The In-Game Team Advice Thread

[CynthiaLover]

How about Ludicolo?

Not really fond of it. Never have been. It's always been rather... odd to me, and its design is very off-putting. And since I'm not a weather user OR abuser, it and its abilities would pretty much goes to waste with me. I've tried using it in the past but it never clicked with me. Also, Grass is one of my least liked types, barring ones like Torterra and Roserade, so I rarely use the type to begin with. So, no, sorry.

 

[Phosphene]

Not really fond of it. Never have been. It's always been rather... odd to me, and its design is very off-putting. And since I'm not a weather user OR abuser, it and its abilities would pretty much goes to waste with me. I've tried using it in the past but it never clicked with me. Also, Grass is one of my least liked types, barring ones like Torterra and Roserade, so I rarely use the type to begin with. So, no, sorry.

It's okay. Hmm, maybe Lanturn instead? I choose Ludicolo because it looked to me like your team could benefit from another special attacker. Lanturn could also fill this role, and it can also be immune to Electric type attacks, which might be helpful for Corvisquire (granted, you kinda got electric types covered with Pincurchin).

 

[CynthiaLover]

It's okay. Hmm, maybe Lanturn instead? I choose Ludicolo because it looked to me like your team could benefit from another special attacker. Lanturn could also fill this role, and it can also be immune to Electric type attacks, which might be helpful for Corvisquire (granted, you kinda got electric types covered with Pincurchin).

Yeah, that would be more up my alley. And I haven't used Lanturn in ages, as it's such an underrated Mon. So, yeah, that could work out. Also, Pincurchin has its Hidden Ability, Electric Surge, so it doesn't have Lightning Rod to draw away Electric moves, so a Lanturn with Volt Absorb would be a good idea. And Lanturn is much faster than Pincurchin, so that would give me a bigger edge against Nessa and Kabu. Thank you, that's a good idea.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Sorry for the double post, but, because of insane boredom, I've been jumping back and forth between various games (the quarantine is getting to me). So, I restarted a rather unused Platinum and started it up again. Now, I just need a bit of help with some move ideas for my Starter: Chimchar. I've been generally using the same song-and-dance moves I've used in the past (Flamethrower, Mach Punch, Shadow Claw, and either Thunder Punch or Rock Slide) virtually every playthrough, and I feel I need a change. Especially since, this time around, I plan to try different things and different teammates.

So, I need some help on deciding on some moves for Hotshot the Chimchar. And, don't worry, I've got TMs to spare, stockpiled to the high heavens in other games, so any TM move is fair game. Tutor Moves are also fine, since Platinum has access to Tutors before the end of the game. Some ideas I had were moves like Grass Knot, U-Turn, Dig, and even Slack Off, but given how wide Infernape's movepool is, it tends to have a bad case of 4-move syndrome. So, any help would be appreciated. Oh, also, Chimchar has a Serious nature, so he can go either way, which means he isn't limited to just physical or special moves due to nature. Now, I'm not exactly looking for something super-competitive, since those days are well over for Gen 4, and no Egg Moves, either. Thanks in advance.

 

[Deleted member 85628]

Close Combat if you don't mind the drop in defense.

Fire Punch can be tutored in place of Flamethrower.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Close Combat if you don't mind the drop in defense.

Fire Punch can be tutored in place of Flamethrower.

Normally I'm leery of Close Combat because of the drop in both defenses, but considering I tend to run it on Staraptor anyway, and the fact that I've been dabbling in it more recently, I will acknowledge that the drop in defenses means squat if the opponent gets mowed down anyway. So, yeah, Close Combat is one I'll think about, as despite its drawback, it does the job really well. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Forgive the double post again, but I'm still looking for some more ideas for my Infernape's moveset. I'm also looking into a potential Water Mon, as, even though Sinnoh has fewer water routes, you still need Surf and Waterfall at various points. Some ideas were Floatzel, Gastrodon, and Gyarados. If anyone has a suggestion regarding moves for Infernape and which Water Mon to use, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

 

[Deleted member 85628]

I've used Tentacruel and Vaporeon.

