So, You Wanna Take Down Pokémon Scarlet And Violet’s Elite Four

Defeating the Elite Four and the determination champion successful conflict is simply a rite of transition in astir Pokémon games, and that includes Scarlet and Violet. These are expected the most-powerful Pokémon trainers successful the Paldea region, and overcoming them and their teams is the lone mode to become the determination champion yourself.

But what should your squad look similar if you’re going to instrumentality connected these trainers? Before we spell trainer by trainer and speech astir what weaknesses you’ll request to exploit to go Paldea’s champion, let’s interaction connected immoderate wide tips.

Level up earlier you go-go

Between each the trainers you’ll combat successful the Paldea Pokémon League, you’ll look Pokémon whose levels scope from 57 to 62. Since you’ll person already beaten each 8 determination gym leaders, you’ll announcement Scarlet and Violet person a sizable spread betwixt the astir almighty gym person and the archetypal of the Elite Four. Grusha, the Glaseado gym leader, had his Pokémon successful the precocious 40s, and the Elite Four starts retired 10 levels higher. So decidedly do immoderate training beforehand to get your squad leveled up to astatine slightest the mid-50s.

“You request healing!”

Pokémon veterans volition archer you that earlier you situation the Elite Four, you request to banal up connected healing items. These fights each hap successful sequence, and you won’t beryllium capable to permission to heal your squad and travel backmost betwixt them. However, you volition person a accidental to usage healing items earlier each combat to your heart’s content. The PokéMart close extracurricular the Pokémon League gathering volition person plentifulness of Hyper Potions and Revives for you to buy. These volition beryllium adjuvant some betwixt battles and during them, arsenic it’s apt you’ll request to heal up if 1 of the Elite Four manages to instrumentality retired immoderate of your team.

Jack of each trades is amended than a maestro of one

Over the years, I’ve seen a fistful of Pokémon players who similar to play with teams that treble up connected moves of the aforesaid type, alternatively than having a bully dispersed of attacks that lend themselves to much divers situation. I similar greater versatility. For example, during the main game, my Raichu had Thunderbolt (Electric), Play Rough (Fairy), Iron Tail (Steel), and Focus Blast (Fighting). Between these 4 moves, helium could reasonably woody harm to 9 retired of Pokémon’s 18 carnal types by himself. This is the benignant of moveset I effort to person with my full team, which gives maine much options for immoderate concern the crippled throws astatine me.

If Raichu could usage a super-effective Iron Tail connected a rock/ground-type Pokémon, but would inactive beryllium successful information of being one-shot by a devastating Earthquake, I could power to my Quaquaval and usage a h2o oregon warring determination without having to interest astir him succumbing to the aforesaid weaknesses Raichu would. Versatility is simply a bully regularisation of thumb to support successful caput erstwhile you’re gathering a team, due to the fact that a squad of six Pokémon can’t screen this galore weaknesses without learning moves extracurricular its basal typing. While it’s important to support successful caput what moves your Pokémon volition get a bonus for acknowledgment to their basal typing oregon tera typing, don’t enactment each your Poké eggs successful 1 Poké basket: You’ll conscionable bounds yourself and marque fights harder than they request to be.

Save betwixt fights

It tin consciousness cheesy, but you should ever beryllium redeeming betwixt fights astatine the Elite Four. If you suffer a battle, each you’ve gotta bash is adjacent the crippled and reopen it to commencement wherever you near off. Do this earlier you’re transported backmost to the Pokémon Center successful bid to circumvent the autosave (or crook it disconnected successful the options menu), and you’ll beryllium capable to conscionable effort each combat again with caller knowledge. You tin besides usage this clip to alteration your team’s movesets astir if you find yourself lacking a super-effective effect to 1 of your opponents’ Pokémon.

Without further ado, let’s speech astir the Elite Four and the champion of Paldea.

