Rayquaza Overview
Rayquaza, Mega Rayquaza Stats, CP and moves
| Rayquaza | ||
|---|---|---|
    Rayquaza, Mega Rayquaza  Mega Energy 400 | ||
| Type | ||
  Dragon, Flying | ||
| Max CP (Level 50) + Base Stats | ||
 | 4,336 | Atk 284 / Def 170 / HP 213 |
 | 6,458 | Atk 370 / Def 210 / HP 227 |
| Fast moves | ||
| Dragon Tail, Air Slash | ||
| Charge moves | ||
Outrage, Aerial Ace,  Ancient Power | ||
 Legacy Moves | Breaking Swipe*Hurricane* | |
 Meteorite | Dragon Ascent* | |
Rayquaza is one of the Legendary Pokémon of the Hoenn region, alongside Kyogre and Groudon. While Kyogre represents the sea and Groudon the land, Rayquaza symbolizes the skies, dwelling high in the ozone layer.
Rayquaza also holds the distinction of being the first Dragon-type Legendary Pokémon introduced in the main Pokémon series. According to its lore, it lives on the boundary between Earth and outer space, acting as a guardian of the planet. It is known for descending to stop the ancient conflict between Kyogre and Groudon, as well as battling the extraterrestrial Pokémon Deoxys.
One particularly interesting piece of lore is that Rayquaza survives by consuming particles from outer space. Since Minior, another Pokémon living in the ozone layer, is described as being preyed upon by powerful Pokémon, many fans speculate that Rayquaza may actually hunt Minior as a food source.
Functional Hundo?
To answer the question directly: Rayquaza is not a functional hundo.
At Level 50, a 15/15/15 Rayquaza has 1 more HP than a 15/15/14, meaning the two are not functionally identical.
Legacy Moves: Hurricane, Breaking Swipe
In Pokémon GO, you can use an Elite Charged TM to teach Rayquaza either Breaking Swipe or Hurricane.
- Hurricane (Flying-type Charged Move) — Available during the Rayquaza Raid Weekend event in 2021.
- Breaking Swipe (Dragon-type Charged Move) — Available during the Primal Rumblings event in February 2023.
Although Outrage (100 Power, 50 Energy, 4.0s) is technically Rayquaza’s strongest Dragon-type Charged Attack in terms of raw damage, Breaking Swipe (45 Power, 33 Energy, 1.0s) shines because of its extremely short execution time.
As a three-bar Charged Move with only a 1-second duration, Breaking Swipe provides outstanding consistency and is especially well suited for Rayquaza, which has relatively low bulk. Even compared to other fast Dragon-type Charged Attacks like Dragon Claw (1.5 seconds), Breaking Swipe is noticeably quicker, making it an excellent choice for raid battles.
Signature Move: How to Teach Dragon Ascent
Dragon Ascent is Rayquaza’s signature Flying-type move, first introduced in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
Its Pokémon GO stats are as follows:
| Category | PvE | PvP |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 140 | 110 |
| Energy | 40 | 45 |
| Duration | 3.5s | 45 |
| Additional Effect | — | 100% chance to lower the user’s Defense by 1 stage |
Dragon Ascent is one of the strongest moves in Pokémon GO.
To teach Dragon Ascent, you’ll need the special item Meteorite.
After learning Dragon Ascent, Rayquaza becomes eligible to Mega Evolve using 400 Mega Rayquaza Energy.
The process is simple:
- Use a Meteorite on Rayquaza to teach Dragon Ascent.
- Once Rayquaza knows Dragon Ascent, it can Mega Evolve by spending 400 Mega Energy.
Meteorites are extremely rare and cannot normally be obtained through standard gameplay. They are only distributed during Rayquaza-themed events, usually only once or twice each time, so it is highly recommended to use them carefully.
Meteorite and Mega Rayquaza
How to Get a Meteorite
As mentioned above, Meteorites are event-exclusive items and cannot be obtained through normal gameplay.
So far, they have been available during:
- Pokémon GO Fest 2023: Global
- Mega Rayquaza Mega Raid Day (June & August 2024, October 2025)
- Ozone Ascent 2026 (July 2026)
Meteorites are usually awarded through either free or paid Special Research.
In addition, there is an extremely small chance to receive a Meteorite after completing a Mega Rayquaza Raid.
Mega Evolution and Mega Energy
To Mega Evolve Rayquaza, it must first know Dragon Ascent, which requires a Meteorite.
Once it has learned Dragon Ascent, Mega Evolution costs 400 Mega Rayquaza Energy.
Mega Energy can be earned by defeating Mega Rayquaza Raids. Depending on how quickly your group completes the raid, you’ll receive between 70 and 200 Mega Energy. Faster clear times reward more Mega Energy.
