Gaming Guide to Making a Decent Team (G/S/C)

[vaporjolt]

[size=1][color=blue]This guide was intended to act as a reference for people who need help making teams. Because I care about this forum, I made this guide topic with the intent of *enlightening* all of us. K? Most of these tips are aimed particularly on Gold/Silver/Crystal, but some are still valid in R/B/Y. Please, feel free to add any questions/comments that you might have.


[b]Part I - FAQ[/b] :ball:

Q: Vaporjolt, what exactly do you mean by a "decent team" anyway?
A: As I hope most of you will agree, a decent team is just that--a competent one. By this I mean that the team should:
[list=a]
[*]have a full team of six
[*]have no 3x weaknesses against any one type (or at least have a way of countering that type if it does)
[*]have a hazer or pseudohazer
[*]have as much type coverage as possible
[*]all six at level 100
[/list=a]

Q: Umm...what's a hazer/pseudohazer?
A: Look at the next section, Vocabulary. No, it is NOT a term that I made up (nor are the other ones that are listed there)

Q: All at level 100? Is this really to be expected of me? You're telling me that if my team isn't at level 100, it's not "good"?
A: Of course not everyone's team is going to be at level 100. We all know that training a team up to level 100 is not an overnight thing. It takes quite a bit of time. I'm just saying that if you truly want your team to be a contender, then you're going to want all six of them to be at level 100. Common sense, right?

Q: What do you mean by "as much type coverage as possible"?
A: I mean that it's in your favor to have moves from as many types as possible. For example, it's just pointless to have a team with five pokemon that have Surf in their movesets. The only exeption that I can think of is having a fun team consisting of water, perhaps.

Q: Why do I need at least one hazer or pseudohazer?
A: To negate status moves that could make the battle end up in your opponent's favor. I'm particularly talking about Double Teamers. If you opponent can successfully DT up to the max, then s/he will be virtually untouchable. Not a good thing.

Q: I've been wondering: what are the best moves of any given element to use?
A: Great question, and I do have answers. Note that some of these moves are opinionated (*), while the others can be proven mathematically to be superior to other moves of the same type.

Water: Surf | 95 strength | 100% Acc. | 15 PP
Fire: Flamethrower* | 95 strength | 100% Acc. | 15 PP
Electric: Thunderbolt | 95 strength | 100% Acc. | 15 PP
Grass: Giga Drain* | 60 strength | 100% Acc. | 5 PP
Ice: Ice Beam | 95 strength | 100% Acc. | 10 PP
Ground: Earthquake | 100 strength | 100% Acc. | 10 PP
Rock: Rock Slide* | 75 strength | 90% Acc. | 10 PP
Fighting: Cross Chop* | 100 strength | 80% Acc. | 5 PP
Flying: Drill Peck* (Aeroblast, really, but only one Pokemon can learn it) | 80 strength | 100% Acc. | 20 PP
Poison: Sludge Bomb | 90 strength | 100% Acc. | 10 PP
Steel: HP Steel [70]* | 70 strength | 100% Acc. | 15 PP
Dark: Crunch | 80 strength | 100% Acc. | 15 PP
Dragon: Dragonbreath* | 60 strength | 100% Acc. | 20 PP
Ghost: Shadow Ball | 80 strength | 100% Acc. | 15 PP
Normal: Body Slam* | 80 strength | 100% Acc. | 15 PP
Bug: HP Bug [70] (Mega Horn, really, but only one Pokemon can learn it) | 70 strength | 100% Acc. | 15 PP

Q: What's are those "HP ???" moves that I see?
A: "HP" stands for Hidden Power. The highest strength that a Hidden Power can reach is 70, hence the suggestion.

Q: What is a "DV"?
A: "DV" stands for Deter Value. I don't have the time to explain it here, but just know that it exists, and that every pokemon has DV's. FYI, DV's determine the Hidden Power that a pokemon will have, among others.

Q: Hmph. Why should I listen to YOU, Vaporjolt?
A: You don't have to. I'm just sharing my knowledge of the game with others.

[b]Part II - Vocab[/b] :ball:

Okay, there are some terms amongst the Pokeplayers out there that you may not be aware of. You should find just about all of them right here.

