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How to solo Rock Infernape 7-star Tera Raid in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's latest 7-star Tera Raid boss features a Tera Rock-type Infernape on October 3, 2024, at 5:00 pm PDT until October 6, 2024, at 4:59 pm PDT. This Mighty Infernape will then return on October 11 at 5:00 pm PDT until October 13, 2024, at 4:59 PDT. But can this raid boss be beaten solo? It can be when you have the right counter Pokemon for the job.

With that in mind, it's worth examining a way to defeat Rock Infernape 7-star Tera Raids in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet so you can farm the boss for all of its rewards including Herba Mystica for your various in-game sandwiches.

NOTE: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinion.


Rock Infernape's strengths, weaknesses, and stats in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet raids

Ash's Infernape in the anime. (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Ash's Infernape in the anime. (Image via The Pokemon Company)
  • Tera Type: Rock
  • Ability: Iron Fist
  • IVs: 31 IVs in every stat
  • Nature: Naughty
  • Usable Moves: Flare Blitz, Aura Sphere, Tera Blast, Grass Knot, Nasty Plot, Swords Dance, Focus Energy

Due to Terastallization, Infernape has shifted from a Fire/Fighting-type Pokemon to a pure Rock-type during this raid. This means that its weaknesses have changed, and it will take super effective damage from the following attack types:

  • Fighting
  • Grass
  • Ground
  • Steel
  • Water

Meanwhile, Rock Tera Type Infernape will resist the following move types, so they're best avoided if at all possible:

  • Fire
  • Flying
  • Normal
  • Poison

Best solo counter to Rock Infernape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet raids

Kommo-o is a fantastic candidate to solo Rock Infernape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's 7-star Tera Raids. (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Kommo-o is a fantastic candidate to solo Rock Infernape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's 7-star Tera Raids. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

This solo strategy for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet 7-star Tera Raids involves the classical Iron Defense/Body Press combo. In particular, you'll be boosting Kommo-o's Defense stat and then attacking with Body Press, which will have massively increased damage since it scales off of the Defense stat instead of the Attack stat.

The solo build can be found below. Keep in mind that this build operates with the assumption that your Kommo-o has maximum IVs:

  • Tera Type - Fighting
  • Ability - Bulletproof
  • Moveset - Iron Defense, Body Press, Taunt, Breaking Swipe
  • Nature - Impish
  • EV Point Distribution - 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Sp. Def
  • Held Item - Shell Bell

How to beat 7-star Rock Infernape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet raids

Kommo-o in the anime. (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Kommo-o in the anime. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Before starting this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet raid, it's best to know how Rock Infernape will behave as its HP decreases and/or the raid timer ticks away:

  • 95% Raid Time - Raid party Tera Orb charge reduced.
  • 90% Raid Time - Raid party stats and abilities reset.
  • 80% Raid Time - Infernape's stats and abilities reset.
  • 80% Raid Time/80% HP - Infernape activates its Tera Energy Shield.
  • 79% Raid Time - Infernape uses Nasty Plot.
  • 50% Raid Time - Infernape uses Swords Dance.
  • 35% HP - Infernape uses Focus Energy.

With that in mind, you can defeat 7-star Rock Infernape Tera Raids in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet by using solo Kommo-o with this strategy:

  1. On Turn 1, use Breaking Swipe to build Tera Orb charge and lower Infernape's Attack stat.
  2. Continue using Breaking Swipe until Infernape resets the stats/abilities of the raid team, then begin using Iron Defense until you've activated the move three times to maximize Kommo-o's Defense stat.
  3. Before Infernape activates its Tera Energy Shield, use Taunt to prevent it from using moves like Swords Dance or Nasty Plot.
  4. After all three Iron Defense moves are used, begin attacking with Body Press for super effective damage.
  5. Once your Tera Orb is fully charged, Terastallize Kommo-o into a Fighting-type and have it continue to use Body Press.
  6. At this point, just continuously use Terastallization-boosted Body Press and Rock Infernape should fall in short order.

This Pokemon Scarlet and Violet strategy should work very well, with the only potential pratfall being if Infernape is lucky enough to land two Critical Hits on Kommo-o in a row. If Taunt is used wisely right before Infernape activates its shield, then it won't activate Focus Energy, and its Critical Hit potential will be much less likely.

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