Darkrai Pokémon GO Raid Battle Strategy

Darkrai is a Dark-type Mythical Pokémon originally
discovered in the Sinnoh region. Darkrai can lull people to sleep and make them see horrific
nightmares, though its intentions aren’t malicious. Learn which Pokémon will be most
effective in Raid Battles against Darkrai, how to catch Darkrai after winning a
Raid Battle, and how best to use the Pitch-Black Pokémon after you’ve caught
it.

As a Dark-type Pokémon, Darkrai is vulnerable to Fighting-, Bug-,
and Fairy-type attacks. When choosing six Pokémon for your Darkrai Raid Battle
lineup, it helps to choose Pokémon that have a Fighting-, Bug-, or Fairy-type
Fast Attack and Charged Attack if you want to deal as much damage as possible. A
Pokémon that shares a type with these attacks will benefit from a same-type
attack bonus, which will allow these attacks to deal an additional 20% damage.

If you have multiple Fighting-, Bug-, or Fairy-type Pokémon,
choose Pokémon with the highest CP and best overall stats. Remember that speed of
victory affects how many Premier Balls you will receive after a successful Raid
Battle, so bring your strongest Pokémon and defeat Darkrai as quickly as
possible.

• Machamp / Shadow Machamp (Fighting)

  • Fast Attack: Bullet Punch (Steel), Counter (Fighting), Karate Chop (Fighting)

  • Charged Attack: Close Combat (Fighting), Cross Chop (Fighting), Dynamic Punch (Fighting), Submission (Fighting)

• Breloom (Grass/Fighting)

• Hariyama / Shadow Hariyama (Fighting)

  • Fast Attack: Counter (Fighting)

  • Charged Attack: Close Combat (Fighting), Dynamic Punch (Fighting), Superpower (Fighting)

• Mega Lopunny (Normal/Fighting)

• Lucario (Fighting/Steel)

  • Fast Attack: Counter (Fighting)

  • Charged Attack: Aura Sphere (Fighting), Close Combat (Fighting), Power-Up Punch (Fighting)

• Toxicroak (Poison/Fighting)

• Conkeldurr (Fighting)

  • Fast Attack: Counter (Fighting)

  • Charged Attack: Dynamic Punch (Fighting), Focus Blast (Fighting)

• Sirfetch’d (Fighting)

  • Fast Attack: Counter (Fighting), Fury Cutter (Bug)

  • Charged Attack: Close Combat (Fighting)

• Beedrill / Mega Beedrill (Bug/Poison)

  • Fast Attack: Bug Bite (Bug), Infestation (Bug)

  • Charged Attack: Fell Stinger (Bug), X-Scissor (Bug)

• Pinsir / Shadow Pinsir (Bug)

  • Fast Attack: Bug Bite (Bug), Fury Cutter (Bug), Rock Smash (Fighting)

  • Charged Attack: Close Combat (Fighting), Submission (Fighting), Superpower (Fighting), X-Scissor (Bug)

• Scizor / Shadow Scizor (Bug/Steel)

• Heracross (Bug/Fighting)

  • Fast Attack: Counter (Fighting), Struggle Bug (Bug)

  • Charged Attack: Close Combat (Fighting), Megahorn (Bug)

After a Darkrai raid, you’ll have a limited number of
Premier Balls you can use to catch Darkrai, so make each one count. You can earn
extra Premier Balls by battling with friends and defeating Darkrai more
quickly.

In an encounter with Darkrai, your chance of catching it is
greatest when the target ring is small enough for you to score Excellent
throws. Throwing Curveballs
can improve your chances even more. But work within your abilities—if you don’t
think you can reliably make Excellent Curveball Throws, aim for Nice Throws or
Great Throws rather than risk missing the target ring completely.

Darkrai isn’t going to make it easy on
you by sitting still while you’re trying to catch it. Don’t waste your
Premier Balls by throwing while it’s moving around. Watch Darkrai to
get a feel for its cycle of movement and the pauses in between the cycles. During
one of these pauses, wait for the target ring to reappear, then throw as it
starts to grow smaller to increase your odds of making a Great Throw or an
Excellent Throw.

Berries can help you catch Darkrai. A
Razz Berry will make Darkrai easier to catch, and a Golden Razz Berry will make
it much easier to catch. If you find yourself failing to land any throws, a
Nanab Berry will calm Darkrai, making its movements less erratic and allowing
you to make precise throws more easily. If you need extra Darkrai Candy, using
a Silver Pinap Berry will make Darkrai easier to catch and grant you extra
Candy when you catch it.

Like all Mythical
Pokémon, Darkrai is tricky to catch, so don’t be discouraged if it
escapes. Get a second wind by stocking up on useful items—like Max Potions, Max
Revives, and Golden Razz Berries—and try again.

As a Dark-type Pokémon, Darkrai has a type advantage against
Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon. This makes Darkrai particularly useful against
many Raid Bosses such as Mega Gengar, Mewtwo, Lugia, Metagross, Latios, Latias,
Deoxys, and Giratina.

Darkrai’s type advantages also make it a valuable addition
to any GO Battle League team. Darkrai can act as a formidable counter to
Giratina, one of the Master League’s most-used Pokémon. Its Snarl Fast Attack helps
power up Charged Attacks quickly. If you’re aiming to bring Darkrai into Master
League battles, you should increase Darkrai’s CP and teach it a second Charged
Attack. Raising Darkrai’s CP to its maximum requires a lot of Darkrai Candy and
Stardust, so try to catch as many Darkrai as possible to help you get there
faster—and don’t forget the Pinap Berries!

Good luck with your next Raid Battle, and remember to check back to Pokemon.com/Strategy for more Pokémon GO, video game, and Pokémon TCG tips.

Source: Pokemon