Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: Academy Ace Tournament - How To Unlock, How To Beat

The Academy Ace Tournament is one of the biggest challenges in Paldea while also being a big celebration for you. It's a great place to train underlevelled Pokémon, while also getting to duke it out with your fellow students and teachers.

Here's how you unlock the Ace Academy Tournament in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, and how to beat it.

How to unlock the Academy Ace Tournament

To unlock the Academy Ace Tournament, you'll first have to rematch all eight Gym Leaders once you've finished the game.

Afterwards, once you return to the Academy, you'll get a series of cutscenes which inform you that you've unlocked the tournament!

Once you've spoken to Nemona in your dorm, head to the Entrance Hall and approach her at the desk. Speak to the attendant once you're ready to take part.

How to beat the first Academy Ace Tournament

The first time you enter the Academy Ace Tournament, you'll face four set encounters. Bring your best Pokémon as you'll be fighting Arven, Jacq, Dendra, and Geeta. We'll list their teams below. You'll be healed up before each round, which means you can Terastallize in each match.

Here are all of the fights you'll need to beat in order to win the first Academy Ace Tournament.

How to beat Arven

This will be quite similar to your previous fight with Arven at the end of the Path of Legends story. Rock and Fighting-type remain the two consistent weaknesses, so Glimmora, Gallade, Garganacl, and Annihilape are great here. Baxcalibur also proved a worthy addition for us with its good resistances. All three starter Pokémon are worthwhile picks, while a Fighting or Fairy Tera-type will take Mabosstiff down — we used Tinkaton.

How to beat Jacq

Your homeroom teacher and the Academy's Biology teacher is ready for a fight. Jacq has a pretty varied team with a few big weaknesses — Ice, Ground, and Dark. Baxcalibur was once again our MVP, while Kingambit helped with its powerful Dark-type moves. Our Glimmora came with a Ground-type and Rock-type move for Arcanine. Swalot can be annoying with Protect, but you can make the Farigiraf very easy by Dark-type Terastallizing Kingambit.

How to beat Dendra

Dendra, your battle instructor, has a team full of Fighting-type Pokémon. Psychic and Fairy are two excellent types to get you kickstarted, with Farigiraf, Hatterene, and Espathra making great Pokémon. Gardevoir is also a brilliant choice being dual Psychic/Fairy type, and Flying-types like Kilowattrel, Noivern, and Braviary are worth bringing if only to help with Medicham. Terastallize with any of these three types against Hariyama to take Dendra out.

How to beat Geeta

The Top Champion apparently wants another beating. Her team is exactly the same as it was when you first faced her, but all her 'mons are at a much higher level now. All three starter Pokémon get type advantages here — our Skeledirge's Fire-type helped wipe out half of Geeta's team. You could also use Amarouge or Ceruledge. Dark-types like Kingambit, Lokix, and Mabosstiff make good additions. Fighting-type Pokémon like Hariyama and Gallade are helpful too.

After beating the first Academy Ace Tournament

Once you've beaten the Academy Ace Tournament for the first time, you'll be able to enter as many times as you like. And, instead of a set quartet of trainers, you'll get to face four different trainers at random from a pool of entrants.

Some teams will depend on who you picked as your starter Pokémon, while others are static. There are many trainers you've never faced before here, so good luck!

Beating the Academy Ace Tournament for the first time also gets you one step closer to unlocking 6-Star Raids. You'll also be rewarded with a Sporty Cap (Pokémon League) fashion accessory. You can change into this new accessory whenever you want — find out how to change clothes in our handy guide.

The key to almost everything in Paldea is in your hands, and you have some of the toughest optional challenges — and best rewards — ahead of you. Let us know if you're finding our Pokémon Scarlet & Violet walkthrough guides useful, and keep reading on for more help!