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Main Series: Do you plan your team?
Okay, so whilst considering whether or not to continue with the Battle Frontier in Emerald, or start a new game (And which one to start) a thought occurred to me;
Do you usually plan out your team, or just turn on the game, pick a starter and go from there? If you do, to what extent? Just a core, or all 6 members, when to capture them etc? Personally, I usually end up planning out at least the core of my team, if not all of them - even if I don't want to. And example would be my current playthrough of Emerald. I knew straight away I wanted Mudkip, Lotad and Taillow. However the others I didn't really decide on until I caught them. Then once I got to 5 members (added Torkoal and Castform) I decided I was going to have Metagross in my team, use Rayquaza at the pokémon league, then capture Latios and use that too. The only time I haven't planned my team has been my first time playing through each game. Although for HeartGold I had it all planned out from looking at the Johto section of the pokémon listings in the back of my annual from circa 2003ish (I know it has the plot of the first movie in, but that's about it). And after failing to enjoy the game, partially due to that, I tried to shelter myself from BW info, yet still knew I would use Oshawott and Zoroark. When I've set myself mini challenges like completing LeafGreen with Red from PokéSpe's team, I've planned all 6. So, yeah. Feel free to answer the questions and/or the poll. |
It depends on the game for me, here we go...
R/B/Fr/Lg - Always plan to pick charmander and then use mankey and pikachu for the first two gyms. I also love Pidgeot so I'll usually have one of those. So that's Charizard, Primeape, Raichu and Pidgeot decided before I even start usually. G/S/Hg/Ss - I always pick Cyndaquil and once again make sure I have a Pidgeot. Red Gyarados has to feature as well. Pretty free choice for the other three slots. R/S/E - I've picked all the starters for this in the past so that's free. I'll make sure I have Swellow and Gardevoir. Obviously that leaves four slots. D/P/Pt - It's a choice between piplup and chimchar here, so that isn't necessarily decided. I haven't played these games as recently as the others so it's difficult to remember. I'm quite sure I don't plan any of the party for it though. B/W(2) - I haven't replayed either of these so I've been mostly in the dark about what is available and when. I had to have Victini in Black 1. I hate all the starters so I usually don't even keep what I pick in the team. In future I'd just make sure I get Cobalion towards the end. So not necessarily always planned, it depends on which pokemon that I like are available in the game. |
I plan teams ahead of time, yes, so that I can have an efficient runthrough of the game.
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When I'm not playing a specific challenge (like my "All Weasel Team" or "All Cat Team") I usually have 4 or 5 out the team selected already. I usually have to play the game until I can catch them or until I can transfer them over from another game (usually after the 1st badge) - applies to the 4th and 5th generation games (I don't have any from the 1st three gens and don't want to use emulators any more)
The first 4 are my favorites of the region (types don't matter) - in my mind "Team is not a team without them". 5th Pokemon is usually a Pokemon I have not used before (in my way of playing and in my mind: "give a new Pokemon I have not used before a try, I may like it I might not, won't know until I try"). The final Pokemon varies/not planned at all, usually the one I'll switch around with HM for fly whenever I need it. It could also be another Pokemon I want to try and see if it fits in with my current team. If not I'll just use another of my favorites (one male and one female). |
Nope. I can't stand the idea of doing, say, an Ash team. Sounds incredibly tedious. Even on monotype challenges a lot from whatever plans I have burgeoning changes.
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I only plan two spots on my team then the rest can be anything really.
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I always plan my team (full six) on every Pokemon game.
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In basically any of the games that I've played, I haven't really planned out any more than 2 or 3 Pokemon that I wanted on my team (and as recently as HeartGold, I didn't even have a single party member in mind, as I planned on ditching my starter). I usually have a good idea of what types I want represented on my team, but the Pokemon I might have in mind are never favored over any others if another one catches my eye along the way.
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I usually plan my first caught Pokemon. Other than that, I like to leave it up to chance and see what I come across :3
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Depends usually I plan if I know what Pokemon are on the Pokedex, but for new games/generations I usually don't until much later into the game so I can get a feel of what kind of Pokemon are in the region. I used to not plan out teams at all and just went with whatever Pokemon came across or ones I liked. But I now plan out most of my team out before hand.
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I usually plan all my team in advance since 4th Generation, especially the starter.
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I plan the starter, the bird pokemon, and the HM slave lol
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I usually have anywhere from 3 to 5 of them planned beforehand...because they're pokemon I really liked before release and then the rest are pokemon that I happen to come across while playing that I like the look of.
