Nihilego is a Rock- and Poison-type Ultra Beast originating from another world. It appeared in this world from an Ultra Wormhole. Nihilego appears to be a parasite that lives by feeding on people and Pokémon. Learn which Pokémon will be most effective in Raid Battles against Nihilego, how to catch Nihilego after winning a Raid Battle, and how best to use the Ultra Beast after you’ve caught it.

Which Pokémon to Use in a Nihilego Raid in Pokémon GO

As a Rock- and Poison-type Ultra Beast, Nihilego is vulnerable to Water-, Ground-, Psychic-, and Steel-type attacks. When selecting Pokémon for your Nihilego Raid Battle lineup, it helps to choose Pokémon that have a Fast Attack and a Charged Attack of one of these types if you want to deal as much damage as possible. It’s not necessary to choose only Water-, Ground-, Psychic-, and Steel-type Pokémon, but a Pokémon that shares a type with these attacks will benefit from a same-type attack bonus, which will allow these attacks to deal an additional 20% damage.

If you have multiple Pokémon that know Water-, Ground-, Psychic-, and Steel-type attacks, choose the Pokémon with the highest CP and best overall stats. Nihilego is particularly vulnerable to Ground-type attacks, so prioritize Pokémon with a Ground-type Fast Attack and Charged Attack. Remember that speed of victory affects how many Premier Balls you will receive at the conclusion of a successful Raid Battle, so bring your strongest Pokémon and defeat Nihilego as quickly as possible.

• Blastoise / Mega Blastoise (Water)

  • Fast Attack: Water Gun (Water)

  • Charged Attack: Flash Cannon (Steel), Hydro Cannon (Water)*, Hydro Pump (Water)

• Slowbro / Mega Slowbro (Water/Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Confusion (Psychic), Water Gun (Water)

  • Charged Attack: Psychic (Psychic), Water Pulse (Water)

• Feraligatr / Shadow Feraligatr (Water)

  • Fast Attack: Waterfall (Water), Water Gun (Water)*

  • Charged Attack: Hydro Cannon (Water)*, Hydro Pump (Water)

• Swampert / Shadow Swampert (Water/Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Mud Shot (Ground), Water Gun (Water)

  • Charged Attack: Earthquake (Ground), Hydro Cannon (Water)*, Muddy Water (Water), Surf (Water)

• Kyogre (Water)

  • Fast Attack: Waterfall (Water)

  • Charged Attack: Hydro Pump (Water), Surf (Water)

• Golem / Shadow Golem (Rock/Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Mud Shot (Ground)*, Mud-Slap (Ground)

  • Charged Attack: Earthquake

• Groudon (Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Mud Shot (Ground)

  • Charged Attack: Earthquake (Ground)

• Garchomp (Dragon/Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Mud Shot (Ground)

  • Charged Attack: Earth Power (Ground)*, Earthquake (Ground), Sand Tomb (Ground)

• Mamoswine / Shadow Mamoswine (Ice/Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Mud-Slap (Ground)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice), Bulldoze (Ground)

• Rhyperior (Ground/Rock)

  • Fast Attack: Mud-Slap (Ground)

  • Charged Attack: Earthquake (Ground), Surf (Water)

• Excadrill (Ground/Steel)

  • Fast Attack: Metal Claw (Steel), Mud-Slap (Ground), Mud Shot (Ground)

  • Charged Attack: Drill Run (Ground), Earthquake (Ground), Iron Head (Steel)

• Therian Forme Landorus (Ground/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Mud Shot (Ground)

  • Charged Attack: Bulldoze (Ground), Earthquake (Ground)

• Incarnate Forme Landorus (Ground/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Mud Shot (Ground)

  • Charged Attack: Earth Power (Ground)

• Alakazam / Mega Alakazam / Shadow Alakazam (Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Confusion (Psychic), Psycho Cut (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Future Sight (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic)*

• Mewtwo / Shadow Mewtwo (Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Confusion (Psychic), Psycho Cut (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Psychic (Psychic), Psystrike (Psychic)*

• Latias / Mega Latias / Shadow Latias (Dragon/Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Zen Headbutt (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Mist Ball (Psychic)*, Psychic (Psychic)

• Latios / Mega Latios / Shadow Latios (Dragon/Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Zen Headbutt (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Luster Purge (Psychic)*, Psychic (Psychic)

• Steelix / Mega Steelix (Steel/Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Iron Tail (Steel)

  • Charged Attack: Earthquake (Ground), Heavy Slam (Steel)

• Metagross / Shadow Metagross (Steel/Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Bullet Punch (Steel), Zen Headbutt (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Earthquake (Ground), Flash Cannon (Steel), Meteor Mash (Steel)*, Psychic (Psychic)

• Dialga (Steel/Dragon)

  • Fast Attack: Metal Claw (Steel)

  • Charged Attack: Iron Head (Steel)

• Crowned Sword Zacian (Fairy/Steel)

  • Fast Attack: Metal Claw (Steel)

  • Charged Attack: Iron Head (Steel)

*An Elite Fast TM or an Elite Charged TM is typically required to teach this Pokémon this attack.

