Hello, Pokejungle followers! I hope everyone is having a great day. I sure am as today is a national Korean holiday, so we have the day off! We don’t get many days off in Korean private schools, so we take all that we can get. I’ll be heading out in a bit to a vegetarian picnic on a little island along one of the large rivers that separates two parts of Seoul. I’m making Pa Jeon for the occasion.
[spoiler]I’m really glad that the previous Elite 4 UNTAMED article was a success. I hope to bring you more fun reads in the future! This particular article will be focusing on the second elite four member: Grimsley! He uses the infamous dark type Pokemon that we all love to dearly. We’re still waiting on a dark type gym leader, but these awesome dark elite four members will just have to do until Game Freak decides to grace its fans with this long awaited request. Grimsley is a pretty slick fellow; he sports a kind of “sophisticated vampire” look, and his battle room looks like a large, dark castle with a huge chandelier floating above his head. It suits his personality well, and it’s also fitting for the elusive dark type.
Dark types have played an interesting role in Pokemon; they have two odd weaknesses (fighting and bug) and resist ghost and dark. They have a full immunity to psychic, which has somewhat outlasted its usefulness since psychic types are being forced more and more on the back burner with every new installment.
Grimsley’s lineup consists three level 48s; Scrafty (dark/fighting), Liepard (dark), and Krookodile (dark/ground). His last teammate is a level 50 Bisharp (dark/steel). Game Freak has provided us with a slew of bug types to use and quite a few useful fighting types that will help us greatly in this fight. While the bug types are in fact abundant, not many can outlive their usefulness this late in the game. Leavanney (bug/grass), Scoliopede (bug/poison), Accelgor (bug) and Escavalier (bug/steel) will probably be your best bet if you insist on using something of insect origin. I prefer going the fighting type route since they’re far better off in the battle field due to higher stats/move pools. Emboar (fire/fighting), Conkeldurr (fighting), Scrafty (dark/fighting), Meinshao (fighting) or any of the three legendary fighting beasts will provide just what you need to win this fight easily. Two of his dark types (Liepard and Krookodile) come with weak defenses and Bisharp comes with a 4x weakness to fighitng moves, so a strong, agile attacker can wipe the floor clean with a single hit! Start the fight once you’re healed up and have some full restores handy, as you’ll probably need them for this strong battle!
The first contender you’ll battle with is his level 48 Scrafty. I’ve grown quite fond of Scrafty and its overall usefulness. Not only does it have bulky defenses and a solid move pool, but it comes tagged with the offensive fighting type and defensive dark type. You never know what kind of Scrafty you’re up against; is it a wall? An offensive tank? An all-out attacker? It’s difficult to tell until it’s too late. Fortunately, Grimsley’s Scrafty isn’t that complicated. He comes with three decent offensive moves; Crunch, Brick Break, Poison Jab and Sand Attack (really? Sand Attack?). The prior two are great STAB moves that one should be wary about, especially if using a Scrafty for this fight. Poison Jab isn’t nearly as threatening and should only be avoided if you’re using a grass type like Leavanney. I used Meinshao during my first run with Grimsley and took out his Scrafty with a powerful Hi Jump Kick. If you’re lucky enough to have a Conkledurr, this is the perfect opportunity to get off a few Bulk Ups (a support move that raises attack and defense), as none of Scrafty’s moves leave too big of a dent for Conkledurr’s epic defense stat. If you’re unprepared and get one of your teammates killed, his Scrafty will gain an attack boost from its Moxie ability. Make sure you take it out first!
Once you take out his Scrafty, Liepard will take his place. To be quite honest, this fight is a joke. I honestly think Liepard is one of the weakest Pokemon out there. Not only does it have terrible stats, but also a near useless move pool with the exception of Fake Out, Nasty Plot and one or two other notable attacks. Nasty Plot could be used to set up Liepard’s 88 special attack, but its defenses are so pitiful that it probably wouldn’t survive a hit from even a neutral attack. Grimsley’s Liepard will start off with a Fake Out, which will deal minimal damage and flinch you. After recovering, take her out with whatever attacks you have at your disposal.
After defeating the simple Liepard, you’ll face Krookodile next. As mentioned in the previous article against Shauntil, Krookodile is quite the beast! He comes with Crunch, Earthquake, Dragon Claw and Foul Play (does higher damage if the opponent has higher attack). Each of his moves is powerful and, with the exception of Dragon Claw, comes with a STAB bonus. The fight will start out with Krookodile’s intimidate, which will lower your attack stat by one point. A minor annoyance, but it could make a difference between taking out Krookodile with one hit or two hits, which would could change the battle entirely. The use of special attacks or special attackers is preferred for this round. Although when using a monster such as Conkledurr during this fight, a minor attack reduction might not make much of a difference (especially if you have one or two bulk ups already in place). As long as you mind the powerful STAB Earthquake and the occasional surprise of Dragon Claw, you shouldn’t have much trouble with this fight due to Krookodile’s weak defenses.
