The Original
The 200 Metagame
What is 200 play?
When the Advanced generation of Pokemon was finally brought to online simulators, what we now refer to as the 200 metagame was formed. In this metagame, players have access to only the Pokemon available on the Ruby and Sapphire game cartridges. As a result, many of the standard Pokemon and movesets seen in normal play are not present.
200 Play Restrictions
The following important Pokemon are banned:
* Aerodactyl
* Blissey
* Celebi
* Dragonite
* Dugtrio
* Forretress
* Gengar
* Houndoom
* Jirachi
* Jolteon
* Miltank
* Raikou
* Smeargle
* Snorlax
* Suicune
* Tauros
* Tyranitar
* Umbreon
* Vaporeon
* Venusaur
* Zapdos
In addition to removing Pokemon that would normally enjoy at least a moderate amount of use, 200 play also places many restrictions on movepools which are available to players.
Move Tutors
* Substitute is removed from a LOT of Pokemon. Grumpig, Azumarill and Kecleon are probably a handful the few Pokemon that learn it.
* Thunder Wave is gone as well from about anything except Electrics. Well, Blissey is gone too, but still, keep it in mind.
* Sleep Talk is gone, so sleeping something is a little more safe. Not many good Pokemon learn Sleep moves though - Exeggutor, Smeargle and Venusaur are out of the game, and so is Lapras. There's still Breloom and Milotic, however.
* Explosion is more limited, however a lot of things still have it (via Level or Egg Moves). Camerupt and Metagross suffer a lot from this, though.
* Rock Slide is removed from a lot of Grounds like Donphan and friends. Salamence doesn't learn it anymore either.
* Elemental punches are no longer accessible to about everything with arms. Again, Metagross doesn't like this!
Other moves
* Extremespeed Linoone and Wish Gardevoir are in NetBattle's 200 database, but it's debatable whether they should be allowed or not, considering you need Pokemon Box for them
* Egg Moves that come from Pokemon not in the game aren't allowed. For example, Misdreavus is not in Ruby/Sapphire, but Dusclops does get Pain Split as an egg move. The only possible father for a Duskull with Pain Split is a Misdreavus, so Pain Split Dusclops is not allowed.
Items
* Other than Liechi Berry, no pinch berries are obtainable. Liechi Berry is found on Mirage Island, whereas the otherss come from Jirachi via Bonus Discs.
This all together makes 200 a fast-paced, offensive metagame. There's very few solid, reliable stallers left, and arguably the best (Skarmory) still is in fear of Magneton.
The leftover Pokemon
Here's a list of what I consider (remotely) usable Pokemon in 200.
R/S Pokemon
* Sceptile
* Blaziken
* Swampert
* Ludicolo
* Swellow
* Gardevoir
* Breloom
* Slaking
* Ninjask
* Hariyama
* Medicham
* Grumpig
* Flygon
* Zangoose
* Lunatone
* Solrock
* Claydol
* Milotic
* Dusclops
* Salamence
* Metagross
* Regirock
* Regice
* Registeel
Old Pokemon
* Vileplume
* Alakazam
* Machamp
* Magneton
* Dodrio
* Weezing
* Rhydon
* Starmie
* Gyarados
* Crobat
* Lanturn
* Heracross
* Skarmory
* Kingdra
* Donphan
Of course you will recognize a few old favourites you've always been using in 386, but you will also see some more unorthodox choices for this list: Hariyama, Swellow, Gardevoir, Grumpig, Solrock...I think you can get away with using them, but they're not as bog standard as Salamence and co.
The movesets
What you should probably use if you don't know where to begin...of course you don't have to take my word for it, I'm sure there are a load of other options.
Sceptile @ Leftovers
~ Leaf Blade
~ Hidden Power Ice/Hidden Power Fire
~ Leech Seed
~ Toxic/Focus Punch/Protect
Same old story, except no Subseed. Hidden Power Ice is good for Salamence and Flygon, Hidden Power Fire for Skarmory, Metagross and Magneton. Sceptile has a lot of trouble with Regice, and both Toxic and Focus Punch help take care of that. Protect for Slaking, or to linger Leech Seed. You need good prediction to use Sceptile, it's hard to bring it in safely.
Blaziken @ Choice Band
~ Sky Uppercut
~ Fire Blast/Overheat
~ Rock Slide
~ Focus Punch
A great anti-standard, and again hard to use. This is probably your best bet as it lost Thunderpunch and Swords Dance (there's still Bulk Up), and Reversal is no good without Salac. Most likely you will bring this in when you predict a switch to a Steel, or when Weezing uses Will-o-Wisp.
Swampert @ Leftovers
~ Earthquake
~ Pick 3 from Mirror Coat, Toxic, Surf, Ice Beam, Rest, Curse (Curse + Mirror Coat is illegal), Hidden Power Rock, Roar
Ludicolo gets a little more use in 200, and you will need to beware of Skarmory, Weezing, Heracross and Gyarados. A great stop to Metagross, however if you want a Salamence counter you're better off with Milotic.
Ludicolo @ Leftovers
~ Surf
~ Leech Seed
~ Synthesis/Rest
~ Toxic/Ice Beam
This is your best bet for a tankish Grasser. Beats Swampert, Sceptile, and all Rapid Spinners except Tentacruel (Donphan, Claydol, Starmie) and some other goodies. Ice Beam for the predictable Salamence switch, but Toxic is nice too if you don't catch Heracross with it. Protect is a good filler on this - it works with Leech Seed and Toxic, and guards you against Slaking.
