IVs and EVs
IVs are points randomly allocated when a pokemon is bred or caught? So basicaly it's hit and miss (although having parents with high stats in the 3 stats you wants increases your chances), but then added to that you want the right nature, it seems like it would take crazy time to breed 6 pokemon all with the right IVs and EVs?
Yes they are randomly allocated when caught and bred.
It does take a long time but with dittos to pass on the nature and decent parents it takes less time.
EVs give you stat boosts based on what you kill what your leveling, so just to clarify, get your pokemon to kill X number of species from level 1 to make sure they get the EVs you want?
You can do this from any level, not just level one.
But yeah thats correct.
Hidden Rocks
Ok I understand how it works...everytime the opponent makes a switch their pokemon take damage. What I don't understand is why so many guides stress the importance and power of this ability. Is it because the damage is That good, or you are forcing him to change pokemon a lot for type advantage?
There is alot of switching in competitive matches and causing damage whilst your opponent switches racks up pretty quickly and this hits everything for damage that switches into it. It also nerfs pretty much any flying type and can turn many 2hko's into OHKO's etc. As an added bonus it negates focus sash. Stealth Rock is a great asset on any team, hence why its often hailed THE best move in the game almost to a point of it being "broken".
Team Set Up
A lot of guides say you want a balance of rolls in your team, sweepers, healers, tanks, hazers, etc, where as other guides tell you to focus on one tactic. For example all offensive or all defensive. Which is it?
And if I was making an all offensive team what does that entail? surely not just 6 sweepers? and same with all defensive, surely not just 6 tanks or stallers?
Guides that tell you to balance your team out are outdated. Balance gets easilly swept and easilly stalled, its the middle man so to to speak and just floats around doing nothing and is generally inferior to the following play styles.
In D/P/Pt there are 2 play styles that are successful : -
1. Full out offense/bulky offense (This IS pretty much put 6 sweepers together although it can vary, for example i might have a bronzong lead and then 5 sweepers or something). The #1 playing style in terms or success and most teams are of this nature, basically the aim is to open up a sweep by overwhelming your opponent (Having a strategy is preferable too, for example i Pursuit a blissey with a CB Scizor so it gets wasted when it switches out and then my Heatran or special sweeper can nail the rest of the team easily). Basically putting the opponent on the back foot all the time so they dont/cant have a chance to do anything back. Also instead of having walls, offensive teams have checks and revenge killers (checks are more effective that walls in D/P/Pt for the most part, a check is not a direct counter but it forces the opponent to switch out aka Lucario is a tyranitar check since it resists stone edge and crunch)
2. Stall, although an inferior playing style to offense as it often gets overwhelmed and is hard to pull off, it still decent when done correctly. Basically the aim is to wall the opponent into the ground and outlast them and have plenty of residual damage such as Spikes, Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock and weather so the opponent get worn down. These teams use 6 walls and/or tanks.
Baton Passers
I understand the concept but just wanted to confirm, that 5 pokemon just being used to raise stats and pass it on to One single sweeper can be stronger then a whole team of sweepers (or w.e)? Maybe it just sounds strange on paper, but I'd like to be clear :)
No, these teams are very hit or miss and lose to Taunt pretty much lol. I dont advise trying to battle seriously with one of these, but yes they pass all the boosts to one sweeper. There are also teams where there are 2 baton passers that pass boosts to 4 sweepers.