• A new LGBTQ+ forum is now being trialed and there have been changes made to the Support and Advice forum. To read more about these updates, click here.
  • Hey Trainers! Be sure to check out Corsola Beach, our newest section on the forums, in partnership with our friends at Corsola Cove! At the Beach, you can discuss the competitive side of the games, post your favorite Pokemon memes, and connect with other Pokemon creators!
  • Due to the recent changes with Twitter's API, it is no longer possible for Bulbagarden forum users to login via their Twitter account. If you signed up to Bulbagarden via Twitter and do not have another way to login, please contact us here with your Twitter username so that we can get you sorted.

The In-Game Team Advice Thread

Okay, since I finished my AS run just yesterday, I restarted my spare White version for another run through Unova. However, I'm not sure which Mon is a better Psychic Mon: Masharna or Sigilyph. I've used Masharna before, thus I know how well it performs, so I was tempted to try Sigilyph, especially since my team so far is a bit on the slow side, but I'm not sure if it would be the better choice or not. So, which one is better? And what would be a good set of moves for the "winner" of this question? Oh, and before I forget, I started with Tepig, which is how I took note that the team was a bit on the slow side. Thanks in advance.
 
Okay, since I finished my AS run just yesterday, I restarted my spare White version for another run through Unova. However, I'm not sure which Mon is a better Psychic Mon: Masharna or Sigilyph. I've used Masharna before, thus I know how well it performs, so I was tempted to try Sigilyph, especially since my team so far is a bit on the slow side, but I'm not sure if it would be the better choice or not. So, which one is better? And what would be a good set of moves for the "winner" of this question? Oh, and before I forget, I started with Tepig, which is how I took note that the team was a bit on the slow side. Thanks in advance.

I was going to recommend the Sigilyph set, but, unfortunately, 3 of the moves are breeding-only in White, so I guess that's a no-go...


Sigilyph @ Flame Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
Timid Nature
-Cosmic Power
-Psycho Shift
-Roost
-Stored Power

Otherwise, Sigilyph is your standard special breaker/sweeper, although Magic Guard does provide a huge benefit if you get your hands on a Life Orb (48BP at the Battle Subway), since Magic Guard blocks the recoil effect from the Life Orb while still obtaining the 30% damage boost. Unfortunately, it doesn't get anything to deal with dark types in White (it gets Signal Beam in White2 from move tutors), but it does have a rather wide array of moves, and Calm Mind to boot. Psychic/Psyshock is the mandatory STAB move, but then you can choose from:
-Air Slash
-Energy Ball
-Flash Cannon
-Shadow Ball
-Ice Beam
Always go for a Timid or Modest nature, and make sure to get Magic Guard.

If you want to try a different flavor on Musharna, maybe try a Trick Room set? Turn your team's lack of speed into an advantage with a Trick Room setter (limitations apply).

Or, for that matter, why not combine the best of both worlds, and give Reuniclus a shot? It's got similar stat distribution as Musharna (trading just a bit of bulk for a bit more Special Attack) with Magic Guard and a wider movepool, and you can even try out Trick Room with it. Or you could just smash everything to bits with Calm Mind and a Life Orb (even dark types 70% of the time, thanks to Focus Miss Focus Blast).
 
Hey, currently trying to run through Pokemon Ruby version with all three starters (one playthrough each) and was hoping for recommendations on the teams. For now, I want to focus on the Treeko team, since that's the one I'm doing first. I also don't care too much about natures (as this is a casual run) and I'd prefer pokemon that can be obtained by around the 4th gym or so (nothing later then gym 6).
 
Hey, currently trying to run through Pokemon Ruby version with all three starters (one playthrough each) and was hoping for recommendations on the teams. For now, I want to focus on the Treeko team, since that's the one I'm doing first. I also don't care too much about natures (as this is a casual run) and I'd prefer pokemon that can be obtained by around the 4th gym or so (nothing later then gym 6).
Treecko and its evolutions should do fine against most of the gyms. It's great against Roxanne and Wallace, resists Wattson, and is only bad against Flannery and Winona, which by then you should have a good counter.

