Orginally posted by Great Sage from Smogon: This guide intends to introduce readers to the most important part of playing Pokemon Diamond and Pearl versions' Standard metagame, building a team. It will explore the stages that are involved in building good teams and the options that are available to players.
I.Know Your Options
Of course, one of the most important parts of building a decent Standards team, or a team for any other tier, is to know what is available. First, one should know what Pokemon are not allowed on a Standards team; these Pokemon are Mewtwo, Mew, Wobbuffet, Lugia, Ho-oh, Latias, Latios, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Deoxys (Normal, Attack, Defense, and Speed forms are all banned), Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Manaphy, Darkrai, and Arceus. Most of the mentioned Pokemon were banned for extremely high power and wide movepools, making them difficult for a Standards team to counter. Every other Pokemon is allowed in the Standard metagame, but that is not to say that all the other Pokemon are equal. There are Pokemon that should certainly be considered threats and potentially good options for a team, and Pokemon that should not be used.
a.What is Recommended?
The following is a listing and brief description of commonly used Pokemon; these are the Pokemon that one should keep in mind while making a team, both as options and/or as threats that one should ideally be able to counter. The listing is in the format Pokemon's name-Pokemon's type-Pokemon's ability-Pokemon's base stats in the order of Hit Points (HP)/Attack (Atk)/Defense (Def)/Special Attack (SpAtk)/Special Defense (SpDef)/Speed (Spd)-Pokemon's notable moves. One may also click on the Pokemon's name to access its analysis, which provides more in-depth information on each Pokemon's merits. Remember to not follow the analyses with sycophantic devotion, though; one should tailor each Pokemon to fit one's team e.g. tweaking an EV spread slightly because a team requires that a certain Pokemon be a bit faster, etc.
Dugtrio-Ground-Arena Trap/Sand Veil-35/80/50/50/70/120-Earthquake, Stone Edge, Sucker Punch
Alakazam-Psychic-Synchronize/Inner Focus-55/50/45/135/85/120-Psychic, Focus Blast, Trick
Machamp-Fighting-Guts/No Guard-90/130/80/65/85/55-Cross Chop, Dynamicpunch, Stone Edge
Slowbro-Water/Psychic-Own Tempo/Oblivious-95/75/110/100/80/30-Surf, Ice Beam, Calm Mind, Slack Off
Gengar-Ghost/Poison-Levitate-60/65/60/130/75/110-Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Focus Blast, Will-o-Wisp, Hypnosis, Explosion
Weezing-Poison-Levitate-65/90/120/85/70/60-Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, Pain Split, Will-o-Wisp
Starmie-Water/Psychic-Illuminate/Natural Cure-60/75/85/100/85/115-Surf, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Recover
Tauros-Normal-Intimidate/Anger Point-75/100/95/40/70/110-Return, Earthquake, Stone Edge
Gyarados-Water/Flying-Intimidate-95/125/79/60/100/81-Earthquake, Waterfall, Ice Fang, Stone Edge, Taunt, Dragon Dance
Vaporeon-Water-Water Absorb-130/65/60/110/95/65-Surf, Ice Beam, Wish
Jolteon-Electric-Volt Absorb-65/65/60/110/95/130-Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice/Grass, Substitute, Baton Pass
Aerodactyl-Rock/Flying-Pressure/Rock Head-80/105/65/60/75/130-Rock Slide, Earthquake, Ice Fang
Snorlax-Normal-Thick Fat/Immunity-160/110/65/65/110/30-Curse, Rest, Earthquake, Return, Crunch, Fire Punch, Selfdestruct
Zapdos-Electric/Flying-Pressure-90/90/85/125/90/100-Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice/Grass, Baton Pass
Dragonite-Dragon/Flying-Inner Focus-91/134/95/100/100/80-Dragon Dance, Earthquake, Outrage
Forretress-Bug/Steel-Sturdy-75/90/140/60/60/40-Spikes, Gyro Ball, Rapid Spin, Earthquake, Explosion
Heracross-Bug/Fighting-Swarm/Guts-80/125/75/40/95/85-Megahorn, Close Combat, Stone Edge, Pursuit
Skarmory-Steel/Flying-Sturdy/Keen Eye-65/80/140/40/70/70-Roost, Spikes, Drill Peck, Whirlwind, Stealth Rock
Donphan-Ground-Sturdy-90/120/120/60/60/50-Earthquake, Ice Shard, Rapid Spin
Blissey-Normal-Natural Cure/Serene Grace-255/10/10/75/135/55-Softboiled, Thunder Wave, Seismic Toss, Aromatherapy, Calm Mind, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt
Raikou-Electric-Pressure-90/85/75/115/100/115-Thunderbolt, Substitute, Calm Mind, Hidden Power Ice/Grass
