To celebrate Pokémon Day, the Pokémon Company announced the next 7-star Tera Raid event coming to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Unlike the previous raids – Charizard, Cinderace, and Greninja – this Tera Raid features a Pokémon that currently appears in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. However, it’s a pretty unique and valuable ‘mon – a Pikachu with a Water Tera Type – so many players are eager to get their hands on one. The event runs from Feb. 24 – Feb. 27, and may be rerun in the future.
The combination of an Electric-type Pokémon with a Water Tera Type is a deadly mix, so this raid promises to be another tricky one. Despite changing its type, it retains the ability Lightning Rod, which allows it to ignore damage from Electric-type attacks. It also has a combination of Water and Electric-type moves, including Surf as a possible reference to the Surfing Pikachu from the Pokémon anime. This guide lists seven Pokémon that might be useful in taking down this powerful Pikachu and adding it to your roster!
Clodsire
This new evolution of Paldean Wooper once again shines, after proving a solid ally in the earlier battle against 7-Star Greninja. As a Poison/Ground-type, the Pikachu won’t do a ton of damage against it – in particular, it is fully immune to Pikachu’s Electric-type moves. It can do damage using moves like Mud Shot and Poison Jab, or could learn Mud Shot via TM to decrease Pikachu’s accuracy and protect it and its teammates from the 7-star Raid Pokémon’s powerful moves. Its Ability should ideally be Water Absorb, which lets it heal from Water-type moves.
Appletun
This Grass/Dragon Pokémon introduced in the Generation 8 games is as adorable as the apple pie it’s inspired by. And, in a battle against Pikachu, it’s quite effective! Its signature move Apple Acid can lower the Pikachu’s Special Defense while also dealing damage, and it can survive heavy hits from Surf or Play Rough with the help of Recover or a TM-learned Giga Drain. Plus, don’t forget Growth to increase Appletun’s own Special Attack, which combines perfectly with the effects of Apple Acid.
Gastrodon
This snail-like Pokémon comes in two forms, East and West Sea. While either one could definitely be useful in the Tera Raid battle against Pikachu, the pink East Sea Gastrodon may have a slight advantage because it naturally learns the high damage dealing Ground-type move Earth Power, rather than requiring a TM. Like Clodsire above, it is recommended that Gastrodon use Mud Slap to lower Pikachu’s accuracy during the battle. While Gastrodon can have several different Abilities, Storm Drain, which makes it fully immune to Water-type moves, is an excellent choice for this fight.
Lurantis
The next two Pokémon on this list can both fulfill a similar role in the battle against Pikachu, as Grass-type damage dealers that can learn the move Sunny Day via TM. Sunny Day can remove the effects of the rainy terrain that the Pikachu will automatically create as its first scripted move. Other than Sunny Day, some good moves for Lurantis include Leaf Storm and Giga Drain, the latter of which will allow it to regain HP during the battle. You may also wish to have your Lurantis hold a Wide Lens item to increase the accuracy of moves such as Leaf Storm.
Arboliva
A Generation 9 original inspired by Spain’s olive trees, Arboliva can also serve as a powerful Grass-type ally that will not be immediately wiped out by Pikachu due to its advantageous typing. Like Lurantis, Arboliva should go into battle packing the move Sunny Day to deal with Pikachu’s rain. Its ability, Seed Sower, can turn the battlefield into Grassy Terrain for five turns, which will increase the power of all Grass-type moves your team uses. Energy Ball is a great choice for a damage-dealing move, and Giga Drain is always useful to bring for quick healing.
Gogoat
Continuing the train of Grass-type Pokémon on this list is Gogoat, the Generation 6 evolution of Skiddo. Defensively strong, Gogoat is a good choice for resisting or surviving attacks like Play Rough. Like the two Pokémon listed above, Gogoat can learn Giga Drain to help keep its health topped up, although it also learns Horn Leech as another option. Consider finding or breeding a Gogoat with the Hidden Ability Grass Pelt, which increases its defense even further whenever Grassy Terrain is active. Damage-dealing move options include Seed Bomb and Leaf Blade.
Mow Rotom
While most Electric-type Pokémon are not recommended for this fight due to Pikachu’s Lightning Rod, Rotom in its Mower form, as a Electric/Grass-type, is the exception. It can learn Grass-type moves such as Leaf Storm that are effective against Pikachu, and its typing means that it will not be hit hard by Pikachu in return. It can also raise its Special Attack via Nasty Plot, which is especially helpful if paired with a Pokemon such as the above-mentioned Appletun that can lower Pikachu’s Special Defense. The ideal Tera Type for this Mow Rotom is Grass, so that it can further boost its Grass-type moves for heavy damage.
Of course, these seven Pokémon aren’t the only options – there are tons of Pokémon that can be effective against 7-star Pikachu as damage dealers, tanks, healers, support, and more. Which Pokémon have you been using against Pikachu? Are there any others that you think should be on this list? Comment below and let us know!
