If Mega Energy is your goal, then it’s definitely recommended that you go the extra mile and try to finish off the raid boss ASAP. And keep in mind that you will need at least 300 Mega Energy in order to actually Mega Evolve your own Gyarados, so the more the better!
And what if you don’t have an appropriate Mega Evolution for this raid? Well, then Mega Evolve whatever you may have and leave it out of the raid, as just having a Mega Evolved Pokemon means that you’ll gain +1 candy from all of your catches, including all Gyarados catches!
Is Mega Gyarados Worth Raiding?
So now comes the big question: just how beneficial is it to join in on this raid day? Well, Gyarados itself has seen better days. In raids it’s been passed up more times than most of us can count, and in PvP it’s still useful, but has been waning as of late. The real value here is Mega Gyarados itself. While a bit expensive and not the best performer, it’s got the potential to act as a budget Mega that can cover both Water and Dark Types very well. It’s overlooked but very useful, and should definitely be a priority when it comes to raising its Mega Level, as a low-cost Mega Evolution, Mega Gyarados has a lot of general utility. It may also have even more value in the future if the Go Battle League ever has an event that opens it up to Mega Evolutions again, as this is a very bulky and spammy monster with good coverage.
Oh, and there’s also the fact that these raids will be shiny boosted, so Shiny hunters and those who missed Magikarp’s Community Day will have additional reason to join in!