Drayton is arguably the hardest fight in The Indigo Disk, harder than the Champion himself. If you want to knock the Champion down a few pegs, and evolve Dipplin into Hydrapple, you’re going to have to beat him. Here’s how to defeat Drayton in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk.
How to Beat Drayton in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk
Once you have finished off all three of Drayton’s lackeys, it is time to take on the boy who looks like a giant tube of toothpaste himself. Fortunately, you can bring whatever Pokemon you want into battle this time, as the previous Terarium-only requirement has been lifted. This is wonderful news as you are going to need to bring the best of the best, or at the very least, a plethora of healing items.
Drayton has the following Pokemon team, and of course, it’s another double battle.
| Pokemon | Type | Strengths/Weaknesses | Level | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragonite | Dragon/Flying | Strengths: Fighting 1/2 damage Bug 1/2 damage Fire 1/2 damage Water 1/2 damage Grass 1/4 damage Weaknesses: Ice 4X damage Rock 2X damage Dragon 2X damage Fairy 2X damage Immune: Ground | 78 | Extreme Speed Thunder Punch Ice Spinner Tailwind |
| Flygon | Ground/Dragon | Strengths: Fire 1/2 damage Poison 1/2 damage Rock 1/2 damage Weaknesses: Ice 4X damage Dragon 2X damage Fairy 2X damage Immune: Ground Electric | 78 | Earthquake Stone Edge Fire Punch Breaking Swipe |
| Haxorus | Dragon | Strengths: Water 1/2 damage Fire 1/2 damage Electric 1/2 damage Grass 1/2 damage Weaknesses: Dragon 2X damage Ice 2X damage Fairy 2X damage | 79 | Earthquake Breaking Swipe Iron Head Dragon Dance |
| Sceptile | Grass | Strengths: Grass 1/2 damage Electric 1/2 damage Water 1/2 damage Ground 1/2 damage Weaknesses: Fire 2X damage Ice 2X damage Bug 2X damage Flying 2X damage Poison 2X damage | 79 | Dragon Cheer Leaf Storm X-Scissor Acrobatics |
| Kingdra | Water/Dragon | Strengths: Water 1/4 damage Fire 1/4 damage Steel 1/2 damage Weaknesses: Dragon 2X damage Fairy 2X damage | 79 | Rain Dance Ice Beam Hydro Pump Hurricane |
| Archaludon | Steel/Dragon Tera Type: Dragon | Strengths: Grass 1/4 damage Flying 1/2 damage Normal 1/2 damage Electric 1/2 damage Psychic 1/2 damage Rock 1/2 damage Bug 1/2 damage Water 1/2 damage Steel 1/2 damage Weaknesses: Fighting 2X damage Ground 2X damage Immune: Poison Tera Type Strengths: Water 1/2 damage Grass 1/2 damage Fire 1/2 damage Electric 1/2 damage Weaknesses: Dragon 2X Fairy 2X Ice 2X | 80 | Electro Shot Dragon Pulse Flash Cannon Snarl |
Dragonite and Flygon
Drayton starts off tough with Dragonite and Flygon. You’ll have to not only consider their typing but also their attacks. They both have a 4X weakness to Ice, but Flygon has Fire Punch and Stone Edge ready to go. This pair can really make or break your attempt, and it is best to defeat them as fast as possible before they do real damage to your team.
If you’re feeling brave, you could use a Pokemon with some Ice moves to potentially wipe them out, but Flygon can easily knock it about, unless you can guarantee that you can OHKO it, and beating Flygon first should be the focus.
Otherwise, if you want to play it a little safer you could use a Fairy-type Pokemon. I wouldn’t recommend Dragon as it’s a bit of a double-edged sword in this battle due to it being weak against itself. So, once you defeat Flygon, Dragonite won’t be much of an issue as it lacks the devastating moves that Flygon possessed and shares the same weaknesses.
Recommended: An Ice or Fairy-type Pokemon.
Haxorus
Haxorus is up next and changes things up for you. It will destroy Fairy and Ice Pokemon if given a chance. So, don’t let it have that chance. Either kill it as soon as possible before it can raise its attack and hit you hard or use another type Pokemon such as Steel or Fighting if you want to play it a little safer.
Recommended: Ice and Fairy Pokemon
Sceptile
After this comes Sceptile, and what it lacks in being a Dragon type, it makes up in sheer audacity. It fooled me at first as I didn’t realize that it was holding a Weakness Policy. If you’re unaware, when holding a Weakness Policy, all super effective moves used against the Pokemon will increase its Attack and Special Attack by two every time. This will turn Sceptile into a beefy Pokemon in no time, and it will catch you off guard.
Do not use any super-effective moves against it. Choose a hard-hitting Pokemon with a neutral type of move, such as Tinkaton and Gigaton Hammer. Once you have taken off enough health and are confident a super effective move would kill it, you could do it then, but I would be careful as it may not be worth the risk.
Recommended: A hard-hitting Pokemon that is of a neutral type to Sceptile. Not super effective or not very effective. Such as Fairy or Steel.
Kingdra
Kingdra is next, and as far as it goes, it is pretty standard. It does have the damaging combination that one would expect it to. Which is no other than Rain Dance and Hydro Pump. You’ve most likely got a Fairy Pokemon on your team, and you’ll have to take it out before it can get as many hard-hitting Hydro Pump moves in as possible.
Recommended: A Fairy-type Pokemon.
Archaludon
The most exciting Pokemon that Drayton uses is Archaludon, and also the one that he will terastallize. This changes it to a pure Dragon which means its strengths and weaknesses are somewhat simplified. This thing is tanky, and it is clear that Drayton is ready to play the long game and leave you with no Pokemon left. Its ability Stamina and item Assault Vest basically means that its defense is constantly increasing with every attack.
So, you want to get in there and beat it as fast as you can, otherwise you’ll end up using more Max Potions the longer the fight takes. Like the other Dragon Pokemon, it is weak to Ice and Fairy. It is your choice as to which one you want to use, even if you still have an Ice Pokemon which has not fainted by this point. Whichever you choose, as this is the final Pokemon, it is the perfect time to terastallize, and pummel Archaludon into Dragon dust.
Recommended: A terastallized Fairy type Pokemon.
It is a good idea to make sure that you are significantly higher level than Drayton’s Pokemon, as that will remove a lot of the difficulty. There are plenty of trainers around the Terarium which you can use for this. Tera Raids will also give you items to further level up your Pokemon. But, by this stage in the game, your Pokemon should naturally be pretty highly leveled too.
On top of this, make sure that you are full of items that can revive and heal your Pokemon, and if you have enough, you can cheese your way through it by constantly reviving and healing your best Ice or Fairy-type Pokemon. It might not be the most strategic move, but as Drayton is by far the hardest challenge in the game, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. Plus, it’s worth it to obtain Hydrapple.
Published: Dec 18, 2023 01:15 pm