Swellow @ Choice Band
~ Facade/Return
~ Hidden Power Ground
~ Quick Attack
~ Aerial Ace
As you might have noticed, Toxic is slightly better in 200 than it is in FR/LG. There's no Blissey, no Miltank and no Celebi. Predict such a Toxic (or a Weezing/Dusclops Will-o-Wisp) and bring in Swellow to devastate. Hidden Power Ground is of course a priority over Hidden Power Fighting - Tyranitar is nowhere to see, while Magneton and Metagross are still present. Despite the ban of Salac, it's wise to keep Quick Attack. You will thank me when you are fighting a Salamence who got a lot of Dragon Dances in trade for a load of HP, only to get killed by a Swellow of all things.
Gardevoir @ Leftovers
~ Calm Mind
~ Psychic
~ Will-o-Wisp
~ Thunderbolt
Nothing new, a sort of solid Special tank that can Will-o-Wisp stuff like Metagross. Reflect, Hypnosis, Protect, Wish and Hidden Power Dark/Fire are good other options.
Breloom @ Leftovers
~ Spore
~ Focus Punch/Sky Uppercut
~ filler
~ filler
Leech Seed, Protect, Stun Spore/Toxic, Mach Punch, Hidden Power Ghost/Rock for fillers. I don't see why you would use Snatch, because nothing of importance learns Substitute, and anything with Calm Mind or Dragon Dance will kick your ass before you're able to do anything worth giving up a moveslot for. You know the deal. Best sleeper you can wish.
Slaking @ Choice Band
~ Return
~ Earthquake
~ Shadow Ball
~ Focus Punch
It's been like this since the first day of 200. Counter can own another Slaking, Fire Blast beats Skarmory if you don't want Focus Punch (just use Magneton). Nothing else really helps Slaking.
Ninjask @ Leftovers
~ Protect
~ Baton Pass
~ Swords Dance
~ Silver Wind/Hidden Power Flying/Hidden Power Bug
You should probably bring this in on Earthquake or Protect, then immediately Baton Pass to see what your opponent does to counter you. Use in conjunction with Magneton to beat Skarmory. Weezing still owns it, and Roar on stuff like Swampert or Gyarados can be a pain as well. At least it doesn't learn Substitute!
Hariyama @ Leftovers
~ Cross Chop
~ Counter
~ Knock Off/Bulk Up/Toxic/Focus Punch/Whirlwind
~ Hidden Power Rock/Ghost
Very cool for a Regice counter, with either Thick Fat to sop up Ice Beams or Guts to take advantage of Toxic. Damn great Pokemon with a lot of move options.
Medicham @ Choice Band
~ Brick Break/Hi Jump Kick
~ Shadow Ball
~ Focus Punch
~ Hidden Power Rock
It doesn't learn Rock Slide, but there's still Hidden Power Rock. Fake Out deserves a mention, use it wherever you like it. Nothing can switch into Medicham safely. Bulk Up is an option, but I'd just use Choice Band. Bring it in when you predict your opponent will send out Regice.
Grumpig @ Leftovers
~ Substitute
~ Calm Mind
~ Psychic
~ Hidden Power Dark/Ice/Fire
One of the very few Special attackers that beats Regice consistently. Substitute to block Toxic, then Calm Mind to heaven. With Hidden Power Dark, you can beat other Psychics (Starmie, Alakazam, Gardevoir). Ice is for the KO on Salamence, Fire owns Metagross and other Steels. It can inherit Trick from Alakazam too - both Macho Brace and Choice Band are fun to Trick.
Flygon @ Choice Band
~ Earthquake
~ Quick Attack
~ Hidden Power Rock/Hidden Power Flying
~ Fire Blast/Iron Tail
No Rock Slide sucks, but without a Choice Band it's harder to damage anything. Fire Blast to beat Skarmory, Iron Tail does a shitload of damage to Regice. Too bad Flygon is really limited on switching in on stuff, and most of the things that counter it in 386 are present in 200 as well (Weezing, Skarmory, Milotic, Swampert, Salamence, Gyarados).
Zangoose @ Lum Berry/Silk Scarf/Leftovers/Liechi Berry
~ Swords Dance
~ Return
~ Shadow Ball
~ Quick Attack
Arguably the coolest 200 guy. With Silk Scarf and one Swords Dance, Quick Attack OHKOs Alakazam. Other than that, this item has no use. If you don't fear Dusclops, Protect can go over Shadow Ball (for Slaking), or you could even use Hidden Power Ground for Metagross. It can learn Taunt, Counter and Fire Blast and other Special moves to own Skarmory too. A true danger for any team.
Lunatone @ Leftovers
~ Calm Mind
~ Psychic
~ Ice Beam
~ Hypnosis
Can survive a Salamence hit for the KO with Ice Beam, or put a random switch-in to sleep. A very rare sight though, it's even worse than Solrock at taking Choice Banded hits, even ones it resists. Toxic and Protect are options.
Solrock @ Choice Band
~ Rock Slide
~ Explosion
~ Earthquake
~ Shadow Ball
Beats non-Surf/Hydro Pump Gyarados and is not owned (completely) by Magneton. Reflect or Light Screen with Leftovers work fine too.
Claydol @ Leftovers
~ Earthquake
~ Rapid Spin
~ Explosion/Rest
~ Ice Beam/Psychic/Reflect/Light Screen/Toxic
Rapid Spin, and other than that I don't know many reasons to use it. With Ice Beam it can be a Salamence counter, but not a very solid one - I prefer one of the other options, myself.
Milotic @ Leftovers
~ Surf
~ Ice Beam
~ Recover
~ Hypnosis/Toxic
Best Salamence counter. Toxic is there for other Waters and Regice. No Snorlax, Blissey or Celebi gets in the way here. Hidden Power Electric and Grass own Gyarados and Swampert respectively, and Light Screen is good to pass. You might save your team from Alakazam or something.
