Challenging Tera Raids is one of the many things you can do in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet before and after beating the game. Lower-ranked Tera Raids should be a breeze by the time you become the Champion of Paldea, but six and seven-star raids can be difficult for even the best Pokémon trainers out there.
For these higher-ranked raids, it’s essential to have some Level 100 Pokémon with good IVs in addition to specific EV spreads, Natures, Abilities, and movesets. But which Pokémon should you be investing your time or money into?
Related: Best Pokémon to counter Unrivaled Inteleon Tera Raid event in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
There are many good Pokémon options for Tera Raid battles, and Vaporeon is an excellent one to consider if you’re looking for a pure Water type. With great stats in HP, Special Attack, and Special Defense, Vaporeon is naturally equipped with the bulk and power needed to take on hard-hitting Tera Raid bosses.
Additionally, Vaporeon’s pure Water-typing means it’s only weak to Grass and Electric attacks while its Water Absorb Ability makes it completely immune to Water attacks.
Best Vaporeon builds for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Tera Raids
Vaporeon is the kind of Pokémon that can be built differently depending on what role you want it to play. If you plan on soloing Tera Raids, an offensive build is the way to go. If you’re taking on raids with friends, Vaporeon has the option to fill a more supportive role.
Stored Power Vaporeon build
The move Stored Power has seen a lot of success when soloing the hardest Tera Raids. Slowbro, for example, was one of the MVPs for the seven-star Unrivaled Cinderace and Greninja events because of how well it utilized Stored Power. Likewise, Vaporeon can follow a very similar strategy and build around the Psychic move.
At the beginning of the raid, you should focus on boosting Vaporeon’s stats with Acid Armor and Calm Mind. If the raid boss eliminates your stat boosts at some point, you’ll have to repeat the process. Meanwhile, you can use Aqua Ring to heal back some HP each turn.
Once Vaporeon has maximized its Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense, it will do massive damage with Stored Power, which calculates its damage output based on how many stat boosts the user has.
| Ability | EVs | Held Item | Moves | Nature | Tera Type |
| Water Absorb | 252 HP 252 Sp. Attack 4 Sp. Defense | Twisted Spoon | Stored Power Acid Armor Calm Mind Aqua Ring | Modest (+ Sp. Attack, – Attack) | varies |
Supportive Vaporeon build
While Vaporeon’s Stored Power build works well for solo raids, its move pool also has a lot of supportive options when tackling the raids with friends. Moves like Fake Tears and Charm can quickly lower the foe’s stats while Helping Hand will give an ally a big boost in power. If the raid boss sets up and has too many stat boosts, consider resetting them with Haze before using the stat-reducing moves.
| Ability | EVs | Held Item | Moves | Nature | Tera Type |
| Water Absorb | 252 HP 252 Sp. Defense 4 Defense | Leftovers | Helping Hand Haze Fake Tears Charm | Calm (+ Sp. Defense, – Attack) | varies |
