Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Tera Raids bring you and up to three friends together for extremely difficult battles that blow their Sword and Shield counterparts out of the water. Many raids are messy due to connection issues that can make the experience frustrating — your turns may be skipped, and boss HP bars often display inaccurate information.

Aside from the technical issues, Game Freak seemed committed to delivering an extreme level of difficulty via six and seven-star raids. Taking the time to level your Pokemon up to 100 and giving them proper movesets are the bare minimum requirements for entry.

Updated January 21st, 2024, by Andrew Scariati: With The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk now available, the best Tera Raid Pokemon have received a shakeup. Newly debuting Kitakami legendaries highlight the new additions to the top ten.

Given the expanding rotation of Pokemon appearing in raids, you'll need new options to overcome the challenge; these are the best Pokemon for Tera Raids.

18 Chansey

The protective pink egg Pokemon doesn't bring much offensive prowess into battle but does offer an excellent survival option if you're trying not to hinder your team. If you're still learning the basics or just don't have a good attacking option for a particular Tera Raid, fear not — Chansey is your answer.

Light Screen, Heal Pulse, and Helping Hand all provide excellent methods of protecting, healing, and enhancing your teammates, respectively. Functionally, these moves serve as unlimited sources of 'Cheering,' which is normally limited to three total uses per battle. If you enjoy playing support heroes in other games, then Chansey will provide the most seamless transition into the world of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Tera Raids.

17 Tinkaton

Tinkaton finds an excellent niche in Tera Raids with its unbelievable resistance to nine types and complete immunities to Poison and Dragon. Poison-type Pokemon are usually a nightmare for a Fairy-type to deal with, but Tinkaton shrugs them off, only possessing weaknesses to Fire and Ground.

Tinkaton doesn't have the most impressive Attack stat at 75, but its access to powerful moves like Gigaton Hammer and Play Rough make it more than capable of dishing out damage. Using a Steel Terastallization should also help improve Tinkaton's overall damage with Gigaton Hammer.

If you need to pivot to a defensive mode, Tinkaton is more than capable of taking hits, especially if you give it a 'Hang Tough' cheer to boost its already formidable defensive stats.

16 Kingambit

Arguably one of the best Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet, Kingambit provides a near-perfect balance between offense and defense. His quadruple weakness against Fighting does limit the raids Kingambit should be used in, but there are more than enough other opportunities for the king to shine.

If you're worried about its slightly lower Special Defense, fear not, as an Assault Vest can remedy this — making Kingambit nearly impossible to KO when hit by non-Super Effective attacks. Kowtow Cleave and Iron Head provide powerful STAB options for you to take advantage of once you Terastallize and should provide ample firepower to deal with any vulnerable opponent.

15 Sylveon

This pure Fairy-type Eeveelution comes ready to support its teammates with helpful moves like Light Screen and Helping Hand but also has no problem taking matters into its own hands. Sylveon will excel in Tera Raids against Special Attackers with a low resistance to Special moves, given its phenomenal 130 Special Defense and 110 Special Attack.

Sylveon also has access to Calm Mind, which boosts both of its Special stats by one stage, making it an incredibly powerful threat against Tera Raid favorites like Garchomp and Hydreigon. Whichever build you choose for Sylveon, it should prove impressive due to its well-rounded stats, something that Pokemon like Chansey can only dream of having.

14 Iron Thorns

Despite a quadruple weakness to Ground, Iron Thorns' raw power and synergy with other Electric-type Pokemon make it an excellent pick, particularly against Tera-Flying bosses. Supported by its massive 134 Attack, Iron Thorns has access to each elemental 'Fang' attack, as well as Stone Edge, Wild Charge, and even Electric Terrain if you don't have a teammate to set it.

Despite its glaring Ground weakness, Iron Thorns can tank some hits against common types like Electric, Fire, Flying, Normal, and even Poison due to its resistance to each. Take advantage of this to pivot roles if you notice your teammates are doing better damage by supporting them with Electric Terrain. Even if they are not Electric-type, the terrain will prevent teammates from being affected by Yawn or other sleep-inducing moves.