Dusclops @ Leftovers
~ Will-o-Wisp
~ Shadow Ball
~ Rest
~ filler
filler = Protect (I prefer this), Focus Punch, Earthquake, Ice Beam, Confuse Ray, Torment, Thief (don't carry Leftovers) or Night Shade. Put 36 EVs in Attack to OHKO Alakazam with Shadow Ball. No Pain Split and no Blissey to switch in on, so Dusclops is now completely limited to a Rapid Spin blocker, and at full health it can switch into threats like Alakazam and Salamence, plus Choice Banded Returns.
Salamence @ Leftovers
~ Dragon Dance
~ Hidden Power Flying
~ Earthquake
~ Protect/Fire Blast/Roar
Hey, what's new? Roarmence owns Skarmory, seriously. Dragon Dance on the switch, Roar while it Spikes or Roars or whatever. Rinse and repeat.
Salamence @ Leftovers
~ Dragon Dance
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Aerial Ace
More damage to Regice, Gyarados and other Salamences, but less to most other things like Waters. It sucks a lot not to have Rock Slide.
Salamence @ Choice Band
~ Hidden Power Flying
~ Earthquake
~ Fire Blast
~ Brick Break/Double-Edge
Salamence @ Choice Band
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Fire Blast
~ Aerial Ace
Same idea but with a Choice Band.
Salamence @ Leftovers
~ Dragon Claw
~ Hidden Power Grass/Electric
~ Fire Blast
~ Hydro Pump/Crunch/Toxic
Elemence, very good in 200. Hidden Power for Swampert/Gyarados, Hydro Pump and Crunch both mess up Claydol (and Crunch rocks Alakazam, Starmie and Gardevoir as well). Toxic to do some long-term damage to Regice and Milotic.
As you probably know, Salamence is a monster and a great starter, works nicely with Metagross to cover most types, and makes Heracross piss its pants. It also hates Milotic and Regice with a passion.
Metagross @ Leftovers
~ Meteor Mash
~ Earthquake
~ Sludge Bomb
~ Pick out of the big scala of moves: Toxic, Psychic, Agility, Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Electric, Shadow Ball, Iron Defense, Light Screen or Reflect
One of the premiere 200 Pokemon. The best Regice counter in the game, can survive a Calm Minded Alakazam Fire Punch for the KO with one of it's own attacks, and can surprise any of it's counters. You can use Choice Band Metagross, but watch out for Magneton. Liechi Berry and Agility together are an option, but I prefer Leftovers.
Regirock @ Leftovers
~ Curse
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Explosion
The best Normal resist in my opinion. Sometimes you might want to use Focus Punch, it hurts Swampert and Skarmory more than your other moves.
Regice @ Leftovers
~ Ice Beam
~ Thunderbolt
~ Toxic/filler
~ Rest/Explosion
And here's the closest thing you have to Blissey. It can survive 2 Calm Minded Alakazam Fire Punches, and it scares off about any starter. filler could be Hidden Power Grass for Swampert or Fire for Metagross, I'd just stick with Toxic. Explosion is an option over Rest to be sure to get rid of Alakazam, but honestly you will want Rest to keep Special sweepers off your ass.
Registeel @ Leftovers
~ Curse
~ Rest/Explosion
~ Hidden Power Rock/Hidden Power Steel
~ Earthquake
Could possibly work, but a lot of Pokemon beat it (Skarmory, Weezing, Ludicolo, Cursepert, Hariyama, Sceptile, Machamp, Donphan, Rhydon, Gyarados). However, it is one sturdy Normal resist and it stalls like a madman.
Vileplume @ Leftovers
~ Sunny Day
~ Solarbeam
~ Hidden Power Fire
~ Sleep Powder
An UU Pokemon that could work fine if you manage to shut down Salamence. Still, be careful for Ice Beam and Hidden Power Flying everywhere. Weather modifying has a greater chance to work in 200, compared to 386, because there's no Tyranitar and fewer great walls. Plus Fire is still a very uncommon threat. A good trait of Vileplume is immunity to Toxic. Sludge Bomb and Swords Dance are options, but Sunny Day will work better. Stun Spore, Toxic and Aromatherapy are good for support, though Aromatherapy is not as good as it is in 386 - remember this is an offensive metagame. Just don't get things poisoned that can't afford to and you won't need it.
Alakazam @ Leftovers/Lum Berry
~ Calm Mind
~ Psychic
~ Fire Punch
~ Hidden Power Dark/Ice Punch/Thunderpunch/Recover
Fucking dangerous. After 2 Calm Minds, very few things stop it, especially with Hidden Power Dark, which beats Dusclops, Claydol, Starmie, other Alakazam and Gardevoir. Fire Punch is a must for Metagross. It gets a load of other moves too but this is the best set possible.
Machamp @ Choice Band
~ Cross Chop
~ Rock Slide
~ Focus Punch
~ Hidden Power Ghost
Great stuff, hasn't seen much use of this in the old days but it is great to send into a Toxic. Gutsed Focus Punch OHKOs Skarmory. Bulk Up is an option, and so is Counter. Don't use Earthquake.
Magneton @ Leftovers
~ Thunderbolt
~ Protect
~ Toxic/Thunder Wave
~ Hidden Power Fire/Grass
The reason why Skarmory doesn't dominate everything. Toxic is for Donphan and Regice, two things that can get in the way of Gyarados. Hidden Power Fire to beat other Magneton, if you want Grass for Swampert, you might want to use Thunder Wave for other Magneton instead of Toxic.
Dodrio @ Choice Band
~ Return
~ Drill Peck
~ Quick Attack
~ Hidden Power Ground
If you can predict Metagross and own it with Hidden Power Ground, and beat Skarmory with Magneton, there isn't much left to switch into this beast. I should emphasize how good it is...Dodrio owns a LOT of Pokemon.
