Just like most of its previous iterations, the new Pokémon Sword & Shield has a great lineup of gym leaders ready to challenge every player.
Each of these gym leaders has their own set of type-specific Pokémons. As such, it is fairly easy to come up with a lineup that could easily beat them. Pokémon Sword & Shield have eight gym trainers.
However, there are a handful of trainers that are just difficult to overcome. Most of them are top-tiered gym leaders, and gamers will face them on the latter part of the game. Here are the top three Pokémon Sword & Shield gym trainers and a strategy to beat them.
Melony, Circhester City
Once players reach Circhester City, they will have to face gym leader Melony before they can proceed. The local gym is full of pitfalls. Using a rod will usually do the trick.
There are a fair number of underlings in the local gym, so stacking up on potions is necessary. Melony is fairly difficult to beat especially if the wrong Pokémon type is used.
Melony uses ice type Pokémons, so the easy counter here is fairly simple: use steel, fire, water, or ice type Pokémons. Dragon, grass, and flying Pokémons are essentially useless when facing an ice type.
As for her Pokémons, Melony’s team is composed of Frosmorth, Darmanitan, Eiscue, and Lapras.
A bizarre #PokemonSwordShield glitch is making Trainers perform weird actions in battle, as though they’ve got psychic powers 😅https://t.co/zDL6bBny24
— Pokemon News (@TrainerINTEL) May 3, 2020
Raihan, Hammerlocke City
Hammerlocke might be the last stronghold of Pokémon Sword & Shield, but Raihan is not the strongest of gym leaders, at least when it comes to tactics. The gym leader uses rock, ground, dragon, and steel type Pokémons.
The route to Raihan is a bit tough, considering that he is the last gym leader. Gamers will face a slew of trainers with a diverse set of Pokémons. Using several Pokémon types is essential in overcoming these foes.
When facing Raihan, having an ice-type Pokémon is the safe option. Having a fire type Pokémon will also help since he has a Duraludon. For the ultimate counter, a high-level water-type Pokémon is guaranteed to beat Raihan.
Piers, Spikemuth City
Taking the top spot is Piers, from Spikemuth City. What makes Piers a dangerous foe is his Pokémon type: Dark.
Since the first inception of the Pokémon franchise, dark type Pokémons consistently ranks as among the strongest. Pokémon Sword & Shield is no exception.
Piers has a lineup of some of the strongest Pokémons in the game. His lineup includes Obstagoon, Scrafty, Skuntank, and Malamar. All of his Pokémons are dark-type, and finding a counter is a bit difficult.
In terms of strategy, snatching a set of fairy, fighting, and bug type Pokémons will do the trick. A Grimmsnarl, with its dark and fairy attributes, will give a good fighting chance against Piers.
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