Summary
One of the most iconic shiny Pokemon of all time, if not the most iconic, isshiny Rayquaza. Originally appearing in Generation 3 as the box legendary for Pokemon Emerald, Rayquaza’s shiny version is now slated to appear inPokemon Scarlet and Violet’sTera raids. With such a legendary Pokemon on the roster, players are lined up for the upcoming battle.
Straying from the usual formula of 7-Star raid battles, this striking shiny dragon has a few things even experienced players need to prep for in the shortly approaching fight. Between the more fun aspects of gettinga guaranteed shinyand the actual work needed for taking down such a legendary Pokemon, there are five things players need to prepare for before shiny Rayquaza arrives in Paldea.
5Choosing The Perfect Poke Ball
Ideal Reward
This is an easily overlooked aspect to any of the promoted Tera raid Pokemon. Players should ensure that they have a wide variety of Poke Balls to pick from, or at the very least one specific ball. This can make the difference between a shiny Rayquaza caught in the perfectly matching Luxury Ball, or a shiny Rayquaza in a nest ball. It’s true that this part of capturing the legendary dragon doesn’t affect the actual fight, but if players are not properly prepared for victory, the fight might not even be worth it.
This one is a simpler feat for players with plenty of cash or league points on hand. However, having the preferred Poke Ball for Rayquaza is even more important for those without otherPokemongames. With the current loss of resetting for shiny legendaries inScarlet and Violet,some players might want a shiny Rayquaza in a ball that isn’t just a Cherish Ball. Maybe they’ll even want theirs in one of therare apricorn balls. If that’s the case, they should ensure that they have the chosen Poke Ball in their bag before the raid begins.
4Picking The Best Held Items
Simple Strength & Healing Buffs Are Best
Players should know that Rayquaza won’t be the far-tougher 7-Star raid, and will instead amore manageable 5-Star. However, despite the reduced difficulty, having a properly equipped Pokemon for the fight is still key. Since Tera raids are more of a marathon than a sprint in terms of battling, figuring out which item to give a Pokemon and which items to leave in the bag are important.
Overall, it is for the best for everyone involved tonot use Life Orbs.Even if the damage bonus is tempting, the cost of reduced HP per turn is too much. Unless players coordinate as a team, using a Life Orb is just an unnecessary way to take damage for middling returns. The safest and most effective options includeShell Bellsfor consistent healing, type-based items that increase STAB damage, and theExpert Belt,which increases super-effective damage.
3Utilize Type Advantage In Battle
Make Powerful Choices
Sincethe raid’s shiny Rayquazawill have the Dragon Tera type, there are a few good options for countering this Hoenn-bound Pokemon. While players can use their own Dragon Tera type, it may be far more dangerous than picking Ice or Fairy, the Dragon-type’s other two weaknesses.
As most promoted raid Pokemon have coverage moves, it’s likely that Rayquaza will have the move Iron Head to deal with Fairy and Ice types, both of which are weak to Steel-type attacks. That said, Fairy tera types are probably the safest given the plethora of strong Fairy types and their immunity to the Tera-boosted Dragon-type attacks coming from Rayquaza.Flutter Mane,in particular, is a strong option. While certain strategies might emerge once Rayquaza appears in-game focusing on certain Dragon or Ice Tera types, Fairy is by far the safest and strongest option based on current information.
2Power Up Pokemon
Make Them Strong Enough For 5-Star
While 5-Star raids include level 75 Pokemon instead of level 100 Pokemon seen in 7-Star, players still need toproperly max out their Pokemon’s statsbefore diving into the raid den. Maxing out the HP stat, either Attack or Special Attack stat, and the PP of relevant moves are all crucial ways to set up a Pokemon for the ensuing battle.
Depending on which Pokemon players decide to use for Rayquaza, fully investing in EVs and using bottle caps to improve relevant IVs are key. Beyond anything else, however, the simplest step for powering up any Pokemon is getting it to level 100.
1There’s Only A Single Shiny Rayquaza
One And Done
Like most other promoted raid Pokemon, only one Rayquaza can be caught per save file, meaning that players can only catchthis legendary shiny once.Even though the Rayquaza found in raids will almost certainly have the same nature and stats for every player that catches it, it still can only be caught once, though players can fight it as much as they want.
As players can only catch one, victory is only needed once to successfully obtain a shiny Rayquaza. While the rewards for defeating Rayquaza multiple times can be valuable, catching a shiny Rayquaza in the perfect Poke Ball is the true treasure players are after.