[u]Hazer[/u]: any Pokemon that has the move Haze in its moveset
[u]Pseudohazer[/u]: any Pokemon that has either Roar or Whirlwind in its moveset
[u]Heal Beller[/u]: Pokemon that knows the move Heal Bell...catching on?
[u]00ber[/u]: the "cheap" legendaries (Mew, Mewtwo, Lugia, Ho-oh, Celebi)
[u]parafusion[/u]: the infliction of paralyzation & confusion on your opponent; probably one of the best tactics all-around to use as your opponent has less than a 40% chance of hittin you
[u]STAB[/u]: [b]S[/b]ame [b]T[/b]ype [b]A[/b]ility [b]B[/b]onus; a Pokemon will receive STAB if a move of its same type is used (example - Blastoise, a water type, would get STAB with Surf, a water move); the STAB bonus is damage x 1.5

I'll probably find/remember some others later, so this list isn't conclusive.

[b]Part III - Attachments[/b] :ball:

Most people do not realize that power up attachments (such as Charcoal or Magnet) only increase the strength of its type's moves by about 10%. They're not worthless, but 10% really isn't that much of a benefit. 9 times out of 10, you'll probably be better off with Leftovers or Miracle Berries. For those of you who don't know, Leftovers restores a small amount of HP every turn. Miracle Berry prevents all bad status (one use). Yeah, Miracle Berries are only good for the one turn that your opponent tries to confuse you or whatever, but it's useful if you want to safely set up Safeguard. Psncure berries, przcure berries, etc. only cure one type of status once, so ALL OTHER STATUS-HEALING BERRIES ARE THEREFORE USELESS! The exception is Pokemon Stadium 2, where the item clause is in effect. I hope everyone knows that an HP restoring Berry is virtually useless on a level 100 Pokemon.

[b]Part IV - Making a Moveset[/b] :ball:

The key to making a good moveset is knowing the Pokemon's statistics. Use moves that make sense, people! A physical move like Body Slam on Alakazam is stupid because its max attack is 198. Similarly, a Pokemon like Hitmonchan shouldn't have moves like Fire Punch, Ice Punch, etc. as its SA (Special Attack) is low. Let's take a look at some examples:

BAD: Machamp <>
This set is terrible because
[list]
[*]Machamp's SA is too low to effectively use special moves
[*]Cross Chop beats Karate Chop anyday
[/list]

GOOD: Machamp <>
This is more like it! All of the damaging moves are physical, which is just fine since Machamp ranks among some of the best in terms of the attack stat. Rock Slide even counters its flying weakness. Light Screen (can be bred on with Mr. Mime) helps protect it from Psychic attacks. Cross Chop, with STAB (100 x 1.5), has the same power that Hyper Beam would be on it, without the second turn loss. Read my sig for more on Hyper Beam. This moveset is standard, BTW.[/size][/color]

[Axel--Ignition]

nice, vaporjolt. One thing thou, if ur going to play the game woth that team u should have a false swipeing PKMN too. This way, u dont have to switch out PKMN from ur box every time u want catch and battle.:ball:


This is my team after years of trading and breeding. (all at lv100)

[u]Sneasel[/u]
crunch
feintattack
falseswipe
blizzard

[u]Espeon[/u]
bite
psychic
psybeam
reflect

[u]Gengar[/u]
hypnosis
dreameater
curse
substitute

[u]dragonite[/u]
fireblast
thunder
blizzard
hyperbeam

[u]magmar[/u]
flamethrower
firepunch
thunderpunch
fireblast

[u]Glitchy rhydon[/u]
watergun
psychic
surf
razorleaf
(i got him in a trade)

[vaporjolt]

[QUOTE]...if ur going to play the game woth that team u should have a false swipeing PKMN too.[/QUOTE]

[color=blue][size=1]Oh yeah, I forgot to state that this guide was meant to enhance link battle performance, not the single player game. A False Swiping pokemon won't do you any good in a link battle. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

[b]Sneasel[/b]
It can't learn Crunch. Even if it did, its max special attack is 168. [i]Raticate[/i] has better SA than that (198)! It has good speed and attack--better focus on that.
<> ~ Mint Berry

Shadow Ball, unlike many people believe, is a [i]physical[/i] attack, just like any other Ghost move. While I'm on this topic, many people also seem to think that Dragon moves are physical attacks, but they're not. Dragon moves are special attacks. It sucks, since every ghost in the game has poor attack stats, and Dragonite has better attack than special attack. Oh well...

