Building team for OR

[HairyLoco]

Hi all,

After completing the main storyline for Omega Ruby I wanted to put together a team for Battle Maison and friendly online battle purposes, for both single battles and double battles.

I don't really care about tier lists, but I'd like to learn team building.

So the Pokémon I do want to use are:
Gardevoir / Synchronize (Telepathy for doubles) / Modest
Tyranitar / Sand Stream (Unnerve for doubles) / Adamant / Tyranitarite for Singles
Chandelure / Flash Fire / Modest

Could you suggest me Pokémon that give me both type coverage and stat coverage (if that's the right term, basically I already have two Pokémon with high Sp. Atk, so I'd guess I'll need pokemon with high Atk as well).

And rather than just throwing Pokémon names out there, please tell me why you chose that Pokémon to fill up the team.
If you have comments on the Pokémon I'm planning to use, then please too explain why.
If I know your reasons, it'll help me improvise in team building later. ^^

Thank you all in advance :)

 

[PlatinumDude]

Trace is the preferred pre-Mega ability on Gardevoir, as it lets it get useful abilities from opponents before Mega Evolving, such as Flash Fire from Heatran:
-Psyshock
-Hyper Voice
-Focus Blast/Hidden Power (Ground)
-Taunt/Will-o-Wisp/Substitute/Calm Mind
Nature: Timid/Modest
EVs: 24 Def/232 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace

Tyranitar is one of those Pokemon that functions just fine without its Mega Stone:
-Stealth Rock
-Crunch/Pursuit
-Rock Slide/Ice Beam/Thunder Wave
-Fire Blast
Nature: Sassy
EVs: 248 HP/136 Def/124 SDef
Item: Leftovers/Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream

or
-Stone Edge
-Crunch/Ice Punch
-Pursuit
-Superpower/Fire Blast
Nature: Jolly/Naive
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream

Sand Rush Excadrill pairs well with Tyranitar's Sand Stream:
-Earthquake
-Iron Head
-Rock Slide
-Rapid Spin
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush

 

[HairyLoco]

Thank you for your reply, PlatinumDude!
That's definitely going to help me set up, too.

If you want so, could you please explain to me the reasoning behind your decisions regarding the attacks, for instance:
Why do you prefer Psyshock over Psychic on Gardevoir?
Why don't you run a Fairy type move on Gardevoir?

What is your general idea behind the movesets? And specifically, how did you come up with Tyranitar's first build (the tank build)?

 

[PlatinumDude]

Thank you for your reply, PlatinumDude!
That's definitely going to help me set up, too.

If you want so, could you please explain to me the reasoning behind your decisions regarding the attacks, for instance:
Why do you prefer Psyshock over Psychic on Gardevoir?
Why don't you run a Fairy type move on Gardevoir?

What is your general idea behind the movesets? And specifically, how did you come up with Tyranitar's first build (the tank build)?

Psyshock > Psychic on any dual-typed Psychic is preferred simply because it lets Mega Gardevoir get past special walls, as those generally have lower Defense than Special Defense. The reason why Mega Gardevoir runs Hyper Voice over Moonblast is because of Pixilate. This ability changes all the user's offensive Normal moves into Fairy moves and powers them up by 30%.



The Defense EVs let the defensive Tyranitar set survive a Choice Band Dragonite's Earthquae.

 

[HairyLoco]

Psyshock > Psychic on any dual-typed Psychic is preferred simply because it lets Mega Gardevoir get past special walls, as those generally have lower Defense than Special Defense. The reason why Mega Gardevoir runs Hyper Voice over Moonblast is because of Pixilate. This ability changes all the user's offensive Normal moves into Fairy moves and powers them up by 30%.



The Defense EVs let the defensive Tyranitar set survive a Choice Band Dragonite's Earthquae.

