Like every month, December brings all-newPokémon GoRaid Bosses for you and your friends to face. With the new season, “Dual Destiny,” beginning December 3rd, there are a bunch of new things on the horizon for players to discover, including Dynamax and Shadow Raid bosses like Shadow Regice and Max Falinks. Plenty of event days are coming up for the end of the year, so playing throughout December will prepare players for the new content sure to come.
This month, trainers should also keep an eye out forGigantamax Lapras Max Battle Day on December 8th andNecrozma Fusion Raid Day on December 14th. Both of these events offer a chance to fight and capture powerful Pokémon and participate in unique battles. Finally, the “Just My Cup Of Tea” event brings Sinistea to your city, so keep an eye out for this cozy cutie as you prepare to raid.
All 5-Star Raid Bosses In December 2024
Two Bosses Ending November, and Two More In December
Before the season truly begins, the first few days of December will feature Regieleki and Regidrago as raid bosses. Once these two have moved on, here are the bosses to look out for:
Altered Forme Giratina
Chill Drive Genesect inPokémon GOis a very ATK-heavy Pokémon, so having the right counters will make it pretty easy to duo or solo. The best choices will befire-type Mega Pokémon like Charizard and Blaziken, but if you don’t have any good Megas, considerHetran, Chandelure, or Volcaronainstead. Genesect will also possibly appear as a shiny for the first time ever in December.
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Following Chill Drive Genesect is Altered Forme Giratina, and this quadrupedal being has a few more type counters that you’d think would make it just a bit easier to approach. However, it’s also got monstrous stats, making it a challenge for even high-level players.Stick to Fairy, Ice, and Dark types like Gardevoir, Galarian Darmanitan, and Darkrai rather than Dragon-types unless you’ve got a particularly beefy one on hand.
If you’re able to catch Mega Latios and Latias in the second half of the month, you’re able to use them against Giratina to pretty significant effect.
Mega Raid Bosses In December 2024
Fan-Favorite Dragon-Types Join Two Other Classics
This month, Mega Banette continues to stick around fromNovember’s Raid Boss roster, joined by three new ‘mons to hunt down. Here are all four:
Mega Abomasnow
Latios and Latias are weak to a wide variety of types, so you have a large pool of optimal Pokémon to choose from. The best route to go isMega Rayquaza with Dragon Tail and Outrage, but if this rare Legendary isn’t available to you, picking any Dragon-type Mega Pokémon will set you up pretty well.Note that the CP for this battle is 84,000 for Latios and 80,545 for Latias, so you’ll need a good group of players to take either down.
Any of the Mega Pokémon you fight have the possibility of being shiny, so if that’s something you’re into, they’re worth the grind.
Abomasnow is a pretty straightforward fight; being weak to Fire,your best bet for approaching this massivePokémonwill match Chill Drive Genesect.Bring Mega Charizard, Mega Blaziken, Hetran, Chandelure, or Volcarona with you to the fight. Thankfully, this battle should be a little easier than Latios and Latias.
Max Raid Bosses In December 2024
A Generous Seven New Pokémon Are Joining Last Month’s Roster
Joining the Gen One and Gen Eight starters from the past two months are a few faces from all generations.The Gen 1 trio will appear from the 9th through the 23rd, while the Gen 8 trio pops back up from the 23rd through the 6th of January.Keep an eye out for the following new featured Max Battles in December:
Cryogonal*
The first Max Battle event features four new Pokémon to hunt. Machop and Falinks are both fighting types, so pick aFlying, Psychic, or Fairytype to take them on. Flying types tend to be more common, so picking any one of your most powerful should do the trick here.
Cryogonal and Krabby are also featured in theMax Monday eventon the first day of their respective appearances. If you’re interested in either of them, they’ll appear more often on those days.
Max Battles aren’t as intense as 5-star raids and Mega raids, so having the strongest Pokémon in the world is a bit less important in these encounters.Do note that you can only use Pokémon that are capable of Dynamaxing,so be prepared before you head into battle. These also aren’t usually battles you can fight alone; gather a team of four to five other trainers, if possible, to give yourself a bit of a leg up.
Shadow Raid Bosses In December 2024
It’s Getting Chilly, So Fight It With Fire (Or Fighting, Rock, Or Steel)
This month, Shadow Regice will be gracing Raids every weekend. This freezing foe has quite a few type weaknesses, so you’ll have more than one option when it comes to counters.
Shadow Regice
The best counter for this Legendary Ice-type is actually Dusk Mane Necrozma, which you can encounter on Necrozma Fusion Raid Day on December 14th. If you don’t feel like waiting that far into the month to test your mettle, bringMega Charizard, Mega Blaziken, or Mega Lucariowith you instead to deal plenty of physical damage. For a 5-star Shadow Regice Raid, having a minimum of 4-5 other trainers with you is best to defeat it.
There are plenty of new things to do in December 2024 ofPokémon Go, and even more, things are coming for January. Remember that many of these events will take Raid Passes, Purified Gems, or other currencytoo participate, so playing often to build these up is important if you plan on raiding often. If you’re unsure where to start,Max Battles are pretty simplefor newer players, though they also require some currency. Either way, December will be a great month to grab some powerful Pokémon to build your collection.
