You’ve heard of Spotlight Hours and Raid Hours, but now it’s time for Max Mondays inPokémon 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 toPokémon GOfrom the mainline games. Originating inPokémon Sword & Shieldon 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 totake 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 forPokémon GOso 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:
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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.
Remember 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 July 11, 2025, a new type of weekly mini-event called Max Mondays will appear inPokémon 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 atPower Spotsacross 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 tofour Trainers can take part in a Max Raid Battle, and each Trainer can havethree 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’llalso be collecting Max Energyat 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 inPokémon 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 youuse Razz Berries and attempt to land Excellent Curveball Throwsto 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.
