If you’re planning on walking into battle with Hoenn’s Elite Four, you’ve got one of two options: either you walk in with Pokémon that are around level 55 or you check out the Pokémon the Elite Four will be using and stock up on the right items.
When it comes to items, you need to be walking into the Elite Four battles with Ethers and Ethers to restore PP, Full Restores for HP, Awakening for Drake’s Sleep effect, a Persim Berry to fight off Glacia’s confusion and a Rare Candy (just in case). Before entering make sure you have some TM’s in your pocket and that you have visited the ‘Move Tutors’ across Hoenn.
The Champion of Hoenn, Steven Stone, is a different story altogether – you will need Lava Cookies, Full Heals, Antidotes, Full Restores, and a special TM. We will get to Stone later (as in he’s the last part of this guide), first let’s deal with the Elite Four.
Note: The Elite Four will be using HP restorative items, so, don’t forget yours.
Sidney
Sidney’s Pokémon (level 50 – 52):
- Mightyena [Dark]
- Shiftry [Grass / Dark]
- Cacturne [Grass / Dark]
- Sharpedo [Water / Dark]
- Dark [Dark]
As you can see, Sidney really likes Dark type Pokémon, make sure to keep the Psychic moves down to a limited zero because they have no power here what-so-ever.
Focus on using Fighting, Bug and Fairy type attacks against his Pokémon, becuase his Dark Pokémon are weak to those move types. When it comes to Shiftry and Cacturne, you can use Fire, Ice, Poison and Flying on top of the previously listed types. Sharpedo is is weak to Grass and Electric type attacks on top of the initially listed types.
Phoebe
Phoebe’s Pokémon (level 51 – 53):
- Dusclops [Ghost]
- Banette [Ghost]
- Sableye [Dark / Ghost]
- Banette [Ghost]
- Dusknoir [Ghost]
Normal and Fight type attacks will do no good, you will need Dark type moves in order to make your battle against Pheobe easier. When it comes to Sableye, those Dark moves might be slightly less effective – make sure you have a PP restoring item.
Two of Phoebe’s can use the Pressure Ability and one can hit you with Hex. Pressure will cause your Pokémon to lose PP and Hex will give double damage to any status effect on your Pokémon.
Glacia
Glacia’s Pokémon (level 52 – 54):
- Glalie [Ice]
- Froslass [Ice / Ghost]
- Glalie [Ice]
- Froslass [Ice / Ghost]
- Walrein [Ice / Water]
Go into battle with Glacia with Fire, Fighting, Rock and Steel type attacks, don’t try using Grass, Ground, Flying or Dragon type Pokémon against her — it won’t work out with her icy (and ghosty) moves.
Walrein can take damage from Fight type moves and Froslass can take damage from Fire type moves. If you have a Fire type Pokémon with Fire, Fighting, Rock and Steel type attacks go ahead and use it, otherwise a Steel type Pokémon can work.
Drake
Drake’s Pokémon (level 53 – 55):
- Altaria [Dragon / Flying]
- Flygon [Ground / Dragon]
- Kingdra [Water / Dragon]
- Flygon [Ground / Dragon]
- Salamence [Dragon / Flying]
The last of the Elite Four is Drake, who oddly enough (Drake likes Dragon-types – coincidence? I think not) uses Dragon type Pokémon. His team of Pokémon are weak to Fairy, Ice and Dragon type attacks. If there was a such thing as a Fairy / Ice type, you would fly through these team. Ice type attacks will do 4x the amount of damage one Flygon, Altaria and Salamence, when it comes to Kingdra Fairy and Dragon-type attacks will bring it down fast enough.
Latias and/or Latios could take care of them pretty fast (with Mega Evolutions).
Note: Bring Awaken with you as Kingdra has ability called Yawn that will cause your Pokémon to fall asleep and Levitate will counter its Earthquake ability.
Steven
Stevens Pokémon (level 57 – 59):
- Skarmory [Steel / Flying]
- Claydol [Ground / Psychic]
- Aggron [ Rock / Steel]
- Cradily [Rock / Grass]
- Armaldo [Rock / Bug]
- Metagross [Steel / Psychic]
Steven Stone isn’t the Champion of Hoenn for no reason, his team of Pokémon are very diverse and require a gamplan. For Stone we will be breaking down the battle per Pokémon.
- Skarmory: Physical damage won’t do much good here, go for a Fire type, Electric type or use special moves because of their ability to deal a high amount of damage to this Pokémon. One of the first moves Skarmory will make is to either poison your Pokémon or to slow down the battle with Spikes. Make sure to bring an Antidote.
- Claydol It seems this Pokémon mainly exists in Stone’s party to bring up the teams Special Defense and Normal Defense stats for five turns. Drop in a Fighting, Bug, Steel or ice type Pokémon or use TM31 Brick Break to destroy the barriers Claydol builds.
- Aggron: Oh, Aggron. This Pokémon takes 4x the amount of damage from Fight type and Ground type moves/Pokémon. Watch out though, although it can take damage from you it can do some nice amount of damage to Dragon type Pokémon with its Dragon Claw move. Because of that move, don’t use a Dragon type Pokémon, use a Fighting or Ground type.
- Cradily: This Pokémon can both confuse and damage your Pokémon, make sure you have Antidotes and Persim Berries in hand — but the battle shouldn’t take too long because Cradily takes 4x the amount of damage from Ice types.
- Armaldo: This Pokémon will lower your defenses and hit your HP hard with its Crush Claw move, you can use some items to up your defenses to make the battle easier. Rock, Steel and Water types do 2x the amount of damage to Armaldo, so pick and choose at your will.
- Mega Metagross: Bring out your Fire, Ghost, Ground or Dark type moves/Pokémon to deal with this behemoth. Just because Metagross comes out without the Mega Evolution doesn’t mean it won’t Mega Evolve (because it will). Keep your Pokémon healed up your defense stats with items during its ‘rest’ after it uses Giga Impact.
Good luck and have fun!
Here’s where you can find more guides for catching legendary Pokémon and finding Mega Stones.
