Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Elite Four Counters and Strategies

Despite their many technical problems and a few mechanic changes, Scarlet and Violet are really pretty traditional Pokémon games in a lot of ways. That means that the game still ends with a gauntlet challenge against the Elite Four and their Champion trainer.

As is typically the case, the battle against the Elite Four and their Champion is complicated by the fact that you must battle each trainer in a row. That already grueling marathon setup is complicated by the fact that each member of the Elite Four brings wildly different Pokémon to the fights. That means you’ll need to have access to a pretty impressive array of Pokémon in order to survive this challenge.

While the battle against the Elite Four in Scarlet and Violet isn’t as tough as previous Elite Four battles, these trainers can still give you plenty of trouble if you don’t know what to expect. As such, here’s a look at which Pokémon each trainer brings to the fight and how to counter those lineups.

The Correct Answers to the Elite Four Interview Questions

Before you can take on the Elite Four, Rika will ask you a series of questions. While it may seem like a pretty arbitrary part of the process, it’s actually possible to fail this quiz and be denied the chance to challenge the Elite Four until you get the questions right. To make matters more confusing, you only need to get some of these questions right in order to pass this test.

To cut through some of that confusion, please note that you only need to get the questions regarding the previous Gym leaders correct in order to proceed. To be even more specific, here are the answers you need to give to challenge the Elite Four:

Cortondo Gym: Katy, Bug
Artazon Gym: Brassius, Grass
Cascarrafa Gym: Kofu, Water
Levincia Gym: Iono, Electric
Medali Gym: Larry, Normal
Glaseado Gym: Grusha, Ice
Montenevera Gym: Ryme, Ghost
Alfornada Gym: Tulip, Psychic

Don’t be thrown off by any of the curveballs and confusing language Rika may use during the quiz. As long as you provide the answers above, you’ll be able to move on.

The Elite Four: Rika’s Pokémon Lineup and How to Beat It

Whiscash (Water/Ground)
Camerupt (Fire/Ground)
Donphan (Ground)
Dugtrio (Ground)
Clodsire (Ground/Poison)

Rika is a Ground-based Pokémonspecialist who brings out Whiscash first and only leans more into that type theme from there.

While you’ll be able to work through much of her lineup with the usual counters (Grass, Water, Ice, etc.), the one thing you’ll really want to keep your eye out for are the many debilitating attacks Rika’s Pokémon bring to the party (especially Dugtrio’s Sandstorm ability). You may want to have a backup plan in place if those abilities take you out of the fight for an extended period of time.  

The Elite Four: Poppy’s Pokémon Lineup and How to Beat It

Copperajah (Steel)
Magnezone (Steel/Psychic)
Bronzong (Flying/Steel)
Corviknight (Electric/Steel)
Tinkaton (Fairy/Steel)

Taken on their own, Poppy’s Steel-based Pokémon are already incredibly tough (it’s kind of their thing). What really makes this fight annoying, though, is the fact that two of Poppy’s Pokémon (Bronzong and Corviknight) have abilities that make them immune to Ground-type attacks. That means that one of your most readily available Steel counters is out the window for a good portion of the fight. 

That being the case, Fire and Fighting Pokémon are your best bets, with Fire Pokémon really shining throughout much of the battle. If you’ve got a couple of reliable Fire-types on your roster, you should be able to survive this prolonged fight. 

The Elite Four: Larry’s Pokémon Lineup and How to Beat It

Tropius (Grass/Flying)
Altaria (Dragon/Flying)
Staraptor (Normal/Flying)
Oricorio (Electric/Flying)
Flamigo (Fighting/Flying)

Larry returns, but he’s exchanged his previous lineup for some Flying-type Pokémon with dual-type kickers that eliminate some obvious counters and open up others. 

Still, this is a pretty easy fight. Electric, Rock, and Ice Pokémon should be enough to get you through this battle, though you will want to look out for some of Larry’s buffed abilities that can deal a surprising amount of damage to unaware players. 

The Elite Four: Hassel’s Pokemon Lineup and How to Beat It

Noivern (Dragon/Flying)
Dragalge (Poison/Dragon)
Flapple (Grass/Dragon)
Haxorus (Dragon)
Baxcalibur (Ice/Dragon)

As you probably guessed, Hasel’s lineup of Dragon-type Pokémon is incredibly tough to get through. Not only are each of the Pokémon in Hassel’s lineup individually quite powerful, but there aren’t a ton of obvious Dragon counters you can rely on to cheese your way through this fight. 

Honestly, your only great option is a solid lineup of Fairy-type Pokémon. If you don’t happen to have such a lineup available (good Fairy-type Pokémon can be tough to come by), then you may have to rely on your own Dragons as well as any heavy hitters that don’t suffer from obvious weaknesses. 

The Elite Four: Geeta’s Pokémon Lineup and How to Beat It

Espartha (Psychic)
Avalugg (Ice)
Kingambit (Dark/Steel)
Gogoat (Grass)
Veluza (Water/Psychic)
Glimmora (Poison/Rock)

Geeta is the Champion of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which means that longtime Pokémon fans should know roughly what to expect from her. She not only brings more Pokémon to the fight than the members of the Elite Four, but most of her Pokemon boast wildly different types that make it that much more difficult to find obvious counters. 

That said, Fighting and Bug-type Pokémon are your best overall options. A good Bug-type will help get you through the first three fights, while a strong Fighting Pokémon is an invaluable asset in the final part of this battle. A good Fire-type is also useful for much of this fight.

The one thing you really want to watch out for is Glimmora’s Toxic Debris ability which poisons your Pokémon whenever Glimmora suffers physical damage. You’ll want to change your strategy a bit at that point to not only counter Glimmora’s types but work around that ability as best as you are able.