At long last you've arrived at the Pokémon League, the final obstacle between you and the Champion's seat in Unova. There are only five battles left in the main game of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, and they're all doozies. You'll need a powerful team in the mid- to high-60s to defeat the enemies that remain and claim victory.
To the left of the entrance to the Pokémon League is a Pokémon Center. It's the same as all the rest, aside from the lack of multiplayer capabilities, and will be your primary source of restorative items while you take on the Pokémon League. Unless you're pre-prepared to take on the League you will likely lose a number of times, putting a sizable dent in your savings. You should probably spend the majority of your remaining money on Max Potions, Full Restores, Full Heals, and Revives. You'll need 'em all.
Once you speak to the main blocking your way onto the main grounds of the Pokémon League you'll be locked into the challenge, and can't leave until you win... or someone knocks you out. The first section of the Pokémon League consists of the Elite Four, each of them essentially a buffed-up Gym Leader with powerful Pokémon. You can tackle the Elite Four in any order you like, though you need to defeat all four to advance to the final battle. If you lose at any time you'll need to start over from the beginning.
Elite Four Shauntal (Bottom Left)
- Cofagrigus, level 56
- Drifblim, level 56
- Golurk, level 56
- Chandelure, level 58
Reward: 6,960 P
A Ghost-type trainer, the majority of Shauntal's team has a preference for offensive moves. Most of them are on the slow side, save for her final Pokémon, Chandelure. Thanks to the dual-typing of most of Shauntal's Pokémon you have plenty of options for taking them out:
- Cofagrigus is perhaps the most annoying of the lot, as it has high defenses and will use Will-O-Wisp to burn your Pokémon. A strong Dark- or Ghost-type move will remove this nuisance, though if you're using a Ghost-type of your own be wary of Shadow Ball.
- Drifblim is pretty straightforward, and though it hits hard it's usually slow enough to go second in the round. Acrobatics is its most painful move. Ghost- and Electric-type moves work nicely here. Watch out for its Aftermath Ability, which will inflict a fair chunk of damage to your Pokémon once Drifblim is defeated.
- Golurk hits hard but is very slow. Put out a swift, powerful Water-type and you can wash it away easily. If you can't take it down in one turn then your active Pokémon might be in trouble.
- Chandelure is Shauntal's only fast Pokémon, and it can sweep your team with Fire Blast, Energy Ball, Shadow Ball, and Psychic. Chandelure is a glass cannon, and if you survive the initial hit you can probably crumple Chandelure with a single super effective attack. Water again works well here.
Given that Cofagrigus is likely to do the least amount of damage out of Shauntal's Pokémon you may find it easiest to buff up the speed of one of your Pokémon, take it out, then sweep the rest of her team. Just be prepared to deal with burn if this is your approach.
Elite Four Marshal (Bottom Right)
- Throh, level 56
- Sawk, level 56
- Mienshao, level 56
- Conkeldurr, level 56
Reward: 6,960 P
The only member of the Elite Four that you may have met previously, Marshal specializes in Fighting-type Pokémon. His team's moves are 100% physical, giving your high-defense Pokémon a bit of an advantage (as long as they aren't Rock- or Steel-type, of course). All four of Marshal's Pokémon are only Fighting-type, so you don't have a ton of options for sweeping his team:
- Throh is slow but strong. So long as you don't inflict a status ailment and activate its Guts Ability this fight is pretty straightforward.
- Sawk is a slightly weaker, faster version of Throh. Its Ability is Sturdy, preventing OHKOs, so make sure your Pokémon can endure at least one hit.
- Mienfoo is Marshal's fastest Pokémon, and is a bit evasive given its Bounce and U-turn moves. If you're using a Psychic to sweep Marshal's team Mienfoo can prove a bit troublesome.
- Last up is Conkeldurr, a hefty Fighting-type that is very difficult to defeat in a single hit. Using a strong Special Attack move that's super effective - Psychic is a good choice - should be your main goal. Conkeldurr hits extremely hard, so be prepared to lose a Pokémon or two taking it down.
It's important to note that every member of Marshal's team has moves to counter their own weaknesses. Throh, Sawk, and Conkeldurr all have Rock-type moves to take out Flying-types, while Throh, Sawk, and Mienfoo all have options for crushing Psychics. If you don't think your Pokémon can go first in a round you're better off putting a super effective move on something that can.
Elite Four Grimsley (Top Left)
- Liepard, level 56
- Scrafty, level 56
- Krookodile, level 56
- Bisharp, level 58
Reward: 6,960 P
The Dark-type of the Elite Four, Grimsley's Pokémon are, in general, fast but frail. Most of them are quite good at wiping out a variety of different challengers, though if you manage to go first in the round your chances of taking them out are pretty high:
- Liepard is the weakling of Grimsley's team, though it can still hit pretty hard with Night Slash and Aerial Ace. Attract is a nuisance, so make sure you send out a female Pokémon if you have the option.
- Scrafty goes down easily but can hit deceptively hard. It can also poison your Pokémon with Poison Jab, though it typically won't. Watch out for Brick Break if you're trying to get through this gym with a Steel-type.