Weezing @ Leftovers
~ Will-o-Wisp
~ Haze
~ Sludge Bomb
~ Explosion/Rest/Thunderbolt/Fire Blast
The best Heracross counter. Shame it loses Pain Split. With Thunderbolt it's a very solid anti-Gyarados - it needs nearly full health if it only has Sludge Bomb.
Rhydon @ Choice Band
~ Earthquake
~ Rock Slide/Rock Blast
~ Megahorn
~ Focus Punch
An early-game counter to Dragon Dancers, and a great Normal/Flying resist (sup Dodrio, Choice Band Salamence). Good to bring into Magneton with Hidden Power Fire as well. No Substitute isn't so great, but at least you keep Megahorn for annoying Ludicolo and Claydol. Counter with Leftovers is an option for random Earthquakes.
Starmie @ Leftovers
~ Surf
~ Rapid Spin
~ Recover
~ Thunderbolt/Ice Beam
Starmie @ Leftovers
~ Surf
~ Thunderbolt
~ Recover
~ Ice Beam
This shouldn't be any new to you. A magnificent sweeper, even better than in 386, or a great Rapid Spinner. And an awesome starter for beating Salamence/Gyarados. Watch out for Regice.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
~ Dragon Dance
~ Earthquake
~ Hidden Power Rock/Hidden Power Flying
~ Taunt/Protect/Surf/Hydro Pump
One of the best 200 Pokemon. Regice, Solrock, Skarmory, Starmie, Weezing and Donphan are probably the only reliable counters for it, besides random Thunderbolts and Hidden Power Electrics - with Toxic Magneton as support, this might count for the best physical sweeper in this metagame. Protect to get a free Dragon Dance against Slaking. Surf and Hydro Pump beat Skarmory, Solrock and Donphan.
Crobat @ Choice Band
~ Sludge Bomb
~ Shadow Ball
~ Aerial Ace
~ Hidden Power Ground
Countered by Weezing or any Steel, but it makes sure Alakazam does not sweep your team (or at least, not in one attempt). If Alakazam kills one of your Pokemon, Crobat can come in, outspeed it and OHKO with Shadow Ball or Sludge Bomb. Of course it can still switch out, but you've at least temporary scared it away. Even with 6 Calm Minds, Crobat on your team guarantees protection. But other than this, it won't do much. Quick Attack is an option for finishing VERY low-health Gyarados/Salamence, or even Dodrio, but not much else. Don't use anything other than a Choice Band set.
Lanturn @ Leftovers
~ Thunderbolt
~ Surf
~ Thunder Wave/Toxic
~ Rest
Makes for great stall wars with Regice if that's a Toxic/Rest variant as well. Deserves lots of love, beats up Magneton, Milotic and Starmie. Confuse Ray isn't a bad idea, but you shouldn't use Ice Beam - you can paralyze or poison Salamence, and Flygon isn't such a big threat.
Heracross @ Choice Band
~ Megahorn
~ Focus Punch
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Facade/Brick Break
Great as ever, except no Rock Slide or Sleep Talk. Salamence and Gyarados are very common, so anticipate them. An excellent switch into Swampert or Ludicolo. Bulk Up is an option.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
~ Spikes
~ Roar
~ Drill Peck
~ Rest
Taunt, Toxic (hi Claydol and Donphan), Thief and Protect as options. You will rarely find a team without Magneton, so relying on Skarmory for your physical defense isn't the brighest idea.
Kingdra @ Leftovers/Lum Berry
~ Rain Dance
~ Surf/Hydro Pump
~ Ice Beam
~ Toxic/Hidden Power Electric
Not very bad, just walled by a lot of Waters and Regice. That's why you have your fourth moveslot, though! Hidden Power Grass is an option to kill Swampert, but it won't OHKO, and you might as well 2HKO it with a Rain Danced Surf or Hydro Pump.
Donphan @ Leftovers
~ Earthquake
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Two of Rapid Spin, Roar, Counter and Rest
Beats Gyarados and Magneton. As you know, 120 Attack and Defense are nothing to sneeze at.
You should be able to counter all above Pokemon, and preferably not rely on just Regice and Skarmory for your walling. It's a LOT easier to build a solid team in 200 because there are fewer true threats, and they aren't very diverse. It's simple to learn this metagame, and a lot of fun. If you ever grow bored of it, you might want to try out 200 UU or 200 uber. 200 is a very extinct metagame, so nobody knows what to do with ubers or UUs there anymore, I think.
A few closing tips and tricks
200 is still Advance battling. Tips from guides like The Basics of Prediction and Magic Stat Numbers still apply for a big part. The main goal during your battle is to wear down your opponent's walls in order to open the game for your sweepers. Toxic and Spikes can help you, but they're not absolutely neccessary.
One of the best combinations in 200 in my opinion is still Taunt Gyarados + Magneton. Almost anyone will have either Regice or Skarmory to stop Gyarados, so Magneton can trap and kill the latter, and Toxic the former. Once you predict that Regice uses Rest, bring in something that beats Regice up really hard (Metagross, preferably). Regice should now switch out, while still sleeping. If your opponent's Metagross counter is a Water (not Thunderbolt Starmie), watch out for status and bring back your Taunt Gyarados. If you think they will switch, use Dragon Dance - if they switch, they're in checkmate position. Regice is still sleeping for two turns, so you can Dragon Dance once more, then 2HKO with Hidden Power Flying. If the opponent stays in, Taunt it, and then Dragon Dance.
Forcing Regice and other walls to Rest and killing Skarmory with Magneton are the best starts to gain the edge. Usually, games end with one side's Dragon Dancer or Alakazam sweeping the other. Further, most sweepers are Choice Banders or just attackers.
I can't really teach you how to predict your way to the win. It might be a good idea to keep track of your opponent's Pokemon and sets, to make sure you know when to set-up and when to attack.
Stop reading now. Go play 200!
