Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: Blissey raid guide

Pokémon has announced a new raid event, this time featuring the bulky nurse Pokémon Blissey in four- and five-star raids. 

These raids are not expected to be particularly difficult, but they could present a bit of a challenge for people who don’t know what to expect. 

Blissey will be available in raids for just one weekend, from March 24 to March 26, alongside the second weekend of the seven-star Decidueye raid, and will give plenty of EXP candy as a reward.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Blissey raid in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. 

Pokémon SV: Blissey raids

Blissey is quite easy to take down if you know what you’re doing, as it only really excels in special defense and not much else. 

Because of that, physical attackers are the best way to go, as the Pokémon can do very little against physical attacks.

Unfortunately it’s not exactly straightforward, as the tera type of Blissey will be entirely randomised, so not every raid will be the same. 

That said, there are a few Pokémon with diverse enough move pools to make sure you can always take Blissey down quickly, no matter the tera type. 

Here’s the set we think Blissey will have. 

Blissey – Level 45-75

Nature – Random

Ability – Serene Grace/Healer

Item – None

Tera-type – Random

Move set – Sweet Kiss, Charm, Softboiled, Sing, Life Dew

Pokémon SV: Blissey raid counters

As you can see, we don’t expect Blissey to be doing a lot of damage, but it could still be quite annoying to tackle. 

Its feeble defense stat means that hitting it with physical attacks should do massive damage, even without stat boosts. 

Still, it’s worth bulking up just to make sure you can take it down quickly — if you leave it too long, it could become very frustrating. 

Iron Hands

If you know anything at all about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s raid scene, you knew that Iron Hands was going to be on this list. 

It’s got a gigantic attack stat, a diverse enough move pool for any scenario, and access to an immediate max attack boost to boot. 

The goal here is to Belly Drum on the first turn and then hit hard with whatever move doesn’t get resisted or blocked, which should lead to a quick and easy victory. 

Here’s the set we recommend: 

Iron Hands – Level 100 

• Nature – Adamant
• Ability – Quark Drive 
• Item – Booster Energy 
• Tera-type – Electric 
• Move set – Belly Drum, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch

Azumarill 

You’ve probably seen plenty of Azumarill in raids, but until recently it was the main perpetrator of a nasty raid bug that would cause bosses to regain health. 

That bug has since been fixed, however, and you’re safe to use Azumarill in raids again, which is good because it’s quite tough and has a wide move pool. 

Like Iron Hands, your strategy here is to Belly Dance and hit hard with whatever move isn’t resisted for a very quick and easy win. 

Here’s what we recommend for Azumarill: 

Azumarill – Level 100 

• Nature – Adamant
• Ability – Huge Power
• Item – Shell Bell 
• Tera-type – Fairy
• Move set – Belly Drum, Play Rough, Double Edge, Liquidation

Great Tusk 

Most paradox Pokémon are good for something, and Great Tusk is yet another one that excels at physical attacks. 

It’s got a lot of strong physical attacks, and a decent enough move set with very strong attacks, even if it doesn’t have much to set up with. 

Still, Bulk Up will get the job done, and the raw power of Great Tusk’s attack stat and strong moves should easily take Blissey out. 

Here’s the best set: 

Great Tusk – Level 100 

• Nature – Adamant
• Ability – Protosynthesis
• Item – Booster Energy
• Tera-type – Ground
• Move set – Bulk Up, Close Combat, Headlong Rush, Head Smash

Iron Leaves 

One half of the most recent addition to the game, Iron Leaves has a powerful attack stat and an incredible move pool to back it up. 

Swords Dance is a great way to set up, although you probably don’t need too many of them, since Blissey is so fragile to physical attacks. 

Other than that, it’s the same as other counters: hit hard with whatever move you have that isn’t resisted. 

Here’s the recommended set: 

Iron Leaves – Level 100 

• Nature – Adamant
• Ability – Quark Drive
• Item – Booster Energy 
• Tera-type – Grass
• Move set – Swords Dance, Leaf Blade, Close Combat, Psyblade

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.