Delphox weaknesses and best counters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

7-Star raids took a backseat through June 2023 while GameFreak worked on Pokemon Home integration. The hardest content in the game has come back in a big way, with a new dangerous foe for Trainers to challenge. This time, it’s Delphox from Gen 6, and wow, this is a tough one. Let me show you Delphox’s weaknesses and best counters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Delphox weaknesses and best counters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Delphox is imbued with the Fairy Tera Type and has access to many devastating attacks. Raid Pokemon have a larger move pool than normal, but this is what you’re up against.

Delphox’s Movelist

• Psychic
• Will-O-Wisp
• Dazzling Gleam
• Fire Blast
• Nasty Plot
• Magic Room

In my testing, Delphox likes to spam Psychic and Will-O-Wisp. Both hit hard, thanks to STAB, and destroy most typical Raid contenders.

Train a Ceruledge or Armarouge!

Image by PC Invasion

Charcadet evolves into Ceruledge or Armarouge, depending on what Armor you give it. Malicious Armor is unique to Violet, and Auspicious Armor is only available in Scarlet. 

Although Ceruledge is arguably better for the Delphox raid, both are strong contenders for the battle. Here are the builds:

Ceruledge

Nature: Adamant
Tera Type: Steel
Ability: Flash Fire

Moveset

• Sword Dance
• Bitter Blade
• Iron Head
• Light Screen

Sword Dance is a great way to open the fight. After a few successful uses, you can use Bitter Blade to do all of the work. The star of the show with both builds is the Ability, Flash Fire. Flash Fire grants immunity to Fire Type attacks after the first hit, taking the sting out of Will-O-Wisp and Fire Blast.

Armarouge

Nature: Modest
Tera Type: Steel
Ability: Flash Fire

Moveset

• Calm Mind
• Stored Power
• Light Screen
• Flash Cannon

Stored Power is usually a weak attack but gets stronger based on how many stat boosts the Pokemon has. If you use Calm Mind 3 times, Stored Power will have enough power boost to wreck Delphox.

Can’t I just use Annihilape again?

Sorry Annihilape, not this time – Image by PC Invasion

If I had to guess, Delphox and its Tera Type are chosen to put a stop to Annihilape’s reign of terror. The tried and true method of using Screech or Bulk Up followed by Drain Punch or Rage Fist doesn’t work against Delphox. Even if you swap Tera Type from Ghost to Fighting, Delphox can still kill Annihilape with ‘Psychic’ spam before it can attack. I do not doubt that Annihilape will wreck the competition in future raids. For now, let them rest.

Do I still have time to make a Delphox counter?

If you’ve not got the time or resources to make a counter for Delphox in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, don’t worry. This 7-Star Raid returns on July 14th, 2023. Even the best Trainers are struggling to exploit Delphox’s weaknesses with good counters this time around. Raids offer the greatest challenge in Paldea, but there’s tons to do across the region. If you’re struggling with EV Training or Shiny Hunting, check out our guides and features hub.