Another starter Pokemon is set to star in a challenging seven-star Tera Raid event, but it’s not one of the ones players would expect. Mightiest Mark Pikachu is coming to Pokemon Scarlet & Violet as the next big challenge for players.
Game Freak has been keeping players active in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet through seven-star Tera Raid events. So far, these events have featured fan-favorite starter Pokemon from mainline Pokemon games. That’s changing for Pokemon Day 2023.
To commemorate the event, which will likely see the reveal of major updates and new games in the Pokemon series, Game Freak will be giving players the chance to fight the toughest Pikachu ever. Mightiest Mark Pikachu will provide a huge challenge for players and will appear in seven-star Tera Raid battles for a limited time.
Pikachu Tera Raid Event Dates, Times
The seven-star Tera Raid event starring Pikachu will run for four days, starting February 24. This event will be structured differently from other Mightiest Mark Tera Raids, like the recent Greninja Tera Raid event. Here are the dates and times for the Mightiest Mark Pikachu event:
- February 24, 2023, at 00:00 UTC to February 27, 2023, at 14:59 UTC
This event features a different format than other previous seven-star Tera Raid events. Instead of running for two weekends, the event will run over a single four-day span. It is not necessarily going to return, so players should make sure to find some time around Pokemon Day to catch this Pikachu before it’s gone for good.
Mightiest Mark Pikachu Moves
The Pokemon Company revealed that the Pikachu featured in this seven-star Tera Raid event will have a water Tera Type. This likely means that the Pikachu will have Surf alongside a number of its staple move options. Unlike the Flying Pikachu that was available exclusively via event, Pikachu is capable of learning Surf from a TM.
In normal Tera Raid battles, Pikachu features these moves:
- Thunderbolt
- Nuzzle
- Iron Tail
- Spark
- Electric Terrain
It’s possible that this event will see a move like Spark swapped out in favor of Surf. However, the Cinderace Tera Raid event saw Game Freak build move sets around stat-boosting moves including Bulk Up and Double Team. It’s possible a unique move set could be added for this Pikachu.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Event Pikachu Counters
Rotom and Gastrodon are likely to be among the best counters to Pikachu in this Tera Raid event. Though the Mightiest Mark Pikachu’s move set is not known, these Pokemon have great typing and tools to deal with almost any set it might run.
The big question is whether Mightiest Mark Pikachu will know a grass move, particularly Grass Knot. If it doesn’t know Grass Knot, Rotom’s Mow form, and Gastrodon are likely to perform very well against Pikachu. Rotom Mow is immune to paralysis and resists water, electric, and steel moves. Gastrodon is immune to electric moves, resists steel attacks, and has the Storm Drain which makes it stronger when opponents use water moves on it.
If it has a stat-boosting gimmick, Gastrodon is recommended as it can learn Clear Smog. The popular Gastrodon build from the last event will work well here. However, if Pikachu knows a grass move, Rotom Mow is a much better option with Amoongus or Brute Bonnet being solid options as well.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.