Pokemon Stadium 2: How to Beat the Elite Four

Despite the relative age of Pokemon Stadium 2, the title’s inclusion in August 2023’s Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack proves its popularity among Pokemon fans. With the game skipping a storyline in favor of thrilling rosters of enemies to defeat, Pokemon fans may find themselves breezing through the game’s modes and reach its inevitable endgame.

However, like with other Pokemon games, it’s when players fight the Elite Four that gameplay in Pokemon Stadium 2 can come to a standstill. With the game’s Elite Four offering quite the significant challenge compared to the game’s original offerings, just how can players defeat them?

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The Premise: 2 Rounds Of Elite Four Matchups

Similar to the other modes players can encounter in Pokemon Stadium 2 gameplay, players who want to complete the Johto Region’s Gym Leader Castle must defeat the Elite Four and the current Pokemon Champion in one go. However, completionists must defeat the Elite Four in two rounds to complete this part of the game fully.

The Battle Conditions

On top of each Round consisting of the Elite Four having different and much harder Pokemon to fight, players also need to take note of specific conditions to secure the basic parameters of their teams against this tough challenge:

• Can use Rental Pokemon
• Player Level: Level 1 to Level 100
• Opponent Level: Minimum Level 50, or match the player’s highest-level Pokemon
• Pokemon Specifics: No use of the same Pokemon
• Item Specifics: No use of the same Items
• Clauses: No more than two Pokemon can be Asleep or Frozen, players lose if their Pokemon faints at the same time as the opponent’s

Round 1 Setup Suggestions

A Familiar Challenge From Other Games

Players currently gearing up for Round 1 of their Elite Four fights in Pokemon Stadium 2 should be able to create a formidable team out of these Pokemon. Do take note that the Attacks listed here are from their Rental counterparts, but keeping a team of the same Pokemon and altering their attacks to a player’s strategy of choice should be able to help them in the running even until the Champion fight.

Recommended Party Considerations

Before players even venture into their journey to defeat the Elite Four, they must remember that the team they’re creating will be the same one they will use throughout the entire endeavor. Taking into account the strategy of not just one but all of the Elite Four plus Champion Lance means carefully looking into the following options:

Recommended Setup 1

Recommended Setup 2

Round 1 Fights

Players about to embark on their Round 1 of Elite Four fights in Pokemon Stadium 2 may experience a familiar challenge they may have felt in Elite Four fights from other games. The fact that players need to take the same team throughout the four battles all the way to Champion Lance can make the battles much tougher to accomplish. However, the right combination of Pokemon from the above samples plus some strategies should take some weight off the player’s shoulders.

Elite Four Will: Round 1 Face-Off

Players fighting Elite Four Will might find him as the "easiest" of the challenge series. They may secure the win by choosing the following Pokemon and attack strategies:

• (Setup One) Umbreon, Wobbuffet, Fearow: If everything goes well, Umbreon should theoretically be able to fight everyone in Will’s team but Clefable, which Wobbuffet can obliterate using its Mirror Coat. The latter can also fight the Psychics with its Moveset, with Fearow swooping in for the finish as well as putting up a fight against Exeggutor.
• (Setup Two) Tyranitar, Machamp, Starmie: The Will’s predominantly-Psychic team should be easy pickings for Tyranitar and its toolkit, including Clefable whose Normal typing should ordinarily annoy most other type setups. Alternately, players may choose to Paralyze heavy-hitters with Starmie before unleashing the brunt of Machamp to finish them off.

Elite Four Koga: Round 1 Face-Off

Players who want to outpace Elite Four Koga and secure the win should be able to do so by exploiting his weaknesses with the following Pokemon selections:

• (Setup One) Kadabra, Quagsire, Umbreon: The Psychic typing of Kadabra can take on Koga’s team save for Electrode and Gligar, which is where Quagsire comes in. Unlike other setups against other Elite Four members, Umbreon is a reserve unit here as it’s only useful against Double Team setups, wherein the former can use Faint Attack to bypass its defenses.
• (Setup Two) Mewtwo, Marowak, Starmie: Should players manage to secure the Legendary, Mewtwo can Ice Beam Koga’s Gligar to submission, while its overall kit can be an easy counter to the Poison-typing dominance of Koga’s team. This Psychic powerhouse should avoid Electrode as its Mirror Coat can become a lethal counter, so players can once again try to Paralyze with Starmie but this time with Marowak as a finisher.

Elite Four Bruno: Round 1 Face-Off

The more mixed bag of typings that feature in Elite Four Bruno’s team can pose a significant threat to players who don’t have suitable counters. Here are some Pokemon combos to fight them:

• (Setup One) Quagsire, Kadabra, Fearow: This setup makes for a decent one-on-two matchup, where Quagsire should theoretically have enough firepower against Onix and Golem, Kadabra can take on Machamp and Blastoise, while Fearow swoops in on the assist against Kangaskhan. The only risk element here is Kadabra versus Blastoise, as the latter getting a Headbutt in can turn lethal for the Psychic powerhouse.
• (Setup Two) Mewtwo, Machamp, Starmie: Despite the multi-typing nature of Bruno’s team, they can become advantageous for players who know which Moves to use against them. For instance, Mewtwo can use its Ice Beam and Starmie can Surf to knock out Bruno’s Rock-types (Golem, Onix). The Legendary’s Psychic can eliminate Fighting-types (Machamp, Heracross) and Kangaskhan, while the latter is also weak to a Cross Chop from Machamp. Lastly, a Thunderbolt from Mewtwo can exploit the weakness of Blastoise’s Water-typing.

