Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players will soon have a chance at adding Shiny Rayquaza to their copy of the Nintendo Switch game. Information about the Tera Raid event started to emerge earlier this month, but Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have now released a lot more details. The event will officially begin on Thursday December 19th at 4 p.m. PT, and will run through Sunday, January 5th at 3:59 p.m. PT. During that time, players will find Shiny Rayquaza in 5-Star Tera Raids, where it will have a Dragon Tera type. As suspected, this Pokemon can only be caught once per save file.
For the announcement, The Pokemon Company has created a special animated trailer, which features Shiny Rayquaza flying over Paldea. The majority of the trailer focuses on Pokemon and human characters from Scarlet and Violet on the ground, as the impressive Legendary Pokemon sails through the skies above. The trailer doesn’t offer details about the event until the very end, but it’s absolutely worth watching for Pokemon fans, and it also gives viewers a better look at Shiny Rayquaza’s design.
Videos by ComicBook.com
While Rayquaza can only be caught once, players can participate in this event as often as they like while it’s live. This way, players can help out other players that might need a hand bringing down the Legendary Pokemon. Once Shiny Rayquaza is caught, players will simply receive other in-game rewards, such as Tera Shards. The Pokemon Company has noted that Shiny Rayquaza could be offered again in future events, but players should take advantage while it’s live, because there’s no telling when the next opportunity might be.
In addition to the Shiny Rayquaza event, players can look forward to Mass Outbreaks in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which will feature Pokemon that also have Shiny forms that are black like Rayquaza. These Pokemon include Fraxure, Carbink, and Cetoddle, all of which will have a greater chance of appearing as Shiny! These Mass Outbreaks will co-occur with the Shiny Rayquaza event.
RELATED: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Event Gives Away 3 Mythical Pokemon
Dragon-type Pokemon are weak against Ice and Fairy-type attacks, so players should plan for this ahead of time when they take on Shiny Rayquaza. That means having a Pokemon that not only has these moves, but also a Pokemon that might be able to Terastallize into those types as well. For players that might need a little assistance, The Pokemon Company has announced a three-part Tera Raid preparation series, encouraging players to catch Pokemon that might be of some help against Shiny Rayquaza. In each week leading up to the event, a different pair of Pokemon will appear in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Tera Raids: Corviknight and Bellibolt (November 28th through December 5th), Azumarill and Clodsire (December 5th through December 12th), and Annihilape, and Kingambit (December 12th through December 19th).
Do you plan on participating in this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet event? Are you excited to obtain a Shiny Rayquaza? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!