One of the most nostalgic, magical elements of any Pokemon game is exploring the most hidden areas of the region and coming face-to-face with a legendary Pokemon. There’s a reason why these Pokemon are on the box, or why they’re kept secret for as long as possible.
But legendary Pokemon have earned that title for a reason. Not only do they have fascinating lore that often evokes more questions than answers, their stats and abilities are significantly higher than any Pokemon you’ll find in the wild or in most trainer’s hands in-game.
But even if these legendaries stand adjacent to gods (or in some cases are gods), there’s always a way to beat them.
The Ruinous Quartet
The Ruinous Quartet, or the Treasures of Ruin, are some of my favorite legendries in recent generations. As someone who accidentally claimed a minor in Chinese History, their symbolism, inspiration, and Ghibli-esque appearance was an instant appeal. Their amazing abilities further cemented their position as S-Tier additions. But bringing them down isn’t easy, even if you come at them at Level 60 or higher.
How to Beat Pokemon Violet and Scarlet’s Post-Game Legendaries
How to Beat Pokemon Violet and Scarlet’s Wo-Chien
Wo-Chien is likely the first of the quartet’s doors you’ll stumble upon, if not the first of the four you’ll challenge. This snail’s true form is the wooden tablets that make up its spiraling shell. It remains welded to the rest of its body, composed of ivy, most, and other vegetation, through the grudges of the person who wrote a long-dead king’s evil deeds on the tablet. Wo-Chien’s suggested in-game ability is to drain the life out of vegetation like a pestilence, turning the valleys and fields barren.
In a battle, it’s just as likely to drain the life out of your Pokemon. Wo-Chien is Dark / Grass Typing and you’ll encounter it at Level 60. Of the Ruinous Quartet, Wo-Chien has the highest Special Defense at 185. But its other stats are nothing to sneeze at. Its Defense clock in at 133, its Special Attack at 123, its Attack at 128, and its Speed is 96. Its health is the second highest of the quartet, coming in at 190.
Its ability is Tablets of Ruins, which lowers the attack stat of all Pokemon but itself by 25%. It knows Giga Drain, Ruination, Foul Play, and Power Whip. These moves are either Dark or Grass Type, and so receive the STAB bonus.
Of these moves, the one you’re likely to experience the most are Ruination, Power Whip, and Giga Drain. Ruination is particularly brutal because it cuts your Pokemon’s current health in half, no matter what. Its accuracy is high, too, so it’s likely to hit. Power Whip has a brutal 120 base power and an accuracy of 85. For coverage, Foul Play does more damage the higher your Pokemon’s attack is, and Giga Drain will, of course, recover its health while also doing a base power of 75.
Wo-Chien is a strong Pokemon, in other words, just like the rest of the quartet. The best way you can even out the playing field is to use a status move. If it’s your goal to catch it, paralysis is your best bet. It lasts longer than other status moves and is less likely to accidentally kill it.
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In terms of elemental typing, Bug damage will do 4x damage to Wo-Chien. Other super-effective typings are fire, ice, poison, flying, and fairy. But if you want to only do neutral damage and chip away and it’s decent health pool, it’s better to go with normal, dragon, or steel. This allows you to avoid Wo-Chien getting super effective hits on you.
Once the battle begins, try to lead with a status move like nuzzle, as you’re almost guaranteed to go first if your Pokemon isn’t under leveled. But expect Ruination once Wo-Chien starts the fight. A Pokemon with high Special Defense and high Attack are your best options here. Blissey is an example of a Pokemon that can absorb tons of damage while whittling away at Wo-Chien’s health.
From there, just manage your Pokemon’s health. This is likely to be a war of attrition, as Wo-Chien will continuously spam Giga Drain and Ruination. But your Pokemon needs enough health to endure a Power Whip if it comes.
If you find that its attacks are simply too much and Wo-Chien is wiping your team, it might be prudent to come back after a few levels.
