When I generally make teams. I use somewhat of an anti-starter to take on most common threats and paralyze with Thunderwave. A nice spinner deals with Stealth Rock. A good all-around tank helps out. Then comes a Choice user, a Special Sweeper, and a Physical Sweeper. Overall, its quite effective although I am having trouble putting together my current team for some reason.
-
Check out the relaunch of our general collection, with classic designs and new ones by our very own Pissog!
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
Effective Strategies
- Thread starter Orion
- Start date
A good way to go about creating a team with a central strategy is to choose a pokemon and build your team around taking out that specific pokemon's counters and covering its weaknesses, to set it up for a sweep
Maybe you want to set up a Garchomp sweep. You can pack your team with a CBTar for Cresselia, a Magnezone for Bronzong, etc. Then, once the match begins, all you have to worry about is staying on course and pulling off your strategy
Basically, center your team around an ultimate goal. Choose how you are going to win before hand.
Maybe you want to set up a Garchomp sweep. You can pack your team with a CBTar for Cresselia, a Magnezone for Bronzong, etc. Then, once the match begins, all you have to worry about is staying on course and pulling off your strategy
Basically, center your team around an ultimate goal. Choose how you are going to win before hand.
qft
I hope this is sarcasm.
And yeah, Trick Room works, it's just not as amazing as you guys are giving it credit for. Great, yeah. Amazing, not really.
Heh, well personally I'm someone who's used about a billion different strategies, even ones that would seem totally idiotic. I'm gonna tell you some of the favourite ones that I've done though, although some of them are a little hard to use effectively since they're incredibly weird. But whatever, I'm a weird person. Anyways:
Super Fang team - This is obviously a team that revolves around Super Fang. I had the 3 super fangers in Pachirisu, Raticate and Bibarel, although I'd recommend picking 2 out of the 3...usually not Pachirisu but that was because it didn't suit my team. I usually go with 1 or 2 Encore users to give them some help, and a big finisher that can pick off the opponent's when they're at shit% health. Most of the time I would defintely recommend using only ONE encorer because a spinner is important if you want to keep up the assault. Shuckle is usually the best bet for an Encorer simply because he can keep going the longest out of all of them. It shits all over Stall teams which is a big plus considering the plentiful amount. Most Stall teams rely on that annoying whirlwind to accumulate residual damage, but if you use all 3, it especially screws them over because then half the time they'll be bringing in a super fanger who can just contribute a fang each time eventually leading to the demise of the phazer. I can elaborate more on this if people want since it is a cool team, but I want to say stuff about other kinds of teams too. This is an extremely rare type of team, and heh I think I'm the only one stupid enough to try it, but heh, oh well. :]
Knock Off team - Yeah, so this one revolves around Knock Off. Basically, this kind of team revolves around depriving the opponent of all their items which really neuters a lot of strategies. It's great coupled with damaging weather because since there's no leftovers that will be in play after a little while, you'll be whittling the opponent down for the kill pretty easily. Just remember, when you're making this kind of team, not EVERY pokemon on the team has to have Knock Off, just a good amount of them need to and then you can have some late-game sweepers to go in for the kill after.
Woot woot! - Encoring team. If you've battled me, you'd know that this is evidently my favourite kind of team since Encore basically ruins any sort of set-up taking place, and with good prediction, can render the foe completely helpless. Eg. Encoring a Thunderbolt and then switching to Dugtrio. This gives a guaranteed kill of something that may otherwise be wrecking the team such as a Motor Driven Electivire. Plus, you guys know my all-time favourite strategy of Encoring a stat-up and jumping over to Bibarel. That is one annoying strategy for the opponent, but I sure as hell enjoy using it. :) Basically, I usually keep my amount of encorers at about 1 or 2 so that my team doesn't lose too much variety, but still keeps the evil aspect to it. I always have Bibarel, Shuckle and Dugtrio on this kind of team. Mismagius works incredibly well too, as well as Breloom with those deadly Focus Punches.
That's what I've got for now, but yeah.
Super Fang team - This is obviously a team that revolves around Super Fang. I had the 3 super fangers in Pachirisu, Raticate and Bibarel, although I'd recommend picking 2 out of the 3...usually not Pachirisu but that was because it didn't suit my team. I usually go with 1 or 2 Encore users to give them some help, and a big finisher that can pick off the opponent's when they're at shit% health. Most of the time I would defintely recommend using only ONE encorer because a spinner is important if you want to keep up the assault. Shuckle is usually the best bet for an Encorer simply because he can keep going the longest out of all of them. It shits all over Stall teams which is a big plus considering the plentiful amount. Most Stall teams rely on that annoying whirlwind to accumulate residual damage, but if you use all 3, it especially screws them over because then half the time they'll be bringing in a super fanger who can just contribute a fang each time eventually leading to the demise of the phazer. I can elaborate more on this if people want since it is a cool team, but I want to say stuff about other kinds of teams too. This is an extremely rare type of team, and heh I think I'm the only one stupid enough to try it, but heh, oh well. :]
Knock Off team - Yeah, so this one revolves around Knock Off. Basically, this kind of team revolves around depriving the opponent of all their items which really neuters a lot of strategies. It's great coupled with damaging weather because since there's no leftovers that will be in play after a little while, you'll be whittling the opponent down for the kill pretty easily. Just remember, when you're making this kind of team, not EVERY pokemon on the team has to have Knock Off, just a good amount of them need to and then you can have some late-game sweepers to go in for the kill after.
