Earlier this year, Pokémon Go offered players a chance to catch a legendary trio of psychic monsters — Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf — as part of Raid Battles. They were no longer available after a few weeks, but they will be coming back today as part of the Water Festival.
Start time and regional legendary Pokémon
The Water Festival will introduce the three Pokémon as part of Raid Battles beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 7 p.m. in your local time. The monster you encounter will vary by region.
In the Asia-Pacific regions, you’ll have a chance encountering Uxie. Those in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India will have a chance of battling Mesprit. In North and South America, and Greenland, Azelf has a chance of appearing.
Where to find a Raid Battle
You will need to be in the right location in order to participate in the Raid Battle. Gyms that you normally fight over for control will be hosting the legendary Pokémon for the aforementioned hour. To maximize your chance of success, coordinate with friends in your area ahead of time to go to the same Gym and to have the required Premier Balls and monsters ready to battle. Depending on your location, you may have to do some driving.
Tips for catching Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf
In order to catch any of the legendary Pokémon from Raid Battles, you need to have Premier Balls. In fact, they are the only Pokéballs that will work. These can only be acquired by completing Raid Battles, so you’ll need to stock up by playing a few. The number of Premier Balls you get in a Raid Battle is dependent on a number of factors. This includes you and your team’s performance in battle and the level of your gym badge. Those who are part of the team controlling the gym can get more loot than those who are not.
Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf are Psychic Pokémon, therefore you should bring Dark, Ghost, and Bug monsters to their respective battles if you want an advantage. The Pokémon Company recommends using Origin form Giratina and Gengar first, followed by Tyranitar, Houndoom, Honchkrow, Eavile, and Absole. Mewtwo with Shadow Ball is also effective.
Those battling Uxie should focus primarily on dealing damage, as it has a more defensive approach. Azelf, on the other hand, can deal lots of damage but is also prone to taking a lot of damage too. Mesprit is a more balanced Pokémon. Each legendary Pokémon may possess an elemental charge attack, Uxie with Thunder, Azelf with Fire Blast, and Mespirit with Blizzard, so keep that in mind when fighting with monsters having a varied type.
Weather can also play a big factor in these battles. If it is windy, for example, this will improve the effects of Psychic attacks while fog can strengthen Ghost and Dark attacks.
