Pokémon GO Fest 2026 Tokyo (May 25 – June 1) brings a region-locked raid lineup featuring the return of two Primal bosses, four Shadow Raid legends, and the headline Mewtwo. This guide ranks all 9 limited raid bosses from lowest to highest priority based on raid attacker tier, candy-bonus value, and how hard each form is to get outside this event. We also cover the bonus Mega Mewtwo X/Y Super Mega Raids reserved for park-ticket holders in the final 30 minutes of each day.
Last verified: May 26, 2026 — based on the official Pokémon GO Fest 2026 Tokyo gameplay page and in-game raid mechanics. Raid rankings reflect our editorial reading of current Water / Ground attacker tier data.
Event Overview
| Dates | May 25 (Mon) – June 1 (Sun), 2026 |
|---|---|
| Region | Tokyo only (remote raid passes accepted; no event ticket required to join) |
| Lineup | ★6 Primal Raids · ★5 Shadow Raids · ★5 Legendary Raids · ★3 Standard Raids |
| This guide covers | 9-Pokémon priority ranking + Mega Mewtwo X/Y bonus (Super Mega Raid, park-ticket only, last 30 min) |
If you live in or near Tokyo, you're in luck — even without an event ticket you can join these raids on-site. There are small downsides without a ticket (no location-themed background photo, no shiny Paldean Tauros), but joining them is still better than skipping the event raids entirely.
Priority Summary
| Tier | Pokémon | One-line verdict |
|---|---|---|
| ★★★ Top priority |  Primal Kyogre ·  Primal Groudon ·  Shadow Kyogre ·  Shadow Groudon |
#1 Water and Ground DPS pair, plus multi-type candy bonus via Primal Reversion |
| ★★ Mid priority |  Mewtwo |
Event headliner, but standard-raid catches need 7,500 Mega Energy to evolve into Mega Mewtwo — poor value for raid-pass efficiency |
| ★ Low priority |  Articuno · Shadow Articuno ·  Shadow Suicune ·  Paldean Tauros (Aqua Breed) |
Low impact overall, mainly for Pokédex completion or niche PvP use |
| Bonus tier |  Mega Mewtwo X /  Mega Mewtwo Y |
Super Mega Raid, park-ticket holders only, last 30 min — see acquisition guide |
Tokyo Limited Raid Lineup
| Tier | Pokémon |
|---|---|
| ★3 Standard Raid | Paldean Tauros (Aqua Breed) |
| ★5 Legendary Raid | Mewtwo · Articuno |
| ★5 Shadow Raid | Shadow Kyogre · Shadow Groudon · Shadow Articuno · Shadow Suicune |
| ★6 Primal Raid | Primal Kyogre · Primal Groudon |
These bosses are scheduled across May 25 – June 1 in the Tokyo region. Even non-ticket trainers in Tokyo can join. The trade-offs without a ticket are: no location-themed background photo, no shiny Paldean Tauros, and no entry to the Super Mega Raids — but if you can attend at all, it's still worth showing up.
Because the lower-priority raids don't require much explanation, we'll move through #9 → #7 briefly and spend more depth on the top picks.
#9 Articuno
Articuno ranks last in this lineup. Its stat spread is bulk-leaning with low Attack, so it has been considered underwhelming since release.
The reason it appears in this lineup is that GO Fest 2026 has a theme tied to Blanche, leader of Team Mystic (blue). But "Mystic-themed" doesn't translate into actual raid utility — there's no compelling reason to grind Articuno raids over the much stronger bosses available the same week. Hence #9.
#8 Shadow Articuno
Shadow Articuno doesn't change the picture much. If base Articuno is underwhelming, the Shadow version inherits the same problem.
The Legendary Birds occupy a recurring "fallback" raid slot — community sentiment is often "not the birds again" when they show up in events. We can't recommend prioritizing this one beyond completionism.
#7 Shadow Suicune
Shadow Suicune shares the same problem as Articuno — bulk-leaning stats in a game where Attack rules raids. From release it has been considered weak; for a long time even Vaporeon was the better Water attacker.
If you already have Vaporeon, there's no reason to grind Suicune raids. Some trainers may enjoy it in PvP, but for the typical raider this is a skip unless you have a specific reason.
#6 Paldean Tauros (Aqua Breed)
Paldean Tauros (Aqua Breed) is normally region-locked — base Tauros is region-exclusive to begin with, and the Aqua Breed is found in the Americas. Getting it via raids during this event is a meaningful Dex completion opportunity for trainers who don't already have one.
