You need to know the best strategy for Shadow Entei Raid Day as you prepare for the event on Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time. Shadow Entei will be available in most Gyms as a Five-Star Shadow Raid boss. You can start planning for this day if you intend to raid.
Best Strategy for Shadow Entei Raid
Here is a high-performance strategy for Shadow Entei Raid Day so you can maximize raids for XP, Stardust, Candy, etc.
Core Details You Should Know
- Shadow Entei Weaknesses: Ground-, Water-, and Rock-type attacks.
- Legendary Shadow Raids: Needs Purified Gems to subdue the Pokémon when enraged.
- Increased Free Raid Pass: Up to 6 from spinning Gyms (or up to 14 if you purchase the event ticket).
- Increased Remote Raid Limit: Up to 20 from when the event starts in the far East (e.g., Auckland, New Zealand) and ends in the far West (e.g., California, USA)
- Boosted Shiny Odds: This is either 1 in 10 or 1 in 20.
This raid day is NOT a slow grind day. You have 3 hours to do these raids. Prepare for coordinated speed through raids.
Raid Group Size
The ideal group size for each raid is 4 to 6 high-level Trainers. If you have strong counters, then 3 Trainers are enough to take down Shadow Entei. However, you will need to use Purified Gems and other aids such as Party Power.
Expect Shadow Entei to have over 40,000 CP as a Shadow Raid boss. Don’t attempt to solo or duo. This is because you have limited time to do as many raids as possible.
You can do 6 free Raids in one hour (or 14 Raids in two hours if you have the event ticket).
Should you buy the event ticket? You should if you plan on doing more than 6 raids. It is also good if you want extra XL Candy and Stardust.
Shadow Entei Best Counters
You can defeat Shadow with two (2) other Trainers if you use these counters. Basically, you need Ground attackers for the highest damage, Water attackers for bulk and consistency, and Rock attackers for backups.
Note: You can only use one Primal Pokémon at a time.
If you do not have any of these, you can replace those you don’t have with any Pokémon that have either Ground-, Rock-, or Water-type attacks. Examples are Shadow Rhyperior, Shadow Tyranitar, Shadow Gyarados, Shadow Swampert, etc. Whichever ones you choose for your battle team, ensure they are at least at level 35.
The best strategy is to use the same type of Pokémon attackers in your battle team. Consequently, you can use a full team of either Ground-type attackers or Water-type attackers.
Raid Rotation Strategy
You only have 3 hours. Time management is everything.
You should find a location with 6 to 10 gyms clustered together. Then, start at one end and move to the other Gyms. Rotate your route every hour. You can also do remote raids when there seems to be no raid nearby.
With this, you could end up with 20 raids.
Target CP
- 1984 CP (100% IV during non-weather boost
- 2480 CP (100% IV during weather boost
When you see these IVs, make sure you don’t lose the encounter. Feed it Golden Razz Berry and make excellent curveball throws at it. You should also use the circle lock technique before throwing balls at it.
Shadow Entei encounters are boosted during Sunny weather.
Since it is boosted in Sunny weather, battling Shadow Entei during Sunny weather in-game will get you a better IV floor. However, it will be a bit harder to defeat.
Try to get a high IV (93% and above) Shadow Entei or better, a Shiny one!
Most importantly, do not purify an IV one unless you have multiple that can be purified into a s/hundo Entei. A Shadow Entei that can become a s/hundo when purified will have a minimum of 13-13-13 IVs.
In case you missed it: Shadow Entei Raid Day and Recommended Counters