Suicune-Water-Pressure-100/75/115/90/115/85-Calm Mind, Surf, Ice Beam
Tyranitar-Rock/Dark-Sand Stream-100/134/110/95/100/61-Stone Edge, Crunch, Earthquake, Pursuit, Dragon Dance
Celebi-Grass/Psychic-Natural Cure-100/100/100/100/100/100-Leech Seed, Recover, Psychic, Energy Ball, Calm Mind, Baton Pass
Swampert-Water/Ground-Torrent-100/110/90/85/90/60-Earthquake, Surf, Ice Beam, Stealth Rock
Breloom-Grass/Fighting-Effect Spore/Poison Heal-60/130/80/60/60/70-Spore, Seed Bomb, Focus Punch, Mach Punch
Slaking-Normal-Truant-150/160/100/95/65/100-Return, Earthquake, Focus Punch
Ninjask-Bug/Flying-Speed Boost-61/90/45/50/50/160-Baton Pass, Protect, Substitute, Swords Dance
Medicham-Fighting/Psychic-Pure Power-60/60/75/60/75/80-Hi Jump Kick, Psycho Cut, Thunderpunch, Ice Punch
Milotic-Water-Marvel Scale-95/60/79/100/125/81-Surf, Ice Beam, Recover
Salamence-Dragon/Flying-Intimidate-95/135/80/110/80/100-Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Hydro Pump, Flamethrower, Dragon Dance, Dragon Claw, Earthquake
Metagross-Steel/Psychic-Clear Body-80/135/130/95/90/70-Meteor Mash, Earthquake, Thunderpunch, Bullet Punch, Explosion
Jirachi-Steel/Psychic-Serene Grace-100/100/100/100/100/100-Zen Headbutt, U-Turn, Wish, Calm Mind, Reflect, Psychic
Infernape-Fire/Fighting-Blaze-76/104/71/104/71/108-Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, Flare Blitz, Close Combat, Flamethrower, Grass Knot
Staraptor-Normal/Flying-Intimidate-85/120/70/50/50/100-Return, Brave Bird, Close Combat
Roserade-Grass/Poison-Poison Point/Natural Cure-60/70/55/125/105/90-Leaf Storm, Sleep Powder, Leech Seed, Sludge Bomb, Hidden Power Fire/Ice, Shadow Ball
Rampardos-Rock-Mold Breaker-97/165/60/65/50/58-Head Smash, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Crunch, Rock Polish
Ambipom-Normal-Technician/Pickup-75/100/66/60/66/115-Fake Out, U-Turn, Return
Bronzong-Steel/Psychic-Levitate/Heatproof-67/89/116/79/116/33-Gyro Ball, Earthquake, Explosion, Hypnosis, Trick Room
Spiritomb-Dark/Ghost-Pressure-50/92/108/92/108/35-Will-o-Wisp, Dark Pulse, Pain Split, Hypnosis, Sucker Punch
Garchomp-Dragon/Ground-Sand Veil-108/130/95/80/85/102-Swords Dance, Earthquake, Dragon Claw, Fire Fang, Stone Edge, Outrage
Lucario-Steel/Fighting-Inner Focus/Steadfast-70/110/70/115/70/90-Aura Sphere, Close Combat, Psychic, Dark Pulse, Crunch, Reversal, Dragon Pulse, Swords Dance
Hippowdon-Ground-Sand Stream-108/112/118/68/72/47-Earthquake, Slack Off, Ice Fang, Curse
Weavile-Dark/Ice-Pressure-70/120/65/45/85/125-Night Slash, Ice Punch, Pursuit
Magnezone-Electric/Steel-Sturdy/Magnet Pull-70/70/115/130/90/60-Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice/Grass, Explosion
Rhyperior-Ground/Rock-Solid Rock/Lightningrod-115/140/130/55/55/40-Stone Edge, Earthquake, Megahorn, Swords Dance
Tangrowth-Grass-Leaf Guard/Chlorophyll-100/100/125/110/50/50-Power Whip, Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, Knock Off
Electivire-Electric-Motor Drive-75/123/67/95/85/95-Thunderpunch, Thunderbolt, Ice Punch, Cross Chop, Earthquake
Togekiss-Normal/Flying-Serene Grace/Hustle-85/50/95/120/115/80-Air Slash, Roost, Grass Knot, Aura Sphere, Nasty Plot, Thunder Wave
Yanmega-Bug/Flying-Speed Boost/Tinted Lens-86/76/86/116/56/95-Air Slash, Protect, Bug Buzz, Hidden Power Ice, Hypnosis
Gliscor-Ground/Flying-Sand Veil/Hyper Cutter-75/95/125/45/75/95-Earthquake, Roost, Knock Off, Stealth Rock, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge
Mamoswine-Ground/Ice-Oblivious/Snow Cloak-110/130/80/70/60/80-Earthquake, Ice Shard, Stone Edge
Porygon-Z-Normal-Adaptability/Download-85/80/70/135/75/90-Tri Attack, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Dark Pulse, Hidden Power Fighting, Nasty Plot
Gallade-Psychic/Fighting-Steadfast-68/125/65/65/115/80-Close Combat, Psycho Cut, Night Slash, Hypnosis, Thunder Wave, Will-o-Wisp
Dusknoir-Ghost-Pressure-45/100/135/65/135/45-Will-o-Wisp, Shadow Sneak, Fire Punch, Thunderpunch, Ice Punch, Pain Split
Azelf-Psychic-Levitate-75/125/70/125/70/115-Psychic, Flamethrower, Grass Knot, Explosion, Nasty Plot
Heatran-Fire/Steel-Flash Fire-91/90/106/130/106/77-Overheat, Earth Power, Dragon Pulse, Dark Pulse, Explosion
Cresselia-Psychic-Levitate-120/70/120/75/130/85-Ice Beam, Charge Beam, Rest
b.What Should Not be Used?
