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No. If you mean the main-series Pokémon move Trick, it fails in both Max Raid Battles and Tera Raid Battles. The failure applies regardless of the item held by either Pokémon and regardless of which target you select. In ordinary battles against Dynamax Pokémon outside a raid, however, Trick works normally according to the move reference.
This answer covers the held-item exchange move in the main-series games, including Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It does not describe Pokémon GO raids, which use a separate battle system and do not use the same held-item move mechanic.
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Trick is an item-swapping move. When it succeeds, the user and target exchange their held items: your Pokémon gives its item to the target and receives the target’s item in return. The Scarlet and Violet move description describes the effect as swapping the target’s held item with the user’s held item. The move’s reference entry is available on Bulbapedia’s Trick page.
That wording matters in a raid because Trick is not primarily a damage move, a stat move or a status move. Its defining effect is transferring held items between two Pokémon. Raid rules disable that item-transfer effect, so selecting Trick does not create a special way to give an item to a raid boss, remove an item from it or exchange your item with it.
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Does Trick work in a Max Raid Battle?
No. Trick always fails when used in a Max Raid Battle. The restriction is not tied to a particular held item, species or target selection.
Max Raid Battles are the Dynamax raid format associated with Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. In these battles, the move can still appear in a Pokémon’s moveset, but choosing it does not produce the normal exchange. The move reference states that Trick fails in a Max Raid Battle regardless of the items involved or the target.
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Does Trick work in a Tera Raid Battle?
No. Trick also fails in Tera Raid Battles in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. The Tera Raid Battle mechanics reference lists Trick among the item-transfer moves that have no effect in a Tera Raid.
Tera Raid Battles use a different raid presentation from Max Raids, but the relevant rule is the same: the held-item exchange is blocked. You cannot use Trick to make the boss hold your item, obtain the boss’s item or trade items with an ally’s Pokémon through the raid target.
The rule is also independent of the boss’s Tera type, star rating, event status or species. Those details may change the battle’s difficulty and rewards, but they do not make Trick’s item exchange available.
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Why does Trick fail even when the target appears to hold an item?
The important point is that raid restrictions apply to the move’s effect, not merely to whether an item is visibly present. Trick needs a valid held-item exchange to complete. In Max Raid and Tera Raid battles, that exchange is disabled, so the move fails even if you believe the target has an item and your Pokémon is holding one too.
This is why experimenting with different combinations cannot make Trick work in a raid. The restriction is categorical in the cited references: it covers the move in the raid format, rather than a narrow list of forbidden items. Do not interpret a failed use as proof that a particular item is illegal; the move itself is the blocked mechanic.
What happens when you select Trick during a raid?
The practical result is simply that the intended swap does not occur. Your Pokémon does not receive the raid target’s held item, and the target does not receive your Pokémon’s item. Because no exchange takes place, Trick cannot be used as a preparation turn for another strategy.
If you are deciding whether to spend a turn on Trick, treat it as unavailable in these battles. Select a move or action whose effect is supported in the raid format instead, and plan your held item before entering the battle. The raid rule does not provide a workaround through timing, targeting or item choice.
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Does Trick work against Dynamax Pokémon outside raids?
Yes, according to the move reference. The raid restriction should not be expanded into a blanket rule that Trick fails against every Dynamax Pokémon. The reference distinguishes ordinary battles against Dynamax Pokémon from Max Raid Battles and states that Trick works normally in those non-raid battles.
This distinction explains why two encounters involving a Dynamax-sized Pokémon can produce different results. A Dynamax opponent in a regular battle is not automatically subject to the Max Raid rules. If the battle is not a Max Raid or Tera Raid, the normal held-item exchange can apply, subject to the usual conditions for using the move.
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| Battle context | Does Trick exchange held items? | What the rule means |
|---|---|---|
| Max Raid Battle | No | Trick fails regardless of the items or target. |
| Tera Raid Battle | No | Trick is listed among item-transfer moves with no effect. |
| Non-raid battle against a Dynamax Pokémon | Yes, normally | The raid restriction does not automatically apply just because the opponent is Dynamaxed. |
Is this rule the same in Sword and Shield and Scarlet and Violet?
The supplied move reference names both Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in its coverage of Trick. For the raid formats identified there, the practical answer is the same: Trick fails in Max Raid Battles and in Tera Raid Battles.
