Pokemon GO Fest is Being Sneaky with Mega Mewtwo, And It’s Brilliant

Pokémon GO Fest 2026 has just recently kicked off in Tokyo, Japan, but for the rest of us, the rollout will be gradual, depending on whether you plan to visit the events in Chicago or Copenhagen or wait until the Pokemon GO Fest Global in July. While there are many Pokémon that will be available as part of GO Fest, the one that most seem to be excited about is Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y. In terms of Meta relevance, both versions of Mega Mewtwo will be quite potent, and if the leaked data about Mega Mewtwo’s stats is correct, they might be some of the best Pokémon in the game.

But some might have noticed that the costs associated with mega-evolving Mega Mewtwo X or Mega Mewtwo Y are much more significant than any of the other Mega Pokémon in the game. Some equate it to the cost associated with Eternatus, arguably the best Dynamax Pokémon in the game. The cost to mega evolve Mewtwo the first time into either the X or Y form will cost 7,500 mega energy. At first glance, this seems like a lot, especially when you consider that players only get around 450 mega energy for each raid that they complete, but Niantic and Scopely are actually doing something somewhat sneaky with this, and I actually think it’s kind of brilliant.

Mega Mewtwo X and Y are not as Expensive as You Think

See, one of the big differences with the Mega Mewtwo raids in Pokémon GO during Pokémon GO Fest 2026 is that players who complete any of the Super Mega Raids will have a chance to catch a Mewtwo with its first mega level already unlocked. On top of that, there will also be a rare chance that the Mewtwo from the Super Mega Raids will either have its second or third mega level unlocked, but it’s unclear what the odds of receiving that upgrade are.

What’s interesting about that is the cost to mega-evolve Mewtwo after unlocking that first level is on par with some of the other mega evolutions in the game. Specifically, it looks like it will cost far less in mega energy to unlock level 2 and level 3, and I’d expect it to be around the normal 5,000 energy to hit mega level 4. So really it’s just that 7,500 mega energy unlock that is in the way of players and getting access to one of the best Pokémon in Pokemon GO.

Being able to skip that initial mega energy cost highly incentivizes players to use the new Mewtwo that they catch during Pokémon GO Fest, either at an in-person event or global, and not any Mewtwo that they might already have, be it a shiny, a 100% IV, or the ultra rare Shundo (shiny+100%). Essentially, Pokémon GO players will be starting again in their hunt for Mewtwo.

For Pokémon GO, this is a huge boon because it means that more players will be participating in the super mega raids for Mewtwo X and Y. Niantic wants to have as many players participating as possible because it sounds like these Super Mega Raids might be the most challenging that we have seen thus far. For GO Tour, the Mega Dragonite Super Mega Raids required at least 12 mega evolved Pokémon to break the shield and effectively complete the raid. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Mega Mewtwo have a higher shield count, perhaps somewhere around 15 Shields requiring 15 mega evolved Pokémon. With the current limit on Super Mega Raids being 20 people, that means a high barrier to entry if the population isn’t as active during GO Fest.

So, while you could very easily just do enough super mega raids in order to get the 7,500 mega energy and call it a day, it seems more likely that players will be hunting Mewtwo that are either mega level 2 or mega level 3, or at the very least are mega level 1 and perhaps are a shiny or have one of the unique GO Fest backgrounds. For my money, it’s a really smart play by Niantic to get more players invested, which is crucial for a GO Fest that is meant to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the hugely popular mobile game.

Why You Should Farm Mega Mewtwo in Super Mega Raids

Without the benefit of the instant mega level 1 unlock, the mega energy cost might have been something that would’ve turned players off almost immediately, but now it seems like it is the biggest incentive towards participating in the Super Mega Raids now rather than waiting for potential Super Mega Raids with Mega Mewtwo in the future. I know that I will be hunting shinies with good IVs for both my Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y.

Beyond the high CP and strong stat values of the Mega Mewtwos, their Meta relevance as Raid attackers is pretty huge. Mega Mewtwo Y is going to be the best psychic-type Pokemon GO attacker once it enters the game, and Mega Mewtwo X will be one of the best fighting-type attackers when it enters the game. They also have relevance as other types, depending on what moves you put on them.

Image via Niantic

While Mega Mewtwo is one of the major selling points for GO Fest 2026, it is hardly the only reason to participate in this year‘s event. The debut of Zeroara is exciting for a lot of reasons, including its relevance once the mega evolved form debuts. Tons of the most popular Pokémon in the game will be available in raids throughout the Saturday and Sunday that the event is active. And of course, there is the opportunity to catch Pokemon with a special themed background.

But if there is only one thing to do during GO Fest, it is to participate in the Mega Mewtwo Super Mega Raids, ideally for both X and Y but if you have to pick, I would focus on Y. Mega Mewtwo Y is going to be one of the best Pokémon in the game and one you don’t want to miss. Just make sure that you bring a mega-evolved Pokémon into that Super Mega Raid.