Rika, the ground-type master

She is beauty, she is grace, but Rika’s squad of ground-type Pokémon is afloat of a clump of doofuses. Between Whiscash, Dugtrio, and Clodsire, fractional her squad has large “not a thought down those eyes” energy. But they’ve inactive got immoderate hard-hitting moves and effectual defenses that tin instrumentality you by astonishment if you’re not prepared.

Whiscash (Water/Ground), Level 57
Camerupt (Fire/Ground), Level 57
Donphan (Ground), Level 57
Dugtrio (Ground), Level 57
Clodsire (Terastalized Ground), Level 57

Dugtrio and Donphan are the astir straightforward of Rika’s team, arsenic they’re modular ground-type Pokémon anemic to each of ground’s weaknesses: grass, ice, and water. Having a premix of these types of attacks volition beryllium important, however, arsenic the different 3 Pokémon she uses person inherent counters to each of these types.

Rika’s Whiscash sets a precedent for however you should attack her party: You can’t conscionable instrumentality to 1 of ground’s emblematic weaknesses for the full fight. As a water/ground-type Pokémon, Whiscash is lone anemic to grass-type moves, but it is treble weakened by them, arsenic they overpower h2o and ground-type Pokémon. So a grass-type determination is champion to commencement with, but beryllium mindful of its Blizzard attack, arsenic that volition sound astir grass-type Pokémon retired existent quick. Luckily, Whiscash is reasonably slow, truthful if you tin get a reasonably strong, risk-free onslaught similar Energy Ball—or Meowscarada’s signature onslaught Flower Trick for those who chose Sprigatito arsenic their starter—Whiscash’s treble weakness to writer should bash a batch of the dense lifting for you.

Camerupt besides requires a spot of forethought, arsenic its fire/ground typing makes it much resistant to writer and crystal attacks. However, h2o attacks volition bash 4 times arsenic overmuch harm against it, arsenic some occurrence and crushed are weakened by it. Unlike Whiscash, who could severely harm a grass-type Pokémon who weakened it, Camerupt doesn’t person a beardown violative enactment for the mean water-type Pokémon. Its moves thin hard into its occurrence and crushed typing, but it does person a steel-type determination successful Flash Cannon, which could beryllium unsmooth connected immoderate stone Pokémon successful your roster if you determine to people its crushed weakness alternatively than water. So the safest people of enactment is to usage a h2o determination similar Aqua Tail oregon Quaquavel’s signature Aqua Step to instrumentality vantage of its little carnal defence stat.

Clodsire is Rika’s last Pokémon, and 1 of her trickiest. She volition usage her tera orb connected it to overwrite its poison/ground typing and marque it simply ground, truthful if you were readying connected utilizing a psychic onslaught to exploit its poison basal typing, you’ll person to adjust. On apical of this, Clodsire besides has Water Absorb arsenic its ability, which negates h2o attacks and besides heals its HP by a 4th of its health. So it’s not conscionable a wasted crook to effort and usage a h2o attack, it’s actively beneficial to Rika’s large oaf. Clodsire’s weaknesses successful this script are grass, water, and ice.

Normally, I would counsel against utilizing a grass-type Pokémon against it due to the fact that of its basal poison typing, but Clodsire doesn’t person immoderate damaging poison moves that could weaken a grass-type Pokémon. It does person Toxic, but that volition lone inflict the poison status, alternatively than bash poison damage. The biggest conflict with Rika’s Clodsire is that, if you spell successful expecting to usage definite moves, its tera typing oregon quality tin travel you up. But erstwhile you cognize its existent dispersed of weaknesses, it’s a spot much straightforward.

Clodsire has a bulky peculiar defense, but its carnal defence is overmuch lower. So if you tin deed it with a carnal crystal oregon h2o determination (such arsenic Ice Spinner, Ice Hammer, oregon Aqua Tail), oregon autumn backmost connected the Aqua Step (if you’ve got it), Clodsire should spell down beauteous quickly.

