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Are you finished with solo content and ready to move onto the actual end-game, Co-op EX Challenges? To defeat the Co-op bosses you’ll need the right Sync Pair, knowing how to use your Pokémon efficiently, and knowledge of AI patterns. The Right Sync Pairs For EX Brock you’ll want: Brendan & Treecko, Kris & Totodile, and Rosa & Snivy. If you don’t have Kris, you’ll have a harder time contributing damage. Instead, you can bring in a Sync Pair like Phoebe & Dusclops. Dusclops is bulky and provides decent buffs. If you have Roxanne, you can defend your team with Wide Guard and provide powerful buffs, but only if they both have Kris, since you’re sacrificing your own chance to deal damage. For EX Rosa you’ll want: Blue & Pidgeot, Claire & Kingdra, and Rosa & Snivy. You can substitute Rosa with Dusclops, but that will only work with competent Co-op partners with strong teams. Rosa can be replaced with Drake and still manage to win also with slightly more Dragon-type damage. For EX Erika you’ll want: Marley & Arcanine, Flint & Infernape, and Korrina & Lucario. It’s possible to substitute Korrina for a bulky Striker like Norman & Slaking, or the S-tier Striker Pair Olivia & Lycanroc. If you’re playing with friends and you know one is bringing Marley already, then perhaps you can swap for Dusclops to provide buff diversity. For EX Skyla you’ll want: Olivia & Lycanroc, Phoebe & Dusclops, and Shauntal & Chandelure. Phoebe can be swapped out with another support like Rosa for Serperior’s X Sp. Atk All, but Dusclops’s Ghost-typing makes it a better choice here. General Strategies Don’t let your damage-dealing Pokémon to get hit by Sync Moves. Switch out to your tank before Sync Moves comes out. If there is one turn left for the enemy’s Sync Move it’s probably best to switch out. Usually, the enemy AI targets randomly at first. In the EX Brock fight the AI switches target right before KO’ing a Pokémon. This only applies to single target moves. If your team is about to hit the Unity attack, then you can keep your DPS on the field just before a Sync Move. Unity attacks reset the queue order for both sides, so if you’ve got fast fingers you can immediately switch out of your DPS. Turn on Action Order in the options menu! It’ll help a whole lot in these fights where timing and order matter. Your own strategy depends on a lot of factors. Are you playing with friends or random strangers? You can’t expect everyone to have the optimal team for the fight. Is your Sync Pair team the best it can be? Max out your Pokémon’s level. By max, I mean fully maxed at either 90 for 3★, 95 for 4★, or 100 for 5★. This means you’re going to need to farm a lot of Gym Notes. It’s possible to defeat EX bosses without max level Pokémon, but you’ll be a burden to your Co-op partners. Are you attempting Hard or Very Hard? The difference between Hard and Very Hard is simply the strength of the opposing team’s Pokémon. You’ll need to be more precise with your move choices and timing. And please, for the sake of your Co-op partners, do NOT attempt to auto-battle these fights. EX Brock Sync Pairs Brendan & Treecko - essential in defeating the main Sync Pair, Brock & Onix. With the insane power up move, No Turning Back!, and Leaf Storm, Onix will be blown away. Kris & Totodile (Feraligator) - makes the fight a whole lot easier. The Lunatone are a deadly pair with their Rock Slide move, so getting rid of them fast is ideal. Rosa & Snivy (Serperior) - a good tank for any incoming attacks and provides a move gauge refresher. AI Pattern EX fights always begin the same way. For EX Brock: Onix > Physical Shield Lunatone (right) > Ancient Power Lunatone (left) > Ancient Power Onix > Rock Throw Lunatone (left) > Special Shield Onix > Rock-Hard Determination! (attack and defense up, set up for Sync Move) > Sync Move You’ll notice there’s a pattern within all the AI fight scripts. Usually the boss Pokémon will use a power up play, like buffing, right before a Sync Move. At this point or just before Onix uses its Sync Move, Onix should either be KO’d or both Lunatone are downed. If the Onix is out: Lunatone will alternate Rock Slides afterwards. If the Lunatone are gone: Onix > Speed it Up! Onix > Screech > Bulldoze (will repeat this until Sync Move is ready) > Sync Move At this point, your Pokémon should be really damaged, and if you’re not close to winning then you’re in trouble. The Frillish that come out last are not strong, but they can still be a threat after the onslaught of attacks you’ve endured. Frillish (right) > Icy Wind Frillish (left) > Icy Wind Note: AI patterns will always be the same, however, if you