The 200 Metagame
What is 200 play?
When the Advanced generation of Pokemon was finally brought to online simulators, what we now refer to as the 200 metagame was formed. In this metagame, players have access to only the Pokemon available on the Ruby and Sapphire game cartridges. As a result, many of the standard Pokemon and movesets seen in normal play are not present.
200 Play Restrictions
The following important Pokemon are banned:
* Aerodactyl
* Blissey
* Celebi
* Dragonite
* Dugtrio
* Forretress
* Gengar
* Houndoom
* Jirachi
* Jolteon
* Miltank
* Raikou
* Smeargle
* Snorlax
* Suicune
* Tauros
* Tyranitar
* Umbreon
* Vaporeon
* Venusaur
* Zapdos
In addition to removing Pokemon that would normally enjoy at least a moderate amount of use, 200 play also places many restrictions on movepools which are available to players.
Move Tutors
* Substitute is removed from a LOT of Pokemon. Grumpig, Azumarill and Kecleon are probably a handful the few Pokemon that learn it.
* Thunder Wave is gone as well from about anything except Electrics. Well, Blissey is gone too, but still, keep it in mind.
* Sleep Talk is gone, so sleeping something is a little more safe. Not many good Pokemon learn Sleep moves though - Exeggutor, Smeargle and Venusaur are out of the game, and so is Lapras. There's still Breloom and Milotic, however.
* Explosion is more limited, however a lot of things still have it (via Level or Egg Moves). Camerupt and Metagross suffer a lot from this, though.
* Rock Slide is removed from a lot of Grounds like Donphan and friends. Salamence doesn't learn it anymore either.
* Elemental punches are no longer accessible to about everything with arms. Again, Metagross doesn't like this!
Other moves
* Extremespeed Linoone and Wish Gardevoir are in NetBattle's 200 database, but it's debatable whether they should be allowed or not, considering you need Pokemon Box for them
* Egg Moves that come from Pokemon not in the game aren't allowed. For example, Misdreavus is not in Ruby/Sapphire, but Dusclops does get Pain Split as an egg move. The only possible father for a Duskull with Pain Split is a Misdreavus, so Pain Split Dusclops is not allowed.
Items
* Other than Liechi Berry, no pinch berries are obtainable. Liechi Berry is found on Mirage Island, whereas the otherss come from Jirachi via Bonus Discs.
This all together makes 200 a fast-paced, offensive metagame. There's very few solid, reliable stallers left, and arguably the best (Skarmory) still is in fear of Magneton.
The leftover Pokemon
Here's a list of what I consider (remotely) usable Pokemon in 200.
R/S Pokemon
* Sceptile
* Blaziken
* Swampert
* Ludicolo
* Swellow
* Gardevoir
* Breloom
* Slaking
* Ninjask
* Hariyama
* Medicham
* Grumpig
* Flygon
* Zangoose
* Lunatone
* Solrock
* Claydol
* Milotic
* Dusclops
* Salamence
* Metagross
* Regirock
* Regice
* Registeel
Old Pokemon
* Vileplume
* Alakazam
* Machamp
* Magneton
* Dodrio
* Weezing
* Rhydon
* Starmie
* Gyarados
* Crobat
* Lanturn
* Heracross
* Skarmory
* Kingdra
* Donphan
Of course you will recognize a few old favourites you've always been using in 386, but you will also see some more unorthodox choices for this list: Hariyama, Swellow, Gardevoir, Grumpig, Solrock...I think you can get away with using them, but they're not as bog standard as Salamence and co.
The movesets
What you should probably use if you don't know where to begin...of course you don't have to take my word for it, I'm sure there are a load of other options.
Sceptile @ Leftovers
~ Leaf Blade
~ Hidden Power Ice/Hidden Power Fire
~ Leech Seed
~ Toxic/Focus Punch/Protect
Same old story, except no Subseed. Hidden Power Ice is good for Salamence and Flygon, Hidden Power Fire for Skarmory, Metagross and Magneton. Sceptile has a lot of trouble with Regice, and both Toxic and Focus Punch help take care of that. Protect for Slaking, or to linger Leech Seed. You need good prediction to use Sceptile, it's hard to bring it in safely.
Blaziken @ Choice Band
~ Sky Uppercut
~ Fire Blast/Overheat
~ Rock Slide
~ Focus Punch
A great anti-standard, and again hard to use. This is probably your best bet as it lost Thunderpunch and Swords Dance (there's still Bulk Up), and Reversal is no good without Salac. Most likely you will bring this in when you predict a switch to a Steel, or when Weezing uses Will-o-Wisp.
Swampert @ Leftovers
~ Earthquake
~ Pick 3 from Mirror Coat, Toxic, Surf, Ice Beam, Rest, Curse (Curse + Mirror Coat is illegal), Hidden Power Rock, Roar
Ludicolo gets a little more use in 200, and you will need to beware of Skarmory, Weezing, Heracross and Gyarados. A great stop to Metagross, however if you want a Salamence counter you're better off with Milotic.
Ludicolo @ Leftovers
~ Surf
~ Leech Seed
~ Synthesis/Rest
~ Toxic/Ice Beam
This is your best bet for a tankish Grasser. Beats Swampert, Sceptile, and all Rapid Spinners except Tentacruel (Donphan, Claydol, Starmie) and some other goodies. Ice Beam for the predictable Salamence switch, but Toxic is nice too if you don't catch Heracross with it. Protect is a good filler on this - it works with Leech Seed and Toxic, and guards you against Slaking.