Limiting to the first four gyms does make me lose out on some personal favorites and limits a lot of potentially good Pokémon (Surf is obtainable after 5th gym, missing out on good water types). However, there should still be some pretty fun 'mons you can use

Recommended:
  • Ralts, obtainable at Route 102, evolves fairly early into Kirlia (level 20). Learns Psychic at 26, and evolves into Gardevoir at 30. Gardevoir has solid Special Attack, Special Defense, and passable speed, and has great moves including Calm Mind (21, as Kirlia), both screens (TM), and Shock Wave and Thunderbolt (both TMs, with Shock Wave obtainable after Wattson). The only problem is that it's kinda useless for the Elite 4.
  • Zigzagoon, obtainable pretty much anywhere. Learns headbutt at level 15, which is pretty strong, but it's best use is as an HM slave when it evolves into Linoone (knowing Cut, Strength, Surf, and Rock Smash) and Pickup, which has a 10% chance to pick up some good items at the end of every trainer battle (from Ultra Balls and Super Potions to Rare Candies and PP Ups). Not the greatest to fight with, but great nonetheless
  • Makuhita, obtainable in Granite Cave near Dewford, evolves relatively early into Hariyama, which has a great HP and Attack stat but sup-par defenses. Vital Throw is a good early-game move that never misses but always hits last. It and its evolution Hariyama learns Fake Out and Belly Drum by leveling up, and Bulk Up, Brick Break, and Earthquake via TM (and HMs too, if you want). Oh, and it can somehow learn Surf, though I don't recommend it. There is a better fighting type later on in the game in the form of Medicham, however.
  • Zangoose, obtainable Route 114 before 4th gym, a much better normal type than Zangoose. Has solid normal type moves such as Slash (and Crush Claw, a stronger but less accurate Slash), Swords Dance, and good TMs such as Shadow Ball, Facade, and Brick Break. It's defenses are pretty frail, and there is one (imo) better normal type that would come up later
If you want a slightly more exhausting but worth it playthrough:
  • Numel, obtainable Route 112. Despite being 4x weak to water, it and its evolution Camerupt is still pretty great, being a great mix attacker and learning moves such as Dig (TM, obtainable before Flannery), Earthquake (level up and TM), Flamethrower (TM), and Eruption (level up), plus the gimmicky OHKO move Fissure at later levels. It's kinda hard to use up until the upper 30s, but it's still solid
  • Tentacool, which can be obtained right when you get the Old Rod at Dewford Town. It's initial movepool is pretty shallow, with its best move being at level 25, however it has a pretty decent moveset via TMs which includes Giga Drain (route 123), Ice Beam (Abandoned Ship), and Sludge Bomb (Dewford Town, after the 5th gym). It also is a great special tank with a solid 120 Special Defense, not to mention you can use it as an water HM slave if you really have to (not recommended, there are better HM slaves)
If you want an exhausting but definitely worth it playthrough:
  • Slakoth, a pain to level up and evolve because of it's ability Truant, but Slaking hits really hard, has a BST that's higher than some legendaries, and has great Normal-type moves in the form of TMs (like Strength and Facade), not to mention it's coverage with Earthquake, Shadow Ball, and Brick Break as learnable TM moves. The downside is, once again, Truant is a terrible ability and really hinders its power
  • Shroomish, also a pain to level up starting Level 36-ish and most likely nullified by Treecko, but it and its evolution Breloom have a great attack and speed stat, a great priority move in the form of Mach Punch, good moves with Spore (learned by Shroomish only), Headbutt, Leech Seed, Sky Uppercut, and TMs like Brick Break, Sludge Bomb, and Bulk Up. A major problem, however, is that it has a mediocre special stat, and thus despite having access to Giga Drain, it can't really use it to its full potential.
All in all, these are suggestions, but my advice is just to go with what Pokémon you want. Gen 3 is a wonderful generation, and if it's your first playthrough you should experience it yourself.
 
Treecko and its evolutions should do fine against most of the gyms. It's great against Roxanne and Wallace, resists Wattson, and is only bad against Flannery and Winona, which by then you should have a good counter.

Limiting to the first four gyms does make me lose out on some personal favorites and limits a lot of potentially good Pokémon (Surf is obtainable after 5th gym, missing out on good water types). However, there should still be some pretty fun 'mons you can use

