Shiny Rayquaza has arrived in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, but how do players actually get it? It’s not hard.
Christmas came early for Pokemon fans. Game Freak has been slowly building to the arrival of shiny Rayquaza, drip-feeding fans mass outbreaks and Tera Raid events. Part of the reason for this was prepping players for the arrival of the legendary but now, the time for preparation is over.
As of December 20, 2024, Shiny Rayquaza is available for almost all Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players. Here’s how to get this prized Pokemon, and what you need to get ready.
How to get shiny Rayquaza in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Shiny Rayquaza will be available in select Tera Raids across a two-week span. Players have from December 20, 2024 to January 5, 2025 to catch the Pokemon.
Shiny Rayquaza is guaranteed to appear once each day on a player’s save. Players can do the raid infinitely to collect rewards, but can only catch it once. The raid itself is guaranteed to be a five-star dragon-type raid. To have access to five-star Tera Raids, players need to advance through the game. Anyone who has completed the game’s story will have access to the event, but players on a fresh save or those who get Pokemon Scarlet or Violet for Christmas will need to sprint their way through the proceedings.
Each Rayquaza caught during the event is guaranteed to have four perfect IVs and will be level 75. Players will be able to make it competition-ready without much trouble.
Players may have trouble actually finding the raid, however. Alongside the event Rayquaza raid is a separate five-star Blissey raid event. Each day, there will be several Blisseys appearing but only one Rayquaza. There’s no way to tell which raid belongs to the shiny Rayquaza, save for manually checking each dragon-type event Tera Raid crystal.
The good news is that beating the Rayquaza is easy compared to most special Tera Raid events.
How to counter Rayquaza in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Players can easily defeat Rayquaza in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet using level 100 ice or fairy-type Pokemon.
Unlike the seven-star Mightiest Mark events, there’s no need to meticulously create a perfect Pokemon to take down shiny Rayquaza. As a five-star Tera Raid boss, players can brute force it down with a fairy-type Pokemon.
Anyone who happens to have a Belly Drum Azumarill will be able to make quick work of the battle. A similarly built Cetitan can do the same. Even legendaries like Ice Rider Calyrex or Zacian can do the trick, assuming they’re at a high enough level.
From there, it’s a guaranteed catch. The only real question is whether players want to catch it in a similarly colored Luxury Ball or use a special Apricorn ball.