For combat: it can't run a same-type fast move + charged move combo, which makes it a poor choice for raids. It does learn a wide variety of charged moves including Grassy Glide, so it slots better into PvP league teams. If you're a league player or still missing the Dex entry, a single raid for completion is worth it — otherwise you can skip.
#5 Mewtwo
Mewtwo is the event's headline Pokémon, so why only #5?
The issue is that Mewtwo caught from standard raids requires 7,500 Mega Energy to evolve into Mega Mewtwo X or Y — a very high cost. Mewtwo caught from the Super Mega Raids requires no Mega Energy at all, but those raids are park-ticket only. So a standard-raid Mewtwo is significantly less efficient toward the headline goal of the event. For the full breakdown of how each route changes the cost, see our companion article: How to Get Mega Mewtwo X / Y at GO Fest 2026.
With Shadow Kyogre and Primal Groudon on the menu, regular Mewtwo raids become relatively low-priority. That said, if you want to hunt for high-IV Mewtwo specifically, this is still a good week for it.
#4 Shadow Kyogre
Shadow Kyogre is the #2 Water attacker in the entire game.
#1 is Primal Kyogre, which we cover below. The key differentiator for Shadow Kyogre is that it can sit in the same raid party as Primal Kyogre (only one Mega/Primal Pokémon allowed per party), so the two stack rather than compete.
Compared to its Groudon counterpart, Shadow Kyogre has another advantage: it stays strong on its current default charged move Surf, no Elite Charged TM required.
#3 Shadow Groudon
Shadow Groudon is the #2 Ground attacker in the game. Like Shadow Kyogre vs Primal Kyogre, Shadow Groudon sits behind Primal Groudon — but the two can run together in the same party, so investment in a high-IV Shadow Groudon is never wasted.
Should you purify a high-IV Shadow Groudon? A Shadow form can't undergo Primal Reversion, so this is a common dilemma. Our short answer: keep it as Shadow. Standard Groudon can be re-obtained via trade or Lucky Trade, but a Shadow legendary can only come from a Shadow Raid. If you want the full decision framework before purifying any Shadow legendary, see our Shadow purification guide.
One nuance: #4 and #3 are Shadow Kyogre and Shadow Groudon, ranked behind the Primals at #2 and #1. If you already own high-IV Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon, you don't need extra Primal candy this event, so the relative priority of the two Shadows rises.
#2 Primal Kyogre
Primal Kyogre is the strongest Water-type Pokémon in the game — full stop. By raw attack DPS it is #1 Water overall.
What makes Primal Reversion special, separate from normal Mega Evolution: it grants a 3-type candy and damage bonus — Water, Bug, and Electric — for the entire party. Other Megas grant a single-type bonus.
That candy bonus is the real reason to use Primal Kyogre regularly. The simplest pattern: when in doubt during raids, just trigger Primal Reversion on Kyogre to multiply your post-catch candy haul across three types. It's a low-effort, high-payoff routine that makes Primal Kyogre a Primal you can use regularly.
Ranking source: editorial reading of in-game Water raid DPS / TTW (time-to-win) data. Numbers may shift after future move-pool or stat updates.
Water-Type Raid Attacker Rankings
| Rank | Pokémon | Note |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Primal Kyogre |
Headline Water DPS leader; daily-use Primal driver |
| #2 | Shadow Kyogre |
Pairs with Primal Kyogre in the same party — no conflict |
For reference, the Water-type DPS top is dominated by Shadow Kyogre and Primal Kyogre — the two bosses available right here at this event. For new or returning trainers, this is a rare window to lock in both top-tier Water attackers at once. Don't miss it.
#1 Primal Groudon
Primal Groudon is the strongest Ground-type Pokémon, with leading numbers in both attack and bulk — an undisputed #1.
Ground is one of the most offensively useful types in the game, hitting five different defensive types for super-effective damage (Fire, Rock, Electric, Poison, Steel). In raid scenarios where you need Ground coverage, Primal Groudon is the default pick almost every time.
Like Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon also grants a 3-type candy and damage bonus — Fire, Ground, and Grass — which makes it another excellent Primal you can use regularly alongside the candy multiplier.
Primal Reversion Tier Comparison
| Tier | Pokémon | Why |
|---|---|---|
| S | Primal Groudon |
Fire / Ground / Grass — these three types hit each other for super-effective damage, making the candy bonus useful in almost every raid matchup |
| A |  Mega Rayquaza |
Dragon / Psychic / Flying — Dragon hits Dragon, so Mega Rayquaza is useful for Dragon-type raid bosses, but it takes super-effective damage from Dragon attacks in return (fragility concern) |
| B | Primal Kyogre |
Water / Bug / Electric — only Electric > Water is a same-bonus matchup, and you wouldn't deploy Kyogre into those raids anyway. The candy bonus is less practical day-to-day |
Why does Primal Groudon outrank Primal Kyogre in daily usability despite both getting the same 3-type candy bonus? It comes down to type synergy among the boosted types.
