How to beat 7-star Delphox Tera Raid: Best counters in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Philip Trahan
pokemon anime delphox scarlet and violet

This guide will tackle everything players need to know about the 7-star Delphox Tera Raid event, including the best ways to take on its powerful Fire and Psychic-type moves in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

Following the recent trend of Starter Pokemon from past generations appearing in 7-star Tera Raids, Scarlet & Violet’s next event will feature Generation 6’s Fire/Psychic-type, Delphox.

However, since this is a Tera Raid, Delphox will have the Fairy Tera-type, as opposed to its standard Fire/Psychic-type combo. As such, trainers should be prepared to see Fire, Psychic, and Fairy-type moves in this difficult raid event.

Thankfully, there are some solid counters that players can prepare before the July 7 event begins. Here’s everything players need to know about 7-star Delphox Tera Raids:

Contents

When will Dephox appear in Tera Raids?

The 7-star Delphox Tera Raids will begin on Friday, June 7, 2023. The dates for the event are as follows:

July 7 – July 9

July 14 – July 16

Once the Tera Raids event concludes, the only way to obtain a Delphox will be through trading or importing one from Pokemon HOME, or if this particular Raid event returns in the future.

Delphox Moveset & Type

7-star Delphox will take on a Fairy Tera Type, which will make it weak to Poison and Steel-type moves. This type combination can make it quite difficult to find the best counter to this 7-Star Delphox Tera Raid, thanks to its wide range of type coverage.

As Delphox is a Special Attacker, it may be a good idea to bring in a Special wall to survive Delphox’s attacks when looking to tank. Additionally, Delphox has much lower Defense than Special Defense, so trainers may want to bring along a physical Attacker to try and knock out the Fox Pokemon quickly.

Delphox’s moveset includes more than four moves, meaning it can be a bit difficult to prepare for. Tera Raid Delphox can use the moves Fire Blast, Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Will-O-Wisp, Magic Room, and Nasty Plot.

Magic Room specifically is a pretty nasty move, as it will make any and all Held Items useless for five turns after it is used. That means helpful items like the Shell Bell cannot be relied on for healing. Additionally, Delphox can buff itself with Nasty Plot and debuff teammates using Will-O-Wisp.

POKEMONLEVELMOVESABILITYNATURETERA TYPE
Delphox100-Fire Blast-
-Psychic-
-Dazzling Gleam-
-Will-O-Wisp-
-Magic Room-
-Nasty Plot-
MagicianRandomFairy

Ceruledge Build

Perhaps the most obvious choice for this Tera Raid battle is Ceruledge. The Fire Blades Pokemon is a speedy mixed attacker with an extremely helpful type for this Delphox Raid.

Thanks to its Flash Fire ability, Ceruledge can shut out one of Delphox’s offensive options completely and power up Bitter Blade. Thanks to Magic Room, trainers won’t be able to rely on Held Items like the Shell Bell to heal, meaning Bitter Blade will help keep Ceruledge alive.

Trainers can also bring along Swords Dance to raise Ceruledge’s Attack, and Iron Head as a back up option. Ultimately, trainers are going to want to quickly buff up Ceruledge and start unleashing Bitter Blade to take Delphox out as fast as possible.

POKEMONLEVELMOVESETHELD ITEMABILITYNATUREEVS & IVSTERA TYPE
100-Bitter Blade-
-Iron Head-
-Tera Blast-
-Swords Dance-
Shell BellFlash FireAdamantHP & AttackFire

Houndoom Build

Like Ceruledge, Houndoom is another fantastic Attacker to bring into this Tera Raid. While Houndoom is geared more towards Special Attack, it will still be able to deal heavy damage to Delphox overall.

Houndoom also has the Flash Fire ability, which will completely shut down one of Delphox’s options while making the Dark Pokemon stronger. Additionally, it’s Dark/Fire-typing makes it immune to Psychic and mitigates its weakness to Fairy — making it deal neutral damge.

For this strategy, trainers will want to buff up its Special Attack with Nasty Plot and deal heavy damage with Sludge Bomb. Additionally, Taunt can be helpful if timed correctly, and Mud-Slap can be used to quickly lower Delphox’s accuracy if needed.

POKEMONLEVELMOVESETHELD ITEMABILITYNATUREEVS & IVSTERA TYPE
100-Nasty Plot-
-Sludge Bomb-
-Taunt-
-Mud-Slap-
Shell BellFlash FireModestHP & Sp. AtkPoison/Fire

Bronzong Build

Bronzong may seem like an odd choice at first thanks to its weakness to Fire and possible weakness to Shadow Ball. However, its role as an incredibly tanky Steel-type outweighs those weaknesses.

Thanks to Bronzong’s Heatproof ability, it will take halfed damage from Delphox’s Fire-type moves regardless, which mitigates one of Bronzong’s biggest weaknesses. Additionally, Bronzong has impressive Special Defense which will help it shrug off all of Delphox’s Special Attacks.

This Bronzong strategy will hinge upon the Lagging Tail item, which will capitalize on the Pokemon’s already low speed stat and, in turn, make Gryo Ball hit like a truck. Bronzong will want to set up Light Screen to increase survivability first and then follow up with Rain Dance if it’s not already in effect.

After that, Bronzong can go to town with Gyro Ball. Should Delphox have Magic Room, simply rely on Heavy Slam to deal damage and use Cheers for support when necessary.

POKEMONLEVELMOVESETHELD ITEMABILITYNATUREEVS & IVSTERA TYPE
100-Gyro Ball-
-Rain Dance-
-Light Screen-
-Heavy Slam-
Lagging TailHeatproofCarefulDef & Sp. DefSteel

Coalossal Build

Coalossal is another option for players who want to play the Tank role, but also want to try and deal some decent damage as well. This strategy will mostly rely on Heavy Slam, and if players can give Coalossal the Steel Tera Type, it will benefit greatly in this Raid.

While Coalossal may not be quite as effective at Tanking as Bronzong in terms of stats, it is not weak to any of Delphox’s moves, is resistant to Fairy, and is altogether immune to Fire. Additionally, Coalossal’s high weight will make Heavy Slam deal significant damage to Delphox.

Using moves like Rest will ensure that, if this Pokemon is close to getting KO’d, it can heal up quickly. Sandstorm is also an option if trainers need to control the weather. For the most part, trainers will want to focus on support and survivability while dealing damage with Heavy Slam.

POKEMONLEVELMOVESETHELD ITEMABILITYNATUREEVS & IVSTERA TYPE
100-Heavy Slam-
-Mud-Slap-
-Sandstorm-
-Rest-
Choice BandFlash FireCarefulHP & AttackSteel/Fire

Those are just a few options to help take down 7-star Delphox in Tera Raids! Check out more Pokemon Scarlet & Violet guides below:

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