Discussion On Teambuilding In-Game

[The Mind Electric]

Do you use HM slaves or do you share the load among the team.

I used to share the load among the team, but now I usually use HM slaves. I like giving my Pokémon good moves.

What Megas do you use? What Megas do you think would improve teambuilding?

In my current playthrough of X, I'm using Mega Venusaur because it's free and easy, but I don't use any other Megas. I'm trying to use some overlooked Pokémon to make the game a bit more interesting, which means the rest of my picks have not been blessed with Megas.

Are HMs really needed? Which ones? Why?

For exploration and travel, Fly and Surf are absolutely essential in most games. The others are nice to have around because the game usually locks some goodies behind HMs.

Do you use false swipe? On how many pokemon? Do you add a paralyzing or sleeping move?

I don't think False Swipe is worth it, but I usually try to carry around at least one good status move for catching, usually Thunder Wave.

Which starters are best teambuilding-wise? Why? What would you want to see in one?

Depends on the game, but I usually go for the Fire starter, since Fire types tend to be harder to come by than Grass/Water. I think the ideal starter is at least decent in most situations and capable of doing work in important battles. They don't need to be broken, but I think they should at least be better than usable.

Do you use your starter? Why?

Yeah, because it would feel wrong to abandon it and I tend to pick good starters anyway.

New Pokemon-are they a curse or a blessing in-game?

They're fun to use if I've never played the game before, but I also enjoy having some older Pokémon around because I know what I'm getting into with those.

For Pokemon with certain evolution methods, is it practical to do them? Does this prevent usage on teams?

Fuck trade evolutions, friendship evolutions are annoying but I'll do them if the Pokémon is good, stone and held item evolutions are fine as long as they're not too delayed.

Are there any mons which could improve your team, but you don't use due to disliking them?

Not really, I'm pretty pragmatic and don't let personal taste interfere with my teambuilding too much.

Is there a correlation between competitive viability and viability when teambuilding? Why?

Many top-tier competitive Pokémon are also overpowered in-game, but some good competitive Pokémon rely on moves that are hard to get in-game due to things like needing to breed, and those probably get skipped a lot.

What do people think of legendaries in-game? Are they as broken as they seem?

Some of them are completely broken and take the challenge out of the game, others are just alright.

 

[Scorpio]

Do you use HM slaves or do you share the load among the team.
Share the load baby. I like having a full team of six in my playthroughs for each game.

What Megas generational gimmicks do you use? What Megas generational gimmicks do you think would improve teambuilding?
For Megas, I happen to be using Aerodactyl in X, and Swampert and Camerupt in AS. Whether or not I actually use the Megas is to be determined. The fact that they have Megas did not factor in at all when I chose them.

For Z-Moves and DMax, only really for major fights and only if I need the extra oomph they provide.

What Gen 7 Pokemon do you want to see teambuilding-wise? HM slaves or strong attackers?
wow this aged poorly

Do you feel ORAS pressures you into using water types (for surf, waterfall, dive)?
Myep. Thankfully you can get fairly good ones easily even if you didn't pick Swampert

Are HMs really needed? Which ones? Why?
Mostly Surf and Fly for getting around. I do use all the HMs during a game, but few are permanent additions to my team's movepools; beyond the two mentioned, I usually only really keep Strength, Waterfall from Gen 4 onwards, and Rock Climb in Gen 4. For the rest, once I get everything that's behind those obstacles, they are gone.

Do you use false swipe? On how many pokemon? Do you add a paralyzing or sleeping move?
Not really, it's kinda hard to come by tbh. I do use paralysis and sleep on my in-game teams when my team members are able to learn them.

Which starters are best teambuilding-wise? Why? What would you want to see in one?
Any of them tbh

Do you use your starter? Why?
Yes, because not only is it a good Pokemon right off the bat, it just feels wrong to me to ditch it.

New Pokemon-are they a curse or a blessing in-game?
Blessing, 5 thousand quadrillion percent. Since once I use a Pokemon in one game I prevent myself from using it in any other games, new Pokemon give me more options.

Do innovations like the DexNav make teambuilding easier? How about the Pokemon range?
uh idk

For Pokemon with certain evolution methods, is it practical to do them? Does this prevent usage on teams?
For trade evos you need either a friend or two systems; I'd be able to use trade evos for Gens 4 through 7, since I've got two of those systems, but otherwise it's a hassle I'm not up to partaking in.

Also, for Pokemon that evolve really late I give them a pass *coughBraviarycough*

Are there any mons which could improve your team, but you don't use due to disliking them?
Uh not really IMO. Case in point, I've used Aromatisse in Y, which AFAIK is not particularly popular, and grown fond of it,

Is there a correlation between competitive viability and viability when teambuilding? Why?
Mostly for offensively-inclined Pokemon, many defensive ones aren't so hot in-game. Wobbuffet is probs the most extreme example, but there's quite a few more.

Also, later-arriving and especially later-evolving Pokemon are not so good in-game, while in competitive those don't really matter.

Do you use 'Bonus TMs' like Sweet Scent?
When they pop up, which hasn't been too often.

What do people think of legendaries in-game? Are they as broken as they seem?
I usually have my team figured out by the time legendaries become available, but I don't really use them regardless cuz it does feel cheap

Are cores relevant here?
Not really, I do try for a FWG trio whenever I can but it isn't necessary. IMO so long as you have a team that can cover each other's weaknesses you'll be fine.

Is a false swiping starter a good or a bad idea?
Do any starters even get False Swipe without breeding