I caught a Lugia today, it only took me 4 soul crushing raids!
I thought I would do my best to impart what little wisdom I could to anybody itching to catch a legendary pokemon in Pokemon Go.
Tip 1) You Need at Least 11 People All Over Level 20.
The first thing to note, is that this truly is a numbers game, you are not going to solo one of these guys, and I don't even think that 6 high level players could manage to do it. I participated in four raids, 3 Articuno and 1 Lugia and the 3 times that we were able to beat the raid we had 11-18 people participating. Don't waste a raid pass if you've got 3 friends together and are in a field where there are clearly no other players. If you really want to raid at that exact moment, then do some easy ones to stock up on golden raspberries, you'll need them for the big event.
Tip 2) Lugia is Easier to Catch.
Lugia is slightly harder to take down in a fight, but he is WAY easier to catch. Lugia takes up your whole screen, making it really easy to land "great" and "excellent" throws. I'm not good at sniping pokemon, but I got a "great" throw or better each time simply because the target was so large to hit. Articuno kicked my ass on the catching front. I missed a fair amount, and I think the best throw I got was a "nice". Also before throwing your first premiere ball, wait and watch the pokemons animations. Get an idea for how long they take to cycle through, remember you are not timed. You have X number of premiere balls, and you can take it as slow as you want.
Tip 3) Stay Calm, and Dodge On
If you're about to die, remember that Pokemon Go will allow you to jump right back into the same fight, and you should absolutely do that. The only problem occurs if you think that the legendary pokemon is going to be beat while you're loading back in. If you think that that is the case, there's no shame ceasing your attack and just dodging like crazy. If you have enough people to beat a legendary, then one person playing purely defensively won't be a deal breaker and it's better than watching everyone else get to catch a Lugia. In the event that you get booted at the last possible second, don't rage quit and walk away. Click on the gym where you were raiding, you'll often get lucky and find that the app recognizes you were in a lobby that beat the raid. This happened to me and a friend today. My app completely crashed while I was throwing a premiere ball at Articuno and I had to boot up all over again. The universe was kind though, when I got back into the game and clicked on the gym, Pokemon Go let me pick up where I left off in trying to catch Articuno. I still failed, but I appreciated the chance haha.
Tip 4) Golden Raspberries.
It goes without saying but use these guys, all of them. Luckily every time you beat a raid they typically reward you with at least 3, but don't save them for another time.
Tip 5) Be team Mystic or be REALLY STRONG
As a proud member of team Instinct, this one pains me, but they award extra chances at catching a legendary based on which team contributed the most to the raid. Usually this is going to be Mystic. You also get extra premiere balls based on your personal contributions to the fight, so if you kick some ass you will be rewarded. I also believe that the team who currently occupies the gym where the raid takes place receives a bonus...
Tip 6) Really REALLY Acknowledge To Yourself That You Will Not Catch One Of These Guys.
Hold up! Hear me out! I'm not saying give up, but I am saying put yourself into a state of mind that understands that the chance of catching a Lugia after you beat it, is 2%. Usually only 1-2 people in a given raid will actually seal the deal at the end, so in order to protect your sanity, treat the victory as a reward and catching an Articuno as a bonus. When you win you get a lot of cool stuff, from my 3 raid victories I got 20 rare candies, 3 tms, and a LOT of experience. That's fun, and worthwhile, and the fact that on my last raid pass I caught a Lugia was made all the sweeter because in my heart I knew I would never catch it...Then I did!!! Also, don't resent the people around you who do succeed at catching their prey. It's not a zero sum game, everyone can catch the same pokemon, and it's not cool to make someone feel guilty for being happy. They worked to beat the raid too! You'll want them to be happy and excited because you're all going to have to find another raid anyway now that you've beat the one where you're at. They're going to be less likely to walk with you to the next gym if they feel you resent them.
Tip 7) If You Catch One, Think of an Awesome Nickname
You owe it to yourself to have fun. You're never going to be able to leave one of these guys in a gym so you might as well treat them like your new digital best friend. I don't know if "Sk8ter Boi" is the pinnacle of pokemon nicknames, but Lugia's arms are always splayed out like he's riding a skateboard, and he's definitely wearing black eyeliner. Avril and Lugia? I'd ship that couple...but I'm also an idiot.