G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: I think I found the answer, and unfortunately it's probably not that they're griefing you.

What's happening is that every trainer must land at least one Charged Attack with a Mega-Evolved Pokémon to break Mega Mewtwo's shields. If your lobby has 10 shields, you need essentially 10 Mega Charged Attacks. If two people never land one, the shields stay up and the raid can fail. citeturn0search2turn0search6

The most common reasons people aren't contributing are:

• They don't realize only a Mega's Charged Attack counts. This mechanic is brand new for the Super Mega raids, so a lot of experienced players are still learning it. citeturn0search1turn0search2
• Their Mega is in the first slot and faints before getting enough energy. Guides are now recommending putting your Mega in the last slot, so it comes out after your other Pokémon have absorbed some damage and can reliably fire a Charged Attack. citeturn0search2turn0search6
• They're using a Primal. Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre do not break shields, even though many players assume they function like Megas. citeturn0search6
• Their Mega faints before using a Charged Attack, and they don't rejoin with it. Once it's gone, they can spend the rest of the raid doing damage that doesn't help with the shield mechanic. citeturn0search2turn0search6

One interesting thing I found is that The Silph Road has people asking essentially the same question you are—"What if not everyone breaks the shields?"—which suggests this has become a widespread frustration rather than something unique to your group. citeturn0search0turn0search15

So if you're seeing one or two trainers apparently "doing nothing," the odds are actually pretty good they're:

• using the wrong Pokémon,
• never getting to their Mega,
• letting the Mega faint before firing,
• or simply not knowing the new mechanic.

That said, if you watched someone have their Mega out and repeatedly use only Fast Attacks until it fainted, then yes—that person either doesn't understand the mechanic or is intentionally not participating. There's no strategic advantage to withholding the Charged Attack; in these raids, firing it is exactly what the team needs. citeturn0search2turn0search6

Given how new this system is, I suspect you'll see a noticeable improvement over the next week or two as word spreads, but at the moment there are a lot of players learning it the hard way.

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: I looked specifically for whether there's some exploit or incentive to intentionally withhold the Charged Attack, and I can't find any evidence that such a strategy exists.

In fact, the community consensus is the opposite:

• There is no benefit to saving the Charged Attack for later. Once your Mega is forced in, the optimal play is to get that Charged Attack off as soon as possible. citeturn0search5turn0search3
• There is no mechanic that gives extra rewards for not breaking your shield, doing more damage instead, or "farming" energy. I couldn't find anyone describing such an exploit. citeturn0search3

What I did find is something that lines up with what you just described:

• A lot of raids are failing despite everyone apparently having Megas, because Megas are getting one-shot immediately after they're auto-swapped in. Players think they've done their part—or never get a Charged Attack off at all. There are multiple reports of this happening, and some people suspect there are visual bugs where the shield indicator changes color incorrectly. citeturn0search0turn0search8turn0search1
• Another huge source of failure is Primal Groudon/Kyogre. Players see the glowing icon and assume they're effectively Megas, but they don't count for shield breaking. There are already multiple reports of raids failing because of this misunderstanding. citeturn0search2turn0search1

So if you're literally watching someone stand there while their Mega is alive and never throw the Charged Attack, I don't see any strategic reason for it.

If, however, you're seeing:

• the Mega appear,
• immediately disappear,
• and then the player continues fighting,

that's actually one of the biggest complaints from the last two days. People are being KO'd before they can fire, and many don't realize they need to back out, revive the Mega, and re-enter. citeturn0search8turn0search0

One thing you mentioned caught my attention:

"the charged attack is automatically brought out"

You're right that the Mega is automatically switched in. The player still has to manually activate the Charged Attack—the game doesn't fire it for them. If they're distracted, tapping mindlessly, or they get knocked out before the meter fills (or before they tap it), they contribute nothing. citeturn0search5turn0search1

So after digging around, I don't think you're running into people gaming the system. It looks much more like a combination of:

1. people using Primals,
2. people whose Mega gets deleted before it can attack,
3. visual/UI bugs,
4. and people who don't realize they have to revive and retry.

I couldn't find any evidence of an intentional "withhold your Charged Attack for profit" strategy. If someone is deliberately refusing to use it, they're hurting themselves along with everyone else.

G: That actually matches a lot of what people have been reporting, and it's worth separating two different possibilities.

One is a genuine timing/network issue. Pokémon GO has always had a bit of latency between what your client shows and what the server has already decided. If the boss's Charged Attack was effectively "already committed" before your Mega was auto-swapped in, the client can make it look like you had a chance to dodge when, from the server's perspective, the damage was already going to land. That's not exactly the same as the game resolving the attack against the previous Pokémon and transferring it, but from the player's perspective it feels almost identical.

