Hello students! My name is Professor Geekbeak, and today, I wish to draw attention to Solgaleo. While Solgaleo on its own is not particularly powerful, it is NECESSARY to have one to get Necrozma – Dusk Mane, so it is certainly worth the catch if you don’t have one already, in order to get one of the strongest Pokemon in the game. Grab your notebooks, class is in session. For those who wish to do their research independently, our raw data can be found here. And for those who wish for a simple visual guide, go ahead and take a look at the below visual guide by CaptGoldfish.

NOTE: Some visual guides will be outdated for the duration of GO FEST. They will remain mostly accurate, but lack modern counters, such as the Mega Mewtwo duo, or Eternatus. Not only that, please note that some raids will not be covered in an article for GO FEST, due to the sheer volume. Our team has decided that the best call is to only cover raids who are within the top 10 counters in their type. If you’re looking for a counter that does not have an article, feel free to use pokebattler.com

Course Schedule

This counter is one of many GO FEST raids. There are too many to put a coherent schedule here, but rest assured, pretty much every legendary, mega, and shadow under the sun will be going at some point. Look to your local GO FEST event or the Pokebattler.com raid schedule to see exactly what raids will be going.

While Solgaleo’s weaknesses aren’t as glaring as its moon bird companion, there are a few super effective options to hit. However, note that Solar Beam is on the charge move list, despite Solgaleo not being a Grass type, so if your counter has a Grass weakness, be careful.

Effectiveness	Types
Double Resist (0.4x)	Poison Psychic
Resist (0.6x)	Normal Flying Rock Steel Grass Ice Dragon Fairy
Neutral	Fighting Bug Water Electric
Super Effective (1.6x)	Ground Ghost Fire Dark
Double Super Effective (2.6x)	—

Solgaleo’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Flamethrower
• Iron Head
• Solar Beam
• Psychic Fangs

The Dean’s List consists of the top 5 counters to Solgaleo. As always, the Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and the Third Ranked will have their best moveset alternatives in a table with their rankings and a table detailing their defensive prowess against the charge moves listed above.

Shadow Reshiram A

Best Moveset: Fire Fang / Fusion Flare

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Fire Fang	Fusion Flare	100%
Fire Fang	Overheat	91%
Fire Fang	Crunch	70%
Fire Fang	Draco Meteor	64%
Dragon Breath	Fusion Flare	63%
Fire Fang	Stone Edge	61%

Necrozma - Dawn Wings A

Best Moveset: Shadow Claw / Moongeist Beam

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Shadow Claw	Moongeist Beam	100%
Psycho Cut	Moongeist Beam	95%
Metal Claw	Moongeist Beam	82%
Shadow Claw	Dark Pulse	64%
Shadow Claw	Future Sight	50%
Psycho Cut	Dark Pulse	48%

Mega Charizard Y A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Blast Burn

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★★

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Fire Spin	Blast Burn	100%
Ember	Blast Burn	94%
Fire Spin	Overheat	91%
Fire Spin	Flamethrower	87%
Fire Spin	Fire Blast	85%
Wing Attack	Blast Burn	83%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Solar Beam	🛡🛡	—	🛡🛡
Iron Head	🛡	—	🛡
Flamethrower	🛡🛡	—	🛡
Psychic Fangs	—	🛡	—

Primal Groudon A

Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Precipice Blades

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Blaziken A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Blast Burn

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Blacephalon

We here at Pokebattler Pokémon Research Institute can’t expect you to have the best counters every time. So, here are some of our other best options, most of which will be easier to find than the members of the Dean’s List.

Mega Tyranitar A

Best Moveset: Bite / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Gengar A

Best Moveset: Lick / Shadow Ball

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Hydreigon A

Best Moveset: Bite / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Heatran A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Magma Storm

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Chandelure A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Shadow Ball

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Of course, besides our 10 best counters, there are plenty of Pokémon that also work against Solgaleo. Here are a few star choices, worthy of praise.

A	Mega Mewtwo XMega GarchompMega Mewtwo YReshiramMega Charizard XShadow MoltresShadow DarmanitanShadow DarkraiShadow CharizardShadow SalamenceShadow BlazikenMega AbsolMega HoundoomShadow GarchompShadow EnteiShadow GroudonShadow Ho-OhShadow EmboarLandorus Therian

Sometimes, the weather can be your most powerful ally. In certain weather conditions, certain Pokémon on our list excel. The most transformative cases are noted below.

Sunny/Clear

Shadow Heatran (1.4)Blacephalon (1.5)Reshiram (1.5)

Fog

Mega Gengar (1.4)Mega Tyranitar (1.5)Shadow Hydreigon (1.5)

Overall, Solgaleo is a pretty easy raid. That small laundry list of weaknesses means that most counters will end up hitting them, and not being hit too hard by Solgaleo’s wider list of Charge Moves. Of course, if you wish to do more research on your box’s best Pokémon for the job, Pokebattler.com itself can be a great help! Remember, the best counter is the one you have powered up and ready to go. I grant extra credit to those who use their best friend bonus and the weather to their advantage. Class dismissed!