Pokémon GO Weekly Plan June 22–28, 2026: Kartana, Celesteela, Shadow Reshiram & Mega Skarmory Debut

The week of June 22–28, 2026 in Pokémon GO stacks a major Legendary and Mega raid switch on top of a brand-new Mega debut.

Monday: Dynamax Hoothoot headlines Max Monday
Tuesday: Squawkabilly debuts in the Flying Taxi event, and the Necrozma + Mega Scizor raids close out in the evening
Wednesday: a big raid switch brings Kartana (Northern Hemisphere) / Celesteela (Southern Hemisphere) and Mega Pidgeot
Thursday: Spotlight Hour features Wingull, and the Takeover brings Shadow Reshiram
Saturday: Mega Skarmory debuts on Super Mega Raid Day

This is Doctor Pokégogochi. Thanks for stopping by.

Here are the main events this week:

Date / Time JST	Event
Mon 6/22 6:00–21:00 ※Max Battle slot continues through 6/28	Max Monday: Dynamax Hoothoot all-day spawn — its evolution Noctowl debuts in Max Battles too
Until Tue 6/23 ※carryover from last week	Last call raids: Necrozma 5★ Legendary + Mega Scizor Mega Raid
Tue 6/23 10:00 – Mon 6/29	Flying Taxi: Squawkabilly debuts. Four color forms, all with the same stats
Wed 6/24 5:00 – Tue 6/30 ※Raid Hour Wed 6/24 18:00–19:00	★★★ Raid switch (region-locked): Kartana 5★ Legendary (Northern Hemisphere) / Celesteela (Southern Hemisphere) + Mega Pidgeot Mega Raid
Thu 6/25 18:00–19:00	Spotlight Hour: Wingull mass spawn — 2× Stardust on catch
Thu 6/25 0:00 – Mon 6/29	Flying Taxi: Takeover — Giovanni brings Shadow Reshiram, plus four new Shadow Pokémon from Team GO Rocket grunts
Sat 6/27 14:00–17:00	★ Super Mega Raid Day: Mega Skarmory debuts. Steel / Flying
Continuing — until Mon 6/29	Shadow Dialga Shadow Raid — top-tier Steel / Dragon

This article walks through the schedule and the featured Pokémon, sorted into three priority tiers: Highest, Mid, and Low. It also covers raid attacker usage and where best to spend your Rare Candy. The analysis is sourced from the data on the site below.

→ Max Battle Tank Ranking — Best Defenders by Attack Type

We also publish a tool that shows which Pokémon to spend your Rare Candy on at a glance.

→ Rare Candy Recommendation Ranking

Individual Pokémon pages are also available, so feel free to look up the species you are interested in.

All times are shown in JST — Japan Standard Time, UTC+9. Niantic syncs global event windows to JST, so the JST values are authoritative. If you play outside Japan, you can also check your in-game Today View for the local equivalent.

Quick Summary — Mobile Short

Highest priority — priority 3

Shadow Dialga Shadow Raid continuing — top rated in every battle mode
Shadow Reshiram Takeover from Thu 6/25 — best Fire attacker, No.1 in DPS
Shadow Beldum Shadow Raid, soloable — future best Steel attacker Metagross
Kartana 5★ Legendary from Wed 6/24, Northern Hemisphere — top Grass DPS
Mega Skarmory Super Mega Raid Day Sat 6/27 — reaches Super Max level

Mid priority — priority 2

Necrozma 5★ Legendary until Tue 6/23 — secure it for the future fusions
Beldum Tier-1 raid — its evolution Metagross stays useful for years

Low priority — priority 1

Celesteela 5★ Legendary from Wed 6/24, Southern Hemisphere — bulky Steel / Flying, a total-damage pick
Mega Pidgeot Mega Raid from Wed 6/24 — half Mega Energy makes it a Candy farmer
Mega Scizor Mega Raid last call until Tue 6/23 — Steel and Bug Candy source
Dynamax Hoothoot Max Monday Mon 6/22 — Pokédex filler via its evolution Noctowl
Wingull Spotlight Hour Thu 6/25 — its evolution Pelipper is a solid league pick

This Week's Event Schedule

Date / Time JST	Event	Priority
Mon 6/22 6:00–21:00 all-day spawn	Max Monday: Dynamax Hoothoot — evolves into Noctowl	Low
Until Tue 6/23	Necrozma 5★ Legendary + Mega Scizor Mega Raid last call	Mid / Low
Tue 6/23 10:00 – Mon 6/29	Flying Taxi: Squawkabilly debuts (4 color forms)	Collection
Wed 6/24 5:00 – Tue 6/30 ※Raid Hour Wed 6/24 18:00–19:00	Raid switch: Kartana (North) / Celesteela (South) + Mega Pidgeot	Highest / Low
Thu 6/25 18:00–19:00	Spotlight Hour: Wingull — 2× Stardust on catch	Low
Thu 6/25 0:00 – Mon 6/29	Flying Taxi Takeover: Giovanni's Shadow Reshiram	Highest
Sat 6/27 14:00–17:00	Super Mega Raid Day: Mega Skarmory debuts	Highest
Continuing — until Mon 6/29	Shadow Dialga Shadow Raid — top-tier Steel / Dragon	Highest

