Key points
- Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trainers quickly devised solo strategies for the seven-star Tera raid against Torterra.
- Two popular strategies shared on social media featured Orthworm and Haunter as key Pokemon builds.
- The unique Orthworm build relied on Earth Eater to counter Torterra's ground moves, while Haunter used Eviolite and specific moves for success.
Shortly after Pokemon Scarlet and Purple launched the seven-star Tera Raid battle against Torterra the Unmatched, trainers created ways to solo him with ease. Pokemon Scarlet and Purple players then shared their solo strategies for Torterra on social media and listed the builds of two Pokemon that proved to be the safest bets.
Known as the Pokemon of the Continent, Torterra first appeared in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl such as the fully evolved forms of Turtwig and Grotle. In the last one Pokemon Scarlet and Purple Seven-star Tera raid, Torterra's Earth-type powers were amplified via its Tera type. Torterra the Unrivaled will regularly use Wood Hammer, Earthquake, Smack Down, and Earth Power to deal damage. Twice during the fight, Torterra will use Shell Smash to boost its offensive stats, then quickly cleanse any negative stat changes it takes.
Related
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet announce a Shiny distribution event
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players only have a short time to go online and claim a shiny new creature for their collections.
With the raids on Torterra now underway, Pokemon Scarlet and Purple players have developed methods to defeat him themselves. On the r/PokemonScarletViolet subreddit, two strategies featuring Orthworm and Haunter have been making the rounds. For the Orthworm build, a strategy shared by Reddit user rarely_sk8 used his Earth Eater ability, which caused Torterra's earthquake and earth power to heal him rather than harm him. With two moves effectively negated, Orthworm's Steel-type stats also allow it to resist Grass- and Rock-type damage from Wood Hammer and Smack Down. With a metronome as a held item and maximum effort (EV) values in HP and defense, Orthworm has been given the type Tera-Ground, along with the moves Iron Defense, Body Press, and Protect, with room for a filler move like Mud . -Slap.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Players Use Orthworm and Haunter to Play Torterra The Unrivaled Solo
An alternative strategy using Haunter was also shared by a Redditor called GussX. Haunter was given the item held by the Eviolite, which increases the defenses of Pokemon still able to evolve. With the Levitate ability, Haunter could nullify Earth Power and Earthquake. However, Levitate could itself be canceled out by Torterra's Smack Down. Even with Smack Down canceling Levitate, Pokemon Scarlet and Purple players have pointed out that the boss Pokemon's AI won't take this into account and will instead use moves like Wood Hammer first. The Eviolite Haunter build used Smog Clear moves to negate Shell Smash's offensive buffs and Acid Spray to lower Torterra's special defense. With Nasty Plot to boost Haunter's Special Attack, its Giga Drain could cause serious damage when Terastallized to Grass-type. Like Orthworm, Haunter's EVs were focused on HP and defense.
Although Torterra is the last starter Pokemon before Generation IX to be featured as a Tera Raid boss, Pokemon Scarlet and Purple they still have more powerful creatures to draw from for future Tera raids. Only time will tell what strategies players will develop in the future.