Explosion

I know its a lot to learn, but to keep up with most of the battlers here you need to know those.
I do hope you learn well xD

Right, read that, and come back to me. Once you have this learned and put into perfection, not even the most seasoned battlers will be able to defeat you

These are the general ways to protect yourself from threats in the metagame and also eliminate them:

→ Counter
A counter is a Pokémon that can switch into an foe Pokémon at little or no risk to itself and either force said Pokémon to switch or threaten to KO it if it decides to stay in. However they are often inferior to "checks" in such a fast paced and offensive metagame. Counters are often heavily defensively EV'd (see most walls) to take hits against what they are supposed to counter. However because everything hits very hard in DPPt and thus a 100% surefire counters are often hard to find for certain threats. Trying to counter everything is often not a smart way to go about things as you will usually be better off trying to check most threats. By reacting to what the foe does you are not executing a strategy of your own and are quite literally sitting there doing nothing apart from trying to counter them. This is often the reason people end up with teams of 5 walls and 1 sweeper which are doomed to failing because they are too concerned with trying to counter everything and end up with little offensive power or defensive ability themselves and are prone to getting overwhelmed by both foe full out stall and full out offensive teams who do have a central strategy. Although they can still work in some cases especially on full stall teams where countering threats is vital for them to succeed (Also note stall team DO have a central strategy). A counter is (or is supposed to be) a 100% risk free switch in to an opposing threat, for example Hariyama is a Tyranitar counter and Gliscor is a Heracross counter.

→ Check
A check is a Pokémon that can come in on a foe threat to, if you will, "check" to see what the opponents Pokémon does and determines how you deal with said threat from there on out. Checks are often more useful in an offensive metagame than counters as you don't have to go right out of your way to try and find a surefire counter for something so you can still carry on your offensive gameplan without crippling your team offensively (Offensive teams are where you will find checks used most). These are not 100% surefire counters but can switch in on the majority of the threat in questions moves, often its main STAB moves, with ease and again drive the threat in question away or threaten to KO it if it stays in and often outspeed the foe as well. An example of a check is Lucario and Scizor as Tyranitar checks and Salamence as a Lucario check.

→ Revenge Killer
These are also seen mostly on offensive teams. They come in if one of your Pokémon faints to drive the foe away or defeat it if it stays in. There are various forms of revenge killers e.g. Priority (Ice Shard, Bullet Punch, Extremespeed, Sucker Punch etc), Choice Scarfers (Scarf Tran and Scarf Flygon for example) and Trappers (Dugtrio, Magnezone, Trapinch, Wobbuffet etc. and any Pursuit user really). These Pokémon can also make makeshift checks if a threat gets past your actual counter or check so they can serve as great insurance policy and as such gives you as a team builder less pressure to try and counter everything. Here are a few examples of revenge killing:

Quote:
Cacturne used Hidden Power!
Metagross used Meteor Mash!
D-A's Cacturne fainted.
D-A switched in Magmortar.
Here you can see my Cacturne dies and I send in my Scarf Magmortar to threaten to OHKO or at the very least drive Metagross away.

Quote:
Tyranitar used Stone Edge!
D-A's Blissey fainted.
D-A switched in Dugtrio.
In this example Dugtrio is sent in after a Blissey dies to trap the Tyranitar with its Arena Trap ability and so Tyranitar cant even escape, so gets outsped and KO'd with Earthquake.

Quote:
Salamence used Outrage!
D-A's Wigglytuff fainted.
D-A switched in Mamoswine
And in this last example Wigglytuff dies so I can get in my Mamoswine for free to Ice Shard to thus KO the Salamence.

