You've spent forty hours running across the orange-tinted fields of Paldea, dodging aggressive Veluza in the water and finally, you're standing in front of that weirdly corporate-looking building outside Mesagoza. This is it. The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Elite Four isn't just another boss rush. It feels weirdly like a job interview. Honestly, that’s because it basically is. Unlike the glitz and glamour of the Galar region’s stadium matches, the Paldean league is run like a strict government agency under the watchful, terrifying eyes of Geeta.
If you’re expecting the usual "sit there and heal between rounds" vibe, you’re mostly right, but the difficulty spikes here catch people off guard. Especially the type matchups. You can't just sweep with a single starter anymore.
The Interview Before the Bloodshed
Before you even throw a Poke Ball, you have to talk. Rika sits you down for an interview. If you mess up the answers, she kicks you out. It’s brutal. You have to remember which gym gave you the most trouble and what your actual goal is. Most players fail here because they try to be funny or forget which gym leader uses which type. Pro tip: Just be honest. Tell her you want to become a Champion. It’s the only way through the door.
Rika: The Ground-Type Reality Check
Rika is cool. Like, effortlessly cool. But her team is designed to punish anyone who relied too heavily on Miraidon or Koraidon’s Electric or Fighting moves during the mid-game.
She starts with Whiscash. It’s a bait. You think "Oh, Water-type," and you send out a Grass-type, only for her to mess with your momentum. Her real threat is Clodsire. That chunky, purple land-fish is a tank. It has the Water Absorb ability more often than not, meaning if you try to Surf it away, you’re just giving it a snack. You need a solid Ice or Psychic move here. But watch out for the Terastallization. When she turns that Clodsire into a pure Ground-type, its Earthquake hits like a freight train.
Poppy: Don't Let the Toddler Fool You
It’s genuinely hilarious that one of the strongest trainers in the country is a five-year-old girl with a giant hammer. Poppy is the Steel-type specialist. In the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Elite Four lineup, she’s the one who usually ends a "no-item" run. Steel is the best defensive typing in the game, period.
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Her Copperajah is a lead-heavy physical attacker, but the real nightmare is Tinkaton. That thing is a menace. It has a signature move called Gigaton Hammer that has 160 base power. You can’t use it twice in a row, but usually, it only needs to hit once. If you don't have a fast Fire-type like Skeledirge or a powerful Ground-type like Garchomp, Poppy will stall you out until your PP runs dry. Corviknight is also there just to be annoying with its Brave Bird.
Larry: The Man, The Myth, The Salaryman
Everyone loves Larry. He’s tired. He’s overworked. He just wants to go to the office and then go home. After you beat him as a Normal-type Gym Leader, he shows up here as a Flying-type expert because Geeta "assigned" him the role. He didn't even pick it.
Larry’s Flying team is actually much scarier than his Normal team. He leads with Tropius, which is whatever, but his Staraptor has Intimidate. That drops your Attack stat immediately. Then comes Flamigo. Do not sleep on Flamigo. It’s incredibly fast and hits harder than a bird that looks like lawn decor has any right to.
The strategy here is simple: Electric or Ice moves. But Larry’s Ace is Flamigo with a Flying Tera-type. If you’ve brought a Rock-type to counter him, be careful—he carries Close Combat. He will punch a hole through your Tyranitar before you can even say "overtime pay."
Hassel: The Dragon Master's Tears
Hassel is the art teacher from the academy, and he’s very emotional. He’ll probably cry before the match starts. Don't let the tears distract you; Dragon-types are still the kings of the meta.
His Noivern is fast. It will outspeed almost anything you have unless you’ve been EV training for Speed. He also runs a Dragalge, which is Poison/Dragon, meaning your Fairy-type "solution" might get hit with a Sludge Bomb and faint instantly. His final Pokemon is Baxcalibur. This is the pseudo-legendary of the region. It’s a giant Godzilla-looking dragon made of ice. When he Terastallizes it, Glaive Rush will delete your Pokemon from the save file.
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To beat Hassel, you need Speed. If you can’t outspeed Baxcalibur, you’re going to have a bad time.
Geeta: The "Top Champion" Problem
After you beat the four, you face Geeta. Honestly? The community has a love-hate relationship with her. She’s the chairwoman, the big boss. Her team is... weird.
- Espathra: Fast, annoying, uses Opportunist to steal your stat boosts.
- Gogoat: This is where people get confused. It's not a very "Champion-level" Pokemon, but it’s bulky.
- Veluza: The "Vaultin' Veluza" of your nightmares.
- Kingambit: This should be her Ace. It gets stronger for every fallen teammate.
- Glimmora: This IS her Ace, but she uses it last.
The big mistake Geeta makes is her Glimmora. Glimmora has an ability called Toxic Debris that scatters spikes when it's hit by physical moves. Because she sends it out last, the ability is basically useless. If she sent it out first, she’d be ten times harder to beat.
How to Actually Prepare
If you want to breeze through the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Elite Four, you need a balanced core.
- A fast Ice-type: Weavile or Baxcalibur will wreck Hassel.
- A bulky Fire-type: Skeledirge (if it was your starter) is the MVP of this entire gauntlet because of Torch Song.
- A strong Fighting-type: Iron Valiant or Pawmot can handle Poppy’s Steel-types and Larry’s Normal-type leftovers.
- Corviknight: It resists almost everything the Elite Four throws at you.
Don't forget to stock up on Full Restores and Revives at the Poke Center inside the building. You can’t leave once you start.
The Post-Game Reality
Beating them isn't the end. In the Indigo Disk DLC, you actually get to fight a different Elite Four at Blueberry Academy. They are significantly harder. They use actual competitive strategies, double battles, and held items like Focus Sashes and Sitrus Berries.
But for the base game, the Paldean Elite Four serves as the ultimate test of your journey through the three main paths. It’s about proving that you’ve learned how Terastallization works—not just as a flashy gimmick, but as a way to flip the script on a losing matchup.
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Actionable Next Steps for Success:
Go to the Delibird Presents shop in Levincia and buy a Choice Band or Choice Specs. Giving these to your fastest attackers will allow you to one-shot most of Rika and Poppy's teams. Also, ensure your team is at least level 60 before talking to the gatekeeper; being underleveled against Hassel’s Baxcalibur is a recipe for a quick trip back to the Mesagoza Pokemon Center. Check your move pools for "coverage" moves—put a Ground-type move on a non-Ground Pokemon to catch Poppy off guard. Once you've secured the win, head back to the Academy to unlock the Ace Academy Tournament, which is the best way to farm money in the late game.