Ok, thank you for your advice, it's been very helpful :)

 

[halcyonic]

well since you're new to competitive teambuilding, i'll just toss in a few tips on teambuilding:

• If you have a general idea of how your team is supposed to be like (offensive, bulky offense, stall, etc), then utilize Pokemon that fit the playstyle you're building on.
• Avoid using passive (such as defensive, slow Pokemon like Chansey) Pokemon on an offensive team, as this would kill momentum on your side, unless you're planning to build a balance team or something like that. Offensive Pokemon on stall teams would result in semi-stall.
• Try using a basic Pokemon core or concept, such as birdspam (pairing offensive flying-types together, common birdspam Pokemon include Talonflame and Mega Pinsir) for example. From there, cover the team's weaknesses and flaws and add in useful stuff like hazard removal, stealth rock, spikes, status moves and much more.
• Don't be afraid to try your own movesets and EVs, or even uncommon Pokemon (such as Mega Alakazam, Mega Aerodactyl, etc in OU). Juts don't run gimmicky stuff (like sets that take down a certain Pokemon, but has no other use apart from that).
• Smogon provides a ton of sample movesets and discussion, refer to them to know what movesets are best for certain playstyles and such and what are the current metagame threats. Look out for other competitive battling communities to engage in discussion too.
• Don't forget to put the team into action. You wouldn't know well the team fares unless you test it, this also opens room for improvement as you may have noticed a flaw or two that you didn't while teambuilding.

theres a whole lot more to this, but it would take forever to list everything. so just have fun and keep on improving! don't be afraid to approach anyone in case you're stuck or something like that :p

best of luck, rev n_n

ps: most teams made for single battles don't really work effectively in the doubles environment. doubles has different strategies and different trends and threats, so you might want to consider building two teams for singles and doubles.

 

[HairyLoco]

Thank you, Revere, for the great tips!

So, if I have Gardevoir (Mega), Tyranitar, Excadrill and Chandelure as per PlatinumDude's suggestion, what would be my best bet to fill up my team?
Do I look for type coverage and fill up my weaknesses? For instance I have a lot of Water weakness, so should I look for something like a Magnezone with Signal Beam to cover both Water and Grass?

Once again, thanks to you both for your input!

 

[Nah]

You also have a lot of Ground weakness, so Magnezone would just compound that, and Ground is a really common attacking type, so you'll wanna do something else. Gyarados both resists Water and is immune to Ground, while Excadrill helps cover its Electric and Rock weaknesses. Try something like:

Gyarados w/Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 88 HP, 192 Attack, 4 Defense, 224 Speed
Moves: Waterfall, Bounce, Dragon Dance, Substitute/Taunt

 

[HairyLoco]

Ohh, Gyarados is a good suggestion yes, thanks Zekrom!

If you don't mind me asking; how did you come to those EV values? I have no experience using Gyarados at all, so I'm not sure what he excels at.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Ohh, Gyarados is a good suggestion yes, thanks Zekrom!

If you don't mind me asking; how did you come to those EV values? I have no experience using Gyarados at all, so I'm not sure what he excels at.

This particular EV spread prevents Ferrothorn's Power Whip from breaking Gyarados' Substitutes after Intimidate. It also lets Gyarados outspeed threats up to Timid Noivern after a Dragon Dance.

 

[HairyLoco]

This particular EV spread prevents Ferrothorn's Power Whip from breaking Gyarados' Substitutes after Intimidate. It also lets Gyarados outspeed threats up to Timid Noivern after a Dragon Dance.

How can you know this? Is it something you learn with experience?

 

[PlatinumDude]

How can you know this? Is it something you learn with experience?

It takes research to know what particular EV spreads, moves and natures work well with the Pokémon.

 

[HairyLoco]

It takes research to know what particular EV spreads, moves and natures work well with the Pokémon.

I see. Then pages similar to Serebii's Pokémon of the Week would be good to consult in the future to figure out a good way to use my Pokémon?

 

[halcyonic]

I see. Then pages similar to Serebii's Pokémon of the Week would be good to consult in the future to figure out a good way to use my Pokémon?

most serebii potw sets are from smogon. like i said, smogon is a good starting point for new competitive players and veterans alike cos they constantly provide pokemon sets with full explanations on their moves, evs, item choices and other stuff.

 

[HairyLoco]

most serebii potw sets are from smogon. like i said, smogon is a good starting point for new competitive players and veterans alike cos they constantly provide pokemon sets with full explanations on their moves, evs, item choices and other stuff.

Ah, right. After posting my latest reply I did indeed go visit Smogon and checked out information on Gardevoir and Tyranitar, there's quite a LOT to learn there. I must thank you again for the recommendations!