13 Umbreon

Much like its fellow Eeveelution, Sylveon, Umbreon can play a major role in several Tera Raid compositions. This bulky Dark-type slots into a supportive niche that it does better than even Blissey. Simply put, Umbreon can do a little of everything – from lowering the foe's stats to inflicting status conditions and even giving allies a boost via Helping Hand.

You'll want to build around Umbreon's ability to take a hit (or several), so make sure you invest in Special Defense and HP Effort Values (EVs). Leftovers will undoubtedly be the best item for Umbreon in Tera Raids, and Synchronize is its most useful ability. Synchronize will mirror any status effect the Tera Raid boss inflicts on Umbreon, meaning you can skip to focusing on Helping Hand or Screech instead.

12 Flutter Mane

Tera Raids are a game of survival but also require you to inflict enough damage before time runs out. Luckily, Flutter Mane boasts an advantageous type combination of Fairy and Ghost, making it completely immune to Normal, Dragon, and Fighting-type attacks.

One of the best Tera Raid Pokemon Scarlet has to offer, Flutter Mane is only threatened by Ghost and Steel-type Pokemon, and can even hit back at Steel-types with Mystical Fire. Luckily, you can pick your spots in Tera Raids, and ensure that your Flutter Mane is in the best position to come out on top with minimal issues.

11 Gholdengo

Among the best Pokemon for Tera Raids, Gholdengo boasts incredible build versatility, though superior options for the best Tera Raid Pokemon have emerged. Gholdengo excels as a pure Special Attack-focused counter with powerful moves like Make It Rain and Shadow Ball.

Alternatively, you can build a tanky Gholdengo that focuses on high defensive EVs and uses Recover to ensure you stay alive if your HP gets low. Nasty Plot is another excellent move to round out a generalist set for this lanky gold Pokemon. Gholdengo is also a powerful option to use against Iron Leaves, as it resists most of its moves while hitting back with a super-effective Shadow Ball.

10 Slowbro

Slowbro may not seem like an intimidating force, but it's one of the best Tera Raid Pokemon in all of Scarlet and Violet. Slowbro is such a threat, that with the right builds, it's capable of soloing both the Tera Poison Greninja and Tera Fighting Cinderace events.

Slowbro's ability to stack its stats with moves like Amnesia allows it to unleash devastatingly powerful attacks via Stored Power, which does more damage the more stats are raised. Amplify your already impressive bulk with Leftovers for consistent healing or a Shell Bell to heal chunks back as you deal damage.

9 Iron Hands

The perfect partner for Miraidon, Iron Hands possesses the extremely potent combination of Belly Drum and Drain Punch, setting itself apart from most other Tera Raid options. After cutting your HP to maximize your Attack with Belly Drum, Drain Punch offers the perfect method of restoring your health while also dealing huge damage to the boss.

Iron Hands' unprecedented 140 Attack and 154 HP give it the perfect tools to take a hit after using Belly Drum and heal back to full after a single punch. If you need to use Thunder Punch instead, give Iron Hands a Shell Bell to provide a similar HP-recovering utility without sacrificing Super Effective damage output.

8 Munkidori

Munkidori is one of the best Pokemon for raids in Scarlet and Violet with plenty of offensive power to quickly dispatch Fairy and Fighting types. Its frailty is a major hindrance if the battle rages on, so selecting moves like Light Screen can help mitigate this pain point, and support your team.

Using a Modest nature (or Modest Mint) will help Munkidori take advantage of its incredibly high 130-base Special Attack, giving extra power to moves like Sludge Wave. Acid Spray is another excellent option as it lowers your opponent's Special Defense by two stat ranks, softening them up for devastating damage.

If you haven't completed the Teal Mask, you'll need to track down and defeat Munkidori, along with the rest of the Loyal Three before you can catch them.

7 Azumarill

With the introduction of seven-star Charizard Tera Raids, the community needed a Pokemon that could resist Fire and Dragon attacks while dishing out severe damage to the latter. Enter Azumarill: the perfect Charizard counter. Despite mediocre stats, Azumarill's access to the Huge Power ability and moves like Belly Drum and Play Rough give it a lot to work with.

