Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Team Star operates very differently from most of the franchise’s antagonist teams, like Team Rocket, Team Galactic, or even the hooligan Team Yell, from Sword and Shield. The somewhat villainous operation is scattered throughout bases in the region of Paldea, threatening the well-being of the local students of Naranja or Uva Academy. Because of this, the player is prompted to confront the Team Star bosses, bringing down the rebel students’ organization one by one.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.]
Similar to Gym Leaders, these Team Star bosses in Scarlet and Violet have type specialties and different team levels. This means they pose different types of threats to the players, based on what creatures they have on their team and how much they are trained. Of course, players with the best Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will likely not face much of a challenge. However, because facing Team Star for the first time is an early and mid-game task, they will probably not have all the desired hard-hitting Pokémon and will have to cope with what is made available.
#6: Giacomo Is More Of A Team Star Tutorial Than An Actual Boss
Should players start exploring Paldea from the west, their first Team Star boss in Scarlet and Violet will be Giacomo. As the first, he feels like a tutorial to Operation Starfall rather than a hardened foe. Giacomo specializes in Dark-type Pokémon, but only actually presents two of them for players to face. The first of them is a Pawniard, which can easily be taken down with any simple Fighting-type move, due to its 4x weakness. The second is the Segin Starmobile, a Dark-type version of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Revavroom. While battling a vehicle may seem surprising at first, this is actually an easy duel, especially if the player continues to use any Fighting-type move.
It is also weak against Fairy-type and Bug-type moves, but in the early stages of the games, it is excessively easy to find a decent Fighting-type move – even the Normal/Grass-type Deerling can learn Double Kick at level 10. This means taking down the Team Star boss Giacomo in Scarlet and Violet is quite easy. Ironically, he is one of the most fierce rematch opponents to face in the post-game portion, as his Pawniard evolved into a fully-fledged Kingambit in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and he now fights with a strong group of five Pokémon.
#5: Mela Has Strong Pokémon, But Is Easily Taken Down
Following Giacomo in terms of the challenge posed by Team Star boss fights is Scarlet and Violet’s Mela. She, like him, is what seems to be a starter opponent. If players leave Mesagoza through the eastern gate and start their adventure there, Mela is probably the first Team Star boss they will face. She specializes in Fire-type Pokémon and only brings two Pokémon to the fight. Her Torkoal is a pleasant surprise for those who did not pick Quaxly as their starter and are still struggling to find a decent Water-type Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It is quite resistant and can slowly and steadily take out most of the player’s team members.
Players will then need to face the Team Star boss’ Schedar Starmobile, a Fire-type Revavroom. It must be dealt with very quickly since its Ability Speed Boost can make it faster with every passing turn. Using the strong Blazing Torque and Overheat moves, it can easily one-hit K.O. the player’s team without even giving them the chance to strike. Luckily, her rematch is easier because the player will likely have better counters to her strong Fire-type Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It is important to point out that Mela has some moves that counter Water-types, so it is a good strategy to have more than one option when facing her in the rematch stage.
#4: Ortega’s Team Star Specialty Should Actually Be Trifled With
Funnily enough, Ortega, one of Team Star’s last bosses in Scarlet and Violet, is not all that difficult to fight. Located at the northernmost coast of Paldea, the Fairy-type specialist has a team of four resistant Pokémon that can pose a threat to any underleveled Trainers. However, if players are not rushing through the game and have actually reached the area in which Ruchbah Squad’s Base is located, it is likely they already have a strong team. Although he has a few of the best Fairy-type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, they can all be beaten without the need for super-effective moves.
Nevertheless, players should be mindful of Dachsbun’s Well-Baked Body Ability, which makes it invulnerable to Fire-type moves, while also boosting its Defense stat whenever it is hit by a move of said type. The Fairy-type Revavroom, Ruchbah Starmobile, is great at confusing opponents, so players will want to take it out quickly rather than deal with their Pokémon damaging themselves while also being attacked by the Team Star boss’ creatures. Facing Ortega in the rematch can also be a bit tricky due to the excess of overpowered Fairy-types in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and how few counters they have.
