Species guide · Ages 10+ · July 2026
Shadow Lucario
Say it: SHADOW loo-CAR-ee-oh
Kids summary (simpler)Tap to expand
Shadow Lucario is a Team GO Rocket Shadow. It hits harder and takes more damage than normal Lucario. Same Fighting / Steel typing — the same counters still work. You cannot Mega Evolve a Shadow; purify if you want the Mega. Remove Frustration before you power it up.
Say it: SHADOW loo-CAR-ee-oh
Shadow Lucario is the Shadow form of Lucario (Fighting / Steel) in Pokémon GO. Expect ~20% more damage dealt and taken versus the normal form. Cannot Mega Evolve while Shadow — purify a high-IV copy if Mega is the goal.
Type-colored placeholder — not official Pokémon artwork (see IP notice below).
Pokédex notes
Shadow Lucario is a Shadow Fighting / Steel Pokémon in GO. Shadow variants deal extra damage in raids and PvP but take more hits — compare purified vs Shadow before investing.
Where in GO: Team GO Rocket Grunts, Leaders, and Giovanni
Invest tip: Power up after Frustration removal. Prefer Force Palm / Counter + Aura Sphere. Purify only if you want Mega Lucario.
Type matchups
- Fighting moves hit Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark, and Steel hard.
- Steel moves hit Ice, Rock, and Fairy hard.
When Shadow Lucario is your opponent, Fire, Fighting, Ground hits hard.
Full type matchup guide →Mega Evolution
Shadow Lucario can Mega Evolve into Mega Lucario. Mega Evolution uses Candy plus Mega Energy for that form, boosts same-type allies in raids, and only one Mega/Primal can be active per lobby.
Full Mega Evolution guide →GO base stats
Shadow-adjusted from base Game Master row (+20% Attack, −20% Defense).
Inherits stats from Lucario— this costume or form may not have its own Game Master row.
- Attack
- 283
- Defense
- 115
- Stamina
- 172
Weak to
Resists
Best Pokémon to use against it
When this species is your opponent (Rocket battle, gym, raid, or PvP), these picks exploit its typings. Each list is a pool of options — not a required 12-Pokémon lobby.
Recommended
Strongest practical attackers for this matchup.
- 1. Mega Charizard Y · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Blast Burn · Elite TM
- 2. Reshiram · beats Fire
Fire Fang + Fusion Flare
- 3. Shadow Moltres · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Overheat
- 4. Shadow Charizard · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Blast Burn · Elite TM
- 5. Mega Blaziken · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Blast Burn · Elite TM
- 6. Shadow Entei · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Overheat
- 7. Blaziken · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Blast Burn · Elite TM
- 8. Darmanitan · beats Fire
Fire Fang + Overheat
- 9. Chandelure · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Overheat
- 10. Heatran · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Flamethrower
- 11. Emboar · beats Fire
Ember + Blast Burn · Elite TM
- 12. Infernape · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Blast Burn · Elite TM
Budget
Solid alternatives when you cannot build the Recommended picks.
- 1. Darmanitan · beats Fire
Fire Fang + Overheat
- 2. Arcanine · beats Fire
Fire Fang + Flamethrower
- 3. Flareon · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Overheat
- 4. Typhlosion · beats Fire
Incinerate + Blast Burn · Elite TM
- 5. Magmortar · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Fire Punch
- 6. Camerupt · beats Fire
Incinerate + Overheat
- 7. Torkoal · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Overheat
- 8. Rapidash · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Fire Blast
- 9. Pyroar · beats Fire
Fire Fang + Overheat
- 10. Simisear · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Flamethrower
- 11. Charizard · beats Fire
Fire Spin + Blast Burn · Elite TM
- 12. Houndoom · beats Fire
Fire Fang + Flamethrower
Moves in GO
Always-available Game Master learnset (regular TMs). Community Day / Elite TM moves appear above when we have curated notes for this species.
Fast
- counter
- bullet punch
Charged
- flash cannon
- shadow ball
- close combat
- power up punch
- aura sphere
- blaze kick
- thunder punch
- meteor mash
Team GO Rocket
Shadow versions hit ~20% harder and take ~20% more damage. Use Fighting/Steel typing weaknesses quickly — they punch above their weight but faint faster than normal.
Defeat the Shadow in battle, then use a Rescue Rocket Radar or standard Rocket battle rewards to catch it. Purify or keep Shadow based on whether you want bulk (purified/normal) or raid DPS (Shadow).
- Team GO Rocket Grunts (Shadow pool rotates)
- Team GO Rocket Leaders — Arlo, Cliff, Sierra (rotation)
- Giovanni (featured Shadow — rotation)
PvP league ranks (family snapshot)
- Great League · rank #424 of 954 · CP 1467
Bullet Punch + Close Combat
- Ultra League · rank #288 of 747 · CP 2490
Bullet Punch + Close Combat
- Master League · rank #252 of 1023 · CP 3056
Bullet Punch + Close Combat
In your Collect
Name match only (text). Cards you have saved in Card Nexus Collect — not official art.
Sign in to see holdings, or open Collect.
Open Collect →Raid and PvP advice uses our Game Master snapshot (updated July 2026).
Raid attacker roles
Fighting-type shortlist
- Mega Lucario — Counter + Aura Sphere
- Lucario — Counter + Aura Sphere
Recommended vs these bosses
In the Competitive Guide
- Ch. 5: Shadow Pokémon — Complete Guide
Purify vs keep Shadow — decision tree for family raids and PvP.
- Ch. 12: Raid Counters — 5-Star Legendaries
# Raid Counters — 5-Star Legendaries > Free forever in 3CL TCG. The full guide is never paywalled. Meta snapshots are dated — always verify live data on PvPoke / Pokebattler. ## Se…
- Ch. 13: Raid Counters — Mega, Primal & Ultra Beasts
# Raid Counters — Mega, Primal & Ultra Beasts > Free forever in 3CL TCG. The full guide is never paywalled. Meta snapshots are dated — always verify live data on PvPoke / Pokebattl…
- Ch. 16: Team GO Rocket — Grunt Identification & Counters
Rocket grunt Slot 1–3 pools and type counters before you battle Shadows.
- Ch. 17: Rocket Leaders & Giovanni
# Rocket Leaders & Giovanni > Live lineup UI: **[/card-nexus/go/rocket](/card-nexus/go/rocket)** (source of truth). Shadow bonuses: +20% ATK, −20% DEF. Lineups verified **2026-08-0…
- Ch. 20: Lucky Pokémon & Family Trades
When lucky status matters for trades and Stardust savings.
- Ch. 21: Best Friends & Lucky Friends
Friendship steps for raid bonuses and lucky trades.
Related species
Also named in the same guide chapters (text only).