Make the Most of Premier Balls and Berries

After a successful Nihilego raid, you’ll have a limited number of Premier Balls you can use to catch Nihilego, so make each one count. You can earn extra Premier Balls by battling with friends and defeating Nihilego more quickly.

In an encounter with Nihilego, your chance of catching it is greatest when the target ring is small enough for you 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 make Excellent Curveball Throws, aim for Nice Throws or Great Throws rather than risk missing the target ring completely. 

Nihilego isn’t going to make it easy on you by sitting still while you’re trying to catch it. Don’t waste your Premier Balls by throwing while it’s moving around. Watch the Ultra Beast to get a feel for its cycle of movement and the pauses in between the cycles. During one of these pauses, wait for the target ring to reappear, and then throw as it starts to grow smaller to increase your odds of making a Great Throw or an Excellent Throw.

Berries can help you catch Nihilego. A Razz Berry will make it easier to catch, and a Golden Razz Berry will make it much easier to catch. If you find yourself failing to land any throws, a Nanab Berry will calm Nihilego, making its movements less erratic and allowing you to make precise throws more easily. If you need extra Nihilego Candy, using a Silver Pinap Berry will make Nihilego easier to catch and grant you extra Candy when you catch it.

Buddy Pokémon with a Buddy Level of Great Buddy or higher have the Catch Assist Perk. If a Pokémon—or even an Ultra Beast—deflects a Poké Ball, your buddy might bounce it back for a second catch opportunity!

Like all Ultra Beasts, Nihilego is tricky to catch, so don’t be discouraged if it escapes. Get a second wind by stocking up on useful items—like Max Potions, Max Revives, and Golden Razz Berries—and try again.

What to Do with Nihilego Once You’ve Caught It

As a Rock- and Poison-type Ultra Beast, Nihilego is resistant against Normal-, Fire-, Flying-, Bug-, and Fairy-type attacks. Due to its unique typing and impressive bulk, this Ultra Beast has a lot to offer in raids, especially against Grass-, Ice-, Flying-, Bug-, and Fairy-type Pokémon. The list of Legendary, Mythical, and Mega Pokémon that Nihilego performs strongly against includes Mega Venusaur, Lugia, Rayquaza, Kyurem, and Xerneas.

While Nihilego doesn’t dominate the GO Battle League, it certainly holds its own within the Master League. On one hand, Nihilego is capable of defeating Pokémon that are prominent in the Master League such as Gyarados, Lugia, Giratina, and Zacian. Nihilego’s rare typing also makes it a powerful contender that poses a serious threat to the Flying- and Fairy-type Pokémon that appear so frequently in the meta. On the other hand, Nihilego is hampered by vulnerabilities to certain Pokémon that also appear often, including Pokémon with Ground-, Psychic-, and Steel-type attacks. But with the correct lineup to help counter Nihilego’s vulnerabilities and a strategy that prioritizes alignment, Nihilego could be a dynamic addition to your team.

Whether you’re using Nihilego in raids or the GO Battle League, you should power up your Ultra Beast as much as possible and teach it a second Charged Attack. When it comes to choosing a Fast Attack for Nihilego, Poison Jab is a popular choice because it benefits from a same-type attack bonus, it generates energy quickly, and it deals a decent amount of damage. As far as Charged Attacks go, it’s always a good idea to arm your Pokémon with attacks of different types. Between your Rock-type Charged Attack choices of Power Gem or Rock Slide, the latter is consistently the most popular choice. And when selecting a Poison-type Charged Attack, keep in mind that Sludge Bomb requires less energy than Gunk Shot, but that doesn’t necessarily make Gunk Shot a bad option.

Powering up Nihilego as much as possible is going to cost a great deal of Stardust and Candy, so try to catch as many Nihilego as possible to get you there faster.

Good luck with your next Raid Battle, and remember to check Pokemon.com/Strategy for more Pokémon GO, video game, and Pokémon TCG tips.