As an example in Pokemon White on my first playthrough I planned to have Samurott, Cofagrigus and Reuniclus....but also ended up with a Conkeldurr (because of Lenora), a Darmanitan (because of Burgh) and a Scolipede (for no particular reason other than I liked her when I saw her and I had never used a bug type on my main team before) |
I do tend to plan my teams to make sure that they're well balanced. I used to not do this, but then I ended up with teams with huge weaknesses and that wasn't very fun anyway. x) Plus I guess planning teams is kinda fun, because I sometimes pick themes and I'm still allowed to use my favorites. n_n
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I planned my team in BW1, and didn't like it, because there were others I wanted to use as well, which i ended up using in BW2.
Now, I'm not going to look at the full list of Pokemon like I did for BW and instead just catch and use a Pokemon if I like something about it, be it looks, attacks, or known evolutions. Though technically, I plan my starter, which for me is Chespin. I also try to build my team to account for almost every Pokemon type, offensively and defensively. Gotta be versatile. :P |
I don't generally plan my team, flip on the power and let the good times roll! I enjoy the mystery and using pokemon I might not have used. Makes things more fun.
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I usually plan a full team and end up not following it because a lot of the Pokemon I plan you get near the end. Sometimes I follow my plan. Sometimes I don't plan at all..
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I don't really plan it that much, but I MUST have a Steel type and a Fighting type with me. Usually I get a Lucario when I can since, it satisfies both, but that's why i don't play Gen I as much, no steel-type. But apart from that I only really plan depending on what gym is coming up next...
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If I don't plan it, I'll reach a point in the game where I don't know what to do. I usually choose what's better overall to take on gyms and E4.
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I never plan my team the first time I play through a game because I like wandering into the unknown and catching and using whatever Pokemon seem interesting to me.
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Heres how i "plan" it
1 starter 1 Cute thing 1 Weird looking thing 1 Fish or Bird like thing 1 Thing that looks like it can fight Another of the above |
I plan a few members of my team in regard to the gym leaders. If, say, a Bug-type gym is second to battle, then I'd capture the regular Normal/Flying type in the nearest route. If the first gym is a Rock-type or something similar, then I'll pick the grass or fire type starter.
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Every game ever.
My team is based solely on the challenges from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. Primarily on Gyms and the E4 and Champion to come. I've explained this in other threads. EX. I chose my starter, Squirtle, to make it easy for me to beat Brock. EX. 2 I chose Mudkip in Hoenn as a way to due a way with an obvious toughy known as Watson. EX. 3 Piplup in Sinnoh to do away with Roark, his father and numerous other trainers with ease. In terms of non-starters. Kanto I chose Pikachu (Misty), Pidgey (Erika and Koga) etc. Sinnoh I choose Starly (Gardenia) and Geodude (Volkner) You see the pattern? To put it in the simplest terms: I plan my team according to Gym Leaders and the eventual Elite Four and Champion. (but I said that earlier :3) |
I plan most of my team in advance, so I can make sure that I'll at least have a solid team by certain gyms, that there aren't too many common weaknesses etc. I tend to however leave the last slot open and see what the game throws at me, usually because I can't think of my last addition or I just feel like trying out a few new Pokemon. But generally for all of my games- I plan my starter, the elemental types fire, water, grass, electric, flying... and then leave the last slot open for some sort of dark/poison/uncommon Pokemon.
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I usually pick a random starter based on my ID's last digit. Other than that I might decide what types, rather than Pokemon I want on my team.
I'm still on my first playthrough of White 1 and there's a million pokemon I want to pick for it! I was about ready to take on the E4 when I decided I wanted Deino, Braviary, a Zen mode Darmanitan, a Haxorus, a Seismitoad and I also have a Mienfoo for some strange reason... Now I have to EV train them all, which is sucky because at this rate I'll never get it done. I prefer not to plan it until I've gotten my bearings in the game, that said when I don't plan I have some strange choices. In a GSC randomized playthrough I ended up with a Gloom, which was terrible. And in RBY I ended up with a Weepinbell, which was also terrible.... And then there's the Nuzlocke, which kinda takes the planning thing out of it... |
I just got back into Pokemon and somewhat planned my team, followed the official strategy guide. They tell you to build a team around your starter for which I chose Snivy so I picked up Panpour to defend against Fire and a Sandile to defend against Electric. They give three adventure info's inside the guide for a Scrafty and Swoobat for the later battles in the game and a Patrat for catching Pokemon. So yes, I followed it to the point for Pokemon White Version, but won't for Pokemon White Version 2.
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I usually planing which one will I choose as my starter Pokemon, and also planning a bird and water Pokemon to do HMs Fly and Surf.