→ Lures
A lure is basically a Pokémon that preys on what your opponent expects but does something different to catch them off guard, just as the name says to "lure" them in. What would normally be a great switch in turns into an awful one. Lures are often used on offensive teams to remove threats for other Pokémon on the team to possibly open up a sweep. An example of a lure would be an offensive Suicune with Calm Mind/Surf/Hidden power Electric/Ice Beam with a Life Orb. Normal switch ins to Suicune are often things like Zapdos, Gyarados, Celebi, Vaporeon etc. expecting a defensive normally less offensively threatening set and this Suicune can potentially OHKO all of them. For example if you lure in Zapdos with this set and OHKO it with a Calm Mind Life Orb'd Ice Beam then your Scizor will have a much easier time posing a threat to the opponents team with its primary counter out of the way. Another example of a lure would be a Toxic and Substitute Heatran to "lure" in its normal counters of bulky waters to cripple them from behind a Substitute with Toxic. For example once a Vaporeon is poisoned things like Gyarados are free to rampage alot easier with its counter crippled.

→ Sacrifices/Death Fodder
This is not normally something newer players will do but it can help you win matches when played correctly. A sacrifice is exactly what it says, you switch into a Pokémon that will obviously kill your Pokémon to gift you a free switch in to drive the foe away almost the same effects as a revenge kill. You should NOT do this very often though as losing Pokémon for nothing is never a good thing. A good example of when to use death fodder is say a Salamence has just switched into your Lucario who is at full health and you have an Infernape at around 5hp left and a Mamoswine who is at full health too. Obviously you don't want to lose your Lucario, so the best thing to do would be switch in Infernape to be KO'd by the Salamence because its not going to be of use at that little hp and is going to die anyway regardless. This will also give you a free switch into your Mamoswine unharmed on the revenge kill to threaten to beat or at least drive the foe Salamence away.

Team Building Guide
By Anti Pop Culture Warrior & format design by BeachBoy
I. Introduction


Pokémon team building is one of the most important skills a competitive battler should have. It is also a skill that many competitive battlers struggle with. This guide is here to help you hone your team building skills so that you can compete on a high level with battlers everywhere.





II Contents

Offensive Roles
Defensive Roles
Support Roles
II. Basic Roles

Some Pokémon are better at performing some tasks than others. Each Pokémon you consider for your team will fit into specific roles, which are described below. It is vital to any trainer's success to understand what each of these types of Pokémon do and how to effectively counter each strategy.
A. Offensive Roles
These Pokémon are used to inflict pain on the opponent's Pokémon. They are regularly used on offensive teams, but they also show up on most other types of teams. These Pokémon include:

→ Physical Sweeper

Description: Physical sweepers use physical attacks to attempt to sweep the opposing team. Physical sweepers have good attack and speed, and they often use stat-up moves like Swords Dance and Dragon Dance. Some physical sweepers use a Choice Band to power up their attacks without any setting up required. Physical sweepers also have the benefit of being able to abuse powerful moves like Outrage, Close Combat, and Earthquake, which can make them difficult to stop.

→ Special Sweeper

Description: Special sweepers use special attacks to attempt to sweep the opposing team. Special sweepers have good special attack and speed, and they often use stat-up moves like Calm Mind and Nasty Plot. Some special sweepers use Choice Specs to power up their attacks without any setting up required. Many special sweepers have problems dealing with Blissey (who walls most special sweepers), which can make them less attractive than physical sweepers.

→ Mixed Sweeper

Description: Mixed sweepers use both physical and special attacks to attempt to sweep the opposing team. Mixed sweepers have good attack and special attack and usually have decent speed as well. Mixed sweepers are most often used to break through both physical and special walls, so they are popular Pokémon for dismantling stall teams.

→ Revenge Killer

Description: Revenge killers are Pokémon that come in after one of its teammates has fallen to defeat the Pokémon that defeated it. Revenge killers commonly use Choice Scarf to outspeed the Pokémon they are looking to revenge kill. Priority moves like Ice Shard and Aqua Jet are also not uncommon to see on revenge killers. Revenge killers are often staples of offensive teams to ensure the defeat of other threatening sweepers.
B. Defensive Roles
These Pokémon are used to stop sweepers from inflicting serious pain on all other Pokémon. They are regularly used on stall teams, but they also show up on most other types of teams. These Pokémon include:

→ Physical Wall

Description: Physical walls are Pokémon used to stop physical sweepers and to wall physical attacks in general. Instant recovery outside of Rest/Sleep Talk is always an asset to physical walls, and many have access to it through Roost, Recover, or even Slack Off. Typing is very important for physical walls so that they can buy a resistance or immunity to common attack types they will be facing while also avoiding weaknesses to those very types.

