Mewtwo was the original Ex Raid. While it sounded like Pokémon Go meant for their to be others, from Luigia to... who knows? And in short order, Mewtwo was the only one available as the months drew on. Not everyone was able to get Ex Raid passes and not everyone who did was able to get a really good Mewtwo. Luckily, Pokémon Go released everyone's favorite Psychic-type warrior in 5 Star Raids for a month... but without Shadow Ball. Talk about mixed Poke-blessings! Now, Mewtwo is returning again for a week — with a Shiny form and Psystrike in the move pool. Oh. Yeah.
And here's how to beat it.
August 20, 2019: Shiny Psystrike Mewtwo from September 16 to September 23, 2019
Mewtwo with the special move Psystrike will be available to challenge in five-star raids. If you're lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Mewtwo!
Psystrike doesn't sound quite as good as Shadow Ball, but it sounds better than everything else. Plus — Shiny! Mark your calendars. Catch them all.
July 4, 2019: Armored Mewtwo is here!
From July 10 at 1:00 p.m. PDT to July 31 at 1 p.m. PDT, Armored Mewtwo, a variant form, will be available in 5 star raids.
The stats aren't great compared to regular Mewtwo, especially in Pokemon Go where defense-oriented legendaries can't be put in Gyms as, you know, defenders, so this is mostly a Dex-entry for now.
But, don't miss it!
September 20, 2018: Pokémon Go drastically changes Mewtwo characteristics as it hits Legenday Raids
RIP the Mewtwo we knew and loved. Pokémon has made a new Mewtwo, and it's harder and worse.
With Mewtwo's best moveset, Shadow Ball, now made Legacy, the new moves you can get are:
- Ice Beam
- Flame Thrower
- Thunder Bolt
Nice homage to the Legendary Birds there, but useless as Mewtwo movesets. Ugh.
Mewtwo's catch rate has also been redueced from its previous, easier, Ex Raid levels to the same rate as other Legendary Raid Bosses, likely 2%.
Lastly, Mewtwo's HP has been increased making it much harder to battle. In most cases, instead of the 2-3 people minumum for Ex-Raids, now it looks closer to 4-6 people. (Especially for the tougher movesets, like Focus Blast.)
Predictable if depressing.
How many players do you need to beat Mewtwo?
Mewtwo can be beaten by as few as four people with enough high-level counters. Most of the time that means high-level Tyranitar with Bite + Crunch movesets or other Mewtwo with Shadow Ball.
It won't be fast and things could go wrong, though. So, if you're looking to maximize speed and ensure victory, having a slightly larger group is the best strategy.
What are the best counters for Mewtwo?
Here are the Pokémon you want on your Mewtwo Raid team:
- Mewtwo with Psycho Cut + Shadow Ball (Legacy)
- Tyranitar with Bite + Crunch (Bite + Stone Edge is also ok.).
- Gyarados with Bite + Crunch (Bite + Hydro Pump is also ok.)
- Rayquaza or Dragonite with Dragon Tail + Outrage (or anything, really.)
- Snorlax with Lick + Hyper Beam.
- Lugia with Dragon Tail + Sky Attack.
If you already have a Mewtwo, you can use it against other Mewtwo as well. Anything + Shadow Ball is best.
What's a 100% perfect Mewtwo?
- 2275: Regular
- 2844: Weather boosted
Is Shiny Mewtwo available?
As of September 16, 2019!
How do you catch Mewtwo?
Mewtwo has a higher catch rate than most other Legendary Raid bosses. But you still have to hit it, and you still have to have odds high enough to catch it.
In terms of hitting it, Mewtwo stands a bit further away than you might expect. So, throw with authority. In terms of catching it:
- ABC. Always be curving. Once you can nail Curve Ball every time, you'll get a 1.7x bonus every time.
- Max out your Psychic medal. It's an automatic 1.1x to 1.3x bonus to your catch, and every modifier matters.
- Play patient. Mewtwo, like any Raid boss, defends better than normal Pokémon, so wait until 3/4 of the way through their attack animation and then make your catch. You should hit just as the ring appears.
- Consistency counts. Aim for the smallest throw bonus you can nail every time. If that's Nice, it's nice. If that's Great or Excellent, even nicer. But better the bonus you get then one you miss, and every extra 1.3 to 2x counts.
- Go Golden: If you have Golden Razz Berries, use them. This is Mewtwo and the Golden Razz modifier, at 2.5x, is the best in the game.
- Keep hitting. Your chance to catch with any one Premier Ball is low but your chance to catch with multiple Premier Ball hits over multiple Raids becomes close to a statistical sure thing. So never give up!
What is Mewtwo?
Mewtwo is a Legendary Pokémon from Gen 1. It's also one of the best attackers in the game — even after Pokémon Go reduced (nerfed) its stats.
Here's the official Pokémon description:
Mewtwo is a Pokémon that was created by genetic manipulation. However, even though the scientific power of humans created this Pokémon's body, they failed to endow Mewtwo with a compassionate heart.
And the Bulbapedia) entry:
Mewtwo is a Pokémon created by science. It is a bipedal, humanoid creature with some feline features. It is primarily gray with a long, purple tail. On top of its head are two short, blunt horns, and it has purple eyes. A tube extends from the back of its skull to the top of its spine, bypassing its neck. It has a defined chest and shoulders, which resemble a breastplate. The three digits on each hand and foot have spherical tips. Its tail is thick at the base, but thins before ending in a small bulb.
Any Mewtwo or Legendary Raid questions?
If you have any questions about Mewtwo or Legendary Raids, drop them in the comments below!
