#reminder that the event returns July 14-16th - or you can still do it if you didn't connect to the internet after getting it last time

[goosetrainer]

Mari's Last Minute Tera Raid Guide #4 - Delphox

HI I'm back and this time it's not even that last minute!

Ngl this Delphox would probably be 300% easier if you used a flash fire Heatran, but not everyone has access to other games/people who will trust them with legendaries so I'm keeping this post common-pokémon friendly.

The best non-transfer solo here is Armarouge, with Ceruledge coming in a close second. This means that violet players with no access to internet/scarlet playing friends are at a disadvantage, but it's not impossible! You just have less wiggle room and need more tera shards(/sheer luck in tera raids).

That said, ANNOUNCEMENT:

now that scarvio have Home compatibility, I can let people temporarily borrow my own pokémon. I have a steel tera Armarouge you can use to defeat your Delphox, the only thing I ask for is that you keep it just the time strictly necessary for the fight, then return it. Just in case someone else needs it. (Home software on Switch and Home app on mobile necessary - sorry I still won't pay Nintendo for the privilege of using my own internet)

It's common knowledge that axes are super effective against mages :3c hehe

Foreword, since there are effectively 3 builds, let me give you a summary of Delphox's moves so that I don't have to repeat myself. She'll steal your tera charge every x turns starting from turn 4 (this is important for Ceruledge). She has an early, fairly long shield (appears either after you got her life down a bit, or after 2-3 turns); she wipes her own stat changes towards the middle of the shield and then never again; uses Nasty Plot once around the same time (I don't think on the same turn, I've seen it happen 2 turns after her stat wipe); right after her shield is broken, wipes your own stat changes and uses Magic Room, just once. After the Nasty Plot she may act twice in some turns.

She's got a timid nature (268 speed) and high special attack and special defense, offensive moves are only special. Her Will-O-Wisp and Fire Blast are effectively useless because of the following options having Flash Fire (which should be neutralized at the end of the shield but for some reason the AI never made her use her fire moves in that turns, when I went? Meh), Dazzling Gleam is by far her least dangerous move, with Psychic being the more dangerous one, because of the chance of lowering your special defense.

Magic Room renders held items useless for 5 turns, but by the time it happens you should be ready to kill in 3. Just be mindful of the Shell Bell healing not working.

NPC allies don't do much, the best you can hope for are probably the ones that can paralyze her (dudunsparce, umbreon... bellibolt I think?).

Delphox's hidden ability does not work in raids, so treat it as if it didn't exist :3

-----

Armarouge lv.100

Tera Type: Steel (preferred) or Fire (cheaper)

Ability: Flash Fire

Nature: Modest/Mild (Quiet could work too if you don't wanna waste a mint)

Held Item: Shell Bell

IVs: max in HP, sp. atk., sp. def., maybe speed

EVs: 252 sp. atk., 252 sp. def., 4 HP

Moveset:

-Calm Mind (level up)

-Mystical Fire (move reminder)

-Acid Spray (TM)

-Flash Cannon (TM) (only with steel tera type) OR Flamethrower (level up) (only with fire tera type)

Usage:

Two options here because tera shards are hard to find, if you don't already have enough. Steel tera works better both offensively (super effective stab) and defensively (with Flash Fire, terastallized Armarouge resists the fairy and psychic moves, and is immune to the fire ones). Fire type is just easier to find, any Charcadet you meet in the wild will have that. I would have kept that one if I hadn't caught a steel one in the event, some time ago (don't worry I still tried a fire one without saving, just to be sure it's doable). A bit more difficult because you lose some fire power (heh) and the psychic resistance, but it worked. Strategy: Calm Mind x6, some random offensive moves until Delphox nullifies her stat debuffs, then you can use one or two Mystical Fires to make her special attack drop before the Nasty Plot, so she ends up neutral at best (optional for steel tera, recommended for fire tera - because of Psychic, and especially if she already debuffed your sp. def. once or twice), then 3x Acid Spray, then Flamethrower or Flash Cannon. Important: make sure you use the 1-2 Mystical Fires and all 3 Acid Sprays AFTER she nullifies her own stat changes, or you'll have to reapply them. Use Y to check her status if you lost count, she should have at least the 6 red downward arrows on special defense before you break her shield. Also important: on terastallizing. You can terastallize as soon as it's available if your Armarouge is a steel tera, but if it's a fire tera wait until after you're done debuffing her (making it a pure fire type will make it lose its innate psychic resistance, exposing it to more frequent Psychic the move, which will hit harder). ONLY after you're done setting up and terastallizing, break the shield with Flamethrower/Flash Cannon (or Mystical Fire if you're scared), watch her wipe all your Calm Mind boosts :') but don't bother reapplying those since her weakened special defense should still be there. You won't be able to heal now, so focus on spamming your Flamethrower/Flash Cannon until the end. Flash Cannon kills in 1-3 turns depending on randomness, Flamethrower takes a bit more. A fire tera Armarouge may benefit from using Mystical Fire in the first turns just to make sure it doesn't die, but Flamethrower hits harder - just make your calculations based on how your defenses are looking. You COULD go KO once while still having enough time to win, actually it's better for the fire tera (you get your psychic resist back!). Worst case scenario you try again~

TL;DR: Calm Mind x6, random attacks until enemy's stat wipe, then:

-fire tera: 1-2 Mystical Fires for survivability, Acid Spray x3, terastallize, Flamethrower until broken shield, then Flamethrower or Mystical Fire until death. May die once, don't worry, keep attacking.

