Pokemon Indigo Disk: How to Complete Drayton’s Elite Trial

Drayton is easily the most charismatic of the Elite Four in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk, but don’t let that fool you, as his Elite Trial is challenging. You’ll be using Pokemon you’ve most likely never used before, and here’s everything you need to know to be victorious.

How to Beat Drayton’s Elite Trial in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk

Each member of the Elite Four has a unique Elite Trial that you will have to beat before you can face them in battle. Drayton’s will have you facing off against three different trainers, each with vastly different Pokemon. The kicker is that you cannot use your regular Pokemon party that you have trained for this exact moment.

Instead, you’ll have to use the Pokemon you’ve caught inside the Terarium in unique Terarium-Only Battles. Oh, and he will know if someone traded you the Pokemon. So, make sure it is one that you have caught yourself.

And if you were thinking that your challengers use Dragon-type Pokemon like their leader and you can just go out and catch some Pokemon in the immediate vicinity to counter them, you’d be dead wrong and liable to get your butt handed to you. You’ll most likely want to travel around and collect a diverse Pokemon team from several of the Terarium’s Biomes.

Luckily, a lot of the final evolution Pokemon that you can encounter in the Terarium are of a similar level to these three trainers and you should not have to spend time leveling them up. Below, you will find details on the Pokemon of all three trainers, and you can best decide whether you have new Pokemon that can face off against them.

Ray the Student

The below table will best prepare you for your battle with Ray.

With both of Ray’s Pokemon being weak to Ground-type moves, it is a good idea to be prepared and seek out Pokemon that either have a strong Ground-type move or can be taught one. On top of this, it is vital to ensure you do not choose Pokemon weak to Electric or Steel types. Magnezone should be the focus as it has the 4X weakness to Ground, and once it has been defeated, Zebstrika will be next.

Winter the Student

The below table will best prepare you for your battle with Winter.

Your common friend against Winter will be Ground-type Pokemon. Fortunately, there are plenty of them wandering around the biomes of the Terarium. Focus on Alolan Sandslash first during the battle, as it will be easier to take down with those 4X weaknesses to Fighting and Fire. Then, finish up Dewgong.

Craig the Student

The below table will best prepare you for your fight with Craig.

Another set of Pokemon where you should choose Pokemon with a strong Ground type move. Bastiodon should be the focus due to its weakness to Ground. Otherwise, you should also be able to take Bastiodon and Rampardos out concurrently with either Water or Fighting-type moves.

Which Pokemon Should You Use in Drayton’s Trial?

It becomes rather apparent that it is vital to have a Pokemon with good Ground moves to defeat all three of these trainers in Drayton’s trial. In fact, you’ll be laughing all of the way to the finish line if you partner a strong Pokemon that knows Earthquake with one with the Levitate ability.

We’d recommend pairing a Swampert with an Elektross for a combination that can hit all of the trial challengers’ weaknesses while avoiding any weakness of your own.

You can obtain an Elektross by catching an Eelektrik in the Polar Biome’s Chargestone Cavern then exposing it to a Thunder Stone. If you have trouble finding an Eelektrik, you can also grab a Tynamo to level it up into Eelektrik then use a Thunder Stone.

Swampert requires more work to acquire as you’ll need to first upgrade the Coastal Biome by donating 3,000 BP at the League Club Room’s PC. If you do this, you can than catch a Mudkip in the Torchlit Labyrinth, then level it up to evolve it into Marshtomp, then Swampert.

If you don’t want to put in the work to catch a Swampert (understandable), then you can try replacing it with an Excadrill, but you’ll want to watch out for any Water-type attacks challengers can throw your way during the trial. You’ll be able to find an Excadrill in the Polar Biome’s Chargestone Cavern—perfect if you’re also trying pick up an Elektross.

But, as long as the Pokemon you choose for Drayton’s trial are of a similar or higher level, have super-effective attacks, and you’re stocked up on Max Potions and Revives, you’ll have no problem defeating these three. After all, it’s six against two in the end.

Once you have defeated all three of the above trainers, that’s when the difficulty really begins. Drayton’s battle is a lot harder, and you’ll need to be at your best. If you find him difficult, take a break, and focus on Crispin, Lacey, or Amarys‘ Elite Trials.