By Kaleb Smith
Updated
The Elite Four are Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's toughest non-player trainers. Use a Champion team to become Champion of Sinnoh.
Quick Links
- Pokémon BDSP Elite Four Overview
- Aaron's Pokémon Lineup in BDSP
- Bertha's Pokémon Lineup in BDSP
- Flint's Pokémon Lineup in BDSP
- Lucian's Pokémon Lineup in BDSP
- Cynthia's Pokémon Lineup in BDSP
- The Best Team to Defeat the Elite Four
In , 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.
Related:
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
Related:
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
Related:
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 and Pearl
- Franchise:
- Pokemon
- Platform:
- Nintendo Switch
- Released:
- 2021-11-19
- Developer:
- ILCA
- Publisher:
- The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
- Genre:
- Adventure, RPG
- ESRB:
- E
- How Long To Beat:
- 40Hours
(Video) How To Beat Elite Four & Champion | Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Walkthrough - Part 14
FAQs
Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Best Team To Beat The Elite Four? ›
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.
What is the best team to beat the Elite 4 in Pokemon Diamond? ›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.
How do you beat the Elite Four in diamond and pearl? ›- Train, Train, Train. ...
- Heal The Party Before Going In. ...
- Stock Up On Healing Items. ...
- Make Sure To Have A Couple Of Useful Berries. ...
- Create A Balanced Team. ...
- For Aaron, Take A Strong Flying or Rock-Type. ...
- For Bertha, Take Advantage Of The Grass-Type.
Staraptor, Luxray, and others form the best team composition for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
What Pokemon do I need to defeat Cynthia? ›| Pokémon | Level | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Gastrodon | Lv.60 | Scald Earthquake Sludge Bomb Rock Tomb |
| Lucario | Lv.63 | Aura Sphere Dragon Pulse Flash Cannon Nasty Plot |
| Roserade | Lv.60 | Dazzling Gleam Shadow Ball Sludge Bomb Energy Ball |
| Milotic | Lv.63 | Recover Mirror Coat Ice Beam Scald |
How to Prepare for The Elite Four in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. You're going to need to have a well-balanced party and lots of items. Your Pokemon should be at least Level 55 with your heavy hitters at Levels 58-65. You'll have to face each trainer, one after another, healing as you go.
What is the bad team in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl? ›Team Galactic (in Japanese: ギンガ団 Ginga-dan, literally Galaxy Gang) is a crime syndicate in the Sinnoh region, and the main antagonists of the video games Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Platinum, alongside their 2021 remakes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl.
Should I use Dialga for Elite Four? ›Palkia / Dialga can also be incredibly useful against the Elite Four, particularly if players have maxed out the friendship stat and had the Move Tutor on Route 210 teach it Draco Meteor.
Who is the strongest starter Pokemon in diamond? ›1. Chimchar. Chimchar repeats as the strongest starter Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, holding onto its top spot from the original games.
What is the weakness of the Elite 4 Pokémon? ›| Pokémon | Level | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Noviern | 60 | Dragon, Fairy, Rock and Ice |
| Dragalge | 60 | Dragon, Ground, Psychic and Ice |
| Haxorus | 60 | Dragon, Fairy and Ice |
| Flapple | 60 | Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Ice and Poison |
What happens if you lose to Elite Four? ›
If you lose a battle, all you've gotta do is close the game and reopen it to start where you left off. Do this before you're transported back to the Pokémon Center in order to circumvent the autosave (or turn it off in the options menu), and you'll be able to just try each fight again with new knowledge.
Does the Elite 4 get stronger in Shining Pearl? ›Rematches. After you have defeated the Elite Four for a first time you'll be able to rebattle the Elite Four, this time with bigger and improved teams. The teams will then increase in level again and add more Pokémon from the National Pokédex after defeating their second team and catching Heatran.
Where is Mew in Pokemon Shining Pearl? ›In order to claim Mew, head to Floaroma Town, which is one of the first you'll travel to on your journey. In a field filled with flowers, there is an old man and an old woman. Speak to the woman and she'll comment that she has a Pokemon she wishes you to take care of. That Pokemon is Mew.
Is Pikachu good in Brilliant Diamond? ›Recognized as the Pokemon mascot, Pikachu's in-game stats may not reflect Ash's Pikachu in the anime, but it's a good Electric-type to have for the beginning of the game. If players decide to keep their Pikachu on the team, they can get a Thunderstone and evolve it into Raichu.
