Pokemon Go Deoxys forms: Counters, weaknesses & can they be Shiny?
NianticPokemon Go has four Deoxys forms that you can battle and catch, but you’ll need to know their weaknesses and the best counters to use if you want to defeat them.
Deoxys is one of the most unique Pokemon of all time. It’s a Mythical creature which makes it incredibly rare, but there are actually four different versions to encounter: Normal, Attack, Speed, and Defense.
While there are many similarities between each Deoxys form, they all have slightly different appearances and excel in a specific stat, which means they can end up performing very differently in battle.
To help you defeat (and catch) all four Deoxys forms in Pokemon Go, we’ve put together a Raid guide that features their weaknesses, the best counters to use, and details of their stats.
NianticDeoxys weaknesses in Pokemon Go
All four Deoxys forms are Psychic-type Pokemon, which means they’re weak against Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type attacks. Focus on Pokemon and moves of these types for the best chance of success.
It’s also important to know which types Deoxys is resistant against: Avoid using Fighting and Psychic-type Pokemon and attacks as they won’t do much damage.
Best counters for Deoxys in Pokemon Go
These are some of the best counters to use to take down all four Deoxys forms:
| Pokemon | Best Moveset |
|---|---|
| Mega Gengar | Shadow Claw & Shadow Ball |
| Mega Houndoom | Snarl & Foul Play |
| Darkrai | Snarl & Dark Pulse |
| Hoopa | Astonish & Shadow Ball |
| Hydreigon | Bite & Brutal Swing |
| Chandelure | Hex & Shadow Ball |
| Tyranitar | Bite & Crunch |
| Trevenant | Shadow Claw & Shadow Ball |
| Gengar | Shadow Claw & Shadow Ball |
| Weavile | Snarl & Foul Play |
As you can see from the table above, most of the best counters for Deoxys are Dark or Ghost-type. If you don’t have any of the ones we’ve listed, focus on your strongest Pokemon of these two types.
While Bug-type Pokemon will be effective against each Deoxys form, it’s worth pointing out that Defense Forme Deoxys could use a Rock-type Charged Move, which Bug-types are particularly vulnerable to.
Stats for all Deoxys forms in Pokemon Go
Here are the base stats for all of the four Deoxys forms in Pokemon Go:
| Deoxys | Attack | Defense | Stamina | Max CP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | 345 | 115 | 137 | 3573 |
| Attack | 414 | 46 | 137 | 2916 |
| Defense | 144 | 330 | 137 | 2570 |
| Speed | 230 | 218 | 137 | 3255 |
If you’re struggling to decide which Deoxys to spend time catching or powering up in the game, we’ve put together a guide to the best Deoxys form which should help you out.
Can Deoxys be Shiny in Pokemon Go?
The good news is that Shiny Deoxys is currently available in Pokemon Go, which means you can get Shiny variations of Normal, Attack, Defense, and Speed forms… if you’re lucky!
Finding Shinies is never easy, so the only advice we can give you is to keep on battling Deoxys as a Raid Boss and hoping for the best – and remember to use Razz Berries if you do get a chance to catch one.
While you’re here, check out some more Pokemon Go guides below:
How to catch Ditto | Best Eeveelutions | Field research tasks | Promo Codes for free items | How to get Pinap Berries | Spotlight Hour schedule | How to defeat Giovanni | Rarest Pokemon | Best Mega Evolutions | Community Day schedule | How to get Raid Passes | Team Go Rocket Grunt guide