Is it time to do away with the Elite Four Format?

[Yami Marius]

The in-game goal in Pokémon games is becoming the best trainer of whatever region it is you're currently playing in not saving the world from some evil crime syndicate or preventing some "force" from destroying the world; there are plenty of other game sin which we have to do just that. So for that reason the League has to be at the end of the game, otherwise it wouldn't make sense.

As for making it harder, unless I am very much mistaken the box has this 3+ in the bottom left corner; does that ring a bell?

 

[Turquoise]

I find this a very clever idea and I am most likely going to have this on my mind for the next little while. Well done on coming up with this.

 

[Forrest's Runs]

Itd be cool if you could become champion and have challengers call you to challenge you

 

[JamaHawk]

Problem is if you do become champion you have to stay there the whole time...
wait no thats not right.
in every game the champion walks around doing work.
why is that?

 

[MidnightStorm]

I like the idea of becoming Champion. And once you become champion you can do tasks and things as well as facing random trainers that make it through the elite 4. It might be interesting or fun.

 

[Noheart]

NO!

I don't want to have to deal with the likes of Tyson and Harrison and whatnot.

It'd be too long anyway. I personally think the current format is long enough.

 

[weavile33]

No. I think the games should always contain the 8 gym/elite 4 format. It shouldn't use things from the anime and what not.

 

[Maser]

I think that the E4 is good as it is the first time I reach it. But then, when I'm done with the story, all legendaries are catched, and I'm about to train my competive team to 100, the whole thing gets a little boring. The E4 is the only place to train, expect the 2-times-a-week rival encounter. And since the E4 only gives ~60000 exp, it takes around 20 runs (maybe more) to bring ONE pokemon to 100 (assuming you go with exp.share the first ~50 levels).
It's getting boring after a while. Either, the E4 would be more high-levled, maybe combined with a longer plotline, so your pokemons would be at the level they need to be to have a chance, or the levels have to increase after a few runs. The last option is somewhere where you can train you pokemon to high levels quite fast.
The idea about starting an own gym, or taking on challenges as the league champion could help here.
Yeah, about the 'taking on challenges'-thing; what if, when you have beaten the E4, you can't make another run until you've lost against a challenger. And next time you beat the E4, the champion is the challenger that beat you before.

 

[Bigsy]

No. I don't think it should be done away with, per say, but it should be done like in FRLG, where there was E4 Round Two. But they could even build on this, putting in a third round, where their pokes leveled from 70s to 80s. Just a thought, or do you think three rounds is two many?

I also think they should use more interesting types; at least ones that haven't been covered before or more recently (i.e. 3rd/4th gen.) Grass, Flying, and Electric would all be nice.

 

[hydrojames]

It would be more interesting if when you became Champion, you had challengers come to battle you. Or, you could become a Gym Leader!

 

[t00lb0x31]

is no one understanding that you can now challenge the E4 again after ou get the national dex and the highest level is 78? lvl 78 garchomp!

 

[Atlas*]

I have become to love the way pokemon games have been set out since pokemone red/blue and dont think that they should get rid of the elite 4.

Things like Crystal and Emerald always bring new things to the game so if your unappy go play them.

 

[.Vaati.]

I don't think they should get rid of it, but I like the idea of a tournament before fighting the four - like you have to win the right to face them. It has an exciting feel to it and it would allow the developers to put in some more story or develop some of the characters you teamed up with on your journey.

Maybe something like 6 non-consecutive rounds, 3vs3. The breaks in between the battles would allow for some story events and the like. After these 6 battles, you'd fight the Elite Four members in a row, 6vs6 battles. Maybe their teams could be changed where instead of all their Pokemon being a single type they could have their teams revolve around a specific strategy, with maybe 3 members being the same type for tradition's sake.

The trainers/including Elite Four would be the same level as the highest Pokemon you use.

w/e

 

[JolteonShock]

Having the tournament Pokemon the same level as your Pokemon defeats the point of training them to become stronger. If you had it like that, you could take 5 level 10 Pokemon and go beat the Elite Four and complete the game without any real effort.
Maybe they could demolish the types, but that's only up to the Champion that they have types. The whole point of a 'well rounded team' is so that you won't be destroyed completely on the first match for only having a mono-type team. If the Pokemon were the same level as yours, it would be laughably simple to beat the Elite Four if they had Pokemon that evolved at higher levels. For example, say you had a Charizard at level 36. You went up against someone who's major powerhouse is Dragonite, but because of the level all they have is a Dratini. People who breeze through the games by close Gym Battles beat it as easily as someone who takes their time to train. Someone who gets to the Elite Four, proud of their level 75s while their friend's average is 50 is disappointed that all his training went to waste, because their friend didn't train as much and got away with it.
/End Rant

So yeah, I'm fine with the Elite Four. So what if it's hard and difficult? Every game has a major boss at the end, and the Elite Four is Pokemon's version. Leave the tournaments to the Battle Tower.

