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

The finale to Pokemon Day 2024 arrives with the return of Charizard the Unrivaled. Here are some of the best builds and counters for the 7-Star Charizard Tera Raid in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

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

The 7-Star Charizard Tera Raid event in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will begin on Tuesday, March 12 at 5 PM PST and will continue until Sunday, March 17 at 4:59 PM PST. This makes the event a tad shorter than the 7-Star Venusaur and Blastoise events that immediately preceded it, both lasting a full seven days. Note that 7-Star Charizard is a returning event, and if you already caught this Pokemon in one of its previous events, you will not be able to do so again; however, you will still be able to challenge the Tera raid and collect its rewards as many times as you’d like.

7-Star Charizard Moveset and Tera Type

Pokemon Day 2024’s 7-Star Charizard will feature the same Charizard that appeared in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Tera raids twice previously. This mighty Charizard will have the Dragon Tera type, altering many of its usual strengths and weaknesses as a Fire/Flying-type Pokemon and boosting any Dragon-type moves in its arsenal, such as Dragon Pulse. Like other 7-Star Tera raid Pokemon, 7-Star Charizard will have access to more than the usual four moves, have perfect stats, and be at a max level of 100.

Best Builds and Counters for 7-Star Charizard Tera Raid

As a Dragon Tera type, 7-Star Charizard will be weak to Fairy, Ice, and fellow Dragon types. Its Solar Power ability will boost Charizard’s Special Attack in harsh sunlight at the cost of 1/8 of its max HP at the end of each turn. Charizard’s rather eclectic moveset can make it difficult to cover all your bases when it comes to type advantages, but in general, Fairy-type Pokemon are going to do best here thanks to their immunity to Dragon and their access to super-effective STAB damage. Below are a few recommendations to help you against this mighty foe.

Flutter Mane

Flutter Mane was the winning choice for trainers against 7-Star Charizard previously, and there’s little reason to switch things up now. Flutter Mane remains an excellent choice, being immune to both Dragon and Fighting-type moves, and possessing some of the best stats in the game, boasting an excellent 135 value each for Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. Charizard has little hope against a well-trained Flutter Mane, with Draining Kiss healing any lost HP and Moon Blast dealing massive damage. Use Calm Mind and Fake Tears to help tank Charizard’s Fire-type attacks and bolster your own attacks.

Azumarill

Azumarill is a bit of a risky play, but it’s been a go-to Pokemon for many trainers in Tera raids, and thanks to its typing, it can make for a pretty strong counter against 7-Star Charizard. Belly Drum is a move that will always put a player at risk since it halves your Pokemon’s HP, but it will immediately max your Attack stat, which is even further boosted by Azumarill’s Huge Power ability. This means Azumarill should do some decent damage with its Play Rough attack against Charizard. Make sure you use Light Screen when you’re low on health to help bolster your Special Defense, and set up Misty Terrain to help protect you against status conditions like Burn and Confuse.

Primarina

Primarina is another Water/Fairy-type Pokemon that resists all of 7-Star Charizard’s moves except Hurricane, and I’d wager it’ll perform much better than Azumarill thanks to Primarina’s significantly higher stats and safer moveset. Much like Flutter Mane, you can use Draining Kiss and Moon Blast here for high damage and HP recovery, and Calm Mind will help you better tank some of Charizard’s heavy-hitting attacks. Misty Terrain will protect you against those nasty status conditions should you get hit with a Burn or Confusion.

Sylveon

There’s nothing too special going on with Sylveon, but it’s the closest alternative to Flutter Mane if you’re not playing Pokemon Scarlet and don’t have access to Primarina. Sylveon doesn’t have immunity to Fighting nor quite as high stats, but it can use the same moveset as Flutter Mane to similar effect against 7-Star Charizard.

That’s it for the 7-Star Charizard Tera Raid in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Considering Charizard is the one Tera raid event that has returned multiple times, it’s possible we’ll see this Charizard again in the future. But for now, take advantage of this event and catch it while you can. Who knows how long special Tera raid events will continue, with developer Game Freak moving on to a new Pokemon game next year.