How to beat 7-Star Primarina Tera Raid: Best Counters in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

The latest Pokemon Scarlet and Violet 7-Star Tera Raid boss is Primarina. The final evolved form of the Gen 7 starter Popplio was added to Gen 9 as part of The Indigo Disk DLC, and it joins other evolved starters like Charizard, Decidueye, and (most recently) Meganium in getting the 7-Star Tera Raid treatment.

Like past 7-Star Raid bosses, Primarina is quite strong and employs a potentially frustrating strategy. Fortunately, there are some Pokemon that counter it pretty well. Here’s what we recommend for fighting Primarina.

Contents

• When will Primarina appear in Tera Raids?
• Primarina moveset & type
• Best Gholdengho build to counter Primarina
• Best Tentacruel build to counter Primarina
• Best Toxapex build to counter Primarina
• Best Perrserker build to counter Primarina

When will Primarina appear in Tera Raids?

The 7-Star Tera Raid for Primarina will be available for two weekends: Friday, May 10, 2024 at 00:00 UTC through Sunday, May 12, 2024 at 23:59 UTC and Friday, May 17, 2024 through Sunday, May 19, 2024 at the same times.

Primarina moveset & type

While normally a Water/Fairy-type, this Primarina has the Fairy Tera Type, which makes its only weaknesses Poison and Steel. Fairy-types resist Bug, Dark, and Fighting moves and are completely immune to Dragon-type moves.

That means Poison and Steel-types are the best options, though be sure to check a Pokemon’s secondary typing; many Steel Pokemon are also Rock or Ground, and Primarina has some powerful super effective Water-type moves.

Primarina is a Special Attacker with low Speed, so you’ll want to bring a Pokemon with solid Special Defense and/or high Speed so you can survive hits and potentially hit sooner. It also has its Hidden Ability Liquid Voice, which turns any sound-based move into the Water-type.

This Pokemon also has access to some powerful moves and uses a potentially annoying strategy. For offense, it has two Water-type moves (Sparkling Aria and Surf), a Fairy-type move (Moonblast), and a Psychic-type move (Psychic).

Primarina also has Sing (which puts the target to sleep) and Encore (which locks the opponent into the last move they used for three turns). This means Primarina can stop your team from attacking or prevent you from carrying out your own strategy.

Pokemon	Level	Moves	Ability	Nature	Tera Type
	100	– Sparkling Aria – Moonblast – Sing – Psychic – Encore – Surf	Liquid Voice	Modest	Fairy

Best Gholdengho build to counter Primarina

Gholdengho is considered among the best Pokemon for Tera Raids overall, and its Steel/Ghost typing makes it a great option for defeating Primarina. With a high Special Attack stat and enough Special Defense and Speed to hold its own, Gholdengho is one of the best options for this Primarina Tera Raid.

It also helps that its Good as Gold ability gives it immunity to status conditions, meaning Primarina’s Sing won’t be able to put it to sleep.

Be sure to give it a Steel Tera type and its signature move Make It Rain. This deals STAB Steel-type damage with a base power of 120, though it does lower the user’s Special Attack. Make the most of the move by setting up with Nasty Plot (raises the user’s Special Attack by 2 stages) and, if possible, Metal Sound (lowers the target’s Special Defense by 2 stages).

For the last move, go with Light Screen to increase your team’s Special Defense or Recover for healing.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to take a risk with Make It Rain, swap it with Flash Cannon. While its base power is much lower, it doesn’t lower your stats and even has a chance to lower the target’s Special Defense.

POKEMON	LEVEL	MOVES	ABILITY	NATURE	TERA TYPE
	100	– Make It Rain – Nasty Plot – Metal Sound – Light Screen / Recover	Good as Gold	Modest	Steel

Best Tentacruel build to counter Primarina

Tentacruel is proving to be one of the best Pokemon for the Primarina raid, particularly in a support role. As a Water/Poison-type, Tentacruel will resist Primarina’s Water and Fairy moves and can deal super effective STAB damage.

However, what really makes Tentacruel a great option for countering Primarina is its access to the move Throat Chop. While it won’t do much damage since Fairy resists Dark, this move has the secondary effect of preventing the opponent from using sound-based moves for two turns.

Throat Chop will keep Primarina from using Sparkling Aria and, more importantly, Sing.

Fill out Tentacruel’s moveset with more support options like Acid Spray (reduces the target’s Special Defense by 2 stages), Acupressure (raises one of an ally’s stats by 2 stages), and Screech (reduces the target’s Defense by 2 stages). If you do want to give it an offensive move, go with Sludge Bomb.

POKEMON	LEVEL	MOVES	ABILITY	NATURE	TERA TYPE
	100	– Throat Chop – Acid Spray – Acupressure – Screech	Clear Body	Careful	Poison

Best Toxapex build to counter Primarina

Toxapex is another great option for taking on Primarina, thanks to its typing and great Special Defense. As a Water/Poison-type, Toxapex resists Water and Fairy moves, and it’ll deal super effective STAB damage with Poison moves. Plus, its Merciless ability means it’ll always land critical hits against a Poisoned target.

Just be sure to max out Toxapex’s EVs in HP to give it some extra bulk since its base HP stat is pretty low.

Your main offensive move should be Acid Spray. While its base power is low, this move lowers the target’s Special Defense by 2 stages, making Primarina move vulnerable. While you could replace it with a move that has a chance to poison like Sludge Bomb, Toxic is guaranteed to Poison the opponent, triggering Toxapex’s Merciless.

Finally, Iron Defense and Recover will keep Toxapex in the fight.

Pokemon	Level	Moves	Ability	Nature	Tera Type
	100	– Acid Spray – Toxic – Iron Defense – Recover	Merciless	Calm	Poison

Best Perrserker build to counter Primarina

Galarian Meowth and its evolution Perrserker aren’t the easiest Pokemon to get a hold of in Scarlet and Violet, but the Viking Pokemon’s Steel typing makes it a good counter for Primarina. It has a strong Attack stat, which won’t be blocked by Primarina’s high Special Defense.

If possible, you’ll want to ally with other Perrserker players who have the Steely Spirit hidden ability, which boosts Steel-type moves for allies and stacks when multiple Pokemon with the ability are in battle.

As for Perrserker’s moveset, your main attack should be Iron Head, a physical Steel-type move with 80 base power. Screech will also help by lowering Primarina’s Defense by 2 stages, and Swords Dance will raise the user’s Attack by 2 stages.

For the last move slot, go with either Taunt or Helping Hand; the former will prevent Primarina from using status moves (like Sing), and the latter boosts an ally’s attack.

Pokemon	Level	Moves	Ability	Nature	Tera Type
	100	– Iron Head – Screech – Swords Dance – Taunt / Helping Hand	Steely Spirit	Adamant	Steel

That’s everything you need to know about the 7-Star Tera Raid encounter against Primarina in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. For more game content, check our other guides below:

Paldea Pokedex | Best starter Pokemon | How to get Marks in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | Sandwich recipes in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet egg breeding guide