Your big battle with Champion Leon in Pokémon Sword & Shield is built up throughout your entire adventure. With your several friendly encounters, his regal appearance, and an intimidating Charizard standing beside him at all times, it’s clear from the beginning that he’s no walk in the park.
Like most Pokémon games, though, there are tons of ways to make this climactic showdown much easier. His team features some of the strongest and most competitive Pokémon in all of Galar by his side, so here are some tips and strategies to help you take him down.
10 His Team Counters Your Starter
An important thing to be wary of is that, unlike champions like Lance or Steven from older games, Leon’s team varies based on which starter you choose at the beginning of the game. This isn’t intended to simply counter your starter, but it means that Leon will have a fairly diverse set of Pokémon with no consistent weaknesses.
Simply put, come into this battle with an extremely diverse set of moves and Pokémon. Having a narrow team might work for most of the Gym Leaders, but Leon requires a wide set of move types so that you aren’t knocked out by a Pokémon you aren’t prepared for.
9 He’s Very Aggressive
Not only should you worry about his wide range of Pokémon types, but thankfully you don’t need to be afraid of any tricky moves or strategies. The majority of his team exclusively uses damage moves, and won’t spend much time with status moves. Because of this, having defensive Pokémon that can take a hit will give you a great advantage.
There is one exception of Mr. Rime if you chose Grookey at the start of the game, whose move Teeter Dance will cause guaranteed confusion. This ailment is temporary, though, and switching out to a new Pokémon will cure it instantly.
8 Aegislash is Deceptive
There is one slightly confusing member of Leon’s team regardless of your starter, and that’s his opening partner Aegislash. The first thing you should be prepared is its move King’s Shield, which protects it from damage and decreases the Attack stat of physical attackers, so aim to use Special Attacks against it.
Besides that, you should also be ready with a Pokémon that has high Special Defense against it. Despite its sword, this Aegislash uses a moveset of strong Ghost and Steel-type Special Attacks, so don’t come at it with any Pokémon that can’t handle a ranged fighter.
7 Use Your Max Revives
If there’s one item that’ll save you a lot of trouble in this battle, it’s your Revives. These items will heal your fainted Pokémon, and since Pokémon Sword & Shield heals your Pokémon before this fight, you have less of a need for Full Restores and Potions than urgent revival items.
If you’ve been saving any other items until now, this is the main place to use them. There are other fights later in the game that are at higher levels, but getting to take on Leon is the main obstacle before the game’s main story essentially ends, so don’t feel like you need to hold on further.
6 Be Ready For Charizard
Leon’s signature Pokémon is his Charizard, which is made even more powerful by its massive Gigantamax form. With a Fire-type, Flying-type, Grass-type, and Rock-type move, it’ll have a lot of ways to counter whoever you choose.
If you have a really fast Pokémon, being able to outrun Charizard can be the edge you need. It’s quite quick, but its defenses aren’t as strong as it has tons of weaknesses, particularly to most Rock-type moves. If you have something incredibly fast with a Super Effective move, keep it on the backline until you face this ultimate threat.
5 Protect Your Team With Light Screen
One of the odd trends of Leon’s team is that, even though they’re all mostly aggressive, the majority of his team uses their Special Attack stats, including his Charizard. Because of this, the move Light Screen can be incredibly useful, as it halves damage from your opponent’s Special Attacks for five turns.
You can buy from the Pokémon Center in Motostoke for less money than most other TMs, and since it’s infinitely reusable, it’s a good investment. There’s a massive list of Pokémon that can learn it too, so you’ll likely already have one who’s able to learn it.
4 Try Tailwind For Offense
Many of Leon’s Pokémon are quite strong, but they’re also surprisingly fast. Charizard in particular has a pretty high base Speed stat, and while a well-trained Pokémon can outrun it, there isn’t a long list of that can outpace some of his partners.
One of the best ways to counter this is the move Tailwind, which many Flying-types can learn. This will essentially double your team’s speed for five turns, which means even your most sluggish partner can get a huge lead on your opponent. If you’ve got heavy hitters that can’t move quickly, this can be a good way to take your shots quicker.
3 Beware of Dragapult
Leon’s signature Pokémon might be his Charizard, but one rare Pokémon you might not have seen yet named Dragapult is just as important to worry about. While it has poor defenses, it’s an incredibly powerful Ghost and Dragon-type moves, and has an unsettlingly high Speed stat that outmatches the entire rest of his team.
Having a Normal-type Pokémon can be a very easy counter to this Pokémon, which is otherwise strong enough to be making waves in competitive battles online lately. If you have a Pokémon with Sucker Punch, a Dark-type move that hits before your opponent’s attack, that can also be a great way to kill this glass cannon.
2 Weather Effects are Great
There are very few Pokémon of Leon’s that can counter a weather effect, and none of them have moves or abilities that can put another in place. Weather-based synergies aren’t greatly common in people’s playthroughs, but if you think your team can take advantage of a Sandstorm or Hailstorm, it’s guaranteed to damage nearly all of Leon’s team.
Hailstorm in particular is very helpful, as it means the powerful move Blizzard will have full accuracy. This attack will quickly knock out his two Dragon-types, as well as his Rillaboom if you chose Sobble at the start of the game, so it’s a very worthwhile strategy if you want to get a little trickier on Leon.
1 Utilize Your Dynamax
The best way to ensure victory against Leon is to use Dynamax carefully and to its fullest extent. There are two ways of doing it, with the first being to wait until you’re facing his Charizard. With your own Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon, Charizard’s high power is far less of a threat.
The alternative is to use your Dynamax to dismantle the rest of Leon’s team, as a Gigantamax Pokémon can give some much-needed defense to let you avoid getting taken down by his earlier threats. With a diverse moveset, you can easily take down three Pokémon before you return to normal, so if you have a solid counter to Charizard, your Dynamax can make the rest of the fight incredibly easier.
NEXT: Pokémon Sword & Shield: 5 Reasons Why Leon Is The Best Champion (& 5 Reasons Why It’s Still Lance)
