The In-Game Team Advice Thread

[CynthiaLover]

I would like some critique for my team in Scarlet. I'm currently going to face Tulip as my 7th Gym and I've also completed the DLC (at least up to the end of the story, I haven't caught the Loyal Three yet because I wanted access to both Ultra and Quick Balls since I started it just before battling Larry), so my team is going to be very overleveled at this point. Here's my squad.

Skeledirge (Torchfire)
Male
Lv74
Ability: Unaware
Nature: Timid
Held Item: Amulet Coin/Throat Spray
Tera Type: Fire
Attacks: Torch Song/Shadow Ball/Will-O-Wisp/Earth Power
Notes: I used an Ability Patch to change my starter's Ability to Unaware, and Throat Spray is often swapped in during Tera Raids while Amulet Coin helps build up funds. I'm pretty set with him but suggestions are welcome.

H-Samurott (Tsunami)
Male
Lv66
Ability: Sharpness
Nature: Naïve
Held Item: Expert Belt
Tera Type: Water
Attacks: Ceaseless Edge/Aqua Cutter/Sacred Sword/Swords Dance
Notes: An Oshawott I raised from a egg and evolved in Legends Arceus so I can try out H-Samurott in a regular game playthrough. Ceaseless Edge makes for fun Spikes stacking to further chip away at my opponents. Pretty solid IMO but I'm open to suggestions. Especially regarding Tera Type ideas.

Sawsbuck (Maple)
Female
Lv65
Ability: Sap Sipper
Nature: Jolly
Held Item: Muscle Band
Tera Type: Normal
Attacks: High Horsepower/Body Slam/Wild Charge/Horn Leech
Notes: I picked her up at the start of the game since I noticed I needed something to handle Water and Electric Mons. Thank god for the DLC as I was able to upgrade her original Ground move: Stomping Tantrum, for High Horsepower, and the power difference shows. I'm open to ideas for her, though, especially in regards to held items and Tera Types.

Corviknight (Nevermore)
Female
Lv66
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Impish
Held Item: Leftovers
Tera Type: Flying
Attacks: Body Press/Drill Peck/Iron Head/Iron Defense
Notes: I'm tempted to replace Iron Defense with Bulk Up, since it would boost her Attack and Defense, thus making all her moves hit harder. I also opted out of Brave Bird since 1) I don't like recoil moves, and 2) I have no way to offset the damage (outside of something like Shell Bell), and I only used a recoil move if I have the means to offsetting the damage (ie: recovery move, draining move, etc), so she gets Drill Peck. And I opted for Iron Head over Steel Wing since it hits harder and has perfect accuracy (as I can't count how many times that damn 5% chance to miss has screwed me over). Suggestions are welcome.

H-Braviary (Cyclone)
Male
Lv64
Ability: Tinted Lens
Nature: Timid
Held Item: Wise Glasses
Tera Type: Normal
Attacks: Heat Wave/Esper Wing/Calm Mind/Air Slash
Notes: A Rufflet I raised from an egg and evolved in Legends Arceus. I needed a Psychic Mon and I wanted to use H-Braviary for some time so I decided to give it a whirl. I'm definitely looking for ideas for his Tera Type, held Item, and some moves.

Sneasler (Hacker)
Male
Lv65
Ability: Poison Touch
Nature: Jolly
Held Item: Black Sludge
Tera Type: Fighting
Attacks: Dire Claw/Bulk Up/Shadow Claw/Close Combat
Notes: Probably the only other member I'm fully set on. Bulk Up offsets Close Combat's Defense drop while also boosting the power of his moves, while Dire Claw gives me some fun status ailment Russian Roulette. However, I'm open to suggestions, like coverage moves or Tera Types.

Thanks in advance.

First time I've ever quoted my own post before. But I felt it was time for an update.

First off, my current position in the story is I've beaten all three plotlines and The Way Home (and as I said before, the Teal Mask plotline), so now I'm doing the Gym Inspections or whatever. I did Katy, Brassius, and Iono, along with having done two STC battles: Mela and Gaicomo.

