Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: How to Defeat 7-Star Rock Tera Chesnaught

Get ready, Trainers! The Spiny Armor Pokémon, Chesnaught, is making a formidable return to the Paldea region in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. If you missed your chance to claim this powerhouse during its previous runs, now is the perfect time to gather your strongest allies and head straight for the black Tera crystals.

Here at TrainerLoot, we have compiled everything you need to know to take down this raid, including the schedule, requirements, and the absolute best Pokémon to bring to the battle.

Official Event Schedule Chesnaught will appear in 7-star Tera Raid Battles for a limited time. Make sure you don’t miss this window:

• Start Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PDT
• End Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. PDT

The Threat: Rock Tera Type & The Mightiest Mark This isn’t your average Chesnaught. This special event features a Rock Tera Type variant, completely shifting its usual Grass/Fighting weaknesses and heavily bolstering its already legendary physical defense. To prove its elite status, it carries the highly coveted Mightiest Mark, a badge of honor reserved only for the toughest Pokémon caught in 7-star raids.

Best Counters: How to Beat Rock Tera Chesnaught Because Chesnaught boasts massive physical defense and will likely use moves like Iron Defense or Bulk Up, physical attackers will struggle here. Your best strategy is to bring Special Attackers that can hit its Rock-type weaknesses (Grass, Water, Fighting, Ground, Steel) while resisting its Grass, Fighting, and Ground attacks.

Here are the top Pokémon to use for this raid:

• Appletun: This Grass/Dragon type is arguably the MVP for this raid. It resists Chesnaught’s Grass, Fighting, and Ground moves perfectly. By spamming Apple Acid, you deal super-effective Grass-type damage while simultaneously lowering Chesnaught’s Special Defense every single turn, making the raid a breeze.
• Lurantis: Equipped with the Contrary ability, Lurantis is a powerhouse. Using Leaf Storm normally lowers the user’s Special Attack, but with Contrary, it heavily boosts it instead! Pair this with a Shell Bell held item for healing, and you will deal massive, self-sustaining damage.
• Gholdengo: If you want to exploit the Steel-type weakness, Gholdengo is fantastic. Its Ghost typing makes it completely immune to Chesnaught’s Fighting-type attacks. Set up with Nasty Plot and fire off devastating Make It Rain or Flash Cannon attacks (just beware of Earthquake—giving Gholdengo an Air Balloon can help mitigate this!).

How to Join the Raid To ensure this event Pokémon appears on your map, you must update your Poké Portal News:

1. Open the X menu in-game and select Poké Portal.
2. Select Mystery Gift.
3. Select Check Poké Portal News.

Note: To host the 7-star raid yourself, you must have completed the postgame story events. However, if you haven’t finished the main story yet, you can still participate by joining a raid hosted online by a friend or another player.

Exclusive Rewards & Loot While you can only catch this specific Chesnaught once per save file, the battle is highly worth repeating to farm its high-tier loot. Defeating it multiple times will grant you:

• Exp. Candies (L and XL): Massive amounts for rapid leveling of your competitive teams.
• Stat Boosters: Rare items like Calcium and Protein to enhance your Pokémon’s EVs.
• Rock Tera Shards: Essential items for changing other Pokémon in your boxes to the Rock Tera Type.
• Treasures: High-value items (like Star Pieces and Nuggets) to sell at Pokémon Centers for quick cash.

Prepare your Special Attackers, stock up on vitamins, and claim your Mightiest Mark Chesnaught!