Elite Four Karen: Round 1 Face-Off

Elite Karen’s mixed bag of Pokemon with a predominant Psychic and Dark sub-type can pose quite a challenge to most players fighting her for the first time. However, securing specific Moves should take advantage of vulnerabilities in Karen’s kit:

• (Setup One) Fearow, Quagsire, Kadabra: Slow is safe against Karen’s lethal setup here, where Fearow can consistently use Toxic to whittle her team’s HP, while using Drill Peck to take out the Grass/Poisons (Vileplume, Victreebel) and Murkrow. Switching Fearow for Quagsire can take care of Magmar. Gengar poses the most dangers in her team, and it’s best to switch in Kadabra so it can render its Attract useless. If Confused, Kadabra can use its Bitter Berry.
• (Setup Two) Ho-Oh, Starmie, Machamp: If players grab Ho-Oh as a Legendary, its Fire-based kit should make quick work of Karen’s Grass-types while staying relatively safe as a Flying-type. Switching to Starmie can counter Murkrow via Thunderbolt and Magmar via Surf. Lastly, Machamp should quickly Cross Chop and Earthquake the remaining Umbreon and Gengar, respectively, so they don’t get to Attract it to submission.

Champion Lance: Round 1 Face-Off

Champion L ance comes from a long line of Pokemon Champions that tend to be difficult to fight, especially with all his team members packing Hyper Beam to obliterate the player’s team if not dealt with. However, even Champions have weaknesses, especially if players know exactly what to expect and how to counter them:

• (Setup One) Quagsire, Wobbuffet, Jynx: Theoretically, Quagsire should pack enough punch to fight Aerodactyl, Charizard, Steelix, and Tyranitar. Wobbuffet can become a suitable defense against Hyper Beams, especially with Counter and Destiny Bond. Jynx can use Ice Punch to eliminate Gyarados and Dragonite.
• (Setup Two) Starmie, Mewtwo, Machamp: Surprisingly enough, Starmie becomes the star of the show as its Thunderbolt can shock Gyarados while Surf can easily take out Steelix and the fliers (Charizard, Aerodactyl). Meanwhile, Machamp can Cross Chop his Tyranitar to defeat, while Mewtwo uses Ice Beam to obliterate Dragonite.

Round 2 Setup

Switching Things Up

Before players can fully complete the Gym Castle aspect of Pokemon Stadium 2 gameplay, they must repeat the fights in the Gym ladder in Round 2. This time, all Trainers the players face will feature teams of different Pokemon, including the Elite Four and Champion Lance. As such, players also need to switch things up on the Pokemon selection, with teams adapting to themes prevalent among the Elite Four members while also preparing for surprises. Again, the Pokemon suggestions below are based on their Rental counterparts (except the Legendaries), but players can switch up Moves as they see fit.

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Recommended Party Considerations

Considering the new team compositions of each member of the Elite Four and Champion Lance, players may feel intimidated with the idea that their Pokemon team might not be up to par with this more difficult iteration of their previous match-ups. However, players need only to make certain adjustments to their playstyles to make teams that can adapt to this new challenge:

Recommended Setup 1

Recommended Setup 2

Round 2 Fights

Players about to fight the Elite Four for yet another round of battles might feel an increase in difficulty, both in their chosen slate of Pokemon and a more tactical flair in combat. While the Elite Four and Champion Lance during Round 2 will put up a tougher fight, using the prescribed Pokemon teams above in specific ways should be able to give players the edge they need to secure the win.

Elite Four Will: Round 2 Face-Off

Elite Four’s Will bounces back in his Round 2 encounter with a more diverse Pokemon slate, though the prevalence of Psychic and Flying-types in his team can be exploited with the right team combination:

• (Setup 1) Umbreon, Wobbuffet, Quagsire: With this setup, players can use Umbreon to fight the Psychic-types (Hypno, Xatu) with Faint Attack. Meanwhile, Quagsire can fight Electabuzz and Flareon. Wobbuffet is left in the reserve, and can be used to take out Chansey and Mantine to finish the match.
• (Setup 2) Houndoom, Machamp, Zapdos: Opening the fight with Houndoom should allow it to Crunch the Psychic-types (Hypno, Xatu) to submission. This leaves Will’s team wide open for Machamp to use Earthquake against Flareon and Electabuzz while obliterating Chansey via Cross Chop. Given the Electric sub-type of Zapdos, it should be able to fight Mantine.

