The first of Galar's two main legendary Pokemon is about to arrive in Pokémon GO with the Ultra Unlock Part 3: Sword and Shield event debuting Zacian in five-star raids. Players around the world will battle this legendary beast next week, and its counterpart will arrive the following week. So, with so little time to add this new Pokémon to your collection, you'll want to know how to beat Zacian in Pokémon GO. Here are the best Zacian raid counters to use in August 2022.
The best Zacian counters in Pokémon GO
This is the very first time that players will be able to battle against Zacian in Pokémon GO. This means we have to make assumptions about how the fights will work, how difficult they will be, and what Zacian's best counters are as he debuts in August 2022 for Pokémon GO. So what follows isn't really in complete order, although we've tried to put the strongest counters at the very top. So just use this as a raid guide to train your team and adjust as we have more time to figure out the meta.
| Pokémon | fast attack | Charged Attack |
| Metagross | Punch | Meteor mash |
| Dialga | metal clamp | iron head |
| Excadrille | metal clamp | iron head |
| Genesect | metal clamp | magnetic bomb |
| roserade | Venom Blow | mud bomb |
| Reshiram | fire fang | Overheat |
| Chandelier | Incinerate | Overheat |
| gengar | Lick | mud bomb |
| darmanitan | fire fang | Overheat |
Ghost versions of any of the above will also do much better, if they also have the correct moveset. Shadow Mewtwo with Psycho Cut and Shadow Scizor with Bullet Punch and Iron Head might also be good choices. For your Mega Evolved Pokémon, we recommend either Mega Gengar with Lick and Sludge Bomb or Mega Charizard Y with Fire Spin and Blast Burn.
So that's how to get a strong team of Zacian counters, but what about the rest of your burning questions?
Zacian Raid Guide for Pokémon GO
Below we answer all the most important and frequently asked questions about Zacian Raids in Pokémon GO.
When does Zacian Raids start and end in August 2022
Zacian is part of the Ultra Unlock Part 3: Sword and Shield Week 1 raid pool, so he will only be available during the first week of the event. This means you'll see him start appearing in five-star Legendary Raids at nearby Gyms on Friday, August 20 at 10 a.m. local time. These raids will take place on Thursday August 26 at 10 a.m. (with a Raid Day on Wednesday August 25 from 18 p.m. to 19 p.m.). So try to participate in a few raids while you can.
How many players to beat Zacian
But how many players will you need to take on Zacian in Pokémon GO? There's not much to indicate he'll be a tougher foe than the one you've potentially faced before, but they probably won't be any easier either. So we recommend the usual Legendary team size, which basically boils down to three to four players if you're very high level (above 40), are best friends, and have a powerful team of Zacian counters. For everyone else, we recommend going with a team of at least five trainers.
How to Get Shiny Zacian
Once you've won the battle and entered the encounter screen, you might be hoping to see Shiny Zacian watching you. Unfortunately, you'll be waiting quite a while to see one, as Shiny Zacian won't be available during this event. You'll have to wait for a future return of Zacian Raids to find out how to get Shiny Zacian.
And that's our Zacian raid guide including the best Zacian raid counters in August 2022 for Pokémon GO.
