Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Best Team To Beat The Elite Four

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In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, the main objective for players to complete is to earn all eight Gym Badges, beat the Elite Four, and become Champion of the Sinnoh region. Each member of the Elite Four specializes in a specific type of Pokémon. This specialty can even make it difficult to even use the best competitive team in Pokémon BDSP against them. Additionally, the Champion of the Elite Four, Cynthia, uses various Pokémon types that each have their own moves to cover their weaknesses and utilize their strengths.

Although the Pokémon of the Elite Four trainers in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are the same as the teams used in the original Diamond and Pearl, players should be aware of several changes. Some Pokémon have received updated movepools, making them harder to both defeat and defend against. Additionally, players should expect every Elite Four member to have Pokémon built for competitive battles, like the ones players would see in tournaments against other players.

After facing and defeating the Elite Four the first time, their teams will be updated to the members used in Pokémon Platinum. Once players either beat or find and catch Heatran in Pokémon BDSP, the Elite Four will have more new Pokémon included on their teams. So naturally, the new rematch teams will also be higher leveled than they were during the first match, and the post-Heatran team is even higher leveled than that. To put together the best Pokémon team to defeat the Elite Four, it’s essential first to know which type of Pokémon each member specializes in, which Pokémon they’ll be using and their held items.

Pokémon BDSP Elite Four Overview

The members of the Elite Four are Aaron, Bertha, Flint, and Lucian, and their aforementioned Champion is Cynthia. Aaron is a Bug-type Pokémon user and has a variety of species that focus more and more on Attack stat power over each rematch. Bertha uses some of the best competitive Ground-type Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, a few of which are dual Water- and Ground-type. Flint specializes in Fire-type Pokémon, though the first time trainers face him, he’ll only be using two Fire-type Pokémon in addition to Steelix, Drifblim, and Lopunny. Lucian uses a mix of dual Psychic-types and makes full use of each Pokémon’s versatile movepool. Cynthia has an all-star team featuring Pokémon like Garchomp and Lucario on the first go-round. She incorporates others like Togekiss and Porygon-Z as trainers progress through rematches.

Aaron’s Pokémon Lineup in BDSP

Aaron Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl lineup includes some of the best competitive Bug-type Pokémon in BDSP:

• Dustox: Toxic, Bug Buzz, Moonlight, Light Screen, & Black Sludge held item
• Beautifly: Bug Buzz, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Quiver Dance, & Wise Glasses held item
• Vespiquen: Acrobatics (Power Gem in rematches), Attack Order, Defend Order, Aerial Ace, & Sitrus Berry held item
• Heracross: Earthquake, Rock Slide, Facade, Brick Break, & Flame Orb held item
• Drapion: Cross Poison, Night Slash, Earthquake, X-Scissor, & Scope Lens held item
• Yanmega (First Rematch Team): Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Detect, Ancient Power, & Wise Glasses held item
• Scizor (First Rematch Team): Bullet Punch, X-Scissor, Night Slash, Swords Dance, & Occa Berry held item
• Flygon (Second Rematch Team): Dragon Pulse, Earth Power, Boomburst, Bug Buzz, & Wise Glasses held item

Bertha’s Pokémon Lineup in BDSP

The Pokémon Bertha uses in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl includes Mamoswine, one of the best competitive Ice-type Pokémon in BDSP:

• Quagsire: Recover, Toxic, Earthquake, Surf, & Leftovers held item
• Sudowoodo: Double-Edge, Head Smash, Sucker Punch, Low Kick, & Sitrus Berry held item
• Golem: Rock Polish, Heavy Slam, Earthquake, Stone Edge, & Soft Sand held item
• Whiscash: Bulldoze (Earthquake in rematches), Ice Beam, Belch (Zen Headbutt in rematches), Hydro Pump (Scald in rematches), & Rindo Berry held item
• Hippowdon: Ice Fang, Earthquake, Crunch, Rest, & Chesto Berry held item
• Gliscor (First Rematch Team): Earthquake, Thunder Fang, Guillotine, X-Scissor, & Sitrus Berry held item
• Rhyperior (First Rematch Team): Earthquake, Rock Wrecker, Megahorn, Thunder Fang, & Muscle Band held item
• Mamoswine (Second Rematch Team): Earthquake, Icicle Spear, Ice Shard, Double-Edge, & Never-Melt Ice held item
• Nidoking (Second Rematch Team): Sludge Bomb, Earth Power, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, & Life Orb held item

Flint’s Pokémon Lineup in BDSP

Naturally, Flint uses some of the best competitive Fire-type Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

