DEXERTOMega Salamence is one of the most powerful Mega Evolutions in Pokemon Go. Learn all about its weaknesses and best counters to take it down now whenever it comes back as a Mega Raid boss.
This pseudo-Legendary is already a firm fan-favorite in its regular form, so its Mega Evolution makes it even more desirable – especially as it’s a top performer in Raid Battles.
Before you can add it to your team, though, you’ll need to defeat it. So, here are Mega Salamence’s weaknesses and some of the best counters you can use to succeed in battle.
Mega Salamence weaknesses in Pokemon Go
Mega Salamence is a dual Dragon/Flying-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Dragon, Fairy, Ice, and Rock-type attacks.
It’s worth pointing out that Mega Salamence has a 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, so it’s definitely best to focus on that if possible.
As for its resistances, you’ll want to avoid using Bug, Grass, Ground, Fighting, Fire, and Water-type moves as they won’t deal much damage.
Mega Salamence best counters
Here are some of the best counters for defeating Mega Salamence in Niantic’s game:
POKEMON | SPRITE | BEST MOVESET |
|---|---|---|
Mega Rayquaza |  | Dragon Tail & Breaking Swipe |
Mega Gardevoir |  | Charm & Triple Axel |
Shadow Mewtwo |  | Psycho Cut & Ice Beam |
Shadow Articuno |  | Frost Breath & Triple Axel |
White Kyurem |  | Ice Fang & Ice Burn |
We’ve included a mix of Megas, Legendaries, Shadow, and more common Pokemon in the table above, so there should be something for every trainer to use.
If you don’t have any of the creatures mentioned, go with their alternative or regular versions, or just use your best attackers to target Lugia’s weaknesses. Remember that they should be properly leveled up and know the matching movesets.
We would normally suggest avoiding Dragon-type Pokemon in this scenario as they’ll be weak to Mega Salamence’s Dragon-type attacks, but we couldn’t keep the mighty Mega Rayquaza out of our list.
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How to get Mega Salamence in Pokemon Go
The powerful Mega Salamence is returning to Mega Raids from August 25, 2025, until September 2, 2025. However, just like every other Mega Evolution in Pokemon Go, you cannot catch Salamence in its Mega-Evolved form.
Instead, you’ll fight and defeat Mega Salamence in a Mega Raid battle for a chance to catch its regular form with the Premier Balls you’re given according to your performance in battle.
Then, you can temporarily Mega Evolve your strongest Salamence once you’ve stocked up on the required Mega Energy to do so.
How to evolve Salamence into Mega Salamence
As mentioned above, when a trainer defeats and catches a Mega Evolved Pokemon, it returns to its regular form. This means that every time they want to trigger a Mega Evolution, they must use Mega Energy.
The first time a player evolves a regular Salemence into Mega Salemence, they will require 300 Mega Energy. Once the effect is over, the amount to do that again will drop to 60, then 30, and finally 15.
NIANTIC/DEXERTOMega Energy
Players can gather Mega Energy by defeating Mega Evolved Pokemon in Mega Raids several times. Additionally, they can earn some more by completing Field Research Tasks and by setting their Pokemon (in this case, Salamence) as their Buddy and going out for a walk.
It’s worth noting that for Salamence to be able to collect Mega Energy while taking a spin, it must have been Mega Evolved at least once before.
Mega Salamence CP in Pokemon Go
As with every Raid Boss in the game, the CP Mega Salamence has during a Mega Raid battle won’t be the same once you manage to catch its regular form. Plus, certain types of weather can increase such CP.
Raid Boss CP | 50,285 |
CP range once captured | 2773 – 2875 |
Windy weather CP range | 3467 – 3594 |
Max CP (Level 50) | 5688 |
Mega Salamence stats & moves
As a Dragon/Flying-type Pokemon, Mega Salamence has the following stats:
ATTACK | DEFENSE | STAMINA | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
310 | 251 | 216 | 5688 |
Fast Moves
- Bite (Dark)
- Fire Fang (Fire)
- Dragon Tail (Dragon/STAB)
Charged Moves
- Fire Blast (Fire)
- Hydro Pump (Water)
- Outrage (Dragon/STAB/Legacy Move)
- Draco Meteor (Dragon/STAB)
- Fly (Flying/STAB)
Can Mega Salamence be Shiny?
Yes, Mega Salamence can be Shiny in Pokemon Go, as this special variation was added to the game the same day this Mega Evolution debuted.
NIANTIC/DEXERTOTrainers won’t have any trouble recognizing Shiny Mega Salamence, as its usual blue body will be green, and its red wings will turn a shade of orange.
To keep you from being disappointed, remember that the odds of finding a Shiny Pokemon in the game are very low, and there’s no special technique to ensure an encounter. All you can do to increase your odds is challenge Mega Salamence as many times as you can during its time as a Mega Raid boss.
In case you cannot find one, you can simply Mega Evolve a regular Shiny Salamence.
That’s everything you need to know about Mega Salamence’s weaknesses and counters in Pokemon Go. Check out some more guides including the Spotlight Hour schedule and event calendar, and for more on Mega Evolutions, check the costs and bonuses, as well as the Mega Evolutions missing from the game.