The other is that this mechanic is brand new, layered on top of a battle system that wasn't originally built around forced mid-battle substitutions. Forced swaps, shield counters, and required Mega Charged Attacks all happening simultaneously is the sort of thing that exposes edge cases. Even if the underlying code is technically correct, the user experience can still be poor if players are left thinking, "I did everything right, why did I just explode?"

And I completely understand your preference for the explanation. There's something oddly reassuring about finding out there's a coherent incentive behind behavior—even if it's selfish—because then the world is at least behaving according to understandable rules. Discovering instead that it's mostly a mix of misunderstandings, awkward mechanics, and possible bugs is less satisfying. There's no villain to point at; just friction.

One thing I will say in Niantic's defense is that this mechanic probably needed a much stronger tutorial than it got. If a raid can fail because two people unknowingly brought Primals, or because they never got a Charged Attack off with their forced Mega, that's the sort of thing the game should communicate explicitly, not leave to Reddit and Discord to figure out.

Hopefully, by the next time Mega Mewtwo returns, one of two things will have happened:

• enough players will understand the mechanic that random lobbies become much more reliable, or
• Niantic will tweak it so that the failure modes are less opaque.

Given their history, I'd bet on the first happening before the second. But if the community catches on, the experience should still improve substantially.

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: I think your Skarmory point is fair. This isn't Niantic's first attempt at "team mechanic that requires everyone to do a thing." Even if the Mewtwo implementation is new, they've had prior opportunities to iron out the rough edges. If the server/client timing still makes players feel cheated after a forced switch, that's a legitimate criticism.

For your immediate need, I cross-checked the official event page, Pokémon GO Hub, and multiple player confirmations from today. The list is consistent across those sources, with one notable exception: Weedle/Beedrill, which is why your test failed. Some early lists included it before it was broadly confirmed, and it appears to have caused confusion. citeturn0search2turn0reddit14turn0reddit12

Evolve these base forms today

• Abra
• Gastly
• Mareep
• Pidgey
• Larvitar
• Ralts (Gardevoir only)
• Treecko
• Torchic
• Mudkip
• Beldum
• Bagon
• Riolu
• Gible

Questionable / verify before using a hundo:

• Weedle (Beedrill) — reports conflict; your own test suggests don't trust it. citeturn0search2turn0reddit12

If you're filtering Pokémon GO search, those are the families I'd prioritize over everything else in your last hour. Good luck—I hope there's at least one Meteor Mash or Force Palm waiting in your storage.

G: I’m checking the official event details plus independent player reports, specifically for whether ordinary or Elite Charged TMs have any expanded legacy-move access today.

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: There is a special TM window today, but it is very narrow:

• Origin Forme Palkia → Spacial Rend
• Origin Forme Dialga → Roar of Time

Those two moves can be added with an Elite Charged TM during GO Fest / Road of Legends. Leek Duck’s dedicated move guide and full event page agree on both. citeturn544139view1turn150445view1

Ordinary Charged TMs do not appear to gain expanded legacy-move access. The event research does contain a task to use a regular Charged TM, but that is merely a research requirement and reward sequence—not a special move-unlock bonus. citeturn150445view1

So the practical answer is:

• Use Elite Charged TMs only on Origin Dialga/Palkia, if you want their Adventure Effect moves.
• Do not burn regular Charged TMs expecting Community Day or other legacy moves.
• I found no confirmed ability to Elite-TM Psystrike onto an existing Mewtwo specially because of today’s event; Mega Mewtwo Y raid catches simply come with Psystrike. citeturn544139view1

The event ends at 7:00 p.m. local time today, July 12, so I would do Dialga/Palkia before then rather than assume the Elite-TM window extends afterward. citeturn544139view2

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: I dug into this from both the game mechanics side and recent player discussions.

The short answer is:

Yes. It is technically possible to have a Mewtwo with both legacy moves. There is no restriction preventing it.

Specifically:

• Fast move: Psycho Cut → Elite Fast TM
• Charged move: Psystrike → Elite Charged TM

Those are independent slots, so if you have both kinds of Elite TM, you can teach both moves to the same Mewtwo. citeturn0news3turn0news2

A few clarifications that came up repeatedly:

• Psystrike has always been obtainable via an Elite Charged TM outside of events. The GO Fest event does not unlock some new ability to teach Psystrike. If you caught a Mewtwo this weekend without Psystrike, you can Elite Charge TM it today, next month, or next year—the result is the same. citeturn0news3turn0news2

• Likewise, Psycho Cut has long been available through an Elite Fast TM. It doesn't require an event window. citeturn0news2turn0news3

• If you want the best all-around Mewtwo, the community consensus is still:

