Pokemon Scarlet & Violet's Tera Raids bring players together for extremely difficult battles that blow their Sword & Shield counterparts out of the water. Many raids are confusing and messy due to severe connection issues that can make the experience frustrating — your turns may be skipped, and boss HP bars often display inaccurate information.
Aside from the technical issues, Game Freak seemed particularly committed to delivering an extreme level of difficulty via six and seven-star raids, so you will need to carefully select your Pokemon and moves if you hope to stand a chance. Taking the time to level your Pokemon up to 100 and giving them proper movesets are the bare minimum requirements of entry for the highest raid tiers, but certain incredible Pokemon can make raids much more doable, even if you're still learning the game.
10/10 Flutter Mane
The most difficult Tera Raids are a game of survival, but also require you to inflict enough damage before time runs out. Luckily, Flutter Mane boasts an advantageous type combination of Fairy and Ghost, making it completely immune to Normal, Dragon, and Fighting-type attacks.
In addition to the immunities, Flutter Mane is only threatened by Ghost and Steel-type Pokemon, but does have access to plenty of powerful Ghost moves of its own and can even hit back at Steel-types with Mystical Fire. Luckily, you can pick your spots in Tera Raids, and ensure that your Flutter Mane is in the best position to come out on top with minimal issues.
9/10 Tinkaton
Much like Flutter Mane, Tinkaton finds an excellent niche in Tera Raids with its unbelievable resistance to nine types and complete immunities to Poison and Dragon. Poison-types are usually a nightmare for Fairy Pokemon to deal with, but Tinkaton shrugs it off, only possessing weaknesses to Fire and Ground.
Tinkaton doesn't have the most impressive Attack stat at 75, but its access to powerful moves like Gigaton Hammer and Play Rough make it more than capable of dishing out damage. Using a Steel Terastallization should also help improve Tinkaton's overall efficacy with Gigaton Hammer. If you need to pivot to a defensive mode, Tinkaton is more than capable of taking hits, especially if you give it a 'Hang Tough' cheer to boost its already formidable defensive stats.
8/10 Annihilape
One of the best new evolutions in Paldea, Annihilape uses its powerful Rage Fist to deal massive damage to vulnerable Tera Raid bosses. You will need to be careful where you choose to deploy this vengeful Pokemon, but once you take a few hits, Annihilape will unleash its true power.
Combine Rage Fist's stacking power with some 'Go All Out' cheers to compound your boosts, resulting in some out-of-this-world damage capable of depleting the HP bar of many bosses — provided they haven't stacked too many buffs. Even if they have, your maximum 350 base power for Rage Fist should be more than sufficient to take out five-star bosses with little issue.
7/10 Chansey
The protective pink egg Pokemon doesn't bring much offensive prowess into battle but does offer an excellent survival option if you're trying not to hinder your team. For players still learning the basics or who just don't have a good attacking option for a particular Tera Raid, fear not — Chansey is your answer.
Light Screen, Heal Pulse, and Helping Hand all provide excellent methods of protecting, healing, and enhancing your teammates, respectively. Functionally, these moves serve as unlimited sources of 'Cheering,' which is normally limited to three total uses per battle. If you enjoy playing support heroes in other games, then Chansey will provide the most seamless transition into the world of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Tera Raids.
6/10 Sylveon
This pure Fairy-type Eeveelution comes ready to support its teammates with helpful moves like Light Screen and Helping Hand, but also has no problem taking matters into its own hands. Sylveon will excel in Tera Raids against Special Attackers with a low resistance to Special moves as its 130 Special Defense and 110 Special Attack are phenomenal.
Sylveon also has access to Calm Mind, which boosts both of its Special stats by one stage, making it an incredibly powerful threat against Tera Raid favorites like Garchomp and Hydreigon. However you choose to build your Sylveon, it should prove impressive due to its versatility which Pokemon like Chansey can only dream of having.
5/10 Iron Thorns
Despite a quadruple weakness to Ground, Iron Thorns' raw power and synergy with other Electric-type Pokemon makes it an excellent pick, particularly against Tera-Flying bosses. Supported by its massive 134 Attack, Iron Thorns has access to each elemental 'Fang' attack, as well as Stone Edge, Wild Charge, and even Electric Terrain if you don't have a teammate to set it.
Despite its glaring Ground weakness, Iron Thorns can tank some hits against common types like Electric, Fire, Flying, Normal, and even Poison due to its resistance to each. Take advantage of this to pivot roles if you notice your teammates are doing better damage by supporting them with Electric Terrain. Even if they are not Electric-type, the terrain will prevent teammates from being affected by Yawn or sleep-inducing moves.
4/10 Kingambit
Arguably one of the best Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet, Kingambit provides a near-perfect balance between offense and defense. His quadruple weakness against Fighting does limit the raids Kingambit should be used in, but there are more than enough other opportunities for the king to shine.
If you're worried about its slightly lower Special Defense, fear not as an Assault Vest will remedy this — making Kingambit nearly impossible to KO when hit by non-Super Effective attacks. Kowtow Cleave and Iron Head provide powerful STAB options for you to take advantage of once you Terastallize and should provide ample firepower to deal with any vulnerable opponent.
3/10 Miraidon
Miraidon was born to be used in Tera Raids, as its Hadron Engine ability sets up Electric Terrain for your side, both boosting all Electric attacks and providing valuable immunity to Sleep. Miraidon can definitely carry a team to victory as popular Electric-type attackers desperately need the extra power boost, especially with a lack of powerful non-recoil Physical Electric moves.
All Pokemon want to ensure they're awake to attack, so at the minimum, Miraidon provides that benefit, which often means the difference between victory and running out of time. Combine this legendary Pokemon with Iron Thorns and its best friend, Iron Hands, for incredible results.
2/10 Iron Hands
The perfect partner for Miraidon, Iron Hands possesses the extremely potent combination of Belly Drum and Drain Punch, setting itself apart from most other Tera Raid options. After cutting your HP to maximize your Attack with Belly Drum, Drain Punch offers the perfect method of restoring your health while also dealing huge damage to the boss.
Iron Hands' unprecedented 140 Attack and 154 HP give it the perfect tools to take a hit after using Belly Drum and heal back to full after a single punch. If you need to use Thunder Punch instead, give Iron Hands a Shell Bell to provide a similar HP-recovering utility without sacrificing Super Effective damage output.
1/10 Azumarill
With the introduction of seven-star Charizard Tera Raids, the community needed a Pokemon that could resist Fire and Dragon attacks while dishing out serious damage to the latter. Enter Azumarill: the perfect Charizard counter. Despite mediocre stats, Azumarill's access to Belly Drum and Play Rough gives it a potent combination to work with.
Belly Drum can be learned from a Hariyama who knows it by leaving Azumarill with three moves and giving it a Mirror Herb, then placing both Pokemon in your party for a picnic. Once that's done, round out your moveset with Misty Terrain and Liquidation for some added versatility and the ability to lower a foe's Defense. Much like Iron Hands, slap a Shell Bell on and watch this blue Water mouse go to work, earning the title of the Best Tera Raid counter available.
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