Prepare for a change of speed in Raid Battles as a trio of spritely Pokémon follow the parade of Dragon types encountered in recent months. The Legendary Pokémon Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf will be appearing in Raid Battles from May 2, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PDT until May 27 at 1:00 p.m. PDT, but which one of the three you may encounter will depend on your location.

• Trainers in the Asia-Pacific region may encounter Uxie.

• Trainers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India may encounter Mesprit.

• Trainers in the Americas and Greenland may encounter Azelf.

The Premier Balls you earn when defeating these wary Pokémon are your only means of catching them, so it's crucial to be prepared. To maximize your chances, help your team take over the Gym before the raid starts, battle alongside your friends, and pick Pokémon that will perform well in battle. Check out our guide to training Pokémon in Pokémon GO to get your team up to speed, and then read on for some tips specific to the Knowledge, Emotion, and Willpower Pokémon.

Tips for Battle

Max out your damage with Dark-type and Ghost-type Pokémon. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf are all weak against the same three types: Bug, Ghost, and Dark. Origin Forme Giratina and Gengar will dish out damage the fastest, so use them first if you want to do damage as fast as possible. (Note that Gengar will also take damage at an awe-inspiring rate.) Next best at dealing damage are Tyranitar, Houndoom, Honchkrow, Weavile, and then Absol. As Dark types, each has the added bonus of resisting Psychic-type attacks. Among Pokémon who resist Psychic-type attacks, the greatest damage source would be a Mewtwo that knows Shadow Ball from its appearance as an EX Raid Boss. Another factor in considering resistance is that these Legendary Pokémon may know the Normal-type Charged Attack Swift, which will deal reduced damage to Giratina, Gengar, and Tyranitar.

Prepare for your region's specific foe. While all three are Psychic-type Pokémon, their stats and moves have some differences. Azelf will dish out and receive the most damage, while Uxie favors defense over offense. The third Legendary Pokémon, Mesprit, is in the middle, with more balanced offense and defense. Each may also know a Charged Attack the others cannot learn—Azelf may know Fire Blast; Uxie, Thunder; and Mesprit, Blizzard. Be careful if you're using a Pokémon with more than one type. Take Honchkrow, for example. It's a Dark type that is also Flying type, so it will take supereffective damage from some of these attacks.

Work with the weather. Nature isn't likely to be much help when you're battling Psychic-type opponents, but you should keep an eye out just in case. Consider including more Dark-type or Steel-type Pokémon in your party when the trio's Psychic-type attacks are empowered by windy weather. Your Ghost-type and Dark-type attacks will deal extra damage if you're experiencing foggy weather, and you may be more inclined to try out Bug-type Pokémon like Pinsir and Scizor when their attacks are boosted by the rain.

Time Your Throws

You'll earn a limited number of Premier Balls to catch these Pokémon, so take careful aim to make each one count. If you battle alongside your friends, you can earn extra Premier Balls, so be sure to bring friends with you. You can improve your odds by using a Golden Razz Berry before each throw. Stock up on them beforehand by defeating other Raid Bosses!

Your chance of capturing a Pokémon is greatest when the size of the target ring is small enough to score Excellent Throws. Throwing Curveballs can improve your chances even more. But work within your abilities—if you don't think you can reliably throw Excellent Curveballs, aim for Nice or Great Throws rather than risk missing the target ring completely.

Be careful not to waste your Premier Balls by throwing while the Pokémon is moving around. Wait for it to start acting up and for its target ring to disappear, then time your throw so that the Premier Ball lands as the target ring reappears.

Legendary Pokémon are very tough Pokémon to catch, so don't be discouraged if you don't catch your quarry right away. Stock up on useful items like Max Potions, Max Revives, and Golden Razz Berries, and try again later with some friends. Good luck with your next Raid Battle, and remember to check back to Pokemon.com/Strategy for more Pokémon GO, video game, and Pokémon TCG tips.