Can you get a shiny jirachi in Brilliant Diamond? ›Are Jirachi and Mew shiny-locked? Yes. Unfortunately, both of these Mythical Pokemon are shiny-locked, which means you cannot get a shiny variant of them.
Has anyone defeated Cynthia? ›Ash Ketchum makes history after defeating Sinnoh champion Cynthia in 'Pokémon Journeys' Ash Ketchum has achieved a new milestone in the anime “Pokémon Journeys” by defeating the legendary Sinnoh champion, Cynthia.
Why is it so hard to beat Cynthia? ›What made Cynthia such a difficult champion to fight against? - Quora. * Her Garchomp is her main powerhouse on her Pokemon team. * Garchomp can land hits and take damaging attacks from legendary Pokémon. Legendary Pokémon are powerful.
Can Cynthia defeat Ash? ›It couldn't have ended any other way. The Master's Eight Semi-Finals are over, and Ash has emerged victorious over Sinnoh League Champion Cynthia.
What is the best starter for Elite Four in brilliant diamond? ›You'll also breeze through the first of the Elite 4, whose bug-type Pokémon won't stand a chance against Infernape. A great move pool, type advantage against tons of trainers, and high attack make Chimchar our pick for the best starter in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but no Pokémon is perfect.
Who is the first member of the Elite Four in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond? ›Aaron. Aaron is the first of the Elite Four you'll face each time you begin a run against the group.
Who is the evilest Pokemon team? ›
1 Rainbow Rocket
Giovanni even has access to Mega Mewtwo, making him the strongest villain in any Pokemon game thus far. With so many overpowered characters, Team Rainbow Rocket is certainly the most intimidating evil organization the series has to offer.
Chimchar is probably the very best starter in the game, with their powerful attacks and high speed values. Both from a competitive and casual level, Chimchar is the very best starter in Diamond and Pearl.
What is the most underrated Pokemon in Diamond and Pearl? ›Azumarill is underrated in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl due to players often passing it over for other powerful Water-type Pokémon such as Kanto's Gyarados.
What happens if you defeat Dialga instead of catching it? ›WARNING: If you defeat Dialga or Palkia without capturing them, the game will continue on. As such, you should turn off autosave and manually save just before the battle in case something goes wrong. That way, you can restart the game and enter the Legendary battle again if you have to.
What Pokemon to use in Elite Four? ›As is tradition, the final member of Paldea's Elite Four is a Dragon-type trainer, meaning Dragon, Ice, and Fairy-type attacks are the best counters. However, players should be wary of using Fairy-types against Haxorus and Dragalge, as the two have access to Steel and Poison-type attacks respectively.
Is Garchomp better than Dialga? ›Dialga, despite being Dragon type and can hit Garchomp for super-effective damage, can easily fall to one earthquake from Garchomp (because of Dialga's Steel typing being weak to Ground) and will always do so because it is faster than you.
Can you get all 3 starters in diamond? ›Everyone who deposits a Pokemon from the Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl games into Pokemon Home will receive the three Sinnoh starter Pokemon: Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup. What makes these particular monsters special is that they all have their Hidden Abilities, which are normally hard to come by.
Who is the weakest Sinnoh starter? ›Torterra is the slowest of the final evolutions. x4 weak to ice, x2 weak to fire, bug flying. Doesn't have any significant resistances. Is a grass type that doesn't resist water.
Who is truly the best starter Pokemon? ›- Bulbasaur. You never forget your first, and Bulbasaur was mine.
- Charmander. Probably the most popular starter Pokemon of all time, with good reason. ...
- Chikorita. ...
- Torchic. ...
- Turtwig. ...
- Mudkip. ...
- Cyndaquil. ...
- Totodile. ...
Poppy is the youngest known Elite Four member in any region.
What is the most difficult Elite Four Pokémon? ›
- Lorelei (Red & Blue) ...
- Phoebe (Ruby & Sapphire) ...
- Karen (Gold & Silver) ...
- Lucian (Diamond & Pearl) ...
- Grimsley (Black & White) ...
- Wikstrom (X & Y) ...
- Acerola (Sun & Moon) ...
