PSA: Stop Bringing Your Miraidon/Koraidon Into High-Level Raids in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Now that you have reached the endgame of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the various Tera Raids have gotten beefier. In becoming so, the reward payouts are better, the IV distributions are better, and hidden abilities are more prevalent. However, it might be difficult to set up a private raid group, so you go public. What you’ll quickly notice is that in the higher-level raids, there is a huge influx of people using their box-art legendaries.

This is just a friendly reminder that just because you got the legendary Pokemon representing the game you’re playing doesn’t mean it’s the one that will turn the game into easy mode. Yes, the stats for legendaries are typically much higher, allowing for stronger and unfair IV/EV distribution. As that may be the case, a newly caught Pokemon will not have any sort of EVs set in yet.

Many players have taken to forums like Reddit to voice their frustrations over people using these marquee legendaries to partake in 5 and 6-star raids. In some cases, they can be very powerful and provide a strong type advantage. Where people start to have problems with their overwhelming presence is that this isn’t a Pokemon that can be the one-all-be-all.

If you take the time to hyper-train your Koraidon or Miraidon to maximize their IVs, they will become significantly stronger. Pair them with the right natures, put the right movesets, and maximize their level to 100 and then they can become a top-tier pick. A fresh pick can probably hold their own against 4-star raids, but they can barely handle 5-star and higher.

Don’t be that person to go into a high-tier raid just because you want to get stronger Pokemon. You’ll get one-hit KO’d (OHKO) easily, causing the timer to go down even faster during Tera Raid battles. When the timer hits zero, you will lose, causing all of the players in the lobby to fail with you. 

If you know you’re under-equipped for 5-star raids, do some lower-tier raids until you’re ready. Level up your Pokemon. Diversify your picks. Learn about EVs and IVs and how they can really be helpful in maximizing the potential for your individual party Pokemon.

This isn’t to discourage you from using legendary Pokemon altogether when it comes to public raids. Just don’t go catching a high-level Pokemon thinking it’ll be able to take everything on. When it comes to lower-level content, it’s much more forgivable, but with rare spawns and many good items at stake, don’t be the person to throw a legendary and expect positive results.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.