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I like to mix it up when I start a new game. I generally pick a type I want on my team, then I think of the most balanced pokemon I can get from that type ingame as soon as possible, and catch it.
I do this in pretty much every game, but It's usually never the same pokemon. |
I normally plan my first three of four Pokemon, then pick new ones up as I go towards the end. Then I'll hopefully have a powerful balanced team by the time I get to the Elite four and the champion. This strategy normally works well. :)
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Yeah. Basically, i just randomize what pokemon i'd use in this run. From a "NFE flying team" to "bug team" to "pokemon-i've-never-used team". I'm not really getting into starters until end-game, where i begin planning for their competitive battle's use. They end up there mostly anyways.
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If I'm starting a new title, such as FireRed (which, yes, I have never played), I tend to just play it through without looking at a guide (unless I'm truly, truly stuck). Then the second time around, I plan out almost my entire team with the knowledge I've gained from the previous playthrough.
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Yes, I do plan my teams. Not as strictly as I used to, though. When I was younger, I would write down every detail about the team I wanted. I think I may still have some sheets lying around. But yeah, I planned not only the team itself, but the moves, names, abilities, and even going as far to be picky with the gender. At least I didn't add nature into that mix, ugh. Nowadays, it's just the team. Sometimes I go through and plan out movesets, but not as strictly as back then.
Edit: Forgot to mention I used gel pens in coordination with what type that Pokemon was. Yeeeah. |
Yes, everything. Sometimes it takes me hours, or even a couple of days because I play these games more than once and want a little variety :P. I just started a new game on a HeartGold mod (SacredGold by Drayano), but not before over 5 hours of prep.
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I plan a few, usually three or four. I always try to get a fire, grass, water and electric but then after that it's usually whatever is cute and/or necessary.
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I always have some kind of idea of what I want my team to be. I like to write out an ideal team list. But... it usually never turns out the same way. Most of the time, I get attached to a pokemon I've caught that wasn't supposed to be on my team. Other times, I catch the pokemon I wanted on my team, but, for whatever reason, it doesn't feel right so I don't stick with it. I don't think there has been one time when I planned out a team and it ended up the way it was supposed to be.
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I rarely if ever plan my Pokemon team. I discovered along time ago that if you train just one pokemon throughout any of the exsisting games, you can, and probably will beable to beat it. So I pick one Pokemon to train, and have 5 others with Pick Up. Then once I've beaten the League I'll go about and start focusing on more constructive teams with alot of Rare Candies and PP-Ups.
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I never really plan out my team beforehand. In certain games I'm already sure of which starter I want to choose, but that's not really as much planning as it is preference, however I always plan to catch the starter bird unless I'm doing some kind of challenge, so I guess that's the furthest my planning goes. Otherwise I just go on with the games and catch whatever falls in my interest and that I want to use on my team.
Very few times have I actually planned out a team beforehand, and I guess one of those would be with my most recent character on PokeMMO, where I caught several Pokemon that weren't accessible until after the E4 (Houndour, Mareep and Teddiursa if anyone was interested :p), traded them over to my new character, and just went on with the game. I'd already planned to catch a Pidgey and a Mankey, and I never got a sixth member. I didn't start using them until I'd finished the second gym though, since most of them were close to or over level 20, and I wanted to make sure I was far enough ahead with badges so they didn't just start ignoring me at some point, so I was only using Mankey and my Charmander for a while, which was gonna be replaced by Houndour afterwards :p But yeah, that's pretty much the only one I can remember. |
I've always planned my full team, just a habit. :P Sometimes I'll just switch one out though, if I find something better.
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I usually plain the pokemon for the quest.
In the first playtrough i tend to check on webpages or forums where are the best pokemon for the in -game, and based on that i choose the most of them. In the games previous to the 5 gen, i choose in this way: First pokemon: Better starter or more cool design for me :P (Usually choose the water type) Second pokemon: A pokemon with pick up ability. This is a must for my games since third generation, i love the idea that my pokemon pick up random items while we travel. Third pokemon: I always try to have at least one pokemon that can fly to travel fast between towns. Fourth - Five: Pokemon that can cover my other members, usually i choose one poweful psychich, or a pysichal pokemon. Six: Temporary and trough the game I tend to use a HM slave for the HM more useless like cut. But when i'm in front of the elite four, i change this pokemon for other that full my expectations. In the most of the cases, my selection is influence by Appeal of the pokemon, type and powers =) |
I've never planned my team in any games, just went with what comes my way, works for me! I wonder how many people would have similar teams and what a common in-game team would consist of...
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I usually always have my starter preset.
