As with every Pokemon game, you’re going to have to battle through eight gym leaders and earn their respective badges before you can travel through Victory Road and do battle with the Elite Four and the Pokemon Champion. With the recent release of Pokemon Platinum, we’ve decided to show you what you’re in for. Now I know what you’re saying, “I’ve already beaten Pokemon Diamond and/or Pokemon Pearl. I know the bosses by heart.” You know what though? You don’t. As with all the generational remixes, many of the bosses have had some changes done to them. Remember Pokemon Yellow? The bosses were all given higher levels for their Pokemon, so you had an even harder time than in Red, Blue, or Green. In fact, even the ORDER in which you fight the bosses has shifted around, which may throw some of you off your game.
| Geodude – Level 12 (Rock/Ground) | Geodude – Level 12 (Rock/Ground) |
| Onix – Level 12 | Onix – Level 12 |
| Cranidos – Level 12 | Cranidos – Level 12 |
As you can see, Roark is still the same as always. Use the same strategies you did last time, and you’ll be fine.
| D/P | Platinum |
| Cherubi – Level 19 (Grass) | Cherrim – Level 20 (Grass) |
| Turtwig – Level 19 (Grass) | Turtwig – Level 20 (Grass) |
| Roserade – Level 22 (Grass/Poison) | Roserade – Level 22 (Grass/Poison) |
Here’s where we start to see some changes. Gardenia has two Pokemon that are ever so slightly higher in level. Her Cherubi is now a Cherrim, giving it a stat boost. Still, there’s not enough of a change here to truly mix you up. If you have a fire Pokemon like Monferno, you’ll cruise through this gym.
| D/P | Platinum |
| Meditite – Level 27 (Fighting/Psychic) | Meditite – Level 28 (Fighting/Psychic) |
| Machoke – Level 27 (Fighting) | Machoke – Level 29 (Fighting) |
| Lucario – Level 30 (Fighting/Steel) | Lucario – Level 30 (Fighting/Steel) |
With Maylene, we don’t see any changes in here lineup – they’re just a little stronger than before. The real change here is in the gym layout . With a maze made from punching bags and tires, you’ll have to weave your way through the junior trainers. Again, just stick to your previous gameplan and you’ll be fine.
| D/P | Platinum
|
| Gyardos – Level 27 (Water/Flying) | Gyardos – Level 33(Water/Flying) |
| Quagsire – Level 27 (Water/Ground) | Quagsire – Level 34 (Water/Ground) |
| Floatzel – Level 30 (Water) | Floatzel – Level 37 (Water) |
Ah Crasher Wake – my favorite of all the gym leaders in this game. Finally we see a truly beefed up opponent from the last game. But there’s a reason for this. You’ll actually be fighting Fantina, who was the 5th gym leader in D/P as the third gym battle. So as we’ll see in a little bit, she’s quite depowered from Diamond & Pearl. Crasher is pretty easy to defeat. Any Electric Pokemon will take out Gyarados and Floatzel quickly, and a Grass Pokemon with ensure a one or two hit KO on Quagsire.
| D/P | Platinum |
| Driftblm – Level 32 (Ghost/Flying) | Duskull – Level 24 (Ghost) |
| Gengar – Level 34 (Ghost-Poison) | Haunter – Level 24 (Ghost/Poison) |
| Mismagius – Level 36 (Ghost) | Mismagius – Level 26 (Ghost) |
Wow! This is a huge drop in difficulty. It’s also a very different lineup. Fantina’s really fallen in difficulty, and the math problems from Hearthome Gym have also been purged. Instead, they’ve been replaced by a maze involving changing symbols and trainers lurking in the pitch black rooms with flashlights. Honestly, it’s picking the right symbol that will be harder than beating Fantina here. Remember though, she’s now the third gym leader, so your own Pokemon will be reduced in strength as well when you face her.
| D/P | Platinum |
| Bronzor – Level 36 (Steel/Psychic) | Magneton – Level 37 (Steel/Electric) |
| Steelix – Level 36 (Steel/Ground) | Steelix – Level 38 (Steel/Ground) |
| Bastiodon – Level 39 (Steel/Rock) | Bastiodon – Level 41 (Steel/Rock) |
Once again we see a slightly higher level in the Gym Leader’s Pokemon. Bronzor has been swapped out for Magneton who definitely is more of a challenge than Bronzor, regardless of how it looks on paper. Make sure you have a Fire or Fighting Pokemon for this one. Otherwise Steelix takes quadruple damage from Water and a Fighting or Ground Pokemon will brutalize Bastiodon almost instantly.
| D/P | Platinum |
| Snover – Level 38 (Ice/Grass) | Sneasel – Level 40 (Ice/Dark) |
| Sneasel – Level 38 (Ice/Dark) | Piloswine – Level 40 (Ice/Ground) |
| Medicham – Level 40 (Fighting/Psychic) | Abomasnow – Level 42 (Ice/Grass) |
| Abomasnow – Level 42 (Ice/Grass) | Frosslass – Level 44 (Ice/Ghost) |
We’ve got two new Pokemon in Candice’s lineup, and a complete order change. I’m really glad they removed Medicham, as it made no sense being in an Ice gym. The Pokemon are a lot tougher here, and Frosslass is the only Ice/Ghost mix in the game, so she may throw you off if you’ve never had to deal with one before. This Frosslass knows Psychic, Shadow Ball, and Blizzard, so your best bet is probably a Fire Type Pokemon to get past her. There’s not a huge change in levels here at Snowpoint City, but the lineup change and the introduction of Frosslass makes this the hardest of the remixed gym’s so far.
| D/P | Platinum |
| Raichu – Level 46 (Electric) | Jolteon – Level 46 (Electric) |
| Ambipom – Level 47 (Normal) | Raichu – Level 46 (Electric) |
| Octillery – Level 47 (Water) | Luxray – Level 48 (Electric) |
| Luxray – Level 49 (Electric) | Electrivire – Level 50 (Electric) |
I really didn’t like Volkner in D/P. Why would you have a Water and/or a Normal Pokemon in an Electric type Gym? This really bugged me and I’m glad to see Ambipom and Octillery replaced by two superior Electric Pokemon in Jolteon and Electrivire. The levels are about equal here when compared to Diamond and Pearl, but Electrivire and Jolteon make for much tougher opponents. Jolteon is missing most of his trademark moves like Pin Missile, but don’t take it too lightly. It knows Thunder Wave and loves to use it. Ick to that 100% paralyze. Luxray knows Fire, Electric, Ice, and Dark moves, making it VERY dangerous. Get a powerful Grass or Ground attack out there by a Pokemon who isn’t either of those types. A Gengar with Energy Ball (learned via a TM) works wonders with this Luxray. Finally, there’s Electrivire, who is actually easier to do away with than Luxray. This Electrivire knows Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Quick Attack and Giga Impact, so using that same Gengar + Energy Ball strategy works even better here. Go Gengar!
So there you go! A list of the eight Gym Leaders and what’s changed from Pokemon Diamond & Pearl to Pokemon Platinum. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the Elite Four and the changes you’ll encounter there.
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