Pokemon Go's latest mega raid starts soon, and this time Trainers will be facing off against a bunny with a penchant for fighting.

　　Mega Lopunny--the Normal-and Fighting-type amplified version of the Sinnoh region's Lopunny-- has been named as the latest Pokemon Go mega raid, running from March 15 until at least March 20. Mega Lopunny's time as the star of the Mega Raid runs concurrently with the game's Festival of Colors event. Mega Lopunny is the latest Mega Raid to challenge Trainers, with Mega Venusaur sending out Solar Beams in Gyms around the world last time. We're not sure when Mega Lopunny will return to the raid circuit, so if you're going to challenge it check out our tips below.

　　Mega Lopunny fights its way into the Mega Raid on March 15.

What's A "Mega" Pokemon?

Before we begin, let's answer a simple question: what makes a "Mega" Pokemon different from a normal one? First introduced in 2013's Pokemon X and Y, Mega Evolutions were a temporary power-up that designated Pokemon could access, giving that Pokemon access to a more powerful form so long as the player had collected the correct corresponding item during the adventure.

　　In Pokemon Go, a Pokemon with a Mega form can access it by consuming Mega Energy specific to that Pokemon, earned through activities like research tasks and catching other Pokemon. The first transformation to Mega form will cost 200 Mega Energy, while future transformations will cost 40.

　　Mega Pokemon not only have increased statistics, but they offer a damage boost to other Pokemon participating in a raid. The transformation only lasts for eight hours though, so be sure you're going to maximize the time given.

　　

Mega Lopunny Raid Schedule

Mega Lopunny enters the Mega Raid ring starting March 15 at 10 AM local time, remaining there until at least 8 PM on March 20--it has not been confirmed if Mega Lopunny will remain after the Festival of Colors event ends. Unfortunately the game does not follow any set schedules with its raid--Mega raids are one of six ranks a raid can be once the countdown begins--but the game constantly tells you who's around to raid, so just keep an eye out. Mega raids, specifically, are indicated by a special red egg.

　　

Mega Lopunny Weaknesses And Counters

A normal Lopunny is just a Normal-type Pokemon, but by powering up Mega Lopunny adds the Fighting-type to itself. Ironically, adding this second type gives it three more weaknesses than it had pre-transformation, but that gives us more opportunities to deal some big damage.

　　Fairy-, Fighting-, Flying-, and Psychic-type moves will all be super effective against Mega Lopunny, so bringing Pokemon of those types would be the safest bet. Hawlucha is an interesting choice being both Flying-and Fighting-type, but it may not pack the punch required to take a Mega Evolution down. Mewtwo, on the other hand, is more than capable of dealing some damage with some Psychic-type moves, while the Fairy- and Flying-type Togekiss would also be a viable option. If those two are hard to come by, Lucario, Machamp, Gallade, and Gardevoir are all good bets as well.

　　

Types To Avoid

While the Fighting-type added more weaknesses to Mega Lopunny, it also gained some extra resistances. Bug-, Rock-, and Dark-type Pokemon will also see their damage cut in half by Mega Lopunny's defenses, while Ghost-type moves will be affected even more. As such, Pokemon like Gengar, Darkrai, Golem, and Houndoom can all ride the bench on this one.

　　Once you've captured Mega Lopunny for yourself, add it to your team when you take on the five-star raid for the next two weeks, Tornadus in its Therian Forme.

　　Jason Fanelli on Google+