Next, I've since axed the Amulet Coin from Skeledirge and now he uses the Throat Spray exclusively. This is because I was getting sick of switching the items before and after Tera Raids and my current Poke Dollar amount is over 2 million so it's not necessary anymore (would've been over 3 million but I spend it on restoring the "Loyal" Three shrine so I could get some new threads). Plus all the vendor trash you get from Tera Raids more than makes up for it. I've also swapped out Iron Defense on Corviknight for Bulk Up like I was debating on. This allows her to still strengthen her Body Press attack while also boosting her other moves (and offsetting any Intimidate attempts). Moving on, I've since given Sawsbuck a Big Root so she can gain more HP from Horn Leech to further offset recoil damage from Wild Charge. Also, the team's levels have gone up by quite a bit: Skeledirge is now Lv98 (largely thanks to the whole Amulet Coin thing), H-Samurott is Lv89, Sawsbuck is Lv89, Corviknight is Lv88, H-Braviary is Lv85, and Sneasler is Lv87.

I'm still looking for suggestions on Tera Types, as thanks to completing the Kitakami Pokedex and getting the Glimmer Charm (or whatever it's called) I can now farm for Tera Shards a bit more easily. Some ideas I've had are Tera Ground for Sawsbuck, Tera Fighting for H-Samurott, and either Tera Fairy or Tera Ghost for H-Braviary. But I'm open to suggestions.

And I've noticed a problem: I only have one answer to Flying Mons, and that's in the form of Sawsbuck's Wild Charge (which is a risky move to begin with, much less on a Grass Mon, who is weak to Flying). Especially in Tera Raids, where the HP of the Tera Mons could very easily cause enough recoil to KO Sawsbuck in return. That can also apply to Water Mons, too, since, again, Sawsbuck fills that role (albeit I have 2 moves to use in that regard), though it's a bit less problematic. So I could use a few suggestions on moves to fill in those gaps would be helpful. And any other general move ideas are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Forgive the double post but I've since started a new playthrough of Scarlet, wanting to try some different things. I've started with a Fuecoco and I'm going to use some leftover eggs from a previous breeding project to fill out the team. Most of them are Kitakami Mons. But I wanted some advice on what Mons I should use in this playthrough. The types of Mons from the leftover eggs are below.

Jangmo-o
Timburr
Yanma
Turtwig
H-Voltorb
White Stripe Basculin
Seedot
Gligar

Out of these eight Mons, which should I choose to be part of my new playthrough alongside Fuecoco? Thanks in advance.

 

[DigitalGen6]

Forgive the double post but I've since started a new playthrough of Scarlet, wanting to try some different things. I've started with a Fuecoco and I'm going to use some leftover eggs from a previous breeding project to fill out the team. Most of them are Kitakami Mons. But I wanted some advice on what Mons I should use in this playthrough. The types of Mons from the leftover eggs are below.

Jangmo-o
Timburr
Yanma
Turtwig
H-Voltorb
White Stripe Basculin
Seedot
Gligar

Out of these eight Mons, which should I choose to be part of my new playthrough alongside Fuecoco? Thanks in advance.

I’m just gonna vote Turtwig, even those there are plenty of Grass-types

Actually, I changed my mind, go for White Stripe Basculin (you can technically do both if you want, idk the choice is yours)

 

[Zexy]

I would keep Jangmo-o and Turtwig for sure, you now have 6 very good types. Yanma makes it 8.

Everything else is gonna be duplicate typing unfortunately. I would personally pick Basculegion (Last Respects is good). Anything else for 6th is fair game, although I would skip Timburr (trade evo).

 

[CynthiaLover]

I would keep Jangmo-o and Turtwig for sure, you now have 6 very good types. Yanma makes it 8.

Everything else is gonna be duplicate typing unfortunately. I would personally pick Basculegion (Last Respects is good). Anything else for 6th is fair game, although I would skip Timburr (trade evo).