R/B- Typically Charmander, but occasionally Squirtle. G/S/C- Chikorita. ALWAYS. <3 R/S/E- Mainly Torchic. D/P/Pt- I don't play Gen IV very much, but Piplup. B/W- I've only played through once, but Snivy was useful. As for the others, I usually try to find an Ice type somehow because they're good against Lance in Gen II. Gen I's pretty straight forward. I usually pick up a Pikachu in Viridian Forest, and a Ghost type, and the Lapras you recieve in Silph Co. Gen III's team usually has an Altaria somewhere--I love Dragon types. :3 And ALWAYS have a good Water and Flying type to learn Surf and Fly, respectively. Oh, and get Mienfoo in Gen V. You'll thank me later. |
Sometimes I plan my team, sometimes I don't. Like when I first played Black, I didn't plan the team at all. I just caught pokemon that I thought could work. In White 2, I somewhat planned my team. I bred 1 member and caught the pokemon I specifically wanted for the team. On Black 2 I planned the whole team and bred the whole team. On games before the 5th gen, I don't think planned the teams., I just caught pokemon that could be good for the team.
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Just wondering but did anyone else find they didn't end up with a HM slave for the 5th gen games?
I found it extremely liberating. It was first time that all six pokemon on my team were proper team mates. |
I always plan out my team before the game's release based on the trailers, but it sometimes changes whenever new Pokemon I like are revealed. I made sure I have the three core types (Grass, Fire, and Water) and most of the dominant types of the metagame (Fighting, Ground, Steel, and Dragon) on my team.
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If I do, I plan very loosely. I always have one goal in mind whenever I'm making a team though: to have a Dragon or Ice type somewhere. Usually I'd pick 4-5 Pokémon and then just wing it after that.
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I've been using the same few pokemon since gen1, so I guess I plan it to some extent, unless one of the pokemon I always use cannot be captured in the newer game.
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I'll plan on catching a few Pokemon or rather hope they find a spot on my team, but if I see something else or decide to fill up my team early I do that. I never plan out a full team in advance.
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I usually have like a roughdraft of the team i want to have by the E4.
Until i can get them all, i might either try out a Pokemon I've never used before or just leave that spot empty |
A starter is always in my part slot. As for the others, I can say that I don't plan much. I just take the ones that suit my taste. Well, if they don't fit my style after a while of trying, I'll just switch them.
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During playthrough, I just grab Pokemon that battle well and that I like. I try to balance types in the doing.
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Yeah, I plan all 6 members of my team. Occasionally I'll be playing and decide "You know, I'd rather have.." then I'll deviate. My teams always use the starter pokemon, and usually have a core of Fire/Grass/Water, with 3 optional pokemon (although I always try to have a flier).
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I plan pretty much every single Pokemon I'm going to catch and before I even buy the game, if I can. When I was younger, I'd just play with what Pokemon I saw on the anime and liked the design of and with absolutely no form of strategy. Nowadays, I'm meticulous in my team planning, with thought given to final typings, movesets and levels that I want my team to be at pretty much all stages of the game. While some people might say it takes the fun out of the game, to me the fun comes from all of this planning!
Yes, I'm well aware of how weird that sounds, but just go with me! :P |
I usually want to get all 6 members on my team at once, but end up evolving about three or four of them. Any Pokemon I can't raise well or have great defensive abilities (like Roggenrola with Sturdy) would be my support Pokemon.
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When I got White, I caught everything I found and trained it. I saw what could be used and what couldn't, and built teams around that. In White 2, though, I already knew who was good or bad, so I planned a lot more then.
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I have always planned my entire team, but I'll try to plan just half of it in X and Y.
But I don't remember if I actually planned it in Pearl... |
I never plan out a team at the start of a game (other than the one solo challenge I did, I guess). I catch everything that interests me and use everything that's useful and constantly rearrange my team. Before I do anything notable like explore a new route or challenge a gym, I put together a team specifically for that purpose, and that includes the E4. As the game progresses, I come to know which pokemon are most dependable, so I might start to have some idea of who I'm taking to the E4, but I don't decide until I actually get there.
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only the stater and a dark type
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Gen 5 was the only generations where I was able to plan at least half of my team. In previous generations, my plans end up getting discarded, and I end up improvising instead.
D/P: Only one member planned... and it wasn't the starter. I literally decided Turtwig over Piplup last minute. HG/SS: Only starter and the togepi egg was planned. BW1/BW2: Exactly half of my team planned, half improvised. |
Well, after playing Emerald, I decided to always have a Raichu at hand. I also picked up an Abra/Kadabra because I enjoyed having such power. Things don't always go as planned, in White 2 I want to add a Pokemon to my team, but I'm too impatient in training them up to the levels of my currant team.
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