For Primal Groudon (Fire / Ground / Grass), all three types hit each other for super-effective damage. That means when a raid boss of any of these types appears, you can throw in Primal Groudon, trigger Primal Reversion for the candy haul, and also get a meaningful damage boost from the matchup. It's a routine play.
For Mega Rayquaza (Dragon / Psychic / Flying), Dragon hits Dragon for super-effective damage, so the candy bonus often lines up with usable raid scenarios. But Mega Rayquaza takes super-effective damage from Dragon attacks in return — the fragility limits how often you'd actually field it.
For Primal Kyogre (Water / Bug / Electric), Electric does hit Water for super-effective damage, but you wouldn't typically use Kyogre against Electric or Bug raid bosses — so in practice the 3-type bonus is harder to convert into actual raid usage. That's why Primal Groudon edges out for everyday Primal-driver duty, and why we're highlighting it as the #1 priority of this event.
This tier comparison is our editorial judgment based on candy-bonus utility plus type matchups, not an official Niantic ranking.
Ground-Type Raid Attacker Rankings
| Rank | Pokémon | Note |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Primal Groudon |
Top of class for Ground DPS + bulk; also a daily-use Primal driver |
| #2 | Shadow Groudon |
Pairs with Primal Groudon in the same party — no conflict |
Just like the Water side, the Ground-type DPS leaderboard is dominated by Primal Groudon and Shadow Groudon — both available at this event. For new trainers, this is a rare chance during a limited event window to lock in both top Ground attackers in a single week.
Ranking source: editorial reading of in-game Ground raid DPS / TTW data. Numbers may shift after future move-pool or stat updates.
Final Priority Summary
| Tier | Pokémon |
|---|---|
| Priority 3 (★★★) | Primal Kyogre · Primal Groudon · Shadow Kyogre · Shadow Groudon |
| Priority 2 (★★) | Mewtwo |
| Priority 1 (★) | Articuno · Shadow Articuno · Shadow Suicune · Paldean Tauros (Aqua Breed) |
If you're in Tokyo, start with the four Priority 3 raids — Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, Shadow Kyogre, Shadow Groudon — and fit the rest in around them.
Mega Mewtwo X/Y — Super Mega Raid Bonus
Beyond the eight-day region-locked lineup above, the single most valuable opportunity at GO Fest 2026 Tokyo is the Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y Super Mega Raids.
These Super Mega Raids are park-ticket holders only and run only during the final 30 minutes of each park session you signed up for. Because Super Mega Raids take more time per attempt, expect to complete only a handful at most. That's why we list them as a "bonus tier" rather than ranking them inside the main 9 — they're the highest-value raids of the event, but they aren't available to all trainers, and the run count is capped.
Super Mega Raids consume a raid pass per attempt, so if you plan to participate, stock up on Premium Battle Passes or use Ring Charges ahead of time. For the full acquisition breakdown (Tokyo park ticket vs Global ticket, free Mewtwo encounter via Special Research, etc.), see our dedicated guide: How to Get Mega Mewtwo X / Y at GO Fest 2026.
Mega Mewtwo X vs Y — Which Should You Build?
Between Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y, our recommendation is Mega Mewtwo X first, primarily for usability.
The reasoning:
- Dual typing (Psychic / Fighting): X gains the Fighting type, which expands its utility into gyms and a wider range of raid matchups
- Super Mega Level candy bonus: when X reaches Super Mega Level (Super Max Level), it grants +3 standard candy on catches and an increased Candy XL drop rate from its boosted types. The two-type spread (Psychic + Fighting) multiplies the value of this bonus
- Lower TM management: X is more "fire and forget" — pair it with a strong Fighting charged move and it covers two raid roles without frequent Charged TM swaps
Mega Mewtwo Y has appeal too — visually distinctive and the highest raw CP of any Pokémon in the game. But Y is pure Psychic and benefits most from frequent Charged TM swaps (or Elite Charged TMs for legacy moves) to optimize multiple roles. If you're a dedicated Mewtwo specialist with plenty of TMs to spare, Y can edge out X for single-target peak damage — otherwise X is the safer build for the average trainer.
For a deep dive on the X vs Y trade-off across raid, gym, and PvP scenarios, see our companion article on Mega Mewtwo X vs Y.
