Palkia is a Water- and Dragon-type Legendary Pokémon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region. Its total control over the boundaries of space enables it to transport itself to faraway places or even other dimensions. Learn which Pokémon will be most effective in Raid Battles against Palkia, how to catch Palkia after winning a Raid Battle, and how best to make use of the Spatial Pokémon after you’ve caught it.

Which Pokémon to Use in a Palkia Raid in Pokémon GO

As a Water- and Dragon-type Pokémon, Palkia is vulnerable to Dragon- and Fairy-type attacks. When selecting Pokémon for your Palkia Raid Battle lineup, it helps to choose Pokémon that have a Fast Attack and a Charged Attack of one of those types if you want to deal as much damage as possible. It’s not necessary to choose only Dragon- or Fairy-type Pokémon, but a Pokémon that shares a type with these attacks will benefit from a same-type attack bonus, which will allow these attacks to deal an additional 20% damage.

If you have multiple Pokémon that know Dragon- or Fairy-type attacks, choose the Pokémon with the highest CP and best overall stats. Remember that speed of victory affects how many Premier Balls you will receive at the conclusion of a successful Raid Battle, so bring your strongest Pokémon and defeat Palkia as quickly as you can.

Make the Most of Premier Balls and Berries

After a successful Palkia raid, you’ll have a limited number of Premier Balls you can use to catch Palkia, so make each one count. You can earn extra Premier Balls by battling with friends and defeating Palkia more quickly.

In an encounter with Palkia, your chance of catching it is greatest when the target ring is small enough for you to score Excellent throws. Throwing Curveballs can improve your chances even more. But work within your abilities—if you don’t think you can reliably make Excellent Curveball Throws, aim for Nice Throws or Great Throws rather than risk missing the target ring completely.

Palkia isn’t going to make it easy on you by sitting still while you’re trying to catch it. Don’t waste your Premier Balls by throwing while it’s moving around. Watch Palkia to get a feel for its cycle of movement and the pauses in between this cycle. During one of these pauses, wait for the target ring to reappear, and then throw as it starts to shrink to increase your odds of making a Great Throw or an Excellent Throw.

Berries can help you catch Palkia. A Razz Berry will make Palkia easier to catch, and a Golden Razz Berry will make it much easier to catch. If you find yourself failing to land any throws, a Nanab Berry will calm Palkia, making its movements less erratic and allowing you to make precise throws more easily. If you need extra Palkia Candy, using a Silver Pinap Berry will make Palkia easier to catch and grant you extra Candy when you catch it.

Buddy Pokémon with a Buddy Level of Great Buddy or higher have the Catch Assist Perk. If a Pokémon—even a Legendary Pokémon—deflects a Poké Ball, your buddy might bounce it back for a second catch opportunity!

Like all Legendary Pokémon, Palkia is tricky to catch, so don’t be discouraged if it escapes. Get a second wind by stocking up on useful items—like Max Potions, Max Revives, and Golden Razz Berries—and try again.

What to Do with Palkia Once You’ve Caught It

As a Water- and Dragon-type Pokémon, Palkia is resistant to Fire-, Water-, and Steel-type attacks. Along with the fact that Palkia has among the highest max CP in Pokémon GO, this makes Palkia an excellent choice for Raid Battles against many powerful Pokémon like Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Dragonite, Salamence, Groudon, Garchomp, and Rhyperior.

In the GO Battle League, Palkia’s CP is too high for the Great League, and the Spatial Pokémon never quite found its niche within the Ultra League. However, Palkia is an incredibly valuable addition to many teams in the Master League, where its high CP and diverse range of Charged Attacks make it a formidable threat. While Palkia is only vulnerable to two types of attacks—Dragon and Fairy—it’s worth noting that these are quite common in the Master League. But that doesn’t mean Palkia isn’t worth using—it just means you need to be strategic about how and when you use it. While its Water-type Charged Attack Aqua Tail doesn’t deal a ton of damage, it’s ideal for baiting opponents into wasting a Protect Shield or two at very little energy cost.

If you’re going to compete with Palkia, you’ll want to teach it a second Charged Attack. As already mentioned, Aqua Tail charges up quickly and is useful for pressuring opponents into using up their shields. Draco Meteor is another popular Charged Attack choice because it deals substantial damage and benefits from a same-type attack bonus—there’s a decent chance any Pokémon this attack hits will faint.

As with any Pokémon competing in the Master League—where there is no CP cap—it’s important to power up Palkia as much as possible for it to be truly effective. This is going to require a lot of Palkia Candy, Candy XL, and Stardust, so try to catch as many Palkia as possible and make liberal use of Pinap Berries to help you get there faster.

Origin Forme Palkia is also a Water- and Dragon-type Pokémon, so it has many of the same advantages that Palkia has in both raids and the GO Battle League. Its high CP ceiling is ideal for challenging Raid Bosses of nearly all types, except Fairy-type Pokémon, and it is exceptionally strong against Fire-type Pokémon. Palkia has not been a strong contender in the Master League up to this point, but Origin Forme Palkia may be more powerful with Spacial Rend as one of its Charged Attacks, as opposed to Draco Meteor.

Good luck with your next Raid Battle, and remember to check Pokemon.co.uk/Strategy for more Pokémon GO, video game, and Pokémon TCG tips.