Gym Leaders and Elite Four Discussion Thread [Read First Post]

[gliscor&yanmega]

I've challenged Marlon once so far and lost(I reseted the game though, defiantly going to try and not do that on White 2...). I used Emboar, Golduck, and Heracross(Level 50 for the first two, level 49 for Heracross). I'm not really in the best position in the gym, type wise, as four of my Pokemon are weak to Water type moves. I want to use Golduck to finish Marlon off but it probably wont work out too well, it only has Psychic and Surf for damaging attacks(Plus Disable and Flash).

I can't wait to battle the Gym leaders on Challenge Mode.

I completely murdered Cheren with Riolu + Counter.

Game Freak, this is why you should have let me start with Challenge Mode. Not everyone has a second DS and a completed Black 2 game... Seeing as I have White 2, this means I'll never have access to Challenge Mode ever. You suck, Game Freak.

Really praying that the rest of the Gyms aren't as pathetically easy as Cheren was...

Well that all depends on how you battle them. The more advantages you use(Type advantage, healing(Revives mainly), using more Pokemon then the opponent, etc...) the easier it'll be. If you battle gyms the same way battles are done in Battle Subway and PWT, then the difficulty is more higher. I try not to rely on type advantage, I never use healing items, and I try not to use more Pokemon(Doesn't always work out with trainers, I stick with it for gym leaders though), and I've had difficult battles here and there.

[Nyarlathotep]

using more Pokemon then the opponent, etc

That is a thing I always avoid doing.
I always use the exact same amount of Pokémon the Gym Leader uses, like in the anime.

2x2, 3x3, 4x4, etc.

Winning with six Pokémon against a adversary that only has two or three does not seems fair to me.

[Wulava]

Well that all depends on how you battle them. The more advantages you use(Type advantage, healing(Revives mainly), using more Pokemon then the opponent, etc...) the easier it'll be. If you battle gyms the same way battles are done in Battle Subway and PWT, then the difficulty is more higher. I try not to rely on type advantage, I never use healing items, and I try not to use more Pokemon(Doesn't always work out with trainers, I stick with it for gym leaders though), and I've had difficult battles here and there.

I agree.

Many people have complained about the game being too easy and the Gym Leaders, E4, and Champion's Pokemon roster suck.
We really can't do something about it. So the only solution is to give ourselves a challenge. So many ideas:

- Use only 1 or 2 Pokemon.
- Use a Pokemon that is weak against the opponent.
- Don't use any item (even hold items) throughout the battle.
- Do not heal your Pokemon/party throughout the whole gym, League, etc...
- Battle them with under-leveled Pokemon, let's say 5-20 levels lower than the opponent.
- etc...

To put it simply: If you find it easy, then make it difficult for yourself.

[EmphaticPikachu]

Too me its very hard to even out the levels when comparing it to the gym leaders levels...and I like catching alot of pokemon at the begining. So i ususally stay under-leveled.

Besides, if you want a challange, do the PWt when you get too it (Or...you know, try nuzlocking xD), it forces alot of those things onto them. I only wish there was a singles 6 on 6...even if it would take forever. I LOVE 6 on 6 fights...lol

its why I'm playing triples despite not really likeing them all that much.

IN anycase. I ADORE the PWT. Its so much fun. <3....

but I can't help but think that all of their lines are totally copy and pasted...well not all of them. but alot seem to be the same thing they said in their games relatively.
Volkner STILL can't enjoy a battle appearantly >_>.. XD

And I've already shown drayden the bright future twice...As Connor in black and white, and Pika in black and white 2 ._...XD

[draco4725]

I used the Thundurus I got from the dream radar to take on most of the gyms, it made most of them fairly easy. Except for the Opelucid Gym.

[Monster Guy]

I agree.

Many people have complained about the game being too easy and the Gym Leaders, E4, and Champion's Pokemon roster suck.
We really can't do something about it. So the only solution is to give ourselves a challenge. So many ideas:

- Use only 1 or 2 Pokemon.
- Use a Pokemon that is weak against the opponent.
- Don't use any item (even hold items) throughout the battle.
- Do not heal your Pokemon/party throughout the whole gym, League, etc...
- Battle them with under-leveled Pokemon, let's say 5-20 levels lower than the opponent.
- etc...

To put it simply: If you find it easy, then make it difficult for yourself.

Or, don't level grind before the Gym.

I'm often vastly underleveled compared to Gym Leader, as I like to train a full team of Pokemon. I often avoid trainers to conserve HP and PP for the Leader. Trust, me when you're not overleveled these gyms can be a challenge. xD

[SasakiThePikachu]

So my Black 2 hasn't arrived yet from goddamn Amazon, despite my pre-ordering it 3 months ago and paying extra for their so-called 'guaranteed' release day delivery. Grr.

