How to OHKO Ice Empoleon 7-star Tera Raid in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

How can you OHKO (one-hit KO) Ice Empoleon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's new 7-star Tera Raid? Since this raid boss stands at the highest raid tier regarding difficulty, defeating it in a single blow can be tricky. Fortunately, the right team composition can beat Ice Tera Type Empoleon in one hit, though the setup for the team can take some time and preparation.

The OHKO strategy for this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Empoleon raid will rely on a classic combination of Gholdengo paired with three Perrserkers, providing it with buffs to its Special Attack stat. The Perrserkers are provided Focus Sashes to keep them from being knocked out on Turn 1 while having the hidden ability Steely Spirit to Gholdengo's super effective Steel-type moves against Ice Empoleon.

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How to one-hit KO Ice Empoleon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet 7-star raids

Gholdengo is the key to OHKOing this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet raid (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While they might require some time spent on EV training and teaching moves, this raid build for Gholdengo significantly boosts its Special Attack stat. With this setup, Gholdengo can defeat the Ice Tera Type Empoleon boss with a single strike from Steel Beam, aided by the fact that Ice Empoleon will be weak to the attack. The support team of Perrserkers will assist but will require some EV training and outfitting of their own.

Recommended OHKO raid loadout for Ice Empoleon

Pokemon	Ability	EV Training Spread	Nature	Held Item	Moveset
Gholdengo	Good as Gold	252 Sp. Atk, 252 HP, 4 Speed	Modest	Choice Specs	Steel Beam, Flash Cannon, Nasty Plot, Make it Rain
Perrserker	Steely Spirit (Hidden)	252 Sp. Def, 252 HP, 4 Speed	Timid or Jolly	Focus Sash	Fake Tears, Swords Dance, Iron Head, Screech
Perrserker	Steely Spirit (Hidden)	252 Sp. Def, 252 HP, 4 Speed	Timid or Jolly	Focus Sash	Fake Tears, Swords Dance, Iron Head, Screech
Perrserker	Steely Spirit (Hidden)	252 Sp. Def, 252 HP, 4 Speed	Timid or Jolly	Focus Sash	Fake Tears, Swords Dance, Iron Head, Screech

Remember that for optimal use of this build, the three Perrserker must possess maximum Speed IVs to buff Gholdengo before Empoleon can use any attacks based on its own Speed Stat. Regardless, once the raid has begun in earnest, you can follow these steps to secure the OHKO in this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet raid:

1. At the beginning of the raid, two of the Perrserkers should use Fake Tears. Although this will trigger Empoleon's Competitive ability, it shouldn't have a chance to use its boosted Special Attacks before it's defeated.
2. Have the third Perrserker use an Attack Cheer, boosting Gholdengo's offensive output even further in this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet raid.
3. Lastly, use Gholdengo's Steel Beam attack to devastate Empoleon's HP.

If the steps are followed correctly on Turn 1, Gholdengo will receive three 50% stacking damage boosts to Steel Beam. The Choice Specs it's holding will provide an additional 50% boost, increasing Gholdengo's Steel Beam's damage by 200%. Fake Tears will also skyrocket Gholdengo's Special Attack stat, making its Steel Beam devastating to this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet boss.

Perrserker's Steely Spirit hidden ability will provide Gholdengo firepower in this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet raid (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Combining all these factors and the fact that Empoleon will be weak to Steel-type moves as a Terastallized Ice-type, you should expect to deal anywhere from 106.7% - 125.6% of Empeoleon's health total with a single Steel Beam attack. The only thing to worry about with this strategy is Steel Beam itself, which has an accuracy of 95, so there's a slight chance it will miss.

This is where the Focus Sashes come in for Perrserker. In the rare event that Steel Beam misses, Empoleon may use a multi-Pokemon-hitting attack like Surf. The Focus Sashes will keep Perrserker at 1 HP to prevent a team wipe, and the OHKO strategy can be repeated on Turn 2. However, this should only be necessary in the 5% of instances where Steel Beam misses.

Regardless of whether you're hitting Empoleon with Steel Beam on Turn 1 or 2, this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet raid boss should fall in a single shot. Afterward, all that's left to do is catch the Water-type starter Pokemon and reap the item rewards for your efforts.

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Check out our other Empoleon raid-related guides:

All moves, counters, and more || All Item drops || Ice Empoleon 7-star Tera Raid Guide || How to solo Ice Empoleon || Empoleon PvP moveset