Master the Steel-Tera Blastoise raid with expert strategies, optimal counters, and battle-tested tactics
Event Overview: Steel-Tera Blastoise Raid
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet presents a formidable challenge with Steel-Tera Type Blastoise as the featured 7-Star Raid Boss. This comprehensive guide delivers proven strategies to conquer this powerful opponent efficiently.
The Pokemon Company honors the franchise anniversary with an exclusive event showcasing Blastoise as a 7-Star Tera Raid Boss in Scarlet & Violet. Our detailed counter analysis ensures you’re prepared to overcome this formidable challenge.
The official Pokemon anniversary commemorates the Japanese launch of Pokemon Red and Blue. During Pokemon Day 2024 celebrations, a special livestream unveiled limited-time events featuring Kanto’s original starter evolutions in Scarlet & Violet.
All three fully evolved starter Pokemon will rotate as 7-Star Tera Raid Bosses weekly, each possessing unique Tera Types and the exclusive Mightiest Mark. While you can challenge them repeatedly for rewards, capture is limited to one Steel-Tera Type Blastoise per game save file.
Given the extreme difficulty of these elite encounters, we’ve compiled advanced tactics and optimal team compositions to secure victory against Steel-Tera Type Blastoise.
Event Timing & Availability
Following the conclusion of Ground-Tera Type Venusaur raids, the 7-Star Tera Raid featuring Steel-Tera Type Blastoise commences Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at 4:00 PM PST and concludes Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at 4:59 PM PDT. Dragon-Tera Type Charizard assumes the raid spot the subsequent week.
Crucially, once this special event concludes, obtaining Steel-Tera Type Blastoise becomes impossible unless Nintendo re-runs this specific raid event in future updates or promotions.
Blastoise’s Battle Capabilities & Weaknesses
The 7-Star Blastoise adopts Steel Tera Type, creating vulnerabilities to Fighting, Fire, and Ground-type moves. However, trainers must exercise caution as it maintains over ten different type resistances that can neutralize poorly chosen attacks.
Standard Blastoise techniques include powerful moves like Aura Sphere, Hydro Pump, and Flash Cannon, but consistent with other 7-Star Tera Raids, it accesses up to four additional moves such as Withdraw and Shell Smash that dramatically alter battle dynamics.
Blastoise prioritizes Defense stat investment, though its Special Defense stat actually ranks higher naturally. Utilizing techniques like Iron Defense and Withdraw, Blastoise aggressively boosts its Defense stat, potentially creating openings in its Special Defense coverage.
Select whichever Pokemon suits your strategy preferences, but focusing on Special Defense vulnerabilities may present more consistent damage opportunities throughout extended raid encounters.
Iron Hands: The Electric Fighting Powerhouse
Iron Hands dominates Tera Raid battles through exceptional stats, remarkable bulk, and most importantly its unique dual typing combination.
This Paradox Pokemon possesses Fighting/Electric dual typing, enabling Same-Type-Attack-Bonus damage from both types to crush Tera-Steel Blastoise by exploiting dual weaknesses to Fighting and Electric-type techniques.
The formidable Iron Hands features a single ability that boosts its highest stat by 30% when holding Booster Energy, making this item essential for maximizing its combat potential.
Optimal Iron Hands Build:
- Ability: Quark Drive
- Item: Booster Energy
- Moves: Drain Punch, Thunder Punch, Belly Drum, Electric Terrain
- Strategy: Activate Electric Terrain immediately, use Belly Drum for attack maximization, then spam super-effective moves
Poliwrath: Defensive Water Absorption Specialist
Poliwrath represents a superb strategic choice against Blastoise since it maintains no defensive vulnerabilities while resisting both Steel and Water-type attacks, plus Ice-type techniques.
This first-generation combatant exhibits exceptional tankiness, ensuring longevity during extended engagements with straightforward execution requirements. Additionally, Water Absorb ability restores 25% maximum HP whenever struck by Water-type moves while completely nullifying their damage.
Optimal Poliwrath Build:
- Ability: Water Absorb
- Item: Leftovers or Shell Bell
- Moves: Drain Punch, Bulk Up, Rain Dance, Ice Punch
- Strategy: Use Blastoise’s Water moves to heal, set up with Bulk Up, then attack with Drain Punch for sustained damage and recovery
Annihilape: Ghost Fighting Rage Machine
The savage Annihilape emerged as one of Generation 9’s standout surprises through exceptional combat performance. Its Fighting/Ghost dual typing provides resistance to Poison, Rock, and Bug-type assaults while simultaneously targeting Blastoise’s Fighting-type weakness.
Drain Punch combined with Metronome held item and Fighting Tera Type enables Annihilape to generate extraordinary damage output throughout prolonged encounters.
Furthermore, Defiant Ability increases user’s Attack by two stages whenever stats are lowered and can capitalize on Defense-reducing moves like Screech to weaken enemy defenses significantly.
Optimal Annihilape Build:
- Ability: Defiant
- Item: Metronome or Shell Bell
- Moves: Drain Punch, Bulk Up, Rage Fist, Screech
- Strategy: Build Rage Fist power through taken hits, use Bulk Up for setup, then unleash powered-up Fighting attacks
Paldean Tauros: Aqua Breed Offensive Pressure
Mirroring Poliwrath’s strategic advantages, trainers may select dual Water/Fighting Paldean Tauros (Aqua Breed) for its Steel, Water, and Ice move resistances while capitalizing on Blastoise’s Fighting-type vulnerability.
Paldean Tauros’s Anger Point capability enables immediate +6 Attack boost after receiving Critical damage, allowing Raging Bull to apply tremendous offensive pressure from battle inception.
Optimal Paldean Tauros Build:
- Ability: Anger Point
- Item: Focus Sash or Choice Band
- Moves: Raging Bull, Close Combat, Aqua Jet, Work Up
- Strategy: Survive initial hit to activate Anger Point, then unleash powered-up Fighting moves for massive damage output
Advanced Raid Tactics & Common Pitfalls
Strategic Timing Considerations:
Initiate stat-boosting moves during Blastoise’s shield phase when direct damage proves ineffective. Time your Terastallization to maximize damage during vulnerable windows after shield depletion.
Ability Synergy Optimization:
Coordinate team abilities—pair Pokemon with Intimidate to weaken Blastoise’s initial attacks, or use Misty Terrain to prevent status conditions that could cripple your team.
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
- Don’t waste Terastallization before breaking Blastoise’s shield
- Avoid using physical attackers without countering Defense boosts
- Never bring Pokemon weak to Steel, Water, or Ice moves
- Don’t overlook healing item management during extended battles
Advanced Coordination Tactics:
For multiplayer raids, assign roles: one player focuses on stat reduction, another on healing support, while others concentrate on damage output. This specialization dramatically increases success rates.
Additional Resources
Pokemon Go ‘Check Out My Cute Pokemon’ Rocket Grunt lineup & counters
Pokemon Go Rocket Grunt guide: Counters and lineups (January 2026)
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Tera Raid events: Dates, times, Pokemon & Tera Types
You now possess comprehensive knowledge for conquering the 7-Star Tera Raid encounter against Blastoise in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. For additional gaming insights, explore our related guides below:
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