Get version exclusive Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet
The newest Tera Raid Spotlight event is live in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and this one deserves your attention. From February 3rd to February 5th, Armarouge and Ceruledge will appear more frequently as Blue Star Tera Raids. These can appear as either 4-Star or 5-Star encounters and will sport any Tera Type in the game. Unlike past raid challenges, it appears there are no preferred Tera Types that will appear over others.
As is usual for these spotlight events, these encounters shouldn’t be any sweat for experienced raiders. Anyone who has taken down Greninja has the tools to make short work of these two monsters. That said, newer players who are still advancing through the main story and postgame content may have some trouble taking these foes down. Here’s what to expect.
Armarouge and Ceruledge’s attacks
As both Pokemon are Fire-Type hyrbrids, they will open the battle by using Sunny Day. Of the two, Ceruledge is a much more straightforward fight. It’s a physical attacker who will use Dark, Ghost, and Fire attacks. It can use Swords Dance to boost its attack as the fight goes on, and it will throw Will-O-Wisp at you to inflict burn and thereby cut your physical attack. Strong attackers will still deal significant damage, but you can choose to use Pokemon that specialize in Special Attack to circumvent this debuff.
Armarouge can be a bit trickier, though it will still go down fast if you deal Super Effective damage to it. It can use Fire, Psychic, and Grass-Type special attacks, which can be inconvenient if you planned to use a Water-Type counter. Like Ceruledge, it will also use Calm Mind to boost its special attack and defense, so be prepared to play defensively if your Pokemon’s health is getting low. Ceruledge also frustratingly knows Taunt, effectively shutting down any pure support Pokemon you may have planned to bring. Fortunately, Ceruledge is fragile enough that it should go down fast with a strong onslaught of attacks.
It’s worth noting that the AI of these fights don’t necessarily match the 7-Star raids. In my testing, these two will use moves randomly even if you resist one more than the other. In other words, keep holding on even if your Pokemon’s HP is low! You still have a chance to recover with a little luck!
The best Pokemon to bring
Since the Tera Types of these monsters are variable, there’s no best Pokemon that will unilaterally counter both these foes. That said, because of the spread of moves these monsters use, the following Types will avoid taking any Super Effective damage:
Normal
Flying
Fire
Electric
Dragon
Dark
Fairy
Of these, the Dark-Type has the greatest defensive coverage against these two monsters. That said, it’s not necessarily worthwhile to build a Dark-Type Pokemon for this event if you don’t have one prepared. Remember, even if you don’t have a super strong Pokemon to bring, Cheers go a long way if you’re taking on a Raid with other players!
Is this event worth farming?
If you don’t have both these monsters, it absolutely is. Armarouge and Ceruledge are functionally version-exclusive monsters, and evolving a Charcadet involves farming Bronzor Fragments. If you snag these Pokemon, you’ll have one less monster you’ll need to trade for!
It also helps that both these Pokemon are very good on their own merits as well. Armarouge in particular is a staple of competitive 2v2 battles, as its usage rate is remarkably high as of writing. Since grinding Tera Shards takes an enormous amount of time, this is a good opportunity to grab an Armarouge with the Tera Type you desire. You’ll also grab Charcadet Soot from this encounter, which is used to make TMs for Fire Punch, Aura Sphere, Blast Burn, and Flare Blitz. If you need to grind those TMs specifically, then go for it!
This is one of the better spotlight events held in the game so far, but if you’re in no need of these Pokemon, feel free to skip this event. Whichever way you decide to go, may your Pokemon be strong and your teammates even stronger.
