Highlights

  • Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's support for Gen 9 seems to have ended with the release of the Mochi Mayhem epilogue, but more meaningful content may still come in the form of new distribution events and Tera Raids until Gen 10 games are released.
  • 7-star Tera Raids in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are challenging but enjoyable activities, and the newly announced 7-star Tera Raid boss, Empoleon, suggests a familiar pattern for future bosses.
  • The use of starter Pokemon as 7-star Tera Raid bosses, including Empoleon, indicates that every other starter will likely appear as a future Raid boss, which is exciting for collectors but may make future bosses predictable and potentially limit unique events.

Although the bundle including The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk DLCs for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet was never confirmed to be the only form of major content drop for Gen 9, the fact that an epilogue called Mochi Mayhem was released does seem to mark the end of this generation's support. That isn't to say no more meaningful content can come to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, though, as it's very likely new distribution events, special Mass Outbreaks, and Tera Raids will come every week or two until Gen 10 games are released. With this in mind, seeing which Pokemon the newly announced 7-star Tera Raid boss will be means that Game Freak will most likely use a familiar pattern for all future ones, which may have pros and cons.

7-star Tera Raids in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are some of the hardest content in the game, especially when they first release, due to how powerful these bosses tend to be and how hard it is to find perfect counters for them in many cases. They do remain both fun and rewarding activities, however, even if Gen 9 is meant to not get more expansions. On the other hand, the fact that the next 7-star Tera Raid boss is Empoleon means one can safely predict most future bosses.

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet proved once again that the series can't do without certain gimmicks, and 12 Pokemon's fate seems obvious in Gen 10.

Every 7-Star Tera Raid Boss in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Explained

Why Empoleon as a 7-Star Tera Raid is Good News

Even before The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk DLCs were out, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's 7-star Tera Raid bosses included several returning starter Pokemon - possibly as a means to help players finish their Blueberry Academy Pokedex fast when the second expansion dropped. Regardless of the reason, there have been multiple starter Pokemon as 7-star Tera Raid bosses now, aside from Empoleon, including:

  • Charizard
  • Cinderace
  • Greninja
  • Decidueye
  • Samurott
  • Typhlosion
  • Inteleon
  • Chesnaught
  • Delphox
  • Rillaboom
  • Hisuian Decidueye
  • Hisuian Typhlosion
  • Hisuian Samurott
  • Blaziken

With 12 out of 24 past starters now featured as 7-star Tera Raid bosses, including Empoleon and not counting the three Hisuian forms from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, it seems inevitable that every other starter will appear as a future Raid boss. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as starters are some of the most popular Pokemon ever, and these all come with the Mightiest Mark, are level 100 already, and have all their IVs set on "Best." In fact, this is a good thing for the game and collectors alike, as one may be more motivated to jump back into the game to catch all Tera Raid starters.

Every Missing 7-Star Tera Raid Starter Pokemon After Empoleon

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Why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Empoleon is a Double-Edged Sword for Future Raids

Likewise, this can be a bad thing because not only does it make a good chunk of future Tera Raid bosses predictable, but it also means that those who expected more unique events like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Mew vs. Mewtwo may be in for bad news. Since Empoleon marks 12 starter Pokemon used as Tera Raid bosses, it seems extremely unlikely that the remaining 12 will be skipped. If every starter returns, then the remaining ones would be:

  • Venusaur
  • Blastoise
  • Meganium
  • Feraligatr
  • Sceptile
  • Swampert
  • Torterra
  • Infernape
  • Serperior
  • Emboar
  • Incineroar
  • Primarina

There is also a chance that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's starters may be featured as Tera Raid bosses, eventually, and that would be an exciting prospect, especially for shiny hunters. Normally, a game's starters are shiny-locked, and they're never available in the wild, so they can only be obtained as shinies by breeding - which in turn means they will always hatch inside a Poke Ball. However, having Meowscarada, Skeledirge, and Quaquaval eventually appear as 7-star Tera Raid bosses would mean players can catch them in special balls and then breed them down to find a shiny, one that may inherit that special Poke Ball.