• Our software update is now concluded. You will need to reset your password to log in. In order to do this, you will have to click "Log in" in the top right corner and then "Forgot your password?".
  • Forum moderator applications are now open! Click here for details.
  • Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.

3rd Gen The Elite Four!

6,266
Posts
10
Years
As with every other Pokémon game, Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald had their own set of four trainers to conclude the main adventures, known as the Elite Four. This time around, they consist of Sidney, the Dark-type brass and smug man, Phoebe, the Hawaiian style Ghost-type master, Glacia, a chilly and elegant Ice-type mistress, and Drake, a sailor who utilizes Dragon-types. In Emerald, some of their teams were re-adjusted a little bit, but they're still the same members.

What did you think of the Elite Four in these games? Did you have a favorite in terms of character? Did you find them fun to battle? Were they ever hard for you? If so, when? Discuss.
 

Dragon

lover of milotics
11,151
Posts
10
Years
Phoebe is crazy~

Spr_RS_Phoebe.png


And I love her! She's pretty much my favourite out of the bunch and her Ghost pokemon are very interesting to face off! It was also the first time I found out that Sabeyle had no weaknesses, haha. All in all, I think the elite four were very fun to battle, in which the only opponent I stuggled against was Drake because I didn't really have any pokemon with Ice moves, but, still not too bad!
 

Zeffy

g'day
6,402
Posts
14
Years
  • Age 27
  • Seen Feb 7, 2024
I liked Glacia the most! However, I'm a bit disappointed at how some of them had 2 Pokemon of the same species. I guess given the limited options (which isn't a valid excuse, still) they had to squeeze what they had, but still! Phoebe had 2 Banette and 2 Dusclops, Glacia had 2 Sealeo and 2 Glalie, and Drake had 2 Flygon and both Salamence and Bagon (which technically count as the same species :p)! Still, they were pretty fun to fight the first time around, not that my overpowered starter and Rayquaza didn't plow through them anyway hehe
 

Lycanthropy

[cd=font-family:Special Elite;font-size:16px;color
11,037
Posts
10
Years
I've never had any trouble with Sidney or Glacia, but Phoebe and Drake could be annoying. Phoebe's Dusclops have too high defenses to be knocked out easily. The first one has Confuse Ray to make your Pokémon suicidal and keep hurting by Curse and the second one know a lot of different moves giving a high chance at least one is super effective. Also Pressure eats away the PP of your moves. Drake was just annoying because dragons.
I don't really like Glacia. They shouldn't have made an ice type Elite Four member when there are just two ice Pokémon. Same is with Phoebe. I'm glad they gave Drake a Kingdra in Emerald, in Ruby and Sapphire his entire team has weakness ×4 to ice (well, except Shelgon, but that thing doesn't count, it's not fully evolved).
 
1,415
Posts
15
Years
  • Seen Jul 2, 2023
I wasn't a big fan of Hoenn's Elite Four, but that's partially because I didn't battle them that many times (whereas I memorized the E4 dialogue in Gold). Of the Hoenn E4 members, my favorite was probably Drake. I like dragon-type E4 members, and I liked his appearance, too.

I didn't really like how Emerald had a different champion than R/S. I was much fonder of Steven as champion.
 
1,415
Posts
15
Years
  • Seen Jul 2, 2023
I wasn't a big fan of Hoenn's Elite Four, but that's partially because I didn't battle them that many times (whereas I memorized the E4 dialogue in Gold). Of the Hoenn E4 members, my favorite was probably Drake. I like dragon-type E4 members, and I liked his appearance, too.

I didn't really like how Emerald had a different champion than R/S. I was much fonder of Steven as champion.
 

PokéMew1

Pokémon Fuchsia
484
Posts
10
Years
Honestly, hoenn's elite four was awfully easy to me. At least, compared to FR/LG. I have no idea why but I struggled so much at FireRed's E4 the first time I played that game.. But on the topic of hoenn, I think it may have been a bit better if they didn't let you catch Rayquaza first.
 

xboxmandude

Rom Hacker
95
Posts
10
Years
I didn't really enjoy battling the e4 in emerald...
They didn't get stronger like FR+LG which was a bit disappointing
It became too easy after awhile...
Lol even blues lv 70 team became too easy for me
But it was still a challenge at first...
Usually when i reach the e4 i have 2 lv 60 pokemon
And the rest are 50s or 40s
So it wasn't really a challenge after the first few times I beat the hoen league
 
2,473
Posts
13
Years
They were alright. The Dark type guy is usually problematic cos of all the Swaggers but other then that, it wasnt too hard. I liked the location too. Wasnt a huge fan of the cave though, too many trainers for my taste. All in all, 8/10
 

Sun

When the sun goes down...
4,706
Posts
10
Years
  • Seen Jan 20, 2017
Phoebe is my favorite among the Hoenn Elite Four. She looks cute which is a bonus, most importantly she's a tough cookie! While she has 2 Banette and 2 Dusclops which is disappointing, nevertheless her two Dusclops and Sableye are difficult to win! It would have been great if they have the opportunity to receive a rematch team.
 
