Super Mega Raids are dropping into Pokemon GO with a blast, and trainers all over the world are preparing themselves to face the most challenging Mega Evolved Pokemon they'll ever see. Gathering a team of expert trainers and facing this new challenge alongside your friends might make things a bit easier, but it is always good to have the right counters, strategy, and tips to succeed at beating a Raid.
This guide contains all the information players need about the Super Mega Raid mechanics, how Link Charges work, what rewards you can get after beating the Raid Boss, and how to optimize your Pokemon GO Teams to beat the likes of Super Mega Dragonite and all other Super Mega Raid bosses.
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What Are Super Mega Raids in Pokemon GO?
Super Mega Raids are a new type of Raid Challenge launching during the Pokemon GO Tour Kalos Global event starting on February 28, 2026. Regular Mega Raids will still be included in the regular rotations, and players can still participate in them.
Pokemon in Super Mega Raids will have higher CP values than in regular Mega Raids (which are already powerful enough as it is), so challengers will have to think their strategy thoroughly before facing these massive bosses in Super Mega Raid Battles.
The damage these bosses cause will also be heavily increased, so trainers might want to calculate more than simply type-advantage and resistances, and also add optimized lineups to tank out and cause damage at the same time.
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Plus, Super Mega Pokemon become Enraged (similarly to Shadow Raids), acquiring a Shield that needs to be taken down to keep causing it damage.
Trainer Pokemon will be immediately KO'd when the Super Mega Raid boss is enraged, and Players can only break one shield per person, per run. Once all shields drop, the enraged Pokemon will return to normal for the rest of the Raid.
Super Mega Raids will award tons of Mega Energy for the featured Pokemon, as well as EXP, Stardust, Berries, and a chance to capture the Pokemon after defeating it.
There's a full explainer guide here if you want to know how to obtain More Poke Coins.
What Are Link Charges in Pokemon GO
Players need to acquire Link Charges, the currency needed to participate in Mega Raids, to challenge these Super Mega Raids. 150 are required to participate in each Super Mega Raid, and this currency is obtained in the following ways:
- By completing Weekly Challenges
- By opening Gifts from other trainers
- By attending Campfire App meetups
- Purchasing them from the In-game Store using PokeCoins
200 Link Charges can be bought for 100 PokeCoins, and there's a regular promotion that sells 600 Link Charges for 300 PokeCoins.
Players can also use Premium Battle Passes to join the Super Mega Raids. But joining a Super Mega Raid remotely will cost both Link Charges and Premium Battle Passes. So this discourages the use of third-party apps to engage remotely and focuses on the in-game Campfire app to find a team.
Best Strategy To Beat Mega Dragonite in Pokemon GO
To beat Mega Dragonite in Super Mega Raids, players need to be extremely careful about how they deploy their Pokemon team members. Super Mega Dragonite will enrage and destroy any Pokemon that is active, and that includes Mega Evolved Pokemon. Losing your Mega right off the bat will mean an absolute fail of the Raid, so here's what players should do:
- As players might already know, only one Mega Evolution (Main Attacker/Shield Breaker) can be active per team, and it's critical to have that Mega Pokemon (or similar form, like Crowned Shield Zacian, Crowned Sword Zamazenta) be the last team member, not the first to drop when the combat begins.
- When the Shield Phase starts, players need to deploy the Mega at the right moment and use it to chip down Mega Dragonite's shield.
- Continue attacking and coordinating shield breaks with the rest of the Trainers in the Raid to ensure it breaks, and cancel the Enrage phase.
Of course, having the perfect counters for Super Mega Dragonite will help players deal more damage and efficiently rack up contributions while the Raid is active. Here are some suggestions for your lineup:
|
Pokemon |
Fast Move |
Charged Move |
|---|---|---|
|
White Kyurem |
Ice Fang |
Ice Burn |
|
Black Kyurem |
Dragon Tail |
Freeze Shock |
|
Mega Rayquaza |
Dragon Tail |
Breaking Swipe |
|
Eternatus |
Dragon Tail |
Dynamax Cannon |
|
Shadow Mamoswine |
Powder Snow |
Avalanche |
|
Shadow Articuno |
Frost Breath |
Triple Axel |
|
Crowned Shield Zamazenta |
Ice Fang |
Behemot Bash |
|
Baxcalibur |
Ice Fang |
Avalanche |
|
Shadow Alolan Ninetales |
Powder Snow |
Weather Ball |
If players don't have any of these Pokemon, they can, of course, replace them with either their regular versions (in the case of the Shadow Pokemon suggested for the Raid) or some of the following Pokemon that can also cause considerable damage to Mega Dragonite:
- Weavile
- Garchomp
- Galarian Darmanitan
- Regice
- Aurorus
Remember: It is unlikely to take down a Super Mega Raid in only one round, and players will probably have to heal up their teams and rejoin after being wiped (several times). Make sure to bring enough Revives and Healing items to keep your teams in top shape.
