After defeating all eight Gym Leaders in Pokémon Let's Go, the next place you'll be headed is to the Elite Four. The Elite Four are a powerful group of type-focused trainers that will test every skill you've learned along the way in a series of five (yup, not four) battles between which you cannot visit a Pokémon Center or change out your party. That means the six you bring with you when you walk through the doors need to be the best Pokémon you possibly can train.
Below, I've offered a recommendation for a team to fight the Elite Four with, along with general ideas for what Pokémon types to bring along to each fight. Good luck, Champ-in-the-making!
Recommended team
When approaching the Elite Four, it's hard to pin down an exact roster of six you should bring with you. After all, with the high levels their Pokémon are at, it's unlikely you've been training a specific team since the start of the game to fight them. Make sure anything you bring is at least level 50 - a solid level 55 that isn't on this list is probably better in most cases than a level 40 with a type advantage.
Also, remember that you won't be able to visit a Pokémon Center between matches, so pack your bags full of Potions, Status Condition healing items, Revives, Ethers, and anything else you might need between fights.
Here is the team I'd recommend taking to the Elite Four:
- Your starting Pokémon: Either your starting Pikachu or Eevee is likely extremely overleveled at this point in the game, so regardless of type advantages it's a logical choice to include your partner. Be sure to visit the Move Tutors in Cerulean, Celadon, and Fuchsia Cities, who will teach your partner powerful moves of different types that can help you with the Elite Four.
- Alakazam, Hypno, Slowbro, Starmie, or another strong Psychic-type
- Blastoise, Poliwrath, another strong water-type
- Magneton, Raichu, or a strong electric-type
- Alolan Raticate, or a Pokémon with Dark-type moves
- A strong Fire (Arcanine, Rapidash, Ninetales, Charizard) or Ground-type (Dugtrio, Sandslash, Golem)
Lorelei
Lorelei's focus is on Ice-type Pokémon , so it would seem logical to combat them with Fire or Ground-types, right? But unfortunately, she's prepared for that, as four out of her five team members are dual Water-type Pokémon and will know just the moves to keep you from unleashing either of those strategies. As a result, it's smart to rely on a strong Electric-type Pokémon for this fight, namely either your starting Pikachu or, for Let's Go! Eevee players, something like a Magneton, Raichu, or similar.
Dewgon, Cloyster, Slowbrow, and Lapras can all be taken care of with a few Thunderbolts. Slowbro is a Water/Psychic and doesn't actually know any Ice-type moves - he knows Psychic, Surf, and Flamethrower, and can be tackled with a Dark-type Pokémon or another Pokémon he's not strong against that knows Dark-type moves. That leaves Jinx, an Ice/Psychic. Jinx is the one Pokémon you're safe bringing out a Fire or Ground-type against, unless you want to focus on the Psychic weakness and use a Dark-type Pokémon instead.
Bruno
Bruno's jam is Fighting-type Pokémon but like Lorelei, he can be a bit inconsistent. A strong Psychic-type will easily handle Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Poliwrath, and Machamp. If you bring a Psychic/Water to the bout like Starmie or Slowbro to cover both bases, that's great, but be careful around Hitmonchan's Thunder and Ice Punch moves. I don't recommend a Flying-type for his team, as most of them know Rock or other moves that will take them out of the sky with ease.
Onix is the odd one out, and it's usually the Pokémon Bruno opens with. Again, Slowbro or Starmie are great choices here, but you can also just bring out another Water-type or even a Grass-type to take out Onix's rocky frame.
Agatha
Agatha, like Sabrina to the Gym Leaders, is the mid-point terror of the Elite Four simply because so little is good against her Pokémon. Her Ghost-type army would be better described as a Poison-type army, but don't even think of bringing a Psychic-type Pokemon in here. Even pure Poison-types like Arbok and Weezing know Dark or Ghost-type moves that will devastate a Psychic gambit.
That means Ground-type Pokémon shine here. One will be able to handle almost her entire team, though if you brought a solid Alolan Raticate or Pokémon with Dark-type moves, that'll do fine against the two Gengars. Golbat, as a Poison/Flying-type, can be dealt with by your Electric-type that you hopefully brought against Lorelei earlier.
Lance
Lance, the Dragon Master, is a bit easier in Pokémon Let's Go! now that Fairy-types exist, though still an extreme challenge. If you have room on your team to bring a Fairy-type (by filling your Water and Psychic spots with a dual-type, for example) then by all means do and watch it demolish his Dragonite and ignore Dragon Pulses from other members of his team. But as with the rest of the Elite Four, Lance is a bit of a con artist and Dragonite is the only true Dragon he trains.
Therefore, you can deal with him accordingly: Bring your Electric-type against Seadra, Dragonite, Gyarados, and Charizard. Aerodactyl needs a solid Water-type to Surf it out of the way, and the Water-type can also support you against Charizard. That's all; the dragons are done.
Rival
But you aren't done, of course. Your Rival wants one final match with you! You should already have a steady team to deal with his, but here's what to expect from this one last, Champion match:
- Jolteon or Raichu: Depending on the version of the game you have, your Rival will have evolved his starter. Both are pure Electric-types, so assuming you brought a Ground-type to deal with Agatha, it will do well here too
- Rapidash: Nothing too scary. Your Water-type will make short work.
- Marowak: Keep that Water-type in the game (or put it back in, depending on when your Rival uses this)
- Slowbro: Just like Lorelei's Slowbrow, either a Dark-type or Electric-type (such as your starting Pikachu) is a good choice.
- Vileplume: Watch out for Solar Beam. If you had space for a Fire-type, this is a good Pokémon to use it on, otherwise a Psychic Pokémon (like the one you used for Bruno) can help
- Pidgeot: A great place to bust your starter Pikachu back out, or your strong Electric-type. Beware, this bird will Mega Evolve!
And that's it! With your Rival dispatched, you've beaten the Elite Four (five?) and become the Pokémon League Champion!
Any questions?
Stuck on a specific member of the Elite Four and can't get past? Let me know in the comments and I'll try to help!