Thanks for the tips. I'm ultimately going with: Skeledirge, Torterra, Basculegion (female), Kommo-o, Yanmega, and H-Avalugg (turns out a Bergmite egg was also mixed in that I decided to turn into the 6th slot and will evolve in LA when the time comes). So that gives me 3 Physical attackers, 3 Special attackers, with Torterra and H-Avalugg being physical tanks, Yanmega being a speedy sweeper, Kommo-o being the jack-of-all-trades, and Skeledirge and Basculegion being bulky special hitters. That should do the trick for this playthrough. Thanks again for the tips.

 

[Zexy]

Kudos on fitting 11 types in the team with only one duplicate, awesome.

The team is OK enough in defensive balance too, actually checked it. No type is SE against 4/6, Ice 3/6 has counters (Kommo-o is equal SE matchup too), Ghost is 2/6 equal SE matchup as well. Technically gotta be a little bit careful of Fairies (a double weakness and no SE answer), but you have at least a Fire resist.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Time for an update on my team that I talked about recently. I'm currently heading toward the Water Gym and Dark Team Star Base. I have completed 3 Gyms (Bug, Grass, Electric), 3 Titans (Rock, Steel, Flying), and 1 Team Star Base (Fire). Here's my squad thus far.

Skeledirge (Pyrocitor)
Lv45
Male
Ability: Unaware
Nature: Quirky
Held Item: Amulet Coin/Throat Spray
Tera Type: Fire
Attacks: Torch Song/Shadow Ball/Yawn/Earth Power
Notes: I plan to replace Yawn with Will-O-Wisp when I get it, since the whole 2-turn thing really annoys me despite being 100% accurate. As a result it'll be a standard set for my Skeledirges. Amulet Coin and Throat Spray switch places during Tera Raids, as Amulet Coin is used for Trainers while Throat Spray is used for Tera Raids. And I used an Ability Patch on him to change his ability to Unaware.

Torterra (Gaia)
Lv41
Male
Ability: Shell Armor
Nature: Impish
Held Item: Loaded Dice
Tera Type: Grass
Attacks: Earthquake/Bullet Seed/Rock Blast/Shell Smash
Notes: Pretty well set with him. Now I know that Torterra gets Headlong Rush now but given the fact that Shell Smash already lowers his defenses I don't want to dogpile on that. So Earthquake is the safer option in my eyes. Plus it's riskless and still packs a huge punch. And the Loaded Dice turns Rock Blast and Bullet Seed into a minimum of 100 BP attacks so that's helpful. And since he was bred he has his hidden ability. Open to suggestions on Tera Types since I'm not sure if I'll stick with Grass.

Basculegion (Riptide)
Lv40
Female
Ability: Adaptability
Nature: Hasty
Held Item: Shell Bell
Tera Type: Water
Attacks: Surf/Shadow Ball/Aqua Jet/Icy Wind
Notes: Plan to replace Icy Wind with Ice Beam and Aqua Jet with Flip Turn (once I decide to go to Kitakami), but I'm open to suggestions on other moves. Hasty was the best nature I could get since I was playing nature roulette when breeding the Basculegion I had, especially since she got Adaptability. Might change her nature with a Mint but I'm not sure which one to use. I know Swift Swim is better but I rarely, if ever, use weather, so I prefer the more immediate power of Adaptability. I also was able to evolve her early because I traded over a Take Down TM and spent some of the early game chipping away at that 294 or whatever recoil tab until she evolved roughly around Lv20, which is why she has the Shell Bell. Open to suggestions on Tera Types and held item.

Yanmega (Sparx)
Lv40
Male
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Modest
Held Item: Wide Lens
Tera Type: Flying
Attacks: Bug Buzz/Air Slash/Hypnosis/Giga Drain
Notes: All his moves (sans Hypnosis) are leftover TMs that I traded over. I held off on evolving him until I got Hypnosis so I can have a decent status-inflicting move, even if it's little better than a cosmic coin toss (though that's why the Wide Lens is in play, plus it helps deal with Air Slash's 95% accuracy). I'm open to moves and Tera Types on him, though.

