What Lugia is weak against and how to counter it in Pokemon GO

Lugia is one of the toughest battles out there in Pokemon GO, but it’s made much more manageable if you know what Lugia is weak against.

While Ho-oh was initially positioned to be the standout legendary of Pokemon Gold and Silver, Lugia has eclipsed it over time in a profound way. From getting title treatment in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness to making more prominent appearances across the Pokemon anime and movies, Lugia stands as one of the most iconic legendary Pokemon of them all.

That has also translated to a number of appearances in Pokemon GO, including a showing by Shadow Lugia. In most cases, players will need to fight Lugia in order to capture it. Here’s how to counter it.

What is Lugia weak against?

Across all Pokemon games that use the type chart, Lugia is weak against electric, ice, rock, ghost, and dark moves. All of these are regular standard weaknesses, and it is not doubly weak to anything. Lugia is also resistant to grass and psychic moves, and is either immune or doubly resistant to ground moves depending on the game.

Lugia has a long list of weaknesses, but its high defensive stats let it shrug off most attacks. It has 130 base defense and 154 base special defense alongside 106 base HP. Though it has many weaknesses, players will have a great deal of difficulty rolling over it like some other legendary Pokemon.

The best Lugia counters in Pokemon GO

Lugia is manageable in most cases, but its move pool can be problematic. It has many weaknesses as a flying-psychic Pokemon but its access to the Dragon Tail quick move and Hydro Pump charge move makes it tricky to wall. No Pokemon is resistant to all of its different attack combinations. 

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There are some that have move coverage to hit a weakness while not crumbling against Lugia’s offensive options. Here are the best Lugia counters in Pokemon GO:

Melmetal

As a pure steel type, Melmetal resists Lugia’s psychic, flying, and dragon attacks while taking neutral damage from Hydro Pump. It also has Thunder Shock as a super-effective quick move and can have Thunderbolt and Rock Slide as super-effective charge moves.

Metagross

As a steel-psychic type, Metagross resists flying and dragon moves and doubly resists psychic moves. Hydro Pump continues to be problematic, hitting Metagross for neutral damage. If Lugia happens to have Extrasensory and Future Sight for its moves, Metagross will be able to tank its attacks with ease. The trouble with Metagross is that a Bullet Punch-Meteor Mash move combination works best, and any other combination of moves will be resisted by Lugia.

Magnezone

As an electric-steel Pokemon, Magnezone can hit Lugia with STAB electric moves and resists all of its attacks except Hydro Pump. Magnezone doesn’t hit the CP heights of other Pokemon on this list, but will likely be a good option for most dedicated players.

Dialga

Dragon-steel legendary Dialga trades in resistance against Dragon Tail for resistance against Hydro Pump and access to Thunder as a charge move. Dialga also has the highest offensive output among the Pokemon that counter Lugia in Pokemon GO, making it one of the best counters to Lugia overall.

Mega Gyarardos

Mega Gyarados is a very powerful counter to Lugia in Pokemon GO. Its water-dark typing gives it double resistance against all of Lugia’s psychic attacks and resistance against Hydro Pump. Gyarados also has access to Bite and Crunch, both of which will hit Lugia for super-effective damage.