Once you’ve beaten the Elite Four, you almost are finished with the game. Scarlet and Violet are about to amp up the difficulty though, so be prepared, this will be one tough fight. Once you’ve beaten the Elite Four and Geeta, it’s almost time for the post-game, but you need to wrap up a few quests first. One of the two Trainer battles you have ahead is to take on. When you head back to the Academy, head over to the entrance to begin a cutscene. During the cutscene, Director Clavell will attempt to take credit for founding Team Star, and challenge you to a fight. Keep reading if you think you need help bringing down this elite Pokémon Trainer.
How to beat Director Clavell in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
What Pokemon you face in this battle will be somewhat dependent on the choices you made, specifically the starter you picked. Here’s the breakdown. During the battle, Director Clavell will use these six Pokémon:
- Oranguru – Level 60
- Abomasnow – Level 60
- Polteageist – Level 60
- Gyarados/Houndoom – Level 60
- Amoonguss/Houndoom – Level 60
- Skeleridge/Meowscarada/Quaquaval – Level 61
The last three Pokémon Director Clavell used depends on what starter you picked. If you choose Sprigatitio, you’ll get Gyrarados, Amoonguss, and Skelredige.
If Fuecoco was your starter, you’ll get Houndoom, Amoonguss, and Quaquaval.
Those who choose Quaxly instead will get Houndoom, Gyarados, and Meowscarada.
So with the knowledge of what Pokemon you’re going to face, you need to build your team. All of his Pokes wil be around level 60, so you’re meant to come face him after the Elite Four have already been defeated.
What are the best counters to Director Clavell in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?
Abomasnow is Grass/Ice, weak to Fighting, Fire, Bug, Rock, Flying, Poison, and Steel with Wood Hammer, Ice Shard, Blizzard, and Aurora Veil. This one can be countered with any number of options. My combo of Corviknight and Charizard worked pretty well here.
Polteageist is pure Ghost, weak to Dark and Ghost with Sucker Punch, Shadow Ball, Will-O-Wisp, and Shell Smash. Charizard is a good option here, if it has a Dark or Ghost-type move, thanks to its high Sp. Atk and Speed. Polteageist is immune to Normal and Fighting attacks, so watch out for that. Honchkrow, Murkrow, and high Special Defense Pokémon like Umbreon can work as well.
And now we get into the choice-based elements of the fight. The deterministic element of the Pokemon battle will hinge on your choice for starter. Keep reading to learn more.
Amoongus is a Grass/Poison, weak to Psychic, Flying, Fire, and Ice with Giga Drain, Hex, Spore, and Toxic. Bring something like a strong Fire-type such as Charizard and you will have no trouble. Corviknight is another good choice, as is Talonflame. Avoid Water-types and anything that isn’t tanky enough to handle Poison stacks. Also, bring plenty of Antidotes.
Houndoom is Dark/Fire, weak to Water, Ground, Rock, and Fighting with Dark Pulse, Fire Blast, Sludge Bomb, and Thunder Fang. A solid choice could be Gyarados, but be very careful of Thunder Fang. Just make sure to have high Speed so you outspeed the Houndoom. Tyranitar is another solid option that can easily tank most of the moves Houdoom can dish out. Electric, Dark and Poison moves make this a strong counter against the likes of Azumarill, so avoid that one. If you’re facing Gyarados, bring something fast to take it down. Gyarados is Water/Flying, weak to Electric and Rock with Aqua Tail, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Crunch.
Here are the breakdowns of the final Tera Pokemon you will face in this fight:
- Sprigatito Starter) Level 61 Skeledirge – Fire/Ghost with Fire Tera Type, weak to Ghost, Dark, Rock, Ground, and Water with Torch Song, Shadow Ball, Earth Power, and Snarl.
- (Fuecoco Starter) Level 61 Quaquaval – Water/Fighting with Water Tera Type, weak to Electric, Grass, Flying, Fairy, and Psychic with Aqua Step, Brick Break, Ice Spinner, and Aerial Ace.
- (Quaxly Starter) Level 61 Meowscarada – Grass/Dark with Grass Tera Type, weak to Fire, Ice, Bug, Poison, Flying, Fairy, and Fighting with Flower Trick, Shadow Claw, Play Rough, and Thunder Punch.
Once you’ve managed to take down the Tera-type of the Director’s team, you’re finished. You’ll get 13,420 prize money for beating Director Clavell, and can battle Cassiopeia next during the Starfall Street story.
If you’re struggling with previous areas of the game, we’ve got guides on a lot of things in Scarlet and Violet. Beating the Path of Legends via the Stony Cliff Titan, Open Sky Titan, Lurking Steel Titan, Quaking Earth Titan, and finishing with the False Dragon Titan. Then there are all the Gym challenges to get here. Basic fights like Iono are pretty easy. But it’s gets more challenging. The Water Gym Leader Kofu is a real tough battle. Larry the Normal Gym Leader, Ryme the Ghost Leader, getting deeper in your face at the Psychic Gym. Then finishing off with the Ice Gym. And amid all of that is the Team Star storyline. Beating Team Star bosses Giacomo, Mela, Atticus, Ortega and Eri are all pretty strong. The secondary guides for Scarlet and Violet can be helpful too. You might want to learn about Breeding Pokemon, the Triple Masuda method, as well as how feathers work.
