Kyurem is back in Tier 5 raids as a Dragon/Ice-type Legendary, which makes it both flexible to counter and punishing if you walk in unprepared. Its movepool can shred careless Dragon teams, but strong Steel and Fighting options bring it down quickly, even in smaller lobbies.
Kyurem weaknesses and resistances
Kyurem’s dual Dragon/Ice typing gives it five key weaknesses:
- Fighting
- Rock
- Steel
- Dragon
- Fairy
It also comes with three useful resistances:
- Electric
- Grass
- Water
In practice, that means Electric, Grass, and Water attackers are heavily outclassed here, while Fighting and Steel types sit in a sweet spot: they hit Kyurem super effectively and avoid the double-weakness problems that Dragon types have into Kyurem’s own Dragon attacks.
Kyurem raid boss stats and moves
| Stat / Attribute | Kyurem (raid) |
|---|---|
| Typing | Dragon / Ice |
| Max CP (level 50) | 4041 |
| Attack | 246 |
| Defense | 170 |
| Stamina | 245 |
Raid move pool:
- Fast moves – Dragon Breath (Dragon), Steel Wing (Steel)
- Charged moves – Dragon Claw (Dragon), Draco Meteor (Dragon), Blizzard (Ice), Glaciate (Ice, event / Elite TM only)
Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw pressure your own Dragon counters very hard. Draco Meteor is the main one-shot threat in smaller lobbies, while Blizzard and Glaciate punish anything that doesn’t resist Ice.
Kyurem’s signature attack Glaciate turns it into a relevant Ice attacker in raids and a real problem in Master League, but for raid prep your priority is to respect any Dragon or Ice charged move with dodges or smarter team choices.
How many trainers you need to beat Kyurem
With optimal counters and high levels, Kyurem is duoable, but that assumes level 40–50 attackers with premium moves and strong friendship bonuses.
Realistically:
- 2–3 high-level trainers with top counters can clear safely.
- 3–4 trainers using reasonable counters is the comfort zone.
- 6–8 lower-level players using type-advantaged teams can still finish on time.
Tip: If you know Kyurem has Draco Meteor, plan for more revives and be ready to re-lobby; the move erases underleveled Dragons and Fighting types quickly.
Best Kyurem counters in Pokémon GO
The strongest Kyurem answers lean heavily into Steel and Fighting, with some high-end Dragons and Rocks filling out the top end. Below are the standouts from current simulations and performance metrics.
Top-tier mega and legendary counters
- Crowned Sword Zacian (Steel) – Metal Claw / Behemoth Blade
Elite among Steel attackers with excellent damage and bulk. It resists Kyurem’s Dragon moves and punishes every moveset consistently. - Crowned Shield Zamazenta (Steel) – Metal Claw / Behemoth Bash
Very close to Zacian in performance, slightly bulkier but a bit slower. Still a premier Steel answer. - Mega Lucario (Fighting/Steel) – Force Palm / Aura Sphere
Combines high Fighting damage with Steel typing, giving it strong resistances and one of the fastest Kyurem clears. As your active mega, it also buffs other Fighting and Steel teammates. - Dusk Mane Necrozma (Psychic/Steel) – Metal Claw / Sunsteel Strike
Impressive Steel DPS with enough bulk to stay on the field through Dragon Claw and Blizzard, especially at high levels. - Mega Blaziken (Fire/Fighting) – Counter / Aura Sphere
High Fighting DPS, though it lacks Steel’s resistances and faints more often, especially into Blizzard or Draco Meteor. - Eternatus (Poison/Dragon) – Dragon Tail / Dynamax Cannon
A powerful Dragon-type option. It melts Kyurem when Kyurem is not packing Dragon Breath + Dragon Claw, but expect to burn through revives against Dragon movesets. - Origin Dialga (Steel/Dragon) – Metal Claw / Roar of Time
Excellent mix of Steel damage and Dragon nuke. Steel typing lets it shrug off Dragon and Ice more effectively than other Dragons. - Shadow and Mega Metagross (Steel/Psychic) – Bullet Punch / Meteor Mash
Both forms are among the best pure Steel attackers. Shadow Metagross trades bulk for more DPS, while Mega Metagross offers a group-wide Steel boost. - Mega Rayquaza (Dragon/Flying) – Dragon Tail / Breaking Swipe
Massive Dragon damage and strong team buff, but extremely risky into Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw. Better when Kyurem is running Steel Wing + Blizzard. - Mega Garchomp (Dragon/Ground) – Dragon Tail / Breaking Swipe
Similar risk profile to Mega Rayquaza: huge damage, but vulnerable to Kyurem’s Dragon moves. Shine most when Kyurem’s fast move is Steel Wing.
Strong non-mega, non-shadow counters
If your legendary and mega bench is thinner, several more accessible picks still perform well.
- Lucario – Force Palm / Aura Sphere
Compact Fighting-type package with great damage for a non-legendary. It benefits from Mega Lucario in the lobby. - Terrakion – Double Kick / Sacred Sword
One of the best Fighting-types overall, with strong neutral damage that holds up even against Ice- and Dragon-heavy sets. - Metagross – Bullet Punch / Meteor Mash
Community Day move Meteor Mash keeps Metagross near the top of Steel rankings. Excellent staying power and safe into all Kyurem moves. - Black Kyurem – Dragon Tail / Outrage (or Freeze Shock where available)
High Dragon DPS; as always, treat it as a glass cannon when Kyurem is running Dragon Breath or Dragon Claw. - Dialga – Metal Claw / Draco Meteor
Steel typing plus Dragon coverage makes standard Dialga a stable pick for most players who raided Sinnoh legendaries. - Ordinary / Resolute Keldeo – Low Kick / Sacred Sword or Secret Sword
Good Fighting damage, especially when paired with a Fighting-supporting mega like Mega Lucario or Mega Blaziken. - Origin Palkia – Dragon Tail / Spacial Rend
Top-end Dragon attacker; ideal when Kyurem doesn’t have fast Dragon Breath. - Mega Diancie – Rock Throw / Rock Slide
Provides Rock damage and a Rock-type boost to the group. Particularly useful in clear weather or if your lobby leans on Rock attackers. - Mega Gardevoir – Charm / Dazzling Gleam
Fairy-type with high total damage output. Charm is slow but hits very hard into Kyurem’s Dragon typing. - Mega Tyranitar – Smack Down / Stone Edge
Bulky Rock option that maintains decent DPS and resists Blizzard better than many Dragontypes.
