From Thursday, May 12 to Friday, May 20, Alolan Raichu will be appearing as a tier-three raid boss in Pokémon GO as a part of the Water Festival event. The opportunity to catch Alolan Raichu will be available to any player that defeats the raid boss, and there's also a chance that the Shiny version will appear. In order to defeat this Electric- and Psychic-type Pokémon, Dark-, Ground-, Ghost-, or Bug-type moves need to be used against it.
Since Alolan Raichu is a tier-three raid boss, it's recommended that players invite a few other trainers to the battle. It's possible to win the raid alone, but the longer it takes to beat Alolan Raichu, the fewer chances players will have to catch it. Only friends can be invited in Pokémon GO, so other trainers will need to be added using their friend code first. Once added, trainers can be invited by using the button on the right side of the screen above the Pokémon team after entering a raid.
Alolan Raichu benefits from rainy or windy weather boosts, so it will be harder to defeat in these conditions. The regular Alolan Raichu raid boss CP is around 16,000. The CP for the Alolan Raichu that players can catch will also be increased by any active weather boosts. Normally, Alolan Raichu can be caught at a CP between 1,238 and 1,306, but the max is 1,633 with a weather boost. The CP can also be increased using candy after Alolan Raichu is captured.
How To Defeat & Catch Alolan Raichu In Pokémon GO
As an Electric- and Psychic-type Pokémon, Alolan Raichu is weak against Dark-, Ground-, Ghost-, and Bug-type moves. There are a lot of options for putting together a strong team in Pokémon GO, but players will need to pay attention to each Pokémon's moves and not just their type. Moves can be changed using Fast or Charged TMs. With a strong team, players should be able to easily defeat Alolan Raichu.
Best Pokémon & Movesets To Counter Alolan Raichu
- Mega Gengar: Hex and Shadow Ball
- Mega Houndoom: Snarl and Foul Play
- Mega Beedrill: Bug Bite and X-Scissor
- Darkrai: Snarl and Shadow Ball
- Giratina (Origin): Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball
- Chandelure: Hex and Shadow Ball
- Excadrill: Mud Slap and Earthquake
- Garchomp: Mud Shot and Earth Power
- Weavile: Snarl and Foul Play
- Mewtwo: Psycho Cut and Shadow Ball
Once Alolan Raichu is defeated, players will have the opportunity to catch it in Pokémon GO. The number of Premier Balls that players can use depends on the damage dealt to the raid boss, how quickly it was defeated, and whether or not participating players are on the same team. To increase the chance that Alolan Raichu will be captured, players can use a Razz Berry or Golden Razz Berry. Defeating Alolan Raichu may also give players the chance to catch its Shiny version in Pokémon GO.
Pokémon GO is available for Android and iOS.