Level 68 Tyranitar

Crunch Stone Edge Roar Stealth Rock

Sand Stream

Tyranitar goes down fast against any Fighting-type moves with a base power of 60 or above. Take advantage of this immediately - this thing hits hard.

Level 66 Aerodactyl

Stone Edge Roar Roost Stealth Rock

Unnerve

Water, Ice, and (ironically) Rock-type moves can make short work of it.

Level 70 Armaldo

Stone Edge Earthquake Brine X-Scissor

Swift Swim

Those self-same Water and Rock moves will remain vital here.

Level 68 Probopass

Flash Cannon Discharge Power Gem Body Press

Sand Force

Its Defense stat is impeccable, but its 4x weakness to Fighting and Ground will be its undoing. Take note that it can't be brought down in one hit thanks to its Focus Sash.

Level 64 Relicanth

Head Smash

Rock Head

That's no typo; Relicanth really does have just the one move. That's because it's equipped with a Choice Band that boosts that one move's power considerably. Use a Pokemon that resists this and you're set.

Level 72 Rampardos

Stone Edge Zen Headbutt Iron Tail Head Smash

Sheer Force

Once again, Water and Fighting are your best options, but Water is preferable if possible. Zen Headbutt's base 80 power, coupled with Rampardos' substantial Attack stat, is going to do a number on most Fighting-types.

Level 66 Jumpluff

Giga Drain Leech Seed Sleep Powder Sunny Day

Chlorophyll

Sunny Day boosts Fire-type moves, so treat this as an unintended gift for as long as it's in effect.

Level 70 Sunflora

Solar Beam

Solar Power

Another Choice Scarf wearer. Solar Power will boost Solar Beam's power a fair bit, too, so get that Fire-type attack in pronto.

Level 69 Cherrim

Solar Beam Petal Blizzard Growth Sunny Day

Flower Gift

Once again, Gardenia will spam Sunny Day here. Flower Gift gives Cherim a dangerous stat boost, so Ice-type Pokemon may be preferable in this case.

Level 68 Breloom

Focus Punch Leech Seed Substitute Spore

Poison Heal

Breloom's held item is a Toxic Orb, which inflicts heavy Poison status on the poor thing, but its Poison Heal ability turns damage into healing instead. It will undoubtedly make itself difficult to take down with Substitute. Keep pecking away.

Level 68 Torterra

Wood Hammer Earthquake Stone Edge Iron Tail

Overgrow

This thing's a menace. Earthquake and Stone Edge are going to hurt almost anything you send out. It's seriously weak to Ice-type moves, so get an Ice Beam in immediately.

Level 72 Roserade

Solar Beam Sludge Bomb Grassy Terrain Sunny Day

Natural Cure

Gardenia loves to switch Roserade in and out if the player inflicts a negative status on it; Natural Cure heals Roserade upon exit. Instead, go all-in with moves like Flamethrower.

Level 64 Hitmontop

Close Combat Stone Edge Brick Break Sucker Punch

Intimidate

Right off the bat, Maylene's Hitmontop will lower your initial Pokemon's Attack with Intimidate, so start the fight with something that thrives on Special Attack instead.

Level 66 Breloom

Mach Punch Bullet Seed Rock Tomb Force Palm

Technician

It's more or less a slightly weaker variant of the Breloom you just fought via Gardenia. Not a big deal.

Level 68 Heracross

Close Combat Stone Edge Megahorn Facade

Guts

Heracross' held item is a Flame Orb, which burns it in battle. Guts takes that status effect and gives Heracross a huge Attack stat increase. With such a boost, Close Combat can OHKO similarly-leveled Psychic Pokemon. Take Heracross down with a Flying-type move immediately before it turns the tables on you.

Level 70 Infernape

Flare Blitz Close Combat Acrobatics Overheat

Blaze

Infernape's a monster, as any Chimchar-chooser at the start of Pokemon BDSP will know. It's a good idea to have Reflect up to reduce the damage from physical moves before Maylene sends it out. Douse Infernape with special-based Water moves.

Level 72 Medicham

Zen Headbutt High Jump Kick Fire Punch Thunder Punch

Pure Power

With such a wide arsenal of typing in its move pool, Medicham can nuke a lot of Pokemon with relative ease. Don't use a Flying-type here; rely instead on a rarer Fairy-type Pokemon Gardevoir or Togekiss if available.

Level 74 Lucario

Aura Sphere Flash Cannon Water Pulse Vacuum Wave

Justified

Justified's not a big deal seeing as you probably won't be starting your assault with a Dark-type move, anyway. Remember that despite its partial Fighting-based typing, Lucario is weak to Fighting moves.

Level 68 Politoed

Surf Ice Beam Focus Blast Perish Song

Drizzle

Electric-type moves will be, predictably, handy for much of this fight. But you'll want to shoot one off on your very first turn with a Pokemon that's speedier than 70 in base power (which isn't exactly uncommon). Wake enjoys setting up Perish Song on his own first turn to force players into switching out afterward.

