Species guide · Ages 10+ · July 2026
Shadow Palkia
Say it: SHADOW PAL-kee-uh
Kids summary (simpler)Tap to expand
Shadow Palkia is a Team GO Rocket Shadow. It hits harder and takes more damage than normal Palkia. Same Water / Dragon typing — the same counters still work. Remove Frustration before you power it up.
Say it: SHADOW PAL-kee-uh
Shadow Palkia is the Shadow form of Palkia (Water / Dragon) in Pokémon GO. Expect ~20% more damage dealt and taken versus the normal form.
Type-colored placeholder — not official Pokémon artwork (see IP notice below).
Pokédex notes
Shadow Palkia is a Shadow Water / Dragon 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 Dragon Tail + Spacial Rend / Aqua Tail.
Type matchups
- Water moves hit Fire, Ground, and Rock hard.
- Dragon moves hit Dragon hard.
When Shadow Palkia is your opponent, Dragon, Fairy hits hard.
Full type matchup guide →GO base stats
Shadow-adjusted from base Game Master row (+20% Attack, −20% Defense).
Inherits stats from Palkia— this costume or form may not have its own Game Master row.
- Attack
- 343
- Defense
- 178
- Stamina
- 189
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 Rayquaza · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Dragon Ascent — Lobby Mega first
- 2. Shadow Salamence · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Outrage
- 3. Shadow Dragonite · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Outrage
- 4. Mega Salamence · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Outrage
- 5. Rayquaza · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Outrage
- 6. Salamence · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Outrage
- 7. Dragonite · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Outrage
- 8. Palkia · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Draco Meteor
- 9. Dialga · beats Dragon
Dragon Breath + Draco Meteor
- 10. Haxorus · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Dragon Claw
- 11. Garchomp · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Outrage
- 12. Zekrom · beats Dragon
Dragon Breath + Outrage
Budget
Solid alternatives when you cannot build the Recommended picks.
- 1. Garchomp · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Outrage
- 2. Flygon · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Dragon Claw
- 3. Druddigon · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Dragon Claw
- 4. Zweilous · beats Dragon
Dragon Breath + Dragon Pulse
- 5. Fraxure · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Dragon Claw
- 6. Gabite · beats Dragon
Mud Shot + Twister
- 7. Vibrava · beats Dragon
Dragon Breath + Bulldoze
- 8. Exeggutor (Alolan) · beats Dragon
Dragon Tail + Dragon Pulse
- 9. Ampharos · beats Dragon
Volt Switch + Dragon Pulse
- 10. Sceptile · beats Dragon
Bullet Seed + Dragon Claw
- 11. Kingdra · beats Dragon
Waterfall + Outrage
- 12. Noivern · beats Dragon
Air Slash + Draco Meteor
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
- dragon breath
- dragon tail
Charged
- draco meteor
- fire blast
- hydro pump
- aqua tail
Team GO Rocket
Shadow versions hit ~20% harder and take ~20% more damage. Use Water/Dragon 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 #449 of 954 · CP 1479
Dragon Tail + Draco Meteor
- Ultra League · rank #322 of 747 · CP 2485
Dragon Tail + Draco Meteor
- Master League · rank #20 of 1023 · CP 4683
Dragon Tail + Draco Meteor
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).
As a raid boss
5-star · Water / Dragon · weak to Dragon, Fairy
Watch out: Spacial Rend, Hydro Pump, Fire Blast.
- 1. Mega Rayquaza
Dragon Tail + Dragon Ascent
- 2. Zacian (Crowned)
Metal Claw + Behemoth Blade
- 3. Xerneas
Geomancy + Moonblast
- 4. Togekiss
Charm + Dazzling Gleam
- 5. Shadow Dragonite
Dragon Tail + Outrage
- 6. Gardevoir
Charm + Dazzling Gleam
Raid attacker roles
In the Competitive Guide
- Ch. 3: Current Meta Tier Lists (July 2026)
# Current Meta Tier Lists (July 2026) > Free forever in 3CL TCG. The full guide is never paywalled. Meta snapshots are dated — always verify live data on PvPoke / Pokebattler. ## S…
- Ch. 5: Shadow Pokémon — Complete Guide
Purify vs keep Shadow — decision tree for family raids and PvP.
- Ch. 7: Recommended Movesets
# Recommended Movesets > Free forever in 3CL TCG. The full guide is never paywalled. Meta snapshots are dated — always verify live data on PvPoke / Pokebattler. ## Section 7: Recom…
- Ch. 8: Team Building Strategies
# Team Building Strategies > Free forever in 3CL TCG. The full guide is never paywalled. Meta snapshots are dated — always verify live data on PvPoke / Pokebattler. ## Section 8: T…
- 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. 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
Current leader lineups with per-Pokémon counters and movesets.
- Ch. 19: Elite TM & Second Charged Moves
# Elite TM & Second Charged Moves ## Second charged move basics Most Pokémon can learn **two charged moves** after you pay Stardust + Candy (amount scales by tier). In PvP, a secon…
- 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).