Swellow @ Choice Band
~ Facade/Return
~ Hidden Power Ground
~ Quick Attack
~ Aerial Ace
As you might have noticed, Toxic is slightly better in 200 than it is in FR/LG. There's no Blissey, no Miltank and no Celebi. Predict such a Toxic (or a Weezing/Dusclops Will-o-Wisp) and bring in Swellow to devastate. Hidden Power Ground is of course a priority over Hidden Power Fighting - Tyranitar is nowhere to see, while Magneton and Metagross are still present. Despite the ban of Salac, it's wise to keep Quick Attack. You will thank me when you are fighting a Salamence who got a lot of Dragon Dances in trade for a load of HP, only to get killed by a Swellow of all things.
Gardevoir @ Leftovers
~ Calm Mind
~ Psychic
~ Will-o-Wisp
~ Thunderbolt
Nothing new, a sort of solid Special tank that can Will-o-Wisp stuff like Metagross. Reflect, Hypnosis, Protect, Wish and Hidden Power Dark/Fire are good other options.
Breloom @ Leftovers
~ Spore
~ Focus Punch/Sky Uppercut
~ filler
~ filler
Leech Seed, Protect, Stun Spore/Toxic, Mach Punch, Hidden Power Ghost/Rock for fillers. I don't see why you would use Snatch, because nothing of importance learns Substitute, and anything with Calm Mind or Dragon Dance will kick your ass before you're able to do anything worth giving up a moveslot for. You know the deal. Best sleeper you can wish.
Slaking @ Choice Band
~ Return
~ Earthquake
~ Shadow Ball
~ Focus Punch
It's been like this since the first day of 200. Counter can own another Slaking, Fire Blast beats Skarmory if you don't want Focus Punch (just use Magneton). Nothing else really helps Slaking.
Ninjask @ Leftovers
~ Protect
~ Baton Pass
~ Swords Dance
~ Silver Wind/Hidden Power Flying/Hidden Power Bug
You should probably bring this in on Earthquake or Protect, then immediately Baton Pass to see what your opponent does to counter you. Use in conjunction with Magneton to beat Skarmory. Weezing still owns it, and Roar on stuff like Swampert or Gyarados can be a pain as well. At least it doesn't learn Substitute!
Hariyama @ Leftovers
~ Cross Chop
~ Counter
~ Knock Off/Bulk Up/Toxic/Focus Punch/Whirlwind
~ Hidden Power Rock/Ghost
Very cool for a Regice counter, with either Thick Fat to sop up Ice Beams or Guts to take advantage of Toxic. Damn great Pokemon with a lot of move options.
Medicham @ Choice Band
~ Brick Break/Hi Jump Kick
~ Shadow Ball
~ Focus Punch
~ Hidden Power Rock
It doesn't learn Rock Slide, but there's still Hidden Power Rock. Fake Out deserves a mention, use it wherever you like it. Nothing can switch into Medicham safely. Bulk Up is an option, but I'd just use Choice Band. Bring it in when you predict your opponent will send out Regice.
Grumpig @ Leftovers
~ Substitute
~ Calm Mind
~ Psychic
~ Hidden Power Dark/Ice/Fire
One of the very few Special attackers that beats Regice consistently. Substitute to block Toxic, then Calm Mind to heaven. With Hidden Power Dark, you can beat other Psychics (Starmie, Alakazam, Gardevoir). Ice is for the KO on Salamence, Fire owns Metagross and other Steels. It can inherit Trick from Alakazam too - both Macho Brace and Choice Band are fun to Trick.
Flygon @ Choice Band
~ Earthquake
~ Quick Attack
~ Hidden Power Rock/Hidden Power Flying
~ Fire Blast/Iron Tail
No Rock Slide sucks, but without a Choice Band it's harder to damage anything. Fire Blast to beat Skarmory, Iron Tail does a shitload of damage to Regice. Too bad Flygon is really limited on switching in on stuff, and most of the things that counter it in 386 are present in 200 as well (Weezing, Skarmory, Milotic, Swampert, Salamence, Gyarados).
Zangoose @ Lum Berry/Silk Scarf/Leftovers/Liechi Berry
~ Swords Dance
~ Return
~ Shadow Ball
~ Quick Attack
Arguably the coolest 200 guy. With Silk Scarf and one Swords Dance, Quick Attack OHKOs Alakazam. Other than that, this item has no use. If you don't fear Dusclops, Protect can go over Shadow Ball (for Slaking), or you could even use Hidden Power Ground for Metagross. It can learn Taunt, Counter and Fire Blast and other Special moves to own Skarmory too. A true danger for any team.
Lunatone @ Leftovers
~ Calm Mind
~ Psychic
~ Ice Beam
~ Hypnosis
Can survive a Salamence hit for the KO with Ice Beam, or put a random switch-in to sleep. A very rare sight though, it's even worse than Solrock at taking Choice Banded hits, even ones it resists. Toxic and Protect are options.
Solrock @ Choice Band
~ Rock Slide
~ Explosion
~ Earthquake
~ Shadow Ball
Beats non-Surf/Hydro Pump Gyarados and is not owned (completely) by Magneton. Reflect or Light Screen with Leftovers work fine too.
Claydol @ Leftovers
~ Earthquake
~ Rapid Spin
~ Explosion/Rest
~ Ice Beam/Psychic/Reflect/Light Screen/Toxic
Rapid Spin, and other than that I don't know many reasons to use it. With Ice Beam it can be a Salamence counter, but not a very solid one - I prefer one of the other options, myself.
Milotic @ Leftovers
~ Surf
~ Ice Beam
~ Recover
~ Hypnosis/Toxic
Best Salamence counter. Toxic is there for other Waters and Regice. No Snorlax, Blissey or Celebi gets in the way here. Hidden Power Electric and Grass own Gyarados and Swampert respectively, and Light Screen is good to pass. You might save your team from Alakazam or something.