Generally, use of Pokemon that are completely overshadowed by another Pokemon is discouraged. These Pokemon often have poor stats or limited movepools. This exists primarily in that as a rule, competitive teams should not use Pokemon that aren't fully evolved, as the fully evolved form of said Pokemon almost always has better stats and a wider movepool. For example, one can't deny that Infernape is better than its pre-evolved form Monferno, as Infernape has higher stats in every area, and their movepools are nearly the same. The only exceptions to this rule are pre-evolutions that have something very different from their evolved forms; an example would be that many people use Pikachu instead of Raichu because only Pikachu can use the item Light Ball, which doubles both its Attack and Special Attack. Raichu must resort to holding a Life Orb to even approach the offensive levels Pikachu does with Light Ball, and Life Orb comes with an unpleasant 10% recoil every time Raichu uses a damaging attack.
Similarly, most Pokemon with very few or very weak offensive options are shunned because they often let high level threats such as Heracross and Gyarados switch in for very little damage; in fact, their support attacks can actually benefit some opponents. In the fast-paced metagame of Diamond and Pearl, the one free turn that an opponent receives could very well be the one turn that it needs to set up. An example of a Pokemon that frequently gives free switchins is Umbreon; though it may seem a good idea for a wall and team supporter due to its high defenses, Umbreon is in reality quite inept at anything but pointless stalling because it has very low offensive capabilities and allowing the opponent to set up and sweep the rest of its team. A exception to this rule would be Blissey; even though its best offense without setup is Seismic Toss for a consistent 100 damage, a relatively low number that physical attackers can exploit, Blissey is able to stay alive long enough with its extremely high Hit Points and Special Defense that its consistent 100 damage per turn becomes crippling to special attackers; in fact, Blissey is the only Pokemon that can within reason cover almost the entire spectrum of special attackers.
II.Building a Simple Pokemon
Now that one knows what generally should and should not be used, it is time to begin building a Pokemon. For the sake of example, this guide will study the process of creating one set for each of the chosen Pokemon.
a.Weavile (Physical Attacker) and General Tips
The first stage in building a Pokemon is choosing its moveset. The best way to determine whether a Pokemon is best suited for a physical, special, mixed, or support set is to look at its base stats and movepool. When one views Weavile's Pokedex entry, one can see that Weavile has very high Attack and Speed stats and mediocre to poor numbers in everything else. One may also see that Weavile has many physical attacks to complement its strengths, as well as attacks that raise its stats. Even though Weavile also has various special attacking options, it would be silly to use special attacks on Weavile, as its maximum Attack is almost twice as much as its maximum Special Attack.
Among Weavile's best attacks is Ice Punch, so let's include that in the set. Ice Punch has the bonus of receiving a Same Type Attack Boost (STAB) because it is the same type as one of Weavile's types, which is Ice. Note that most Pokemon are best off using their STAB attacking options, because it gives a rather large bonus of roughly 50% more power; however, there are quite a few notable exceptions that prefer type coverage over STAB, which will be discussed later. Night Slash is another excellent physical STAB option that Weavile can take advantage of. Now that Weavile has a STAB move that runs off each of its types, one may want to add Brick Break to its set. Brick Break can easily dispatch Pokemon like Tyranitar and other Weavile, and has great type coverage when used in conjunction with Night Slash. In fact, only two fully evolved Pokemon (Heracross and Toxicroak) resist both attacks. Our Weavile still has one more slot left, so let's use Pursuit in that vacancy. Though two damaging attacks of the same type on the same Pokemon is usually frowned upon, it is permissible if one attack is being used chiefly for its effect (such as Rapid Spin), or if the two attacks are extremely different. The situation between Night Slash and Pursuit manifests itself in the latter; while Night Slash is a more consistent move, Pursuit will knock out or do major damage to Pokemon that are afraid of Weavile's other attacks and attempt to switch out, such as Gengar. Therefore, one now has a Weavile with the moveset Ice Punch/Night Slash/Brick Break/Pursuit.