H-Avalugg (Titanic)
Lv40
Male
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish
Held Item: Leftovers
Tera Type: Ice
Attacks: Ice Fang/Rock Slide/Recover/Rapid Spin
Notes: Plan to replace Ice Fang with Ice Spinner when I get the chance, since it's a more reliable STAB option. As for Rock STAB I'm leaning toward Rock Slide due to the better accuracy (and Stone Edge has a history of missing when in my command). Recover is for healing and maintaining Sturdy (even if recovery moves got nerfed this gen). Rapid Spin is just kinda... there since I didn't have any better ideas. And since only Nemona really uses entry hazards (her Lycanroc's Stealth Rock) it feels like a bit of a wasted slot (though its low power has helped when it came to catching Mons without KOing them). However, I'm totally open to any suggestions on him, be it moves, Tera Types, held items, whatever, since this is the first time I've used an H-Avalugg outside of Legends Arceus.

Hakamo-o (Ameri)
Lv37
Female
Ability: Bulletproof
Nature: Naïve
Held Item: Eviolite
Tera Type: Dragon
Attacks: Low Kick/Dragon Claw/Rock Tomb/Iron Head
Notes: Iron Head is for Fairies and was a TM I traded over. Plan to give her Close Combat when I get the chance (be it either TM or level up, whichever happens first). Rock Tomb is just filler for now. Not sure if I'll keep Dragon Claw or replace it with another Dragon move like Draco Meteor or Scale Shot (as I don't like Outrage) but it's a reliable STAB move for now. Open to pretty much any suggestions for her.

On a side note, I've also raised up the Timburr I mentioned previously into an Conkelder (yes, I can do trade evos between myself). I don't really plan to use him in the playthrough itself but he might make for a useful Tera Raid Mon a la Annihilape or a backup option. Currently he's Lv25, has a Jolly Nature, Guts for his ability, Fighting Tera Type, and the moves Drain Punch/Bulk Up/Rock Slide/Poison Jab. I'm very much open to suggestions for him if anyone feels inclined to throw him into the mix.

That should cover things. Thanks in advance.

 

[DigitalGen6]

I don’t know if I mentioned this before but… I need help with Legends Arceus. This time, I’m trying to fight a Hisuian Avalugg and I’m…suffering.

Here’s my team now (I’m at school right now so I can’t access my Switch to check my team until I get home so I don’t remember what their levels nor will I remember what some of my team is):

And I don’t remember the moveset either.

Empoleon (obviously not my starter, I HOME’d my Dartrix and it evolved elsewhere, that’s another story)
Lv40-60s Lv36
Male
Nature: Docile
Attacks: Flash Cannon, Icy Wind, Aerial Ace, Water Pulse

Gardevoir
Lv40-60s Lv30
Female Male
Nature: Bold
Attacks: Hypnosis, Magical Leaf, Draining Kiss, Dazzling Gleam

Espeon (from Shield)
Lv40-60s Lv52
Female
Nature: Sassy
Attacks: Mimic, Confusion, Psychic, Quick Attack

Sylveon (also from Shield)
Lv40-60s Lv35
Male
Nature: Serious
Attacks: Tackle, Quick Attack, Play Rough, Fairy Wind

Staraptor Ambipom
Lv40-60s Lv49
Female
Nature: Serious
Attacks: Swift, Mud Bomb, Double Hit, Iron Tail

Floatzel Qwilfish
Lv40-60s Lv38
Female
Nature: Lax
Attacks: Barb Barrage, Water Pulse, Dark Pulse, Poison Jab

I’ll edit this post with attacks, abilities, genders, correct levels, etc. as soon as I get home.

Edit: Would you look at that? I’m already on PLA…but in a Avalugg boss battle! Hopefully I can check my team while I’m battling it (Nature I won’t add because how can I add it when I’m literally in a battle lmao Uhm I guess I can)

Another edit: It seems like I already won. Empoleon didn’t even lose any HP (thanks Flash Cannon).

 

[CynthiaLover]

Started a new playthrough of Sword recently that I've been playing on and off over the past few days. I've recently won the Fire Badge and made it to Hammerlocke. I've also completed the main story of the Isle of Armor (beating Klara and getting Kubfu) and have been spending time farming Watts, Armorite Ore, TRs, and other goodies from Max Raids (both on the mainland and IoA). Wanted some critique on my team thus far. Here's what I've got.

