You've heard of Spotlight Hours and Raid Hours, but now it's time for Max Mondays in Pokémon GO. This is a new weekly mini-event that takes place (surprise, surprise) every Monday evening from 6 PM to 7 PM. During this time, every Power Spot on the map will feature one specific Max Raid Boss, giving you the perfect chance to battle and add them to your collection.
Dynamaxing is the latest gimmick that's been brought over to Pokémon GO from the mainline games. Originating in Pokémon Sword & Shield on the Nintendo Switch, the Dynamax ability lets Pokémon grow to a humungous size and unleash powerful Max Moves on their opponents. To catch Pokémon that are capable of Dynamaxing, you'll need to take part in Max Raid Battles. Fortunately, the Max Monday schedule will help you do just that.
Max Mondays Schedule For November 2024
Four Dynamax Pokémon To Battle Including Drilbur
Four Max Monday headliners have been announced for Pokémon GO so far, with three of them happening in November and one happening at the beginning of December. You can see all of the headliners in the table below, alongside details of their weaknesses to help you defeat them in battle:
Date |
Pokémon |
Weaknesses |
Can It Be Shiny? |
|---|---|---|---|
November 11 |
Dynamax Charmander |
|
Yes |
November 18 |
Dynamax Drilbur |
|
Yes |
November 25 |
Dynamax Bulbasaur |
|
Yes |
December 2 |
Dynamax Squirtle |
|
Yes |
While the Kanto starter trio Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle have been available as Dynamax Raid Bosses in the game for a while now, Dynamax Drilbur is a new addition to the lineup. It's currently unclear if it will be appearing exclusively in the Max Monday mini-event, or if it will debut as part of a bigger event that runs alongside the Max Monday mini-event.
that you can only use Dynamax or Gigantamax-capable Pokémon in these Max Raid Battles, which does mean you'll need to add some to your collection before you're eligible to take part in Max Mondays.
The best counters for Dynamax Charmander are Blastoise and Inteleon. The best counters for Dynamax Drilbur are Blastoise and Venusaur. The best counters for Dynamax Bulbasaur are Charizard and Cinderace. Finally, the best counters for Dynamax Squirtle are Venusuar and Rillaboom. Don't worry if you don't have any of these Pokémon in your collection, as these Max Monday headliners shouldn't put up too much of a fight.
How Do Max Mondays Work?
A New Weekly Event To Add To Your Calendar
Starting on November 11, 2024, a new type of weekly mini-event called Max Mondays will appear in Pokémon GO. Just like Spotlight Hours (Tuesday) and Raid Hours (Wednesday), Max Mondays will run for just one hour, between 6 PM and 7 PM in each Trainer's local timezone. During this time, one headline Pokémon will appear in all Max Raid Battles, which are hosted at Power Spots across the map.
Power Spots appear at real-life landmarks and look like purple towers with an 'X' above them. When you get close enough to one, you can tap on it to claim Max Particles and battle the featured Max Raid Boss, if there is one hosted there. Up to four Trainers can take part in a Max Raid Battle, and each Trainer can have three Dynamax-capable Pokémon on their team.
Max Raid Battles begin just like regular Raid Battles. Continuously tap the screen to dish out Fast Attacks, and when you've got enough Energy, you can unleash a Charged Attack. The difference is that you'll also be collecting Max Energy at the same time, and once you've filled up your Max Meter, your Pokémon will automatically Dynamax. At this point, you'll have three turns to unleash Max Moves.
Each Pokémon can learn three Max Moves: a Max Attack, Max Spirit, and Max Guard. Max Attacks are unlocked by default and take on the same type as the Pokémon's Fast Attack. Max Spirit heals all Pokémon on the field, while Max Guard decreases the damage dealt by the Max Raid Boss. For low-tier Max Raid Bosses, you'll only need your Max Attack, but for high-tier Max Raid Bosses, defensive strategy is important.
Max Spirit and Max Guard need to be unlocked with Max Particles and Pokémon Candy before they can be used. All three Max Moves can also be upgraded using the same resources.
Once you've defeated a Max Raid Boss in Pokémon GO, you'll get a chance to catch them, just like in regular Raid Battles. It's never guaranteed that you'll successfully catch them, so make sure you use Razz Berries and try to land Excellent Curveball Throws to increase your chance of success. The good news is that you can use any Dynamax Pokémon you catch to take part in future Max Raid Battles.
