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

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are kicking 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.

7-Star Pikachu Tera Raid Event Dates in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

The 7-Star Pikachu Tera Raid event in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet began on Thursday, July 11 at 5 PM PST and will continue until Thursday, July 25 at 4:59 PM PST. That gives you a whole 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 celebration of the summer season, Pikachu will have the Water Tera type during its 7-Star Tera Raid in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which alters many of its usual strengths and weaknesses as the mascot Electric-type Pokemon. The Water Tera type will also boost any Water-type moves added to its repertoire, such as Surf. Like other 7-Star Raid Pokemon, 7-Star Pikachu will have access to more than the usual four moves, have perfect stats, and be at a max level of 100.

7-Star Pikachu’s full moveset and abilities are as follows:

Pokemon	Level	Moveset	Ability	Nature	Tera Type	Held Item
Pikachu	100	Thunder Surf Play Rough Iron Tail Rain Dance	Lightning Rod	Quiet	Water	Light Ball

Best Builds and Counters for 7-Star Pikachu Tera Raid

The Water Tera type on 7-Star Pikachu 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, instead making it immune to single-strike Electric attacks and increasing its Special Attack stat whenever it’s hit by one.

You might not expect an unevolved Pikachu to pose much of a threat to you, but you should feel at least a little afraid here, as this 7-Star Pikachu comes equipped with a Light Ball. The Light Ball held item will double Pikachu’s Attack and Special Attack stats, making it quite a speedy little powerhouse.

7-Star Pikachu will begin 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% time remaining and again at 65% time remaining. In between all that, Pikachu will hit you with its four main moves: Thunder, Surf, Play Rough, and Iron Tail. Take note that the Rain Dance set up at the beginning of the battle will boost Surf by 50% and cause Thunder to avoid accuracy and evasion. The Rain from Rain Dance will last for five turns unless overridden by a weather-altering move of your own.

Despite Pikachu’s rodent stature, this raid can prove pretty difficult! So below are a few recommendations to help you succeed in this challenge:

Arboliva

With naturally high Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense stats, Arboliva is a pretty darn good Grass-type Pokemon that’s rarin’ to go. Its Seed Sower ability is particularly neat here as it will turn the ground into Grassy Terrain whenever you’re hit by an attack, boosting 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, put up a Reflect to diminish 7-Star Pikachu’s Play Rough and Iron Tail, and then use Terrain Pulse for heavy damage and Giga Drain for healing when you need it. It’s a pretty easy setup and things should be relatively smooth sailing.

Pokemon	Level	Moveset	Ability	Held Item	Nature	Tera Type	EVs/IVs
Arboliva	100	Sunny Day Terrain Pulse Giga Drain Reflect	Seed Sower	Covert Cloak	Modest	Grass	Sp. Attack & Sp. Defense

Lurantis

Lurantis is a Grass-type Pokemon with decent stats, naturally resisting 7-Star Pikachu’s Surf and Thunder. Its Contrary ability will cause stat changes to have an opposite effect, which we can make great use of with Leaf Storm, a base 130 power Grass-type move that normally causes the user’s Special Attack stat to reduce by two stages but will increase Lurantis’ Special Attack stat instead. Set up Sunny Day at the start of the battle to get rid of the rain, use Grassy Terrain to increase your moves and heal you at the end of each turn, and use Leaf Storm to deal some wild damage. Fall back on Giga Drain whenever you need an extra bit of health.

Pokemon	Level	Moveset	Ability	Held Item	Nature	Tera Type	EVs/IVs
Lurantis	100	Sunny Day Leaf Storm Giga Drain Grassy Terrain	Contrary	Covert Cloak	Modest	Grass	Sp. Attack & HP

Leafeon

Leafeon is a nice 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 smack Pikachu’s Light Ball right off it to make its attacks feel rather puny. Use Swords Dance to increase your Attack stat and unload with Leaf Blade for some decent damage.

Pokemon	Level	Moveset	Ability	Held Item	Nature	Tera Type	EVs/IVs
Leafeon	100	Sunny Day Swords Dance Leaf Blade Knock Off	Leaf Guard	Shell Bell	Adamant	Grass	HP & Attack

Liligant

Liligant is another hard-hitting Grass-type Pokemon with an interesting Ability / move combination. For Liligant, the star of the show is Petal Dance, which has a 120 base power and will hit for two to three turns. Normally at the end of Petal Dance’s consecutive hits, the user will become Confused, but thanks to the Own Tempo ability, Liligant is protected from the Confusion ailment. It’s a heavy-hitting attack that’s sure to inflict quite a bit of damage.

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

Pokemon	Level	Moveset	Ability	Held Item	Nature	Tera Type	EVs/IVs
Liligant	100	Petal Dance Quiver Dance Giga Drain Sunny Day	Own Tempo	Shell Bell	Modest	Grass	HP & Sp. Attack

That’s it for the 7-Star Pikachu Water Tera Raid in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. As a reward for taking down the Mightiest Pikachu, you’ll gain plenty of EXP Candies, Water Tera Shards, Herba Mystica, an Ability Patch, TM123, and a smattering of some other goodies. Well worth the effort. Good luck out there, trainer!

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on the Nintendo Switch.