Rillaboom Weaknesses and Best Counters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

7 Star Raids in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are true tests of a Trainer’s skill, offering the most challenging battles in the game. These Raids often feature fan-favorite Pokemon and this time; Gen 8 gets a turn in the spotlight. Rillaboom is the final evolution of the Gen 8 Grass Starter Grookey, and with the Normal Tera Type, it’s more dangerous than ever. Let me show you Rillaboom’s Weaknesses and Best Counters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Rillaboom Weaknesses and Best Counters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Any Raid veterans among you are probably dusting off your Annihialape right about now. Unfortunately, that won’t work against Rillaboom as it knows Aerobatics. I’ve tested a few Pokemon, and Iron Hands seems to be the way to go. Best of all, this strategy works solo too. Iron Hands can exploit Rillaboom’s Weaknesses in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and is one of the best Counters available. 7 Star Raid Pokemon have a few additional moves than usual, so this is what we’re up against, and how you should build Iron Hands:

Rillaboom Movelist

• Aerobatics
• Body Slam
• Bulk Up
• Growth
• Low Kick
• Boomburst
• Drum Beating

Iron Hands Build

• Nature – Adamant (Attack up, SP Attack down)
• EV Spread – 252 EVs in Attack, 252 EVs in HP
• Fighting Tera Type – This is mandatory if you’re fighting solo.
• Ability – Quark Drive

Image by PC Invasion

Recommended Moveset

• Drain Punch
• Belly Drum
• Electric Terrain
• Iron Defense

The strategy is quite specific for this Raid, but I’ve tested this myself and can confirm it works. First, open the fight with Belly Drum and smack Rillaboom with Drain Punch until it Terrastalizes. Shortly after entering this state, Rillaboom will nullify all stat changes to your Pokemon, so it’s time to change strategy.

When your stats are nullified, use Iron Defence 3 times. This gives you a x6 Defense boost and makes your already tanky Iron Hands virtually unstoppable. Cheer until you have almost full Health, then use Belly Drum once again. With everything set up, Terrastalize and spam Drain Punch until Rillaboom is defeated. 

It sounds like everything I’ve mentioned would take too long, but as long as you don’t die, you’ll be fine. As Drain Punch only has 10PP, I recommend using a couple of PP Ups just in case.

The last Raid against Delphox felt like it was meticulously designed to end Annihilapes reign of terror. With this in mind, I won’t be surprised if we see this trend continuing for a few more Raids yet!

How do I start a solo Raid against Rillaboom in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?

Thanks to how damage scales in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Raids are sometimes easier alone. Once the Rillaboom Raid is live, you’ll need to briefly go online for the Raid to appear on your map. You can do this by pressing L to connect to the Internet and then again to disconnect. Once you’ve done that, you can search the map.

When you find the Raid, select Battle Alone, and you’ll join a Raid where it’s just you and 3 CPU helpers.