- Agatha (Fire Red & Leaf Green)
Ash never got to battle the Kanto Elite Four like in the games, but perhaps the Orange Crew was intended to compensate him on that front. Throughout all of the Pokémon anime, Ash has never done a proper Elite Four challenge.
What happens if you beat the Elite Four 100 times? ›If you beat the Elite Four 100 times in a row, Professor Oak will show up and say "You know what? You know what to do, go ahead without me. I'm going to go console <Rival's Name>." This would allow you to free roam in the Hall of Fame room. On one side of the room is a door.
Can you change your team during the Elite Four? ›How to Win the Elite Test. The Elite Test will see you battle the Elite Four. You'll battle them consecutively, but there'll be a period in between each battle where you'll be able to heal and restore your Pokemon. This also gives you a chance to swap your team around to better suit the next challenger.
What happens if you beat the Elite Four twice? ›You can challenge the Elite 4 and the champion as many times as you want, provided that you are strong enough to challenge them. The E4 will get stronger after the first attempt and sometimes they will add a new team member, so be sure to look out for that when you fight them.
What is the toughest Pokemon to catch in Shining Pearl? ›...
Hardest Pokemon to catch in Pokemon Diamond & Pearl's Sinnoh Region
- Arceus.
- Darkrai. ...
- Shaymin. ...
- Regigigas. ...
- Manaphy. ...
- Munchlax. ...
- Beldum. ...
- Cresselia/Mesprit. ...
The E4 usually tend to have 2-3 Full Restores per person, and the Champion usually have 4 Full Restores.
How do you get deoxys in Pearl? ›In Pokemon Diamond, Pokemon Pearl, and Pokemon Platinum, Deoxys can be caught at the Pal Park. This is a special reserve for Pokemon located on the far right side of Route 221 in the Sinnoh region. Unfortunately, however, it's not open for business until the player gets the National Pokedex.
Can I get deoxys in Brilliant Diamond? ›The short answer is no, Deoxys is not in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.
Can you still get Arceus in Shining Pearl? ›Arceus can now be caught in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. To do so, however, you first need to meet a number of requirements - one of which involves Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Sadly, this means that, if you don't own this game, you can't catch Arceus in either Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
What is the weakest Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond? ›
Bug is arguably the lamest type in Pokémon, and it remains underwhelming in BDSP. As such, having a Bug-type in the team means it should come with a secondary type to make up for its weaknesses or have above-average stats.
Is Raichu or Luxray better? ›Pros: Has way better offensive and defensive stats than Raichu, with Raichu's only stats being higher than it would be Speed and Sp. Def (which is a 1 point difference)
What is the rarest Shiny Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond? ›1 Honey Tree Munchlax
This, the rarest Pokemon, arguably in the entire franchise, is still very much a feature in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
No. As with previous entries, Legendary Pokémon - such as Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, or Sun and Moon's cover stars, Solgaleo and Lunala, cannot be bred.
Is Shiny Jirachi legal? ›Jirachi is one of a few Pokémon that can only be obtained legitimately when it is offered as a Mystery Gift or through the use of multiple games and systems.
What is the weakness of the Elite 4 Pokemon? ›| Pokémon | Level | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Noviern | 60 | Dragon, Fairy, Rock and Ice |
| Dragalge | 60 | Dragon, Ground, Psychic and Ice |
| Haxorus | 60 | Dragon, Fairy and Ice |
| Flapple | 60 | Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Ice and Poison |
Water, Grass, and Ice-type moves are your best bet here, but Water is probably the best as Grass is weak to Clodsire's Poison-type moves. Camerupt is 4x weak to Water, while Whiscash is 4x weak to Grass.
What happens if you don't beat the Elite 4? ›If you lose a battle, all you've gotta do is close the game and reopen it to start where you left off. Do this before you're transported back to the Pokémon Center in order to circumvent the autosave (or turn it off in the options menu), and you'll be able to just try each fight again with new knowledge.
Who is the youngest Elite Four member in Pokémon? ›Poppy is the youngest known Elite Four member in any region.
Is Elite 4 easy? ›The Elite Four are very deliberately tough and are usually intended to be the final test of a Trainer's skill — to the point where often, the champion is actually a little easier to beat. Some trainers seriously struggle against the Pokemon League, but it's always doable, especially with these helpful tips.