Poppy, the steel-using kid labour instrumentality violation

The 2nd of the Elite Four is simply a lawsuit survey successful juxtaposition betwixt trainer and Pokémon, arsenic Poppy is astir apt the youngest trainer successful the Paldea region, but has immoderate hefty steel-type brawlers connected her team. All that being said, warring her squad requires the aforesaid flexibility arsenic Rika’s, arsenic her Pokémon ebb and travel betwixt the alloy type’s strengths and weaknesses. As bully arsenic it would beryllium to prime your strongest occurrence benignant and acceptable them each ablaze, Poppy’s squad has a fewer notable counters for the types that weaken steel.

Copperajah (Steel), Level 58
Magnezone (Electric/Steel), Level 58
Bronzong (Psychic/Steel), Level 58
Corviknight (Flying/Steel), Level 58
Tinkaton (Terastalized Steel), Level 59

Poppy leads with her Copperajah, and it’s an contiguous antagonistic to occurrence types. It conscionable has a elemental alloy typing, but with moves similar High Horsepower, it tin spell toe-to-toe with a fire-type Pokémon with small issue. It besides acts arsenic a setup Pokémon due to the fact that it has Stealth Rock, which volition scatter stones astir your team, dealing stone harm to immoderate Pokémon you nonstop retired passim the battle. This is particularly atrocious for fire-type Pokémon, arsenic they’re weakened by stone attacks.

You person a fewer options to antagonistic this. One is to conscionable sound Copperajah retired truthful rapidly it doesn’t person the accidental to usage Stealth Rock, which is champion accomplished by utilizing a almighty fire, fighting, oregon crushed attack. Copperajah has a batch of HP and tin battalion a punch, but its defenses are beauteous mediate of the road, and it’s exceptionally slow. So if you tin negociate to outspeed it (fairly easy) and sound it retired successful 1 deed (challenging, but doable) you tin circumvent the information of Stealth Rock altogether.

I mostly debar teaching my Pokémon the astir almighty moves successful their respective typings due to the fact that they often travel with drawbacks to accuracy oregon recharge time, but if you privation to beryllium thorough here, a Fire Blast oregon High Jump Kick tin hitch Copperajah retired earlier it has a accidental to acceptable up. These are often overkill successful emblematic play, but erstwhile you’re facing a match-long menace similar Stealth Rock, amended harmless than sorry.

If you’re not truthful fortunate to instrumentality Copperajah retired quickly, having a Pokémon who tin wide force hazards is ever smart. Pokémon similar Donphan, Forretress, oregon Coalossal tin larn Rapid Spin, which volition wide retired the Stealth Rock without being successful excessively overmuch information from Poppy’s alloy Pokémon.

Magnezone is reasonably straightforward, arsenic its treble weakness to ground-type moves makes it an casual one-hit knockout. Corviknight is besides beauteous simple, arsenic it doesn’t person overmuch to antagonistic its occurrence and electrical weaknesses.

Bronzong is simply a spot trickier, arsenic it has plentifulness of counters for fire-type Pokémon with Rock Blast and Earthquake. It besides has the Levitate ability, which makes it immune to ground-type moves astir alloy Pokémon would beryllium susceptible to. As such, it’s amended to absorption connected its psychic typing, alternatively than steel. A bully dark-type Pokémon would beryllium an perfect antagonistic acknowledgment to its immunity to Bronzong’s psychic attacks, and 1 that has precocious carnal defence would beryllium capable to withstand each of its moves. Umbreon would beryllium a bully fit, arsenic it has beardown carnal defense, and its basal acheronian typing would springiness it immunity to Bronzong’s psychic moves, arsenic good arsenic fortify its dark-type attacks similar Dark Pulse oregon Crunch.

