The next seven-star Tera Raid battle for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and players will need to figure out how to counter and defeat a normal-type Rillaboom.
Anyone that has been playing ranked battles in recent weeks knows that Rillaboom is a fearsome Pokemon. The Sword and Shield starter can instantly set up Grassy Terrain and has a variety of powerful moves that can both support allies and burst down opponents. That last part is what is likely going to make Rillaboom a fearsome foe.
Players have been able to consistently figure out ways to deal with these seven-star challenges though, and Rillaboom will likely be no different. Here’s everything that’s known about the seven-star Rillaboom Tera Raid event including its date, moves, and probable counters.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet 7-star Rillaboom Tera Raid event dates, times
The Rillaboom Tera Raid event starts on Friday, July 28. As is tradition with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet events at this point, the event is broken up into two parts. The exact dates and times listed on the official website are:
- Friday, July 28 at 00:00 UTC to Sunday, July 30 at 23:59 UTC
- Friday, August 4 at 00:00 UTC to Sunday, August 6 at 23:59 UTC
The other rules related to special Tera Raid events apply here. Players can only catch one Rillaboom during the course of this event on their save file, but players will have a seven-star raid den spawn each day. These can be farmed for Tera Shards and other items. The event Rillaboom will be shiny locked, but will be breedable after to allow players to get a shiny.
Unlike many of the past events, Rillaboom can also be added to the game right now. The Pokemon can be transferred in via Pokemon HOME for those who obtained one via Sword and Shield. It can also be freely traded on the PokePortal.
Best Rillaboom counters, and what moves it may have
There may be a number of options for defeating Mightiest Mark Rillaboom in this seven-star Tera Raid event, but Crown Forme Zacian will likely be the best counter for those who want to prepare early.
While one might see the combination of grass and normal as manageable for Pokemon like Skeledirge or Bisharp, Rillaboom has a variety of different coverage moves including Knock Off and Brick Break. The normal Tera Type for this Rillaboom also suggests it might be a mixed attacker that uses Boomburst, which makes a pure defensive Pokemon like Avalugg less viable. The move set will likely be pulled from this list:
- Drum Beating
- Knock Off
- Boomburst
- Body Slam
- Low Kick
- Acrobatics
- Brick Break
- U-Turn
- Stomping Tantrum
- Energy Ball
Steel-fairy is arguably the best possible type combination and offers resistance to much of the probable moveset. Rillaboom has access to Earthquake and Bulldoze which normally hit Crowned Zacian for super-effective damage, but Grassy Terrain actually reduces the power of these moves by half. The cherry on top is that Zacian has access to the move Sacred Sword, which can hit for super-effective damage.
While Tinkaton might be a tempting fairy-steel alternative for those who didn’t play Sword and Shield, odds are that it won’t be viable due to its low damage output. Once the full move list is revealed it will be easier to pick the definitive best counter for Rillaboom in this seven-star Tera Raid event.
