Samurott weaknesses and best counters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Samurott is the mighty final evolution of Gen V’s Water-type Starter, Oshawott. Usually, Grass or Electric attacks are enough to dispatch this formidable beast. However, that tried and true approach no longer works, as Samurott is the new Raid Pokemon. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, whenever a new Seven Star Raid Event goes live, the Pokemon’s type changes, and with that, so do its weaknesses and best counters.

Samurott is a dangerous adversary thanks to its new Bug Tera Type, but fortunately, we can use this new dual-typing to our advantage. Here’s what you need to know.

Related: Be sure to check out our extensive Pokemon Scarlet and Violet features hub.

7 Star Tera Raid Samurott weaknesses and best counters

Samurott has the Bug Tera Type, giving it a glaring weakness to Flying attacks. Corviknight is an obvious counter choice. Its dual typing gives high resistance to Bug Type attacks as well as access to powerful Flying moves. If you’re planning to make a Corviknight specifically for the raid, I recommend you breed it with the Adamant Nature. This will increase your Attack at the cost of Sp Attack, which you won’t be using anyway.

If you don’t have Corviknight, they are plentiful in Area Zero and aren’t limited to either Scarlet or Violet. Every Seven Star Raid Pokemon hits incredibly hard, so a bulky Pokemon will always perform better than a glass cannon. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are home to many great Flying types, but few can take punishment like Corviknight can. Gyarados and Salamence are decent alternatives if the armored bird doesn’t interest you.

Samurott’s Moveset

Megahorn (Bug)
Aqua Cutter (Water)
Focus Energy (Normal)
Night Slash (Dark)

Samurott has a ton of coverage and can increase its critical hit ratio with Focus Energy. If you’re using Corviknight, the good news is it’s impossible for Samurott to land a Super Effective hit on you. The bad news is that’s not the only trick Samurott has up its sleeve.

What else can Samurott do?

Raid Pokemon typically have a few additional moves on top of their standard Moveset. In Samurott’s case, it has the hidden ability Shell Armor which prevents critical hits from landing. This is a massive problem, as time is of the essence in Raids. With this in mind, starting the fight with moves like Screech to lower Samurott’s defense is more effective than recklessly attacking.

To stack the odds further in its favor, Samurott knows Swords Dance, a dangerous move that increases attack power by two stages. One weakness any flying Pokemon will heavily counter is Samurott’s Bulldoze attack, as it always misses. If you’re lucky, Samurott will use that instead of Night Slash, which lands a lot of critical hits.

Corviknight is a great counter and can capitalize on Samurott’s weakness, but you’re at the mercy of your team and their choices. Be patient, and hopefully, more players will catch on to how this Raid works as time goes on.

How to counter the regular Samurott

Samurott is a Water type, so it has weaknesses to Grass and Electric attacks. In a competitive setting, Samurott is a slippery foe and can utilize a mix of Physical and Special attacks.

Even though you can’t guess the build, Samurott is still just a Water Pokemon and usually relies on moves like Hydro Pump and Liquidation. If you don’t have a Grass or Electric type, you can shut down Samurott with a bulky Water type.

Who’s next for the 7 Star Raid treatment?

Game Freak will likely keep the identity of the next Raid Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet a secret until the week before it goes live. Samurott’s 7 Star Raid is available from 31 March – 2 April and again from 7 April – 9 April. We should expect news on the next Raid shortly after this event concludes.