Post by NinjaDeathStrike on Jul 3, 2011 3:52:41 GMT -5
Team Building 101
Hey guys. This topic is designed to provide you with some information about how to make a solid competitive team. I know you guys all have the basic knowledge, so I’m not going to waste your time explaining what a sweeper is, but I will offer some helpful tips for you to keep in mind as you put together a team.
1) Play to a style that suits you
There are three main team styles in pokemon: offensive, balanced, and stall. Each requires you to play differently, and finding the one you enjoy playing most is the key to finding a team you like.
Offensive: Offensive teams rely on keeping the momentum of the battle in their favor. To do this, they use scouting moves like u-turn and volt switch, solid type synergies to provide opportunities to set up, and speed to keep the pressure on their opponents. They also usually take only one or two turns to set up before attempting to attack. If you want to play offensively good prediction skills are a must, as making even a small mistake can cost you one of your precious sweepers. That said, heavy offense is extremely powerful in BW, with a wide variety of power sweepers to choose from.
Balanced: This is the most common type of team, and also probably the most misused. Balanced teams focus on a solid defensive core, with a few sweepers and support pokemon to set up for the win. Most of this article will focus on how to build a balanced team, as it’s the most common, and the one I personally am the most familiar with. Balanced teams usually try to have at least one answer to all the most threatening pokemon in the game, which makes putting a good one together a long and thoughtful process.
Stall: Stall teams seek to slowly ware down opponents though the use of status, entry hazards, and forcing lots of switches. Stall teams usually have 4-5 bulky defensive pokemon that can shut down or cripple sweepers and one or two revenge killers to come in once the opposing team has been weakened. Playing stall is tricky because, if even one of your core stallers falls too early, you can end up with a huge hole in your defenses.
You can of course mix and match these types some within your team, choosing to have a team that features bulky offense or some stallers alongside some powerful sweepers can certainly work, but make sure you have a reason for building your team the way you do.
2) Have a solid core
One of the first things on your team you should construct is a solid team core. A core of pokemon is a group of two or three pokemon that together can shut down a lot of types and threats. Even on offensive teams, you’ll want to provide some good opportunities to switch in. On balanced teams, your team’s core is its heart. It is VITAL that you have a solid core. Things to think about when choosing your core pokemon are: good synergy, available support moves, and durability. You will probably want at least one pokemon in your core that has access to a recovery move. You will also want to stay away from items like choice band or life orb on your core pokemon, since their primary purpose isn’t to sweep but to support your attackers and take hits.
3) Synergy is more than just type coverage
This is something that it’s very easy to forget about. Make sure to think of threats in terms of actual pokemon that you may run into, and not just generic types. For example, Blssey and Dusknoir would appear to have fantastic synergy, since Ghost is immune to Normal’s only weakness and Normal is immune to one of Ghost’s. However don’t forget to consider that there are a ton of pokemon that run both these types on the same set. That’s the whole idea behind coverage moves; you want to use things that will help make up for your weaknesses. Many, many fighting pokemon also carry Payback just for ghost, and there are many ghost type’s that carry a Fighting move just for dealing with normal types that would be likely to switch into them. Conkeldurr, Scrafty, Machamp, Gengar, and Mismagius could all pose serious threats to the afore mentioned core, just because of the coverage moves they often carry. This is why I’ve posted the threat list. When making a core, check to see how it does with the specific pokemon you’ll be seeing, and not just how many types it resist.
4) Innovate, but not too much
This is the final piece of advice I will offer. There is a certain balance you need to find between being creative with your move sets, and using what is proven to work. I know a lot of you hate Smogon, but their sets are popular for a reason: they work. Sure you can run a Weavile with nasty plot and special attacks and be unique, but it will also be horrible. That being said, simply picking the most used set off of their most used pokemon makes you team boring and predictable. Generally, it’s a good idea to go with about four tried and true sets, and two surprises. These can underused pokemon, surprise sets, or an item no one expects. However, make sure you have a reason for them. Don’t be different just for the sake of being different.