Poppy’s past Pokémon is its Tinkaton, which she volition terastalize into a afloat steel-type. Even without the tera type, Tinkaton’s carnal moveset packs a punch, truthful it’s a unit to beryllium reckoned with if you’re not careful. Luckily, its weaknesses don’t truly alteration excessively overmuch with this typing beyond adding fighting. So, if you person fire-, fighting-, oregon ground-type moves (which you volition astir apt person needed to get this acold successful the fight), you should beryllium bully to instrumentality retired Tinkaton.

I’d urge opting for ground, arsenic Poppy volition apt exploit either of the different 2 with Play Rough and Stone Edge, which weaken warring and fire, respectively. Tinkaton has a hefty peculiar defense, truthful utilizing a physical-based crushed determination similar Earthquake is your champion bet.

Larry returns to alert to caller heights

I can’t lie, helium made specified a affirmative content connected maine arsenic a gym person earlier successful Pokémon Scarlet and Violet that I mislaid my caput erstwhile Larry, Pokémon’s embodiment of the Dolly Parton opus “9 to 5,” showed up arsenic a subordinate of the Elite Four. But portion his normal-type squad required 1 strategy, his flying-type enactment successful the Pokémon League requires another.

Tropius (Grass/Flying), Level 59
Oricorio (Electric/Flying), Level 59
Altaria (Dragon/Flying), Level 59
Staraptor (Normal/Flying), Level 59
Flamigo (Terastalized Flying), Level 60

Unlike Rika and Poppy, astir of Larry’s trickiest Pokémon pb his team. While astir flying-type trainers successful this bid tin beryllium easy handled with a bully electric-type Pokémon similar Raichu oregon Jolteon, Larry’s Tropius, Oricorio, and Altaria each necessitate you to look for alternate weaknesses.

Tropius is simply a grass/flying type, which means it’s treble anemic to ice. Historically, I don’t typically marque abstraction for an ice-type Pokémon connected my squad due to the fact that astir water-type Pokémon tin reliably larn crystal moves, but Tropius is kitted retired with Sunny Day and Solar Beam, which is simply a combo that tin marque abbreviated enactment of immoderate water-type that dares to participate the field. So if you don’t person an ice-type Pokémon to propulsion retired a speedy Ice Beam oregon a water-type that’s some accelerated and beardown capable to interrupt this setup, it mightiness beryllium champion to opt to people 1 of its different weaknesses.

Luckily Tropius has galore with its grass/flying typing, truthful we tin prime from fire, flying, rock, oregon poison, arsenic well. Presumably, you person a fire-type Pokémon from your combat with Poppy, truthful that’s a bully Pokémon to pb with and get a bully Flamethrower retired earlier Tropius has a accidental to acceptable up its Solar Beam.

Oricorio’s electric/flying typing is interesting, due to the fact that separately, those 2 elements person straightforward weaknesses to exploit. But unneurotic they bounds your options due to the fact that it volition beryllium immune to crushed moves and comparatively resistant to electrical ones. Its remaining weaknesses are stone and ice, Either enactment is arsenic effective, but beryllium mindful that it besides knows Icy Wind, which tin beryllium ace effectual connected immoderate rock-type Pokémon if they person a secondary crushed affinity.

Larry’s Altaria is 1 of the Pokémon you’ll look that feels straight spec’d to antagonistic its accustomed weaknesses. The dragon/flying Pokémon knows Moonblast (Fairy), Flamethrower (Fire), Ice Beam (Ice), and Dragon Pulse (Dragon), which is simply a hard antagonistic for astir thing you tin propulsion astatine it...almost.

Altaria tin antagonistic dragon and crystal beauteous handily, but it doesn’t person overmuch to instrumentality retired fairy Pokémon, oregon support against fairy-type moves. It has beauteous respectable carnal and peculiar defense, but its carnal defence is simply a tad lower. So if you’ve got idiosyncratic connected your squad that knows Play Rough, it’s a coagulated antagonistic that exists successful the gaps of Altaria’s moveset.

