How to Beat the 7-Star Pikachu Water Tera Raid: Best Counters and Builds in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet kick off their four-part summer event with the return of the mighty Water Tera-type Pikachu. Here are some of the best builds and counters to take on the 7-Star Pikachu Tera Raid.

Dates for 7-Star Pikachu Tera Raid Events in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

The 7-Star Pikachu Tera Raid Event in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet began on Thursday, July 11 at 5:00 PM PST and will run until Thursday, July 25 at 4:59 PM PST. That gives you two weeks to take on this Mightiest Pikachu with the Water Tera-type – much longer than the typical weekend-based Tera Raids.

7 Star Pikachu Moveset and Tera Type

In honor of the summer season, Pikachu will have the Water Tera type during his 7-star Tera Raid in Pokémon Scarlet and Violetwhich changes many of its usual strengths and weaknesses as the mascot Electric-type Pokémon. The Water Tera-type will also boost any Water-type moves added to its repertoire, such as Surf. Like other 7-Star Raid Pokémon, 7-Star Pikachu will have access to more than the usual four moves, have perfect stats, and have a maximum level of 100.

7-Star Pikachu’s full set of moves and abilities are as follows:

Pokémon	Level	Movement set	Skill	Nature	Tera-type	Held Item
Pikachu	100	Thunder Surf Play rough Iron tail Rain dance	Lightning rod	Calm	Water	Light ball

Best Builds and Counters for 7 Star Pikachu Tera Raid

7-Star Pikachu’s Water Tera typing makes it weak to Grass-type moves. Normally, a Water-type Pokemon would also be weak to Electric types, but Pikachu’s Lightning Rod ability will negate this weakness, making it immune to single-strike Electric attacks and increasing its Special Attack stat when hit by one.

You might not expect a non-evolved Pikachu to pose much of a threat to you, but you should still feel a little scared, as this 7-Star Pikachu comes equipped with a Light Ball. The Light Ball item doubles Pikachu’s Attack and Special Attack stats, making it a pretty speedy little powerhouse.

7-Star Pikachu will start the battle by activating its shields, using Rain Dance to produce Rainy weather, and then hitting you with Surf. You can then expect it to both reduce your Tera Orb charge and reset its stats at 80% remaining and again at 65% remaining. In between, Pikachu will hit you with its four main moves: Thunder, Surf, Play Rough, and Iron Tail. Note that the Rain Dance set up at the start of the battle will increase Surf by 50% and cause Thunder to avoid accuracy and evasion. The Rain from Rain Dance will last for five turns unless overwritten by a weather-changing move of your own.

Despite Pikachu’s rodent-like stature, this raid can be quite tricky! Below are a few recommendations to help you complete this challenge:

Arboliva

With naturally high Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense stats, Arboliva is a pretty good Grass-type Pokémon that’s raring to go. Its Seed Sower ability is particularly cool here, as it turns the ground into Grassy Terrain when you’re hit by an attack, strengthening your Grass-type moves by 50%, healing you for 1/16th of your HP at the end of each turn, and turning the move Terrain Pulse into a strong base 100 Grass-type move. Set things up with Sunny Day to get rid of the rain, set up a Reflect to mitigate 7-Star Pikachu’s Play Rough and Iron Tail, and then use Terrain Pulse for heavy damage and Giga Drain to heal when you need it. It’s a pretty easy setup and should go relatively smoothly.

Pokémon	Level	Movement set	Skill	Held Item	Nature	Tera-type	EVs/IVs
Arboliva	100	Sunny day Terrain pulse giant drain Reflect	Seed sower	Hidden cloak	Modest	Grass	Sp. Attack & Sp. Defense

Lurantis

Lurantis is a Grass-type Pokémon with decent stats, naturally resistant to 7-Star Pikachu’s Surf and Thunder. Its Contrary ability causes stat changes to have the opposite effect, which we can put to good use with Leaf Storm, a base 130 power Grass-type move that normally lowers the user’s Special Attack stat by two levels, but instead increases Lurantis’ Special Attack stat. Cast Sunny Day at the start of the battle to get rid of the rain, use Grassy Terrain to power up your moves and heal yourself at the end of each turn, and use Leaf Storm to dish out some wild damage. Fall back on Giga Drain when you need some extra health.

Pokémon	Level	Movement set	Skill	Held Item	Nature	Tera-type	EVs/IVs
Lurantis	100	Sunny day Leaf storm giant drain Grassy terrain	On the contrary	Hidden cloak	Modest	Grass	Sp. Attack & HP

Bladeon

Leafeon is a pretty safe option against 7-Star Pikachu thanks to its natural resistances and huge Defense stat. Its Special Defense suffers quite a bit, but if you have the move Knock Off on you, you can knock Pikachu’s Light Ball off, making its attacks feel pretty weak. Use Swords Dance to increase its Attack stat and charge up Leaf Blade for some decent damage.

Pokémon	Level	Movement set	Skill	Held item	Nature	Tera-type	EVs/IVs
Bladeon	100	Sunny day Swords dancing Sheet Knock-off	Leaf protection	Shell bell	Unbending	Grass	HP & Attack

Tempting

Liligant is another hard-hitting Grass-type Pokémon with an interesting ability/move combination. For Liligant, the star of the show is Petal Dance, which has a base power of 120 and will hit for two to three turns. Normally, the user would become Confused at the end of Petal Dance’s consecutive hits, but thanks to its Own Tempo ability, Liligant is protected from the Confusion attack. It’s a hard-hitting attack that will definitely deal some serious damage.

Make sure to set up a Sunny Day at the start of the battle, then use several Quiver Dances to boost your Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed ​​stats all at once. Use Petal Dance for that heavy damage, and Giga Drain if you need some healing. 7-Star Pikachu should go down without too much fuss.

Pokémon	Level	Movement set	Skill	Held Item	Nature	Tera-type	EVs/IVs
Tempting	100	Petal Dance Tube dance giant drain Sunny day	Own pace	Shell bell	Modest	Grass	HP & Sp. Attack

That’s all for the 7-star Pikachu Water Tera Raid in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. As a reward for defeating the Mightiest Pikachu, you’ll get a bunch of EXP Candies, Water Tera Shards, Herba Mystica, an Ability Patch, TM123, and a handful of other goodies. It’s worth it. Good luck out there, trainer!

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are now available on Nintendo Switch.

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