• Rapidash: Flame Charge (Flare Blitz in rematches), Iron Tail, Poison Jab, Hypnosis, & Wide Lens held item
• Steelix: Thunder Fang, Fire Fang, Iron Tail, Crunch, & Life Orb held item
• Drifblim: Strength Sap, Minimize, Baton Pass, Will-O-Wisp, & Sitrus Berry held item
• Lopunny: Mirror Coat, High Jump Kick, Quick Attack, Fire Punch, & Leftovers held item
• Infernape: Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Close Combat, Mach Punch, & Focus Sash held item
• Houndoom (First Rematch Team): Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, Destiny Bond, Nasty Plot, & Wise Glasses held item
• Flareon (First Rematch Team): Flare Blitz, Flair, Will-O-Wisp, Quick Attack, & Sitrus Berry held item
• Magmortar (First Rematch Team): Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, Focus Blast, Psychic, & Lum Berry held item
• Ninetails (Second Rematch Team): Flamethrower, Solar Beam, Hypnosis, Nasty Plot, & Heat Rock held item
• Arcanine (Second Rematch Team): Flare Blitz, Play Rough, Close Combat, Extreme Speed, & Shuca Berry held item

Lucian’s Pokémon Lineup in BDSP

Including some of the best competitive Psychic-type Pokémon in BDSP, these are the Pokémon Lucian employs:

• Mr. Mime: Light Screen, Reflect, Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, & Light Clay held item
• Girafarig: Light Screen, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Trick Room, & Mental Herb held item
• Medicham: Zen Headbutt, High Jump Kick, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, & Muscle Band held item
• Alakazam: Nasty Plot, Psychic, Future Sight, Shock Wave, & Life Orb held item
• Bronzong: Gyro Ball, Earthquake, Payback, Trick Room (Rock Slide in rematches), & Sitrus Berry held item
• Espeon (First Rematch Team): Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Shadow Ball, Light Screen, & Mental Herb held item
• Gallade (First Rematch Team): Close Combat, Psycho Cut, Poison Jab, Shadow Sneak, & Sitrus Berry held item
• Slowbro (Second Rematch Team): Scald, Psychic, Flamethrower, Slack Off, & Leftovers held item

Cynthia’s Pokémon Lineup in BDSP

Combining some of the most powerful Fairy-, Normal-, and competitive Dragon-type Pokémon in BDSP, these are the Pokémon Cynthia battles with:

• Spiritomb: Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Psychic (Will-O-Wisp in rematches), Sucker Punch, & Sitrus Berry held item
• Roserade: Dazzling Gleam, Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Energy Ball, & Expert Belt held item
• Gastrodon: Scald, Earthquake, Sludge Bomb, Rock Tomb, & Leftovers held item
• Lucario: Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse, Flash Cannon, Nasty Plot (Psychic in rematches), & Wise Glasses held item
• Milotic: Recover, Mirror Coat, Ice Beam, Scald, & Flame Orb held item
• Garchomp: Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Swords Dance, Poison Jab, & Yache Berry held item
• Togekiss: (First Rematch Team): Air Slash, Dazzling Gleam, Aura Sphere, Thunder Wave, & Leftovers held item
• Porygon-Z: (Second Rematch Team): Hyper Beam, Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, & Expert Belt held item

The Best Team to Defeat the Elite Four

To beat the Elite Four and Cynthia, players will need to use versatile Pokémon like Lucario in BDSP, and there are a few great options to provide the balance. Unlike competitive battles, trainers can use Legendary Pokémon like Dialga and Palkia on their team. Their high stats alone make them great additions to add to any team while facing the Elite Four, and in fact, players should definitely be using these Sinnoh legends. Unfortunately, players won’t have access to every TM by the time they reach the Elite Four on the first go-round, but using the information above, all trainers should be able to create their all-star team to counter each Pokémon. For example, players should consider bringing along an Empoleon or Palkia in Pokémon Shining Pearl to counter the Ground- and Fire-type Pokémon.

Depending on which Pokémon are available in their version, players should consider using the following Pokémon to defeat the Elite Four and Cynthia in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl:

• Lucario
• Garchomp
• Togekiss, Honchkrow, or Staraptor
• Infernape, Empoleon, or Torterra
• Snorlax
• Magnezone
• Palkia or Dialga

For the post-game rematches, players should consider adding or swapping in the following Pokémon to their team as well:

• Heatran
• Dragonite
• Tyranitar
• Scizor
• Metagross
• Latios
• Latias

Next: Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Features The Cruelest In-Game Trade

• Pokémon Diamond and Pearl

  Franchise:

  Pokemon

  Platform:

  Nintendo Switch

  Released:

  2021-11-19

  Developer:

  ILCA

  Publisher:

  The Pokemon Company, Nintendo

  Genre:

  Adventure, RPG

  ESRB:

  E