PrinceWatercress plays Chrono Trigger (Super NES) - Part 57 of 70

Ever wondered how to effectively beat Lavos with Crono? Here's how!

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World Map (1000 A.D.) (by Rick Bruns)

Leene Square Map (by Rick Bruns)

Believe it or not, there is a way to fight Lavos with only Crono.

After you talk to Lucca at the Telepod, Marle will step back to watch as you demonstrate the Telepod. Instead of going to the left pad, go to the right pad and use the portal there to fight Lavos alone.

For best results, you'll want to equip the PrismSpecs as an accessory if you're not fast enough. The Sun Shades will boost your attack power by 25% during battle, but the PrismSpecs will boost it by 50%. Having a Haste Helm can help, but you don't necessarily need one unless you want to speed the battle up or want to use alternate strategies, such as equipping the Gold Stud and blasting everything with Luminaire while topping up with a HyperEther every so often. 

For the shell battle, just keep using Luminaire. The attack boost from the PrismSpecs will always kick in, and you'll see the attack boost right away compared to when you don't have it. Lavos will go down a little faster with the PrismSpecs on as a result.

For the Lavos body, attack the left arm (which is the one on the right side of the screen) first until you knock 2,000 HP off its health. Confuse plus a critical hit from the Rainbow will usually do the trick. From there, keep using Luminaire. You'll destroy both arms at the same time, and if you're fast enough, you won't have to worry about Protective Seal killing off your status ailment immunity and ruining the battle. The PrismSpecs makes a much quicker solo battle against Lavos' body a reality, and also a little easier if you know what you're doing.

As for the Lavos core, the PrismSpecs will allow you to hit the left pod with Confuse and destroy it in one shot every time. From there, you can do some damage on the center pod until the right pod lowers its defense. Once that happens, let loose with Luminaire. The left pod (and the center pod, if you somehow take it out) will eventually be revived, but you'll have done enough damage on the right pod to keep the fight in your favor and you can go ahead and take out the left pod in one shot with Confuse again to keep things going smoothly. 

The Dream Team ending is the same regardless of whether or not you have Marle in your party.