Balanced Team Question

_Dark_Knight_

If this post is in the wrong place, please tell me where to place it.

What makes a balanced team? For example, how many Physical, Special Sweepers; how many Special, Physical Walls? and do I need anything else? I just want to know what a balanced team will consist of, and the team will be used for Competitive Battling.


Please give examples too if you can for each type of Pokemon. (i.e. Physical - Garchomp)
 
http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17743
http://www.smogon.com/forums/announcement.php?f=52&a=29

EDIT: Heh, anyway. I didn't put anything originally because I don't think of myself as an expert... But anyway. Here is my take on the issue.

A balanced team will have a plan and will be able to execute that plan. A good team gives the player enough options to get out of most standard situations for the current metagame. For example, if you are playing "no holds barred", no sleep clause or whatever, then you probably will want to be able to handle getting a lot of your pokemon Spored by Breloom. Either by somehow preventing the situation from occuring, or by having an out. (Sleep Talk, aromatherapy, etc. etc.)

Furthermore, there are the standard things that go on. Your opponent starts a deadly dragon-dance sweep. Do you have a pokemon strong enough or fast enough to take it out? Your opponent's pokemon begins to wall yours and begins to stat up with Calm Mind. Do you have an out for this situation?

A balanced team does not have to handle all of it IMO. They just have to handle the parts that they let happen. For example, a team of 6 sweepers probably doesn't have to worry about stat-up on walls as much as say, tanks, who can take the hit and deliver a killing blow right back.
 
Well i guess it depends on the type of player you are. I'm more of a defensive player and i like to put in things that wall other things. However other people may be more agressive and want more sweepers.
For me, a balanced team would be: 1 Physical Sweeper, 1 Special Sweeper, 1 Physical Wall, 1 Special Wall, 1 Tank, 1 Support/Utility. Thats just my preferance. Some people put 2 Physical and 2 Special Sweepers instead of one. I guess it all comes down to how you want your team to look like. Team Synergy is key. The pokemon you choose should be able to work well with eachother and cover each others weaknesses.
 
But i still have one question: Which one is a better Special Sweeper, Lucario or Gardevoir? My Lucario has Aura Sphere, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse and Psychic. My Gardevoir has Thunderbolt, Psychic, Calm Mind and Will-O-Wisp. which is better?
 
But i still have one question: Which one is a better Special Sweeper, Lucario or Gardevoir? My Lucario has Aura Sphere, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse and Psychic. My Gardevoir has Thunderbolt, Psychic, Calm Mind and Will-O-Wisp. which is better?
Click to expand...

Is your team weak against dragons/psychics? Then use Lucario. Is your team weak against Gyarados? Then use Gardevoir. There are many many more issues with your team. And frankly, if you want a good answer, you should _make_ a team and then put it up in the RMT.
 
My team doesnt have a weakness to Psychics, or Gyarados, so i guess i will use Lucario. My team is: (i am not asking for a rate, just so you would know which fits better Lucario or Gardevoir) Garchomp - Physical, Milotic - Mixed Wall, Blissey - Special Wall, Lucario/Gardevoir - Special, and i need 2 more pokemon. I had Luxray - Toxishuffler/Phazer, and Bronzong - Physical Wall, but i dont know...
 
Well, at first, I thought a "balanced" team consisted of one physical tank, one special tank, and two sweepers that had decent coverage. But in this generation and with all the new pokemon introduced, its very difficult, if not impossible to be able to counter all of them. So now, teams need to have a strategy and pokemon that can carry it out (Note: I read that somewhere here on the forums xD).

I kinda agree with that view, maybe because it makes it seem easier to put together pokemon or maybe because its a simple concept to grasp. I feel that not only should your team have a plan of action but also a contingency. Sorta like plan A and plan B, and if necessary plan C. However, if that doesn't suit your playing style, I would suggest a plan A and counters to whatever may threaten that plan.

Just my two cents =/.
 
Last generation I generally played with two physical sweepers, and then Pokemon designed to counter their counters (Magneton) to eventually clear the way to a win by also somewhat trying to wear some other heavy physically tanks down, etc...
Now, in this generation, this doesn't quite work as well due to the fact that the biggest physical tanks and walls, mainly steels, are now capable of dodging magnetic pull, making this simple strategy not only much more complex, but much less effective...
The definition of a balanced team seems largely to situational, specially because things such as throwing a lot of OU pokemon together that cover each other's weaknesses reasonably well that fill individual roles doesn't pass quite as well as a team anymore, meaning more strategy, etc, seems like a requirement for thinking of an efficient team.
As a final comment, don't really pay all to much attention to me, however, as I don't really know what I'm talking about.
 
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