Recommended:
  • Ralts, obtainable at Route 102, evolves fairly early into Kirlia (level 20). Learns Psychic at 26, and evolves into Gardevoir at 30. Gardevoir has solid Special Attack, Special Defense, and passable speed, and has great moves including Calm Mind (21, as Kirlia), both screens (TM), and Shock Wave and Thunderbolt (both TMs, with Shock Wave obtainable after Wattson). The only problem is that it's kinda useless for the Elite 4.
  • Zigzagoon, obtainable pretty much anywhere. Learns headbutt at level 15, which is pretty strong, but it's best use is as an HM slave when it evolves into Linoone (knowing Cut, Strength, Surf, and Rock Smash) and Pickup, which has a 10% chance to pick up some good items at the end of every trainer battle (from Ultra Balls and Super Potions to Rare Candies and PP Ups). Not the greatest to fight with, but great nonetheless
  • Makuhita, obtainable in Granite Cave near Dewford, evolves relatively early into Hariyama, which has a great HP and Attack stat but sup-par defenses. Vital Throw is a good early-game move that never misses but always hits last. It and its evolution Hariyama learns Fake Out and Belly Drum by leveling up, and Bulk Up, Brick Break, and Earthquake via TM (and HMs too, if you want). Oh, and it can somehow learn Surf, though I don't recommend it. There is a better fighting type later on in the game in the form of Medicham, however.
  • Zangoose, obtainable Route 114 before 4th gym, a much better normal type than Zangoose. Has solid normal type moves such as Slash (and Crush Claw, a stronger but less accurate Slash), Swords Dance, and good TMs such as Shadow Ball, Facade, and Brick Break. It's defenses are pretty frail, and there is one (imo) better normal type that would come up later
If you want a slightly more exhausting but worth it playthrough:
  • Numel, obtainable Route 112. Despite being 4x weak to water, it and its evolution Camerupt is still pretty great, being a great mix attacker and learning moves such as Dig (TM, obtainable before Flannery), Earthquake (level up and TM), Flamethrower (TM), and Eruption (level up), plus the gimmicky OHKO move Fissure at later levels. It's kinda hard to use up until the upper 30s, but it's still solid
  • Tentacool, which can be obtained right when you get the Old Rod at Dewford Town. It's initial movepool is pretty shallow, with its best move being at level 25, however it has a pretty decent moveset via TMs which includes Giga Drain (route 123), Ice Beam (Abandoned Ship), and Sludge Bomb (Dewford Town, after the 5th gym). It also is a great special tank with a solid 120 Special Defense, not to mention you can use it as an water HM slave if you really have to (not recommended, there are better HM slaves)
If you want an exhausting but definitely worth it playthrough:
  • Slakoth, a pain to level up and evolve because of it's ability Truant, but Slaking hits really hard, has a BST that's higher than some legendaries, and has great Normal-type moves in the form of TMs (like Strength and Facade), not to mention it's coverage with Earthquake, Shadow Ball, and Brick Break as learnable TM moves. The downside is, once again, Truant is a terrible ability and really hinders its power
  • Shroomish, also a pain to level up starting Level 36-ish and most likely nullified by Treecko, but it and its evolution Breloom have a great attack and speed stat, a great priority move in the form of Mach Punch, good moves with Spore (learned by Shroomish only), Headbutt, Leech Seed, Sky Uppercut, and TMs like Brick Break, Sludge Bomb, and Bulk Up. A major problem, however, is that it has a mediocre special stat, and thus despite having access to Giga Drain, it can't really use it to its full potential.
All in all, these are suggestions, but my advice is just to go with what Pokémon you want. Gen 3 is a wonderful generation, and if it's your first playthrough you should experience it yourself.
thanks... I'll keep these in mind for the run :3
 
Hi, got a quick question regarding three different Grass Mons.

I'm doing a "challenge" of sorts in my restarted Y version, where I use mostly Mons that I've hatched from Eggs, regardless if said Mon is in the Kalos dex or not. However, these Eggs are mystery eggs, leftover from various breeding projects of the past, with the contents long since forgotten. My question is regarding three of these eggs that I just hatched. In short, I want to know which Grass Mon from these three eggs I should use for the run. They are: Bulbasaur (with Chlorophyll), Roselia, and Bellsprout. So, which one would be the best choice? All three of them are obviously Grass/Poison, they all know Egg Moves, and are, currently, at Lv1. If memory serves (as I don't have my 3DS on-hand atm) Bulbasaur has a Hardy Nature, Roselia has a Calm Nature, and Bellsprout has a Naive Nature. Which of these three should I use? And no, Mega Evolution should not be part of the equation, as I'm raising a hatched Riolu for that purpose. Thanks in advance.
 
Hello,

So I decided to play Pokemon X since I got it a few days back from a sale, and I am still formulating my team. Seeing I am fresh off of playing Let's Go Pikachu, and went out an bread a good Pikachu for this team, and I also bread a Froakie with Protean (I still choose one in X, but replaced it with the Protean one). I need advice for the rest of the team. I never really played Pokemon X/Y since launch, so I want to use a team with just Pokemon from Kalos aside from Pikachu (B/c I'm weird like that). Any advice on who I can use for my team? So far my current team is this:
1) Pikachu (Female) Nature: Lonely
*Moves: Electro Ball, Volt Tackle, Thunder Shock, Quick Attack
*Hold Item: Light Ball (Thank you ORAS for giving one)
2) Froakie (Male) Nature: Hasty
*Moves: Bubble, Quick Attack, Toxic Spikes
*Hold Item: Expert Belt

Also for the record, I wanted to ask, I have a fully complete Alpha Sapphire copy, with a lot of Battle Points to use, so is it possible to teach a Gen 6 Pokemon a tutor move (that exists in XY) from ORAS and then trade it over to X/Y to use? Because I want Pikachu to have Iron Tail, and after a bit, I plan on using Gunk Shot on my Greninja if possible. Thanks and cheers!
 