Even if it comes now I'm gonna have to work my butt off to get my first gym badge before midnight. Beating the 1st gym on the 1st day of my journey has been a tradition since I first held Red version in my hands. I'm...so unspeakably hacked off at Amazon right now.

So, um, on a cheerier note, I've been hearing from people that the difficulty levels are impressive in this game, even without Challenge Mode on? I hope this is true.

[Bolt the Cat]

Yeah. Great marketing techniques. But that's besides the topic.

Sooo...how about the fact they added a water type gym even though we've had like 5 billion water gyms already and STILL no Dark gym!?

I think what they should've done was taken out one of the earlier gyms (maybe Burgh, Elesa, Clay, or Skyla, those 4 are way too bunched together) and put a Dark type gym in Lacunosa Town. There's definitely inconsistent pacing with the gyms in this game, gyms 3-6 are right next to each other, but the 7th gym is like, 4 towns away.

[Aurath8]

I think what they should've done was taken out one of the earlier gyms (maybe Burgh, Elesa, Clay, or Skyla, those 4 are way too bunched together) and put a Dark type gym in Lacunosa Town. There's definitely inconsistent pacing with the gyms in this game, gyms 3-6 are right next to each other, but the 7th gym is like, 4 towns away.

Odd, I really the large gym gaps. Like in Pt, after Byron the route to Sunyshore was very long. You had Route 216/7 which was one of the longest treks in all of pokemon. After Candace came, the drama with the lakes, the Galatic hideout and the ascent of Mt. Coronet. It really makes the region feel very large.

[spiller]

just got game beat cheren after loseing once, his patrat had 3 critical hits on me and killed me loveing it so far yeah

[Bolt the Cat]

Odd, I really the large gym gaps. Like in Pt, after Byron the route to Sunyshore was very long. You had Route 216/7 which was one of the longest treks in all of pokemon. After Candace came, the drama with the lakes, the Galatic hideout and the ascent of Mt. Coronet. It really makes the region feel very large.

It's not the long gap specifically that I hate, quite the contrary, it's that right before it, pretty much all of the other gyms are the next town over and now suddenly this gym is miles away (not to mention the gym after it isn't terribly far away). Can you say "bad pacing"?

[Aurath8]

It's not the long gap specifically that I hate, quite the contrary, it's that right before it, pretty much all of the other gyms are the next town over and now suddenly this gym is miles away (not to mention the gym after it isn't terribly far away). Can you say "bad pacing"?

I suppose. I've yet to play BW2, so I'll have to see how it all plays before I can say whether it's a welcome change of pace or poorly done.

[Manna]

It's not the long gap specifically that I hate, quite the contrary, it's that right before it, pretty much all of the other gyms are the next town over and now suddenly this gym is miles away (not to mention the gym after it isn't terribly far away). Can you say "bad pacing"?

Agreed. After that long trek to the 7th gym, it was so weird for the 8th gym to be so close to it.

Maybe someday we'll get a Dark type gym...

[Shneak]

It's not the long gap specifically that I hate, quite the contrary, it's that right before it, pretty much all of the other gyms are the next town over and now suddenly this gym is miles away (not to mention the gym after it isn't terribly far away). Can you say "bad pacing"?

Or, y'know, real life. Cities aren't placed in exact distances away from each other.

[pokemonsquared]

Opelucid isnt really that far from Mistralton It's just that twist mountain just HAD to be closed off so you had to take the long way around.

[Bolt the Cat]

Opelucid isnt really that far from Mistralton It's just that twist mountain just HAD to be closed off so you had to take the long way around.

Well yeah, but that's not relevant. What matters is that you have to travel a long way to get there.

[pokemonsquared]

Okay WHAT THE FREAKING HELL?

How could a level 62 chandelure outspeed my timid level 60 starmie?!

[Phlogiston]

Yeah, there is kind of a huge gap, and it's really, really annoying. It screws the pacing hard.

Anyway, the Elite Four were not too bad. Marshal was harder than Iris, though. Might have been my team. Leavanny basically mopped everyone, though, but since the only Flying attack I had was Aerial Ace, with no psychic attacks at all... yeah.

[The Eleventh]

I just beat Cheren. He wasn't difficult, though I can see this not being the case if he ever managed to set up two Work Ups. It's a dangerous move so early in the game, especially on Lillipup.

[Bolt the Cat]

Anyway, the Elite Four were not too bad. Marshal was harder than Iris, though. Might have been my team. Leavanny basically mopped everyone, though, but since the only Flying attack I had was Aerial Ace, with no psychic attacks at all... yeah.

Is Marshal any harder in BW2? I mean, he has the same Pokemon as in BW1, just at higher levels. He was definitely the hardest for me in BW1 thanks to the nuisance of an ability that is Sturdy (plus he tends to waste his Full Restores on Sawk each time I beat him down), but it also might have been because the only thing I had that had an advantage against him was Archeops.