So I'll admit, I have no experience in teambuilding. I don't know how to IV breed, and I have no clue how to pick a team. So I was wondering if anybody had some advice, preferably without me having to read all of Smogon. I have both Sword and Shield, so getting specific pokemon is no problem, I just need to learn how to start
Want to Learn
- Thread starter KitsuV
- Start date
Do you want to play VGC or a Smogon tier? It sounds like VGC since you're talking about the actual games. I can't help too much with the meta stuff for that format or with breeding, but I do have some general advice.
1. Learn the meta you want to play in. You don't have to become an expert overnight, but it's a good idea to learn what the common threats and strategies in your meta are before diving in so you don't get caught off guard. This can also help you decide what you want on your team since it indicates good Pokemon to use to you and also what you need to be able to check and counter.
2. Start by selecting one or two Pokemon you want to use on your team and build out from there to cover their weaknesses, the weaknesses of you next choice and so on and so forth. It's also a good idea to think about what kind of strategy you'd like to employ. Personally, I'd recommend going for a balance team if you're new. Starting off by using a sample team is also a good idea tbh.
3. Check out these articles. Typically, I write more Smogon-focused stuff (hence I have an article on Entry Hazards which are less prominent in VGC), but there's probably some useful basics in there for everyone. Try shopping around for other short competitive articles.
4. You're going to lose at first. Probably a lot. This is okay. This is how you learn and get a hang of things. Just keep practising and you'll start getting better at things like predicting your opponent and getting a feel for the metagame.
If you have any other questions, feel free to message me and I'll do my best to help you out!