There's also Milotic if you have the patience to catch a Feebas.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Okay, new question. In my recent Platinum run I've just beaten Maylene and are now heading toward Pastoria. At the moment, I'm looking into a new party member. The choices I've narrowed down are: Scizor, Dusknoir, and Spiritomb (for the record, yes, I can access all of them, as I have multiple DS Lites/3DS and game cartridges to abuse for it). My current team is Infernape, Staraptor, Gastrodon, and Gliscor (the latter of which just evolved tonight), and I plan to possibly add a Toxicroak to my ranks, depending on my luck in the Great Marsh (as a result, that one is up in the air atm). This means, if Toxicroak comes to be, I'll have a few Mons weak to Psychic, along with some having rather poor Special Defense, so I wanted one of the aforementioned Mons to be the Psychic counter, since Lucian will otherwise be a roadblock for me. Which of those three should I use? Or should I use something else? Thanks in advance.

 

[Giant Octopodes]

Okay, new question. In my recent Platinum run I've just beaten Maylene and are now heading toward Pastoria. At the moment, I'm looking into a new party member. The choices I've narrowed down are: Scizor, Dusknoir, and Spiritomb (for the record, yes, I can access all of them, as I have multiple DS Lites/3DS and game cartridges to abuse for it). My current team is Infernape, Staraptor, Gastrodon, and Gliscor (the latter of which just evolved tonight), and I plan to possibly add a Toxicroak to my ranks, depending on my luck in the Great Marsh (as a result, that one is up in the air atm). This means, if Toxicroak comes to be, I'll have a few Mons weak to Psychic, along with some having rather poor Special Defense, so I wanted one of the aforementioned Mons to be the Psychic counter, since Lucian will otherwise be a roadblock for me. Which of those three should I use? Or should I use something else? Thanks in advance.

To me, that's a very tough one. I really think you could make arguments for all 3. So I will. I know that's not helpful necessarily, but maybe you'll find one of them more convincing than the others XD

Spiritomb: Being outright immune to Psychic is a big deal. Being immune to Normal and Fighting as well means literally half of Lucian's moves don't affect it. It has Nasty Plot, which combined with STAB super effective moves means you'll OHKO all of them once you get going. Besides, Cynthia has a Spiritomb on her team. It's just right, don't you think?

Dusknoir: It isn't immune to psychic, and in fact it's not even resistant to it. This is combined with nearly the same level of crippling slowness that Spiritomb faces. However, unlike Spiritomb, Dusknoir can learn Trick Room, which is available by then. It has way better overall coverage, and its moveset is that of a physical attacker, while all of Lucian's pokemon either have the same Sp. Def and Def, or significantly higher Sp. Def than their Def.

Scizor: By far the most versatile of the bunch. Carrying 8 resistances and an immunity while having only one weakness, it can do some heavy lifting against more than just Lucian's team. It has a monstrously high attacking stat, powerful super effective moves, and the fastest speed of the bunch. As with Dusknoir it's a physical attacker, it's decently bulky, and it can learn Roost as a non-flying type, saving some money on potions with virtually no downside.

Personally I like Spiritomb as a Hard Counter for Psychic types and Lucian in particular, plus I really like Spiritomb in general. However Scizor is likely more generically useful, and Dusknoir can learn Trick Room, so I certainly don't think it's a clear cut decision at all. Sorry if that didn't help!

 

[CynthiaLover]

@Giant Octopodes Thanks for the breakdown of those Mons, it really helps. I'm going with Scizor due to its higher utility options and more well-rounded moves. I actually did some extra research on all three Mons via the Youtube user False Swipe Gaming to see what he said about them, since he has videos on all three. Needless to say Scizor got the most praise of the three, being pretty much a dominate force since it got the Bullet Punch + Technician combo (and that's not counting the Mega it got later on, plus its video was the longest at 41+ minutes). While Spiritomb would be a much harder counter to Psychic Mons, Scizor does have greater versatility and more reliable strategies to use, making it more flexible (plus it isn't slower than a Metapod in molasses, like the other two). So, with both your rundown and False Swipe Gaming's reviews, Scizor is the winner. Thanks again.

 

[Giant Octopodes]

I'm wanting to try out the Justified Lucario Beat Up strategy in some double battles. For those who don't know, Justified increases your attack by 1 stage when hit by a Dark type move. Beat Up specifically triggers Justified for each hit, and hits a number of times equal to your party members (so 4 at the start of a double battle in the battle tower). This makes Lucario go to +4 attack (or x3 damage) immediately. Combine that with moves like Earthquake or Rock Slide, and you can sweep very quickly.

