Once you know how to catch Pikachu Libre in Pokémon Go, you will be able to show off one of the rarest creatures in the game right now. It’s not so rare because it’s hard to find, but because the challenge of actually getting it is a rather grueling one. You need to learn how to battle and defeat other trainers first.
Not only does the Pokémon look cool but catching it nets you some unique outfit items and Pikachu Libre can also learn an exclusive move, making it a well-liked choice in many battles.
Here’s how to catch Pikachu Libre in Pokémon Go, which movesets you should use, and how to counter it.
How to catch Pikachu Libre in Pokémon Go
In order to get a chance at catching Pikachu Libre, you have to get to Legend Rank in the Battle League. To get into the Battle League, you press the Pokéball icon to get to the menu, then hit “Battle”. You can then start taking on the ranks. It will take a while but it's a good way to get Pokémon Go XP.
You get through the ranks by completing and winning battles consecutively. In order to get to Legend, you need to win over 50 games, take part in over 30 other battles, and get to a rating of 3,000+ by battling other high-level players. Here are all the ranks and rewards in the current season:
- Rank 1: Guaranteed encounter with Wingull
- Rank 1+: Possible encounters with Machop, Gligar, Wingull, Grubbin, or Skwovet
- Rank 6: Guaranteed encounter with Scraggy
- Rank 6+: Possible encounter with Frillish or Carbink
- Rank 11+: Possible encounters with Alolan Marowak, Lickitung, Maraenie, Scraggy, or Ralts
- Rank 16+: Possible encounters with Falinks, Wooloo, or Vullaby
- Rank 20+: 5-star Raid Boss (Zapdos, Landorus, or Yveltal)
- Ace Rank: Guaranteed encounter with Goomy and Lana-inspired wig
- Veteran Rank: Guaranteed Encounter with Deino and Lana-inspired shoes
- Expert Rank: Guaranteed Encounter with Jangmo-o and Lana-inspired outfit
- Legend Rank: Guaranteed Encounter with Pikachu Libre and a Lana-inspired pose
Once you get to Legend Rank, you will be faced with an encounter where the matador-themed Pokémon will pop out.
Best Pikachu Libre moveset and counters
Pikachu Libre can learn the following moves as part of its traditional moveset:
Fast Attacks:
- Thunder Shock
- Charm
Charged Moves:
- Thunder Punch
- Play Rough
- Flying Press
- Draining Kiss
Given Pikachu Libre is weak to Ground-type moves, setting Flying Press as your charged attack is a good choice. As well as this, Thunder Punch shares a type with Pikachu so it will also gain a bonus, making this the best combo for Pikachu Libre.
As electric is weak to Ground, you want to make sure your Pokémon choice has Ground moves, but preferably isn’t a Ground type, as Pikachu Libre may have Flying Press. For more information on Battle League, as well as the specific requirements for each rank, check out our Pokémon Go Battle League information piece here.
