Pokémon Go Deoxys formes, counters, weaknesses and moveset explained
Collect all four of Deoxys' forms!
Deoxys, the DNA Pokémon, has landed in Pokémon Go and, if you want to defeat it, you need to know Deoxys’s counters and weaknesses.
There are four different formes of Deoxys to collect in Pokémon Go: Attack, Defence, Speed and Normal. Each one has access to a slightly different move pool and has slightly different stats, meaning that you can’t just catch one of them. As we all know by now, you gotta catch ’em all...
Like the other legendary Pokémon it shares the Hoenn region with, Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza, Deoxys will be available in five-star raids, so, if you want to capture one of its formes, you’ll need a team of fellow Pokémon trainers.
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Deoxys counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go
There are four different Deoxys formes to get in Pokémon Go. While they have access to slighly different attacks, they all have the same typing, and therefore what works against one of them will work against the rest.
Here’s what you need to know to be able to not only take down Deoxys, but add it to your Pokédex, too:
- Deoxys type – Psychic
- Deoxys is weak against – Dark, Ghost and Bug-types
- Deoxys Mega counters – Mega Houndoom or Mega Absol running Snarl and Foul Play or Dark Pulse; Mega Gengar with Lick and Shadow Ball, or Mega Scizor with Fury Cutter and X-Scissor. While you can also run Mega Banette, Mega Gyarados, Mega Beedrill or Mega Sceptile, these are all bringing diminishing returns. Mega Houndoom is your best bet, thanks to both its stats and resistance to Psychic-type attacks.
- Deoxys counters – Hydreigon, Giratina (Origin, ideally), Darkrai, Phermosa, Hoopa (confined), Gengar, Yveltal and Guzzlord are your best bets. If you need somehting more budget (and less Legendary), look to Chandelure, Tyranitar or Weavile.
Deoxys formes and stats in Pokémon Go explained
The most notable thing about Deoxys is that it has four different formes – Normal, Attack, Defence and Speed – and each one has its own set of stats.
While they all share the same stamina level, each forme specialises in a different stat. Attack Forme Deoxys obviously comes with the highest attack stat, while Defense Forme Deoxys is a bit of a tank.
Normal Deoxys has a high attack stat with a low defence stat, although its defence is not as low as Attack Deoxys’s.
The clear exception is Speed Forme Deoxys, thanks to the lack of a speed stat in Pokémon Go. Instead, Speed Deoxys has a slightly higher attack stat that Defence Deoxys.
Here are the max set of CP and stat levels you can achieve for each Deoxys forme:
| Forme | Max CP | Attack | Defence | Stamina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Deoxys | 3573 | 345 | 115 | 137 |
| Attack Deoxys | 2916 | 414 | 46 | 137 |
| Defence Deoxys | 2570 | 144 | 330 | 137 |
| Speed Deoxys | 3255 | 230 | 218 | 137 |
Deoxys CP and Moveset in Pokémon Go
CP in Pokémon Go is a function of a combination of stats, including attack, defence and level. This means that each Deoxys forme has its own set of CP, from raid boss CP to catch CP ranges. These are all covered below, along with the moveset that each Deoxys can pull from:
Normal Forme Deoxys
- Raid Boss CP – 50,271 CP
- Catch CP – 1717 to 1806 CP
- Weather Boost CP (Windy) – 2146 to 2257 CP
- Fast Moves – Charge Beam (Electric), Zen Headbutt (Psychic)
- Charged Moves – Hyper Beam (Normal), Psycho Boost (Psychic), Thunderbolt (Electric)
Attack Forme Deoxys
- Raid Boss CP – 41,036 CP
- Catch CP – 1372 to 1474 CP
- Weather Boost CP (Windy) – 1716 to 1842 CP
- Fast Moves – Poison Jab (Poison), Zen Headbutt (Psychic)
- Charged Moves – Dark Pulse (Dark), Psycho Boost (Psychic), Zap Cannon (Electric)
Defence Forme Deoxys
- Raid Boss CP – 36,170 CP
- Catch CP – 1228 to 1299 CP
- Weather Boost CP (Windy) – 1535 to 1624 CP
- Fast Moves – Counter (Fighting), Zen Headbutt (Psychic)
- Charged Moves – Psycho Boost (Psychic), Rock Slide (Rock), Thunderbolt (Electric)
Speed Forme Deoxys
- Raid Boss CP – 45,802 CP
- Catch CP – 1568 to 1645 CP
- Weather Boost CP (Windy) – 1960 to 2056 CP
- Fast Moves – Charge Beam (Electric), Zen Headbutt (Psychic)
- Charged Moves – Psycho Boost (Psychic), Swift (Normal), Thunderbolt (Electric)
The Max Out Season is here and includes a new global event, Wild Area. Currently, the Simply Groundbreaking event is running. You can now catch Dynamax Pokémon through Max Battles. First, however, you need to visit Power Spots to collect Max Particles and complete the To the Max! quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.
Everything else we know about Deoxys
Alongside Jirachi, Deoxys is one of the two Mythical Pokémon that hail from the Hoenn region. Due to the fact that it’s a Mythical Pokémon, Deoxys can not be traded in Pokémon Go.
Known as the DNA Pokémon, Deoxys has the ability to change into four different formes – Normal, Attack, Defence and Speed. This is shown by the double-helix shape that its arms take in its Normal forme.
Deoxys also takes inspiration from aliens and, in the Pokémon universe, is believed to have been created by a mutation of a space virus.
Deoxys made its first in-game appearance during Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire as an event-exclusive Pokémon.
Lastly, there is a shiny version of all four Deoxys formes in Pokémon Go. You can see a preview of the Attack forme below, but all four follow the same theme, swapping the orange body with blue highlights for a yellow and green combo.
Good luck catching Deoxys in all its forms in Pokémon Go!