6,282
Posts
14
Years
  • Age 31
  • Seen today
The Hoenn Elite Four members are my favorites. They were a challenge for me growing up, especially Phoebe and her ghosts. I always liked that about them. I think each of the members are unique and I love their designs.
 
50,218
Posts
13
Years
I have to admit that while some of them had to be forced into using dupes and pre-evos in the same evolution line, I do like how uniquely designed the Hoenn Elite Four was. Phoebe was my fave member, because she's cute and uses some very powerful Ghost-types. Glacia is a close second, for her beauty and the strategy she tends to nail with her Ice-types.
 

Sirfetch’d

Guest
0
Posts
Glacia is my favorite by far in terms of design and type used but it is very disappointing how her team is so similar. She only has 3 species of Pokemon overall with Seleo and Glalie being used twice. I still love her but I just wish her team had more diversity.
 
17
Posts
8
Years
  • Age 31
  • Seen Aug 17, 2016
Sidney and Glacia are no problem if you have a fighting Pokemon. But ugh Phoebe and Drake, please stop stalling with protect on those Dusclops and Shelgon! Phoebe is probably the most annoying. She reminds me of status afflictions, PP stalling, and things just not quite dying in one hit :P
 

TheRusty

The Dragon Master
58
Posts
8
Years
The Hoenn E4 was the first E4 I didn't beat in one go, probably because of Glacia. My Fighting Type was Breloom, and I didn't have much more to beat her. Sidney is WAY too easy, Phoebe is annoying, Glacia is the hardest, and Drake is the coolest. I'll rate it 7,5/10.
 

Adam Levine

[color=#ffffff][font="Century Gothic"]I have tried
5,200
Posts
12
Years
I love Generation III, but I think the Elite Four were terrible. Three of them have two or more Pokémon of the same species, and I especially despise Glacia. WHY CAN'T SHE HAVE BEEN A GRASS-TYPE ELITE FOUR?! WHY?!

I'm also not so OK with the fact that just went with the signature typings of the Gen I and II Elite Four. It is extremely lazy and frankly they should have changed their types when they had the chance.
 
611
Posts
9
Years
The Elite 4 in these games generally just came across as a slightly modified version of Elite 4 members of previous games. It was a bit half-hearted, and they perhaps weren't sure how many people would get there if they wanted to, or play these games generally.

By this point, the Ghost and Dark-types of the Elite 4 tended to go down quite quickly, as they're mostly quite generic and tend to be vulnerable to straightforward attacks if necessary. Generally, if they chose something else to start with Ghost and Dark types, rather than the Elite 4, it might have been interesting, in lieu of that it was mostly just a bunch of fairly uninteresting Pokémon to be blasted past. Glacia was kind of nice, in that they actually relied mostly on Ice-types, but they were still quite fragile, especially against Swampert and so on. Drake was there, I guess, but more Dragon Elite 4 members by this point was getting a bit forgettable, so it was mostly just a bit of a race through their Pokémon to reach Steven, who mostly relied on their Metagross. Steven was a slightly useful Elite 4 member, because the Steel-type is a bit formidable, at least in appearance, and as such being able to get past it fairly easily in one way or another is quite nice, but at the same time it was interesting that it was effectively treated as a new type.

As a character, though, they were a bit of a repeat of Lance, like most future Elite 4 champions would be, and in this sense generally a bit of a step down from Blue. They did have quite a few filler Pokémon, and their general Water - especially along with Ice-type attacks - and Ground weaknesses were a bit underwhelming, while their design was a bit straightforward and slightly similar to Giovanni's from earlier, but nonetheless they were one of the only ones from that Elite 4 not to just allow for being brushed aside easily. Still, though, that whole Elite 4 were a bit straightforward for most usual types, and were mostly just a question of two teams throwing attacks at each other, so in that sense not really the high point of the game.
 

Desert Stream~

Holy Kipper!
3,269
Posts
8
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Aug 20, 2023
I think Pheobe was the best, Ghost types are cool (Even if she does look like a water user)
 

tokyodrift

[i]got me looking for attention[/i]
4,532
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 30
  • Seen Mar 8, 2024
Pheobe was my absolute favorite of the four. I think the biggest thing that threw me off against her was that Sableye had no weakness back then. The hardest would be a toss-up between Drake and Glacia.
 
Back
Top