After beatingall eight gym leadersinPokemon Scarlet & Violet, players will be invited to the Pokemon League to take on the Elite Four. As in previousPokemongames, these terrifyingly-powerful trainers serve as the penultimate step on the player’s journey to becoming a Pokemon Champion and are designed to test everything that they’ve learned about type effectiveness and the bonds that they have formed with their Pokemon.
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When compared to previous iterations, the Elite Four inPokemon Scarlet & Violetare actually pretty easy, with players able to take them down with a team of level 50-60 Pokemon. To do so, however, they’ll still need a solid strategy that makes the most of type advantages and the wide array of Pokemon that are available across the Paldea region.
How to Prepare for the Elite Four
The fact thatPokemon Scarlet & Violetallow players to switch up their party between each member of theElite Fourmakes the Pokemon League a lot easier than it once was. It effectively means that players can now prepare up to six Pokemon for each battle rather than having to assemble a team capable of taking on all four members of the Elite Four as well as the Champion. Better still, as in previous games, they’ll also be able to heal up their Pokemon between battles, so players should stock up on curative items before heading inside.
In terms of which Pokemon to bring, they’ll want to ensure that they have a good selection of high-level Pokemon covering a wide range of types.Dragoniteis a good shout, as it’s able to cover Flying, Fire, Thunder, and Dragon-type attacks and is one ofthe strongest Pokemon inScarlet & Violetthanks to its 600 base stat total.Corviknightis another solid option as it can come in handy in just about every battle at the Pokemon League.
If players don’t already have a decent selection of high-level Pokemon, it’s a good idea to head to the northern part of Paldea, as most of the wild Pokemon there are around level 50.Falinkscan be found near the Team Star Fighting Crew base over in the East,DondozoandGyaradoscan be found swimming around in Casseroya Lake, andLurantiscan be found in North Province (Area Three) not far fromthe Team Star Fairy Crew base.
Players should consider rounding off their team with a bulky Pokemon likeSlaking,who can one-shot a lot of Pokemon with Counter or be used to buy players a bit of time to heal up during battle.Houndstoneis another good option, asits Last Respects move can be deadlywhen Houndstone is the last member of a player’s team left standing. Other than that, players can just draft in whichever high-level type-appropriate Pokemon they have to hand as and when they need them.
How to Pass the Champion Assessment Interview
Before players can take on the Elite Four, they’ll first need to complete a short interview and choosethe right answers to Rika’s questions. It’s all pretty straightforward, though players should make a point of memorizing which answer they choose for question four (they’ll be asked to repeat it again a little later on) and familiarize themselves with the games' gyms, Gym Leaders, and their types. If they fail, they’ll be able to retake the test as many times as they like, so it’s more a case of when rather than if they will pass.
Protect
Toxic
Rika’s team is made up mainly ofGround-type Pokemon, so players should be sure to bring along their best Water, Ice, and Grass-types. They’ll want to lead with a Grass-type though, as Water-type attacks won’t be particularly effective against Whiscash. Once Whiscash faints, players should switch out their Grass-type for a Water-type to avoid it being burnt to a crisp by Camerupt, after which, they should have very little trouble taking out the rest of Rika’s Pokemon. Once they do, players will receive ₽12,932 in prize money, which is the same amount that they’ll get for defeating each member of the Elite Four.
Players should be sure to mix up their teams between battles when needed and should also use items to heal up any injured or afflicted Pokemon.
Play Rough
Stone Edge
Poppy specializes inSteel-type Pokemon, so Fire, Fighting, and Ground-types are the best counters. Four of her five Pokemon have access to Psychic or Fairy-type offensive moves though, so players will probably want to focus more on Fire and Ground-types. Assuming it can survive Brick Break, a Slaking with access to the move Counter can serve as a pretty decent closer here if needed, as all of Tinkaton’s attacks are Physical. Alternatively, players may want to consider drafting in a Corviknight of their own and teaching it Body Press, as this can make pretty quick work of Poppy’s Tera Pokemon.
Liquidation
Throat Chop
Medali Gym Leader Larryreturns, only this time he’s packing a team of Flying-type Pokemon rather than Normal-types. A strong Electric-type can deal with the last two of his team, though the first three (Tropius, Oricorio, and Altaria) are better dealt with using Fire, Rock, and Dragon-type attacks respectively. As was the case with Tinkaton in the last battle, a Pokemon with Counter can be pretty effective against Larry’s last two Pokemon, as both rely entirely on physical attacks to dish out damage.
If players are having trouble beating the Elite Four inPokemon Scarlet & Violet, they may want to consider saving between each battle and then reloading if things don’t go their way. They will miss out on the XP gained from their final battle by doing this, but it can save them an awful lot of time depending on how close to defeating the Elite Four they are when things start to go pear-shaped.
Ice Shard
Icicle Crash
As is tradition, the final member of Paldea’s Elite Four is a Dragon-type trainer, meaning Dragon, Ice, and Fairy-type attacks are the best counters. However, players should be wary of using Fairy-types against Haxorus and Dragalge, as the two have access to Steel and Poison-type attacks respectively. Gyarados can be particularly useful in this battle on account of it having access to both Dragon and Ice-type attacks, though players will need to swap it out against Dragalge or risk it being destroyed by Thunderbolt.
Players will face the Pokemon League Chairwoman shortly after beating Hassel. Before they do, however, Rika will completely heal up their active party for them, including the PP for all of their moves. As this does not affect boxed Pokemon, players should be sure to fill any empty slots in their team with Pokemon that they plan on using against Geeta, especially those who are running low on PP.
