How to Beat Champion Leon

This guide will show you how to beat Champion Leon in both the main Story and in the Battle Tower in the games Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Leon's Pokemon Team (Story)

If Starter Pokemon is Grookey

Pokemon	Type	Weakness
Aegislash Lv. 62
Haxorus Lv. 63
Dragapult Lv. 62
Seismitoad Lv. 64
Cinderace Lv. 64
Charizard Lv. 65

If Starter Pokemon is Scorbunny

Pokemon	Type	Weakness
Aegislash Lv. 62
Haxorus Lv. 63
Dragapult Lv. 62
Mr. Rime Lv. 64
Inteleon Lv. 64
Charizard Lv. 65

If Starter Pokemon is Sobble

Pokemon	Type	Weakness
Aegislash Lv. 62
Haxorus Lv. 63
Dragapult Lv. 62
Rhyperior Lv. 64
Rillaboom Lv. 64
Charizard Lv. 65

Tips on Beating Leon (Story)

Level Up your Pokemon up to 70 or more

Having higher level Pokemon than Leon's team will greatly benefit you in the final match in the Championship Cup. Higher level Pokemon have greater stats, which will give you an edge when battling Leon's lower-level Pokemon. You can level up your Pokemon easily by doing Max Raid Battles and getting Exp. Candy to level up your Pokemon.
How to Level Up Fast

Learn Pokemon Typing

Learning the weaknesses of Leon's Pokemon will greatly benefit you as you will be more ready and plan better when making a Pokemon team to battle against Leon. Having a good team with great type coverage will help you get the victory in the battle with Leon.
Type Effectiveness and Damage Output

Stock Up On Items

Before going into battle with Leon, it is recommended to stock up on medicines and Potions, as these will help you in sticky situations during the battle. If you have the money, you should stock up on Full Restore and Max Revive, as having enough of these items can turn the tides of battle in your favor.

Recommended Pokemon (Story)

This Pokemon will help you greatly in your Pokemon battle with Leon. Leon has 2 Dragon-type pokemon, and you can either use Duraludon or Grimmsnarl to deal with his 2 Dragon-type Pokemon.

If you pick Scorbunny as your starter, Toxtricity is a recommended Pokemon, as he will have a Inteleon and its Electric typing will counter it effectively

If you got Grookey as your starter, be sure to grab a Toxapex, as he will have a Cinderace and its Water typing and high Defense will counter it effectively.

If you have a Sobble as your starter, get Centiskorch, as he will have Rillaboom and you can use this to counter.

For his Gigantamax Charizard, you can use a Coalossal to counter, as it will resist Charizard's moves and its Rock attacks will be 4x effective to it with a STAB bonus. It's recommended to get a Gigantamax Coalossal as it will be better in dealing with the Gigantamax Charizard.

Pokemon	Type	Weakness
Duraludon
Coalossal
Grimmsnarl
Toxtricity (If Scorbunny Starter)
Toxapex (If Grookey Starter)
Centiskorch (If Sobble Starter)

Leon's Pokemon Team (Battle Tower)

These are the Pokemon that are found in Leon's team in the Battle Tower. Take note that Dragapult will only enter the pool of possible Pokemon when you get to Great Ball Tier. Remember that only any 3 of these Pokemon will be used in Leon's team at any one time, so it's best to be ready to deal with a variety of threats.

Pokemon	Type	Weakness
Aegislash Lv. 62
Haxorus Lv. 63
Dragapult Lv. 62
Seismitoad Lv. 64
Cinderace Lv. 64
Charizard Lv. 65
Inteleon Lv. 64
Mr. Rime Lv. 64
Rhyperior Lv. 64
Rillaboom Lv. 64

Tips on Beating Leon (Battle Tower)

Train and Learn to Battle

Battle Tower is in a whole new league when it comes to Pokemon Battles, as the opponents will be much stronger and equipped with stronger teams. You won't be able to just spam high-power attacks to win like you can in the main Story. You'll need to use real tactics to win and defeat Leon in the sixth match.

A good place to train is none other than the Battle Tower itself. Battling here will teach you the essence of Pokemon battles, and from this you can learn new techniques for battling strategically. You can observe how the opponents move and you can either learn how to counter, or incorporate their techniques into your own arsenal.
Battle Tower Walkthrough and Recommended Party

Rent Pokemon Team

You can rent Pokemon in the Battle Tower. These teams are good teams to start with if you still don't have a team of your own. You can use any of these teams in the Battle Tower as much as you like. You can even use Rental Teams all the way to the final tier of the Battle tower if you find them useful.

Recommended Team (Battle Tower)

If you prefer to make your own team, we'd recommend using some of the Pokemon below, as they can be highly effective for a variety of opponents and are some of the strongest Pokemon in the game.

Legendary Pokemon

As you are free to use Legendary Pokemon in the Battle Tower, you can't go wrong with these three, as they have the highest Base Stats of any Pokemon in the game. The mascot legendaries, Zamazenta and Zacian, take some time to obtain after completing the Story, but Eternatus will already be in the player's party by the Battle Tower, so don't hold back on putting it to use.

Zamazenta

Zacian

Eternatus

How to Catch Legendary Pokemon

Non-Legendary Pokemon

Cinderace	Grimmsnarl	Hatterene
Dragapult	Rillaboom	Tyranitar
Inteleon	Weavile

After Defeating Leon

Congratulations on clearing the Story! But there's still lots more to be done. Keep reading for how to catch Zacian or Zamazenta, how to clear the Battle Tower, and more.

Post Game Content and Walkthrough

Related Links

Story Walkthrough

Getting to the 1st Gym	Getting to the 2nd Gym
Getting to the 3rd Gym	Getting to the 4th Gym
Getting to the 5th Gym	Getting to the 6th Gym
Getting to the 7th Gym	Getting to the 8th Gym
Champion Cup Semifinals	Rose Tower
Champion Cup Finals	Getting to the Champion
Post Game Content

Gym Challenge

List of Gym Challenges

How to Beat Each Trainer

Rival Battles	Gym Leader Battles
How to Beat Champion Leon