#3: Atticus Is Hard To Counter In Team Star Boss Battles
Before reaching Ortega, however, players will probably have to go through the Team Star boss Atticus, in Scarlet and Violet. While his Pokémon are nearly 20 levels behind the ones Ortega uses, this fight is a bit more challenging. The Poison-type specialist initiates the fight with two tanks, a level 32 Skuntank and a level 32 Muk, which can prove to be especially hard to counter due to their typing. It may take a few Pokémon to take both of them out, but that is just half of this Team Star fight. Further boasting his specialty and using a few of the best Poison-type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, Atticus then brings two distinct Revavrooms into the battle.
The first one is an ordinary Steel/Poison-type Revavroom at level 33, which can be countered with a Fire-type or Steel-type move. The next is the Poison-type Navi Starmobile, which has the Ability Toxic Debris. This makes it drop Toxic Spikes on the field if it is hit by a physical move. This makes switching Pokémon in and out a very risky gamble to perform, as it can significantly damage the team’s main counter, for instance. This Team Star boss’ Starmobile in Scarlet and Violet even has two distinct moves that may Poison the target, proving how much of a nuisance Atticus is. Facing him through a rematch in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s post-game is as difficult as it was the first time since he brings very strong allies to the field.
#2: Eri Has The Best Specialty Pokémon Comp In Team Star
As the strongest of the bosses in Scarlet and Violet’s Team Star bases, Eri has the best team comp among her peers. With a solid team of five Fighting-type Pokémon, she can be harder to face than most Gym Leaders. While her starting Toxicroak and Passimian shouldn’t be very challenging to players, things start heating up once Lucario comes into the game. It has a great Dark Pulse counter move for any Psychic-type Pokémon, adding up to the fact that it is one of the best best Fighting-type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet. Following it is a fearsome Annihilape with great counter moves for its weaknesses.
Eri’s ultimate Pokémon, like most Team Star bosses in Scarlet and Violet, is her Starmobile. The Fighting-type Revavroom has heavy-hitting moves, like High Horsepower, but it is also consistently boosting itself with its Ability, Stamina. Every time it gets hit, its Defense stat increases. Unless players power their Pokémon prior to a heavy-hitting move, trying to take it down with consecutive attacks may be a very bad strategy. Caph Starmobile also has Shift Gear, which boosts its Speed and Attack stats. To face her, players should have Scarlet and Violet’s best Flying-type Pokémon in hand, along with a few Psychic-type options. Her rematch, however, is almost identical to the original fight, exchanging her extraordinary Starmobile for a forgettable Primeape.
#1: Penny (aka Cassiopeia) Is Team Star’s Leader For A Reason
The strongest of all the Team Star bosses in Scarlet and Violet is Penny, also known to their team members as the mysterious Cassiopeia. The Trainer’s shy and quiet ally is not a type specialist, but an Eevee specialist. As such, her team has a greatly varied comp which grants her extreme coverage against many types. She uses level 62 Umbreon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Leafeon, and a level 63 Sylveon. Because of this, players will probably need to change their on-field Pokémon constantly, to deal with her many Eevee evolutions in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
While it may not seem like it is very difficult because Eeveelutions are not usually grand opponents, this is a challenging and strategic fight that can be rather exhausting or frustrating if players do not prepare adequately. It is important to not only have a varied comp to counter the Team Star boss Penny’s varied comp but also strong and leveled Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet. Her rematch battle in the post-game sees her six Pokémon grow exactly seven levels each, but nothing else, such as comp or moves, changes. If players found the best team in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet to deal with her the first time, they should level it adequately and use it.
Team Star bosses in Scarlet and Violet are a marvelous reinterpretation of the villainous groups in the franchise, and their encounters feel like additional Gym Leader fights that players have access to. Not only that, but they also provide extra types being presented in larger challenges, as opposed to the eight Gym battles and the four types covered by the Elite Four. Along with the two other campaigns, Team Star’s story helped build a solid and innovative narrative line for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Source: The Official Pokémon YouTube channel