 

[Garchomp Luver]

I think they should be more challenging because its too easy for me to beat.

 

[LiteBlue-]

No, they should completely take out the Elite 4 from the game period. The idea of earning 8 pinheads just to be able to battle with 5 regular trainers isn't exactly what I call "a plot that leads to tasteful end." Why would you want to spend your time walking around collecting badges just to face a linear group of "one-type-oriented" average trainers? Just make the games like the anime it is more fun that way.

So, would you rather be battling in an empty, barren colliseum composed of only 6 ppl (5 average trainers and you), or would you rather be battling under the beatiful, open, glorious blue sky with a football-dome sized colliseum filled with millions of hearty residents proudly cheering at you as you start to unleash Earthquake on and unwillingful Gengar? To me, the latter is my fresh piece of cake. But, what about you? d(~.*)z cmon you know you like the 2nd, PICK THE SECOND ONE!!!!

 

[X502XedgeX]

While I still love the anime, I sadly used to play the games. Used to - and that past tense was mainly because of the Elite Four set-up which added nothing to the games.

Since the anime and the games have so many similarities, it has always amazed me that they have stuck with the poorly thoughtout Elite Four format when a much better options exists - the one in the anime!

The games encourage you to build a balanced team throughout the game...but what is the point of that when all is decided by a type-heavy Elite Four format that limits your strategic options to silly type-alignment moves.

I say it's long past time to scrap the Elite four format and install a tournament format instead, just like in the anime.

First off, enough with the fixed level thing on the Plateau. They should be around your party's level, plus be a bit boosted statwise as well. Secondly, the pokemon you face should not be the fixed during the tournament either. I should note, I'm not saying eliminate the Elite Four or Champion from the game, but make them each tough 6 vs 6 battles - taking into account party level, and automatic healing after each battle in the tournament. As for the other rounds before that, they should be, like the anime, 2 vs 2 etc.

In essence, becoming Champion should mean something...I know it would rekindle my interest, that's for sure.

thats such a cool idea, i totally agree with this guy

 

[Dracomaster16]

I think it should be this:
Start off with a tournament (like the anime the arena has different looks like an ice arena,rock ect (levels 50-60)
The arena's boost certain type of pokemons stats.

Then after that a few more trainers to beat (levels 61-69)

The Elite Four is next, unlike the current Elite 4 They should be really strong, (about 70-85 should do it)

Last of all the Champion, the one with really strong pokemon (levels 86-90)

WHAT THE HELL!!!! Dude WHAT are you thinking! We get very little EXP from the weak Gymleaders and none of us want to stay confined in an area training pokemon to those extremes. The place that gives you the most EXP that I've seen is the E4 when you beat them for the second time (because unless you like to stay in one place for hours trying to build a team that contains LV 60+ pokemon and keep them at equal levels!) That is very hard to do in VR. And now you want to see us take on God leveled pokemon, that is INSANE! I am very furious with your post and I hope Game Freak NEVER does such a thing (unless they give you 2nd stage starters and make pokemon like Blissey and Garchomp appear in the wild)

If any of you post any gay comments on my post (like a certain person did to me in the puberty thread) note that that just makes you look gayer than the person you criticzized (sp) so don't offend me please.

 

[randomspot555]

No, they should completely take out the Elite 4 from the game period. The idea of earning 8 pinheads just to be able to battle with 5 regular trainers isn't exactly what I call "a plot that leads to tasteful end." Why would you want to spend your time walking around collecting badges just to face a linear group of "one-type-oriented" average trainers? Just make the games like the anime it is more fun that way.

So, would you rather be battling in an empty, barren colliseum composed of only 6 ppl (5 average trainers and you), or would you rather be battling under the beatiful, open, glorious blue sky with a football-dome sized colliseum filled with millions of hearty residents proudly cheering at you as you start to unleash Earthquake on and unwillingful Gengar? To me, the latter is my fresh piece of cake. But, what about you? d(~.*)z cmon you know you like the 2nd, PICK THE SECOND ONE!!!!

If you're playing Pokemon for the plot, you're probably playing for the wrong reason (or at least the worst).

As to your example, Gengar avoids Earthquake unless Moldbreaker or Gravity/ingrain is used.

 

[Blivsey]

The Elite Four should most definitely stay in. It's tradition, it works, and you'll get nothing but whining if you change something that's so consistent in all the games.