→ Special Wall

Description: Special walls are Pokémon used to stop special sweepers and to wall special attacks in general. Instant recovery outside of Rest/Sleep Talk is always an asset to special walls, though few actually boast it. Special walls generally depend on large HP and/or special defense stats so that special sweepers cannot do significant damage before they are defeated, whereas physical walls traditionally depend on their resistances and immunities to wall opposing sweepers.

→ Mixed Wall

Description: Mixed walls are Pokémon used to stop all kinds of sweepers and to wall both physical and special attacks. Mixed walls are especially useful for stopping mixed sweepers since they can take both physical and special attacks. However, most mixed walls cannot wall physical attacks as well as normal physical walls orspecial attacks as well as normal special walls, so they should not be overestimated.

→ Bulky Water

Description: Bulky waters are Pokémon whose water typing gives them very few weaknesses, and added on top of good HP and defense stats, they can effectively wall a handful of physical sweepers. Bulky waters are often used to defeat dragons like Salamence and Dragonite with Ice Beam. Bulky waters have taken a hit with the coming of more powerful physical sweepers in DP, so they usually aren't as reliable as traditional physical walls.

→ Counter Utility

Description: Counter utilities are Pokémon that are almost exclusively designed to counter a few specific threats very effectively. Most counter utilities are walls or Pokémon that are focused on defense rather than offense. They are very useful for filling in very specific holes in teams.
C. Support Roles
These Pokémon are used to support all kinds of teams in various ways; this depends on the specific role of the supporter. These Pokémon include:

→ SRer / (Toxic) Spiker

Description: SRers (Stealth Rockers) and Spikers lay down Stealth Rock and Spikes, respectively. Spikers are usually only seen on stall teams to rack up damage on incoming Pokémon, and Toxic Spikes are not far behind. In the case of Stealth Rock, however, many Pokémon can effectively set it in play, and it is the key for many sweepers to get the KOs they need to sweep. Some leads exist for the sole purpose of laying down Stealth Rock to set up the team's sweepers.

→ Hazer / PHazer

Description: Hazers and PHazers (Pseudo-Hazers) are Pokémon used to eliminate stat-ups the opposing Pokémon has accumulated. They are often used to counter Baton Pass strategies. PHazers usually carry either Roar or Whirlwind to blow the opposing Pokémon out of play, which effectively eliminates all stat boosts as well as substitutes. PHazing moves are also useful for abusing entry hazards like Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes.

→ Rapid Spinner

Description: Rapid Spinners are Pokémon that attempt to get rid of popular entry hazards like Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes by using Rapid Spin to clear the field of them. They are a necessity on teams that have several Pokémon weak to Stealth Rock, especially Pokémon like Moltres and Yanmega. However, ghosts can block Rapid Spin, so rapid spinners are the most effective when they can deal with the ghosts that try to block Rapid Spin.

→ Baton Passer

Description: Baton Passers are Pokémon that use Baton Pass to pass stat boosts and much, much more to help teammates. They are primarily used to set up sweepers by either making them extremely fast or incredibly powerful, but they can pass other benefits as well. More information regarding what can be passed to teammates using Baton Pass can be found here.

→ Cleric

Description: Clerics are Pokémon that use Aromatherapy or Heal Bell to wipe out status ailments that their team is being plagues with. Clerics are often replaced on teams by status absorbers that take status for the entire team (usually with Rest/Sleep Talk). Clerics have seen less usage in DP due to the fact that they give the opponent a free turn to switch out or set up.

III Contents

Team Types
Pokémon Selections & Strategy
III. Building Your Team

A. Team Types
In order to build a successful team that can climb the leader board, you must first choose the type of team you think would best fit your playing style and the current conditions of the metagame. Pokémon team types include:

→ Offensive

Description: Offensive teams are the force in the metagame today, using high-powered sweepers and speedy revenge killers to wipe out their opponents before they can respond. Most offensive teams require Stealth Rock for certain sweepers to sweep, and they often use leads whose sole purpose is to set up Stealth Rock for the rest of the team.