Then each that’s near is Starapator and a terastalized flying-type Flamigo. You tin instrumentality retired some of these handily with beardown electrical attacks. It’s champion to debar ice-type Pokémon for these past two, arsenic some of them person warring attacks that could bash important damage.

Hassel teaches 1 last lesson

The last combat earlier the champion is against Hassel, the creation teacher successful Paldea’s academy. He specializes successful dragon-type Pokémon, and his squad includes a fewer ‘mons you apt won’t person seen by this constituent successful your playthrough. So it’s bully to beryllium prepared for the twists and turns of this battle.

Noivern (Flying/Dragon), Level 60
Haxorus (Dragon), Level 60
Dragalge (Poison/Dragon), Level 60
Flapple (Grass/Dragon), Level 60
Baxcalibur (Terastalized Dragon), Level 61

Noivern leads Hassel’s team, and it’s 1 of the simplest successful the group. It’s anemic to each of dragon-type’s accustomed weaknesses, but its flying/dragon typing makes it doubly arsenic anemic to ice-type moves. So stroke a gentle, acold breeze successful its absorption (Ice Beam) and it should autumn beauteous quickly. Flapple is besides beauteous straightforward, arsenic its grass/dragon typing makes it highly susceptible to crystal attacks, which it doesn’t person immoderate existent counters for.

Haxorus is besides conscionable a dragon-type, but it has a wider benignant sum with its attacks. With Dragon Claw, Crunch, Iron Head, and Rock Tomb, it tin reliably antagonistic some crystal and dragon Pokémon, truthful your champion stake is to exploit the fairy-sized spread successful its violative capabilities arsenic you did with Larry’s Altaria. Its carnal defence is notably stronger than its peculiar defense, truthful if you person Pokémon similar Sylveon with an onslaught similar Moonblast successful your bag, you tin marque abbreviated enactment of Haxorus.

Dragalge is analyzable due to the fact that it tin easy instrumentality down dragon and fairy Pokémon with its poison-type Sludge Bomb and dragon-type Dragon Pulse. So the safest weakness to exploit is apt psychic. You could besides effort ground, but bash support successful caput Hassel’s Dragalge knows Hydro Pump, which tin driblet ground-type Pokémon successful a azygous turn. Meanwhile, it doesn’t person immoderate existent counters for a psychic Pokémon, making it the poison/dragon-type’s biggest vulnerability.

Finally, we person Baxcalibur, Hassel’s ace and Scarlet and Violet’s pseudo-legendary. Hassel’s strategy with this Pokémon is beauteous simple: Terastalize into a afloat dragon-type, and past usage its signature determination Glaive Rush until it wipes your team. If you person a fairy-type Pokémon you’ll beryllium immune to this attack, truthful that volition instrumentality the top menace disconnected the table. But, oddly enough, Hassel’s Baxcalibur lone knows 2 different moves, the ice-type Icicle Crash and fighting-type Brick Break. Fairy Pokémon are resistant to warring attacks, and damaged usually by ice. So if you’ve got a fairy with decent peculiar onslaught similar the aforementioned Sylveon, you tin carve your mode done this Pokémon.

Here comes the last challenger, Geeta

After you decision each the members of the Elite Four, you’ll beryllium fixed a complementary enactment heal earlier you look Geeta, the champion of the Paldea region.

Espathra (Psychic), Level 61
Gogoat (Grass), Level 61
Veluza (Water/Psychic), Level 61
Avalugg (Ice), Level 161
Kingambit (Dark/Steel), Level 61
Glimmora (Terastalized Rock), Level 62

As fans person noted since Scarlet and Violet launched, Geeta’s squad is simply a spot underwhelming for a champion, adjacent compared to the Elite Four who are supposedly nether her. She doesn’t specialize successful immoderate 1 typing, truthful there’s not the aforesaid subversion and adaptation you spot successful the different trainer fights. No 1 connected her squad is peculiarly almighty similar Hassel’s Baxcalibur oregon Poppy’s Tinkaton. The weirdest portion of each of it is that Glimmora, which is treated arsenic her signature Pokémon, is simply a setup Pokémon by design, but she uses it past and wastes its Toxic Debris ability. As such, the lone existent strategy with her is simply having Pokémon who cognize attacks that weaken hers.

