From Kalos to Paldea: Tips for a Lysandre Run

Written By NatAttack862 .

My second character themed run in Scarlet was Lysandre. And while I am considering redoing this run so that I can have it coincide with my current Sycamore run and try to keep two additional members. Until then, I thought it would be fun to break down some tips in the event you want to do yo’re own Lysandre run.

I will be mainly basing this on if the run is being done in either Sword/Shield or Scarlet/Violet. That’s not to say a Lysandre run can’t be done in X/Y, Sun/Moon, or Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon. It will just be a bit easier to base it off of these games assuming you don’t have anyone to trade with, don’t have the games or a 3DS, don’t have access to Bank on the 3DS, and/or don’t want to do this run on any of the 3DS games.

General Rules/Guidelines

Pokémon He’s Used

These are all of the Pokémon that Lysandre has used. These include his base team from X&Y, which is the same across every appearance he’s had, as well as Pokémon he’s used in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and Masters. I’ve also included a Pokémon he’s used outside of the games.

  • Pyroar, Honchkrow, Gyarados, and Mienshao: These are his canon Pokémon in X&Y. The only main games that will give you issue with this is Sword/Shield. However, the alternatives that SwSh has to offer can help in replacing them.

  • Xerneas and Yveltal: Both can be used if you have access too them. He will use one of them in his Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon team, and in Masters, his base/original unit pairs him with Yveltal.

  • Zygarde: The only times Lysandre used the final member of the Kalos legendary trio were in the anime and the manga.

  • Volcanion: This is the Pokemon he is paired with for his second unit (a.k.a. his Sygna Suit). If you happen to have it and are able to transfer it over, this can be an option in both SwSh and SV.

Customization

What you can do for customization will depend on the game you’re doing the run in. There aren’t any hard rules for this, but these are the advisable options.

  • Red or Scarlet Hair: There may not be an exact match for his hair color, but both of these are close. Since both are an option in Scarlet/Violet, I would say Scarlet is the better option. While Red is your only real option in Sword/Shield.

  • Ultramarine or Blue Eye Color: Ultramarine is available in both while Blue is exclusive to Scarlet/Violet. Ultramarine will be a more prominent blue, while Blue is closer to his shade of blue. Both are better than pale blue in my opinion.

  • Medium Wave (SwSh) or Long Bob (SV): There isn’t a style that is remotely close to what he as in generations eight or nine. Medium Wave will probably be the closest you’ll get in Sword/Shield since it has multiple parts like his. In Scarlet/Violet I believe that the Long Bob is the best since it has a length volume that I feel does the job. I considered the Slicked Back style since it would be off the player character’s face with some slight parts to it, but it didn’t have the volume like the Long Bob does.

Personal Rules

  • He must have a full team: I feel better having a full team of six. For instance, my Scarlet playthrough, where I used a full team with his X&Y team and two additional party members. However, that does not mean you have to. For example, you can do a Scarlet playthrough with his X&Y team.

  • Dark Tera Type Gyarados: Since Mega Evolutions aren’t available in Scarlet and Violet, the Tera Type can act as one of he types a Pokémon gains if it applies. In Gyarados’ case, it goes from a Water/Flying to Water/Dark type when Mega Evolves. So you can give Gyarados the Dark Tera Type.

What Games are Better for a Lysandre Run?

Meeting Koraidon before I changed the outfit and removed the hat.

This will ultimately come down to how close to canon you want run his team. Volcanion will be tough if you never got one in any of the events it appeared in and it not being distributed since it’s last event was in 2022 (2016 for the 3DS era). As such, whenever I mention Legendries, it will mainly be referring to Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde. If you do have Volcanion, you can include it.

I ended up breaking it down to three categories:

  1. Games where you can do his canon team: This primarily refers to his Kalos team, but will include the Kalos legendries when it applies.

  2. The best generation 7 games to do this run in: Though there are a number of things that carry over from Sun and Moon to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, there is one that I feel has better accessibility to his Kalos team. This will not include Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee since it is a Kanto remake and none of his Pokémon are available.

  3. The games with the most canon alternatives: This mainly applies to games where you may not have access to his entire base Kalos team, but do have access to the most canonical alternatives.