Here is the rhythm of the week in chronological order:

Mon 6/22: farm Dynamax Hoothoot during Max Monday and raise it into Noctowl; the Max Battle slot also opens up
Tue 6/23: close out the Necrozma and Mega Scizor raids by the evening, and the Squawkabilly Flying Taxi event begins
Wed 6/24: the 5:00 raid switch brings Kartana in the Northern Hemisphere or Celesteela in the Southern Hemisphere, plus Mega Pidgeot; the 18:00 Raid Hour is the focused window
Thu 6/25: Spotlight Hour for Wingull at 18:00, then the Takeover with Shadow Reshiram from midnight
Sat 6/27: secure Mega Skarmory during Super Mega Raid Day from 14:00
All week: Shadow Dialga Shadow Raids remain available throughout the week

From here, let's go through each event and the Pokémon evaluations in order.

Max Monday: Dynamax Hoothoot — Mon 6/22

The week opens with Max Monday on Monday.

Time: Mon 6/22 6:00–21:00, all day
Dynamax Hoothoot spawns in the wild all day
The Max Battle slot runs weekly from 6/22 through 6/28

There is no focus hour — you have the whole day. Take your time stockpiling Candy.

Its evolution Noctowl is a Johto early-route bird Pokémon.

Its main stage is the Great League, with only occasional appearances
It has double resistance to Ground and Ghost, so it can work as a defensive pick
As both an attacker and a tank, it rates a step below the top options

In Max Battles, Dynamax Noctowl rates only a B as both attacker and defender. It has no fast 0.5-second move and its bulk is mediocre. No need to invest heavily — one for the Pokédex is plenty.

Necrozma + Mega Scizor Raid Last Call — Until Tue 6/23

The raids carried over from last week hit their final deadline on Tuesday evening, before the switch.

Necrozma 5★ Legendary Raid: until Tue 6/23
Mega Scizor Mega Raid: until Tue 6/23

Necrozma's Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings fusion forms are set to return in next month's event starting July 6. Securing a regular Necrozma now as the fusion base saves you a scramble later.

Mega Scizor is a Bug / Steel Mega. It is not a main attacker, but it earns its keep as a Candy farmer with a 2-type Candy boost. Grab one before Tuesday if you want it.

Flying Taxi: Squawkabilly Debut — From Tue 6/23

In the Flying Taxi event starting Tuesday, Squawkabilly makes its Pokémon GO debut.

A Flying-type from Scarlet and Violet
Four color forms: Yellow and White worldwide, Green in the Eastern Hemisphere including Japan, Blue in the Western Hemisphere
The forms differ only in appearance — the stats are identical

All of its moves are Flying-type, so it has almost no room in the battle leagues. This is a collection Pokémon — one to line up and enjoy rather than battle with. Pick up whichever Squawkabilly form spawns in your region.

Raid Switch: Kartana + Celesteela + Mega Pidgeot — Wed 6/24

Wednesday brings the biggest raid switch of the week, with a Legendary and a Mega rotating in at the same time. The Legendary is region-locked, so which Ultra Beast you can raid depends on your hemisphere.

Northern Hemisphere (Japan, North America, Europe): Kartana, a Grass / Steel Ultra Beast
Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South America): Celesteela, a Steel / Flying Ultra Beast
Mega Raid worldwide: Mega Pidgeot, with a shiny chance
Raid Hour: Wed 6/24 18:00–19:00

Kartana is, outside of Megas, the strongest Grass-type attacker for raw DPS.

It stays at full power the whole battle, with none of the one-Mega-at-a-time limit that holds Megas back
The build cost is Legendary-tier, but it is well worth raising several copies
Its hitbox is small, so aim for reliable Great throws rather than chasing Excellents

If you are in the Northern Hemisphere and want to upgrade your Grass attackers, this is the week to stock up on multiple Kartana.

Celesteela is the Southern Hemisphere counterpart, a high-bulk Steel / Flying Ultra Beast.

Its stats lean toward bulk, so it delivers more on total damage than on burst DPS
Best raid moveset is Air Slash plus Heavy Slam, covering both Flying and Steel
It is a Pokémon valued more for its limited-raid rarity than its raw performance — a Low-priority pick

Mega Pidgeot has Flying DPS that ranks 5th overall.

