Mega Garchomp Raid Day Guide

Mega Garchomp, the Mach Pokemon, has at last risen! And now, it's up to us to quell this monster of the earth and claim its power for our own! Pokemon Go is getting ready for yet another Raid Day, and this time around it's featuring none other than Mega Garchomp.

This one has the potential to be a bit of a challenge for some trainers, so we're here with a guide to help out those who intend to challenge Mega Garchoomp when it makes its move. We've got a number of major points to cover, so let's get into it!

What Exactly Is a Raid Day?

A Raid Day is a limited-time event where a given Raid Boss will take over all available gyms, allowing players to raid for it en-masse. However, gyms that already have raids when the event starts will not shift and will be virtually excused from the event. During this time, players are able to spin any Gym to obtain additional daily raid passes. This means that it's possible to complete up to 7 raids free-of-charge over the course of the event via the following tactics:

1. Save your free raid pass from the day before
2. Pick up your normal daily free raid pass during the event
3. Pick up the five free daily passes during the event

Note that these raid passes will not stack, meaning you'll need to use one before obtaining another.

Remote Raids will also have their limitations lifted a bit, giving players the opportunity to use up to 10 for the day.

Finding a Team

While it may be possible to solo Mega Garchomp given an ideal team and situation, connecting with a raid group is going to be important for the vast majority of players. In this case, you will want at least 1 other good raider, or even more if your group is not as devoted to raiding. Finding a group can be done in many ways, but here are a few suggestions:

• Contact your personal friend group and get any decent raiders onboard
• Connect with Niantic's Campfire to find local raid groups
• Check your Social Media of preference for raid groups by searching "Pokemon Go (your area)" to see if you can join in with them
• Go to an area with a high concentration of gyms and look out for people on their phones/check Gyms for active raids

Getting Ready

here's a quick check-list for ensuring that you're ready for the raids that are to come:

In-Game Checklist

• Determine Your Goals! 
  • A High-IV Raid Boss or two? a good Shiny? Mega Energy? Candy/XL Candy? We all have our own reasons for hitting up this event, so make sure that you have a goal in mind so that you know your stopping-point, if applicable. 
• Stock up on Revives and Potions
• Make sure that you're ready with a full team of six appropriate raiders (more on that later)
• Figure out which Pokemon to Mega Evolve in order to maximize damage-output and rewards
• Consider using a Lucky Egg/Star Piece. This may not be the best event for these items, but they may be worthwhile for some trainers.

Real-Life Checklist

• Dress appropriately and comfortably for your local weather
• Ensure that your phone is charged and ready for the event
• Remember all game-related accessories that you may utilize (Pokemon Go Plus, external battery, etc.) 
• Determine approximately how many raids you want to participate in
  • Purchase raid passes in advance for however many raids you may want to hit beyond the free 5-7
• Determine a location that has enough gyms to suit your goals
  • Make an attack-plan for the most efficient order in which to hit these gyms
• Ensure that you're set to work with your raid group, or be ready to arrive early and scout other raid groups that you may be able to join.

So just how hard is Mega Garchomp to take down? That depends on how strong your Ice Type raiders are. If you've got the top Ice Types, then this isn't going to be a terribly difficult raid, just note that Mega Garchomp hits very hard. 

So now let's say that you've got your team together and you're at your chosen location, waiting on the first raids to pop. At this point, it might be a good idea to look at the teams that your fellow raiders will be using. This will allow you to pick your own Mega Evolution and use it at a time when it will be most useful to the team, even if you don't all work together to sync up your counters. Why is this important? Because this is a Mega raid, and players will be able to score more Mega Energy depending on how quickly you manage to clear it.

If Mega Energy is your goal, then it's definitely recommended that you go the extra mile and try to finish off the raid boss ASAP. And keep in mind that you will need at least 200 Mega Energy in order to actually Mega Evolve your own Garchomp, so the more the better!

And what if you don't have an appropriate Mega Evolution for this raid? Well, then Mega Evolve whatever you may have and leave it out of the raid, as just having a Mega Evolved Pokemon means that you'll gain +1 candy from all of your catches, including all Garchomp catches!

Is Mega Garchomp Worth Raiding?

Mega Garchomp is a very, very strong Mega Evolution, absolutely trashing anything to Ground and Dragon alike... however, these are two types that have very steep competition. Mega Garchomp directly competes with Mega Rayquaza and Primal Groudon, so it's not going to be the best in a number of raids. That said, it's still objectively powerful, and is worth raising, especially if you lack one of the big Mega Evolutions that it competes with.

While a bit late to the punch, Mega Garchomp is still a great Pokemon that can find genuine utility for a lot of players. On top of that, it's not horribly hard to beat with the right team, so it shouldn't be terribly difficult to take down, so at least doing the free raids for the day is recommended.