Pokemon GO Lugia and Shadow Lugia in PvP and PvE guide: Best moveset, counters, and more

Pokemon GO is set to witness yet another Team GO Rocket Takeover. You can participate in this event from Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 10 am local time to Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at 8 pm local time. You will come across Shadow Lugia raids between October 28, 2023, and October 29, 2023.

This article takes a look at the best moveset for Lugia and Shadow Lugia in Pokemon GO PvP and PvE.

Note: Lugia and Shadow Lugia have the same base stats and moveset. Shadow Lugia’s attack stat gets multiplied by 1.2, and its defense stat by 0.833. Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the opinions of the writer.

Best PvE moveset for Lugia and Shadow Lugia and Shadow Lugia and Shadow Lugia in Pokemon GO

Best offensive PvE moveset for Lugia and Shadow Lugia

The best offensive PvE moveset for Lugia and Shadow Lugia in Pokemon GO would be Extrasensory as the Fast move, along with Aeroblast and Future Sight as the Charged moves.

You will primarily be using Extrasensory and Aeroblast as the primary moves for Lugia and Shadow Lugia. Both moves share the same elemental typings with Lugia and Shadow Lugia. You will get the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) as both the moves and the user have the same Flying and Psychic elemental typings.

Best defensive PvE moveset for Lugia and Shadow Lugia

As both Lugia and Shadow Lugia are Legendary Pocket Monsters, you cannot keep them in Gyms. This means you will not need a defensive PvE moveset.

Are Lugia and Shadow Lugia good in Pokemon GO PvE?

Lugia used to be one of the top contenders when it came to raid attackers. However, it has seen a gradual decrease in users, as there are better alternatives in the Psychic department, and you don’t really need Flying attackers a lot.

Shadow Lugia might be a bit better due to the added DPS. You could justify using it in certain scenarios, but we do not see a reason to invest your resources in a Pokemon that is good for niche scenarios.

Best PvP moveset for Lugia and Shadow Lugia in Pokemon GO

Dragon Tail as the Fast move, along with Sky Attack and Aeroblast as the Charged moves, form the best PvP moveset for Lugia and Shadow Lugia in GO.

Are Lugia and Shadow Lugia good in Pokemon GO PvP?

Shadow Lugia artwork (Image via Niantic)

Thanks to their insanely high defense stat of 310, Lugia and its Shadow variant can tank an onslaught of attacks from enemies. They can do this while dishing out a fair amount of damage. As a result, you can use them to whittle down your enemies without worrying about shields.

While they perform decently in the Great and Ultra Leagues, both Lugia and its Shadow form are forces to be reckoned with in the Master League. These creatures have the highest bulk in the game. Paired with a solid moveset, you have an amazing attacker for the GO Battle League.

Lugia and Shadow Lugia Pokemon GO strengths and weaknesses

Lugia and Shadow Lugia share the same elemental typing (Flying- and Psychic-type). This makes them vulnerable to the following elemental typings:

Dark
Electric
Ghost
Ice
Rock

Lugia and Shadow Lugia are resistant to the following elemental typings:

Fighting
Grass
Ground
Psychic

All moves that Lugia and Shadow Lugia can learn in Pokemon GO

Official artwork for Team GO Rocket takeover (Image via Niantic)

Lugia and Shadow Lugia can learn the following moves in the game:

Fast moves:

Extrasensory
Dragon Tail

Charged moves:

Sky Attack
Hydro Pump
Future Sight
Aeroblast
Aeroblast+

Best counters for Lugia and Shadow Lugia in Pokemon GO

Here are the best counters for Lugia and Shadow Lugia:

Mega Tyranitar
Mega Gengar
Shadow Tyranitar
Mega Diancie
Mega Banette
Shadow Raikou
Mega Rayquaza
Xurkitree
Shadow Magnezone
Shadow Electivire
Shadow Mamoswine
Mega Manectric
Shadow Weavile

Aside from these creatures, there are other counters with similar elemental typings that perform well against Lugia and Shadow Lugia.