Recommended megas for the lobby
If you’re hosting or anchoring a lobby, your mega choice shapes your group’s damage profile. Prioritize these:
- Mega Lucario – Buffs both Fighting and Steel teams while doing huge damage itself.
- Mega Metagross – Ideal when most players bring Metagross, Dialga, Zacian, or other Steel types.
- Mega Rayquaza / Mega Garchomp / Mega Salamence – Best when your group stacks Dragon attackers and Kyurem isn’t running Dragon Breath.
- Mega Diancie / Mega Tyranitar – Useful if your local group is heavy on Rock attackers like Rhyperior, Rampardos, or Terrakion with Smack Down.
- Mega Gardevoir – Niche but valuable if your lobby is leaning into Charm-based Fairy teams.
Tip: Coordinate in chat before the raid starts so at least one person runs a relevant mega. Even a single mega can swing the timer in small groups.
Kyurem CP ranges and weather boosts
Kyurem’s catch CP tells you immediately whether you’re looking at strong IVs or a potential hundo.
| Encounter conditions | CP range |
|---|---|
| Level 20 (no weather boost) | 1791 – 2042 CP |
| Level 25 (Snow or Windy) | 2239 – 2553 CP |
A perfect 100% IV Kyurem appears as:
- 2042 CP in neutral weather
- 2553 CP when boosted by Snow or Windy conditions
Note: Game UI rounding can occasionally show ±1 CP off from community charts due to rounding behavior, but those values are the IV benchmarks you want to remember.
Shiny Kyurem odds and appearance
Kyurem’s shiny form is active during its current raid rotation. The odds for a shiny legendary in raids are roughly 1 in 20, or about 5 percent.
Shiny Kyurem swaps its usual gray and teal palette for a darker, deeper teal body and striking purple–pink accents on its wings. If your encounter sparkles, the catch is guaranteed as long as you don’t run out of Premier Balls.
Tip: On a shiny Kyurem, switch to Pinap Berry or Silver Pinap Berry to double or boost your candy; the catch cannot flee unless you whiff every ball.
Best Kyurem moveset for raids and PvP
For raids and gym battles, Kyurem’s value jumped once it gained access to Glaciate via events and Elite Charged TMs.
- Fast move – Dragon Breath is generally preferred for PvE and PvP because of its consistency and synergy with Dragon-type charged moves.
- Charged moves (PvE) – Glaciate as the main Ice damage option, paired with Dragon Claw or Draco Meteor depending on whether you want spam or a big nuke.
In Master League, Glaciate lets Kyurem pressure staples like Groudon, Giratina, and Mewtwo while putting a shield tax on opponents that can’t comfortably take Ice damage. It still needs strong team support to cover its weaknesses to Fairy and Steel, but it’s a much more credible pick than before.
Note: Glaciate is currently marked as an Elite TM–locked move, meaning that outside of specific events you need an Elite Charged TM to teach it.
Battle tactics: dodging and team management
Kyurem’s raw stats aren’t at the very top of the legendary ladder, but specific movesets can wipe lobbies that ignore dodging.
- Dodge Draco Meteor when possible. It is the biggest spike in damage, and a single hit can delete many attackers from full HP, especially Dragons and Fighting types.
- Respect Blizzard and Glaciate on non-resisting picks. Rock and neutral Dragons in particular can be chunked hard if you face-tank Ice moves.
- Use your tankiest counters first. Leading with Zacian, Metagross, or Dusk Mane Necrozma keeps more glassy options like Shadow Dragons and Fighting shadows for the back half of the fight.
- Re-lobby intelligently. If your entire team faints, swipe to your pre-built party again instead of auto-select; auto-fill often throws in weak or off-type Pokémon.
Catching Kyurem: throws, berries, and Premier Balls
Once Kyurem drops, the fight shifts to resource management. Premier Balls are finite, so you want each one to matter.
Step 1: Watch Kyurem’s attack pattern for several seconds without throwing. Let it finish an attack animation, then note how long it stays still.
Step 2: Use the “circle lock” approach: hold the ball, set the target circle to the size where you can reliably hit Great or Excellent, then release and wait for Kyurem’s next attack animation to begin and end.
Step 3: As Kyurem finishes its attack and the circle reappears at your locked size, throw a curveball that lands just as it returns to its idle pose.
Golden Razz Berry is the safest baseline choice for standard Kyurem. If you’re confident in your throwing, swap to Pinap Berry on shiny encounters for extra candy. Nanab Berry becomes useful if Kyurem’s movement is throwing off your timing and you’re missing repeatedly.
Playing with at least one friend in the lobby and finishing quickly also increases your Premier Ball count, giving you more attempts per raid.
Kyurem is not the single most important raid attacker in Pokémon GO, but with Glaciate unlocked and fusion forms like Black Kyurem and White Kyurem now in the ecosystem, its family has real long-term value. Running efficient Steel, Fighting, and Dragon teams during this window is a low-friction way to pick up strong specimens, farm candy, and chase one of the better-looking shiny dragons in the game.
