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Deoxys Defense Forme 4-Person Raid Guide

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Tier 5 Raid Boss Guides
Deoxys-Defense-Guide
Difficulty:

Difficult at trainer level 30 despite proper counters

HP15,000 ATK113.80 DEF260.80
CP Range
Lvl 20 1228 - 1299 Lvl 25 1535 - 1624

Notable Weather

Boosts Boss's Moves Boosts Counters' Moves
Rain, Windy, Partly Cloudy, Cloudy Fog, Rain

Fast Move Difficulty

Move Difficulty
Zen Headbutt Intermediate
Counter Intermediate

Charge Move Difficulty

Move Difficulty
Rock Slide Intermediate
Thunderbolt Intermediate
Psycho Boost Easy

Overview

When used by players, Deoxys - Defense Forme combines a pathetic HP stat with one of the absolute highest Defense stats in the game to make something that works in PvP. But this high Defense stat makes this Pokemon a nightmare to fight for raiders, as its abysmal HP is replaced by a flat-rate, making it an iron wall of a Pokemon.

Deoxys - Defense is a hard raid simply because this thing is a sponge. It can take your hardest hits and keep goading on more. And while its attack stat is nothing to write home about, its coverage can make it very threatening to many of its counters. If you want to take on this raid with a trio, then it is imperative that the team plans out their counters and strategies, as loss is a very real threat for the trio.

Note that a trio actually is possible, and has been done. However, the requirements are strict, involving perfect moveset and weather, and the literal only Pokemon that's viable is Mega Gengar. For these reasons, this guide will focus on the trio.

Approach

Team composition

  • For the trio, Mega Evolutions can be very important. In this role, Mega Gengar is the clear winner.

  • The ideal counters can change a bit based on Deoxys' moveset, though the big-name ghosts tend to be viable in the vast majority of cases.

Battling strategy

  • Re-entry will be necessary against most setups.

  • Plan Mega Evolutions with your team to ensure maximum type-based boosts while active

Note: "Good" movesets are not necessarily viable at the level indicated.

Best Raid Boss Counters

Supreme Mega Evolution Counters

Mega Gengar Mega Gengar
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The Ghost King rises once again. Mega Gengar hits like a meteor coming out of orbit and it triple resists Counter, so it's definitely the platinum-standard for this raid. Just make sure that you dodge Psycho Boost.

Mega Banette Mega Banette
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Largely a worse Mega Gengar, Mega Banette at least isn't weak to Psychic Type movesets.

Good Mega Evolution Counters

Mega Houndoom Mega Houndoom
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Mega Houndoom is a bit of an oddball in this raid. It's weak to Rock Slide and Counter, but at the same time it double-resists Psychic Type movesets, so its performance is going to be very moveset-reliant to say the least. Regardless, it's a nice overall counter that's worth considering.

Mega Absol Mega Absol
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Mega Absol has overall performance similar to Mega Houndoom, but it's more on the frail side despite not having a weakness beyond Counter. 

Mega Gyarados Mega Gyarados
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Bite Crunch Best

Mega Gyarados is a case that's very similar to Mega Houndoom; it's weak to Counter and Thunderbolt, but its double-resistance to Psychic Type moves gives it great performance given the right moveset. Overall, Mega Gyarados is the TDO option for this raid.

Mega Mega Beedrill
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A good budget option, Mega Beedrill is going to come out strong and hit hard, but drop fast.

Mega Alakazam Mega Alakazam
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Mega Alakazam doesn't have great performance here, but it has the advantage of being a Psychic Type, meaning its presence on the field will grant additional XL Candy. That aside, it's not really worth considering over the other options.

Supreme Counters

ShadowWeavile Shadow Weavile
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For those lucky enough to have it, Shadow Weavile will help a lot with the clock, but it severely dislikes Counter.

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The old classic, Gengar comes in strong and does a lot of damage while doing very well against Counter thanks to its 3x resistance. But, again, watch out for Psychic Type movesets,

Shadow Mewtwo Shadow Mewtwo
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The true universal pick, Shadow Mewtwo has the huge advantage of being able to slot into literally any moveset. It resists Psychic Type movesets and Counter, and isn't weak to anything that Deoxys - Defense can throw at it. 

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As we've said before for other Dark Types; beware of Counter and this monster can put in great work.

Good Counters

Hydreigon Hydreigon
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One of the better overall picks, Hydreigon sports huge TDO with decent DPS. It doesn't like Counter, as is a common trait with Dark Types, but it makes up for this with its 2x resistance to Psychic Type movesets.

Chandelure Chandelure
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Another strong option, Chandelure fears only Rock Slide, and laughs in the face of Counter. It's hard to go wrong with this enlightening Pokemon!

ShadowTyranitar Shadow Tyranitar
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Bite Crunch Best

A strong overall counter, just note that Counter will take it down very quickly.

Giratina Origin Forme Pokemon GO Giratina (Origin Forme)
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Despite being a bit low on DPS, Giratina - Origin Forme lasts a very long time, can come on on any moveset like a champ, and still hits above the 4-person minimum DPS, so it's a great universal choice for this raid, assuming your raid group knows what they're doing.

Pinsir Shadow Pinsir
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One of the better bugs, but a pretty vanilla pick. Resists Counter but doesn't appreciate Rock Slide.

ShadowMismagius Shadow Mismagius
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A bit middle-of-the-road, but Shadow Mismagius is a good filler.

Glass Counters
ShadowBanette Shadow Banette
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Hit hard, faint fast.

Shadow-Honchkrow Shadow Honchkrow
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Pretty fast overall, Honchkrow is also pretty glassy and will tend to drop quickly.

ShadowHoundoom Shadow Houndoom
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Basically a baby Mega Houndoom 

Shadow Absol Shadow Absol
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Basically a baby Mega Absol.

Raid Graph