How to Beat Pokemon Violet and Scarlet’s Chien-Pao
Heading to West Province, we encounter Chien-Pao. Its fangs are composed of the broken ends of a sword and its hilt, a symbol of the hatred of the people who were slain beneath that sword’s very blade. We can only imagine that the battle happened in the snowfields of Glaseado Mountain, as Chien-Pao’s body is made of ice, and it has a complete mastery of snow itself.
Chien-Pao will bring that same chill to the battlefield. It’s a Dark and Ice type and when you encounter it, it will be Level 60. Where Wo-Chien was a Master of Special Defense. Chien-Pao is devastatingly fast. You’ll encounter it with 188 Speed, 197 Health, 140 Attack, 134 Special Attack, 123 Defense, and 89 Special Defense.
Its ability is Sword of Ruin, which lowers the Defense stats of all Pokemon but itself by 25%. This ability pairs well with its moves, which are Icicle Crash, Ruination, Sucker Punch, and Sacred Sword. These moves are primarily Ice or Dark, with the exception of Sacred Sword, and so three out of four receive a STAB bonus.
Of these moves, you’re likely to endure Ruination, Icicle Crash, or Sacred Sword most often. But it will probably lead with Sucker Punch, an attack that always allows Chien-Pao to attack first, unless you’re not preparing to attack. Which let’s be frank, you probably are.
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When fighting Chien-Pao, note that it will receive 4x damage from fighting, 2x from bug, 2x from rock, 2x from fire, 2x steel, and 2x from fairy. It has many, many weaknesses. Its low special defense also means that you’re likely to accidentally kill if you bring out a strong special attacker. For that reason, if your goal is to capture Chien-Pao, it’s best to bring out a normal, water, electric, rock, or poison.
Once the battle starts, expect Chien-Pao to start the fight with Sucker Punch. From there, it will be purely offensive stats, so your Pokemon must be able to endure physical attacks. It has one special move in Ruination, but you know Ruination will take half of your Pokemon’s health, so it can never kill you. Manage your health and the Pokemon you choose. Blissey is good for tanking damage and has access to Thunder Wave. But Bronzong and Cloyster are also good bets to whittle away Chien-Pao’s health. If your Pokemon are still going down, consider giving them a few extra levels to close the gap.
How to Beat Pokemon Violet and Scarlet’s Chi-Yu
Formed by the jade beads that comprise its eyes and the envy of all those who saw them, Chi-Yu is the next of the Treasures of Ruin. One thousand years ago, that envy was great enough that it sparked countless conflicts, as hot as the fire that it now bathes itself in. That heat is so extreme it can reach highs of 5,400 degrees of Fahrenheit, turning the rock it encounters into rivers of molten lava.
Similarly, Chi-Yu is all about burning through your defenses with Fire-based special attacks. When you first encounter it, Chi-Yu will be Level 60 with Dark and Fire typing. Its Special Attack comes in high at 167, but with a high Speed at 157, and Special Defense at 155.
Its special ability is Beads of Ruin, which lowers the Special Defense stats of all Pokemon but itself by 25%. This ability is particularly brutal because of how devastating its special attacks are. Like the rest of the Treasures of Ruin, it has Ruination, which damages half of your Pokemon’s current health. But it also has Lave Plume, Bounce, and Swagger.
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Two of Chi-Yu’s moves can cause status conditions: Bounce and Lava Plume. Bounce has a 30% chance of paralyzing your Pokemon and Lava Plume has a 30% of burning your Pokemon. Bounce has a little stronger base power at 85, but Lava Plume gets STAB as well as 80 base power. It’s also an attack you’re very likely to see.
Chi-Yu’s combination of attacks and stats make is a very, very formidable foe, and it’s a favorite on many competitive teams when legendries are allowed. Its major weaknesses are water, fighting, ground, and rock. But if you want to whittle it down to size, normal, poison, flying, and dragon Pokemon are all good options.