Hi, got a quick question regarding three different Grass Mons.

I'm doing a "challenge" of sorts in my restarted Y version, where I use mostly Mons that I've hatched from Eggs, regardless if said Mon is in the Kalos dex or not. However, these Eggs are mystery eggs, leftover from various breeding projects of the past, with the contents long since forgotten. My question is regarding three of these eggs that I just hatched. In short, I want to know which Grass Mon from these three eggs I should use for the run. They are: Bulbasaur (with Chlorophyll), Roselia, and Bellsprout. So, which one would be the best choice? All three of them are obviously Grass/Poison, they all know Egg Moves, and are, currently, at Lv1. If memory serves (as I don't have my 3DS on-hand atm) Bulbasaur has a Hardy Nature, Roselia has a Calm Nature, and Bellsprout has a Naive Nature. Which of these three should I use? And no, Mega Evolution should not be part of the equation, as I'm raising a hatched Riolu for that purpose. Thanks in advance.

Even if Bellsprout does have Chlorophyll, I feel like it is still outclassed by Bulbasaur; Venusaur has better bulk and speed than Victreebel, and the lower attack (82 vs 105) doesn't mean much after a Growth boost in Sun takes you to +2. If you want to run a Sunny Day user or Ninetales with Drought, then I'd recommend giving Venusaur a shot with Growth, Sludge Bomb, Giga Drain (or Solar Beam, but Giga Drain is better for longevity IMO and still works outside of sun) and Earthquake is a fun 4th move if you don't get lucky enough to get HP Fire.

If you don't want to use Sun, then I would definitely suggest Roserade, as she's the fastest and hardest hitter outside of Sun, and has decent special defense (further boosted by a Calm Nature, I might add). She doesn't get a lot of moves to work with outside of STABs (Really, Shadow Ball and Dazzling Gleam are her only worthwhile coverage moves, unless, again, you are lucky enough to have Hidden Power Fire), but she does get some nice utility moves in Leech Seed, Stun Spore, Toxic/Toxic Spikes, and even Aromatherapy (although her low HP and physical defense stats make it a little difficult for her to act as a cleric).

Hello,

So I decided to play Pokemon X since I got it a few days back from a sale, and I am still formulating my team. Seeing I am fresh off of playing Let's Go Pikachu, and went out an bread a good Pikachu for this team, and I also bread a Froakie with Protean (I still choose one in X, but replaced it with the Protean one). I need advice for the rest of the team. I never really played Pokemon X/Y since launch, so I want to use a team with just Pokemon from Kalos aside from Pikachu (B/c I'm weird like that). Any advice on who I can use for my team? So far my current team is this:
1) Pikachu (Female) Nature: Lonely
*Moves: Electro Ball, Volt Tackle, Thunder Shock, Quick Attack
*Hold Item: Light Ball (Thank you ORAS for giving one)
2) Froakie (Male) Nature: Hasty
*Moves: Bubble, Quick Attack, Toxic Spikes
*Hold Item: Expert Belt

Also for the record, I wanted to ask, I have a fully complete Alpha Sapphire copy, with a lot of Battle Points to use, so is it possible to teach a Gen 6 Pokemon a tutor move (that exists in XY) from ORAS and then trade it over to X/Y to use? Because I want Pikachu to have Iron Tail, and after a bit, I plan on using Gunk Shot on my Greninja if possible. Thanks and cheers!

If you really wanna use Pikachu well, then I would highly recommend the Electro Ball/Agility combo (and you could even go for Thunder Wave to further lay on the hurt with speed differences). His damage output is rather lacking otherwise, but I'll give you points for actually using a Pikachu.

Of course, your top priority then should be taking care of Ground, Grass, and Dragon types, which are conveniently all weak to Ice Beam. (On a very related note, this is why Electric/Ice, AKA "BoltBeam" is such a good combo; out of all existing type combinations, only Magnezone and Heat-Rotom resist both moves.) Unfortunately, Kalos did not introduce too many Ice types, so unless you want to give Aurorus or Avalugg a shot, you're stuck with sticking Ice Beam on Greninja (which is not a bad option if you have Protean).