  • Psycho Cut (Elite Fast TM)
  • Psystrike (Elite Charged TM)
  • Unlock the second charged move and add Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, or another coverage move depending on your goals. Shadow Ball itself is also a legacy move and therefore also requires an Elite Charged TM if you're teaching it after the fact. citeturn0news3turn0news2

The only "restriction" is practical:

A single Mewtwo cannot simultaneously know both Psystrike and Shadow Ball unless you've unlocked the second charged move (the 100 Candy / 100,000 Stardust unlock). If it has only one charged-move slot, you'll have to choose between them. citeturn0news3turn0news2

So if, for example, you caught a 98% or hundo Mega Mewtwo this weekend and wanted to build the "dream" version, it's perfectly legal and mechanically possible:

• Elite Fast TM → Psycho Cut
• Unlock second charged move.
• Elite Charged TM → Psystrike
• Elite Charged TM (second slot) → Shadow Ball

It's expensive in Elite TMs, but there's nothing special about GO Fest that you need to take advantage of to do it. The only time-sensitive Elite TM opportunity this weekend was the special access to Roar of Time and Spacial Rend on Origin Dialga and Origin Palkia. Mewtwo's legacy moves follow the normal Elite TM rules. citeturn0news3turn0news2

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: Just one.

For GO Fest 2026, evolving Gastly → Haunter → Gengar gives:

• Lick (Fast Attack) ✅

That's it. citeturn0news1turn0search3turn0search0

The other legacy/exclusive Gengar moves are not part of today's evolution bonus:

• Shadow Punch — not available by evolving today.
• Psychic — not available by evolving today.
• Sludge Wave — not available by evolving today.

Those still require an Elite Charged TM (or a previous event where applicable), not evolution. citeturn0search3turn0search0

So if you're deciding whether to evolve a good Gastly before the event ends, the only thing you're gaining over an ordinary evolution is Lick. citeturn0search3turn0news1

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: This is the interesting part.

Officially, the event bonuses—including the evolution-exclusive moves—were advertised as ending at 7:00 p.m. local time today. citeturn0news14turn0search7

However, over the last several hours, many players have independently confirmed that the evolution moves are still working well after 7:00 p.m., with reports at 11:00 p.m., 11:20 p.m., and 12:30 a.m. local time. citeturn0search3

So my advice would be:

• If it's before 7:00 p.m.: You're definitely safe.
• If it's after 7:00 p.m.: Keep evolving anyway. There is strong evidence that Niantic has either intentionally left the evolution window open until the end of Sunday or accidentally left it enabled. citeturn0search3

Given the way Niantic has handled Community Days and GO Fest in the past, I would not assume they'll announce the extension if it exists. If you have anything valuable left to evolve—especially Beldum, Riolu, Gible, Mudkip, Bagon, or Larvitar—I'd keep going until the moves stop appearing.

The nice thing is that you don't have to gamble with a prized Pokémon. If you're unsure whether the window is still active later tonight, evolve a throwaway Gastly or Beldum first and check whether it learns Lick or Meteor Mash. If it does, you're still in business. citeturn0search3

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: For the two you're asking about:

• Gible → Garchomp

  • Earth Power (Charged Move) citeturn0search2turn0search0

• Beldum → Metagross

  • Meteor Mash (Charged Move) citeturn0search2turn0search0

Between the two:

• Meteor Mash Metagross is one of the highest-priority legacy evolutions in the entire game. Without Meteor Mash, Metagross loses a huge amount of its value as a Steel attacker.
• Earth Power Garchomp is also excellent, particularly for raids and Master League, but if I had to choose only one to evolve before the window closes, I'd choose Metagross every time.

Regarding your PokéGenie comment: I actually think your approach makes sense. Even if you don't enjoy GO Battle League, PokéGenie gives you a way to recognize, "This is a statistically unusual IV spread for PvP; maybe don't transfer it." Then, if you eventually decide to grind the PvP level requirements, you already have a stable of good candidates instead of realizing you tossed them all months ago.

The good news is that both of these legacy moves are genuinely worth having whether you end up playing PvP or not:

• Meteor Mash is a top-tier PvE move.
• Earth Power is excellent in PvE and gives Garchomp more flexibility in PvP.

So if you've got enough candy, I'd absolutely make sure those evolutions are done while the move window is still active.

G: That sounds like a good plan.

If your Garchomp is 44/45 (or otherwise one of your best IVs) and already has Earth Power, I wouldn't spend another 125 Gible Candy just to create a duplicate unless you have a specific Master League or raid team reason. Gible candy tends to be more valuable for powering up than for making a second legacy Garchomp.