-steel tera: (Mystical Fire optional) Acid Spray x3, terastallize as soon as you can, then Flash Cannon till the end.

PROS:

-somewhat common pokémon (appears mostly in set locations)

-can use the default tera type

-only one regular ability so you can't get it wrong (unless you caught it in a tera den and got the hidden one)

-innately resists the entire moveset of the opponent and has options to improve own survivability

CONS:

-functionally Scarlet exclusive

-no healing at all during Magic Room :(

(Hard to tell, but the Armarouge on the right is a once-dead fire tera)

-----

Ceruledge lv.100

Tera Type: Steel (this time it's mandatory! I tried with Fire but I kept dying)

Ability: Flash Fire

Nature: Adamant/Lonely (I wanna say Brave too but speed actually helps a bit here. I wouldn't risk it)

Held Item: Shell Bell

IVs: max in HP, atk., sp. def., speed

EVs: 252 atk., 252 sp. def., 4 HP

Moveset:

-Swords Dance (level up)

-Bitter Blade (level up)

-Clear Smog (level up)

-Iron Head (TM)

Usage:

SO. I had to tinker with this one a bit and it lowkey sucks when compared to its redder cousin, did it just out of love for the violet peeps. You deserve good things too Ceruledge has a couple of big drawbacks against this particular opponent: no way to boost its own special defense at all, and no psychic resistance. Bitter Blade's healing kind of offsets these, but the fact that the only move it doesn't resist at the start of the battle is Psychic means that Delphox will keep using THAT, dealing quite some damage AND almost certainly lowering Ceruledge's special defense at least once. For this reason, your number one priority is TERASTALLIZE INTO STEEL ASAP You have no choice but use 3 offensive moves in the first 3 turns. If you wste just one turn you're getting your tera charge stolen and need to use one more turn to recharge while you get mercilessly Psychiced and probably die. At least 2 of the starting moves will probably need to be Bitter Blades, to keep your health up and out of KO zone. Better do that before the shield goes up, as it'll make your recovery worse. When you're safe behind your newly acquired steel-with-fire-immunity type, you can take a breath and set up your attack with 3 Swords Dances - watch your HP, especially if you saw your special defense drop, use a Bitter Blade to heal in between the Swords Dancing if necessary. You don't have stat-lowering moves so the opponents mid-shield wipe doesn't affect you, but keep an eye on it nonetheless because shortly after that she'll use Nasty Plot and that does affect you - if your health is low use Bitter Blade to heal and then Clear Smog, if not do Clear Smog right away. When you're not healing or keeping that fox's special attack at bay, and after you've used your 3 Swords Dance, use Iron Head to break the shield. Once the shield is broken you're: -back at square one with your attack boosts -technically with no Shell Bell. This is where you alternate Swords Dance and Bitter Blade and Iron Head - 2 Swords Dances in total should be enough, Bitter Blade to heal if needed, Iron Head when your attack is at least at 4+ (4 green upwards arrows on the status menu, equivalent to 2 Swords Dances) and not in immediate KO danger. Remember that Iron Head won't heal you at this point. You have the option to use Hang Tough cheers to help with the defenses I guess - but never before you terastallized, don't waste time. Also in my limited experience focusing on Swords Dance is better, more attack means more absorbed HP with Bitter Blade.

TL;DR: 3x offensive moves (Bitter Blade preferred) right away, terastallize ASAP, 3x Swords Dance with Bitter Blade in the middle to keep HP up, Clear Smog ASAP after Delphox's Nasty Plot, Iron Head when safe until shield broken. Then max 2x Sword Dance with Bitter Blades to heal when necessary, again Iron Head(s) when safe. Be aware of the possibility of having to try again if you get your special defense lowered too much.

PROS:

-somewhat common pokémon (appears mostly in set locations)

-only one regular ability so you can't get it wrong (unless you caught it in a tera den and got the hidden one)

-innately resists fairy and fire

-actually has a recovery option during Magic Room

-fast attack boosting

CONS:

-special defense can only go down :(

-no psychic resist until terastallized

-non-default tera type needed

-attack boosts needs to be reapplied

-functionally Violet exclusive