How long does it take for you to build a full team?

[Pyrax]

Some people might be patient, waiting until lategame to catch their final party member. Others might want to have a full team for variety as early as possible. What about you?
I usually have a full team by the 6th Badge, depending on the available Pokémon. Any later than that is just too late for me to use, unless it's something I really like (i.e. Litwick, Absol, etc).

 

[Gengarzilla]

I am notoriously slow and picky when it comes to creating teams. In Platinum and Ultra Moon, I didn't even have a full team at the point where I challenged the Pokémon League because I really, really wanted something great that's only available after the credits.

No, I wouldn't fill the empty slots with substitutes just to make up the numbers. Any EXP going to them would be wasted in the long-term.

 

[TechSkylander1518]

I fill up my team as soon as I get the Poke Balls. I like to get all the dex entries in an area before moving on, and I like the extra HP wall should some foe get a bit tough. Very few of them stay forever, though.

 

[DoctorWhy]

Final team of 6 is usually put together by around badge 6-7, but I'll often have a team of 6 including temporary members as early as gym 4-5.

 

[TheMonster6893]

Depends on the Pokemon I want to use. I typically at least partially plan out my team before a game comes out. So if a Pokemon is late game it'll take at least that long to get my team full. If all the Pokemon I want are earlier then it doesn't take long. All depends.

 

[Bolt Strike]

My final team is usually complete sometime in the second half of the game, usually after the 6th badge. I do have a temporary 6 Pokemon team by around the 2nd gym though.

 

[EmpoleonProd]

I like to build my team up slow and steady, I usually have my 2nd Pokemon by the 1st gym, the 3rd by the 3rd gym, the 4th and 5th by the 5th gym, and the 6th Pokemon somewhere between the 6th and 7th gym/4th island.

 

[Midorikawa]

It depends on what I decide I want. Usually I have a full team by the e4

 

[BigBadButterfree]

Like others, it depends. Sometimes I plan what I want, and just wait til I find those to actually fill my team. Other times, like typically at the beginning of a generation, I will loosely decide what I want, but I’ll catch anything I can and use what I find new and interesting. So the beginning of my journey is typically comprised of the starter and various birds, rodents, and bugs. However, by the time I reach the elite four, I’ve usually filtered out the junk for things I like more.

 

[NintenZero]

I follow a pretty solid formula. Depending on the region, basis of the formula's completion, and other factors, my team is usually filled by the time we reach a little over the halfway point.

I try to have one of each of the main types, Water, Fire, and Grass. Maybe not even the TYPE; just a Pokemon that can use a Fire, Water, or Grass type move. From there, I always have a flying Pokemon out of habit. Already that makes up 4 out of 6. THEN I have 2 specialized Pokemon. In the case of my current Pokemon game I've managed to catch an Abra; I consider that to be a specialty Pokemon.

Of course by endgame I have a full set which I feel is pretty OP all around.

 

[Sakuraa]

The 5th or 6th challenge is usually the range where my full team is complete, if not nearly complete.

 

[~Smugleaf~]

I usually have a full team by the 5-6th badge. Thankfully the Pokémon I want on my teams are usually found early to mid game.

 

[TeaWest]

In Sun version it took me an extraordinarily long time. It was so hard for me to find a water type that I liked. I didn't want to use anything from Gen 1 and the rest of the water types on offer weren't great. I ended up going with Lanturn.

 

[Almonds]

It depends. But usually, I have a solid team complete by the 6th or 7th gym after juggling what I like and getting used to new pokemon. Anything late than that is too late.

 

[Camille]

I usually complete my team after getting the 6th badge. In my recent Platinum playthrough, I wanted to use a Sneasel, which you couldn't catch until after defeating Byron. In Black/White, my last team member was an Axew, which I caught after defeating Skyla, although you could trade over a surfing Pokemon earlier.

 

[Nero the Giant Whiscash]

i usally have the version mascot as my final team member so its around the 8th badge

 

[nickdt]

It depends on the Pokemon i want to use... which usually means i have around four Pokemon by the time i hit the fourth gym, allthough there are times i already had a set-team by then (Obviously not counting the evolutions in the lines).

 

[GhostLucario]

Usually I have my team ready just before the E4. I like to take my time to make them all the same level, have the best possible moves and since I like to think about teams before playing I wait until I have all the pokemon I had planned.

 

[Hidden Mew]

It depends on when Pokemon I want to raise are available. I prefer to have my team complete as early as possible so that it's easier to raise their levels and I like the idea of going through most of the storyline as possible with my full team. I usually have my full team by the fourth or fifth badges. If there's a Pokemon that isn't available until late in the games, I'm not against waiting until then to get it if I really like it, but I generally want to have a full team as soon as possible instead of waiting until just before getting to the Elite 4.

 

[Defiant]

I try to get them all around by the 4th badge, or immediately after at the latest so every mon has been with me for at least half my journey. However sometimes that's just not practical.