You'll also want a strong Ground-type user to take care of opposing Electric types that could otherwise try to wall Pika (and having a way to beat Steels is always nice). Diggersby is a great choice if you can get its Hidden Ability in Huge Power, though admittedly, I'm not really familiar with the process for obtaining HAs in X/Y.

After that, you can either go full offense and fill your team with breakers and sweepers, or you might choose to take a balanced approach and add some bulkier 'mons, maybe a couple of U-turn or Volt Switch users that can take hits and pivot around the opponent's moves. Some personal favorites:
-Hawlucha was my favorite sweeper from Ultra Sun/Moon because its combination of Unburden and Acrobatics meant it could hold a Sitrus Berry, set up a Swords Dance, and then eat the berry to boost its speed and have a 110-power STAB move
-Malamar is fun to use because Contrary + Superpower, or just Topsy-Turvy your opponent's buffs into debuffs
-Aegislash, although I'll let you decide how you feel about that one; personally, I think Stance Change + Kings Shield makes things too easy
-Talonflame: Swords Dance + Gale Wings + Brave Bird = death
-Slurpuff: Similar to Hawlucha in that Belly Drum + Sitrus Berry + Unburden (Hidden Ability on this 'mon) = death
-Trevenant and Gourgeist (Super) are both great defensive 'mons with plenty of resistances and annoying support moves like Leech Seed + Will-o-Wisp
 
@ CynthiaLover

I vote Roselia. Since there has to be sunlight to activate Bulbasaur's Chlorophyll. I'd personally prefer boosting the Pokemon with vitamins and juice rather than spend time in battle setting up sunlight.
 
Well, sadly, Y was a bust. I got as far as Korrina before finally giving up. I just can't really get into XY, as it feels just like RBY with a French accent, and I loath RBY at this point. Plus it has a really bad case of idiot plot, and I like having an actual story to enjoy throughout a game, so that kinda sunk it. So, thank you to everyone who tried to help me with the Grass Mon conundrum, I appreciate it.

Which brings us to my newest game attempt: UltraSun. Granted, I did try a run earlier, but I wasn't too satisfied with what I was doing, so I put everything of worth in the Bank and restarted it. I've already started my rebooted attempt and so far so good. I just got past Ilama's trial with my current team of Torracat, Trumbeak, Hawlucha, Noibat, Zorua, and (Own Tempo bred) Rockruff. Trumbeak is just temporary while Noibat and Zorua are potential long-term members, but I'm on the fence about them. Especially since I want to balance my team out more, as well as create a potential Grass/Fire/Water core. So, that brings me to my current question: What Grass/Water Mons should I use? I've got a few ideas, and I'm willing to breed for them (especially if they come late) in order to keep the team roughly at the same level. Some ideas I've had are as followed:

Water
Vaporeon
Wishiwashi
Araquanid
Golisopod

Grass
A-Exeggutor
Lurantis
Leafeon

These are just some ideas I've thought of. If someone has any other suggestions, please feel free to post them. And if anyone has any other ideas for other teammates outside of the Grass/Fire/Water core, or even in replacement for one of them, fire away. Thanks in advance.
 
Well, sadly, Y was a bust. I got as far as Korrina before finally giving up. I just can't really get into XY, as it feels just like RBY with a French accent, and I loath RBY at this point. Plus it has a really bad case of idiot plot, and I like having an actual story to enjoy throughout a game, so that kinda sunk it. So, thank you to everyone who tried to help me with the Grass Mon conundrum, I appreciate it.

Which brings us to my newest game attempt: UltraSun. Granted, I did try a run earlier, but I wasn't too satisfied with what I was doing, so I put everything of worth in the Bank and restarted it. I've already started my rebooted attempt and so far so good. I just got past Ilama's trial with my current team of Torracat, Trumbeak, Hawlucha, Noibat, Zorua, and (Own Tempo bred) Rockruff. Trumbeak is just temporary while Noibat and Zorua are potential long-term members, but I'm on the fence about them. Especially since I want to balance my team out more, as well as create a potential Grass/Fire/Water core. So, that brings me to my current question: What Grass/Water Mons should I use? I've got a few ideas, and I'm willing to breed for them (especially if they come late) in order to keep the team roughly at the same level. Some ideas I've had are as followed:

Water
Vaporeon
Wishiwashi
Araquanid
Golisopod

Grass
A-Exeggutor
Lurantis
Leafeon

These are just some ideas I've thought of. If someone has any other suggestions, please feel free to post them. And if anyone has any other ideas for other teammates outside of the Grass/Fire/Water core, or even in replacement for one of them, fire away. Thanks in advance.

OOH, OOH, USE TOXAPEX!!!