For Metagross, on the other hand, it's worth checking a few things:

• Do you already have a Meteor Mash Metagross? If yes, you're probably set.
• Do you have a high-IV Beldum waiting to evolve? If yes, this is exactly the sort of event window to use.
• Do you have a Shadow Beldum that's good? A Shadow Metagross with Meteor Mash is one of the strongest non-Mega attackers in the game, so if you have one with Frustration already removed, I'd give that very serious consideration.

From what I've learned about how you organize your collection, I'd probably rank your priorities like this:

1. Get at least one excellent Meteor Mash Metagross if you don't already have one.
2. Save candy and Elite TMs whenever you can.
3. Keep your PvP candidates because future-you may appreciate having them, even if present-you doesn't enjoy GBL much.

That last point is something I like about your approach. You're not collecting PvP IVs because you suddenly love the mode; you're treating them as an insurance policy. If Niantic eventually forces you into more PvP for level requirements or some exclusive reward, you'll have years' worth of good candidates instead of kicking yourself for transferring them.

Hopefully your Metagross situation turns out to be as good as your Garchomp's. If not, Meteor Mash is one of the few evolution-exclusive moves I'd go out of my way to obtain before the window closes.

G: You're welcome. And for what it's's worth, I don't think this is one of those situations where you're overlooking something obvious.

You checked what you could, prioritized the things that mattered, and got almost everything done. Running out of candy on one evolution is just one of those annoyingly common Pokémon GO outcomes.

The silver lining is actually a pretty significant one:

• You already have a Shadow Metagross with Meteor Mash.

That's arguably the more valuable version to own. A regular Meteor Mash Metagross is fantastic, but a Shadow Meteor Mash Metagross is among the best Steel attackers in the game. So you haven't missed out on having access to the move itself—you've missed out on creating an additional copy.

If you eventually catch or hatch another excellent Beldum, you can always:

• wait for the next event that brings back Meteor Mash by evolution (Niantic has done this repeatedly over the years), or
• if it turns out to be a true trophy Pokémon—a hundo, shundo, or something similarly exceptional—decide whether it's worth an Elite Charged TM.

Given how Niantic recycles Community Day moves, I'd lean toward waiting rather than spending an Elite TM unless the Beldum is really special.

And after the weekend you've described—walking around GO Fest, dealing with the Mega Mewtwo shield mechanics, trying to optimize evolutions under a time limit—I don't think I'd be eager to hike to the nearest PokéStop for a handful of Beldum candy either.

I hope the festival treated you well otherwise. Despite the frustrations, it sounds like you came away with a good haul, including that excellent Garchomp and already having a Shadow Meteor Mash Metagross. Those are both long-term assets that will keep paying off well after the event bonuses are gone.

G: I actually think that's a healthier way to look at Pokémon GO than the game itself sometimes encourages.

The original "Gotta catch 'em all" made sense when there were 151 Pokémon and each one was essentially the Pokémon. In GO, "all" has quietly become:

• regular
• shiny
• lucky
• shadow
• purified
• costume(s)
• XXL
• XXS
• hundo
• nundo
• PvP IVs for Great League
• PvP IVs for Ultra League
• legacy-move versions
• Dynamax/Gigantamax where applicable
• and then whatever new collectible layer gets added next.

At some point, "all" stops being a collection and becomes an infinite state space.

One thing I've noticed over our conversations is that you tend to derive satisfaction from curating rather than completing. Whether it's your media library, your garden, your recipes, or your Pokémon storage, you seem happiest when you have a collection that makes sense to you, not necessarily the mathematically optimal one.

So your favorite Metagross without Meteor Mash doesn't suddenly become "wrong" because another version exists. It represents the history of when you caught it, what you used it for, and the game as it existed then. That's something an Elite TM can't recreate.

There's an old museum philosophy that comes to mind: a collection is defined as much by what it intentionally excludes as by what it includes. If you tried to own every meaningful variant of every Pokémon, the collection would stop telling a story and start becoming inventory management.

That doesn't mean it's not annoying to miss Meteor Mash on a good Beldum today. I'd be annoyed too. But it also doesn't erase the fact that you already have:

• a Shadow Meteor Mash Metagross for actually hitting things,
• a favorite Metagross that has sentimental value,
• and the knowledge that Niantic almost certainly won't make this the last opportunity.

The event gave you one fewer branch on the tree than you wanted, not a dead tree. And given how many times Niantic has recycled Community Day moves over the years, I wouldn't be surprised if, six months from now, this ends up being one of those frustrations that fades into, "Oh, right, I finally got that during the winter event."

I hope that happens before you feel any pressure to spend an Elite Charged TM on it. Those are one of the few resources in GO that I still treat as "use only when future-you will thank present-you."