Belly Drum can be learned from a Hariyama who knows it by leaving Azumarill with three moves and giving it a Mirror Herb, then placing both Pokemon in your party for a picnic. Once that's done, round out your moveset with Misty Terrain and Liquidation for some added versatility and the ability to lower a foe's Defense. Slap a Shell Bell on and watch this blue Water rabbit go to work.

6 Grimmsnarl

Grimmsnarel is easily one of the best Tera Raid Pokemon given its immense bulk and ability to support its teammates with both Light Screen and Reflect. This same support-oriented strategy gained popularity in the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet competitive scene as an incredible wall.

Similarly, you can help your team resist the hard-hitting attacks that often do a lot of damage by setting up screens on the first two turns. If you're leaning into the support role, then be sure to bring Taunt and either Play Rough or Fake Tears to do damage or debuff, respectively.

5 Annihilape

One of the best new Pokemon in Paldea, Annihilape uses its powerful Rage Fist to deal massive damage to vulnerable Tera Raid bosses. You will need to be careful where you choose to deploy this vengeful Pokemon, but once you take a few hits, Annihilape will unleash its true power.

Combine Rage Fist's stacking power with some 'Go All Out' cheers to compound your boosts, resulting in some out-of-this-world damage capable of depleting the HP bar of many bosses — provided they haven't stacked too many buffs. Even if they have, your maximum 350 base power for Rage Fist should be sufficient to take out five-star bosses without issue.

Annihilape also serves as an excellent counter to seven-star Bug-Tera Samurott raids, relying heavily on Screech and Rage Fist to win.

4 Miraidon

Miraidon is one of the best Raid Pokemon Violet has to offer, as its Hadron Engine ability sets up Electric Terrain for your side – boosting all Electric attacks and providing valuable immunity to Sleep. Miraidon can carry a team to victory as popular Electric-type attackers desperately need the extra power boost, especially with a lack of powerful non-recoil Physical Electric moves.

All Pokemon want to ensure they're awake to attack, so at the minimum, Miraidon provides that benefit, which often means the difference between victory and running out of time. Combine this legendary Pokemon with Iron Thorns and its best friend, Iron Hands, for incredible results.

3 Ursaluna

Ursaluna touts one of the most ferocious-looking designs among the best Tera raid Pokemon, with an equally scary playstyle. Ursaluna's offensive viability benefits heavily from its Guts ability, which raises its attack when it's affected by a status condition.

Give it a Toxic Orb – or Flame Orb if you're feeling extra spicy – and include Belly Drum and Fling as staples for your moveset. Belly Drum maximizes its Attack stat (stacking with Guts) and Fling will inflict your foes with the appropriate status condition. Drain Punch will help to heal back up, so your hard-won buffs last throughout the battle.

2 Ogerpon

Ogerpon's flexibility is difficult to match, given its access to various forms to choose from depending on the raid you want to challenge. While the Hearthflame Mask is a consensus winner in competitive play, any of the masks can prove useful in Tera Raids.

You must change Ogerpon's held item to the appropriate mask before entering the Tera Raid to enable the form you want to use.

Ogerpon shines among the best Pokemon for Tera Raids because it can excel as a solo option, or enable weather-based teams with Rain Dance or Sunny Day for high-difficulty challenges. With access to potent self-sustaining moves – like Horn Leech – and supporting moves to help teammates, Ogerpon offers options for any playstyle.

1 Mew

The Mew Mystery gift distribution changed the landscape for the best Tera Raid Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet. Each Mew has a different Tera Type and signature move that matches, but it's the added access to an incredible movepool that makes Mew so good.

As an example, Mew was the major counter to Mewtwo during its limited Tera Raid battle event. With access to moves like Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Struggle Bug, Snarl, and Leech Life (just to name a few) you can use several different strategies to defeat Mewtwo.

The ability to build up power to be used as an attacker or instead function as excellent support for almost any team makes Mew the best Pokemon for Tera Raids. Mew combines the best qualities of Tera Raid titans like Slowbro and Grimmsnarl to earn its position at the top.