Now that I've got that out of the way, aside from Pex being the most annoying PoS wall to deal with, you can breed Haze onto it, which turns the Totem bosses into easy mode by just eliminating their starting stat buffs. Besides giving a big F-U to the boss mechanics, it can also set toxic spikes to further screw up those pesky ally switch-ins, or just sit there and be fat while things die to poison, which is what it does best.

If you don't want easy mode, then I would probably go with Vaporeon or Araquanid for your fat water type. Vaporeon just doesn't die and can scald everything to death, while Araquanid just nukes all but the sturdiest water resists with Water Bubble-boosted Liquidation. The other advantage of Araquanid in particular is that it also helps cover Incineroar's weaknesses to ground and fighting moves with its Bug typing (though Pex also offers plenty of resists with its water/poison typing).

For Grass types, I personally would recommend Exeggutor if you want to take the time to raise it properly. I just caught one as an Exeggutor for my USM team, and I found myself really missing some of the moves it could only learn as Exeggcute (namely, the lethal Toxic + Leech Seed combo). Exeggutor's bulk and typing give it plenty of opportunities to switch in, but it really needs seeds to stay healthy, since its damage output is rather lackluster. Dhelmise and Trevenant are also worth considering for their secondary Ghost typing. Dhelmise offers more offensive presence, while Trevenant gets very annoying defensively with Leech Seed + Will-o-Wisp and can still hit hard with Horn Leech + Shadow Force.

Cradily is also an interesting choice. Grass/rock has a hard time eating up some of the things that Grass is traditionally supposed to resist, like water and ground moves, but it also makes it easier for Cradily to take on opposing rock and flying types which would normally give it trouble (though stacking a fighting weakness with Incineroar might not be desirable).

Some other thoughts for the rest of your team:

If you choose Araquanid, then you'll want at least one, probably two, ways to deal with rock-types, since you won't have too many good switch-ins to them. Your Grass-type 'mon can deal with them once it's in, but you might have some trouble switching it into a Rock Slide. You'll probably want a fighting, ground, or steel type to take care this. Likewise, if you choose 'Pex, then you will probably want another ground resist to ease the pressure on your grass 'mon to take care of all ground-types.

Your FWG core is going to be lacking a lot of speed one way or another, so having some fast offensive 'mons (and maybe some boosting moves) is probably a good idea. Noivern's high speed and decently high special attack makes it a good teammate for 'Pex, though you'll really want a steel or fighting type to help patch up the weaknesses to rock and ice types. Scizor would be great here, as SD+Bullet Punch can punch holes in teams (though, admittedly, you can't really get one until Poni Plains, and probably a good choice by Game Freak TBH). Lucario would be another great fit, but you don't encounter a Riolu until about the same time you encounter Scyther (and I somehow get the feeling you've used Lucario enough :p)
 
@Bob Fizzle Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate it. I'll be using Hawlucha and Lycanroc as the speedy team members, so I do have a Fighting type at the ready to deal with Rock and Ice (and, in Hawlucha's case, also possessing an immunity to Ground). I might go for Vaporeon for a Water Mon, as the lack of a Ground weakness, which Toxapex possesses, which would stack with Incineroar and Lycanroc, is helpful, as well as the fact that I might breed Wish onto it for extra recovery and such. Nothing against Toxapex, as I know the thing is a defensive brute, but that extra Ground weakness worries me. Plus I haven't used Vaporeon in ages. As for the Grass Mon, I'm leaning toward Exeggutor due to some massive resistances, but I also happen to have a Lileep with its hidden ability Storm Drain that I got via WT, but like you said, the extra Fighting weakness would be a problem (which, like Toxapex, it shares with Incineroar and Lycanroc), so while it could eat Water for breakfast, anything to do with Hala or Fighting Mons would send it back to extinction.

So, with what we've discussed, that means I have 5 slots occupied. Any ideas for the final slot? Looking over the dex, I'm guessing something like a Fairy, Psychic, or Ghost Mon would be good to cover some of the other weaknesses like Fighting. Any other ideas? Some ideas that I had was something like Mismagius, Sylveon, Froslass, and Malamar. But any other ideas are welcomed. Thanks in advance.
 
Hi guys!

I haven't been active on this forum in a while, and haven't had time to play the games in a year but I've decided to do a re-re-run on Alpha Sapphire :) (still got runs to finish on White 2 and other games, but that's another story :p I ve a firmer idea what I want to do there).

