There was a time in Pokemon when Psychic types were the strongest of them all. And while they have been significantly nerfed since then, Psychic Pokemon remain some of the most dominant in battle. And that same fact applies to the trainers as well.
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Psychic-type masters have a special link with their Pokemon, resulting in many high-ranking Gym Leaders and Elite Four members that are incredibly difficult to battle. So if you want to take on some of the greatest minds in all of Pokemon, just take a look at the eleven (tecnically, twelve) trainers featured in this list.
Updated December , 2022 by Jeremy Hanna: With the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, you probably wanted to see this ranking updated. A new Psychic-type master was introduced in the game, so let's find out just how she compares to some of the toughest trainers in Pokemon.
Generation nine brought us the lovely Tulip, a makeup artist and model you can see on billboards throughout the Paldea region. Although her name suggests flowers and Grass-types, she boasts a Psychic-type team that is surprisingly bulky and powerful.
11 Bede
Bede is one of the newest rivals in Pokemon, sporting a curly head of hair, a pinkish-purple coat, and a bad attitude. While this may be irritating to some, it really was a breath of fresh air, since we've had so many generations where all the rivals were just friends who kept telling you how good you are.
While he's a fascinating character and has one of the most interesting character arcs in all of Pokemon, Bede gets knocked to the bottom of the Psychic-type ranking because he actually changes types towards the end of the game. Opal, the Fairy-type gym leader, takes him under her wing and trains him to take over her position. If this was a list on the best Fairy-type trainers, Bede would be right near the top. But since he was still a novice with his Psychic types, he'll have to be satisfied with last place.
10 Avery
...which is a shame because Avery is terrible. Introduced in the Pokemon Shield version of the Isle Of Armor DLC, Avery is a minor league Gym Leader training under Mustard at the dojo. He's arrogant and, frankly, never really does anything to back that up except cheat.
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His teams are also fairly weak compared to anyone else. When you first encounter him, assuming you've beaten the main story of Pokemon Shield, he has two incredibly high-leveled Pokemon: Abra and Galarian Slowpoke. Neither are intimidating and only know two different moves total. Even in your final battle with him, Avery hasn't fully evolved his team, although this changes in any post-game tournaments. Really, Avery is never a threat and truly deserves his minor league status.
9 Olympia
Olympia is one of the most grandiose Gym Leaders out there. She is themed around space with stars in her cape and hair that is out of this world. On top of that, she speaks in haikus. What's more impressive than an intergalactic woman who constantly speaks poetry? It's a shame that her team doesn't really match that level.
Individually, her Pokemon are pretty good. Sigilyph has an incredible ability with Magic Guard and Slowking is bulky and powerful. Unfortunately, her ace Meowstic isn't that impressive. On top of that, the routes before Anistar City feature a lot of Dark-type Pokemon. If she had even one more Pokemon, like Malamar, she could be a lot more dangerous. But as she is, Olympia's team doesn't reflect her greatness.
8 Will
Will is a mysterious masked man who is also the first trainer you battle in Gold and Silver's Elite Four. He has bright purple hair, wears fancy clothes, and has a mask to hide his face. But even with his awesome design, Will is one of the weakest Elite Four members in Pokemon.
Will's signature Pokemon, Xatu, isn't that impressive with decent Speed and Special Attack, but not much else. He has two of them and while they neutralize Psychic's Bug-type weakness, his whole team can easily be defeated by more powerful Dark and Ghost-type Pokemon. Just like Olympia, Will has a great look, but can't back it up.
7 Tate And Liza
Tate and Liza tap into one of the most common psychic archetypes: twins. They can read each other's minds and have an empathic link with their Pokemon, often preferring to use Pokemon that are always friendly. Tate and Liza are also unique because they are the first gym to utilize Double Battles.
Usually, Tate and Liza focus on their signature Pokemon Solrock and Lunatone. However, in Emerald their team expanded further with the likes of Xatu and Claydol. All four of these Pokemon work incredibly well together in Double Battles. Not only were they all immune to Earthquake, but half of them could also use Sunny Day to reduce the power of Water-type moves and power up Solrock's moves. While their Pokemon could be stronger, the synergy is remarkable.
6 Faba
Faba, the branch chief of the Aether Foundation, is pretty creepy. Not only does he have a gross smirk behind huge glasses, but his signature Pokemon is Hypno, one of the creepiest Pokemon ever made. Faba is clearly a bad guy and his evil antics make for some really irritating battles.
What makes Faba so dangerous is that he is often paired with an employee that will spam moves like Snarl, Light Screen, or Reflect. This minimizes all the damage taken by Faba's Pokemon. And while none of them are that threatening, any Pokemon is tough when you can't kill it. Even when he's alone, his Pokemon utilize moves like Nuzzle, Hypnosis, and Disable to make your team less effective. Faba may not be powerful, but he is incredibly annoying.
5 Tulip
Looking at Tulip, you'd assume that she was a Grass or maybe Fairy-type trainer. She has wings flapping all over her outfit and is literally named after a flower. Instead, she is a Psychic-type trainer who believes in the power of emotions. Apparently it works, because she has a surprisingly powerful team.
Tulip boasts two new Psychic-type Pokemon: Farigiraf and Esparthra. Both of them have a good amount of HP and Special Attack. On top of this, she has two specially defensive behemoths with Gardevoir and a Psychic Tera Type Florges. This means her team can send out powerful attacks and guarantee that they'll be around for a while. Tulip is truly the model for a powerful Psychic Gym Leader.
4 Caitlin
When Caitlin first appeared in a Pokemon game, she was the Princess of the Battle Castle and awarded you Castle Points in Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver. Afterwards, she left the Sinnoh region and became one of the members of the Unovan Elite Four. And she is tough!
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In Black and White and their sequels, Caitlin's team is filled with a bunch of bulky Pokemon that can hit incredibly hard. Her main staples are Musharna, Reuniclus, Sigilyph, and Gothitelle, but in rematches she gets Metagross, one of the strongest Pokemon in the series. When you approach her, Caitlin may seem like a girl stuck in a dream state. But if you're not careful, battling her can be a nightmare.
3 Lucian
As the final member of the Sinnoh Elite Four, Lucian is debatably the highest ranking trainer on this list. And it's well deserved! Lucian is a calm and collected trainer who has a strong team built around avoiding and absorbing hits instead of delivering them as quickly as possible.
Almost every Pokemon on Lucian's team reduces damage, avoids damage, or uses the opponent's move to their advantage. This is a great strategy as opposed to the usual Psychic-type strategy of fast and powerful attacks. It really sets Lucian apart from every other Elite Four member and makes him one of the most dangerous trainers to face in all of Pokemon. It's just a shame that Cynthia is in the same region.
2 Sabrina
A mysterious psychic and popular actress, there wasn't a single trainer who was as difficult as Sabrina in Generation One. Not only were Special Attack and Special Defense a single stat, but Psychic-type Pokemon had no weakness and could hit any Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Sabrina was a dominating presence.
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But even without the broken mechanics of Red, Blue, and Yellow, Sabrina's team is still extraordinarily tough. Alakazam is a great glass cannon with fantastic coverage and a lot of her other Pokemon can handle Psychic's weaknesses with either a type advantage or a good amount of bulk. Across the entire Pokemon series, no Gym Leader has been as consistently tough as Sabrina. However, there is one Psychic-type trainer who is even more powerful than her.
