Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s upcoming seven-star Tera Raid event is set to feature the most infamous Starter Pokémon in competitive VGC: Incineroar.
After a fun-filled July and August with events featuring Dondozo, Shiny Gimmighoul, Dragonite, and their friends, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Tera Raids are back to their old ways with Starter Raid bosses. According to the game’s official site, the next seven-star Raid event will center around the Gen VII Fire Starter, Incineroar, from Thursday, Sept. 5 at 7pm CT until Sunday, Sept. 8 at 6:59pm CT. It’ll make another appearance one week later from Thursday, Sept. 12 at 7pm CT until Sunday, Sept. 15 at 6:59pm CT.
Now, Incineroar might’ve been a Starter back in the Alola region, but the kitty is no stranger to current Pokémon fans—especially VGC players like 2016 world champion Wolfe Glick, who was left completely speechless by this week’s Tera Raid announcement. That’s because he has a complicated, love-hate relationship with the Fire Starter—which has become somewhat of a running joke within the community.
While Glick jokes a lot about despising (or fearing) Incineroar, it’s actually a ‘mon he often brings to major tournaments. This pre-Worlds post summed it up best: “Bringing Incineroar to the World Championships but shaking my head the whole time so everyone knows I disapprove.”
Incineroar unfortunately wasn’t able to win Worlds last month, but remains one of the best utility ‘mons with moves like Fake Out, Parting Shot, and Will-O-Wisp, alongside its Intimidate ability. We can expect it to continue its dominance through Regulation H meta as well as future formats where it’s legal. There’s a reason why it has so many championship titles under its belt and why Glick continues to use it, despite not being a huge fan.
