Raid Review: January 2026

2025 is almost done, and now it's time for 2026. We have a few top-tier raids that are very much worth raiding for.

• Blacephalon: January 1 - 5
• Genesect Burn & Chill: January 5 - 16
• Black & White Kyurem: January 10, Raid Day
• Thundurus: January 16 - 25
• Tornadus: January 25 - February 4

The absolute winners here are Blacephalon for its newly acquired Mind Blown and position as a top-tier Fire Type attacker, and Kyurem White and Black for their raw power in the Ice and Dragon metas alongside the Master League, where they're both fairly dominant.

On the other side of the coin, Thundurus and Tornadus don't really have anything worthwhile that they bring to the table. They're not great in basically any meta, and don't have much of a future, as they already have their signature moves. Definitely focus on the other options.

Finally, Genesect is an okay Bug Type attacker that has some PvP utility. On that note, aim for the Chill variant, as Techno Blast's Ice variant tends to be a better option for said PvP utility.

• Mega Blaziken: January 5 - 16
• Mega Sceptile: January 16 - 25
• Mega Ampharos: January 25 - February 4

We have two big Mega Evollutions this month, as Mega Blaziken basically rules the Fire meta and is a solid option on the Fire side, while Mega Sceptile rules the Grass meta. Meanwhile, Mega Ampharos is a nice Electric Type attacker, but it's not top-tier by any stretch.

• Dynamax Drampa: January 5
• Dynamax Caterpie: January 12
• Dynamax Beldum: January 19
• Dynamax Roggenrola: January 26

The winner here is definitely Beldum. Dynamax Metagross has outstanding utility on both the offensive and defensive sides, making it a great investment for Max Battles to be certain. Meanwhile, the newly released Dynamax Drampa and Dynamax Gigalith have their utility, but don't really break into the high tiers. Finally, Dynamax Butterfree is... yeah, it's not great.

• Throughout January

Sadly, Shadow Cresselia doesn't have a ton of utility right now. Its best utility is in the Ultra League right now, where it's generally out-classsed by its non-shadow forme. Honestly, the only reasons to raid for it are trying for a good IV spread post-purification, or holding on to it in case its utility ever rises.