Best counters for Xatu in Pokemon GO

Xatu is one of the more obscure Pokemon to be given the spotlight in Pokemon GO's Season of Mischief event.

Xatu has been a part of the Pokemon franchise since the second generation of main series games. Veterans of the series may remember finding Xatu's pre-evolved form in the tall grass deep in the Ruins of Alph in Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. Other players may remember finding it in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire's Safari Zone.

Best counters to use against Xatu in Pokemon GO

Xatu as it appears in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

Xatu is a 3-star raid boss in Pokemon GO's Season of Mischief event. However, many players may not know how to deal with the Mystic Pokemon.

The first thing to know about Xatu is that it is a Psychic and Flying-type Pokemon, which means Fighting-type Pokemon will want to stay far away from this battle. Psychic-type Pokemon also have an advantage against Poison-types. Flying-type Pokemon, on the other hand, have an advantage against Fighting, Grass and Bug-types.

One of the flaws of Pokemon with multiple types is that while their typing gives them many strengths, it also leaves them open to many weaknesses.

While Flying-types on their own have a resistance to Bug-types, the addition of the Psychic-type weakens that resistance, causing them to take regular damage to attacks. Xatu takes super effective damage from Dark, Rock, Electric, Ice, and Ghost-type attacks, so moves like Thunder Shock or Shadow Ball are great choices for this Pokemon GO battle.

The best Pokemon to have on the team for this raid are those that have access to super effective moves and are also the same type as those moves. Ghost-types like Gengar and Chandelure are great choices due to their boost to Ghost-type moves and their high-attack stats.

For players who participated in the third part of the Ultra Unlock event, Galarian Darmanitan's Zen Mode is currently the best counter as it has high attack and strong Ice-type attacks. It also has a strong Stamina stat, so it can take a couple of big hits without the player worrying too much.

Additional information about Xatu

After completing the raid battle, players will have the opportunity to capture Xatu and add it to their party.

Here is some helpful information for players looking to use Xatu in other raid battles and Battle Leagues:

• Xatu has a maximum combat power of 2,188.
• Xatu has an attack stat of 192, a defense stat of 146, and a stamina stat of 163.
• The highest combat power Xatu can be found with in Pokemon GO is 1,876.