- Krookodile is perhaps the most dangerous of the bunch, and can lay on the hurt pretty badly with Crunch, Earthquake, and Dragon Claw. It's also Grimsley's fastest Pokémon, so you'll need something very quick to outpace the crocodile. Water-types and Grass-types are recommended for facing Krookodile.
- Bisharp typically comes last. It has some very nasty attacks, but Bisharp also has a four-times weakness to Fighting-type moves. Get off even one and you'll usually take Bisharp down in a single hit.
Given the lower defenses of most of Grimsley's team you can pretty easily sweep this fight with a fast Fighting-type Pokémon, though even without STAB damage just a Fighting-type move on a neutral Pokémon will work as well. So long as you can get past Krookodile Bisharp shouldn't prove that massive an obstacle, given its mediocre speed.
Elite Four Caitlin (Top Right)
- Musharna, level 56
- Sigilyph, level 56
- Reuniclus, level 56
- Gothitelle, level 58
Reward: 6,960 P
A returning face from the Battle Frontier in earlier Pokémon generations, Caitlin is a lover of Psychic-type Pokémon. Her team consists of slow, beefy Pokémon that hit extremely hard if you give them room to attack:
- Musharna is a little more tricksy than the rest of Caitlin's team, and after putting up Reflect will typically try to put your Pokémon to sleep with Yawn and then hit with Dream Eater to restore its own health. Try to take it out quickly with physical attacks.
- Sigilyph is faster than the rest, but also relatively frail. A strong Dark-type move will usually take it out, though Electric- and Ice-Type moves also work well.
- Reuniclus is another beefy Pokémon, though it is more straightforward than Musharna and will try to decimate your Pokémon with strong attacks. If you bring a Dark-type in you risk getting pummeled by Focus Blast. Be prepared for a lengthier matchup thanks to its high durability and its ability to use Recover.
- Gothitelle has three nasty attacks - Psychic, Shadow Ball, and Thunderbolt - but it's a bit slow, and its physical defenses aren't amazing. One really strong Dark-type move will take it out.
If you've got a Dark-type Pokémon on your team you can, for the most part, sweep through Caitlin's team with a minimal of worry. The only Pokémon that's really problematic for a Dark-type is Reuniclus. Another strong alternative is a Bug-type, though watch out for Psychic-type moves if your choice was Heracross.
Once you've defeated the Elite Four, in whatsoever order you choose, you'll activate a lift in the middle of the League's central hub. Check the statue to send yourself to the temple at the heart of the Pokémon League, where the Champion awaits. (And don't forget to heal!)
Champion Iris
- Hydreigon, level 57
- Druddigon, level 57
- Aggron, level 57
- Archeops, level 57
- Lapras, level 57
- Haxorus, level 59
Reward: 11,800 P
Her? Yep! Iris is back, and it turns out she was extremely powerful while she was helping you out in Castelia City. Iris specializes in Dragon-type Pokémon, and she has a full team of six Pokémon that can obliterate yours if you aren't careful:
- Hydreigon is about on par with Ghetsis', though with more variety since it has Dragon Pulse, Surf, Flamethrower, and Charge Beam. A fast Fighting-type will make this a quick fight. Be careful, it's faster than it looks.
- Druddigon is one of Iris' weaker Pokémon, though it can still do a number on you thanks to its Life Orb. A Dragon- or Ice-type move will get it out of the way.
- Aggron hits terribly hard, but it's also very slow. One hit with a strong Fighting- or Water-type move will take it down.
- Archeops is one of the more troubling members of Iris' team, thanks to its speed and the power of its moves. Acrobatics in particular hits very hard. If you can't hit it quickly with an Ice- or Water-type move you may want to throw in a Steel-type Pokémon, as none of Archeops' moves will do much damage.
- Lapras is always annoying, though on the plus side it's a bit slow. A strong Fighting-type move will probably take it down, and a Fighting-type Pokémon won't be exposed to anything super effective in return.
- Haxorus is the major threat here, because its Focus Sash will prevent you from landing a OHKO. Send out a weaker, faster Pokémon to land the first hit so it's not at full health, then send in something with Ice- or Dragon-type moves to finish Haxorus off if your first Pokémon doesn't survive.
There's virtually no Pokémon that can sweep Iris' entire team on its own, unless you've massively overleveled one Pokémon. You'll need to swap teammates often to accommodate her strategy changes, and if you hit a roadblock you may need to sacrifice one or two Pokémon to get rid of hers. Be prepared for a long fight, and to burn through a lot of your items.
Did you beat Iris? If so, congratulations! You're the Pokémon League Champion of Unova! Game Over! Defeating Iris will unlock different modes, depending on your version of the game. If you're playing Black 2 you'll unlock Challenge Mode, which allows you to tackle the game again with trainers at higher levels. If you're playing White 2, by contrast, you'll unlock Easy Mode, which lowers the levels of enemy Pokémon. You can unlock the other version's new mode by communicating with other players via the C-Gear.
In addition to these two new modes you can continue your journey through Unova with your current trainer. There's a lot more to see and do, most of which involves catching Unova's Legendary Pokémon. You'll start out back in Aspertia City, and along with a fistful of Max Revives from mom your Pokédex will be upgraded to the National Dex, allowing you to register every Pokémon from Generations I to V.
Becoming the Champion also opens up a bunch of new Routes. Shall we go exploring?