The best Pokemon to catch Chi-Yu with is Blissey, because of its strong health pool, high special defense, and ability to learn Thunder Wave. Another excellent option is Goodra, who can use Rain Dance to weaken Chi-Yu’s Lava Plume. But manage your Pokemon’s health defensively. Because Chi-Yu has such a strong special attack, it’s likely to do more damage than you expect.
How to Beat Pokemon Violet and Scarlet’s Ting-Lu
Ting-Lu is the last of the Treasures of Ruin, a creature of stone and soil that is bound to the bronze ritual vessel on its head. The fear of those who lived a thousand years ago beneath the corrupt and terrible king of Paldea came together to give Ting-Lu life. Now it has the ability to bring its head down upon the ground, splitting the very earth open with fissures that run over a hundred feet deep.
It’s natural, then, that it brings the full force of the earth against you. But despite appearances, Ting-Lu’s defenses are only so-so when compared to the rest of the Treasures of Ruin. It’s a Dark Ground Typing that you’ll encounter at Level 60. Its Attack is where its stats shine, at 170. But its stat distribution is more concentrated than Ching-Yu’s. Its HP pool is high at 274, its defense is at 168, and both its speed and Special Defense are just under 100 when you first encounter it.
Its ability is Vessel of Ruin, which lowers the Special Attack of all Pokemon except itself by 25%. This provides coverage from Ting-Lu, whose Special Defense is one of its weakest stats. Like the rest of the Treasures of Ruin, it has Ruination, a move that will cut your Pokemon’s current health in half, Throat Chop, and Rock Slide. All of these moves are Physical save for Ruination, with one move being Ground, one move being Rock, and the other two being Dark.
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Other than Ruination, Ting-Lu’s moves are perhaps the least impressive and strategic of the Ruinous Quartet. Stomping Tantrum has a base power of 75 but its gimmick is that it will do double the damage if its previous move failed. Ting-Lu doesn’t have many moves that can fail, as they’re all standard attacking moves with high accuracy. Throat Chop, true to its names, stops the Pokemon attacked from using sound-based moves for two turns. While this covers 32 moves, it’s unlikely that you’re using one against Ting-Lu or that you don’t have a move you can use instead. It does have 80 base power and Ting-Lu will gain STAB, so it’s still strong. Rock Slide, by contrast, doesn’t receive stab, but might flinch your Pokemon and has a base power of 75.
These moves and stats combine to create a Pokemon that can be time-consuming to whittle down to catchable level, but is unlikely to pose a significant physical threat to your Pokemon, so long as you have a Pokemon that can endure strong physical attacks. Clawitzer has enough defense to endure Ting-Lu’s attacks, as does Leafeon, Donphan, Garchomp.
Because of Ting-Lu’s typing, it’s difficult to inflict a status on it that won’t eventually kill it, and Yawn might be disabled because of Throat Chop. But if you can outspeed it, which is likely because of Ting-Lu’s speed, Slaking can be switched in (or even used as a front Pokemon, as its HP pool is decent), to try to get off a Yawn before it’s punched in the throat.
If you find yourself struggling against Ting-Lu and you’re cognizant of its strengths and weaknesses, it’s possible your Pokemon needs to gain a few Levels before taking on the challenge again.
How to Beat Pokemon Violet and Scarlet’s Koraidon
Once you’ve defeated the game, you’ll have the opportunity to challenge your legendary companion’s bully, and the Guarding of Paradise, in the Crater of Paldea. It will be waiting for you outside the building where its trainer was felled. Ascend the ramp and challenge it, and you’ll find that Koraidon is Level 72, significantly higher than any other legendary you’ve faced, and higher than your own battle form Koraidon.
When you encounter Koraidon, its typing will be Fighting Dragon and its stats when you encounter it will be high. Particularly lethal is its attack, at 243, its Speed, at 221, and its HP, at 244. Its Defense is 188 and Special Defense is 167. Its Special Attack is only 134.