The question lies in, who to bring in as his partner for that? Anyone with Beat Up is a potential option, and certainly I'm not taking any of those options off the table at this time. Right now, I'm heavily eying the following 3 options:

Whimsicott: From what I can tell, this is the "standard" choice for this setup, and for good reason. With a blistering fast speed, Whimsicott has a great chance of going first and getting the move off. It has Prankster, letting moves like Tailwind (which doubles the speed of your whole team even if it gets taken out) get priority. Helping Hand can come in handy, if you'll forgive the pun, and has plenty of other interesting choices besides, including Light Screen, Safeguard, and Memento. Priority Tailwind is kinda the biggest deal though, as that takes effect immediately and allows Lucario to leapfrog others who normally would go first, even if they're baseline faster than Whimsicott as well.

Charizard: It is a flying type, so when Lucario blasts off 3x or 4x damage Earthquakes, it won't be affected. It is still faster than Lucario so a super boosted move can still come out turn 1. It has its own powerful multi target move in the form of Heat Wave, it can use Max Airstream to boost the team's speed, and it has other interesting options as well, including but not limited to Helping Hand and Will o Wisp. It's more useful if Lucario goes down as it's a powerful attacker in its own right, and it has enough bulk to stick around for a while.

Vespiquen: Also a flying type, it has a massive disadvantage in the form of its incredibly slow speed, which fundamentally makes it unlikely to have a supercharged move go off turn 1. It does, however, have arguably the best support moveset, having access to Max Airstream, Aromatherapy, the incredibly useful Sweet Scent, and plenty more besides. I'm not sure it's enough to tip the scales, but it at least merits consideration imho.

Your thoughts and assistance are greatly appreciated!

 

[Greninjaman]

Are there any good Fire types (other than the Cyndaquil Line) that can be obtained in Johto before becoming the Champion? I am doing a challenge where I am limited in what types I can use.

 

[yudgefudge]

You can get Growlithe/Vulpix in route 36.

 

[Greninjaman]

You can get Growlithe/Vulpix in route 36.

Thanks. Why or how did I forget about him? I would need to do a bit of work to get a Fire Stone though...

 

[Giant Octopodes]

Thanks. Why or how did I forget about him? I would need to do a bit of work to get a Fire Stone though...

Yeah due to the relative impossibility of getting a fire stone early enough for it to matter, I'd recommend using Magmar, obtainable in the burned tower. Of course Entei and Ho-Oh are viable options as well late game but before becoming a champion (well Entei for sure, Ho-Oh depends on the version)

 

[Greninjaman]

Yeah due to the relative impossibility of getting a fire stone early enough for it to matter, I'd recommend using Magmar, obtainable in the burned tower. Of course Entei and Ho-Oh are viable options as well late game but before becoming a champion (well Entei for sure, Ho-Oh depends on the version)

In that case, I am going to stick with Magmar, which I DO have.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Got a question regarding a possible teammate for a Ultra Sun run. I started with Rowlet and I plan to add a Own Tempo Rockruff to my ranks (via breeding, obviously), so that's two slots filled. I'm debating on using an Alolan Form but not sure which one to use. I've narrowed it down to Raichu, Muk, and Marowak. Depending on the Alolan Form I choose depends on some of the other Mons on the team (ie: if I don't choose Muk, I may add a Honchkrow to the team in its place, etc). Which of those three would be a good choice? Or would a different one be desirable? I can breed one if needed (ie: Sandshrew, which is version exclusive), so I'm pretty open to suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

[yudgefudge]

Probably best to go with Muk. Its undebatably the strongest, especially as a Grimer.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Okay, new question regarding same Ultra Sun run. I need at least one or two Special Attackers for the team, as three of them are currently Physical hitters (not counting fillers). My team is Rowlet, Rockruff, A-Grimer, Buneary, and Pikipek (the latter two are temporary filler). (Note: I know Rowlet can go Special upon becoming Decidueye, due to a pretty good Special Attack stat, but it doesn't really get any good Special moves to go with it, which limits that.) I sorta want a Grass-Fire-Water core, but I'm not sure what would work, if at all possible. Also, the sixth slot is up for grabs, depending on what I end up with in the rest of the team. Anyone got any suggestions? Thanks in advance.