So, for AS, the last re-run I did I wanted to have some fun and did a run based on Cynthia's team from Platinum (had to transfer over some pokés of course). And I had a great time honestly! Cynthia is by far my favourite trainer. So for this one I was thinking of doing something similar, but with a different trainer. And that's my problem, who to do after Cynthia? I like Aaron and Volkner from Sinnoh, Wallace from Hoenn (although I already did a Water mono-type team a while back on Gen VI, also AS if I recall), but I have no idea who else could be interesting...

In general I like to limit myself to pokés available inside the game (might need to recheck who s available in AS, and when), so no trades if possible (unless its a really cool theme like with Cynthia :) ). Also, I prefer multi-types teams, but a mono-type with interesting pokémon is always a fun challenge, hence why Im considering a bug-type run with Aaron in mind! I think Id like to do it based on a strong trainer again, but I hardly see any past the ones Ive mentioned. I could also do a mono-type team, but no idea which :/ (ideally not water, it's Hoenn, and that's a little too easy to come by those).

Any suggestions would be appreciated :)
Thanks everyone :) !
 
Hi guys!

I haven't been active on this forum in a while, and haven't had time to play the games in a year but I've decided to do a re-re-run on Alpha Sapphire :) (still got runs to finish on White 2 and other games, but that's another story :p I ve a firmer idea what I want to do there).

So, for AS, the last re-run I did I wanted to have some fun and did a run based on Cynthia's team from Platinum (had to transfer over some pokés of course). And I had a great time honestly! Cynthia is by far my favourite trainer. So for this one I was thinking of doing something similar, but with a different trainer. And that's my problem, who to do after Cynthia? I like Aaron and Volkner from Sinnoh, Wallace from Hoenn (although I already did a Water mono-type team a while back on Gen VI, also AS if I recall), but I have no idea who else could be interesting...

In general I like to limit myself to pokés available inside the game (might need to recheck who s available in AS, and when), so no trades if possible (unless its a really cool theme like with Cynthia :) ). Also, I prefer multi-types teams, but a mono-type with interesting pokémon is always a fun challenge, hence why Im considering a bug-type run with Aaron in mind! I think Id like to do it based on a strong trainer again, but I hardly see any past the ones Ive mentioned. I could also do a mono-type team, but no idea which :/ (ideally not water, it's Hoenn, and that's a little too easy to come by those).

Any suggestions would be appreciated :)
Thanks everyone :) !
Be a better Steven than Steven

Barry might also be fun
 
Interesting, I never seriously considered Steven before, but I could take a look at him. For Barry, now that I see his team, it could be interesting to do a run in Platinum or Pearl with that team in mind :) Thanks!
 
This trial makes me want to pull my hair out...

My Team

Level 19 Flaaffy, hasty nature, static ability, move set is thunderwave, thundershock, cotton spore, and charge

Level 21 Brionne, Sassy nature, torrent ability, move set is pound, aqua jet, icy wind, and disarming voice

Level 17 Mudbray, naive nature, stamina ability, move set is mud slap, stomp, double kick, and bulldoze

Level 21 Trumbeak, sassy nature, keen eye ability, move set is pluck, roost, echoed voice, and rock smash

Level 20 Zorua, quiet nature, illusion ability, move set is fury swipes, leer, feint attack, and fake tears.

Any tips and changes I can make to my team so far?
 
Got a quick question regarding two certain Mons. I'm doing a run in HG (as the last one glitched and wiped itself clean as a result, forcing me to buy a new one, as I feared it would do it again), and I wanted to know which of these two Mons would be better suited for Johto and Kanto: Omastar or Kabutops. I'm not going to wait until I can revive a fossil, as I'm going to breed one of them instead, as the other choices of Water Mons out there are either lackluster or ones I've used too many times, so I wanted to change things. So, that brings me to my question: Which fossil Mon would be better? And whichever one is chosen, what would be a good move set for it? Now, I'm not looking for anything competitive, just what I need to get by in these games. Also, while Egg Moves are so-so (as I'm not sure if I can get them), any TM moves are fine, as I have stockpiled a ton of them to use. So, that's what I need help with. Thanks in advance.
 
Got a quick question regarding two certain Mons. I'm doing a run in HG (as the last one glitched and wiped itself clean as a result, forcing me to buy a new one, as I feared it would do it again), and I wanted to know which of these two Mons would be better suited for Johto and Kanto: Omastar or Kabutops. I'm not going to wait until I can revive a fossil, as I'm going to breed one of them instead, as the other choices of Water Mons out there are either lackluster or ones I've used too many times, so I wanted to change things. So, that brings me to my question: Which fossil Mon would be better? And whichever one is chosen, what would be a good move set for it? Now, I'm not looking for anything competitive, just what I need to get by in these games. Also, while Egg Moves are so-so (as I'm not sure if I can get them), any TM moves are fine, as I have stockpiled a ton of them to use. So, that's what I need help with. Thanks in advance.

