Super Mega Raid Day – When & What’s New
Niantic’s latest Super Mega Raid Day lands on Saturday, September 19. From 2 PM to 5 PM local time, Mega‑Staraptor will appear in Gyms worldwide, giving trainers a three‑hour window to battle, catch, and claim the new Mega‑evolved boss.
During the event you’ll also unlock a timed research quest that rewards a Psychic/Fairy‑type Gardevoir encounter—perfect for handling Mega‑Staraptor’s new typing. Bonus perks include an increased Remote Raid limit (up to 20 raids) and up to six free Raid Passes from spinning Gym Photo Discs.
New Typing Means New Weaknesses
While regular Staraptor is a Normal/Flying Pokémon, Mega‑Staraptor switches to Fighting/Flying. This change adds several exploitable weaknesses:
- Fairy – super‑effective
- Psychic – super‑effective
- Ice – super‑effective (but beware: Ice Pokémon take heavy damage from Mega‑Staraptor’s Fighting attacks)
- Electric – super‑effective
Rock types, which normally resist Flying, only deal neutral damage and can be hit hard by Close Combat, so they’re not reliable choices.
Best Counters for Mega Staraptor
Stack your raid team with Pokémon that have a type advantage. Below are proven options across four key categories.
Fairy Counters
- Mega Gardevoir – Fast: Charm, Charged: Dazzling Gleam
- Togekiss – Fast: Charm, Charged: Dazzling Gleam
- Sylveon – Fast: Charm, Charged: Dazzling Gleam
- Xerneas – Fast: Geomancy, Charged: Moonblast
- Hatterene – Fast: Charm, Charged: Dazzling Gleam
- Enamorus (Incarnate Forme) – Fast: Fairy Wind, Charged: Dazzling Gleam
Flying Counters
- Mega Pidgeot – Fast: Gust, Charged: Brave Bird
- Mega Skarmory – Fast: Air Slash, Charged: Drill Peck
- Mega Rayquaza – Fast: Air Slash, Charged: Dragon Ascent
- Tornadus (Therian) – Fast: Gust, Charged: Bleakwind Storm
- Yveltal – Fast: Gust, Charged: Oblivion Wing
Electric Counters
- Mega Raichu X/Y – Fast: Thunder Shock, Charged: Volt Tackle / Zap Cannon
- Zapdos – Fast: Thunder Shock, Charged: Thunderbolt
- Manectric – Fast: Thunder Fang, Charged: Wild Charge
- Zekrom – Fast: Charge Beam, Charged: Wild Charge
- Xurkitree – Fast: Thunder Shock, Charged: Discharge
- Zeraora – Fast: Volt Switch, Charged: Plasma Fists
Psychic Counters
- Mega Alakazam – Fast: Confusion, Charged: Psychic
- Mega Mewtwo X/Y – Fast: Psycho Cut, Charged: Psystrike / Future Sight
- Mega Metagross – Fast: Zen Headbutt, Charged: Psychic
- Mega Latios – Fast: Zen Headbutt, Charged: Psychic
- Mega Gallade – Fast: Confusion, Charged: Psychic
- Lunala – Fast: Confusion, Charged: Psychic
Optimal Moveset for Your Mega‑Staraptor
When you Mega‑evolve your own Staraptor, the best damage output comes from pairing the Fast Attack Gust with the Charged Attack Fly. This combo fully leverages its Flying type and high attack stat.
If you prefer a Fighting‑oriented approach, Close Combat is a viable Charged alternative, though Staraptor cannot learn a Fighting‑type Fast Attack, so Gust remains the optimal Quick Move.
What’s Next in September?
After Mega‑Staraptor, Niantic has more events on the calendar: a Catch Mastery day centered on Phantump and a Harvest Festival celebration. Keep an eye on the official Pokemon Go news feed for the latest dates and bonuses.
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