Hoopa Unbound is showing up in raids during Pokémon Go’s Hoopa Unbound Raid Day event that runs on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 2-5 p.m. in your local time.
During this event, Hoopa will show up in raids as a five-star target. You’ll also get up to five free raid passes from spinnin gym discs and the remote raid pass limit will increase to 20.
Previously, the only way to obtain Hoopa in Pokémon Go was through a “Misunderstood Mischief” seasonal Special Research. If you completed this research before a specific date or paid $5, you could access an additional, limited-time Special Research called “Mischief Unbound” that would allow you to change your Hoopa’s form to its Unbound form.
However, now all players can nab their own Hoopa Unbound (a pretty dang good psychic-type attacker), thanks to it being available in raids. Players can also swap their Hoopa’s form, even if they didn’t complete the aforementioned research and transfer their Hoopa Unbound to Pokémon Home — which wasn’t doable before.
Below we explain how to take down Hoopa Unbound in Pokémon Go raids, listing its weakness, top counters, and its best moveset to give it once you nab one.
Hoopa in its Unbound form is psychic- and dark-type (as opposed to its psychic- and ghost-type when its in its Confined form). That being said, Hoopa Unbound has a big glaring double bug-type weakness and a regular fairy-type weakness to take advantage of.
You pretty much should be using bug-type Pokémon with bug-type moves — which you very likely have based on past Community Days.
Hoopa Unbound will resist psychic-type moves, so do not bring those to the party.
Here are some of the strongest counters to take down Hoopa Unbound in Pokémon Go:
- Mega Pinsir with Fury Cutter and X-Scissor
- Mega Heracross with Struggle Bug and Megahorn
- Mega Scizor with Fury Cutter and X-Scissor
- Mega Beedrill with Bug Bite and X-Scissor
- Genesect with Fury Cutter and X-Scissor
- Vikavolt with Bug Bite and X-Scissor
- Escavalier with Bug Bite and Mega Horn
- Volcarona with Bug Bite and Bug Buzz
- Yanmega with Bug Bite and Bug Buzz
- Golisopod with Fury Cutter and X-Scissor
- Pheromosa with Bug Bite and Bug Buzz
If you don’t have the Megas above, but you do have the base Pokémon powered up, you can bring them along to help, too.
If you’re thinking, “Man, I do not power-up bug-types. I don’t think I can handle this!” Go check your Pokémon list for Vikavolt and Escavalier — these both had Community Day events, so it’s possible that you’re sitting on some decent ones already.
If you have a team of powered-up bug Pokémon, you won’t need too many other trainers to help you take down Hoopa Unbound, but as usual with raids, you should try to find a small group to do so with the greatest of ease.
If you’re lucky enough to raid in rainy weather (well, this is actually pretty unlucky if we’re being honest), then your bug-type moves will also get a damage boost.
Image: Niantic
Best moveset for Hoopa Unbound
Hoopa Unbound’s best moveset is Confusion with Psychic. This actually makes it the second-best psychic-type Pokémon in the game (if you’re not counting Mega Evolutions and shadow Pokémon), only coming second to Mewtwo.
Including Megas and shadows, it does fall below more obvious picks like Mega Alakazam and Shadow Mewtwo, but it certainly holds its weight pretty dang well.
Is Hoopa Unbound shiny in Pokémon Go?
No, you cannot find a shiny Hoopa in Pokémon Go. Being a Mythical Pokémon, Hoopa has some unusual bizarre shiny restrictions and it has never been released shiny. We’re unsure if or when it’ll be available in Pokémon Go in its shiny form.
