Every youtube playthrough I see of the elite 4 shows the player

It's easily harder than gen 6 even with the exp share on

With the exp share I've already blacked out twice and I've only gone up to finishing two trials on Akala Island.

Totem battles in general are a lot more challenging and more well designed than the past 2 gens of gyms.

>>30023641
E4 and other NPCs have max EVs so they hit for quite a lot of damage and outspeed pretty much everything.

Don't remember if previous games did this for story mode.

>>30023641
Playing with exp-share off and Set
I had to spam potions against the Teachers Magnemite
I blacked out at Guzma's Masquerain
Hau's A-Raichu sweept half my team before I could do anything
Kukui set up SR and shuffled my entire team with Braviary's Whirlwind, and when I brought it down to red he just spammed Full Restores.
Kiawe's Salazzle OHKOd half my team and poisoned my A-Grimer
The Veteran double battle before the Tree was hard as fuck because they actually switched their mons when I started using Snarl/Intimidate on them

Overall yes, it's actually harder than other games because this time trainers are allowed to have EVs in their pokemon.

>>30023725
In previous games the story trainers couldn't have EVs at all, they had random natures, and until HGSS they always had ability one. SM is a massive improvement as far as difficulty goes.

>>30023725
in platnium the champ had max IVs on every pokemon

>>30023833
I actually wiped to the teacher the first time because I was going in blind with an injured rowlet and not very effwctive moves.

>>30023993
IVs are different than EVs though. Look at this for example;

235 - Team Skull Boss Guzma
======
Pokemon: 2
Golisopod (Lv. 37) (Nature: Adamant) (Moves: Swords Dance/Razor Shell/First Impression/(None)) IVs: 31/31/15/15/15/31 EVs: 0/252/0/0/0/0
Ariados (Lv. 36) (Nature: Adamant) (Moves: Fell Stinger/Sucker Punch/Shadow Sneak/Infestation) IVs: 31/31/31/31/31/31 EVs: 0/252/0/0/0/252

Second battle against Guzma and his ace has 31 IVs on everything, full 252/252 spread and with a +atk nature, plus Fell Stinger (which got buffed this gen) and Sucker Punch for priority. And that's just at level 36.