Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Announces Garchomp Tera Raid Event

The next 7-Star Tera Raid event has been announced for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and will feature Garchomp. As is usually the case with these events, The Pokemon Company will be offering this one in two waves. The first one kicks off on Thursday, May 22nd at 5 p.m. PT and runs through Sunday, May 25th at 4:59 p.m. PT. The second will take place from Thursday, May 29th through Sunday, June 1st. The Garchomp that players encounter in these Raids can only be caught once per save file, but players can continue to participate in the Tera Raids after to help others, and collect additional bonuses.

During this event, players will encounter Garchomp with a Ground Tera type. Traditionally, Garchomp is a Dragon/Ground-type. However, Terastallization makes a Pokemon become just one single type, which can help it shed some of its weaknesses. As a result, players have to plan accordingly. This means Fairy and Dragon-type moves aren’t going to be Super Effective when used against Garchomp found in these Tera Raids. However, Ground and Dragon both share the Ice-type weakness, so that will still work. Players can also lean on Grass and Water-type moves as well.

Garchomp caught in these Raids will have the Mightiest Mark. When assigned to the Pokemon, this will give the Pokemon the title “the Unrivaled” when sent into battle. Garchomp and the Gible evolution family cannot normally be caught in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Outside of this event, the only option for getting one is by trading with another player, or importing one from Pokemon Home. If you don’t have one from a past Pokemon game, this event is the perfect opportunity to rectify that!

Garchomp first appeared in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, and might be one of the most popular Pokemon introduced in that particular generation. The Pokemon League Champion Cynthia used a Garchomp in those games, and the Pokemon has been closely associated with the character ever since. In fact, Cynthia’s Garchomp will be one of the Trainer’s Pokemon cards in the upcoming Pokemon TCG set Destined Rivals.

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Unfortunately, this Tera Raid event will be coming to an end just a few days before the release of Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5th. On that day, several existing Switch games will be getting free upgrades, including Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Nintendo has confirmed that the games will be getting a visual upgrade, as well as an improved frame rate. This should lead to a more enjoyable experience for players, particularly those that have been frustrated by the overall performance of the games since launch. Hopefully The Pokemon Company will announce some new events for June so Nintendo Switch 2 users have an excuse to spend more time with the game and experience these changes for themselves!

How do you feel about this new Tera Raid event? Do you still need a Garchomp in your game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!