The next step is choosing a Pokemon's nature and Effort Values (EVs). Generally, the nature of a Pokemon should build upon its highest stats and detract from the stat that is least useful. Note that a neutral nature is never the best nature for a Pokemon, as a Pokemon with a nature that raises a high base stat and lowers a low base stat can easily make up for the drop with EVs and possibly have some EVs to spare. To illustrate that point, a Pokemon with 100 base Attack and 50 base Speed will, assuming no EVs, gain 23 points of Attack and lose 14 points of Speed with a Brave nature, which raises Attack and lowers Speed. Let's return to Weavile now; one can easily see that Weavile has no special attacks, and therefore its Special Attack stat is useless, and that its Speed and Attack are its highest stats. That leaves Adamant, which raises Attack at the expense of Special Attack, and Jolly, which raises Speed at the expense of Special Attack, as possible options. Jolly is usually preferred, as the Speed increase allows Weavile to outspeed and knock out other Pokemon that often carry a Speed increasing nature such as Azelf. Next come the EVs, which for Weavile are very simple. Simply put 252 EVs in Attack to maximize Weavile's attacking potential, and a large amount of Speed, which is important to a fragile sweeper like Weavile; let's put 252 EVs in Speed in case Weavile meets its doppelganger, so it can knock out other Weaviles with Brick Break before being attacked. Then, we will place the extra 4 EVs in Weavile's Hit Point stat; one should never waste EVs, as they will come in handy at some point in battle.
Lastly, it is time to choose Weavile's item. Though in the Advance generation the default item was Leftovers or Choice Band, in Diamond and Pearl there are many more items that are suited for frail but powerful attacking Pokemon. The three items that would best fit a Weavile are Expert Belt, an item that raises damage by 20% when Weavile scores a super effective hit, Life Orb, an item that raises damage by 30% but incurs a recoil of 10% of Weavile's health every time it successfully does damage, and the already mentioned Choice Band, which raises damage by 50% but limits Weavile to one attack until it switches out. Assuming adequate team support, Weavile isn't particularly worried about being locked into one move and revenge-killed by something else due to its resistance to Pursuit, so we'll make this Weavile hold the Choice Band.
Therefore, we end up with the following Pokemon:
Weavile @ Choice Band
Jolly
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
-Ice Punch
-Night Slash
-Brick Break
-Pursuit
b.Skarmory (Physical Wall)
The second Pokemon that has been chosen for analysis is Skarmory. When one looks at Skarmory's Pokedex entry, the most conspicuous quality is Skarmory's extremely high Defense. The other stats are mediocre except for its Special Attack, which is very low. It is immediately apparent that Skarmory is not suited for attacking like Weavile is, but then one may notice Skarmory's plethora of resistances and ability to receive physical attacks well. Skarmory also sports several excellent support moves, which makes it a great candidate for a physical wall.
Selecting a wall's moveset is a bit more complicated than selecting one for a pure attacking Pokemon, but not by much. One of Skarmory's best moves is Spikes, a move that lays down spikes on the opponent's field and causes all of the opponent's team's Pokemon that aren't immune to Ground type attacks to take 12.5%, 18.75%, or 25% damage per switch in, depending on the amount of layers that are laid. As Pokemon is naturally switch-happy, Spikes can potentially deal much residual damage. Skarmory also learns a move that complements Spikes very well: Whirlwind. Whirlwind forces your opponent to switch out, causing them to lose all their setup and, in conjunction with Spikes, potentially inflicting damage to the switchin. A quick self-recovery move will aid any wall in performing its function, and Skarmory is no exception, so let's add Roost, an attack that restores Skarmory's Hit Points by 50%, to Skarmory's moveset. Skarmory currently has one moveslot left, and so far all the moves that it has are support moves, so it would be advisable to add a direct damaging attack to the mix, as it is always preferable to be able to do direct damage at some point or another, and Struggling when Taunted comes with dire consequences in the form of the loss of 25% of Skarmory's Hit Points. Skarmory has a few options. First and foremost, all special attacks are out of the question; an attack that runs off 40 base Special Attack will not hurt anything at all. That leaves one with Night Slash, Drill Peck, and Steel Wing. Use of Night Slash is almost nonexistent because Skarmory appreciates STAB when dealing damage and Night Slash's targets are what Skarmory is almost never going to switch in on: Psychic and Ghost types. Skarmory will be hard pressed to take the special assaults that Psychic and Ghost types will often launch, and Night Slash will hardly hurt most physical Psychics and Ghosts (Pokemon like Metagross and Dusknoir) anyway. Additionally, Steel Wing doesn't have particularly good type coverage (though it is useful for hitting Tyranitar) and fails to perform well enough against Fighting Pokemon, which Skarmory will often find itself against. Consequently, the best choice for a reliable attacking move would be Drill Peck.
Now that one has Skarmory's moveset, it is time to fill in Skarmory's EVs and nature. Skarmory's one useless stat is Special Attack, so the preferred nature would reduce it; incidentally, the best nature for Skarmory is Impish, which builds on its already astronomical Defense while detracting from Special Attack. For the EVs, as Skarmory is supposed to function as a physical wall yet has only mediocre Hit Points, one should invest the maximum of 252 into its Hit Points before performing any other action. Skarmory's Hit Points are still not particularly high at a rather modest 334, and physical attackers tend to hit extremely hard in Diamond and Pearl, so it is also preferable to maximize its Defense. The remaining 4 EVs may be placed in Attack, Special Defense, or Speed; it's a matter of personal preference, but for the purposes of this guide, let's assume that one puts them into Attack for a slightly more powerful Drill Peck.
