Terapagos, the Tera Pokémon. Terapagos protects itself using its power to transform energy into hard crystals. This Pokémon is the source of the Terastal phenomenon. It's thought that this Pokémon lived in ancient Paldea until it got caught in seismic shifts and went extinct. Upon sensing danger, it prepares itself for battle by creating a sturdy shell of crystallized Terastal energy. The shell is made of crystallized Terastal energy. When struck by a move, this shell absorbs the move's energy and transfers it to Terapagos. In this form, Terapagos resembles the world as the ancients saw it, and its Terastal energy is abnormally amplified. An old expedition journal describes the sight of this Pokémon buried in the depths of the earth as resembling a planet floating in space.
Overview
The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, Terapagos is a terrifying and versatile threat. 95/110/110 defenses are already above average and Tera Shell providing a unique Multiscale variant makes Terapagos incredibly hard to crack. Defense isn’t all that is impressive about Terapagos; it boasts a vast movepool befitting the source of Terastalization, having every coverage move imaginable along with a setup moves like Calm Mind, and Rock Polish to accompany its above average Special Attack. Offense is not Terapagos’ only trick either; a bevy of support moves including the rare Rapid Spin and Toxic give Terapagos invaluable utility enabling it to mix and match even on offense. Everything gets taken up to 11 when Terapagos Terastalizes however. Terapagos Stellar is an insane Pokémon, boasting an absurd base 160 HP along with incredible base defenses, making Terapagos the second coming of Zygarde Complete. Even more so with Teraform Zero wiping away weather and terrains, blunting the power of Pokémon like Kyogre, Koraidon and Miraidon, outright disrupting entire team archetypes. Terapagos Stellar is far from passive; its already impressive Base 130 Special Attack is further boosted by Stellar Terastalization, giving its insanely wide coverage a minor boost.
This treasure may not be as valuable as it appears at first glance, however. Tera Shell only works at max HP, meaning any entry hazards make its shell easy to crack, especially given the lack of resistances Normal has. No reliable recovery outside of Rest hurts greatly, either leaving Terapagos prone to being worn down, or incredibly exploitable once it goes to Sleep. Even Terapagos Stellar comes with its own issues. Requiring Terastalization to transform is an incredible strain on teambuilding, due to Terapagos Terastal being underwhelming against other legends it must content with. Legendaries that function just fine without Terastalizing and can instead use it to bypass checks and counters without needing it to function. Legendaries that if you Terastalize before Terapagos, leaves you effectively down a Pokémon. Teraform Zero only activating upon initial transformation is another blow, as it does not stop the opponent from re-establishing beneficial field conditions. Terapagos’ Base 85 Speed across both forms also hurts, leaving it naturally outsped by potent Pokémon like Kyogre, Ho-oh, and Zekrom that you can’t afford to be outsped by. Terapagos versatility leaves it as multifaceted as the finest gem, but its flaws ensure it cannot fit in every collection.
Positives
95/110/110 defenses with Tera Shell make Terapagos near impossible to OHKO, and its bulk becomes even more insane once it Terastalizes.
Incredibly diverse movepool with Special coverage for almost every type, alongside incredible support moves like Rapid Spin, Stealth Rocks and Toxic
Base 130 Special Attack with boosting options in Calm Mind and Meteor Beam on top of permanent Stellar Terastallization boost gives Stellar Terapagos a great deal of power.
Negatives
Lack of reliable recovery outside of Rest makes it difficult to get the most out of Terapagos’ bulk.
Normal is poor defensively, offering few resists and making it more difficult for Terapagos to tank attacks.
Terapagos Stellar requiring Terastalization is a high opportunity cost, precluding other Terastalization strategies and options
Base 85 Speed leaves Terapagos slower than almost every offensive threat, further exasperating its defensive woes.
Movesets
PK Starstorm
-Rock Polish
-Calm Mind
-Tera Starstorm
-Earth Power
Ability: Tera Shift
Item: Leftovers
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Double Dance Terapagos aims to correct both its speed and power, using Tera Shell to easily soak an attack to grab an easy Rock Polish boost. Then Terastalize for the massive bulk boost before further armoring Terapagos' Special Defense with Calm Mind. After that one can attempt to sweep with the perfect neutral coverage of Stellar Tera Starstorm. Last move is purely up to preference. Earth Power is recommended, covering Unaware walls like Skeledirge and Clodsire that can otherwise cut a sweep short.
