Insert pun about intel gathering here
Here we go again folks! From April 28 to April 30, Inteleon will appear as the next 7-Star Tera Raid event in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. The Sword & Shield starter evolution will feature the Ice Tera Type, though as always, its exact moveset has yet to be announced. If you can’t fight it this weekend, it will appear again from May 5 through May 7.
Given how frail Ice-Type Pokemon are, Inteleon appears easy to counter at first glance. However, unlike actual Water/Ice-Type Pokemon, Tera Ice with STAB Water moves backing it up is pretty scary. Rock and Fire-Type Pokemon are out of the question, and Inteleon can potentially counter Fighting and Steel-Type monsters too. As always, until a raid comes out, we can’t exactly predict what the best strategies against Inteleon will be. However, we can make a few good guesses about what to expect from this raid.
Inteleon’s potential moveset
Right off the bat, Inteleon is virtually guaranteed to prioritize Special Attack. Its signature move, Snipe Shot, is a special Water-Type attack with a boosted Critical Hit rate. Additionally, the only Ice-Type moves its capable of learning are special attacks. Combined with Inteleon’s much higher Special Attack stat, Game Freak would break months of tradition by building Inteleon any other way.
That said, Inteleon may still use at least one physical attack. We can’t say for sure until the raid is released.
Based on past precedent, we also know Inteleon will pack its hidden ability Snipe. This is very dangerous, as Snipe increases the power of Critical Hits. If you were around for the Samurott raid, you know Critical Hits are hard to defend against. Fortunately, Inteleon can’t learn Focus Energy, so its potential to spam Critical Hits is a bit lower. However, since Snipe Shot has a built in Critical Hit chance boost, you run a roughly 1/8 risk of getting absolutely demolished.
Because of this, we also predict Inteleon will know Air Cutter. This has an increased crit chance and counters Fighting-Type Pokemon, so Inteleon will likely bring this move. From there, it’s hard to say what Inteleon’s fourth attack would be. It has potential to use Ground, Dark, or Ghost-Type attacks, either of which could dramatically change which Pokemon will counter it best. As always, it’s impossible to nail down the meta before the fight releases. However, we have enough information to make some reasonable predictions this time around.
Here’s what you should do to prepare.
Catch Pokemon that are likely to counter Inteleon
As usual, the best way to prepare for a Tera Raid is to fill out your Pokedex. At first glance, Steel-Type Pokemon look the most appealing to counter Inteleon. However, we’ve had many 7-Star Tera Raid encounters that have defied initial expectations. Because of this, I’d prioritize catching monsters that resist Water and Ice attacks.
Based on what we know so far, here are some example picks to counter Inteleon.
Tinkaton: This may be a bold claim, but Tinkaton has serious potential here. Despite her mediocre stats, her strongest attribute is Special Defense, which should help her survive Inteleon’s strongest attacks. Meanwhile, she also can learn Skill Swap, letting her deactivate Inteleon’s dangerous Snipe ability. From there, Tinkaton can use Light Screen and Skitter Smack to run support. Tinkaton can also buff herself with Swords Dance and use Gigaton Hammer.
Perrserker: At the onset of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, Perserker was an early pick for breaking Tera Raids. Its unique hidden ability Steely Spirit massively boosts the power of your party’s Steel-Type attacks, and this effect stacks. The only problem has been a lack of opportunities for Steel-Type attacks to shine. This may be Perrserker’s chance to finally show off.
Iron Hands: As a Fighting/Electric-Type, Iron Hands is in a great position to withstand Inteleon’s attacks. Seasoned Tera Raid players should already have this one built.
Walking Wake: There’s a strong chance that keeping Sunny Day active will be vital in weakening Inteleon. Meanwhile, Sunny Day activates Walking Wake’s Protosynthesis and boosts its Flamethrower. Inteleon also lacks any capability of inflicting Super Effective damage on this Paradox Pokemon.
Chansey: The master of support against special attackers. Give Chansey an Eviolite and use Life Dew for valuable healing.
Stock up on TMs
Given that an unexpected Pokemon could become an MVP against Inteleon, you may need to equip a robust moveset in a pinch. As always, keeping a healthy stock of TMs greatly speeds this process along. Check out our list of the best support TMs for Tera Raids here.
Additionally, here are some TMs that might help against Inteleon.
(TM049) Sunny Day – As mentioned with Walking Wake, Harsh Sunlight will likely be an important counter against Inteleon. Even offense-oriented Pokemon may want to run this move.
(TM058) Brick Break – An average Fighting-Type attack. This isn’t as powerful as the other moves on this list, but it may see use if Inteleon happens to use Light Screen or Reflect.
(TM073) Drain Punch – This move deals Super Effective damage and provides valuable HP recovery. Drain Punch will be essential for any physical damage dealers capable of learning it.
(TM093) Flash Cannon – A pretty good Steel-Type special attack. This will be a default move if you use Pokemon like Gholdengo.
(TM099) Iron Head – A similarly pretty good Steel-Type physical attack. Nothing special, but perfectly usable.
(TM101) Power Gem – This is a surprisingly okay special Rock-Type attack. Some special attackers may lack moves better than this for Inteleon.
(TM112) Aura Sphere – Another pretty good attack, this time as a special Fighting-Type move.
(TM125) Flamethrower – It’s powerful, it’s accurate, it’s Flamethrower. Arguably the best Fire-Type move in the game, and certainly a great option for any special attackers to use.
(TM150) Stone Edge – 80 accuracy is rough, but otherwise this is a solid and powerful Rock-Type attack. Some physical attackers may prefer this move.
(TM167) Close Combat – This is a powerful but admittedly dangerous Fighting-Type attack. Use this as a finishing move or if you know you’re about to bite the dust anyway.
Make lots of money
This step is nothing new if you’ve followed our guides to this point. If you’re waiting for the raid to debut to find out who exactly you should build, having a ton of money on hand will expedite the process. This will let you throw your face right at the encounter as soon as it goes live.
If you have cash on hand, all you have to do to instantly max your Pokemon’s EVs and IVs is visit Chansey Supply in Mesagoza. Getting everything you need for one Pokemon should cost approximately 500,000-600,000 dollars. This is a steep price, but fortunately, you can reduce the grind significantly by following a few steps.
Check out our money farming guide here!
Check for updates
Finally, make sure your game is fully updated by the time the event goes live. We (fortunately) haven’t seen any nasty glitches like the Walking Wake and Iron Leaves event, but it doesn’t hurt to be safe.
There are plenty of battle preparations you can make, but in the end, don’t go overboard covering every base. Stock up on the things you think you might need and grab the resources to fully build two or three Pokemon if you plan to farm the event. One-and-done players can wait for solo builds to appear, so feel free to take any angle that keeps your grinding to a minimum.
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