For Skarmory, choosing the item is quite simple; the classic Leftovers should generally be the first choice for Skarmory or any other wall. Though 6.25% may sound very small, over time it can build up to 37.5%, 50%, or even 75%, as Skarmory is designed to survive for a long time.
We end up with this Pokemon:
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Impish
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
-Spikes
-Whirlwind
-Roost
-Drill Peck
III.Building a Complex Pokemon
While the previous section detailed how to create sets for some straightforward Pokemon, there are many other Pokemon that aren't as simple and for which a 252 / 252 / 4 EV spread or attacks that are exclusively physical, special, or support won't suffice.
a.Infernape (Mixed Attacker)
As usual, one should perform the routine check of a Pokemon's Pokedex entry. Looking at Infernape's stats, one can see that its Speed is at a relatively high 108 and its Attack and Special Attack are the same, at a reasonable 104. The defenses and Hit Points aren't anything to be proud of, though. Glancing over Infernape's movepool, one can immediately notice that it is quite enormous, with plenty of options on both the physical and special side, revealing that Infernape is meant to do some attacking.
Normally, what would determine whether a Pokemon with similar attacking stats should use primarily physical or special attacks is the movepool; Pokemon with better physical attacks should be physical sweepers, and vice versa for special attackers. However, Infernape has respectable options on both ends of the attacking spectrum, so it instantly becomes a great mixed attacker. Granted, Infernape can also sweep purely physically or specially; however, the advantage of having a mixed attacker is that mixed attackers are often able to severely damage many Pokemon. First, let's start with something a bit toward the special side with the STABed Flamethrower, a basic Fire attack, which will inflict major damage due to Infernape's high Special Attack. Then, one may elect to add Nasty Plot, an attack that raises Special Attack two levels, to allow Flamethrower to do even more damage. Now, special walls such as Blissey and Snorlax will give this Infernape significant problems; the powerful physical Close Combat will strike many special walls super effectively, and may even knock them out in one hit with aid from STAB. Close Combat's Defense and Special Defense drop isn't much of an obstacle for Infernape, who will likely get knocked out by many attacks anyway. Even with Flamethrower and Close Combat, Infernape still has problems with defensive Water Pokemon and things like Rhyperior, but Grass Knot, which deals more damage to heavier foes, is capable of dispatching said threats (most of which are very heavy) almost perfectly and takes advantage of Nasty Plot's Special Attack boost.
Picking a nature and spreading EVs isn't overly simple with Infernape as it was with Skarmory and Weavile. Technically, Infernape has no useless stats, but that doesn't mean that a neutral nature will suffice. Ideally, the nature should raise Speed so Infernape can outrun members of the 95, 100, and 105 Speed group, which are fairly common. Usually, mixed attackers have natures that lower Defense, Special Defense, or Speed. Since lowering Speed is clearly out of the question with a Pokemon as fragile as Infernape, it has Hasty or Naïve as options. Naïve is usually preferred because it lower Special Defense and Water and Psychic attacks, most of which are special, will knock out Infernape regardless. The little extra Defense may help Infernape survive a physical Rock attack or strikes from Heracross, among others, which Infernape may actually muster up the courage to switch in to. As for the EVs, one would ordinarily put 252 in Speed, as Infernape enjoys having high speed very much, and 224 EVs in Special Attack for a nice, round, and quite powerful 300 stat total. The remaining 32 EVs are often placed in Attack to give Close Combat a tiny extra punch that may be critical to knocking out Blissey in one hit. Although one may be tempted to use a nature that raises either Attack or Special Attack considering that after EVs, Infernape's Attack and Special Attack come out at 244 and 300 respectively, which is quite meager compared to the offensive stats of other sweepers, after Infernape receives an item they will be enough for sweeping purposes.
The item of choice on Infernape is Life Orb, which roughly raises its Attack and Special Attack by 30% at the expense of 10% of Infernape's Hit Points every time it inflicts direct damage. The 10% decrease is not a problem, as between Infernape's already low defenses, its nature that lowers Special Defense, and Close Combat's detrimental effect, Infernape shouldn't be surviving much anyway.
As per usual, this is the product:
Infernape @ Life Orb
Naïve
32 Atk / 224 SpAtk / 252 Spd
-Flamethrower
-Nasty Plot
-Close Combat
-Grass Knot
IV.Countering
Countering your opponent's Pokemon is vital to one's survival during a Pokemon battle. In general, the Pokemon that one should look out to counter are the ones listed in Section I-a. Countering is important even if you have a great strategy in mind as a fallback if your strategy fails the first time or if your opponent sets up before you do.
a.What is a Counter?
By definition, a counter for a Pokemon is a Pokemon that can safely switch into the Pokemon it wants to counter and either set up without taking much damage from the Pokemon that it wants to counter or pose an immediate and severe threat to the Pokemon it wants to counter, forcing it to switch out or suffer massive damage.