Mega Rayquaza Type Boosts and Candy Bonuses
| Pokémon | Type Boost | Catch Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Mega Rayquaza | Dragon, Flying, Psychic | +2 Candy, +100 XP, +25% Candy XL chance |
| Battle Damage Boost | +10% damage for all Pokémon, +30% damage for boosted types (does not stack) | |
Mega Rayquaza boosts Dragon-, Flying-, and Psychic-type Pokémon, granting additional catch rewards of 2 extra Candy, 100 bonus XP, and a 25% increased chance of obtaining Candy XL.
During Gym and Raid Battles, Mega Rayquaza also provides a 10% damage boost to all allied Pokémon and a 30% damage boost for attacks matching its boosted types.
Note: Unlike other Mega Evolutions, Mega Rayquaza’s bonuses remain active even after it faints during battle. (The damage bonus does not apply to Mega Rayquaza itself.)
Best Moves for Rayquaza
Recommended Moveset
| Fast Move | Charged Move |
|---|---|
| Dragon Tail | Breaking Swipe* |
| Air Slash | Dragon Ascent** |
If you also plan to use Rayquaza in Trainer Battles, Dragon Tail is generally the preferred Fast Move.
That said, Rayquaza currently sees relatively little use in the Master League, making it much more valuable as a raid attacker.
Dragon Tail vs. Air Slash
Flying-type attackers have relatively few opportunities in Legendary Raids, so Rayquaza is generally much more valuable as a Dragon-type attacker.
For that reason, it’s recommended to unlock a second Charged Move and run Breaking Swipe alongside Dragon Ascent, switching between Dragon Tail and Air Slash with a Fast TM depending on the raid.
Alternatively, you can simply use Dragon Tail + Dragon Ascent as a versatile setup.
Note: The DPS difference between Air Slash + Dragon Ascent and Dragon Tail + Dragon Ascent is approximately 9%.
Performance in Raids and Trainer Battles
Dragon-type Attacker: Breaking Swipe (PvE)
| Pokémon | Moves | DPS (%) | TDO (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
 Eternatus | Dragon Tail + Dynamax Cannon** | 100 | 100 |
 Mega Rayquaza | Dragon Tail + Breaking Swipe* | 97 | 90 |
 Mega Garchomp | Dragon Tail + Breaking Swipe | 88 | 90 |
 Mega Salamence | Dragon Tail + Draco Meteor | 78 | 81 |
 Origin Forme Palkia | Dragon Tail + Spacial Rend** | 79 | 66 |
 Mega Dragonite | Dragon Tail + Draco Meteor* | 75 | 77 |
 Black Kyurem | Dragon Tail + Outrage | 77 | 67 |
 Origin Forme Dialga | Dragon Breath + Roar of Time** | 75 | 68 |
 Regidrago | Dragon Breath* + Dragon Energy* | 74 | 61 |
 Baxcalibur | Dragon Breath + Glaive Rush* | 76 | 56 |
 Rayquaza | Dragon Tail + Breaking Swipe* | 75 | 54 |
Mega Rayquaza is the second strongest Dragon-type attacker, behind only Eternatus.
Among all Mega Evolutions, it remains the strongest Dragon-type raid attacker and is the top recommendation whenever Dragon-type damage is effective.
Flying-type Attacker: Dragon Ascent (PvE)
| Pokémon | Moves | DPS (%) | TDO (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
Mega Rayquaza | Air Slash + Dragon Ascent** | 129 | 166 |
Rayquaza | Air Slash + Dragon Ascent** | 100 | 100 |
 Yveltal | Gust + Oblivion Wing* | 81 | 101 |
 Mega Pidgeot | Gust* + Brave Bird | 85 | 80 |
 Moltres | Wing Attack + Fly | 82 | 84 |
Flying-type attackers rarely see significant use in Legendary Raids, so despite Dragon Ascent’s incredible strength, there are relatively few situations where Flying-type Rayquaza becomes the optimal choice.
Trainer Battles: Master League (PvP)
Following the 2026 buff to Dragon Ascent, Rayquaza performs noticeably better than before. However, its overall stats are still not quite sufficient for the current Master League meta.
At present, the Master League is dominated by Origin Forme Palkia, Crowned Sword Zacian, and White Kyurem, with Lunala, Zekrom, Xerneas, Reshiram, and Kyogre also seeing very high usage.
Unfortunately, Rayquaza currently struggles against nearly all of these top-tier Pokémon. Even Kyogre, once considered a favorable matchup, now commonly runs Avalanche, making the matchup significantly more difficult for Rayquaza.
