Sylveon has long been a formidable mix of bulk and firepower, and with the right build Sylveon becomes one of the best Pokemon for Tera Raid battles in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. With that in mind, it’s worth going over the best Sylveon build for these battles, when to use it, and when to avoid it.
The strength of Sylveon comes from its high Sp. Attack and Sp. Defense stats, coupled with a respectable HP stat. Sylveon is the hardest-hitting of all the Eeveelutions thanks to the Pixilate ability, which converts normal-type moves to fairy type and increases their power by 20%. This makes moves like Hyper Voice hit remarkably hard and in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, it still hits all enemies on the field.
But Sylveon isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to five and six-star Tera Raid battles. It needs to have a proper build to be solid under most circumstances and isn’t without its weaknesses.
Best Tera Raid Build for Sylveon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
The best Tera Raid build for Sylveon maxes its HP and Sp. Attack stats and bolsters the power of Hyper Voice. Here are the key components for the Tera Raid build:
- Ability: Pixilate
- Nature: Modest
- EVs: 252 HP, 252 Sp. Attack, 6 Defense
- Item: Metronome
- Tera Type: Fairy
It’s worth noting that Sylveon heavily relies on Pixilate to be at its best offensively. While there is some use to the Cute Charm ability, Hyper Voice packs a bit more punch than Moonblast when empowered by Pixilate, making it the preferred option for Tera Raid battles. Fairy Tera Typing is key, as Sylveon has a relatively limited move pool outside its access to fairy moves. Fairy is also just the strongest offensive type in the game, with only three types resisting it while hitting three solid offensive types for super-effective damage.
The only way to find a hidden ability Sylveon with fairy Tera Typing is by chancing upon a five or six-star Tera Raid for one. Otherwise players will need to either get a hidden ability Eevee or Sylveon and then change its Tera Type. Alternatively, there is a fixed Tera Sylveon spawn with fairy typing in North Province Area Three outside the Team Star base. Its exact location can be seen here:
Players can catch this Sylveon and use an Ability Patch to give it Pixilate. Ability Patches are quite rare, so players may want to consider other options before using one.
Worth noting is that while Sylveon is powerful, it does have a low defense stat. This makes it a bad choice against high-power physical attackers with a super-effective damage option. Mightiest Mark Cinderace showed this by tearing up Sylveons that were brought into raids.
Best Moves for Sylveon
The best moves for Sylveon in Tera Raid Builds include a doubling up on STAB fairy moves alongside two solid support options. Here is the ideal moveset for Sylveon in Tera Raid battles:
- Hyper Voice
- Moon Blast
- Wish
- Fake Tears
Fairy is the strongest offensive type in Pokemon, such that Sylveon doesn’t really need to consider other types for coverage, and is better served using Hyper Voice until its PP runs dry, then using Moon Blast if things drag out longer than 10 turns. If players insist on having two types of moves, go with Hyper Voice and Shadow Ball.
Wish gives Sylveon an option to heal in a pinch. Finally, Fake Tears lowers the opponent’s Sp. Defense stat harshly. This strengthens Sylveon’s attack and can provide some support for allies as well.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.