Taking into account that definition, Gliscor is a Heracross counter because it can switch in safely (it at maximum takes 37% damage from Stone Edge, assuming it doesn't score a critical hit, and it can use Roost to heal itself of the damage) and threaten to knock out Heracross in one hit with Aerial Ace. A different type of countering exists between Skarmory and Hippowdon. Skarmory can easily switch in on Hippowdon and takes minimal damage from its Ice Fang, all the while laying down Spikes. Even if Hippowdon tries to set up with Curse so it can even consider dealing respectable damage to Skarmory, Skarmory can easily destroy Hippowdon's setup with a simple Whirlwind.
However, many people fail to take into account that a counter must be able to switch into the Pokemon it tries to counter; revenge-killing is not countering because even if one successfully knocks out the target, one has still lost a Pokemon. For example, Weavile is not a counter for Tyranitar because even though Weavile can instantly destroy Tyranitar with Brick Break, Weavile can't switch in to any of Tyranitar's attacks; it is easily pulverized by Earthquake or Stone Edge, hard pressed to take a Crunch, and one could say the same thing about nearly everything when Tyranitar uses Pursuit, that it offers an easy switchin.
Note that countering Pokemon in Diamond and Pearl is more reliant on resistances than high defensive stats. Many Pokemon have received gigantic power boosts and therefore can quash many of their would-be counters. Essentially, the only Pokemon in Diamond and Pearl that should even consider switching in on a powerful attack that it doesn't resist are Blissey, and Cresselia to some extent. Also, as there are so many threats in Diamond and Pearl, one should keep in mind that it is okay to have a team that doesn't have a formal counter for one or two Pokemon; do remember that it is necessary to be able to inflict major damage to said uncountered Pokemon, though.
b.Constructing to Counter
One should ideally strive to at least consider all of the possible threats given in section I-a when constructing a competitive team. Though the large list of threats may look intimidating to the untrained eye, it is important to realize that many Pokemon counter a large group of other Pokemon. Blissey, a venerable special wall, can and will disable approximately 95% of all special attackers, and Cresselia, an excellent mixed wall, is fully capable of stalling out half a standard team, if not more. Usually, an offensive team should consist of one or two walls, while more defensive teams may have three or more.
There are also Pokemon that have more specific targets in mind; what these Pokemon lack in width of coverage, they often make up for in depth. For example, while Houndoom is wrecked by many Pokemon in the Diamond and Pearl metagame, it is a nearly failsafe counter to the standard Azelf. While Blissey counters a huge spectrum of Pokemon, it will occasionally be screwed over by a critical hit or a Special Defense drop from Azelf's Nasty Plot boosted Psychic.
A very important truth about Pokemon is that one Pokemon might not counter everything it could at the same time. Dusknoir is such a Pokemon: if it has Shadow Sneak, it deals with Azelf decently; if it has Fire Punch, then it makes a great Heracross counter; if it has Ice Punch, it can deal with Dragon Pokemon more easily; and if it has Thunderpunch, it is a fine Gyarados counter. Dusknoir rarely has more than two of the attacks, however, because the other two slots are usually reserved for support moves that easily work off its massive defenses. Therefore, the moves that are chosen should reflect a team's weaknesses. It would be unadvisable to use Fire Punch and Thunderpunch on a team that has little problem with Heracross and Gyarados but is weak to Azelf, to mention but one instance.
c.Countering Non-Pokemon Threats
While one should mostly focus on countering threats that are Pokemon, there are also a few non-Pokemon threats that should be taken into account. The two most common such threats are attacks that affect the field and status effects.
1.Field Affecting Attacks
There are three field affecting attacks that exist in Pokemon: Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Stealth Rock. Spikes is a move that can be laid up to three times, and deals damage equal to 12.5%, 18.75%, or 25% an opponent that switches in's Hit Points, with the damage increasing with each layer. The damage is not type based, but Pokemon that are immune to Ground type attacks are also immune to Spikes. Toxic Spikes can be laid up to two times; the first layer causes normal Poison to all switchins, while the second layer causes bad Poison (the type Toxic gives). Pokemon immune to Ground or Poison are also immune to Toxic Spikes, and if a Poison Pokemon that is not immune to Ground (such as Muk) switches in, the Toxic Spikes disappear. Stealth Rock can only be laid one layer and deals 12.5% base damage. However, Stealth Rock is affected by type; for example, a Swampert, which is resistant to Rock, will only take 6.25% damage per switchin, while a Charizard, which is doubly weak to Rock, will take a whopping 50% per switchin.
There are a couple of ways to make your team less susceptible to the detrimental effects of field affecting attacks. The move Rapid Spin will clear the user's side of the field completely, but Pokemon that learn Rapid Spin don't necessarily fit on every team. Using two or three Flying or Levitating Pokemon will help greatly against Spikes and Toxic Spikes, while preventing your team from having too many Rock weaknesses will stop Stealth Rock from doing too much damage.
