How long do you wait to have your full team?

[LividZephyr]

By "full team," I am referring to the six Pokemon that you plan on challenging the Elite Four with.

Do you have your entire team by the fourth badge, or do you potentially wait to get some until later in the game, when they might require excessive training and development? Do you catch your team early on so you can have a full journey with them?


I typically get my Pokemon earlier in the game, at least before I have all of the badges, so I can teach them the moves I want them to know. It's more convenient for me to have my entire team by the fifth badge, with one potentially being swapped later.

However, I'm considering using a Weavile in BW2 whenever I end up getting it, and you can't get Sneasel until after the last badge. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I'm not asking for advice, I'm asking for opinions about this: Would you do something like that, if it was a Pokemon you wanted to use, but you couldn't use it until that late? Does the amount you'd be able to use it affect your feelings toward using it?

[Ash493]

Depending on the game... sometimes I don't even have a full party and I go to league with 4 or 5 party Pokémon and 1 or 2 HM Slaves. :D
But B2W2 changed all that and I already have completed my team in Chargestone Cave =D

As for your dilemma with Sneasel. If it's really Pokémon you like, you wouldn't mind training it even if you obtain it that late.
It was the same for me when I played D/P/Pt. I wanted Lucario but Riolu was only available as an egg on Iron Island which was before 6th badge which meant 1) hatching Riolu 2) evolving Riolu 3) training Lucario
But I didn't mind anything because it was for the Pokémon I love

[YourPokemonLPs]

I personally like to get my Pokemon early, however there are some times where you can only catch a Pokemon later in the game. For examply in Black 1 I caught a Durant at the victory road, and it was the reason why I beat the elite four. So I guess it just depends on which Pokemon I run into.

[JayTheKing]

Mostly the pokemon at the very beginning.If i have already used them once i will go for different ones no matter when you get them.I dont like training the same pokemon more than twice.

[PlatinumDude]

I usually end with my full team just before the Pokemon League, with the exception of B/W, when my final team was done right after the end credits.

[PersianTrainer]

Depends on what game I'm playing - normally I have all 6 of my team just as I'm reaching the 8th gym.

[60]

I'm sorta conflicted here, because usually I like to take my starter as deep into the game I can without catching any other Pokemon. But on the flip side, I hate training higher leveled Pokemon, or evolved Pokemon that were caught in the wild. Usually though by at least the sixth or seventh gym I'll have my full team.

[Yellow Silver Nostalgia]

Usually I just use my starter Pokemon for the first couple of gyms, until some interesting Pokemon appear in the grass. Then I catch a Pokemon that can take a hit from my starter Pokemon, and use it to weaken the Pokemon that I actually want to catch. I proceed to use those two for most of the game, and then I add in some rare Pokemon around the final 2/3 gyms (I'm thinking Fuschia Safari Zone) and exp.share the lot of them.

Now though I'm getting to the stage where I've played the same games so many times that I look at interesting Pokemon and think, "I've used them before, it would be boring to use them again."

[The Grubby Pup]

Hmm, well...it usually take when I'm up to the 4th gym challenge to assemble my full team. If I assemble them too earlier, I feel that my team will be to weak to fight against the gym leader.

Since most trainers carries 2-3 pokemon at one time and I like keeping my pokemon levels close; I usually wait till I'm far in the game to find a final Pokemon. Also I really don't like to grind dat often; only when I'm tryin' to catch up a pokemon new to my party.

Right now, on my Black 2 game, I'm on my 4th gym challenge and I only have 5 Pokemon...

[AlexOzzyCake]

Depends completely on what region I'm playing or what Pokémon I want to catch, but I don't really try and set a time limit, I tend to just catch them as and when I see them. Usually I end up wanting team members like (for example in Sinnoh) Bronzong, Abomasnow, etc, so they're somewhat later on in the game and require a lot of waiting to get to that point, but if the whole team I wanted was available early on then I'd have no problem with catching them all at that point - it's just more time to get used to using them :D

[Sydian]

Depends on what I plan it to be. I typically don't like to get too many party members at the same time, but that happens sometimes. I had a team of 5 about 3 badges in in White 2, and all 5 are going to be part of the final team. Black 2 is gonna be more spaced out, but it's so spaced out that it's...weird. I don't like getting party members too late either, but hey, it happens. I also don't like raising Pokemon that I don't plan on keeping forever, but I make some exceptions (like my Mareep in Black 2).

[LividZephyr]

All very interesting answers. Probably going to get a Weavile eventually, but there are some Unova Pokemon I'd like to try. We'll see how stuff works out... hopefully I can get like Emboar + Lucario + Leavanny + Eelektross + Braviary + Octillery (why don't you get that many water Pokemon until so late?), and then possibly sub Weavile if I need to. I won't get Octillery until later and I need it for Surf (don't wanna waste a slot on Weavile for it)... stuff to think about. I probably need a fodder mon to get Surf to get Octillery... so I will likely have 6 fast, 5 of the 7 on my final team... which I will use 6 of obviously.

Thinking out loud is fun! But yeah, I'll be waiting until late-game to get some of my main Pokemon.

[Plumpyfoof]

I aims to have at least the members of my team immediately after the 8th gym. But in some games when I just sort of wing it, I have my four members by the 5th gym.

[NuOmicronMu]

I only ever use Pokemon that I want to have at the Elite Four, but I also tend to keep my catches spaced out. I almost always have my full team of six before beating the seventh gym, with the exception of a Corsola in Ever Grande City in Emerald.

[AzaleaLightning]

Right now I have 4/6 of my team, some of which need to be evolved.

The other two come really late in the game or are super hard to find (I'm looking at you, Eevee) so I might end up replacing them for something more accessible.

The ones I have right now that are set in stone pretty much are Samurott, Flygon, Grumpig, and Sawsbuck. I was going to add Ninetales and Jolteon, but I may get lazy and just keep using the Ampharos and Arcanine I'm training now.

[Cirno]

Usually I get a full team of six by the seventh or eighth badge (or maybe even after that!). I'm pretty picky with Pokemon so it takes a lot of time to find the perfect Pokemon to use for that particular playthrough. >:

[Patchisou Yutohru]

I almost always wait until the 7th gym to capture my 6th Pokémon. I usually don't capture it until after I beat the 7th gym leader, though. Early on in the game, and usually up until about the 5th gym, I tend to focus on one or two - maybe three - Pokémon at a time. Afterwards, I usually expand. Also, unless it's an in-game event, I only capture Pokémon that I don't plan on adding to my team. It isn't until after I beat the 8th gym that I focus on completing my Pokédex.

[GreenGoblin]

I usually wait when I'm at the elite 4 to get a full team, I usually beat the Gym Leaders with 3 pokemon.

[jerichob10]

Usually i dont have to wait that long and get my team right away. By the 3rd gym i usually have my team. But i also switch up my team all the time and swap the weaker pokemon with the stronger pokemon.

[AlexTheRose]

At least in the third generation games I assemble my team to a full 6 as soon as possible, to stock up on EVs while their levels are low. Since eggs hatch at level 5 before Gen IV, I try to catch them in the wild weaker than that.

A lot of my teams consist of Pokémon found early in the game. But still, I avoid those two-stage normal type staples like Bidoof and Zigzagoon (except if I want to go item hunting in Ruby or Sapphire :D).

[Tman109ner]

I normal catch a few pokemon in the beginning (anywhere from 3 to 4) then I end up playing through, waiting for the stronger ones that come later. Always have it finished before the E4.

[Hikari10]

I usually get my full team assembled by the 7th or 8th badge since some of the Pokemon I like aren't found until later in the game.

I also tend to avoid any gimmick Pokemon or those two-stage Normal-type rodents found early on.

[93Aiwass]

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

I try to get my Pokemon as early as I can but I identify who I am going to keep based on reviewing what Pokemon are available on what routes. For example, if I know that I want a Magneton/Magnezone, I will have a slot for it until I get to the point in the game where I can catch one - either in my party or with just a "HM slave" (love that term!) taking up that slot.

Love is the Law, Love under Will.

[Wobbachomp]

I tend to get my full team around the 7th or 8th gym, sometimes a little earlier.

[Eternal Shadow]

I usually wait until just after the 8th gym to finalize my team, if i see something i like in victory road i may grab it.