After the introduction of Raids in Pokémon Sword and Shield, players instantly took to the new multiplayer boss-like battles. Even with the concept of Raids being new to the franchise, numerous changes to Raids were apparent within Sword and Shield's time. With Tera Raids in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the evolution of the Raid concept has finally added a long-time desire of the fan base -- actual difficulty.
While certain promotional Raids in Sword and Shield were difficult, practically all of them pale in comparison to the black crystal, 7-Star Tera Raids. The 7-Star Raids currently feature fully-evolved starter Pokémon from past generations as well as Pikachu, and the Raids are nearly impossible to beat without actual effort or strategy. Decidueye has just left the Raid rotation, and after numerous recommendations on how to take on that Unrivaled Pokémon, Samurott will start the strategic process over again beginning March 31. The difficulty seen previously is sure to be repeated, and although the challenge of the Raids can be annoying, the presence of such difficulty is a positive sign.
The Double-Edged Sword of Perfectly Trained Pokémon
Training and optimizing the stats, nature, and moves of Pokémon have never been more accessible, and the Tera Raids make this dedication to battling a necessity. The 7-Star Raid Pokémon are incredibly, absurdly powerful with maxed-out stats, optimized natures for hitting the hardest, and a list of potential moves that cover any weaknesses the fixed Tera type might open up. Entering a 7-Star Raid with just a level 100 Legendary is nowhere near enough. Depending on the Tera Pokémon, that might not even be enough for a 6-Star Raid.
This evolution of the Raid concept is the perfect answer to the desire for difficulty in modern Pokémon games, even with the aggravating defeats being a waste of time. The difficulty stems both from the strength of the Raid "boss" and the random nature of being paired with other players or NPCs. With that, actually finishing a Raid can feel completely random, depending entirely on whether the other players bring good Pokémon, or hope that Azurmarill's gimmick ability will instantly win the raid (which it won't).
Changing the Old Pokémon Raids for the Better
In Sword and Shield's DLC area, the Crowned Tundra, the option for Dynamax Adventures was added on top of the standard Dynamax Raids to catch Legendary Pokémon from previous games. Unlike the traditional Raids, however, the first steps of adding difficulty to the concept were introduced. Players could no longer bring their own trained, potentially Legendary Pokémon to fight these mythical monsters, but had to choose from a small randomized encounter table instead, eventually battling the Legendary at the end. While this concept hasn't been translated to Scarlet and Violet, the understanding that the Raid system needed to be more difficult was apparent.
The most challenging aspect of the base Dynamax Raids was finding an open lobby and catching the gigantic Pokémon, especially if it was Shiny since the catch wasn't guaranteed like in Tera Raids. It's certainly an improvement that Tera Raids were made more challenging by making the Pokémon far stronger, as opposed to artificially creating difficulty by limiting players' options.
The Future of Pokémon Raids
Withlatest 7-Star Samurott, the continuation of even more starters returning in the form of Unrivaled level-100 Tera Raid Pokémon is certain. Whether more Pokémon will be included in the dread black Tera crystal Raid Dens beyond starters and Pikachu remains to be seen, especially with the DLC for Scarlet and Violet rolling out later this year. Given how difficult the first five 7-Star Raids have been, that level of challenge will assumedly continue.
Since the new Paradox Pokémon, Walking Wake and Iron Leaves, were introduced in Raids, albeit 5-Star ones, the potential of Legendary-like Pokémon popping up in the future seems to be possible. Mewtwo and Zeraora were featured in promotional Raids back in Sword and Shield, and while Mewtwo wasn't catchable, the presence of seriously strong Pokémon in the Raid rotation has precedent.