[Comp Guide] Competitive Team Building (For Beginners)

Let's Do Little Team Building

Credits: This blog post was taken from the PokéMMO Forum.

Written by: 

• FinnTheMember

Hello my friends ! I noticed many players having trouble with building competitive teams.

Especially beginners having this problem and their elections end up with copying winner teams.

Same stats, same moves, same combinations. Playing against mirror is fun?

I don't like that. So i always tried to play with different pokemons and my goal was to be able to use all pokemons in this game.

Before the beginning, i have to say, this is my personal team building method. I never won any official so, i can't say "its perfect" but this guide can help you to understand logic and maybe you can improve or develop these infos for yourself at future.

In my team building, there are 3 roles.

1)Guards

2-Walls

3-Strikers , i'll start to explain from number 3 to 1.

3-Strikers: You can call these; sweepers too. These pokes are fast or powerful. But they are mostly fragile.

They can sweep whole team if they have half health.

Their role is finish injured enemies. 

Example: Sychter, Electabuz, Aerodactyl are avaible options.

But we have an item which calls as "Swift Choice Band" which gives you +1 speed. So slow pokemons can make suprises at this role too.

Or "Salac Berry" shows same effect too at %25 hp or less.

Striker Types:

• Slow but swift band user + powerful (Ex.: Heracross)
• Fast and powerful (Ex.: Jolteon)
• Fast , not powerful, but annoying (Ex.: Electrode)
• Priority moves (ExtremeSpeed , Quick Attack, Mach Punch, Fake Out

 Annoying things are; Trick , DestinyBond , Disable, Torment and other similar moves.

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2-Walls: These pokes can handle any damage. They have high HP and defense or special defense.

They can heal or cure themselves and party members or can use status moves on opponent as toxic, thunder wave, glare, will-o-wisp, sleep powder etc.

Their role is stop opponent's Strikers.

Example: Chansey, Kecleon, Tangela, Dusclops are avaible options.

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1)Guards: These pokes are secondary walls. Their types must cover wall's weakness.

These pokes are not walls. They have high damage power and high def or spdef or health , but they mostly have low speed. Example: Exploud, Gardevoir, Gyarados etc..

They must have huge damage (or Choice band) or 

setup moves (Nasty Plot, SwordDance, DragonDance...)

Example, Wall Pelipper is weak against electric and rock. So donphan is good guard for it.

Formule of Creating a Balanced Team is= A1 + A2 + ( B1 or B2 ) + (C1 or C2 )

A- Strikers 

1. Physical Striker
2. Special Striker

B- Def Pokes 

1. Special Damage-Def Guard + Physical Damage- Def Wall
2. Physical Damage-Def Guard + Special Damage- Def Wall

C- Spdef Pokes 

1. Special Damage-Spdef Guard + Physical Damage-Spdef Wall
2. Physical Damage-Spdef Guard + Special Damage-Spdef Wall

Example with random pokes: Chimecho - Relicanth - Primeape - Exploud - Mantine - Mr.Mime

Chimecho: Def Guard -Special Damage (Calm Mind Setupper)

Relicanth: Def Wall- Physical Damage (Toxic User)

Exploud: Spdef Guard- Physical Damage (Choice Band User)

Mantine: Spdef Wall- Special Damage (Toxic User)

Primeape: Physical Sweeper (Life Ball)

Mr.Mime: Special Sweeper ( Swift Choice Band)

And i wanna say something about EVs.

Base Points and EVS:

While making calculations on my guards. I give 252 atk or 252 spatk to my CB pokes. and other 252 point need to go where? There are some pokes ; 

• Like 50 hp- 100 spdef = Hp point lower than defensive stat. > I noticed this poke take minimum damage with 252 HP ev points.
• Like 100 hp-80 def = Hp point bigger than defensive stat. > I noticed this poke take minimum damage with 252 Def ev points.

Another info;

All walls have ; 252 hp + 252 def or spdef ,

All guards have: 252 attack or spatk + 252 def or spdef & 252 hp, (Some setup guards can have same EVs with Walls)

All strikers have; 252 attack or spatk + 252 speed.

These ev distribution changes at some pokemons due to speed differences in tier.

About moveset and evs , you can ask other players opinions too. But don't accept everything "I have 252 speed on magneton, i have 252 speed on gardevoir" Why? You must ask this. If that person says "speed is good" or something similar to that. Dont ask his/her opinion again xD But if he/she says, for overspeed ..that.. pokemon. Its okay.

An example , heracross doesn't have to be with 252 speed and attack. You can have careful 252 hp, 252 spdef bulk up one too.

Still there are too many experienced and knowledged players and never seen semis. Why? Coz some of them, no idea about team building and also while choosing moveset "If i put giga drain, i'll counter swampert, if i put ice beam, i'll counter flygon" lol. You dont play with only 1 pokemon :) You have 6 pokes and they must cover each other's weakness.

LET'S PLAY

1. Roles. In this game you can take special or physical type damages from your opponent. You can have 6 pokes in your party. 1 guard and 1 wall for taking Physical damages and 1 guard and 1 wall too for taking Special damages. and 1 physical Striker and 1 special Striker. So draw your team according to these roles.
2. Different damages. If your Wall has physical damage type moves , it's guard must have special damage type moves. (Example , Pelipper Surf - Whiscash Earthquake).
3. Start game with Guards. Your lead poke must be from guards. Why? Because guards can stay alive after taking damages and payback it with one hit knock down. I mean, they can make jobs of other roles.
4. Mixed damager pokes, you can have a Raichu with Volt Tackle and Surf. If that raichu has 252 atk, count it as physical striker. OR u have chansey with seismic toss. You can count this as special and physical damage user. Both is okay while choosing pokemons role in this building.
5. Dont use similar Guards. With this logic , you'll make a team with 2 guards, if one of them using Choice band, use different type guard at second like setup guard (ex.; Calm Mind User) Also don't use same type damage guards.
6. Dont use same types. Example; having more than 1 grass pokemon that able to gives you disadvantage or luckily advantage against your opponent. If you don't know what your opponent have, thats broke balance. But still u can have same type pokes. You can find sites for checking your team's weakness.  Well u can still use same type pokes if u need. But i suggest at least dont create combinations with 3 pokes which are weak against same type. Example: 3 fire pokemons in same team.
7. Knowledge of Meta Game. After creating a party with 6 pokes, i have a list of popular (meta) pokes that using in tier. Im thinking them against my team. And i guess this is calling "Image Training" Im thinking, what i can do against those pokes with my team etc. Well , you can check "Competition Alley" topic at forum for that.
8. Scouting. At official tournaments, your opponents able to watch you and thats makes disadvantage on you. Having more than 2-3 different combinations can help you. Having scout friends can help you too against suprise/ unexpected moves.

This guide created for try to help new players and give them a simple team building logic which they can remind easily.

Also i believe they can have more courage to use unexpected pokemons and moves.

Thats all. You'll not feel bad if you lose too. Because you can analysis yourself after game. Like "Ahhh looks like my pelipper was not perfect choice for wall role with this guard etc" , so without being mad or asking yourself "why i am losing" , you'll run to next battle to try another combination. Game is fun with this method. 

I hope this can help you :)

I hope my english is good enough for you. Thanks for reading.