Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: All Gyms, Ranked By Difficulty (2024)

Like the majority of the rest of the Pokemon franchise, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet challenges the player to face eight gyms across the region of Paldea in the hope of becoming a champion of Paldea. Unlike other titles in the franchise, there is no set route regarding which gym a player should face first. However, some options are recommended before others due to not only the level but also the type.

Although each gym leader has their own interesting style and set of Pokemon, this list will be examining every gym in the title and ranking them by how hard it is to complete their battle, as well as their gym test.

Updated on September 3, 2024, by Ben Painter: Scarlet & Violet has been out for some time now, along with its DLC, The Hidden Treasures of Area Zero, and its two parts, The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk. If gamers have done everything they need to, then it may be time to restart the game and take on the gyms and Elite Four once again. To do this, some players may need a refresher on what the best gym order is. As such, this update offers more context on why each gym is in the order it is placed in.

8 Cortondo Gym

Katy

• Type: Bug
• Strongest Pokemon: Teddiursa
• Highest level: 15
• Best Pokemon to take to challenge: Fuecoco, Fletchling, Paldean Wooper
• Ideal order to challenge: First

Players are encouraged to complete this gym first when they are finally free to explore the region of Paldea, and this is for a good reason. The Cortondo gym is by far one of the easiest for players to complete due to the combination of Bug-type Pokemon and also being the lowest level of the gyms. Trainers can face this gym with ease from the minimum level of fifteen.

Katy's team is easy to overcome with Nymble, as it has the Fighting move Double Kick to counter. Tarountula is a walk in the park with no moves to counter, and her ace, Teddiursa, who becomes a Bug-type, has no countering moves either. If gamers picked the Fire-type Fuecoco, then this fight is a breeze. Even if the other starters are chosen, a few clever catches around the area make this battle easy.

Besides this, the gym test that a player must complete first before facing the boss is also elementary. Players just need to roll a large olive through a track, where they can even avoid battling people on it.

Katy's Team (First Battle):

*Katy will Terastallize her Teddiursa at the first opportunity.

Katy's Team (Rematch):

*Katy will Terastallize her Ursaring at the first opportunity.

7 Artazon Gym

Brassius

• Type: Grass
• Strongest Pokemon: Sudowoodo
• Highest level: 17
• Best Pokemon to take to challenge: Fletchinder, Crocalor, Paldean Wooper
• Ideal order to challenge: Second

Upon hitting the level milestone of seventeen, players will then wish to bring their attention to pursuing the Grass gym leader in Artazon. This is another simple gym to beat due to the leader Brassius type matchup being also one of the weakest.

Players are likely to have Bug-type Pokemon in their roster if they have gone to the other gym first, and therefore, they are more likely to have an easier time. However, those who choose Fuecoco as their starter are also in for a simple battle. Grass type has a weakness to Flying, Fire, Poison, Bug, and Ice, so there is a lot of room to play with when assembling a team for the Artazon Gym.

Flying types are rife in Paldea, and gamers can pick up Wattrel, Fletchling, or Rookidie to help with this gym. However, Brassius' ace will need some more planning. Its ace is the Rock-type Sudowoodo, which becomes Grass when Terastallized, and it keeps a Rock-type move in Rock Throw, which counters Fire, Flying, Ice, and Bug. The only thing left is Poison, and there are a few Pokemon like Paldean Wooper and Gastly who can counter perfectly.

Brassius' Team (First Battle):

*Brassius will Terastallize his Sudowoodo at the first opportunity.

Brassius' Team (Rematch):

*Brassius will Terastallize his Sudowoodo at the first opportunity.

6 Levincia Gym

Iono

• Type: Electric
• Strongest Pokemon: Mismagius
• Highest level: 24
• Best Pokemon to take to challenge: Clodsire, Cyclizar, Floragato
• Ideal order to challenge: Third

Increasing in difficulty slightly, increases the number of Pokemon players will need to battle against by one, as now they will be expected to defeat four Pokemon instead of three.

As an Electric gym, the only true weakness this type has is to Ground. However, taking advantage of this won't be as easy, as the first Pokemon brought out is Wattrel, which is also a Flying type, and therefore, Ground does not work on them. This would then require either an Ice or Rock type instead. Once this hurdle has been crossed, the battle will go a lot smoother.

Iono's Ace, Mismagius, is a unique Pokemon. When it is Terastallized into an Electric-type it has no weakness whatsoever thanks to its Levitate ability. However, a Normal-type Pokemon is a great way to counter this as it means its Hex won't deal any damage. A Ground-type Pokemon is still a decent option if the player has other moves on it other than Ground ones.

Iono's Team (First Battle):

*Iono will Terastallize her Mismagius at the first opportunity.

Iono's Team (Rematch):

*Iono will Terastallize her Mismagius at the first opportunity.

5 Cascarrafa Gym

Kofu

• Type: Water
• Strongest Pokemon: Crabonimable
• Highest level: 30
• Best Pokemon to take to challenge: Pawmot, Floragato, Breloom
• Ideal order to challenge: Fourth

By level 30, players will have officially started to travel further north of the map, and therefore, the next best gym to travel to is Cascarrafa's Water gym. Unlike the Electric-type gym, this battle will only include three Pokemon, but this doesn't mean that it isn't a challenge to complete.

Both Grass and Electric are beneficial here, which players are sure to have interacted with on their journey north. The only issue is that some of Kofu's Pokemon use Ground-type moves, which are highly effective against Electric types.