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Its special ability is Orichalcum Pulse, which turns sunlight harsh and boosts Koraidon’s attack power by 30% for five turns. This boost is brutal when combined with Koraidon’s already sky-high attack. Its move set includes Bulk Up, which increases Koraidon’s attack and defense even more, as well as Giga Impact, Collision Course, and Flamethrower.
Giga Impact has a base power of 150 and can tear away a huge chunk of your Pokemon’s health. Its balance is that Koraidon can’t move the next turn. Use that turn to heal your Pokemon. Collision Course has the potential to be even more damage dealing. This physical Fighting move has a base power of 100, an accuracy of 100, gains STAB, and will be further boosted if your Pokemon is weak to Fighting. Flamethrower is a straightforward move that might leave your Pokemon with a burn and has a base power of 90.
In order to endure Koraidon’s onslaught, the best Pokemon to bring out is a Fairy-Type. If only Diancie was in this generation. Hatterene is a surprisingly good option, as it has high defense, will only take half damage from Fighting, and its Special Defense will protect it from Flame Thrower. It can also learn Thunder Wave, which will accelerate the catching process.
If Hatterene is getting battered, which is likely, switching in to a Ghost Pokemon like Gengar will buy you the time to heal up your Pokemon. Gengar can also learn Thunder Wave, which makes it viable as your front Pokemon as well. With a combination of Fighting-resistant Pokemon, and high enough levels, Koraidon should eventually go down.
How to Beat Pokemon Violet and Scarlet’s Miraidon
Once you’ve defeated the game, you’ll have the opportunity to challenge your legendary companion’s bully, and the Guarding of Paradise, in the Crater of Paldea. It will be waiting for you outside the building where its trainer was felled. Ascend the ramp and challenge it, and you’ll find that Miraidon is Level 72, significantly higher than any other legendary you’ve faced, and higher than your own battle form Miraidon.
When you encounter Miraidon, its typing will be Electric Dragon and its stats when you encounter it will be high. Its primary stats are its Special Attack and Speed, both at 221, and its HP, which is 248. Its Special Defense is 192 and its Defense is 171. Its Attack is low in comparison at 171, but it only knows Special Attacks, so it could be at zero and it wouldn’t matter.
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Its Special Ability is Hadron Engine, which turns the ground into Electric Terrain and boosts its Special Attack by 30%. Its attacks are Power Gem, Hyper Beam, Charge, and Electro Drift. Charge increases Miraidon’s Special Defense by +1 and increases the amount of damage its Electric attacks do. Hyper Beam Electro Drift is a brutal attack with 100 base power and 100 accuracy and receives an extra boost if the move is a super effective hit. Power Gem is a straightforward Rock attack with 80 base damage and high accuracy.
Miraidon is likely to use Charge early on, as it boosts both its Special Defense by +1 and increases the damage Electro Drift does. Electro Drift receives Stab and has no cooldown, unlike Hyper Beam, so it can be difficult to counter or manage without resistance. Hyper Beam does significant damage with 150 base damage but requires Miraidon to rest on its next move, allowing you to switch in a Pokemon, use a status move, or heal.
The best way to endure this fight is to bring out a Pokemon with high Special Defense and resistance to Electric or Normal Type moves. An excellent option to bring is Tyranitar, who can take a few hits and whittle Miraidon to size. To counter Miraidon’s Electric Drift, Garchomp is also an excellent choice and an alternative to Tyranitar, for those who don’t have access to it. Gardevoir is also a good option, as it has high Special Defense, but also learns the move Hypnosis to put Miraidon to sleep.
Defeating Miraidon is straightforward, but getting it to critical health and lobbing enough Ultra Balls to capture it is a much more difficult task. But by taking into consideration its strengths and weaknesses, and the strength and weaknesses of your own party, you should be able to prevail.
Good luck catching that Pokemon!
