When making a team, do you stick with Pokemon you've used before?

[Phosphene]

I've read a couple comments on the forums stating, in one way or another, that Pokémon fans repeatedly use the same Pokémon on their teams over and over again, i.e. only using Pokémon from a select pool of favorites. While not every Pokémon fan builds teams this way, myself included, I was wondering how prevalent this style of team building is.

Edit: Just for clarification, when I say "Pokémon you haven't used before," I mean any Pokémon species you haven't used in a team, including ones that are were introduced in a previous generation.

 

[Daren]

I generally like to have one or two "old reliables", just in case. However I want most of my party to be something I haven't used before (not always a "new" Pokémon, though; I didn't use the Roselia line until Sw/Sh, for instance). My endgame Sw/Sh team was actually an even split between ones I'd used before and ones I hadn't.

The more recent games complicate it a bit since it's a lot easier to raise tons of Pokémon, though, so I tend to have so many it's hard to track.

 

[nickdt]

In new generations, for my first three playthroughs, i always go with Pokemon that are new.
In the fourth, its an even split between new Pokemon and Pokemon i never used before.

 

[BigBadButterfree]

I always use new Pokemon. And I don't just mean pokemon new to that generation. I mean pokemon I've never used before. Even in playthroughs of the same game. I like to experience new things. Since I have the ability to transfer my old favorites, I'd rather have those after I beat the game than train up a new one and "replace" my old friend.

 

[Bolt Strike]

I always try to use new Pokemon if possible. It's not as fun if I use the same old Pokemon, I want to mix things up and use something different.

 

[CynthiaLover]

I always use the new Mons in at least the first few runs of a new gen. After that I mix-and-match depending on what I want to try. While there are some repeats every now and then (usually in the form of the Starter and regional bird, especially in Galar), I try to keep things interesting by either using Mons I haven't used yet or ones I haven't used in a while. I do try to keep my team balanced, however, so I do look for synergy while I'm at it. But, overall, I try to keep things fresh and not have too many repeats on-hand.

 

[WyndonCalling]

I can likely count the number of Gen 1 lines I've never used on a single hand (usually because they're in awkward late-game locations), so I'll try and avoid them unless there's a pleasant surprise in an early route in a newer title and I just can't help myself.

Nuzlockes usually prevent me from having much if any choice in what I pick, so they can open up new experiences depending on the Gen I'm playing (I fondly remember my god-awful Emerald team which featured Mightyena, Magcargo and Illumise). For a non-Locke playthrough I try very hard to stick to things I haven't used before - I know what just about every species starts to look like towards the late-game in terms of stats and movepool, but the journey there can sometimes be interesting.

 

[Leaf_Ranger]

I had to vote "other" because it depends on the games and what options I have available.
First of all, I don't tranfer Pkmn from a previous game to a new one so that I can start a playthrough with it or use it after the main story.
Secondly, I'll probably use some Pkmn used before when they're the best option at hand: for example in Emerald I still used a Pelliper (just like in Sapphire) because I don't like Swellow and Pelliper could serve as a better HM slave for Fly and Surf. In AS I have two Roserade (one regular and one shiny) after having trained three of them in HG because I wasn't sure about natures and attacks I wanted.
I'm going through multiple new playthroughs inSapphire, LG, Pearl and White so that I can train new Pkmn out of my confort zone.

 

[Esserise]

It's usually a mix. I always use my Starter, so those have probably been the most-repeated species across all of my teams considering the number of playthroughs I've done of each game.

But I always make it a point to use at least one species that I haven't used before. More often than not, most of my team is new to me - it's just that there's times where certain gift Pokémon will offer enough of a compelling reason to reuse them (for instance, the Kanto Starters in XY being one of the only pre-HOF Megas, or me feeling bad for spending all that time with Kubfu just to box it) that I let them bypass my usual preference for newness. Also, I do at least cut myself some slack when it comes to using a Pokémon that I've used before in a different game, because that can really change the calculus. That is to say, Squirtle in SwSh is going to have enough of a difference around the role it plays there (especially with access to a Gigantamax form) compared to the role it would have in, say, FRLG or XY. But if we're talking about me replaying Sun or Y or something for the umpteenth time, then I'm a lot more adamant about avoiding Pokémon I've used in previous runs of those games.

 

[Puddle]

I'm a creature of habit! For each region, I have a small group of Pokemon species that I nearly always use. The Pokemon I use on my first playthrough become a part of that region's experience for me, if that makes sense, and it just isn't the same without them. Playing through Johto without Togetic, Sinnoh without Floatzel, or Kalos without Florges just wouldn't feel right. I normally choose the same starter every time as well.

My "must have" Pokemon vary from region to region, and I tend to favour ones that were introduced in, or received a new form in, that region. For example, I can't be without Castform in Hoenn, but I've never used one in Unova or Alola. Butterfree is a must for any of my Kanto playthroughs, but I probably wouldn't use one in any other region except for Galar, where it has a Gigantamax form (and Johto, because Kanto also appears in Johto-based games).

Sometimes I even give my Pokemon the same nicknames they had in a previous playthrough. These days, rather than transferring my teams up to newer games, I prefer to keep them on their original cartridge; if I start a new game, my teammates are all "reincarnated" and I play through the game with them again. Bill the Typhlosion has probably had at least ten "reincarnations" by this point.

I never get bored with using the same Pokemon either! Only occasionally will I shake things up and use different Pokemon; when I do, it's usually in a third/enhanced version where I don't want to use the same Pokemon as in the original game.

 

[Pyrax]

I prefer Pokemon I've never used before for variety. I catch/breed something new to see how it fares - some past party members were surprisingly useful such as Weavile in HGSS and Drifblim in Pt. But if there's nothing of a certain type that's appealing, then I fall back to a species I've already trained - usually something solid like Staraptor, Scizor or Crobat.

 

[EternalPokéFanGirl]

Every time I play a new game I try to use pokémon that I have never used, no matter if they are of the new gen or from previous, though I usually give priority to the ones of the new generation unless I don't like their designs or their types don't complement with the rest of the team (For example, if I choose the water starter I will probably not catch another water type even if I like it's design, it will have to wait for the next time).

I will only break this rule if I really love that pokémon, for example in Emerald I had Flygon and Altaria in my team, and add that I had Sceptile as my starter, so my team had three pokémon that are weak to ice, two of them x4, but I wanted all my favorites in my team so i didn't care

 

[Eitarou]

I have two simple rules when it comes to Pokemon, and the first is simple: never use the same Pokemon twice.

 

[swiftgallade46]

I always try to experiment with new things unless it’s a Pokémon that I’ve used before in a much older generation which has since changed a lot. I do try to avoid Normal-types since they aren’t good against anything. I also try to have as many different types on the team as possible so I can be ready for any scenario.