The Canonical Playthrough: X&Y, Scarlet and Violet

X&Y and Scarlet/Violet will be the games that give you access to his entire team from the Kalos games. X&Y will also give you at least one of the box legends (assuming you don’t have both or anyone to trade with) which can be used for any and all late game content. If you want them sooner, you will have to trade for one or send them over from Bank. This would give you his Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon team depending on your game, and give you at least five members of his team or both if you decided to send the opposing box legendary over (assuming you don’t add Zygarde and/or Volcanion).

That said, if you are someone who doesn’t like using legendries, you don’t have to use them if you don’t want to. You would still have his full Kalos team either way, and X&Y would still be one of the most canonical Lysandre runs. All you would need to decide on, is if you want to run it with his four member team or add two more for a full team of six.

Scarlet/Violet, meanwhile, will be the other best route for his X&Y team. Regardless of whether you decide to do just his four party team or add two Pokémon. Litleo, Magikarp, and Murkrow can all be caught in the base game pretty early on. Magikarp will obtainable during the introductory portion of the game when your on your way to Los Platos (just turn right at the bridge and follow the river down to the beachside in South Province Area 1), while Murkrow and Litleo can be caught in East Province Area 1 between Artazon and the Schedar Squad base (Mela’s). And once you have three badges, you will unlock evolution stones at Delibird’s Presents. So you would be able to get a Honchkrow pretty early.

Mienfoo, meanwhile, will require you to start the Teal Mask. You’ll get full free reigns to explore once the first landmark is assigned. From there, you’ll just hop on over to Wistful Fields, it’s fixed location. Mienfoo, like a number of Unova introduced Pokémon, will take a while to evolve. Unlike Litleo and Magikarp, who evolve somewhere in the level twenty range, Mienfoo evolves into Mienshao at level fifty.

The Best Gen Seven Games: Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

Out of the generation seven games, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon will probably be your best option. They won’t require you to send over any of his Kalos team, unlike Sun and Moon. Because of this, you are able to do his Kalos team. And thanks to the Ultra Wormholes, these games would let you use his team during the Rainbow Rocket arc.

However, since Yveltal and Xerneas won’t be accessible until you’ve beaten the Elite Four, you would have to transfer one in from Bank or trade for one if you wanted to use them during the main game. So that is something to keep in mind when planning an Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon playthrough. Ether way though, you can still use them for the Battle Tree and the Rainbow Rocket story.

Because of these factors, an Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon Lysandre run will be similar to X&Y. You can do either his Kalos team or a version of his Rainbow Rocket. And, much like X&Y, if you don’t want to use any of the legendries, you aren’t obligated to unless you want a full team of Pokémon he’s used. They will also be the better generation seven games to do a Lysandre run compared to Sun/Moon due to how and when you can obtain his team.

The Most Canon Alternatives: Sword and Shield

Sword/Shield may be the worst or least feasible games to do a Lysandre run in. This is mainly due to the fact that half of his base team is unavailable (Pyroar and Honchkrow). That said, it is not impossible. Unlike Scarlet and Violet, these games do have the most alternatives he’s used over the course of the games, manga, and anime. Namely, the Kalos legendary trio.

Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde are all accessible thanks to the Crown Tundra and the Max Raid Den. You also aren’t required to beat Peony to unlock the area, though be warned that the levels of wild encounters will be within a set bracket regardless of when you start it. However, if you’ve played through the Indigo Disk, this won’t be new.

They will be level seventy when you catch them, so I would recommend having a few badges before going for them. Enough to unlock Ultra Balls and reduce any potential risk of them not listening to you. Do be warned, of the three, Zygarde will be the more difficult to obtain, especially if you’re stuck with three NPCs. This mainly has to do with the fact that Zygarde’s ability, Power Construct, will turn it into its Complete Form once it gets below half, which can make it rough depending on the available rental Pokémon, if any of them fainted during the route, and/or if the NPCs are being particularly unhelpful.

Alternatively, you could send them over from a previous run through Home. That way you could have them without having to start the Crown Tundra. And if you happen to have both Xerneas and Yveltal, who are exclusive to Sword and Shield respectively, they can easily replace Honchkrow and Pyroar while Zygarde filling up one of the free spaces. This would ultimately leave you with one spot left to fill.