I would recommend Kabutops over Omastar for HG. 2 of the best things Omastar has going for it, Shell Smash and Weak Armor, weren't introduced until gen 5, and while Omastar has slightly better bulk (70/125/70 to Kabutop's 60/105/70), Kabutops has better speed (80 vs 55) and a better movepool suited to its preferred Attack stat. In addition to being able to boost with Swords Dance, Kabutops gets nice STAB moves in Waterfall and Stone Miss Rock Slide, nice coverage moves like Brick Break (for Steel types) and X-Scissor (for grass and psychic types), and even some other surprises like Aerial Ace (for fighting types, maybe?) or Night Slash (in case you really have trouble with Morty or Will, I guess), and a nice priority move in Aqua Jet. Compare that to Omastar, who doesn't get any way to boost its Special Attack and whose best rock STAB is Ancient Power. It still gets decent coverage moves in Ice Beam (for grasses) and Mud Shot (for steels), but it doesn't have the speed to take advantage (unless you run Rock Polish) and it doesn't get priority to finish off weakened foes. For me, Kabutops is the clear winner of the 2 in Gen 4. (FWIW, Omastar gets better in BW2 when it gets access to Earth Power, Shell Smash, and Weak Armor.)

This trial makes me want to pull my hair out...

My Team

Level 19 Flaaffy, hasty nature, static ability, move set is thunderwave, thundershock, cotton spore, and charge

Level 21 Brionne, Sassy nature, torrent ability, move set is pound, aqua jet, icy wind, and disarming voice

Level 17 Mudbray, naive nature, stamina ability, move set is mud slap, stomp, double kick, and bulldoze

Level 21 Trumbeak, sassy nature, keen eye ability, move set is pluck, roost, echoed voice, and rock smash

Level 20 Zorua, quiet nature, illusion ability, move set is fury swipes, leer, feint attack, and fake tears.

Any tips and changes I can make to my team so far?

Based on your team members and levels, I'm guessing you're talking about Totem Araquanid in US/UM?

If you're really struggling with this one, I'd recommend adding another Flying- or Electric-type to your team just to beat it. Also, did you get the Flyinium Z crystal from Kahili at the top of Ten Carat Hill?

More long-term, your team looks like it will struggle to handle Grass- and Steel-types. A Fire- or Steel-type would be very helpful to this end. I would consider replacing Trumbeak with Fletchinder once you get a little further along, and maybe add a Steel-type like Beldum once you get to the third island. I might also replace Flaafy/Ampharos with Vikavolt (although Charjabug can't evolve until very late, but you can give it an Eviolite) so you don't struggle as much with Grass-types.

I'm not going to comment on the moves too much since your team is still early, but in general, try to keep one move for each STAB type, plus coverage moves that can deal super-effective damage to the most common types that give that Pokemon problems (for instance, Ice Beam is great on Brionne/Primarina because the move allows it to not be useless against Grass-types).

To me, it looks like you prioritized defensive type combinations and not sharing weaknesses more than anything. At a glance, I see that, while your team does a good job of not overlapping weaknesses, they don't quite cover each other's weaknesses. For instance, Zorua is weak to Fighting-type moves, but Trumbeak can't switch into Fighting-type moves too many times, so you're pressuring Primarina (once it gains its Fairy typing) to tank a few hits if Zorua/Zoroark gets threatened out. Likewise, your team relies very heavily on Trumbeak to switch into Ground-type attacks. Primarina can clean them up with its Water-type STAB moves, but, again, you may have trouble bringing it in against a hard hitter.

So instead, focus on answering the question: If Pokemon A gets threatened, what member of my team can I switch in? When I build a team, I try to have at least 2 answers to that question.
 
Last edited:
So I've been messing with my team a bit and was wondering if I should switch one of my Pokemon out for another Pokemon or edit my team?
My team consists of:
Lv. 100 Mimikyu (Holds Mimikium Z)
Lv. 99 Greninja (Holds Icium Z)
Lv. 86 Lucario (Holds Lucarionite)
Lv. 83 Lurantis (Holds Safety Goggles)
Lv. 73 Whimsicott (Holds Lucky Egg)
Lv. 71 Gardevoir (Holds Gardevoirite)
I'm pretty happy with my team, but don't have much in terms of defense against Grass or Steel types. They all have good stats and level up pretty quickly. I really don't wanna switch out my Lurantis, Whimsicott or Gardevoir because they're shiny (plus I'm emotionally attatched.) Have any suggestions for me?
 
Back
Top Bottom