Double Dance Terapagos excels in the late game where wallbreakers that could crack Terapagos' shell have been removed, and most targets have been softened, requiring fewer boosts to sweep, or on hyper offense teams that excel at providing pressure to lead to such a game state, or have Terapagos open holes for a teammate to similarly exploit.
Tera Types:
Terapagos, like Ogerpon is strictly locked to the Stellar Tera type. However, given the massive stat boost upon Terastalizing, it is highly recommended to Terastalize Terapagos once Tera Shell has been broken. The omni-resist that Tera Shell provides is worth more than the stat boost while setting up. While the bulk boost and slight bump to Earth Power are greatly appreciated, it should be noted that Tera Starstorm is slightly stronger pre Terastalization.
EVs and Items:
Standard sweeper allotment of max Special Attack and Speed is recommended to get the most out of both Rock Polish and Calm Mind, but it is far from the only option. Max HP and Defense are also an excellent option, as those are the only stats not being boosted by Terapagos, making it easier to accrue more boosts and make Terapagos harder to take down once set up. Otherwise, it can be prudent to mix and match. No Speed investment with a Modest Nature still outspeeds Jolly/Timid Koriadon/Miraidon after a Rock Polish, while Timid with 164 Speed can outspeed after a Rapid Spin. At +2 Speed, A neutral nature with 96 Speed outspeeds Scarf Kyogre while Timid with 16 Speed achieves the same result. 48 Speed with neutral nature outspeeds Zacian Crowned after Rock Polish. Leftovers is for providing passive recovery while setting up and going on the offense so that you get the most out of Terapagos incredible bulk. Other options include Heavy Duty Boots for guaranteeing Tera Shell, especially if running Rapid Span, and Life Orb for just the general power boost.
Hazard control is of the utmost importance for Terapagos if not running Heavy Duty Boots, given it is incredibly reliant on Tera Shell for an initial easy boost. Cyclizar is fantastic, not only wiping hazards, but providing a safe pivot with Shed Tail, and the resultant Substitute does gain the benefit of Tera Shell, making it sturdier than usual.
Partners:
Deoxys Speed is a fantastic partner for this set, enabling easy Screen and hazard setup, making Terapagos nigh immortal while Screens are up and Spikes providing valuable chip. Grimmsnarl is another notable Screen setter but does suffer problems from being setup fodder and easy to force out.
Necrozma Dusk Mane also works great with Terapagos, its Sunsteel Strike and Photon Geyser great tools for eliminating Unaware walls that can stymie setup sweepers such as Terapagos, and its broad defensive profile great for stomaching opposing offenses that can trouble the hyper offense teams that Terapagos excels on. Necrozma Dusk Mane's physical offense similarly pairs well with Terapagos' special.
Other Options:
Meteor Beam and Power Herb pairs well Tera Starstorm, providing an instant boost to help Terapagos escalate more quickly and provide pressure, especially against Whirlwind Ho-oh.
Rapid Spin has Terapagos collapse setup and utility into a single moveslot, but the range of threats it can outspeed after setting up is far narrower.
Tri Attack lacks the immense neutral coverage Tera Starstorm provides and is far weaker pre Tera, but due to being Normal, it is far stronger post Terastalization as opposed to Tera Starstorm. Just note that 4 moveslot syndrome starts hitting Terapagos hard and struggles to hold all the coverage it would like to.
Dark Pulse is fantastic with Tri Attack for answering Giratina Origin, Dusk Mane Necrozma, Lunala, and Skeledirge who otherwise hard wall Tri Attack.
Stored Power works well on many double Dance sets and Terapagos' is no exception, with Tera Starstorm being an excellent backup option to ensure you can't be walled.
Tired Tiered Tortoise
-Rest
-Calm Mind
-Tera Starstorm
-Rapid Spin
Ability: Tera Shift
Item: Leftovers
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
Rest Terapagos stands out for sheer longevity thanks to a combination of Tera Shell, its massive HP bulk once Terastalized and Rest providing much needed recovery. This set largely emulates Zygarde complete of old as a late game win condition able to break teams after accruing enough Calm Minds against a target that struggle to hurt it. Tera Starstorm is preferred for STAB given that when Terastalized there is no safe switch in purely by type and out of Terastalization, it is by far Terapagos’ strongest STAB attack. Rapid Spin rounds out the set giving Terapagos good early game utility, clearing hazards and providing a Speed boost to help efforts in setting up and sweeping.