2.Status Effects
Status effects can be devastating to a team not prepared for them. There are five main status effects: Burn, which decreases the afflicted Pokemon's Attack and damages it 12.5% per turn; Paralysis, which decreases the afflicted Pokemon's Speed by 75% and renders it unable to attack 25% of the time; Poison, which can come in two forms, namely regular Poison (which decreases the afflicted Pokemon's Hit Points by 12.5% each turn) and bad Poison (which decreases the afflicted Pokemon's Hit Points 6.25% the first turn, 12.5% the second turn, 18.75% the third turn, etc.); Sleep, which makes the afflicted Pokemon unable to use any attacks except Sleep Talk or Snore until it wears off; and Freeze, which makes the afflicted Pokemon unable to use any attacks except Flame Wheel or Sacred Fire (which defrost the Pokemon) until it wears off, or until the afflicted Pokemon is defrosted by being damaged by a Fire attack.
Many methods may be employed to safeguard one's team from the ravages of status effects. One tactic is to have a Pokemon that can use either Aromatherapy or Heal Bell; either move will completely remove all status effects (note that Heal Bell will not affect Pokemon with the Soundproof ability). A common user of such healing moves is Blissey. Another option is to have a Pokemon with an ability that lets it benefit from status such as Heracross or Milotic to take status attacks. Yet another choice that is similar to the latter is to let a Pokemon with the moves Rest and Sleep Talk absorb status attacks for the team.
There are also conditions known as "pseudo-statuses", like Leech Seed or infatuation. Pseudo-statuses are almost always removed by simply switching out; other than that, there is little to nothing a player can do about pseudo-status.
V.Combinations and Strategies
A team that revolves around simply countering the opponent will often fail, because in his or her preoccupation with countering everything, a player might construct a team with members that don't work cohesively, or a team that just sits around, absorbs the opponent's attacks, and does no real damage. These types of teams are very easy for an intelligent opponent to set up on, and once the opponent has succeeded in setting up a sweeper, said incoherent or weak team will fall like domino.
a.Pick a Winner!
Don't blindly select the first Pokemon one sees that counters something your team has trouble with. More often than not, there is another Pokemon that performs a similar function to what one has chosen; one's first choice Pokemon may nevertheless be the better choice, but it is always good to weigh the possible options. Consider Donphan and Hippowdon. These two Ground type Pokemon are both used to block some physical attackers, and have very similar movepools. If one's team is full of Pokemon (Cradily, Rhyperior, and such) that can benefit from the sandstorm that Hippowdon whips up with its ability, Hippowdon would be better. However, if only one or two Pokemon can even resist sandstorm conditions, Donphan would evidently do more good and less harm to the team.
b.The Core of the Team
Pokemon teams often function in a much more organized and efficient manner if one centers the team on one or two Pokemon. Usually, the core of the team is an attacker and what the rest of the team tries to pave the way for. If the core needs a little more damage than it can dish out to knock out some other Pokemon, the supporting Pokemon may set up Spikes or Stealth Rock or just bludgeon the opponents some to give the core an extra push. If the core is a rather slow Pokemon, then the supporting members of the team may need to distribute status such as paralysis. While the rest of the team usually aids the core, the reverse may also be true. The core of a predominantly special attacking team may be an Azelf with Explosion, with the intent of using Azelf's special sweeper status to lure in special walls like Blissey or Cresselia, only to be Exploded on. With the opponent's primary and perhaps only special wall eliminated, the rest of the team will find it much easier to sweep.
The core of the team may also be a combination of two Pokemon. The relationship between the two may be as simple as covering each other's weaknesses, such as that between Tangrowth and Heatran. One Pokemon may cover another's weaknesses and help the other Pokemon set up, as seen in Gyarados and Electivire's partnership; Gyarados attracts Electric attacks, which Electivire benefits from due to its ability. One Pokemon may even help another otherwise hard to switch in Pokemon switch in, which is illustrated in the relationship between Gengar and Tyranitar. Gengar is likely to be attacked by Psychic, Ghost, or Dark type attacks, all types that Tyranitar resists or is immune to.
c.Maximizing Moves
Just as two Pokemon may work together to maximize type coverage, two or more moves within a Pokemon's moveset should be structured as to maximize type coverage. The execution of this is most clearly seen in the "don't use two offensive moves of the same type unless they are very different" rule, but maximizing moveset coverage delves much deeper. There are many offensive type combinations that are resisted by very few Pokemon, such as the Ground plus Rock and Ice plus Electric duos. In fact, sometimes it may be favorable to forego the STAB bonus in favor of type coverage. Weezing is a Pokemon that does exactly that; although Sludge Bomb receives the STAB bonus, Poison is a terrible offensive type as it is only super effective against Grass types, so Weezing is commonly seen using Fire Blast and Thunderbolt.
However, it is equally important to realize that STAB counts, and seeing the screen flash a super effective signal isn't everything. This is exactly why Snorlax almost never uses the moves Rock Slide or Brick Break. Rock Slide and Brick Break have base powers of 75, which makes for roughly 150 when they score a super effective hit. Return's base power is 102, but it receives a STAB bonus, so its base power is approximately 153, and that is with a neutral hit. Therefore, a super effective Brick Break or Rock Slide will actually do less damage than a normally effective Return.
d.Well Begun is Half Done
It is critical during Pokemon battles that one's lead Pokemon is the right Pokemon. Nobody, regardless of skill, would like to see his or her Gengar be as good as dead against an opponent's lead Weavile. A good lead is able to match up well against many other common leads, all the while generating a sizeable threat from the start. A lead should almost always not be a wall or a stalling Pokemon; it would be to one's great disadvantage that one lets the opponent know what one's physical or special wall is. Also, a lead should not give away too much about the overall team strategy; something such as Weavile, which can fit in almost any team, easily passes this mark.