Elite Four Koga: Round 2 Face-Off

As though following Naruto tropes, the game makes players feel they have merely defeated Elite Four Koga’s Shadow Clone in Round 1 as he returns packing a deadlier team in Round 2. The prevalence of Poison and Bug-types can make the fight much tougher even in the presence of the player’s strong Pokemon. Assuming players have secured ways of dealing with Poison, strategies to defeat Koga’s team include:

• (Setup One) Fearow, Wobbuffet, Umbreon: Thanks to Toxic from Fearow facing off with the Toxic of Koga’s own team, the match with him becomes a battle of attrition. On top of using Toxic, Fearow can also eliminate the Bug-types (Ariados, Venomoth). Umbreon can secure guaranteed hits if Koga’s team uses Double Team often, with Wobbuffet for the reserve switch-in.
• (Setup Two) Zapdos, Machamp, Mewtwo: Maintaining Zapdos alive as long as possible can give it room to eliminate the Bug-types (Venomoth, Ariados) with Drill Peck, wreck Lanturn with Hidden Power, and electrocute Lapras with Thunderbolt. With the battlefield clear, Machamp can use Earthquake against Magmar and Cross Chop against Stantler. Worst-case scenarios can rely on Mewtwo for backup given its innately-powerful attacks.

Elite Four Bruno: Round 2 Face-Off

Bruno returns with a vengeance in a player’s Round 2 face-off with the Elite Four member, packing a lot of punches quite literally with his slate of Fighting and Normal-type Pokemon. Regardless of Bruno’s opening, any significant hit will likely force him to bring out Machamp for heavy-hitting attacks. Given the player’s current team setups, potential ways of dealing with Bruno’s tricky kit could be:

• (Setup One) Wobbuffet, Fearow, Haunter: Timing is key with this particular matchup. Wobbuffet can counter a Granbull opening with a Counter going to Destiny Bond, and counter an Exeggutor opening with Mirror Coat. Neither of these killing the opener will likely have Bruno bring out Machamp, which is where the player can use Fearow for a counter-kill. Fearow can also take care of Exeggutor and Primeape, while Haunter can fight Golem and Ursaring.
• (Setup Two) Mewtwo, Machamp, Zapdos: While Mewtwo should be able to use Ice Beam against Golem and Exeggutor as well Psychic against the Fighting-types (Primeape, Machamp), it could be lethal to the Legendary if any of them manage to get a Fissure against it. If Mewtwo gets in any danger, Zapdos can swoop in for the assist with Hidden Power and Drill Peck. Machamp should also easily be able to Cross Chop the Normal-types out of the field (Granbull, Ursaring).

Elite Four Karen: Round 2 Face-Off

Unlike the more predominant theme in the first appearance of Elite Four Karen in Pokemon Stadium 2 gameplay, her Round 2 team can be a tough cookie to handle as everyone who has Swagger will likely open with the Move, and her Misdreavus possesses a three-turn KO via Perish Song. However, players can exploit Swagger as her Pokemon will usually only use it as their first move or as soon as a Pokemon gets out of Confusion. Player Pokemon in near-KO or at a disadvantage against Karen’s team typings usually receive attacks instead. With these in mind, potential match-ups include:

• (Setup One) Fearow, Wobbuffet, Haunter: Avoiding Swagger is key here, and capitalizing on Fearow being at a Type disadvantage can help it use Toxic and Drill Peck to slowly kill the other Pokemon. Wobbuffet can use Safeguard against debuffs and Swagger as well as for damage absorption with neat strike-backs via Counter, Destiny Bond, and Mirror Coat. Haunter mainly serves as backup, especially for damage sponging.
• (Setup Two) Machamp, Houndoom, Zampdos: Mewtwo skips this fight due to the presence of inherent weaknesses. Machamp takes the lead with Cross Chop against Umbreon and Persian as well as Earthquake against Electrode. Meanwhile, Zapdos can use Thunderbolt to take care of Slowbro and Murkrow. If Misdreavus uses Perish Song, it’s wide open for a quick Houndoom finish via Crunch.

Champion Lance: Round 2 Face-Off

The Round 2 fight against Champion Lance is where the Pokemon Champion proves he’s finally getting serious - at least, in the context of Pokemon gameplay. The presence of Hyper Beam can KO the player’s Pokemon in a few turns, making this fight a test of speed. With the setups above, recommended teams include:

• (Setup One) Quagsire, Wobbuffet, Jynx: A Tyranitar opener can have a Quagsire counter via Surf, while any other opening could use Wobbuffet for extra survival and a Safeguard follow-up. Players then switch-up depending on the second Pokemon, with Wobbuffet potentially enough of a powerhouse with its Counter, Destiny Bond, and Mirror Coat for counter-offensives. Jynx should go for Ice Punch against a Dragonite appearance.
• (Setup Two) Zapdos, Kingdra, Machamp: As with the previous fights, Zapdos could use Thunderbolt to take care of Aerodactyl and Feraligatr. Meanwhile, Machamp can use the ever-reliable Cross Chop to take care of Kangaskhan and Tyranitar, while Kingdra can eliminate Dragonite and Arcanine with Ice Beam and Surf, respectively.

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Pokemon Stadium 2

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Released

March 28, 2001

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WHERE TO PLAY

PHYSICAL

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Developer(s)

Nintendo EAD, HAL Laboratory

Platform(s)

Nintendo 64

Genre(s)

Tactical

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