defeat Pokémon in different orders it will be slightly different. Keep this in mind, and formulate your own strategy. Strategy For playing with strangers, I find it’s best to just defeat Onix first. Most people attempting Very Hard EX Brock will have a Treecko at the very least. If not, it’s a good idea to leave the match (sorry, but it’s true at the current state of the game). After defeating Onix, move on to targeting a single Lunatone before they wipe your team out. Move on to the next Lunatone and prepare for another AOE barrage--Frillish that use Icy Wind. Frillish are fragile, but their attacks may just finish off the rest of your Pokémon. If you do survive to defeat them, congrats, the fight is done! Keep in mind that you should be trying to sync together with your Co-op partners and complete the Unity Bonus. You’ll usually want to begin by buffing your Treecko with Dire Hit and No Turning Back! Spam Leaf Storm until Onix is downed. EX Rosa Sync Pairs Blue & Pidgeot - the main damage dealer, a requirement for lack of stronger Flying-type strikers. Pidgeot’s Acuity (accuracy cannot be lowered) comes in handy here against Roserade’s Mud-Slap. Claire & Kingdra - to get rid of the pesky Goomy. Rosa & Snivy (Serperior) - again, just a good tank. AI Pattern Serperior > Shields Up! (lowers Physical and Special damage) Roserade (right) > Mud-Slap Roserade (left) > Mud-Slap Serperior > Energy Ball At this point, Roserades should be dead after a volley of Air Cutter. Otherwise, Roserade will repeat alternating Mud-Slap. Goomy > Facade Serperior > X Sp. Atk > Sync Move > Shield’s Up! > Back Off! (resets Unity bonus) Serperior > Giga Drain (repeats until Sync Move is ready) > Sync Move Strategy Buff Pidgeot with Smell Ya Later! and X Sp. Atk and just unleash Air Cutter to down the pair of Roserades. The non-boss enemies have Piercing Gaze which make their moves never miss, so keep that in mind. Use Kingdra to Draco Meteor the Goomy to oblivion. Once the add (side) Pokémon are out of the picture, it’s basically a battle between the boss. Try your best to keep Pidgeot alive, which should be a Mega Pidgeot at this point. The end of this fight is just a juggling act of keeping your PIdgeot alive and dealing damage. EX Erika Sync Pairs Marley & Arcanine - absolutely needed because of the Poison moves that the enemy team has. We’re Standing Strong! provides immunity to all status conditions. In fact, only one person needs to bring this Sync Pair, but when matching with strangers its best to bring your own. Flint & Infernape - the best Striker for defeating this EX Boss. Korrina & Lucario - best for dealing with Lycanroc (Midday Form) that come out after Roserade. AI Pattern Roserade (right) > Toxic (your team should be immune with We’re Standing Strong!) Vileplume > Venoshock Roserade (left) > Toxic Vileplume > Venoshock The Roserade should be gone by now, but if they aren’t this pattern will continue. Lycanroc (right) > Rock Tomb Vileplume > Not Another Step! (you can’t switch Pokémon out) > Sync Move Lycanroc (left) > Rock Slide Vileplume > Sludge Bomb (Rock Slide and Sludge Bomb are repeated ad infinitum until Sync Move is ready) Strategy If you’re starting with Arcanine, use We’re Standing Strong!, otherwise, buff up Infernape and begin attacking the Roserade. Once the Roserade are gone, focus on the Lycanroc. Be wary of the Rock Slide (AOE). Also, Sludge Bomb is a powerful move, so be careful. There’s not much else to this fight. Follow the general strategies and this fight should be a piece of cake. EX Skyla Sync Pairs Olivia & Lycanroc - arguably the strongest Striker in the game. Against a Rock-type weakness Flying-type like Swanna? They don’t stand a chance. Phoebe & Dusclops - a great type effective support for this fight. Shauntal & Chandelure - the Striker you need to defeat Haunter. AI Pattern Swanna > High-Flying Climb! (Def. +3, Sp. Def. +3, Crit + 2) Haunter (right) > Hex Haunter (left) > Hex Swanna > Aerial Ace These attack moves are repeated until Swanna is ready to use Sync Move. Swanna > Sync Move Haunters should be KO’d by this point. Swanna > High-Flying Climb! Swanna > Brave Bird (repeated until Sync Move) Strategy In EX Brock, the AI switches targets right before your Pokémon die, but here it’s not the case. Be careful of losing your Pokémon quickly. Target the Haunters, one at a time. Hex is a decently strong attack. Then finish the Swanna by juggling Pokémon properly. Like the Erika fight, it’s pretty straightforward. Conclusion Having the necessary team is the way to go. If playing with strangers, you’re going to need to need smart play. Good luck!

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