Level 68 Kingdra

Hydro Pump Ice Beam Dragon Pulse Rest

Swift Swim

Kingdra's got the durability to stick around for an uncomfortably long time if you aren't ready for it with a Fairy or Dragon move.

Level 68 Ludicolo

Hydro Pump Energy Ball Teeter Dance Substitute

Swift Swim

Ludicolo is fast and sharp, and Teeter Dance will inflict Confuse with 100 percent accuracy. Not good. Slam it with something from the Poison, Bug, or Flying types, and do so with as speedy a Pokemon as you've got.

Level 70 Huntail

Aqua Tail Ice Fang Crunch Shell Smash

Swift Swim

There's no good reason not to electrocute this thing with Thunderbolt or Thunder, quickly ending its reign.

Level 70 Gyarados

Aqua Tail Earthquake Stone Edge Dragon Dance

Intimidate

Wake will almost certainly pull off a Dragon Dance and chain that offensive boost to a highly deadly Earthquake if left unchecked. Thankfully, Gyarados is even weaker to Electric-type moves than Huntail. Zap it posthaste.

Level 72 Floatzel

Aqua Tail Brick Break Ice Fang Crunch

Swift Swim

Floatzel's base speed is 115, so you may have no choice but to endure a couple of attacks. It comes equipped with a Life Orb, too, which gives all of its attacks a 30 percent uptick at the cost of some HP every turn. Help Floatzel on its self-inflicted way to the grave with yet another Electric attack.

Level 68 Drifblim

Psychic Shadow Ball Thunderbolt Strength Sap

Flare Boost

Drifblim's got that Flame Orb strategy that Heracross used, so its Special Attack will skyrocket. On the flip side, Drifblim's base stats are kind of terrible, so "skyrocket" is a relative term. If you have a Pokemon that knows Hex, Drifblim's Burn status will double Hex's attack power. It's weak to Ghost-type moves, so a single shot should do it.

Level 65 Banette

Shadow Sneak Sucker Punch Trick Snatch

Cursed Body

Banette is a fairly standard-issue Ghost Pokemon. Use Dark moves and call it a day.

Level 70 Dusknoir

Shadow Sneak Earthquake Confuse Ray Will-O-Wisp

Pressure

Earthquake can hit pretty hard despite Dusknoir lacking innate Ground-type STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus). But Fantina will often focus on Confuse Ray and Will-O-Wisp. Bring something hardy with a decent Dark-type attack like Crunch.

Level 70 Mismagius

Shadow Ball Dazzling Gleam Energy Ball Mystical Fire

Levitate

Send out a Fire-type Pokemon for sure. This will help prevent Mystical Fire from threatening you. Mismagius Defense is half as high as its Special Defense, so a move like Flare Blitz will be fatal.

Level 72 Froslass

Frost Breath Hex Will-O-Wisp Destiny Bond

Cursed Body

Destiny Bond links your Pokemon to Froslass in the sense that if Froslass goes down, yours does as well. Don't let it go to your head - in a pinch, just have a Pokemon that's less prime against Fantina be the one to deliver the finishing blow. Fire attacks remain stellar here, and physical/special are both valid options.

Level 72 Gengar

Sludge Bomb Focus Blast Hex Toxic

Cursed Body

Of all Fantina's Pokemon, Gengar tends to hit the hardest. Its Toxic move will quickly prove to be a pain in the rear, but Sludge Bomb will spell doom for anything you send out that isn't strong against Poison-type attacks. Ground, Psychic, and Ghost attacks are your best bets here.

Level 69 Skarmory

Steel Wing Stealth Rock Iron Defense Taunt

Sturdy

Come at Skarmory with a Fire-type barrage, preferably Special-based as its Defense stat is high. Flamethrower works well.

Level 69 Steelix

Earthquake Crunch Iron Tail Ice Fang

Sheer Force

We're not sure what Byron thinks he's doing sending out a Steelix with Ice Fang, seeing as its typing stops Grass moves from being super-effective. That said, Earthquake will do a ton of damage to your Fire Pokemon... unless they're immune to Ground damage like, say, Moltres or Ho-Oh.

Level 70 Magnezone

Thunderbolt Flash Cannon Light Screen Roar

Torrent

Ground moves will melt this thing to scrap since Magnezone, somewhat amusingly, does not have the Levitate ability.

Level 70 Empoleon

Hydro Pump Flash Cannon Roar Ice Beam

Torrent

Electric is your safest bet here. Thunderbolt should get rid of Empoleon in two or three turns tops, which is a good thing indeed, because it's an excellent special-based sweeper that will tear your team to shreds if given the chance.

Level 71 Aggron

Head Smash

Rock Head

This is Roark's Relicanth all over again. Bring someone with a very high Defense stat if you can. If that someone is Ground or Fighting in type, all the better.