Tera Types:
With Terapagos, the question is more of when you Terastalize, not the if and what type that almost every other Pokémon ask. Generally, you want to Terastalize Terapagos into its Stellar Form the instant Tera Shell is broken, though Rest being able to reset Tera Shell can complicate that equation. However, Terapagos’ low speed often means you will need the extra bulk to survive the next attack to heal up.
EVs and Items:
Max HP and Defense are highly recommended here, as the idea is to make Terapagos as bulky as possible to survive repeated hits and heal off with Rest (and survive repeated hits while resting). Speed investment is still worth considering, especially given the number of attackers that can bust through Terapagos given the chance. 60 EVs in Speed is enough to Speed creep most Groudon, while 88 will outspeed the common variants of Giratina Origin and Gliscor. A Rapid Spin boost is necessary to outspeed the offensive Kyogre sets and two are required for Scarf Kyogre. Leftovers is again recommended, this time to help offset Rest turns, though as a dedicated Spinner, Terapagos would certainly appreciate Heavy Duty Boots. Chesto Berry is also an option for a one and done rest to not lose too much momentum when it is time to heal.
Partners:
Partners that answer Physical attackers are invaluable for this Terapagos set, who cannot escalate its physical Defense ironically enough. Dondozo and Skeledirge are clear standouts whenever one needs to answer physical attackers, through sheer bulk in the former and a combination of bulk and Will-O-Wisp for the latter. Being Unaware Walls is especially important given the free turns of setup Rest can provide. In turn, both enjoy Terapagos for its Rapid Spin capabilities, enabling them to come in healthy and afford to run other items to increase their durability. Skarmory also deserves similar mention though it struggles more into setup opponents.
Necrozma Dusk Mane and Zekrom are other excellent partners, able to answer opposing Unaware Walls on their own with their STABs/Mold Breaker bypassing the defensive abilities and enabling them to escalate with ease while being physical attackers that more readily handle Sponges that can also trouble Terapagos. More conventional wallbreakers like Specs Kyogre and Specs Miraidon also excel in bypassing these defensive bulwarks.
Other Options:
Sleep Talk makes Terapagos far less passive while asleep, but can complicate end game setup given how easy it is to waste Tera Starblast’s 8 PP before enough Calm Minds have been used.
Roar pairs well with Sleep Talk and is an excellent phazing tool for punishing opponents who think they can use Rest to setup, though is only recommended with a solid hazard setting team.
Toxic pairs incredibly well with Rest, enabling Terapagos to pile on damage even while resting, and can cripple conventional checks.
Tri Attack returns as an alternative STAB to Tera Starstorm, but Rest Terapagos is already starved for moveslots and struggles to fit in the necessary coverage.
Doubles and VGC Options
Terapagos Stellar draws many similarities to Zygarde Complete, from its incredible bulk to boasting a powerful spread attack that can’t be resisted. However, it falls into many of the same flaws as well. Terapagos’ offense isn’t anything special without setup and it takes a while to get going something antiethetical to faced paced Doubles formats. Terapagos taking up a team’s restricted slot is also a heavy cost, given that it needs to Terastalize to match up to its restricted peers. This makes not only Terapagos difficult to pilot, but its team as well, having much less flexibility lest you remove your win condition. Teraform Zero looks to be a benefit that has Terapagos rise above its contemporaries and indeed, removing weather and terrain from dedicated teams can completely upend strategies. However, Teraform Zero’s once per battle clause makes it difficult to use, especially when Terapagos is so reliant on Terastalization to function further adding to its inconsistency.
Inexorable Terracotta Army
-Tera Starstorm
-Calm Mind
-Protect
-Earth Power
Ability: Tera Shift
Item: Leftovers
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 152 SAtk /100 Speed
Modest Nature
Terapagos Stellar provides a source of consistent damage that cannot be resisted once Terastalized, with Tera Starstorm enabling it to grind down teams that struggle to break its defenses. Calm Mind enables Terapagos to steadily escalate its offense, and potentially become a win condition in late game scenarios once an opposing team’s physical attackers have been removed. Protect remains vitally important in Doubles, enabling the scouting of moves, blanking Fake Out, stalling for Leftovers recovery, waiting out the timer on Screens, opposing Tailwind, Trick Room, etc. Protect does it all. Last move is often whatever you want for Super Effective coverage. Earth Power is recommended for its broad offensive profile as well as threatening Zacian Crowned, Miraidon, and Incineroar.