Cinderace (Natsu, male)
Level: 50
Ability: Libero
Nature: Jolly
Held Item: Wide Lens/Amulet Coin
Moves: Pyro Ball/Zen Headbutt/U-turn/Low Kick
Notes: Took a LOT of soft-resets to get the right nature and used an Ability Patch from another copy to get his HA. Generally the standard moveset I tend to give my Cinderaces but I'm open to suggestions on other ideas (like maybe a different Fighting move or something). Also I use the Amulet Coin during trainer battles while swapping it out for the Wide Lens for Max Raids and wild encounters. He's capable of G-Maxing.

Corviknight (Cyclone, male)
Level: 49
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Impish
Held Item: Shell Bell
Moves: Brave Bird/U-turn/Iron Head/Roost
Notes: One of those brilliant aura Mons, hence why Roost is in his arsenal (and got real lucky with the nature). Brave Bird was obtained as TR and used alongside Shell Bell to offset recoil (and, again, Roost further helps), while Iron Head is also a TR I got from the Watt Traders. Usually I give my Corviknights Body Press to go off that impressive Defense stat but trying something different this time. Open to suggestions.

Jelicent (Pringles, male)
Level: 48
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Bold
Held Item: Expert Belt
Moves: Giga Drain/Will-O-Wisp/Shadow Ball/Scald
Notes: Max Raid Mon (again, got super lucky here). Got Giga Drain when traded over to another copy during some early item trading, the rest are TMs/TRs that I got from Kabu and Max Raids, respectively. Acts primarily as special tank due to beefy HP and Special Defense, along with being good at spreading Burns via Will-O-Wisp and Scald. Pretty satisfied with him but open to suggestions for improvements.

Galvantula (Rachnera, female)
Level: 48
Ability: Compound Eyes
Nature: Timid
Held Item: Wise Glasses
Moves: Thunder Wave/Thunderbolt/Energy Ball/Bug Buzz
Notes: Another Max Raid Mon (luck has been on my side this time). Thunder Wave obtained via Rotom Rally while other moves learned via TRs. I'm unsure if I want to trade Thunderbolt for Thunder. While Compound Eyes mostly fixes Thunder's accuracy issue I prefer Thunderbolt for its consistency (and it's not affected by the weather like Thunder is), plus the lower PP. And I'm not sure if I should swap out Thunder Wave for Volt Switch (which I also got via Rotom Rally), since I'll lose a reliable source for Paralysis in favor of VoltTurn antics. Held Item is also just there since I couldn't think of anything better. Any suggestions would be great.

Kommo-o (Ameri, female)
Level: 48
Ability: Bulletproof
Nature: Naïve
Held Item: Leftovers
Moves: Close Combat/Dragon Dance/Dragon Claw/Iron Head
Notes: Another Max Raid Mon, albeit with a so-so nature. Plan to make her more of a mixed attacker by replacing Dragon Claw with either Dragon Pulse or Draco Meteor. Close Combat and Iron Head are TRs that I got early. Plan to swap out Dragon Dance with Clamorous Soul (though that'll be a while) because omni-boost better than just Attack/Speed. Not sure if I should replace Iron Head with Poison Jab, since both deal with Fairies, but Poison Jab has the chance to inflict Poison (duh), giving another possible status ailment option, while Iron Head deals with Ice Mons and gives Defense boost when turned into a Max Move, which helps offset Close Combat's defense drops. Open to suggestions.

A-Sandslash (Jack Frost, male)
Level: 48
Ability: Slush Rush
Nature: Jolly
Held Item: Muscle Band
Moves: Ice Punch/Iron Head/Stealth Rock/Drill Run
Notes: This one was a leftover egg from an earlier breeding project that I traded over just to try out. I know the Steel type overlaps with Corviknight's but it gives me another Fairy counter (since there are two Fairy specialists in this game), plus a good Dragon counter. Got Ice Punch when traded over briefly for item trading. Stealth Rock is a TR I got from IoA for entry hazard fun (and a good way to cripple Leon's Charizard) while Leech Life is just... there because I couldn't think of anything better (though it's a decent recovery move). Used to have Rapid Spin in that slot which I axed after dealing with Klara since she's the only one who used an entry hazard (Toxic Spikes) during the final battle with her in the IoA plotline. Item is just there because I couldn't think of anything better. Open to suggestions.

