The 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid returns to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet from September 25 to October 1, 2026, bringing back Dragonite with the Mightiest Mark and a Normal Tera Type. This is one of the returning powerhouse raids in the new weekly run of black crystal events, so players who missed the original encounter have another chance to clear it and catch the event Pokémon.
Because the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid is a rerun of an established Mightiest Mark encounter, there is already a clear picture of the moves, scripted actions and counters that matter. The important catch rule also carries over: this event Dragonite can only be caught once per save data, and anyone who caught the same Unrivaled Dragonite during its previous event can still battle it for rewards but cannot catch a second one.
7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid schedule and key details
7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid Image The Pokémon Company
The 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid is a level 100 black crystal battle in Paldea. Dragonite has the Inner Focus Ability, a Brave Nature and the Normal Tera Type, which is the typing you need to plan your damage around rather than simply countering Dragonite’s normal species typing. The established encounter uses an unusually large raid HP multiplier of about 35x, so a build that can survive and scale is more useful than a glass cannon that only looks strong for one turn.
| Detail | 7-star raid information |
|---|---|
| Event dates | September 25 to October 1, 2026 |
| Tera Type | Normal |
| Ability | Inner Focus |
| Nature | Brave |
| Level | 100 |
| Mark | Mightiest Mark |
| Catch limit | One per save data across the original event and this return |
The full run is tracked in our Pokemon Scarlet Violet 7 Star Tera Raid Schedule, which is worth keeping open if you plan to farm several of these returning bosses. You can also use our Pokémon Scarlet Violet Pokédex for species and evolution coverage outside the event raids.
Dragonite moveset and raid mechanics
The returning Dragonite encounter uses Extreme Speed, Scale Shot, Dragon Dance, Earthquake as its regular move set. It can also use scripted actions including Rain Dance, Hurricane, Thunder, Draco Meteor, which means the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid is not a fight where type advantage alone is enough. You need to account for the extra actions, the shield and the points where the boss can reset stat changes.
The main danger is the way those scripted actions can change the pace without costing Dragonite the same kind of turn a player would spend. A good solo build therefore needs a reliable damage plan, a way to control the most dangerous boosts or attacks, and enough recovery to survive after the shield appears. The 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid rewards patient setup much more than throwing a random super effective attacker at the crystal.
Best counter for 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid
A strong solo answer for the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid is Corviknight. Corviknight has exactly the kind of physical bulk this encounter demands. It is immune to Earthquake, resists several awkward lines of damage, and can turn Iron Defense boosts into meaningful damage with Body Press. Taunt is especially valuable early because stopping Dragon Dance prevents Dragonite from turning a manageable opening into a runaway physical sweep. The set below is designed around the established raid rather than ordinary competitive battling, so the EVs, held item and support moves are all there for raid consistency.
| Build slot | Corviknight setup |
|---|---|
| Tera Type | Fighting |
| Nature | Impish |
| Ability | Mirror Armor |
| Held item | Shell Bell |
| EVs | 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Sp. Def |
| Moves | Iron Defense, Body Press, Reflect, Taunt |
For the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid, level the counter to 100 and make sure the important moves and EVs are in place before entering the raid. A half-finished build can still look fine in the opening minute, then collapse once the shield, resets and scripted actions begin. That is especially frustrating in a timed raid because repeated knockouts remove time as well as momentum.
How to beat 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid solo
The safest approach to the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid is to treat the opening turns as control and setup rather than a damage race. Open with Taunt before Dragonite can freely stack Dragon Dance, then get Reflect in place if the raid is hitting harder than you want. Iron Defense raises both survivability and Body Press damage, so the build naturally becomes safer as it sets up. Once you have enough Defense, use Body Press to charge your Tera Orb and keep attacking after Terastallizing into Fighting. Shell Bell recovery scales with the damage you deal, which helps the build stay on the field without spending too many turns healing. Keep an eye on the raid text so you know when stat changes have been removed, because blindly repeating the previous turn after a reset can waste the advantage you just built.
Once the counter is stable, the goal is to keep enough offensive pressure that the timer continues moving in your favour without giving away avoidable knockouts. Terastallizing at the right point is important because it improves damage against the Normal Tera target and lets you keep attacking into the shield. If the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid is consistently knocking you out before that stage, fix the defensive side of the build first rather than adding more raw damage.
Other counters for the Dragonite 7-star raid
There is more than one workable answer to the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid, especially in multiplayer where one Pokémon can focus on support while another deals damage. These alternatives are worth considering if you already have them trained or if the recommended solo build is awkward for your save.
- Archaludon with Stamina, Iron Defense and Body Press is another excellent physical answer.
- A bulky Fighting attacker can work in multiplayer if teammates control Dragon Dance and keep defensive support active.
Whichever route you choose, build for the actual Normal Tera Type and the established moveset rather than the usual weaknesses of wild Dragonite. That distinction is what catches players out in 7-star raids, where the Tera Type determines the boss’s defensive weakness while its original move coverage can still punish an apparently obvious counter.
How to find the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid
To make the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid appear, connect Pokémon Scarlet or Violet to the internet and refresh the latest Poké Portal News by opening Poké Portal > Mystery Gift > Check Poké Portal News. Players who have completed the required postgame progression can find the event at black Tera Raid crystals in Paldea. If you have not unlocked black crystals on your own map yet, you can still join an eligible host through multiplayer.
The official Pokémon event announcement confirms that this returning series begins with Dragonite and that the raids are held in succession. The 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid is only active during its listed weekly window, so make sure your Poké Portal News is current before assuming a missing crystal is a bug.
Can you catch Dragonite again?
You cannot catch a second copy of this same Unrivaled Dragonite if you already caught it during the previous event. The catch limit applies to the returning 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid as the same special event Pokémon, not as a fresh one-per-rerun allowance. You can still defeat the raid as many times as the event permits and collect its item rewards, which gives returning players a reason to farm it even when the catch itself is unavailable.
Is the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid worth farming?
Yes, the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid can still be useful after you have used your one catch. Seven-star black crystal raids are valuable sources of high-level reward items, including experience items, Tera Shards and chances at rarer materials, while the first clear of an event raid can also include fixed rewards. Farming is much quicker once you have a stable counter because you avoid losing time to repeated failed attempts.
If your only goal is the Mightiest Mark Dragonite, one clear is enough. If you are building several raid Pokémon for the rest of this ten-week run, repeated clears can help fund the next counter with experience, bottle caps, ability items and Tera resources. That makes the 7 Star Dragonite Tera Raid part of a useful preparation loop rather than an isolated weekly boss.