Dusclops @ Leftovers
~ Will-o-Wisp
~ Shadow Ball
~ Rest
~ filler
filler = Protect (I prefer this), Focus Punch, Earthquake, Ice Beam, Confuse Ray, Torment, Thief (don't carry Leftovers) or Night Shade. Put 36 EVs in Attack to OHKO Alakazam with Shadow Ball. No Pain Split and no Blissey to switch in on, so Dusclops is now completely limited to a Rapid Spin blocker, and at full health it can switch into threats like Alakazam and Salamence, plus Choice Banded Returns.
Salamence @ Leftovers
~ Dragon Dance
~ Hidden Power Flying
~ Earthquake
~ Protect/Fire Blast/Roar
Hey, what's new? Roarmence owns Skarmory, seriously. Dragon Dance on the switch, Roar while it Spikes or Roars or whatever. Rinse and repeat.
Salamence @ Leftovers
~ Dragon Dance
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Aerial Ace
More damage to Regice, Gyarados and other Salamences, but less to most other things like Waters. It sucks a lot not to have Rock Slide.
Salamence @ Choice Band
~ Hidden Power Flying
~ Earthquake
~ Fire Blast
~ Brick Break/Double-Edge
Salamence @ Choice Band
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Fire Blast
~ Aerial Ace
Same idea but with a Choice Band.
Salamence @ Leftovers
~ Dragon Claw
~ Hidden Power Grass/Electric
~ Fire Blast
~ Hydro Pump/Crunch/Toxic
Elemence, very good in 200. Hidden Power for Swampert/Gyarados, Hydro Pump and Crunch both mess up Claydol (and Crunch rocks Alakazam, Starmie and Gardevoir as well). Toxic to do some long-term damage to Regice and Milotic.
As you probably know, Salamence is a monster and a great starter, works nicely with Metagross to cover most types, and makes Heracross piss its pants. It also hates Milotic and Regice with a passion.
Metagross @ Leftovers
~ Meteor Mash
~ Earthquake
~ Sludge Bomb
~ Pick out of the big scala of moves: Toxic, Psychic, Agility, Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Electric, Shadow Ball, Iron Defense, Light Screen or Reflect
One of the premiere 200 Pokemon. The best Regice counter in the game, can survive a Calm Minded Alakazam Fire Punch for the KO with one of it's own attacks, and can surprise any of it's counters. You can use Choice Band Metagross, but watch out for Magneton. Liechi Berry and Agility together are an option, but I prefer Leftovers.
Regirock @ Leftovers
~ Curse
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Explosion
The best Normal resist in my opinion. Sometimes you might want to use Focus Punch, it hurts Swampert and Skarmory more than your other moves.
Regice @ Leftovers
~ Ice Beam
~ Thunderbolt
~ Toxic/filler
~ Rest/Explosion
And here's the closest thing you have to Blissey. It can survive 2 Calm Minded Alakazam Fire Punches, and it scares off about any starter. filler could be Hidden Power Grass for Swampert or Fire for Metagross, I'd just stick with Toxic. Explosion is an option over Rest to be sure to get rid of Alakazam, but honestly you will want Rest to keep Special sweepers off your ass.
Registeel @ Leftovers
~ Curse
~ Rest/Explosion
~ Hidden Power Rock/Hidden Power Steel
~ Earthquake
Could possibly work, but a lot of Pokemon beat it (Skarmory, Weezing, Ludicolo, Cursepert, Hariyama, Sceptile, Machamp, Donphan, Rhydon, Gyarados). However, it is one sturdy Normal resist and it stalls like a madman.
Vileplume @ Leftovers
~ Sunny Day
~ Solarbeam
~ Hidden Power Fire
~ Sleep Powder
An UU Pokemon that could work fine if you manage to shut down Salamence. Still, be careful for Ice Beam and Hidden Power Flying everywhere. Weather modifying has a greater chance to work in 200, compared to 386, because there's no Tyranitar and fewer great walls. Plus Fire is still a very uncommon threat. A good trait of Vileplume is immunity to Toxic. Sludge Bomb and Swords Dance are options, but Sunny Day will work better. Stun Spore, Toxic and Aromatherapy are good for support, though Aromatherapy is not as good as it is in 386 - remember this is an offensive metagame. Just don't get things poisoned that can't afford to and you won't need it.
Alakazam @ Leftovers/Lum Berry
~ Calm Mind
~ Psychic
~ Fire Punch
~ Hidden Power Dark/Ice Punch/Thunderpunch/Recover
Fucking dangerous. After 2 Calm Minds, very few things stop it, especially with Hidden Power Dark, which beats Dusclops, Claydol, Starmie, other Alakazam and Gardevoir. Fire Punch is a must for Metagross. It gets a load of other moves too but this is the best set possible.
Machamp @ Choice Band
~ Cross Chop
~ Rock Slide
~ Focus Punch
~ Hidden Power Ghost
Great stuff, hasn't seen much use of this in the old days but it is great to send into a Toxic. Gutsed Focus Punch OHKOs Skarmory. Bulk Up is an option, and so is Counter. Don't use Earthquake.
Magneton @ Leftovers
~ Thunderbolt
~ Protect
~ Toxic/Thunder Wave
~ Hidden Power Fire/Grass
The reason why Skarmory doesn't dominate everything. Toxic is for Donphan and Regice, two things that can get in the way of Gyarados. Hidden Power Fire to beat other Magneton, if you want Grass for Swampert, you might want to use Thunder Wave for other Magneton instead of Toxic.
Dodrio @ Choice Band
~ Return
~ Drill Peck
~ Quick Attack
~ Hidden Power Ground
If you can predict Metagross and own it with Hidden Power Ground, and beat Skarmory with Magneton, there isn't much left to switch into this beast. I should emphasize how good it is...Dodrio owns a LOT of Pokemon.
