Despite the relative age ofPokemon Stadium 2, the title’s inclusion in August 2023’s Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack proves its popularity amongPokemonfans. With the game skipping a storyline in favor of thrilling rosters of enemies to defeat,Pokemonfans may find themselves breezing through the game’s modes and reach its inevitable endgame.
However, like with otherPokemongames, it’s when players fight the Elite Four that gameplay inPokemon Stadium 2can come to a standstill. With the game’s Elite Four offering quite the significant challenge compared to the game’s original offerings, just how can players defeat them?
The Premise: 2 Rounds Of Elite Four Matchups
Similar to the other modes players can encounter inPokemon Stadium 2gameplay, players who want to complete the Johto Region’s Gym Leader Castlemust defeat the Elite Fourand the current Pokemon Champion in one go. However, completionists must defeat the Elite Four in two rounds to complete this part of the game fully.
The Battle Conditions
On top of each Round consisting of the Elite Four having different and much harder Pokemon to fight, players also need to take note of specific conditions to secure the basic parameters of their teams against this tough challenge:
Round 1 Setup Suggestions
A Familiar Challenge From Other Games
Players currently gearing up for Round 1 of their Elite Four fights inPokemon Stadium 2should be able to create a formidable team out of these Pokemon. Do take note that the Attacks listed here are from their Rental counterparts, but keeping a team of the same Pokemon and altering their attacks to a player’s strategy of choice should be able to help them in the running even until the Champion fight.
Recommended Party Considerations
Before players even venture into their journey to defeat the Elite Four, they must remember that the team they’re creating will be the same one they will use throughout the entire endeavor. Taking into accountthe strategy of not just one but all of the Elite Fourplus Champion Lance means carefully looking into the following options:
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Round 1 Fights
Players about to embark on their Round 1 of Elite Four fights inPokemon Stadium 2may experience a familiar challenge they may have feltin Elite Four fights from other games. The fact that players need to take the same team throughout the four battles all the way to Champion Lance can make the battles much tougher to accomplish. However, the right combination of Pokemon from the above samples plus some strategies should take some weight off the player’s shoulders.
Elite Four Will: Round 1 Face-Off
Players fighting Elite Four Will might find him as the “easiest” of the challenge series. They may secure the win by choosing the following Pokemon and attack strategies:
PRZ CureBerry
Elite Four Koga: Round 1 Face-Off
Players who want to outpace Elite Four Koga and secure the win should be able to do so by exploiting his weaknesses with the following Pokemon selections:
Mint Berry
Elite Four Bruno: Round 1 Face-Off
Themore mixed bag of typingsthat feature in Elite Four Bruno’s team can pose a significant threat to players who don’t have suitable counters. Here are some Pokemon combos to fight them:
Elite Four Karen: Round 1 Face-Off
Elite Karen’s mixed bag of Pokemon with apredominant Psychic and Dark sub-typecan pose quite a challenge to most players fighting her for the first time. However, securing specific Moves should take advantage of vulnerabilities in Karen’s kit:
Bitter Berry
Champion Lance: Round 1 Face-Off
Champion Lance comes from a long line of Pokemon Championsthat tend to be difficult to fight, especially with all his team members packing Hyper Beam to obliterate the player’s team if not dealt with. However, even Champions have weaknesses, especially if players know exactly what to expect and how to counter them:
Round 2 Setup
Switching Things Up
Before players can fully complete the Gym Castle aspect ofPokemon Stadium 2gameplay, they must repeat the fights in the Gym ladder in Round 2. This time, all Trainers the players face will feature teams of different Pokemon, including the Elite Four andChampion Lance. As such, players also need to switch things up on the Pokemon selection, with teams adapting to themes prevalent among the Elite Four members while also preparing for surprises. Again, the Pokemon suggestions below are based on their Rental counterparts (except the Legendaries), but players can switch up Moves as they see fit.
Consideringthe new team compositionsof each member of the Elite Four and Champion Lance, players may feel intimidated with the idea that their Pokemon team might not be up to par with this more difficult iteration of their previous match-ups. However, players need only to make certain adjustments to their playstyles to make teams that can adapt to this new challenge:
Round 2 Fights
Players about to fight the Elite Four for yet another round of battles might feel an increase in difficulty, both in their chosen slate of Pokemon and a more tactical flair in combat. While the Elite Four and Champion Lance during Round 2 will put up a tougher fight, using the prescribed Pokemon teams above in specific ways should be able to give players the edge they need to secure the win.
Elite Four Will: Round 2 Face-Off
Elite Four’s Will bounces back in his Round 2 encounter witha more diverse Pokemon slate, though the prevalence of Psychic and Flying-types in his team can be exploited with the right team combination:
Miracle Berry
Elite Four Koga: Round 2 Face-Off
As though followingNarutotropes, the game makes players feel they have merely defeated Elite Four Koga’s Shadow Clone in Round 1 as he returns packing a deadlier team in Round 2. Theprevalence of Poison and Bug-typescan make the fight much tougher even in the presence of the player’s strong Pokemon. Assuming players have secured ways of dealing with Poison, strategies to defeat Koga’s team include:
Mysteryberry
Elite Four Bruno: Round 2 Face-Off
Bruno returns with a vengeance in a player’s Round 2 face-off with the Elite Four member, packing a lot of punches quite literally with hisslate of Fighting and Normal-type Pokemon. Regardless of Bruno’s opening, any significant hit will likely force him to bring out Machamp for heavy-hitting attacks. Given the player’s current team setups, potential ways of dealing with Bruno’s tricky kit could be:
Scope Lens
Elite Four Karen: Round 2 Face-Off
Unlike the more predominant theme in the first appearance of Elite Four Karen inPokemon Stadium 2gameplay, her Round 2 team can be a tough cookie to handle as everyone who has Swagger will likely open with the Move, and her Misdreavus possesses a three-turn KO via Perish Song. However,players can exploitSwagger as her Pokemon will usually only use it as their first move or as soon as a Pokemon gets out of Confusion. Player Pokemon in near-KO or at a disadvantage against Karen’s team typings usually receive attacks instead. With these in mind, potential match-ups include:
Champion Lance: Round 2 Face-Off
The Round 2 fight against Champion Lance is where the Pokemon Champion proves he’s finally getting serious - at least,in the context ofPokemongameplay. The presence of Hyper Beam can KO the player’s Pokemon in a few turns, making this fight a test of speed. With the setups above, recommended teams include:
