursaluna Bloodmoon Moveset for Rayquaza Raid

1. Blood Moon - This move's base power is an insane 140, allowing you to put a nice chunk in Rayquaza's HP. Its only drawbacks are that you cannot use it twice in a row and its base PP is only 5.

2. Moonblast - Use this immediately after you've fired off a Blood Moon.

3. Calm Mind - The boost in special defense is much needed, and you'll love the added buff to special attack.

4. Moonlight - If you're running low on health and out of cheers, a nice glimpse into the moonlight will allow you to keep fighting on.

The strategy here is simple: start your battle off by immediately going into Blood Moon. This should do a nice amount of damage to Rayquaza. Next, hit it with a Moonblast for super-effective damage. Once you do this enough, Rayquaza will activate its shield.

Around this time, it may be time for you to Terastallize. If you've got a Tera type of Fairy, you'll gain a much-needed immunity to Dragon Pulse. If you just have a Normal type, you should still be fine as a boosted Blood Moon hits like a truck even with neutral damage.

Claim a piece of Pokémon history before it's too late

As far as I can remember, there haven't been many distributions of Shiny Rayquaza throughout the years. And this marks its first distribution on the Nintendo Switch platform. By utilizing the strategy laid out in this article, you'll be well on your way to claiming an awesome black dragon of your own. And once you have him, head over to our Pokémon nickname generator based on type to give it a name fit for a legend.

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