What Are Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?

The new Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles are essential to building the strongest team in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. But what exactly are they?

Making their debut in Gen 9, Tera Raid Battles allow players to group up with their friends and battle powerful Pokemon for a chance at catching them.

Like in Pokemon GO Raid Battles, there’s little hope of taking down the strongest creatures by yourself. But with a Black Crystal Tera Raid Battle, you’ll need only the best of the best by your side.

What Is a Black Crystal in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?

A Black Crystal is the location of an ultra-difficult seven-star Raid Battle in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Creatures fought in these locations are far stronger than even the usual Tera Raid Pokemon.

Defeating the Pokemon within will allow you to catch them and gain a Pokemon with the Mightiest Mark.

Where to Find Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles

Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles will appear on the map only when players have completed the main story of Pokemon Scarlet or Violet. They will also only appear while a current Black Crystal Tera Raid Battle event is live.

To see all available Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles, pull up the map and look for the Black Crystal icon shown below:

How to Access Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles Without Completing the Story

Players can also access Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles by joining another trainer’s Tera Raid, either via a Link Code or the Scarlet & Violet 4-player multiplayer.

Doing so in this manner will allow you to take part in the raids without completing the game’s main story.

How Do Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles Work in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?

When entering a Black Crystal, players will face off against an Unrivaled Pokemon in a six-star Tera Raid Battle. These are the toughest battles that the game has to offer, so players will need to bring their strongest Pokemon and best counters to the current Raid Boss.

By teaming up with other trainers, players will need to defeat the Black Crystal Tera Raid Battle to get a chance at catching its boss.

This will be the only way to catch some Pokemon, such as Charizard, a creature not native to the Paldea region! It is also the only way to catch special ‘Unrivaled’ ‘mons.

Read More: Eevee Spotlight Event in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet – Date, Time & What to Expect

How to Catch an Unrivaled Pokemon

To catch an ‘Unrivaled’ Pokemon, players must first complete the main story of Scarlet or Violet, then head to a Black Crystal. Here, they can join with other players to face off against a powerful Black Crystal Tera Raid Battle.

Upon defeating the incredibly-powerful creature, players will then have a chance to catch it and obtain an Unrivaled ‘mon.

However, this can only be done once per species, meaning you can’t have two Unrivaled Charizards.

What Is a Mightiest Mark in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?

A Mightiest Mark is a unique Pokemon memory that appears on the Status Summary for Pokemon caught in seven-star Tera Raid Battles.

These Pokemon are known as Unrivaled ‘mons, and only one of each Pokemon encountered in a Black Crystal Tera Raid Battle can be caught per save file.

That means you won’t be able to keep farming the strongest possible Unrivaled Charizard, and you’ll have to make do with the one you catch first.

Read More: Best Iron Hands Build to Solo Tera Raids in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

All Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles & Dates

Here are all the confirmed Black Crystal Tera Raid Battle dates that have been confirmed so far:

Here’s a guide to the best counters & Pokemon to beat the Charizard Tera Raid Battles!

We’ll update this article as more Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles get announced so stay tuned!

Why not get your hands on some of the best items for battling in preparation for the fight?