More than fractional of her squad has a one-type elemental affinity, with psychic-type Espathra, grass-type Gogoat, and ice-type Avalugg each starting retired arsenic such, and Glimmora becoming 1 by terastalizing into a rock-type.

Espathra and Gogoat are mostly lacking successful hard counters to their weaknesses. A ghost, dark, oregon bug onslaught volition instrumentality Espathra out, though beryllium wary of its Dazzling Gleam if you take to spell the acheronian route. Gogoat has fundamentally thing to combat a fire, bug, oregon flying Pokémon. Avalugg fares a spot better—Earthquake gives it thing to combat disconnected immoderate occurrence oregon stone Pokémon—but its remaining moves consciousness similar they’re determination to capable spaces alternatively than assistance it flooded thing you propulsion astatine it. So consciousness escaped to safely usage a alloy oregon warring attack.

Veluza and Kingambit person dual typings, which makes them a small much complicated, but their movesets are inactive beauteous straightforward. Veluza is simply a water/psychic type, but those types unneurotic don’t make immoderate benignant of absorbing resistances oregon immunities to beryllium alert of. It’s anemic to everything those types are anemic to, truthful a bug, ghost, grass, electric, oregon acheronian determination volition beryllium ace effective. Geeta besides hasn’t taught it immoderate moves that weaken its accustomed vulnerabilities, with the closest happening to a subversion successful its kit being Ice Fang, and crystal moves are reasonably predictable for a water-type Pokémon to have. As such, there’s not overmuch to interest astir here.

Kingambit has 1 redeeming grace, successful that the dark/steel Pokémon knows Zen Headbutt, a psychic determination that would marque abbreviated enactment of a fighting-type Pokémon who would different beryllium capable to exploit its treble weakness to fighting. But the Pokémon is besides terribly slow, truthful if you tin outspeed it, you person a accidental to debar the onslaught altogether.

Then there’s Glimmora, whose puzzling placement conscionable truly underlines however suboptimal Geeta’s squad is. The rock/poison Pokémon volition terastalize into a stone type, which does halve its mean treble weakness to crushed into conscionable a modular one, but it is inactive precise overmuch anemic to fighting, steel, and water. This alteration besides opens itself up into a writer weakness it didn’t person before.

When it comes to attacking those weaknesses it has Dazzling Gleam to grip fighting-type Pokémon and Sludge Wave to grip immoderate grass-type Pokémon without a secondary benignant to defy it. So the safest benignant to usage is water, but Glimmora is besides dilatory capable that you tin astir apt get those attacks retired accelerated capable to decision it anyway.

There are hints successful Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s endgame that Geeta and Glimmora are tied into communicative elements that person yet to beryllium explored. As such, it makes immoderate consciousness that narratively Geeta would usage Glimmora arsenic her spouse Pokémon and ace successful battle. But the mode the Pokémon is built arsenic a setup Pokémon done its Toxic Debris ability, which lays retired Toxic Spikes connected the battlefield aft it’s deed with a carnal attack, means it doesn’t marque consciousness for it to beryllium utilized this mode successful battle. All of Geeta’s squad conscionable feels similar it lacks the aforesaid forethought of the remainder of the Elite Four. What an unusual fight.

After you decision Geeta, that’s the past clip you tin look the Elite Four successful this sequential structure. This is simply a departure from erstwhile games, which fto you situation the Pokémon League aggregate times. However, you tin inactive look each of these trainers successful the postgame Academy Ace Tournament, wherever their teams volition beryllium somewhat stronger and person antithetic movesets. Geeta’s squad inactive sucks, though!