Sword and Shield will be the more difficult games to do a Lysandre run in, due to it not having every canonical option available, but it won’t be impossible. It would force you to use legendries, which may not be ideal if that’s not your cup of tea. However, by requiring such, you would have a relatively canonical team.

Possible Additions/Alternatives

With the games and general rules/guidelines established, I thought I would go over possible alternatives and additions depending on the game. A few months back I did a since archived Reddit post asking for suggestions for my Scarlet run and another for a possible Sword/Shield run. While I can’t remember every suggestion, there are a few that I do remember and decided to include. Another suggestion I was given was Pokemon that looked imposing/strong, which would be something Lysandre would want.

These alternatives can work for a six member team, alternatives for the legendries he’s used (when applicable), and/or replacements for Pokémon who aren’t available.

Canon Additions

These are Pokémon that Lysandre uses in everything he’s showed up in. This includes X&Y, Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, the anime, the manga, and Pokémon Masters EX. These options will be good for filling up his team with Pokémon that he’s canonically used. The only issues that will arise include what Pokémon are in which games and whether or not you have Volcanion.

Situationally Volcanion

Starting off with Volcanion, it was only obtainable via events with the last Volcanion event being in 2022. If you’re like me, you may not have had the chance to get Volcanion through this event. Or the Volcanion that was given out in 2016. Because of this, and currently no way of knowing if it will appear in Legends Z-A, I’d only recommend it if you have it.

Since he only uses it in Pokémon Masters EX, and it’s current lack of accessibility, Volcanion will be the least necessary of the bunch.

Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde Where it’s Applicable

These will be good, canon additions, when it applies. This includes X&Y, Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, and Sword/Shield. Both X&Y and USUM will give you his entire X&Y team, and the chance to do either of his Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon teams depending on your version. They’ll also give you a chance to combined both of his USUM teams if you have access to both. You can also use Zygarde, like he did in the manga, which could be an alternative to whichever Kalos legendary you don’t have access to. The only issue will be how late you obtain them, assuming you don’t send them over from Bank.

Sword and Shield, meanwhile, gives you the opportunity to use Zygarde and whichever one is exclusive to your version. Which can help in replacing Honchkrow and Mienshao. And if you happen to have all three, you can use them all with only one slot needing to be filled.

Sword/Shield Suggestions

Sword and Shield has options that I feel can fit his team. Whether they be choices that fit the “strong” aesthetic like one Redditor had recommended, could substitute for his unavailable Pokémon, and/or help with coverage.

  • Aegislash: This is one that I considered for my Sword run, when and if I get to it. I thought it would fit the strength theme and it would help with coverage against Rock and Fairy types.

  • Corviknight: This can be a replacement for Honchcrow. It will reduce both the Rock and Fairy weaknesses by one member and can Gigantamax if you want to go that route. It also gets a Gigantamax so this could be your team’s Gigantamax Pokémon.

  • Arcanine: One of three options I thought could be a Pyroar alternative. It would be a fire type, like Pyroar, and I felt like it could fit into a theme of loyalty since he’s the leader of Team Flare and has loyal subordinates.

  • Luxray: This is the second Pyroar alternative. It fits into the more feline vibe that Pyroar has. It could also give coverage against Water types, as well as Ground types since it can learn Ice Fang.

  • Solgaleo: This would be the last Pyroar alternative and the only lion inspired Pokémon you can get. With it being exclusive to Sword’s Raid Dens, you can do this one of three ways. The first, transfer it from Home. Assuming you have one in Home from a previous game, you can send it over whenever you’d like. The second, catch or trade for a Solgaleo. If you’re playing Sword, you can catch it in the Raid Den. If you’re playing Shield and know someone who’s willing to help, trade for it. The final way, obtain the Cosmog from the lady in the house with the Spheal in the Crown Tundra. From there you can transfer it through Home and have it through out the entire playthrough. If you happen to have Shield, you can send it to someone with Sword, have them evolve it and trade it back.

  • Sharpedo: This could be a pick for Rock and Ground coverage. It’s also one of several Pokémon who got a Mega Evolution and it’s type matches Mega Gyarados.

