A Guide to Gyms

This is a guide to Gym Leaders in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. It'll give you hints as to what type, level and species of Pokémon the Leaders have. As well as strategies and recommended Pokémon to help defeat them. For each, I will also list what you get for defeating them.

Rustboro City - Roxanne


Your first challenge lies in Rustboro City. The Gym Leader, Roxanne, specialises in Rock Type Pokémon. Her team includes:
Geodude - Level: 14
Nosepass - Level: 15

For any team, it would be good for them all to be averaging Level 16 by the start of this battle.
Seen as Roxanne uses Rock type Pokémon, it is natural that you would counter them with a Water or Grass type. Choosing Mudkip or Treecko as your starter helps a lot here. But, if you chose Torchic (which I think is the easier option in the long run) all you have to do is train it up to Level 16 and evolve it into a Combusken*. Its Double Kick attack will be highly effective against Roxanne's team.
Alternatively, you could catch a different Pokémon beforehand. Such as a Shroomish or Wingull, who both have a type advantage.

For beating Roxanne, you will receive:

*Before Torchic evolves, it will try to learn the attack; Peck. Make sure it does. It will come in handy for your next Gym challenge ;)

Dewford Town - Brawly


The second Gym leader, Brawly, is found on the island of Dewford Town. He specialises in Pokémon of the Fighting type. His team includes:
Machop - Level: 17
Makuhita - Level: 18

This battle will go that much easier if your team is averaging Level 20 by this point.
Brawly uses Fighting type Pokémon, so, counter them with Psychic or Flying types. This renders Grovyle and Marshtomp almost useless, but provides Combusken users with a bit of relief. If your Combusken knows the move Peck this battle will be fairly simple.
If you don't have a Combusken with Peck, consider catching and training one of these Pokémon before challenging Brawly: Taillow, Wingull or Ralts. A Zubat trained to level 21* will also be very good.

For beating Brawly, you will receive:

*At 21, Zubat will learn Wing Attack, a flying type move.

Mauville City - Wattson


Wattson, the third gym leader, is located in Mauville City. He uses Pokémon of the Electric type. His team includes:
Magnemite - Level: 22
Voltorb - Level: 20
Magneton - Level: 23

Ok, by now it would be best if your team was averaging Level 25.
Wattson is an Electric type trainer, but, most of his team have Steel as a secondary type. So; Ground, Fire and Fighting type moves are excellent. If you still have Mud Shot on Marshtomp, this should be an easy win. That goes for Combusken and its Double Kick attack as well. The only starter that will have some trouble will be Grovyle.
If you chose this grass type, I would seriously consider catching and training another Pokémon to help for this battle. A Makuhita or Geodude from Granite cave would be great.

For beating Wattson, you will receive:

Lavaridge Town - Flannery


Your fourth challenge is found in Lavaridge town. Flannery uses Fire type Pokémon in battle. Her team includes:
Slugma - Level: 26
Slugma - Level: 26
Torkoal - Level: 28

For this battle, try to average your team to about Level 28-29. Don't go over 30 however, or your Pokémon may not obey you.
Flannery trains Fire type Pokémon, so again, try and counter their weaknesses. Water types are excellent in this battle, so Marshtomp is the starter of choice here. Combusken can hold its own, and Grovyle is disadvantaged once again. To make this battle run smoothly if you have a Combusken or a Grovyle, consider using one of these Pokémon to help out: You can re-use the Geodude you used earlier, Numel, Wingull or any other water type you can get your hands on.

For beating Flannery, you will receive:

Petalburg City - Norman


Back to someone you met earlier on in the game; Norman is found in the already visited Petalburg City and is the fifth gym leader. He uses Normal type Pokémon. His team includes:
Slaking - Level: 28
Vigoroth - Level: 30
Slaking - Level: 31

I know there is hardly anywhere to train before this battle, but if your team is averaging Level 35, you'll have very few problems.
Norman, your in-game father, is a Normal type gym leader. Normal Pokémon only have one weakness; Fighting type, so Combusken excels in this challenge. Marshtomp and Grovyle aren't disadvantaged, but it can be hard to whittle down the health if you have no real advantage. So, if you have one of these two starters, I suggest you go and get yourself a Fighting type. Hariyama, Machoke or even Breloom will do very nicely.

For beating Norman, you will receive:

Fortree City - Winona


Winona is found in Fortree City. All of her Pokémon are of the Flying type. Her team includes:
Swellow - Level: 31
Pelipper - Level: 30
Skarmory - Level: 32
Altaria - Level: 33

This battle will be so easy if your team is averaging Level 35. So, you don't even have to train if you were already on this level for the last battle. xD
Winona wields a team of Flying type Pokémon. Normally, a good Electric, Ice or Rock type will destroy them, but half of her birds have secondary types that counter some of them. For her Swellow and Pelipper, by all means use Electric types, Ice will also hurt Swellow badly. Magneton, Electrode or Manectric are excellent electrical choices. But for her Skarmory, a fire type is great- Combusken, if you have one. Though the Electric type used earlier won’t do too badly either. Altaria require Ice or Rock types, so get one of those types for this bird.

For beating Winona, you will receive:

Mossdeep City - Liza and Tate


Liza and Tate are team Gym Leaders. They only do double battles, making this a whole new concept of Gym battling. They are found in Mossdeep City and both use Pokémon of the Psychic type. Their team includes:
Lunatone - Level: 42
Solrock - Level: 42

For this duo team, an averaged Level 43 team will be great. Don't worry if this sounds like a lot of training, there is plenty of trainers before you reach this gym.
Liza and Tate use the Psychic/Rock type Pokémon: Lunatone and Solrock. To counter these two, you'll need Dark, Water, Ghost or Bug types*. Your Swampert will be great here. If you don't have one, try and get a Pokémon of one of the types listed before. There are plenty of Water types in the routes before this town, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble.

For beating Liza and Tate, you will receive:

*Remember, this is a double battle. So you'll need two Pokémon of these types.

Sootopolis City - Wallace


Wallace is the final gym leader you'll face. He is located in Sootopolis City and uses Water type Pokémon. His team includes:
Luvdisc - Level: 40
Whiscash - Level: 42
Sealeo - Level: 40
Seaking - Level: 42
Milotic - Level: 43

A Level 45+ averaged team is ideal for this battle.
Wallace is a tough one if you don't have the right types. Electric and Grass types are great. Sceptile finally gets another chance at glory in this battle. Use a Grass or Electric type for any of Wallace's Pokémon. Though, using a Grass type on Sealeo is a slight risk, as it knows Ice type moves, so use electric for him and Whiscash is immune to Electricity, so use your Grass here.

For beating Wallace, you will receive: