How do you choose your party?

There was a short time where I actually used strong pokemon with good stats… planned out their movesets… looked up what they suggested on serebii.net…
That was a VERY short time. I got bored after about an hour.

For the first long while of my pokemon playing career… I'd often use the pokemon who leveled up the fastest without really thinking about it. I had Golem, Nidoking and Poliwrath/toed in my party almost every time… =P

Now though, I either use purely pokemon I like (for example I'm using Chimecho in my current D/P file)…
or better yet… I go through the game, and spontaneously catch wild pokemon… and then if it feels like the right thing to do, it makes its way into my party. I'm also training a Tentacruel in my D/P file… I definitely didn't expect that to happen.

But yeah… I never choose pokemon due to them being strong or… effective against the Champion. Now it's all about training the pokemon I like, no matter how crappy… just whoever it is that arbitrarily becomes part of my team.

How about you?

i usually take into account my favourite types which are:fire,psychic and dragon and make a team with two pokemon of each type

Well, in the past, I used to keep the strongest Poke'mon in my team. I also caught the Poke'mon I liked.

Now I catch 'em all xD I always keep the weakest in my party, and I try to keep all my Poke'mon about the same level.

I grab my favorites, but attempt to make a balanced team with them. Once I have six, I train them evenly

I go for whats most useful to me. In other words, strong

Types what type covers what and the starter I have. I always choose water so I go for a grass type and a flying typw and if I can the eletric type. Then after I have those types by the2-3rd badge I train until I find an ice type dark type or steel type. Lastly I leavea spot for a dragon.

Well, in game I use the Pokes I like, I'll use anything I want in game...


But for competitive, like everyone else (mostly... Well I think anyway), I use what I need, like walls, sweepers, Rapid Spinners, Spikers etc and I never really choose my favorites...


I always plan my Pokemon, and I'll either think of movesets by looking at their moves on Serebii, or I'll go check out the standard sets on Smogon.

I'm not a fan of competitive play.

To me I find it replaces everything I like about pokemon with basically tokens. This pokemon is the best sweeper… use it. This pokemon is Blissey. No one genuinely likes Blissey, but it's good, so use it. The different pokemon with their seemingly infinite possible movesets are replaces with a handful of types… sweeper, rapid spinner, as you say… and given basically THE set of moves it should have.
No offense to you as a person, MetalMED, but basically everything you said rubs me the wrong way; it's everything I find NOT fun in pokemon.

Anyway, I forgot… I always have a flying type… because fly is convenient.

I quite often actually have a party of 5 and an HM slave, just cause I can't be bothered to switch back and forth just to cut a tree.

I follow Gary's footsteps.

I use:

• Flying
• Electric
• Psychic
• Water
• Fire
• Grass

rusticolus said:

I'm not a fan of competitive play.

To me I find it replaces everything I like about pokemon with basically tokens. This pokemon is the best sweeper… use it. This pokemon is Blissey. No one genuinely likes Blissey, but it's good, so use it. The different pokemon with their seemingly infinite possible movesets are replaces with a handful of types… sweeper, rapid spinner, as you say… and given basically THE set of moves it should have.
No offense to you as a person, MetalMED, but basically everything you said rubs me the wrong way; it's everything I find NOT fun in pokemon.

Click to expand...

None taken at all. I can see your point. Its understandable, really.

rusticolus said:

I'm not a fan of competitive play.

To me I find it replaces everything I like about pokemon with basically tokens. This pokemon is the best sweeper… use it. This pokemon is Blissey. No one genuinely likes Blissey, but it's good, so use it. The different pokemon with their seemingly infinite possible movesets are replaces with a handful of types… sweeper, rapid spinner, as you say… and given basically THE set of moves it should have.
No offense to you as a person, MetalMED, but basically everything you said rubs me the wrong way; it's everything I find NOT fun in pokemon.

Anyway, I forgot… I always have a flying type… because fly is convenient.

I quite often actually have a party of 5 and an HM slave, just cause I can't be bothered to switch back and forth just to cut a tree.

Click to expand...

I think you have a nice & understandable view on pokémon in fact.

Though some, including myself, don't build our teams such as "Best sweeper... use it." Some people refer to other sites that have things set in stone. Other competitive players, whom are actually good at strategy, use many many selections of moves. Though we don't use tackle like you may do. XD I have a blast in competitive, it's extremely fun to make my own strategy, execute it, and have a great time. It's incredibly fun for me... Every single pokemon can have a niche in a team no matter the form... even if it's a tiny treecho. Though many may not be used as first option, there are still possibilites.

On topic, for me, I select teams quite somewhat differently in two ways. First, I choose a Pokémon I like and build a supporting cast around it to make a wonderful and fun team. For example: Wailord, it's slow and can pack a punch first turn, not to mention it's my #1 favorite. So what do I do? Get a cast that can make in thrive in trick room, then add some members to the team that can rain dance, then give my lovely Leviathan a wonderful item to help it's signature move, (well almost signature) water spout. =D I then run my team and mix various variables to make it compete.

Though there is another side to my madness, when I wish to perform well and have a better time, I enter a berserk way of team building. Looking at weaknesses and resistences to build a team that thrives on offense, fire power, and blowing my opponent out of the water. I just love an incredible sweep, with my some of my favorite Pokémon too. =D I almost always have to have a water type in my teams, I'm too much of a water fan not to use the. This type of team building focuses on the dpeth and strategy of the game, even if it's very competitive and some may not like it, I do and love it. If I have a Pokémon I like that can perform as a queen, I'll definitly consider it.

Many of my pokémon are competitive, but that doesn't mean I'm a heartless and cold battler. I just want to have a good time... Yes I admit, it's rare I use politoed, but I like Poliwrath better anyway. ;P

Ingame, I'm just like you, though I usually have two HM slaves that I like, I can remember using Skarmory and Onix for like everything. xD I build competitively, not robotic, and still have a great time building teams. Love it! \o/

Have a nice day~

And Pinky, that's a really cool way to build a team too, never thought someone would follow in Gary's footsteps.

For competetive play, I always find a way to include Flygon on a team. Next, I make an even distribution of defensive based(walls, spikers, etc.) and offensive based pokemon(sweepers). Then, I further even it out by putting an even (or near even) balance of those physically based pokemon and specially based pokemon. Afterwards, I look at my team to see if there are any outstanding weaknesses and adjust my team as needed.
Also, OUs are no fun so I try to avoid using too many of those. That is why I have a negative winning record<_<.

Otherwise, I always have a pokemon with Fly to get around everywhere and my Magcargo(to hatch eggs)

I use a Pokemon's element, not either strength, If they evolve at all and such, A single element for my party of six. Makes it easier to train that specific ablity against trainers and gym leaders.

Cool, I'm glad you guys see my point.

And I also see the fun of competitive play. Absolutely. It's not like there's a right or wrong… I just don't enjoy competitive play myself.

Note: Wailord is wicked, good call on that. =P

sorry to say that ''rusticolus'' but i dislike solo nattles.it's not embarrasing to like solo battles i just write my opinion.
competetive battling is depending from more pokemon and you just have the fun doubled

BeachBoy, you work way too hard on your posts. XD
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When it comes to choosing a team or a party, I focus on what strengths and traits that a good team consists of. I try to fill in as much of the necessary roles I can, as in sweepers, sponges, walls, clerics, spinners, and others. But I always have to keep in mind that weaknesses and type matchups are an issue too. If you fill in all the roles, but only with one type of Pokemon, your team will be flawed since that certain type's weaknesses can be used against it, and eventually knock out the entire team when they share the same weaknesses. If I had a completely steel team, I would know that a fighting type pokemon, such as Heracross, could take out a lot of my Pokemon. I am also concerned about how effective each individual pokemon's potential can be. I wouldn't just call any Pokemon with a good Attack stat a sweeper and put it into my team. Rampardos has a ferocious Attack stat, but its Speed makes it far too vulnerable to be used. Another thing that concerns me is how well each pokemon work together. Such as Kyogre and Groudon, they wouldn't work together very well. However, Kyogre and Kingdra make a suprising combination as they use the endless rain to their advantage. When building a team, I try to look at the common Pokemon used in the metagame and I try to use Pokemon who almost counter all of the potential threats. This is a great way to stay effective. Usually I would have a Breloom on my team. Before I had Breloom on almost all of my teams, I had experienced numerous battles with Breloom on the opposing team and had a great struggle against defeating it. Right now, I try to use Breloom as the center of my team, along with my Specs Sceptile, which I found out is a ferocious beast in the game. In-game, I am just like most trainers. I have fun using n00b moves like Fly and Hyperbeam and I too carry around an HM Slave. It happens to be Machop, it can learn practically anything!

I don't play competetively. Mostly birds for me, Farfetch'd and/or Skarmory being musts; and a few others like Jumpluff and Masquerin just 'cause they look interesting. Nowadays, I'm quite specific about what Pokemon I will and will not have in my party — I will even abandon (i.e. leave in PC storage) my starter unless it's Cyndaquil.

I see a Pokemon that piques my interest for whatever reason, I'll go "Ooh, I want that one!", catch it, and see what it can do. :] I do tend to have at least one of my three favorites (Vileplume, Toxicroak, or Victreebel) on hand. But I'll definitely get out and try new Pokemon.

I recently got a bit into EV-training, but I don't really battle competetively anyway, and there's nothing like playing through a game with underused Pokemon. My favorite type is poison, and a mono-poison team sure makes a game interesting, especially in older generation games. I pick ones I like, and if that makes the game more of a challenge, then that's pretty awesome. :]

I make my team out of pokemon i know ill need to beat the game.
For example, in R/S/E I always capture a Taillow because i know im going to need Fly at some point.
Or ill get a water type when i need surf, always pokemon that fit my needs

well... I take the ones that I like first of all. Afterwards, I'll pick six of those that seem... ah... unique?
But, I will pick the ones that are also relatively strong to. (Lucario & Roserade for example)
But, I try not to use OU/Ubers...
I also make sure they are balanced as well... like, make sure that no more than two of my Pokemon are weak to the same thing (Like, if I had a Lucario and Roserade, I'd make sure to have a Water Type {like a... Azzumarril} to counter Fire.)

In other words, the team I'd have would fit this criteria:

I like the Pokemon (not just for their strength)
They DO have decent strength
They are balanced
They can potentially beat some of the common pokes