Emerald Battle Frontier Strategy: Teams, BP & Tips
How to win at the Emerald Battle Frontier: what to buy with BP, the best Battle Palace natures, how the Arena judges score, and Scott’s rewards.
| Facility | Your team | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Battle Tower | Your own | Balanced team, good hold items |
| Battle Dome | Your own | Scout, then pick two counters |
| Battle Palace | Your own | Natures that attack |
| Battle Arena | Your own | Attack every turn |
| Battle Factory | Rentals | Swap for type coverage |
| Battle Pike | Your own | Keep a healthy lead |
| Battle Pyramid | Your own, no items | Moves over items |
Published
The Frontier Brains, their teams and the Symbol battle numbers are in the Battle Frontier guide. This page is how to win: what to buy, which natures and hold items to bring, and the hidden rules behind the Palace and the Arena.
Scott’s house: free BP and later rewards
Visit Scott’s house before your first challenge. He gives 1 to 4 Battle Points, more the more often you met him on your journey. He rewards you again later:
| Goal | Reward |
|---|---|
| All seven Silver Symbols | Lansat Berry |
| All seven Gold Symbols | Starf Berry |
| 50 straight Battle Tower wins, Single Battle | Silver Shield, a Secret Base decoration |
| 100 straight Battle Tower wins, Single Battle | Gold Shield, a Secret Base decoration |
What to buy with Battle Points
The Exchange Service Corner trades Battle Points for hold items, vitamins and decorations. Buy hold items first: the Frontier never lets two of your Pokémon hold the same item, so each team member needs its own.
| Item | BP | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Leftovers | 48 | Heals 1/16 of max HP every turn |
| White Herb | 48 | Undoes lowered stats once |
| Quick Claw | 48 | Moves first 20% of the time |
| Mental Herb | 48 | Cures infatuation once |
| BrightPowder | 64 | Opponents’ moves miss more often |
| Choice Band | 64 | Attack ×1.5, locked into the first move |
| King's Rock | 64 | 10% flinch chance on hits |
| Focus Band | 64 | 10% chance to survive a knockout with 1 HP |
| Scope Lens | 64 | Raises critical-hit chance |
The vitamin clerk sells Protein, Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Carbos and HP Up for 1 BP each — the cheapest way to fill a new team member’s Effort Values. The two other clerks sell Secret Base dolls and decorations from 16 to 256 BP. The Battle Frontier move tutors also charge BP.
Build the team: three roles, three hold items
Most facilities take three of your own Pokémon. No two may be the same species or hold the same item, so plan the items with the team. A reliable shape is one Pokémon that hits hard (Choice Band), one that lasts (Leftovers) and one that covers the types the other two cannot. In Level 50 your Pokémon are not raised to 50, so bring them at Level 50 with full Effort Values and a nature that helps their main stat. In Emerald a parent holding an Everstone passes its nature to the Egg half the time — see breeding.
Tip — Avoid moves that can miss: A long streak ends on one bad turn. Prefer accurate attacks over stronger ones that miss, and do not rely on one-hit KO moves.
Battle Palace: pick natures that attack
In the Palace your Pokémon choose their own moves. Each turn a Pokémon first picks a group by its nature, then a move from that group: attacking moves, moves that target itself (Protect, Recover, Swords Dance) or support moves aimed at the foe (status, stat-lowering). At half HP or less it switches to a second set of odds. The table shows how often each nature picks an attack.
| Nature | Above half HP | At half HP or less |
|---|---|---|
| Hardy | 61% | 61% |
| Hasty | 58% | 88% |
| Docile | 56% | 56% |
| Naive | ||
| Quiet | ||
| Quirky | ||
| Careful | 42% | 42% |
| Adamant | 38% | 70% |
| Jolly | 35% | 35% |
| Mild | 44% | 34% |
| Modest | 35% | 34% |
| Brave | 70% | 32% |
| Timid | 62% | 30% |
| Bold | 30% | 32% |
| Bashful | 30% | 30% |
| Lax | 35% | 29% |
| Serious | 34% | 29% |
| Impish | 69% | 28% |
| Rash | 30% | 27% |
| Relaxed | 25% | 75% |
| Calm | 40% | 25% |
| Sassy | 88% | 22% |
| Lonely | 20% | 84% |
| Naughty | 20% | 70% |
| Gentle | 18% | 90% |
Hasty, Hardy and the four 56% natures attack steadily at any HP. If a Pokémon rolls a group it has no move for, it loses that turn half the time, so give it a move from every group its nature picks often. Spenser’s teams are in the Battle Palace section.
Battle Arena: how the judges score
If neither Pokémon faints within three turns, the judges compare three scores. Winning a category is worth 2 points, a tie 1; the Pokémon with fewer points loses the duel.
| Category | Raises it | Lowers it |
|---|---|---|
| Mind | Using a damaging move | Protecting moves and Fake Out |
| Skill | Hits that land, most of all super-effective ones | Misses, moves that fail and not-very-effective hits |
| Body | Keeping a bigger share of your HP than the foe | Losing HP |
So attack every turn with your best super-effective move. A status move adds nothing to Mind, and Protect lowers it. Greta’s teams are in the Battle Arena section.
Battle Factory: swap for coverage
You battle with three rentals picked from six, and after each win you may swap one for a Pokémon of the team you just beat. Pick rentals whose attacks cover different types, and swap whenever the beaten team offers a Pokémon that fixes your weakest matchup. The Factory needs no prepared team, which makes it the easiest place to earn your first BP.
Battle Pyramid: no held items
The Pyramid only accepts Pokémon that hold nothing, and you use the items you find on each floor instead of your Bag. Bring Pokémon that heal or cure themselves with moves, since items are scarce. Brandon and the floor rules are in the Battle Pyramid section.
Battle Dome: scout, then counter
Before each round you see the next opponent’s team, and you send out two of your three. Register three Pokémon that each beat different types, so one pair always matches up well. Tucker’s teams are in the Battle Dome section.
Battle Pike: keep your lead healthy
Damage stays with you from room to room, and only the healing rooms restore your team on the way. A Pokémon that heals itself with a move, such as Recover or Rest, keeps a long run going. Lucy and the rooms are in the Battle Pike section.
Frontier Poké Mart
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Ultra Ball | ₽1,200 |
| Hyper Potion | ₽1,200 |
| Max Potion | ₽2,500 |
| Full Restore | ₽3,000 |
| Full Heal | ₽600 |
| Revive | ₽1,500 |
| Max Repel | ₽700 |
| Each vitamin | ₽9,800 |
Vitamins cost far less at the Exchange Service Corner — 1 BP each. The Mart is for money; use BP for vitamins.
Battle Frontier strategy: quick answers
- What should I buy first with Battle Points in Emerald?
- Leftovers and a Choice Band for your main team, then vitamins at 1 BP each for every new team member.
- Which natures are best for the Battle Palace?
- Hasty and Hardy attack most often at every HP level; Docile, Naive, Quiet and Quirky are steady at 56%.
- How does the Battle Arena judge decide?
- After three turns it scores Mind (attacking), Skill (effective hits) and Body (HP left); 2 points per category won, 1 per tie.
- What does Scott give you at the Battle Frontier?
- 1 to 4 BP on your first visit, a Lansat Berry for all Silver Symbols, a Starf Berry for all Gold Symbols, and Silver and Gold Shields for 50 and 100 straight Battle Tower wins.
- Which facility is easiest in the Battle Frontier?
- The Battle Factory: it lends you rental Pokémon, so you can earn BP before your own team is ready.
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