→ Stall

Description: Stall teams are the polar opposite of offensive teams, as they almost exclusively use walls and defensive Pokémon to wear out and stall their opponents to death. They abuse entry hazards and like to badly poison foes to make them easier to stall out, and they are great at slowing down the game.

→ Balanced

Description: Balanced teams are the teams that use a combination of offensive and defensive techniques to remain defensively solid while retaining enough power to potentially devastate the opponent. They use all kinds of Pokémon to help achieve victory, so the structures of balanced teams will vary. Balanced teams are rare to see since they usually don't have the offense to break stall teams or the defense to stop offensive teams.

→ Weather / Trick Room

Description: Weather teams are teams that are set up around a weather effect like hail, sandstorm, rain, or sunshine. The former two are used to do more damage to the opponent (and occasionally abuse evasion abilities like Snow Cloak and Sand Veil), while the latter two usually have offense in mind. Trick Room teams are much like Rain Dance and Sunny Day teams, as they use slow, powerful Pokémon to sweep the opponent in the five turns that it is in effect.

→ Baton Pass

Description: A team dedicated to passing around stat boosts with Baton Pass to prepare a sweep. These kinds of teams often use 5 Baton Passers with various stat boosting moves with a sweeper at the end of the so called "Baton Pass chain," but can also have two or even three sweepers, which may or may not also know Baton Pass though their primary focus is to sweep. They are very hit-or-miss, and for that reason, they are rarely seen in serious competitive battles.
B. Pokémon Selections & Strategy
Once you know what type of team you want to use, you'll want to choose Pokémon that fit that team type, and more importantly, your playing style. However, restricting yourself too much when selecting your Pokémon will likely lay the foundation for an unsuccessful team. Sometimes, not over thinking things and just trying out what you think will work gets you the best results.

Also, it's important not to get too caught up in Pokémon roles. Being sure that your team always has a certain numbers of physical walls and sweepers, special walls and sweepers, tanks, etc. will restrict you too much and often ends in a disjointed and disunified team. On the same token, you can restrict yourself by trying too hard to be unique or to stand out from the crowd, which is only setting yourself up for failure. While creative and unexpected movesets have their place, using them in excess will only hurt your team when Pokémon who are better suited for the job are being left out. Just stick with the reliable old standards, and when you get good enough, then you can try to be more creative.

Instead of over thinking selections and restricting your options, come up with a simple strategy for your team. A lot of teams try to open a a sweep for a certain Pokémon and have the rest of the team get rid of its counters and pave the way so that it can accomplish its goal. This is a common strategy for offensive teams. Some teams just try to wear down the opponent and slowly suck their life away, which is what almost every stall team's strategy is. While it is possible to win without a specific strategy, it is very helpful for building a successful team.

Once you have a team type in mind and a strategy in place, it is time to select the Pokémon you want to help execute your strategy. If the strategy or your team is to sweep with Swords Dance Lucario in the late game, then you'll want Pokémon that support it. For example, Choice Scarf Dugtrio will trap and kill ScarfTran and Choice Scarf Magnezone on the spot, which eliminates two potential roadblocks. Gliscor counters SDLuke, so using Toxic Heracross to cripple and and wear it down to the point where it is no longer a factor also contributes to the team and what it is trying to accomplish.

However, even the best strategy can fall apart in the middle of a battle. If Heracross and Dugtrio are both knocked out at the beginning of the battle, you have to have a backup plan. For example, you could use Swampert, who is a good counter to Heatran, Magnezone, and Gliscor to keep these threats to Lucario at bay. You could also invest in other independant sweepers to try to crush your opponent's team that way or at least weaken it to the point where Lucario can sweep. Being unprepared for disaster will spell doom, so have a backup plan if the original strategy falls apart.

Also, be sure not to use a Pokémon that is completely outclassed by another one. Why use Calm Mind Espeon when Alakazam is faster and more powerful? Also, if you want to make a serious team that is supposed to be able to compete with anybody, you will have to get over how much you hate a certain Pokémon and be willing to use it if it's best for your team. Otherwise, your team will never reach its full potential.