Woot woot! - Encoring team. If you've battled me, you'd know that this is evidently my favourite kind of team since Encore basically ruins any sort of set-up taking place, and with good prediction, can render the foe completely helpless. Eg. Encoring a Thunderbolt and then switching to Dugtrio. This gives a guaranteed kill of something that may otherwise be wrecking the team such as a Motor Driven Electivire. Plus, you guys know my all-time favourite strategy of Encoring a stat-up and jumping over to Bibarel. That is one annoying strategy for the opponent, but I sure as hell enjoy using it. :) Basically, I usually keep my amount of encorers at about 1 or 2 so that my team doesn't lose too much variety, but still keeps the evil aspect to it. I always have Bibarel, Shuckle and Dugtrio on this kind of team. Mismagius works incredibly well too, as well as Breloom with those deadly Focus Punches.
That's what I've got for now, but yeah.
I normally use fast sleepers then switch them out once something is asleep and hopefully setup.
What I usually do is first choose an individual Pokemon to base my strategy. I guess while I'm here I can say how I invented my team a bit.
So let's say I'm building a team around Swords Dance Rhyperior:
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Megahorn
Now next, we look at what he can possibly take:
- Electric hits (to the brim)
- Rock hits
- If there is a Sandstorm boost, random Fire hits can be absorbed.
So now we look at his weaknesses:
- Grass (x3)
- Water (x3)
- Steel (x1.5 IIRC)
- Ground "
- Fighting "
- Ice "
This includes Solid Rock. Now there are two cool solutions to this:
Vaporeon and Salamence
Each block a total of three types. Vaporeon totaly nullifies Water moves thanks to Water Absorb. He also resists Steel and Ice. He can also Wish-pass, Toxic if necessary, and even attempt to draw in Electric attacks for Rhyperior. Salamence takes on Earthquakes like nothing, and also resists Fighting and Grass. Good candidate as well.
Then it's giving him a chance to pull a sweep. Paralysis was my solution. So I used a Body Slam Dusknoir and Thunder Wave Blissey. The final was supposed to at least PHaze, though I didn't think it was 100% necessary, but I chose Skarmory for the hell of it. Still, it's Bolt-Beam weak sadly.
Anyways, that's what I do. Find ways to attempt a clean[er] sweep, block weaknesses, and have support. You could add support to this too with passing Bulk Ups from Kristy and have Rhyperior using Rock Polish, then it would be a good sweep. I considered this, but never could find a spot for it. That, and Baton Pass seems like an "all-or-nothing strategy" to me.
Also Bologo, I'm guessing that you would also use a trapper (like Magnezone or Dugtrio, specially Magnezone) on your Knock Off team? If you do, that strategy is ass. It works so well it's almost not funny. Loosing a Skarmory to a strategy that annoying hurts. Bad.
So let's say I'm building a team around Swords Dance Rhyperior:
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Megahorn
Now next, we look at what he can possibly take:
- Electric hits (to the brim)
- Rock hits
- If there is a Sandstorm boost, random Fire hits can be absorbed.
So now we look at his weaknesses:
- Grass (x3)
- Water (x3)
- Steel (x1.5 IIRC)
- Ground "
- Fighting "
- Ice "
This includes Solid Rock. Now there are two cool solutions to this:
Vaporeon and Salamence
Each block a total of three types. Vaporeon totaly nullifies Water moves thanks to Water Absorb. He also resists Steel and Ice. He can also Wish-pass, Toxic if necessary, and even attempt to draw in Electric attacks for Rhyperior. Salamence takes on Earthquakes like nothing, and also resists Fighting and Grass. Good candidate as well.
Then it's giving him a chance to pull a sweep. Paralysis was my solution. So I used a Body Slam Dusknoir and Thunder Wave Blissey. The final was supposed to at least PHaze, though I didn't think it was 100% necessary, but I chose Skarmory for the hell of it. Still, it's Bolt-Beam weak sadly.
Anyways, that's what I do. Find ways to attempt a clean[er] sweep, block weaknesses, and have support. You could add support to this too with passing Bulk Ups from Kristy and have Rhyperior using Rock Polish, then it would be a good sweep. I considered this, but never could find a spot for it. That, and Baton Pass seems like an "all-or-nothing strategy" to me.
Also Bologo, I'm guessing that you would also use a trapper (like Magnezone or Dugtrio, specially Magnezone) on your Knock Off team? If you do, that strategy is ass. It works so well it's almost not funny. Loosing a Skarmory to a strategy that annoying hurts. Bad.
My teams are pretty much great. Now my strategy goes beyond my team cause I think all my teams are great and perfect.
Are you ready?
I rate all and every team to the point where nothing ever suprises me in battle to the point where I can manuever as according to whatever they're doing. It's a pretty good method.
Are you ready?
I rate all and every team to the point where nothing ever suprises me in battle to the point where I can manuever as according to whatever they're doing. It's a pretty good method.
*coughObi'steamcough*
If you see his team, it basically counters many of the major threats in the metagame. Note that only GOOD stall teams can counter the majority of the metagame, however.
Trick Room also is a very viable option to counter many metagame threats.
Well, I run an mono-special team (which is effective, as TheArrow mentioned) and a couple of Trick Room teams. I also have some "strategyless" teams--my mono-type teams--were I basically deal with whatever comes at me as it comes at me (which doesn't seem to work very well, surprise, surprise).
You've really inspired me Bologo. Thanks :)