While one might not expect Mightiest Mark Pikachu to be much of a challenge, the Pokemon is proving to be the toughest one yet for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players. The Pokemon Day celebration event is an interesting one, with this Pikachu having many unique mechanics.
Many Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players expressed disappointment with Pikachu being the centerpiece of Pokemon Day’s celebrations after Pokemon like Mewtwo received similar treatment in Pokemon Sword & Shield, but there’s no question that this is still a special event. Pikachu is proving to be an incredibly stiff test for players.
Mightiest Mark Pikachu has several never-before-seen mechanics including a full-HP shield that goes up at the start of battle. While this is a different seven-star Tera Raid than ones like the recent poison-type Greninja, there is some overlap between the Pokemon that players can use.
Best Builds for Clodsire, Gastrodon, and Lurantis to Counter Seven-Star Raid Pikachu
Clodsire, Gastrodon, and Lurantis rank among the best counters to Mightiest Mark Pikachu. These Pokemon have the right typing to deal with Pikachu’s attacks and mechanics that help neutralize it. As ever, players should make sure they are bringing in Pokemon that are level 100 and have proper natures and Hyper Training.
Here are the best builds for these Pokemon and what they offer.
Clodsire Build for Beating Seven-Star Pikachu
- Tera Type: Ground
- Ability: Water Absorb
- EVs: 252 HP, 252 Attack, 6 Defense
- Item: Shell Bell
- Moves: Curse, Mud Slap, Earthquake, Rest
Clodsire’s poison-ground typing and access to Water Absorb as an ability lets it resist all but one of Pikachu’s moves. That can be mitigated slightly with the move Curse, which boosts Clodsire’s Attack and Defense stats. Stacking Curse boosts will likely be the go-to strategy for beating. Players ought to use Mud Slap to fill up the Tera Orb and lower Pikachu’s accuracy, then pivot to Earthquake for dealing damage.
Gastrodon Build for Mightiest Mark Pikachu
- Tera Type: Ground
- Ability: Storm Drain
- EVs: 252 HP, 6 Defense, 252 Sp. Attack
- Item: Shell Bell
- Moves: Mud Slap, Earth Power, Recover, Clear Smog
Players who used Gastrodon for the Greninja event can dust off the Pokemon once again and use a largely similar build. Gastrodon’s ground-water typing makes it immune to Thunder and resistant to Iron Tail, while Storm Drain empowers it every time Pikachu uses Surf. It doesn’t resist Play Rough, but that’s made manageable with Recover.
Clear Smog may be helpful in online battles as first-timers will often look to use electric moves on Pikachu, only to boost its Sp. Attack due to the Lightning Rod ability. Curse can be swapped out for those looking for a solo raid option.
Best Lurantis Build for Raids
- Tera Type: Grass
- Ability: Leaf Guard/Contrary
- EVs: 252 HP, 252 Attack, 6 Defense
- Item: Miracle Seed
- Moves: Sunny Day, Synthesis, Leaf Blade, Solar Blade
The only actual weakness Mightiest Mark Pikachu has is to grass-type moves and while bulky grass Pokemon like Arboliva have found success in this raid, Lurantis has proven to be the best offensive threat against this Pikachu.
Sunny Day weakens Pikachu’s Surf and lowers the accuracy of Thunder. It also lets Lurantis hit Solar Blades each turn and heal to full health with each use of Synthesis. This makes Lurantis be both tanky and offensively threatening. Use Leaf Blade to charge up the Tera Orb then pivot to Solar Blade after Terastallizing.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.