IV Contents

OU Threat List
UU Threat List
IV. Threat List

While building your team, it is important that you understand that your opponent won't be waiting to fall victim to your strategy. Your opponent will also be trying to execute a gameplan to defeat your team. You will have to be prepared for what your opponent could throw at you, so you'll want to have a counter, check, and/or revenge killer to as many threats on this list as you can. It's almost impossible to counter everything, so don't waste your time trying to. For your RMT threads, you can copy and paste the threat list you need from here and put it into your RMT to do some of the work for the team raters while adding depth to your RMT.
A. OU Threat List
If you're building an OU team, this is the threat list you're looking for. It has been divided into two sections: Offensive Pokémon and Defensive & Support Pokémon. A lot of the Pokémon listed can fit into both sections, so be sure to check out the link to each Pokémon's Smogon analysis page so you know exactly what to prepare for.

Offensive Pokémon

Spoiler:


Defensive & Support Pokémon

Spoiler:
B. UU Threat List
If you're building an UU team, this is the threat list you're looking for. It has been divided into two sections: Offensive Pokémon and Defensive & Support Pokémon. A lot of the Pokémon listed can fit into both sections, so be sure to check out the link to each Pokémon's Smogon analysis page so you know exactly what to prepare for.

Offensive Pokémon

Spoiler:


Defensive & Support Pokémon

Spoiler:


V Contents

Testing Your Team
Posting A RMT Thread
V. Perfecting Your Team

A. Testing Your Team
The first thing that you should do when you complete your team is start battling with it. Many problems and weaknesses will become obvious right away, while you will get used to your team and learn how to win with it. Problems that show up when testing should be dealt with as soon as possible, and then you should battle more to see if the changes you made had a positive effect.

It is important not to fool yourself into thinkingt that only battling in a few matches will give you a clear picture of what your team can and can't do, because that simply isn't the case. You will need to battle a variety of different Pokémon and playing styles before you can make any solid conclusions.

It is also important to be honest with yourself. If you lost because you played poorly, that's fine, but be sure that you know when a loss was your fault and when it had something to do with the way your team is structured. It is tough to always be right in that regard, but not being in denial about your losses will help you improve your team..
B. Posting A RMT Thread
After you have completed testing your team, a good way to improve your team is to post a RMT Thread in Strategies and Movesets on PokéCommunity or Stark Mountain on Smogon. For more information on making an attractive RMT post, look here. Team raters can give you valuable insight on what your team might need help with. Be sure to be open to their suggestions even if your team is doing well, as there is always room for improvement.

Also, don't be afraid to replace Pokémon on your team for new ones. Trying out new things is always beneficial, and if it doesn't work out, you can always go back to what you had before. Besides, you will gain experience with different Pokémon, which can be useful when playing against those Pokémon or when you are building another team in the future.

Once you've gotten the most out of your RMT thread, tested your team, and taken care of problems with certain opposing Pokémon, you've finished your team! Congratulations! Now you get to battle and ladder with a solid team and have fun doing it. If any new problems emrge, you can always retrace your steps to get the problem fixed.
VI. Closing Comments

That concludes this guide on team building, and I hope you found it helpful! Team building can be a long and even painful process, so hopefully this gave you some insight into how to make it a smoother and more fun process. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Good luck, and happy battling!
Last edited by Anti; March 10th, 2009 at 03:43 AM.

Right, here goes the basics

Good game, but if youd like to, I can teach you how to battle better

Good luck

Well i cant guarantee youll win, but sure, why not xD
Be sure to post in the thread, and add me and get on wifi ^_^

Oh haha. Don't worry it's fine. I didn't expect it to be done overnight due to lack of snow tiles. ;] Just take your time. ;] I've got nothing but time. :P

Make a snow map to replace cerulean. ;] Like a COMPLETELY changed city. :P

Do you have any past experience?

crap misclick lol sorry >•<

Ok ill get my team ready

sorry about the wait want to battle now?

wanna battle?

Ill see what i can do.I might be in bed by then though