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

Zackerie Fairfax
samurott tera raid guide

This guide will tackle everything players need to know about the 5-star Samurott Tera Raid event, including how to counter its devastating critical hits in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet offers players plenty of challenging battles against wild Pokemon in the post-game, but none are quite as daunting as the special 7-star Tera Raids.

Once every couple of weekends, Game Freak releases a fan-favorite starter Pokemon from a previous generation via 7-star Tera Raids. They come with a unique Tera Type – usually baiting players to use Pokemon with a type disadvantage – and an incredibly versatile moveset.

Starting on March 31, players can encounter the Generation V starter Samurott in these limited-time raids. Here’s everything players need to know about 7-star Samurott Tera Raids:

Contents

When will Samurott appear in Tera Raids?

Samurott appears in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Tera Raid

Samurott Tera Raids will start to appear on Friday, March 31. They will run for the weekend before disappearing and then reappearing the following Friday. The dates for the event are as follows:

  • March 31 – April 2
  • April 7 – April 9

Once the Tera Raids event concludes, the only way to obtain a Samurott will be through trading or importing one from Pokemon HOME.

7-star Samurott moveset & Tera Type

7-star Samurott will take on a Bug Tera Type, which will make it weak to Fire, Flying, and Rock-type moves. However, Samurott’s moveset includes attacks that can counter two of those types.

Luckily, Samurott doesn’t have any Ice-type moves, so players can bring Flying-type Pokemon without fear of getting shot down. And this typing makes Pokemon immune to Samurott’s dual Ground attack opening.

As theorized ahead of time, Samurott will open on turn 0 with Focus Energy to boost its Crit Rate. This will be followed up by Bulldoze to lower your team’s speed and a second attack for early fight kills. The rest of the fight is straightforward if players can survive turn one with minimal damage.

PokemonLevelMovesetAbilityNatureTera Type
samurott100-Focus Energy
-Megahorn
-Aqua Cutter
-Night Slash
-Drill Run
-Bulldoze
-Swords Dance
Shell ArmorBraveBug

Best build for 7-star Samurott: Drifblim

Drifblim is the perfect Pokemon for 7-star Samurott Tera Raids. It can lead with Skill Swap to take away Samurott’s Shell Armor ability, replacing it with something less useful like Aftermath. This also protects Drifblim from Critical hits.

Players can then use Will-o-Wisp to cut Smaurott’s damage in half and Focus Energy to raise their own Crit Chance. Follow this up with Air Slash until you can Terastalize into a Flying Tera Type, and this battle should be easily won.

Players will also want to give their Drifblim a Wide Lens so that it doesn’t miss any crucial attacks, and its EVs should be spread out between HP, Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense.

PokemonLevelMovesetHeld ItemAbilityNatureEVs & IVsTera Type
100-Skill Swap
-Will-o-wisp
-Air Slash
-Focus Energy
Wide LensAftermathModestHP, Defense, & Special AttackFlying

Ultimate Dragalge build for Samurott Tera Raids

Dragalge is easily one of the best Pokemon for 7-star Samurott Tera Raids, as it can deal immense damage while playing the role of support. However, players will have to use Tera Shards to change its Tera Type to Flying.

With the Adaptability ability, STAB moves deal 2x damage rather than 1.5x, making a Flying-type Tera Blast devastating. But players should lead with Mud-Slap and Acid Spray to charge their Tera Orb and lower Samurott’s stats.

Chilling Water is also an option to lower Samurott’s attack stat. But using Acid Spray and then Terastalizing to negate Ground-type damage should be enough to survive against the 7-star Samurott.

PokemonLevelMovesetHeld ItemAbilityNatureEVs & IVsTera Type
100-Acid Spray
-Tera Blast
-Chilling Water
-Mud-Slap
Assault VestAdaptabilityModestHP, Defense, & Special AttackFlying

Best Toxicroak counter build

Toxicroak is a great Pokemon to bring to Samurott Tera Raids to deal damage as well as lower stats. Its Dry Skin ability renders it invulnerable to Water-type moves, and the rest of its kit allows it to play the dual role of attacker and supporter.

In order to deal damage, players will have to change their Tera Type to Flying to utilize the super-effectiveness of Tera Blast. And players will need to make sure their Special Attack stat is higher than their Attack stat so that Tera Blast can take advantage of Acid Spray.

Use Acid Spray on turns 1-3, then Terastalize and use Tera Blast to deal the most damage. If another player is using Acid Spry, use Mud-Slap instead to lower Samurott’s accuracy.

PokemonLevelMovesetHeld ItemAbilityNatureEVs & IVsTera Type
100-Acid Spray
-Tera Blast
-Chilling Water
-Mud-Slap
Shell BellDry SkinModestHP, Defense, & Special AttackFlying

Best Cloyster build for Samurott Tera Raids

Cloyster is a great defensive pick for Samurott Tera Raid, as its Shell Armor ability negates Critical Hits – and if Smaurott does use Focus Enegery, Shell Armor will be essential to success.

Now that crits aren’t a problem, Cloyster can get down to attacking. Use Snowscape to set the weather and follow it up with Ice Beam to deal massive damage. Players can also use Life Dew to sustain if necessary, but the Shell Bell should keep Cloyster in good health.

The final slot can be filled with Chilling Water. If you have a member of your team using Acid Spray, use CW to charge your Tera Orb while also lowering Samurott’s attack stat.

PokemonLevelMovesetHeld ItemAbilityNatureEVs & IVsTera Type
100-Snowscape
-Ice Beam
-Life Dew
-Chilling Water
Shell BellShell ArmorBoldHP & Special AttackIce

Best Toxapex build for Tera Raids

Toxapex is a tank, and this build will take advantage of its tankiness and unique moveset. Acid Spray can be used to lower Samurott’s Special Defense while also charging your Tera Orb, and Recover can be used to heal Toxapex when need be.

What makes this build shine is its moves, Baneful Bunker and Venoshock, and its ability Merciless. Players can use Baneful Bunker to protect from damage as well as poison Samurott. Then, while Samurott is poisoned, players can use Venoshock to deal massive damage. If Smaurott doesn’t have Shell Armor, Merciless will make landing critical hits even easier.

To deal further damage, players can Terastalize to a Poison Tera Type and give Toxapex the Poison Barb held item.

PokemonLevelMovesetHeld ItemAbilityNatureEVs & IVs
100-Acid Spray
-Recover
-Baneful Bunker
-Venoshock
Poison BarbMercilessModestHP & Special Attack

That’s everything you need to know about taking down Unrivaled Samurott in Tera Raids! Check out more Pokemon Scarlet & Violet guides below:

Paldea Pokedex | Best starter Pokemon | How to get Marks in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | Are Pokemon Scarlet & Violet compatible with Pokemon Home? | Unlocking 5 & 6-star Tera Raids in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | How to unlock Rotom Phone cases in Scarlet & Violet | How to change clothes in Scarlet & Violet | How to co-op with friends in Scarlet & Violet | All Shiny forms in Scarlet & Violet | Sandwich recipes in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet egg breeding guide | How to get Rare Candy in Scarlet & Violet

About The Author

Zackerie is a former Senior Writer for Dexerto who covered a wide variety of games and entertainment. He has a degree in Creative Writing and was previously the editor of The LaRue County News. Zackerie switched to games media in 2020 writing for outlets such as Screen Rant, Fortnite INTEL, and Charlie INTEL.