If Kofu's Ace Pokemon, Crabominable, had an Ice-type move (like its original typing), it would be much more of a challenge, as this would counter the Grass-type. But it doesn't, so any decent Grass Pokemon will deal with the crab comfortably. His Veluza has Pluck to counter a Grass-type, but if an Electric-type is used here, it is easy. A Grass-type can bring it home after that.

Kofu's Team (First Battle):

*Kofu will Terastallize his Crabominable at the first opportunity.

Kofu's Team (Rematch):

*Kofu will Terastallize his Crabominable at the first opportunity.

4 Medali Gym

Larry

• Type: Normal
• Strongest Pokemon: Staraptor
• Highest level: 36
• Best Pokemon to take to challenge: Pawmot, Quaquaval, Crabominable
• Ideal order to challenge: Fifth

Normal-type gyms are rather rare in Pokemon. Although they have been used before, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are no different in introducing the much-loved gym leader Larry. This average run-of-the-mill businessman enjoys normality, and that's why his team consists of three Normal-type Pokemon.

This can be quite a problem for the player, as this type lacks many weaknesses, though it also isn't strong against anything either. Therefore, players will wish to focus on Fighting types if they want to succeed in this battle. An early option for this is Pawmot or the water starter, the final evolution of Quaquaval.

Larry has the unique trait of being the first character to feature as both a Gym Leader and an Elite Four member in the same game. His Gym battle focuses on Normal types, which have one weakness in Fighting. His ace, Staraptor, becomes just a Normal-type after Terastallization, but it keeps the Flying move Aerial Ace. This is something to keep an eye on, but his other two Pokemon are easily bodied by a Fighting 'mon.

Larry's Team (First Battle):

*Larry will Terastallize his Staraptor at the first opportunity.

Larry's Team (Rematch):

*Larry will Terastallize his Staraptor at the first opportunity.

3 Montenevera Gym

Ryme

• Type: Ghost
• Strongest Pokemon: Toxtricity
• Highest level: 42
• Best Pokemon to take to challenge: Grafaiai, Grimmsnarl, Cyclizar
• Ideal order to challenge: Sixth

Mixing up the way that battles are done with the sixth gym. Players, instead of taking on the gym leader with a single Pokemon, engage in duo battles, and therefore, they will want to focus on two Pokemon that are strong against Ghost-type Pokemon.

Ghost types are completely immune to Normal, though they also can't attack them. This is one avenue to take during this battle. An easier solution would be to use dark types such as the Dark-type Pokemon Mabosstiff. This gym is by far one of the most traditional, as players will need to beat several other trainers in duo Pokemon battles before taking on Ryme.

Dual battles offer a different dynamic to solo battles. There are two Pokemon to deal with, and they can double up on one Pokemon to deal a lot of damage. Normal and Dark types thrive in this Gym, and there is very little that can deal them real damage, with only one move that can be super effective to them in Play Rough on Houndstone.

Ryme's Team (First Battle):

*Ryme will Terastallize her Toxtricity at the first opportunity.

Ryme's Team (Rematch):

*Ryme will Terastallize her Toxtricity at the first opportunity.

2 Glaseado Gym

Grusha

• Type: Ice
• Strongest Pokemon: Altaria
• Highest level: 48
• Best Pokemon to take to challenge: Talonflame, Armarouge, Ceruledge
• Ideal order to challenge: Eighth

Although it's the final gym that many players face, Ice is much easier to deal with than the other gyms available. Two out of the three starters players choose from can be used to flawlessly deal with the four Pokemon that Grusha uses against the trainer.

If players picked Feucoco, this gym is a breeze, as the now Skeledrige should defeat this gym with ease, despite moves that can counter this weakness on Grusha's team. Her Ice types won't stand a chance against Fighting types also, as there is only one move that counters this Weakness. At least her ace, Altaria, has a full moveset, unlike a lot of the other Gym Leaders.

Besides this, the gym test is by far one of the most entertaining, as players race down the extreme snowy slopes of the mountain to prove their skills to the gym leader, an ex-snowboarding pro.

Grusha's Team (First Battle):

*Grusha will Terastallize his Altaria at the first opportunity.

Grusha's Team (Rematch):

*Grusha will Terastallize his Altaria at the first opportunity.

1 Alfornada Gym

Tulip

• Type: Psychic
• Strongest Pokemon: Florges
• Highest level: 45
• Best Pokemon to take to challenge: Skeledirge, Meowscarda, Lokix
• Ideal order to challenge: Seventh

By far the most challenging gym in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is the Psychic gym found in Alfornada with the beautiful gym leader Tulip. Compared to the other gyms, Tulip is such a challenge due to firstly her Farigiraf, which, when using Zen Headbutt, can cause the player's Pokemon to flinch, or the fact that she possesses a Gardevoir.

Players will need the emotional training before the battle to prepare themselves for the four Pokemon they will face, but as long as they bring forward types such as Dark, Ghost, or even Bug, they are sure to succeed. What makes this Gym difficult is the fact there are a few Pokemon that have Fairy-type moves, which is the biggest weakness to Dark types.

Her Espathra also has Shadow Ball in her locker, which counters the Ghost-type. Tulip has a decent all-around team with a varied moveset, which can cause some problems for the player. There is no one answer for this team; gamers will need to bring a few different types in order to claim the Psychic Badge as their own.

Tulip's Team (First Battle):

*Tulip will Terastallize her Florges at the first opportunity.

Tulip's Team (Rematch):

*Tulip will Terastallize her Florges at the first opportunity.

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

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RPG

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating:71/100

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

November 18, 2022

Developer(s)

Game Freak