The terminology differs by generation. Sword and Shield use Max Raid Battles, while Scarlet and Violet use Tera Raid Battles. It is more accurate to name the format you are playing than to say that Trick fails against “raid Pokémon” in every Pokémon game. The evidence supports these main-series raid formats, not every title or every activity that happens to use the word “raid.”
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No. In a Max Raid or Tera Raid, Trick cannot take an item from the boss. The move’s normal exchange is disabled, so there is no successful transfer in either direction.
Do not confuse the raid boss’s drops or post-battle rewards with a held item that Trick can steal during combat. The cited rule concerns the move’s in-battle item-transfer effect; it does not describe how raid rewards are generated.
Can I give the raid boss an item with Trick?
No. Trick cannot donate your Pokémon’s held item to the raid target. Even if giving the boss an item would be strategically useful, the raid restriction prevents the swap from resolving.
Prepare your Pokémon’s held item before the battle rather than expecting to change the target’s equipment after the fight starts. The same limitation applies when the target is an ally’s Pokémon: Trick is not a raid item-delivery method.
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Does the target’s species, item or Tera type change the answer?
No. The references describe the restriction as applying regardless of the items or target in the raid. That rules out a species-specific, item-specific or Tera-type-specific exception supported by the supplied evidence.
Consequently, there is no reliable checklist of “safe” items to test with Trick in a raid. Whether the boss is a common species, an event encounter or a particular Tera type, the move’s exchange effect remains unavailable in the covered raid formats.
What should I do if Trick fails in a raid?
First, identify the battle format. If the encounter is a Max Raid Battle or Tera Raid Battle, a failed Trick use is expected behavior under the documented rule, not evidence that your cartridge, move choice or held item is malfunctioning.
- Confirm the format. Check whether the encounter is a Max Raid or Tera Raid rather than a regular battle featuring a Dynamax Pokémon.
- Stop testing item combinations. Swapping the user’s item or changing the intended target cannot bypass the raid restriction.
- Choose a supported action. Use a move or battle command for the role you need—damage, protection, stat control or team support—without relying on an item exchange.
- Reassess outside the raid. If you need Trick’s normal effect, use it in a non-raid battle where the move reference says the exchange works normally.
This approach prevents a common misdiagnosis: treating the failed move as a temporary condition or an interaction with one particular boss. In the covered raid formats, the failure is the expected result of the battle rules.
Does “raid Pokémon” include Pokémon GO?
Not on the evidence available for this question. The documented rule concerns the main-series move Trick and the Max Raid and Tera Raid formats. Pokémon GO uses a separate raid system and does not use the same main-series held-item move mechanic, so this article should not be read as a ruling on Pokémon GO move behavior.
If you are asking about another Pokémon title, identify the game and the exact meaning of “Trick” before applying this answer. A similarly named feature, move or raid activity may follow different rules, and the supplied references do not establish a universal rule for every Pokémon game.
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What is the shortest accurate answer?
For the main-series move Trick: it does not work in Max Raid Battles or Tera Raid Battles, no matter which item is held or which target you choose. It does work normally against Dynamax Pokémon in non-raid battles, so “Trick never works on Dynamax Pokémon” is too broad.
The most precise wording is therefore format-specific: Trick’s held-item swap is blocked in the two cited raid formats, while ordinary non-raid battles retain the move’s normal behavior. The references used here are community-edited Bulbapedia pages rather than official developer manuals, so the claim is intentionally limited to the formats and games they document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a raid boss hold a normal held item during battle?
The fact that Trick fails does not by itself establish whether a particular raid boss has a conventional held item. It only establishes that the in-battle item-transfer effect cannot be used in Max Raid or Tera Raid Battles.
Will Trick work in a Dynamax battle that is not a Max Raid?
Yes, the move reference distinguishes non-raid battles against Dynamax Pokémon from Max Raid Battles and says Trick works normally there. Check the battle format rather than relying only on the opponent’s Dynamax appearance.
Is the raid restriction limited to Trick?
The Tera Raid reference groups Trick with other item-transfer moves that have no effect. That supports a rule about item-transfer effects in Tera Raids, not a claim that every status or utility move is disabled.
Does using Trick affect raid rewards or item drops?
No conclusion about reward generation follows from the move rule. Trick’s failure concerns an attempted held-item exchange during combat and does not describe the separate system that determines post-battle rewards.
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