VI.Putting it All Together
In this section, one will be taken through the process of creating a sample team.
First, let's assume that the team will be based on the combination of Gyarados and Electivire, a common and player-friendly kind of team. Let's make our Gyarados and Electivire:
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Adamant
212 HP / 16 Atk / 180 Def / 100 Spd
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
-Taunt
-Dragon Dance
Electivire @ Expert Belt
Lonely
252 Atk / 80 SpAtk / 176 Spd
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Punch
-Cross Chop
-Earthquake
The Gyarados listed is the basic bulky variation, a great lead Pokemon that can take on threats such as Weavile with its excellent Intimidate. The EVs allow for 384 Hit Points, a number divisible by 16 in order to maximize Leftovers recovery, adequate physical durability, and enough speed to outrun maximum Speed Garchomp (which this set is supposed to counter) after a single Dragon Dance. Taunt forces the opponent to use direct attacks, lessening the chance that Electivire will take a status attack or even worse, be set up on. Electivire's Motor Drive ability increases its Speed if it is hit by an Electric attack, which is perfect, as Gyarados tends to attract a lot of them. It has enough Speed to outpace Adamant Heracross even before a Motor Drive boost, and the Special Attack bolsters Thunderbolt. Lonely, a nature that decreases Defense, is preferred on Electivire over a nature that decreases Special Defense because Electivire, as an Electric type, likes to be able to take Surfs and Ice Beams from the Water types it can knock out. Additionally, it seems rather shameful to decrease its actually respectable Special Defense. For Electivire's item, Expert Belt, an item that raises damage by 20% when Electivire scores a super effective hit, will come into use many times, as Electivire's moveset is capable of hitting 13 of the 17 types super effectively. Since we're trying to aid Electivire, let's add another Pokemon that draws Electric attacks into the mix.
Skarmory @ Shed Shell
Impish
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
-Spikes
-Whirlwind
-Roost
-Drill Peck
This is the classic physical wall Skarmory, except for the item Shed Shell, which allows Skarmory to switch out from anything. While usually Leftovers is nice to boost its Hit Points, Shed Shell permits Skarmory to switch out of Magnezone (an action that is ordinarily impossible due to Magnezone's Magnet Pull ability) and let Electivire take the impending Thunderbolt.
The Gyarados and Electivire combination has been existent ever since Diamond and Pearl were released, and many people upon seeing Gyarados will anticipate that Electivire is likely to switch in and simply use another attack. As most Pokemon that use Electric attacks are specially based, one may want to add:
Blissey @ Leftovers
Bold
212 HP / 252 Def / 44 SpAtk
-Seismic Toss
-Ice Beam
-Softboiled
-Thunder Wave
Blissey is without a doubt the most reliable special wall in the game. As many people tend to use a different attack from Pokemon with Electric attacks on Gyarados at first, switching to Blissey the first one or two times will lull the opponent into a false sense of security. One may inquire at to why Blissey's Defense is maximized when it is supposed to take special attacks; the answer is that Blissey can increase its Defense to over double its untouched number with EVs, greatly increasing its survivability. Blissey's enormous Hit Points and its Special Defense, which is over 300 even without EVs, will hold it up well against strong special attacks.
Now, one can easily notice that the team is missing a solid special attacker. As this is meant to be a competitive team, why not add one of the most fearsome?
Salamence @ Choice Specs
Modest
4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spd
-Draco Meteor
-Dragon Pulse
-Flamethrower
-Hydro Pump
Draco Meteor will deal an enormous amount of damage to anything that doesn't resist it or have monstrous special defensive capabilities. One may find that the "no same type moves" rule appears to have been violated with both Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse. However, the moves are indeed very different; Draco Meteor creates an enormous bang in the early game, while Dragon Pulse picks off the weakened remnants of the opponent's team later in the game.
Something is clearly lacking with this team so far, and that is a Rock resistance.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Impish
240 HP / 56 Atk / 212 Def
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Waterfall
-Stealth Rock
A physical bulky Swampert, this Pokemon is a very reliable Rock resistance and takes care of the Electivire and Dragon Dance Tyranitar problem that this team has. Earthquake and Waterfall are the standard STAB attacks that can cover a variety of Pokemon, while Stealth Rock, much like Spikes on Skarmory, causes residual damage. The one unusual move on this Swampert is that Stone Edge is used over Avalanche. This is an example of tweaking a Pokemon to suit a team's needs; Stone Edge hits Gyarados (which this team also has trouble with) for good damage, but has bad type coverage when combined with an Ice attack, so it has replaced Avalanche.
Looking over this team, one can see that there are very few weaknesses that stand out significantly. It is able to take many hits and reply with some of its own, which makes it a decent competitive team, capable of surviving the ravages of threats that would pull a team not so meticulously made apart.