Level 72 Bastiodon

Metal Burst Heavy Slam Stealth Rock Roar

Sturdy

Byron really loves to spam Roar with several of his Pokemon, and it's never more frustrating than with Bastiodon. It's a tank, with a Sturdy ability that ensures you can't OHKO it, followed by a likelihood of setting up Stealth Rock and using Roar to whittle everyone down. Bring that same Pokemon you used against Aggron and be prepared to heal if it keeps getting tossed out.

Level 68 Abomasnow

Wood Hammer Ice Punch Earthquake Aurora Veil

Snow Warning

There's a good chance you have a Fire Pokemon at this point in the game. Either Infernape or Magmortar can take care of Abomasnow with ease. Of course, Earthquake is ever a conundrum for Fire-types; but Speed is hardly Abomasnow's best stat, so act fast and move forward.

Level 70 Jynx

Blizzard Focus Blast Sweet Kiss Lovely Kiss

Dry Skin

Jynx's Defense is terrible. Go to town with one of the aforementioned Pokemon (or really, any solid Fire-type), and don't worry about Infernape being part Fighting-type. Jynx can't actually use any Psychic-type moves here, funnily enough.

Level 68 Mamoswine

Earthquake Stone Edge Ice Shard Double Team

Snow Cloak

It's old hat at this point in your Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Gym Leader rematches, but Earthquake and Stone Edge continue to be a problem. Mamoswine's secret weapon, however, is Double Team. If Candice can use this a few times, the hulking behemoth of a Pokemon will be oddly tough to hit, so hit first and hit hard with Fire, Grass, Water, or Steel attacks.

Level 70 Froslass

Blizzard Baby-Doll Eyes Freeze Dry Double Team

Ice Body

It's more than a little worrisome that Froslass freezes men and adds them to her collection (it's in the lore!) and makes liberal use of a move called Baby-Doll Eyes, but such is life in the wonderful world of Pokemon. Launch a Ghost-type Pokemon like Gengar or Mismagius into the ring, since none of Froslass' moves can do much against one.

Level 70 Glaceon

Blizzard Freeze Dry Baby-Doll Eyes Double Team

Ice Body

Like Froslass, Glaceon's Ice Body ability allows it to regain HP in a hailstorm. But since Candice's Abomasnow, with its Snow Warning ability that summons a hailstorm, is likely long gone at this point? There's a decent chance the storm will be long gone. Infernape and other Fire-types is still your surefire (no pun intended) solution.

Level 72 Weavile

Night Slash Ice Shard Brick Break X-Scissor

Pressure

Weavile's Speed is off the charts, so unless you're packing ubers, don't fixate on trying to outpace it. Instead, keep Weavile on its toes with a flurry of Fire attacks as per much of the match beforehand.

Level 70 Pelipper

Hydro Pump Hurricane Ice Beam U-Turn

Drizzle

An odd way to kick things off against the Electric-type Gym Leader, but that's just how Volkner rolls. Nuke it with a 4x effective Electric attack, which you will unsurprisingly never use again during this battle.

Level 70 Raichu

Thunder Focus Blast Surf Volt Switch

Lightning Rod

Raichu just isn't what it used to be in the olden days. If you can bring an Earthquake-user to bear upon it within the same level range, it's going to lose. All the better if it's not an innately Ground-type Earthquake-user, as Volkner may see that and Volt Switch to a different party member.

Level 70 Luxray

Ice Fang Volt Switch Play Rough Electric Terrain

Intimidate

Luxray's Attack stat is the only thing to truly look out for here, and if you have a Pokemon on the field that's weak to Ice Fang, that could present a problem. Take advantage of its middling Defense and Special Defense by striking fast with a Ground attack.

Level 66 Lanturn

Thunder Surf Ice Beam Volt Switch

Volt Absorb

It's too bad that Volkner's team has so much Grass coverage because it severely limits the viability of Grass-type opponents against Lanturn here. Then again, that's what makes these rematches so tough. Once again, stick with something Ground-related, and be advised that Lanturn will spam Volt Switch just as easily if frightened. But it's a slow one, this Lanturn, so it might not matter.

Level 68 Jolteon

Thunder Reflect Shadow Ball Volt Switch

Quick Feet

Jolteon is inherently very fast, and its Toxic Orb held item combines with Quick Feet to make it well and truly swift. Its HP pool is far from terrific, however, so that self-inflicted Poison might just be its undoing. Instead of trying to outpace Jolteon, take the long road with moves like Stone Edge. It may switch in and out like the rest of Volkner's posse, but that Poison isn't going to go away.

Level 75 Electivire

Thunder Earthquake Flamethrower Cross Chop

Motor Drive

If Turtwig was your starter, now's its time to shine. (Besides all those other times.) Torterra can laugh off Electivire's surprising Earthquake and hit back with an Earthquake of its own. Will Flamethrower cause some trouble? Absolutely, but since Electivire will lack STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), a similarly-leveled Torterra can withstand the hit. Barring Torterra, there are plenty of other options — pretty much any Pokemon akin to it will suffice. You're never going to attack Electivire with an Electric-type move, so its Motor Drive ability is useless.