Flying itself is rarely called on in raids, and it faces stiff competition from Mega Rayquaza and other flyers
Its biggest strength is that it needs only half the usual Mega Energy to Mega Evolve
That makes it an excellent everyday Candy farmer for Normal and Flying

Its raid attacker role is limited, but it pulls its weight as a behind-the-scenes Candy earner.

Spotlight Hour: Wingull — Thu 6/25

Thursday evening is this week's Spotlight Hour.

Time: Thu 6/25 18:00–19:00
Wingull spawns in large numbers
The bonus is 2× Stardust on catch

It is a great window to bank a chunk of Stardust.

Its evolution Pelipper has a low max CP, but it has a real niche on its main stage, the Great League.

It can fire Weather Ball off a light 35-energy charge
Cycling charged moves on so little energy is a genuine advantage in the leagues

Despite its plain looks, Pelipper holds its own in the leagues. If you play PvP, it is worth raising as a Low-priority pick.

Flying Taxi Takeover: Shadow Reshiram — From Thu 6/25

From midnight on Thursday, the Takeover event begins.

Boss: Giovanni brings Shadow Reshiram — the last Legendary he sends out
Grunts field four new Shadow Pokémon: Shadow Seel, Shadow Hoothoot, Shadow Noibat, and Shadow Corvisquire
During the Takeover you can remove Frustration with a Charged TM

Defeat it and it becomes your own Shadow Reshiram. Giovanni's catch has a lower minimum IV floor, so this is a fine time to spend a Super Rocket Radar without hesitation.

Shadow Reshiram was already a top-tier attacker, and the Shadow bonus pushes it to the true top.

Fire Fang is easy to use and keeps both offense and defense flowing
Overheat takes a long time to charge and disrupts team coordination, so it is the weaker pick
As a Fire attacker it is unquestionably top class — No.1 in the DPS ranking

If you want to build a Fire-themed lineup, Shadow Reshiram is the standout of the week.

Super Mega Raid Day: Mega Skarmory — Sat 6/27

Saturday is this week's weekend event, Super Mega Raid Day.

Time: Sat 6/27 14:00–17:00
Mega Skarmory debuts, with a shiny Skarmory available too
Catching it unlocks Mega Level 1

Mega Skarmory is a Steel / Flying Mega with high marks for both raid power and overall bulk.

It has superior options in Mega Metagross for Steel and Mega Rayquaza for Flying
Still, it is one of the rare picks that can reach Super Max level — a strength other Megas lack
Miss this window and you won't be able to catch one for a while, so securing it comes first

Make catching it your priority this Saturday.

Shadow Dialga Continuing — Until Mon 6/29

The carryover Shadow Raid remains available through June 29.

Shadow Dialga: a top-tier Steel / Dragon
The final weekend is Saturday and Sunday, so push now if you still need a good one

Shadow Dialga rates top in every category thanks to the Shadow bonus.

Highest class as an attacker, tank, gym defender, and Rocket counter
Its DPS even edges out Origin Forme Dialga

If you land a high-IV one, send it straight to the front of your build queue. As a side note, Origin Forme Dialga will be able to learn Roar of Time from an Elite Charged TM in the event starting July 6 — but that is a separate story.

This Week's Raid Lineup

The Tier-1 and Tier-3 standard raid slots rotate at the Wednesday June 24 switch, so part of the lineup is still unannounced. Here are the standouts among what is known so far.

Shadow Beldum: a Shadow Raid boss you can solo without using a Purified Gem. It becomes Shadow Metagross, the future best Steel attacker
Shadow Golett: its evolution Golurk is surprisingly strong in the leagues when it fits

Grab a Shadow Beldum when you see one and it grows into a Steel attacker you'll use for years. PvP players should keep an eye out for Shadow Golett too.

Featured Pokémon — Priority Summary

Here is what to do this week, sorted into three priority tiers.

Highest priority — priority 3

Shadow Dialga: top rated in every category, Steel / Dragon
Shadow Beldum: soloable, future best Steel attacker Metagross
Shadow Reshiram: best Fire attacker, No.1 in DPS
Kartana: top Grass DPS in the Northern Hemisphere, worth multiple copies
Mega Skarmory: secure it first as a Super Max level pick

Mid priority — priority 2

Necrozma: secure a regular copy for the future fusions
Beldum: Tier-1 raid; its evolution Metagross stays useful for years

Low priority — priority 1

Celesteela: the Southern Hemisphere Ultra Beast — a high-bulk Steel / Flying pick valued more for its rarity
Mega Pidgeot: a Candy farmer thanks to half Mega Energy
Mega Scizor: a Steel and Bug Candy source
Dynamax Hoothoot: Pokédex filler via its evolution Noctowl
Wingull: its evolution Pelipper is a solid league pick

This week is loaded with top-tier Pokémon, and it lands two weeks out from GO Fest Global — a great time to round out your roster. Thanks for reading to the end.