Weezing @ Leftovers
~ Will-o-Wisp
~ Haze
~ Sludge Bomb
~ Explosion/Rest/Thunderbolt/Fire Blast
The best Heracross counter. Shame it loses Pain Split. With Thunderbolt it's a very solid anti-Gyarados - it needs nearly full health if it only has Sludge Bomb.
Rhydon @ Choice Band
~ Earthquake
~ Rock Slide/Rock Blast
~ Megahorn
~ Focus Punch
An early-game counter to Dragon Dancers, and a great Normal/Flying resist (sup Dodrio, Choice Band Salamence). Good to bring into Magneton with Hidden Power Fire as well. No Substitute isn't so great, but at least you keep Megahorn for annoying Ludicolo and Claydol. Counter with Leftovers is an option for random Earthquakes.
Starmie @ Leftovers
~ Surf
~ Rapid Spin
~ Recover
~ Thunderbolt/Ice Beam
Starmie @ Leftovers
~ Surf
~ Thunderbolt
~ Recover
~ Ice Beam
This shouldn't be any new to you. A magnificent sweeper, even better than in 386, or a great Rapid Spinner. And an awesome starter for beating Salamence/Gyarados. Watch out for Regice.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
~ Dragon Dance
~ Earthquake
~ Hidden Power Rock/Hidden Power Flying
~ Taunt/Protect/Surf/Hydro Pump
One of the best 200 Pokemon. Regice, Solrock, Skarmory, Starmie, Weezing and Donphan are probably the only reliable counters for it, besides random Thunderbolts and Hidden Power Electrics - with Toxic Magneton as support, this might count for the best physical sweeper in this metagame. Protect to get a free Dragon Dance against Slaking. Surf and Hydro Pump beat Skarmory, Solrock and Donphan.
Crobat @ Choice Band
~ Sludge Bomb
~ Shadow Ball
~ Aerial Ace
~ Hidden Power Ground
Countered by Weezing or any Steel, but it makes sure Alakazam does not sweep your team (or at least, not in one attempt). If Alakazam kills one of your Pokemon, Crobat can come in, outspeed it and OHKO with Shadow Ball or Sludge Bomb. Of course it can still switch out, but you've at least temporary scared it away. Even with 6 Calm Minds, Crobat on your team guarantees protection. But other than this, it won't do much. Quick Attack is an option for finishing VERY low-health Gyarados/Salamence, or even Dodrio, but not much else. Don't use anything other than a Choice Band set.
Lanturn @ Leftovers
~ Thunderbolt
~ Surf
~ Thunder Wave/Toxic
~ Rest
Makes for great stall wars with Regice if that's a Toxic/Rest variant as well. Deserves lots of love, beats up Magneton, Milotic and Starmie. Confuse Ray isn't a bad idea, but you shouldn't use Ice Beam - you can paralyze or poison Salamence, and Flygon isn't such a big threat.
Heracross @ Choice Band
~ Megahorn
~ Focus Punch
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Facade/Brick Break
Great as ever, except no Rock Slide or Sleep Talk. Salamence and Gyarados are very common, so anticipate them. An excellent switch into Swampert or Ludicolo. Bulk Up is an option.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
~ Spikes
~ Roar
~ Drill Peck
~ Rest
Taunt, Toxic (hi Claydol and Donphan), Thief and Protect as options. You will rarely find a team without Magneton, so relying on Skarmory for your physical defense isn't the brighest idea.
Kingdra @ Leftovers/Lum Berry
~ Rain Dance
~ Surf/Hydro Pump
~ Ice Beam
~ Toxic/Hidden Power Electric
Not very bad, just walled by a lot of Waters and Regice. That's why you have your fourth moveslot, though! Hidden Power Grass is an option to kill Swampert, but it won't OHKO, and you might as well 2HKO it with a Rain Danced Surf or Hydro Pump.
Donphan @ Leftovers
~ Earthquake
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Two of Rapid Spin, Roar, Counter and Rest
Beats Gyarados and Magneton. As you know, 120 Attack and Defense are nothing to sneeze at.
You should be able to counter all above Pokemon, and preferably not rely on just Regice and Skarmory for your walling. It's a LOT easier to build a solid team in 200 because there are fewer true threats, and they aren't very diverse. It's simple to learn this metagame, and a lot of fun. If you ever grow bored of it, you might want to try out 200 UU or 200 uber. 200 is a very extinct metagame, so nobody knows what to do with ubers or UUs there anymore, I think.
A few closing tips and tricks
200 is still Advance battling. Tips from guides like The Basics of Prediction and Magic Stat Numbers still apply for a big part. The main goal during your battle is to wear down your opponent's walls in order to open the game for your sweepers. Toxic and Spikes can help you, but they're not absolutely neccessary.
One of the best combinations in 200 in my opinion is still Taunt Gyarados + Magneton. Almost anyone will have either Regice or Skarmory to stop Gyarados, so Magneton can trap and kill the latter, and Toxic the former. Once you predict that Regice uses Rest, bring in something that beats Regice up really hard (Metagross, preferably). Regice should now switch out, while still sleeping. If your opponent's Metagross counter is a Water (not Thunderbolt Starmie), watch out for status and bring back your Taunt Gyarados. If you think they will switch, use Dragon Dance - if they switch, they're in checkmate position. Regice is still sleeping for two turns, so you can Dragon Dance once more, then 2HKO with Hidden Power Flying. If the opponent stays in, Taunt it, and then Dragon Dance.
Forcing Regice and other walls to Rest and killing Skarmory with Magneton are the best starts to gain the edge. Usually, games end with one side's Dragon Dancer or Alakazam sweeping the other. Further, most sweepers are Choice Banders or just attackers.
I can't really teach you how to predict your way to the win. It might be a good idea to keep track of your opponent's Pokemon and sets, to make sure you know when to set-up and when to attack.
Stop reading now. Go play 200!