Lastly you’ll fight Bisharp, a dark/steel type. Bisharp is an interesting Pokemon. Dark is a great type, and being blessed with the steel type makes it quite unique as it comes with tons of resistances. Its comes with a high attack stat, with defense following closely behind. It’s one major downfall is the fact that Bisharp doesn’t come with many powerful moves to compliment its power. The Swords Dance and Sucker Punch combo is the most popular with Bisharp (and really the only decent combo with it). Grimsley’s Bisharp has a variety of offensive moves such as Night Slash, X-Scissor, Metal Claw and Aerial Ace. None of his moves pose much of a threat, although Aerial Ace can dent some hefty fighting or bug types that you may be using. A fire type like Darmanitan would be your safest bet, but a bulky fighting type would do just fine. Bisharp has a quadruple weakness to fighting, so she will more than likely suffer from a 1HKO.
Hopefully you didn’t have too much of a problem with Grimsley’s first fight, because his second fight as actually much more difficult! Like the previous Elite 4 member, he comes with an increased level cap (four 71s and one 73 respectively). His existing teammates have a number of changes to them. First off, Liepard comes with Sucker Punch instead of Night Slash. This can deal some solid damage as it’s the second most powerful priority move in the game. Combined with STAB and Liepard’s somewhat decent attack stat makes it a threat, but a rather insignificant one. In no way does it make up for Liepard’s horrific defenses, so just like before, take her out swiftly with a super effective move! Scrafty comes with Head Smash instead of Sand Attack, which can be quite dangerous especially if you’re using a fire or fighting type against him. A heavy set fellow like Conkledurr or even another Scrafty can take one of these hits quite easily. His Krookodile contains Smack Down instead of Earthquake (a rather silly change if you ask me) and Outrage instead of Dragon Claw (now we’re talkin!). Outrage can wreck some serious havoc on any unsuspecting trainer. Krookodile should be taken out quickly before she lets out a few of these as they can put a serious dent in any team. Lastly, Bisharp comes with Guillotine (an instant KO move) instead of Metal Claw. Guillotine, while inaccurate, can still be extremely threatening if you’re unlucky. I don’t know how many times I’ve been down to the last Poke in a fight and something like this is used. For whatever odd reason, fate is against me and it hits! It’s so infuriating! Hopefully you’ll have more than one teammate available in case this happens. I made sure to use Meinshao during this particular fight and landed a swift Hi Jump Kick right in Bisharp’s stupid metal face before she got off a cheap instant KO move (I’m obviously pretty bitter about this!).
As far as Grimsley’s new members, his first teammate is now a Sharpedo (water/dark), which sports Aqua Jet, Night Slash, Earthquake and Waterfall. Sharpedo is often referred to as a “glass cannon” due to its high attack and poor defense. Any attack, and I mean any (especially if Sharpedo is weak against it) should KO it in one hit. It’s worthy to note that Sharpedo does come with the Rough Skin ability, which will do damage whenever it gets touched by a physical attack, so plan accordingly!
After Scrafty he’ll send out a Drapion (poison/dark). Drapion is one of my favorite Pokemon from Generation IV. I really like the design and color scheme as well as its type and move pool. Its typing neutralizes his fighting weakness as well. Grimsley’s Drapion comes with quite the diverse skill set; sporting Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Poison Fang and Crunch. Its stats are rather decent as well, sporting decent attack, speed and defense. Its HP and special stats are nothing to write home about, but there are definitely worse contenders out there! I found it easier to use a strong ground type against Drapion due to his neutrality to fighting moves and weakness to ground. Excadrill works well if you’re not afraid of Fire Fang. Its fast and powerful, so a single Earthquake should be enough to take her out![/spoiler]
Phew! Cheers to another hefty article, yeah? I’m assuming future Elite 4 articles will be just as meaty with text. I hope you all enjoyed the read. Did you use any special tactics or methods? Were you awesome enough to have a Bulk Up Conkledurr wipe out Grimsley’s team? As usual, leave your feedback in the comments!
P.S – Another random fact about myself – I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, which is where the majority of my family resides. Hooray for the Grand Canyon State!
P.S.S – 1807 words. Hot day-um!