EVs are to maximize bulk, while giving enough speed to outstrip bulky variants of Kyogre, Rillaboom, and Dragonite, while still outspeeding Scarf Kyogre in Tailwind, enabling Terapagos to blunt Water Spot or Origin Pulse with Tera Starstorm or Calm Mind, while still being slow enough to outslow most threats in Trick Room. Everything else going into offense, while Leftovers offers extended longevity given Terapagos’ Stellar’s fantastic bulk.
Other Options & Partners:
Alcremie stands out among prospective Terapagos partners for Decorate, enabling Terapagos to escalate to hefty damage with Tera Starstorm much more quickly than by Calm Mind alone, as well as further boosting damage with Fake Tears and Helping Hand or causing disruption with Encore. Whimsicott can effect similar support with Prankster Fake Tears as well as provide invaluable speed control with Tailwind.
Speed control is invaluable for Terapagos given its awkward base speed. Trick Room and Tailwind setters both work well, enabling Terapagos to outspeed or outslow targets as needed. Trick Room setters like Sinistcha and Cresselia work wonders given their ability to heal Terapagos making chewing through its massive bulk even more onerous.
Dark Pulse threatens many popular Psychic and Ghost types such as both Calyrex forms, Sinistcha, Indeedee, and Lunala.
Ice Beam is also preferred for its absurdly wide Super Effective coverage including both Raidons, Rillaboom, Landorus-T, Tornadus and more.
Tri Attack is great as a powerful single target STAB for picking off dangerous targets.
Countering Terapagos
Stellar Terapagos by virtue of its insanely wide movepool and omni boost from Stellar Terastalization, has virtually no safe switch in by dint of typing alone. However, the same does not hold true when looking at stats. Blissey absorbs any unboosted attack, with ease, and Terapagos needs several Calm Minds to overwhelm it. Ting-Lu also does well, though boosted attacks and super effective coverage will sting, but it can easily wipe boosts with Whirlwind, as can defensive Ho-oh if Terapagos is not carrying Meteor Beam.
If not running Tera Starblast, several safer switch ins do crop up due to gaps in coverage. Giratina Origin hard walls sets running Tri Attack and Earth Power, while Kingambit, Zacian Crowned and Zamazenta Crowned are difficult walls for Tri Attack Dark Pulse sets.
Though Terapgos’ offense is threatening, it does take awhile to get going unless exploiting a severe weakness. What is more imperative is breaking through Terapagos’ defense. While Terapagos is like Zygarde Complete in many ways, it is difficult to preemptively eliminate. Tera Shell ensures that Terapagos cannot be OHKOd by any unboosted attack while in its Terastal form, so breaking Tera Shell can lead to a quick KO or forced Terastalization. Entry Hazards are the most expedient way to do so, after which, powerhouses like Kyogre, and Miraidon can easily crack Terapagos’ shell.
Terapagos Stellar is bulky all the time and it takes the like of Specs Kyogre, Specs Miraidon and Banded Tera Fire Koriadon’s Flare Blitz to outright OHKO it, and that is if Terapagos Stellar hasn’t Terastalized. However, Terapagos’ mediocre speed makes it prone to being worn down.
For wearing it down, physical attackers are greatly preferred, given Terapagos does not have any way to boost its Defense. Koraidon in the Sun will 2HKO with Flare Blitz, while Zacian Crowned, Groudon, Calyrex Ice Rider, and Zekrom will all 2HKO after a Swords Dance for the former 3 and Dragon Dance for the latter. Special Attackers can work, but they must be on the field before Terapagos starts using Calm Mind. Without any recovery, Terapagos Stellar is easy to wear down, and will be overwhelmed sooner rather than later.
If Terapagos has Rest this changes, as Terapagos Stellar becomes incredibly resilient to being worn down, but in turn provides a massive opening while it is sleeping for setup. The listed Pokémon above are recommended for being able to KO through a Rest cycle, though do be wary of Sleep Talk Roar variants, though those are largely passive to begin with.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Not in game
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Not in game
Black/White:
Not in game
Black 2/White 2:
Not in game
X/Y:
Not in game
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Not in game
Sun/Moon:
Not in game
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Not in game
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Not in game
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Not in game
Legends: Arceus:
Not in game
Scarlet/Violet:
Area Zero Underdepths
Anime Appearences
