5 Special Tera Type Pokemon to Add to Your Team in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduced a brand-new gimmick called Terastallizing, which allows Pokémon to take on a glittering crystalline appearance that changes their type in battle. Most Pokémon found wandering around the Paldea region have a Tera Type that is the same as their natural Pokémon Type, but that is not always the case. Pokémon with special, rare Tera Types can be encountered in the wild and battled and captured in Tera Raids.

With almost every Pokémon able to be found with all 18 Tera Types, it can be difficult to determine just which Tera Type Pokémon you should add to your team. There’s no one right answer – you should feel free to experiment with lots of different Pokémon and Tera Type combinations and find out what works for you. However, if you’re looking for some ideas, this list suggests five Tera Type combinations that can make a fun addition to your Pokémon team as you explore the Paldea region and take on its many challenges.

Dragon-type Pokémon with Fairy Tera Type

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Since the very first generation of Pokémon games, Dragon-type Pokémon have been among the series’ most powerful attacks. Some of the series’ most iconic Pokémon, such as Dragonite, Garchomp, Giratina, Eternatus and many more have been fully or partly Dragon-type. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet add a number of fun Dragon-types to play around with, including the sushi-inspired Tatsugiri and the powerful Legendary Pokémon Koraidon and Miraidon.

The Dragon type has few weaknesses, but two, in particular, stand out: it is weak to other Dragon-type Pokémon as well as the Fairy type, which was introduced in the Generation 6 games. A Dragon-type Pokémon with a Fairy Tera Type handily eliminates both of these weaknesses, while allowing the Pokémon to still use its Dragon-type moves against other dragons in battle. Just make sure to watch out for Poison-types, such as the Poison/Dragon Dragalge, which is exclusive to Pokémon Scarlet.

Electric-type Pokémon with Water or Ice Tera Type

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The ninth generation of Pokémon games was a good one for the Ground type. Several new Ground-type Pokémon were added, including the Toedscool line, the legendary Ting-Lu, and the Paradox Pokémon Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Sandy Shocks. In addition, several powerful Ground-type attackers from previous generations, including the Mudbray, Phanpy, Silicobra, and Gible lines, all make an appearance in Paldea. This isn’t the best news for Electric-type Pokémon, which have a crippling weakness to Ground.

Luckily, clever Pokémon Trainers can mitigate this weakness by adding a Water or Ice Tera Type to their Electric-type Pokémon. Both are strong against Ground-types, and the Water type in particular has only two weaknesses in Electric and Grass. With Ground-type Pokémon appearing so frequently in the wild in many of Paldea’s mountains, caves, flatlands, deserts, and more, all Trainers should have something to deal with these frequent opponents slotted into their regular team.

Dark-type Pokémon with Bug Tera Type

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Another Pokemon type that got a lot of love in Scarlet and Violet is the Dark type. Fans fell in love with the adorable Maschiff and its evolution Mabosstiff, the Bisharp line gained a new evolution in Kingambit, and all four of the “Legendary Calamities” were partially Dark-type. With so many options to choose from, many Pokémon Trainers found themselves eager to add a Dark-type Pokémon to their team. However, the Dark type has a few major weaknesses, which include both the Bug and Fighting-types. In particular, Fighting-type Pokémon tend to be powerful attackers with a huge arsenal of damaging moves.

Players can avoid this weakness of their Dark-type Pokémon by finding one with Bug as its Tera Type. Although the Bug-type does have a few weaknesses of its own, it is strong against Dark, neutral when faced with Fighting, and strong against another powerful attacking type: Psychic. This Pokémon just needs to be careful to avoid particularly strong Fire-types, or keep a move in its arsenal that can defeat them, as Fire can take down Bug Pokémon fairly easily.

Rock-type Pokémon with Ground Tera Type

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Rock is somewhat of a mixed bag when it comes to Pokémon types, with weaknesses to five other types but strengths when facing many commonly used types including Fire, Ice, and the aforementioned Bug. One of Rock’s most crippling weaknesses is to Ground, which, as mentioned previously in this article, is a fairly prevalent type in the Paldea region.

Luckily, many Rock-type Pokémon can learn some Ground-type moves – whether naturally or via TMs – and can then bring those to bear if paired with a Ground Tera typing. The Ground Tera type causes the Rock-type Pokémon to lose most of its weaknesses while still being able to use several powerful moves in its move pool. Ground is also an excellent offensive type, being effective against five other types of Pokémon. This Pokémon would be a powerful attacker, especially when it comes to physical attacks, and have a lot of coverage against various types in battle.

Fire-type Pokémon with Water Tera Type

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In general, any combination of the Fire, Water, and Grass-types with a Tera Type from among these three is a useful combination, handily eliminating this trio of types’ weaknesses when faced with one another. In particular, a Fire-type Pokémon with a Water Tera Type would take advantage of Fire’s strong offensive power while borrowing Water’s greater defenses and general lack of weaknesses. A Water-type Pokémon is weak to only Electric and Grass, and the Grass issue could be easily dealt with by using super effective Fire-type offensive moves.

These are just a few of the many Pokémon Type and Tera Type combinations that players can experiment with in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Each and every Tera Type combination opens up some unique opportunities when battling both wild Pokémon and rival Trainers. Plus, you should make sure to regularly check the Pokémon available to catch in Tera Raids – there are frequent limited-time events which allow special Tera Pokémon to be caught, such as the “Unrivaled Charizard” with a Dragon Tera Type.

Which Tera Type combinations have been your favorite to use in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet? How are you enjoying using the Terastallization system in battle? Where is your favorite place to explore in the Paldea region? Comment below and let us know!

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are both currently available for the Nintendo Switch.

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