  • Duraludon: I was shuffling between this, Hatterene, and Toxtricity for a Gigantamax option. Hatterene would be a nod to his desire for a more beautiful world while Toxtricity would be a nod to the electrical aspect of Lumiose City. However, I decided to go with Duraludon since it could work out as a reference to Lumiose City and the Prism Tower. This would also help with Fairy, Rock, and Ice coverage.

  • Metagross or Hydreigon: An option I had considered was a Pseudo Legendary. While Goodra could be a reasonable option, with it being from Kalos, Diantha uses it and I wanted to give him one that could mirror hers. Hydreigon was an option I was suggested when I was looking for Scarlet options, which would fit the “strong looking” Pokemon idea I was recommended. This could be an option because of that, as well as an option that could fit into the types commonly seen in Team Flare’s roster. I include Metagross as coverage and the fact that it gets a Mega Evolution. Since it’s Steel/Psychic, it would help with Fairy, Fighting, Rock, Ice, and Poison types.

These are some options that I would recommend for Sword and Shield. Of them, I’d feel more inclined to use Arcanine, Corviknight, and Duraludon. However, you can use any of these or none of these depending on what you feel will fit the team better.

Scarlet/Violet Suggestions

Since I originally did my Lysandre run in Scarlet, I feel like I can better recommend some suggestions. Some of which come from recommendations I received, with others being ones I thought would help the team out.

  • Camerupt: I considered Camerupt since it got a Mega Evolution in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. I also felt it would work well with the Fire theme of Team Flare. It can be caught relatively early on, with one of Numel’s spawn location being around Giacomo’s base.

  • Volcarona: This was an option recommended to me because it would be a strong option and was one that I initially had on my run. It does have a four times Rock Weakness and evolved relatively late, but it can help cover Dark, Psychic, Ice, Steel, Grass, and Bug types. Much like Numel, it can be caught if you’re on your way to Giacomo’s base and/or Cascarrafa. You’ll just want to hop over to Asado Desert, which is where Larvesta commonly spawns at.

  • Florges: This option is a lore option. With Lysandre being distantly related to AZ, through AZ’s brother, I thought this could be a good in-game lore pick. And I figured going with the final evolution of the Flabébé line would be the best. As far as which color to go with, it doesn’t really matter. Red was my choice since it’s fit Lysandre’s color scheme, but you can choose whatever color you like. I’d also recommend giving it the Grass Tera Type since it learns quite a few Grass moves which can help with the team’s Rock and Ground weaknesses.

  • Hydreigon, Dragapult, or Garchomp: Obligatory Pseudo Legendary pick. Hydreigon and Dragapult can be caught in the base game, and are exclusive to Scarlet and Violet respectively. So if you don’t want to go to the Indigo Disk (or take your chances for a Beldum raid) before beating the main game, these will be the easier picks. Of the Pseudo Legendries that are in both games, I’d say Garchomp. It might be a bit basic, but it will provide coverage for Rock, Electric, Dragon, and Steel types. Plus, it like several other Pseudo Legendries, gets a Mega Evolution, and it’s one that Sycamore uses, who is a close friend of Lysandre’s.

  • Archaludon: Archaludon will be one of my picks when I restart my Scarlet run. It can be a bit of a hassle to catch since Duraludon only spawns in the Polar Biome of the Terrarium as well as five and six star raids. All the while, the Metal Alloy only being by filling out the Blueberry Academy Dex, on the ground in Chargestone Cavern, the Item Printer, and for 300 BBP at the Blueberry Academy School Store. But I do feel like it would be worth it for coverage and aesthetic.

Conclusion

This was an interesting post to make. Though I might not have expected to go as in-depth as I did, I hope this helps. I wanted to make sure that I covered as much as possible so that you could have an idea for what to go with in as many games as possible.

Thanks to Masters and my relatively recent, and first official run of X , I developed a soft spot for the character. Having done an initial Scarlet run, I can certainly say this was a fun character playthough to try, and I am considering retrying it in Scarlet to coincide with my Sycamore run in Violet (plus, it gives me a chance to set my mind on two additions since I didn’t really want to keep Volcanion and Hydreigon on my team).

Would you want to give this run a try? Do you have any questions that I didn’t touch on? What are your thoughts on Lysandre?

Sources

NatAttack862 .
Previous

How to Approach a Sycamore Run?
Next

Tips for Character Playthroughs: A Personal Guide