Lorelei Is Proof Pokemon's Elite Four Deserves More Respect

thegamer.com:

Members of Pokemon's Elite Four are dichotomous creatures. In their own reality, they are superstars. The best of the best. The creme de la Alcremie. In a world where everyone wants to be the very best, like no one ever was, they already are. In popular culture though, their stature is decidedly lower. While we frequently talk about gym leaders of each region, the Elite Four is often overlooked. Gym leaders are frequently involved in plot points, and have whole towns built around them. Preparing for, and then beating, gym leaders is also a significant part of the game, whereas with Elite Four members, they're just part of a boss rush situation where you'll only really remember them if they're difficult, meaning you'll resent them. The Elite Four might be a thing of the past, so I want to remember the first, and still best, Elite Four member: Mommylei. I mean, Lorelei.

Sword & Shield cut the Elite Four entirely, instead opting for a knockout tournament between gym leaders and challenging trainers. This was a great idea, and perfectly played into the culture of sport in Britain, on which Galar was based. Iberia, the real-life region Scarlet & Violet is based on, has a similar love for sport, so the tournament may return. This allows for the extra storytelling Elite Four members rarely bring, allows weaker gym leaders to shine with a full strength team, and, if the game was able to randomise which AI opponent won, could offer a multitude of routes to the final battle. This last one was not the case in Galar, but Pokemon has made a surprising amount of progress recently for a series that has so often risked stagnation, so we can hope.

Related: Revisiting Kanto: Giovanni Doesn't Deserve Celadon's Chill Team Rocket Hideout

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