Hey guys. This topic is designed to provide you with some information about how to make a solid competitive team. I know you guys all have the basic knowledge, so I’m not going to waste your time explaining what a sweeper is, but I will offer some helpful tips for you to keep in mind as you put together a team.
1) Play to a style that suits you
There are three main team styles in pokemon: offensive, balanced, and stall. Each requires you to play differently, and finding the one you enjoy playing most is the key to finding a team you like.
Offensive: Offensive teams rely on keeping the momentum of the battle in their favor. To do this, they use scouting moves like u-turn and volt switch, solid type synergies to provide opportunities to set up, and speed to keep the pressure on their opponents. They also usually take only one or two turns to set up before attempting to attack. If you want to play offensively good prediction skills are a must, as making even a small mistake can cost you one of your precious sweepers. That said, heavy offense is extremely powerful in BW, with a wide variety of power sweepers to choose from.
Balanced: This is the most common type of team, and also probably the most misused. Balanced teams focus on a solid defensive core, with a few sweepers and support pokemon to set up for the win. Most of this article will focus on how to build a balanced team, as it’s the most common, and the one I personally am the most familiar with. Balanced teams usually try to have at least one answer to all the most threatening pokemon in the game, which makes putting a good one together a long and thoughtful process.
Stall: Stall teams seek to slowly ware down opponents though the use of status, entry hazards, and forcing lots of switches. Stall teams usually have 4-5 bulky defensive pokemon that can shut down or cripple sweepers and one or two revenge killers to come in once the opposing team has been weakened. Playing stall is tricky because, if even one of your core stallers falls too early, you can end up with a huge hole in your defenses.
You can of course mix and match these types some within your team, choosing to have a team that features bulky offense or some stallers alongside some powerful sweepers can certainly work, but make sure you have a reason for building your team the way you do.
2) Have a solid core
One of the first things on your team you should construct is a solid team core. A core of pokemon is a group of two or three pokemon that together can shut down a lot of types and threats. Even on offensive teams, you’ll want to provide some good opportunities to switch in. On balanced teams, your team’s core is its heart. It is VITAL that you have a solid core. Things to think about when choosing your core pokemon are: good synergy, available support moves, and durability. You will probably want at least one pokemon in your core that has access to a recovery move. You will also want to stay away from items like choice band or life orb on your core pokemon, since their primary purpose isn’t to sweep but to support your attackers and take hits.
3) Synergy is more than just type coverage
This is something that it’s very easy to forget about. Make sure to think of threats in terms of actual pokemon that you may run into, and not just generic types. For example, Blssey and Dusknoir would appear to have fantastic synergy, since Ghost is immune to Normal’s only weakness and Normal is immune to one of Ghost’s. However don’t forget to consider that there are a ton of pokemon that run both these types on the same set. That’s the whole idea behind coverage moves; you want to use things that will help make up for your weaknesses. Many, many fighting pokemon also carry Payback just for ghost, and there are many ghost type’s that carry a Fighting move just for dealing with normal types that would be likely to switch into them. Conkeldurr, Scrafty, Machamp, Gengar, and Mismagius could all pose serious threats to the afore mentioned core, just because of the coverage moves they often carry. This is why I’ve posted the threat list. When making a core, check to see how it does with the specific pokemon you’ll be seeing, and not just how many types it resist.
4) Innovate, but not too much
This is the final piece of advice I will offer. There is a certain balance you need to find between being creative with your move sets, and using what is proven to work. I know a lot of you hate Smogon, but their sets are popular for a reason: they work. Sure you can run a Weavile with nasty plot and special attacks and be unique, but it will also be horrible. That being said, simply picking the most used set off of their most used pokemon makes you team boring and predictable. Generally, it’s a good idea to go with about four tried and true sets, and two surprises. These can underused pokemon, surprise sets, or an item no one expects. However, make sure you have a reason for them. Don’t be different just for the sake of being different.