Best Pokémon to counter Unrivaled Rillaboom Tera Raid event in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

In what seems to be the final Starter Pokémon-centric seven-start Tera Raid event, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet players can now challenge Unrivaled Rillaboom for a limited time, though you will want some good counters before jumping into a lobby. 

The first run of Rillaboom’s debut in Scarlet and Violet will go from July 27 at 7pm CT to July 30 at 6:59pm CT, with a second appearance slated for a week later before the Grass-type becomes unavailable for a time—if you don’t have Pokémon HOME.

Every player who has unlocked the ability to participate in seven-star Tera Raids can try and battle Unrivaled Rillaboom alone or with friends but to catch one, you need to defeat it. Here is how you can easily handle the powerful Starter, and everything you need to know about its raid build. 

How to beat the Unrivaled Rillaboom Tera Raid in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Rillaboom is a powerful Starter Pokémon that saw a lot of use in Sword and Shield’s competitive scene thanks to some stellar moves—and I’m not just talking about its attack options. 

Related: Where to find Unrivaled Rillaboom Tera Raids in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

This is also going to be one of the most challenging seven-star events in a good while, with Rillaboom immediately setting up Grassy Terrain since it has its Hidden Ability, Grassy Surge. This is going to heal the Raid Boss each turn, boost its Grass-type attacks, and more. 

What type is Unrivaled Rillaboom in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Tera Raids

For this Tera Raid event, Rillaboom will be appearing as a Normal Tera Type, meaning it is only weak to Fighting-type moves. Don’t rush to bring just any Fighting-type, however, since Rillaboom can still reliably hit them with Super Effective damage. 

For this specific build, you might want to find a reliable Ghost-type to train up or focus on Pokémon with high Defense to counter the STAB Normal-type moves or tank some hits from the level 100—and boosted—Raid Boss. 

What moves does Unrivaled Rillaboom know in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Tera Raids

With Grassy Terrain going up instantly, Rillaboom focuses on boosting its Attack and Defense with stat-enhancing moves like Bulk Up, before pummeling its opponents with Body Slam, Drum Beating, and more. 

• Moves:
  • Drum Beating
  • Acrobatics
  • Body Slam
  • Low Kick
• Additional Moves:
  • Growth
  • Boomburst
  • Bulk Up

Watch out for Growth if you set up Sunny weather because it gets enhanced and will give Rillaboom even better stat boosts. It also knows Boomburst… for some reason.

Best counters for the Unrivaled Rillaboom Tera Raid in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Best Koraidon build for the Unrivaled Rillaboom Tera Raid in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Heavy-hitting Fighting-type moves with decent bulk? Can’t go wrong with Koraidon if you have access to one. 

Throw out a Swords Dance and Screech first and then roll free with Collision Course until you need some extra healing, which you can get done with Drain Punch. 

Best Corviknight build for the Unrivaled Rillaboom Tera Raid in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Iron Defense plus Body Press with a Pokémon that has a good attack stat equals really good against Normal-type Pokémon. Corviknight is your best option out of the trio of it, Zamazenta, and Orthworm thanks to it not being impacted heavily by Low Kick. Both of those other options work really well too—as I will talk a bit about later. 

Best Iron Hands build for the Unrivaled Rillaboom Tera Raid in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Fighting-type Pokémon aren’t the best option on their own for this event since Rillaboom has access to Acrobatics, however, Iron Hands is Fighting and Electric-type so the Flying damage becomes neutral. 

If you have played some previous seven-star raids, you might have an Iron Hands lying around from those runs, and pretty much any build with Belly Drum and Drain Punch will work out fine. You can also swap out those old builds for this fun one shared by the PKMNcast team that tries to focus on Critical Hits and taking out Grassy Terrain.

Best Zamazenta build for the Unrivaled Rillaboom Tera Raid in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Zamazenta has better stats than Corviknightm, but the reason I recommended the bird over the wolf is because you can access it easier—since the Legendary Pokémon is only available in SV through a HOME transfer. 

While focusing on the same strategy of using Iron Defense and Body Press, Zamazenta has the added bonus of Dauntless Shield, which boosts its Defense as soon as it enters the battle. 

Dot will add more counters for the Unrivaled Rillaboom Tera Raid as the event continues.