Pokemon's Typhlosion Tera Raid Mirrors Scarlet & Violet's Other 2 Boss Battles

The beloved Gen 2 Fire-type starter, Typhlosion, is the latest Pokémon to be added to the "Scarlet" and "Violet" 7-Star Tera Raid system. This battle is going to run from April 14-16, and then it will have a second run on April 21-23. There are a lot of reasons to engage in these special, high-level Tera Raids. One of the best reasons to participate is that they allow players to capture Pokémon that cannot typically be found in the wild regions of Paldea. These battles can also pay out in rare items, money, and EXP. But probably the most important benefit is that players can capture special versions of these Pokémon that have a different Tera-type than their base Pokémon-type, which can be very useful in battle.

Tera Raids generally get harder the higher their Star level, but rewards generally go up as well. Since the Typhlosion Tera Raid is a 7-Star Tera Raid, it will be one of the most difficult boss battles in the entire game. Many fans have been surprised to discover that there seems to be something of a pattern in these last few 7-Star Tera Raid Pokémon though. Typhlosion the Unrivaled, like its last two predecessors, will have a Tera-type advantage against the Hisuian version of itself.

The last two 7-Star Tera Raid battles were against the final evolutions of starter Pokémon, just like Typhlosion. The first was against a Samurott, which is the final form of the Gen 5 starter Oshawott. This Water Pokémon was given a Bug-type for its Tera transformations. The second raid was against a dual Grass/Ghost-type Decidueye, which is the final evolution of the Gen 7 Grass starter Rowlet. It gained a Flying-type through Tera transformation.

These are both excellent Pokémon for anyone's collection, but what's particularly interesting about these Pokémon is that — while their typings match their original appearances in the game where they were starters — their Tera-type seems designed to give them an advantage against the Hisuian versions of themselves that appeared in "Pokémon Legends Arceus." These versions have different typings and different designs than their original forms — meaning they're also opened up to different weaknesses. The Hisuian Samurott is a Water/Dark-type that is weak to Bug, and the Hisuian Decidueye has a Grass/Fighting-type that is weak to Flying.

It seems that Typhlosion will be the third 7-Star Tera Raid starter in a row to follow this trend.

This is a strange pattern, to be sure, but Game Freak is known for hiding Easter Eggs so well in the Pokémon franchise that only the most observant fans will possibly be able to find them. This newest one seems like far too great a coincidence now that Typhlosion marks the third Pokémon in a row to have a Tera-Type that gives it an advantage over the Hisuian version of itself.

Just like its predecessors, the 7-Star Tera Raid Typhlosion will have a final form that matches its original appearance in the game where it was a starter. Its base form will be a pure Fire-type, just like it was in "Pokémon Gold," "Silver" and "Crystal." Meanwhile, the Hisuian Typhlosion is a Fire/Ghost dual-type, and if the current 7-Star Raid information is accurate, then the 7-Star Typhlosion will have a Ghost Tera-type.

This is particularly interesting because it makes the new Typhlosion very similar to its Hisuian form, though not quite the same. The Paldean Typhlosion needs to terastallize to access its inner Ghost while the Hisuian is simply a dual-type. This does fit the pattern though as Ghost-types do actually have a type advantage against other Ghosts.

It's unclear if Typhlosion marks the conclusion of this pattern, or if fans might be able to guess what Pokémon and Tera-type combos Game Freak might put forward in future 7-Star Tera Raid battles by looking at other Hisuian Pokémon and examining weaknesses to their type changes.