This is my squad. Any moves or items that seem out-of-place (like U-turn) were obtained during early self-trading sessions (I tend to trade over certain late-game items and Poke Balls early on to give me some early advantages). Like I said we're in Hammerlocke right now and making our way to the next route to Stow-and-Side. My Mons also have Level 4 affection (plan to increase it to Level 5 later). If anyone has any suggestions feel free to post them. Thanks in advance.

EDIT: There's been some updates since the last time I posted. The post will be adjusted accordingly so you'll see the updates. Updates include increased levels, Hakamo-o evolving, and A-Sandslash gaining Dill Run over Leech Life (since I noticed I don't have any Ground coverage and I didn't want an AOE attack like Bulldoze since they'll backfire in Max Raids). I've just beaten Bea and witnessed the reveal of the ruins that show Zacian and Zamazenta and now heading to the next gym.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Been a while but I've since started another Sword playthrough. I'll keep this one brief as I'm only at Turffield. Mostly wanted to ask about a certain teammate. Since Nessa is a pretty prominent opponent in the game (you face her at least twice during the main story), I was debating between two potential Mons to use for this playthrough. Currently, my anti-Water Mon is a Shiftry that I caught as a Nuzleaf in the Wild Area (with a Jolly nature and the Early Bird ability). Now, I know that Grass/Dark is a terrible combo so I was wondering if I should keep the Shiftry or replace it with a Dracozolt when I get the chance? My other teammates consist of Raboot, Corvisquire, Brionne (this one was a random egg I had laying around and hatched for the hell of it), Snorunt (eventually a Froslass since she's female and I have a spare Dawn Stone tucked away elsewhere), and a G-Slowking (from the G-Slowpoke you catch at the train station where you meet Klara/Avery, having since evolved it with a spare Galarica Wreath from another file). So which would be better for this team: Shiftry or Dracozolt? Thanks in advance.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Aaaaand here we go again. This time, however, I'm playing Scarlet. Or I'm about to play Scarlet as I'm waiting for my Switch Lite to recharge.

Anyway, I'm starting up a new file in Scarlet for a change of pace (still playing LA at the same time but felt like doing something different). I've decided to make a team out of a bunch of breeding leftovers from an earlier project but I want to know what team would be better. Do note that I haven't picked my Starter yet in this file since I didn't realize how badly depleted my Switch Lite's battery was when I first booted up the game. Anyway, these are the choices I have from the leftover eggs and I want to know which ones would be good for a new playthrough.

Tepig
Oshawott (for H-Samurott)
White Stripe Basculin
Fletchling
Gligar
Hawlucha
H-Voltorb
Meinfoo
Pikipek
A-Grimer
Joltik
Cyndaquil (for H-Typhlosion)
Snivy
Scyther (for either Scizor or Kleavor)
A-Vulpix
A-Sandshrew
Stantler (for Wyrdeer)

And before I forget, I'm still debating between Sprigatito and Fuecoco as my starter, as both are the most appealing and have some of the better qualities out of the Paldea Starters.

So, with those choices and my soon-to-be Starter, what team should I construct from this assortment? Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Never mind. I've come up with a team (mostly, still debating on the last one). Since I started with Fuecoco I was able to figure out my team. It is as followed:

Fuecoco (Skeledirge)
Oshawott (H-Samurott)
Stantler (Wyrdeer)
Hawlucha
A-Vulpix (A-Ninetales)
H-Voltorb or Scyther (H-Electrode or Kleavor)

Still haven't ironed out the last one. Leaning more toward H-Voltorb because it'll give me 3 Physical hitters and 3 Special hitters. Plus having both Electric and Grass would be good against certain opponents like Kabu and 3.5 of the Titans. And I am using a Kleavor in my current LA run while I have yet to even touch H-Electrode at all. But Kleavor would be good against Titan Bombirdier, 2 Team Star leaders, and 4 Gym Leaders. Which do you all think would be better: H-Electrode or Kleavor?