[b]Espeon[/b]
Never double up on moves of the same type (Psybeam and Psychic) on the same pokemon.
<> ~ Leftovers/Scope Lens

[b]Gengar[/b]
Better turn this one into a hazer, as you don't have one anywhere on this team. Breed for Haze. Hypnosis + Dream Eater combo needs Mean Look. Personally-->
<> ~ Leftovers

[b]Dragonite[/b]
Dragonite can learn Haze through breeding, so put Haze here if you don't put Haze on Gengar. Wing Attack does more damage than Hyper Beam in two turns. Look:

Wing Attack | 90 strength (60 x 1.5) | x 2 turns = 180
Hyper Beam | 150 strength (150 x 1) | x 2 turns = 150

Where did the 90 strength come from? Dragonite gets STAB with Wing Attack, a flying type move. Dragonite, as we all know, is half flying. STAB moves get a 50% damage bonus. Therefore:

60 base strength x 1.5 = 90

Hyper Beam, a normal type attack, will NOT get STAB on Dragonite.

<> ~ Miracle Berry
I merely suggested this set b/c you need some status protection. In this set, Steel Wing would give you something for Rock types, as well as help counter Dragonite's 4x Ice weakness.

[b]Magmar[/b]
<> ~ Leftovers.
Barrier must be bred on. Cross Chop is another nice breedable move for Magmar if you have Crystal.

[b]Rhydon[/b]
Glitchy indeed, but this set is illegal. Even if it was legal, Rhydon's max SA is 188...
<>[/size][/color]

[Gary Oak]

vaporjolt u know too much..but thats good.... rate my team plzz....

Jolteon-@leftovers/scope lens)sometimes)
thunderbolt
thunder_wave
hidden_power- ice/grass
substitute

umbreon-@leftovers
confuse ray
moonlight/double team(IPL league)
screech
body slam/(baton pass)-IPL league

ninetales-@leftovers
confuse ray
fire spin/flamethrower
toxic
body_slam/iron tail

machamp-@leftovers
cross champ
curse
counter
earthquake

exeggutor-@leftovers
psychic
giga_drain
sleep powder
AP

miltank_@leftovers/scope lens
curse
milk drink
body slam
earthquake


sometime i use this team i have another team i want u to rate....

[vaporjolt]

[color=blue][size=1]
[b]Jolteon[/b]
Excellent. Use Leftovers to recover after Substitute. I'd go with the HP Ice for Grass types which would otherwise pwn an electric type.

[b]Umbreon[/b]
Screech is just fine, but Curse may be a better choice. If your opponent can't haze you after a few Curses, Umby becomes practically untouchable with Rest.

This, of course, depends on who you're battling. Most "vets" usually carry the standard pseudo-hazing Skarmory on mIRC, as I've been told. What I guess I'm saying is: If you're battling newbies, use the Curse set. If you're fighting an experienced player, then it's probably wiser to use Screech. Sometimes you just don't have the luxury of what kind of player you're battling on-line. Meh...

<> OR

<>

I'd attach Leftovers either way.

[b]Ninetails[/b]
Toxic may end up conflicting with Umbreon's and this guy's Body Slam (PRZ). Roar over Toxic. Iron Tail vs. Body Slam is tough. Although Iron Tail counters its rock weakness, it sucks in just about every other scenario. Keep Body Slam, IMO.

[b]Machamp[/b]
Great.

[b]Exeggutor[/b]
Great again. Ancient Power & Psychic counters every one of Grass's weaknesses. Is Sleep Powder okay with the four paralyzers on your team?

[b]Miltank[/b]
I'd say Heal Bell over Curse, if you're finding that you need the extra status protection.

[b]Final Comments:[/b]
No 3x weaknesses, good type coverage, and a little parafusion mixed in...very good.[/size][/color]

[liamc2]

vapourjolt you must have heaps of time on your hands to do all that typing!

[Gary Oak]

well if u can type fast like us.... its not prob..

[liamc2]

well i can't type fast. .

[Gary Oak]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by liamc2 [/i]
[B]well i can't type fast. . [/B][/QUOTE]

ohh..well u should learn it really fun ..being able to type and not having to see is pretty tight

[liamc2]

i'll try that when i get back to school next year (2 months time)

[Axel--Ignition]

where do u get ur info vaporjolt, and id like to see ur team, and sneasel can learn crunch if ur lucky when u breed it with a houndoom/dour.

[vaporjolt]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Cloud Strife00 [/i]
[B]where do u get ur info vaporjolt, and id like to see ur team, and sneasel can learn crunch if ur lucky when u breed it with a houndoom/dour. [/B][/QUOTE]

[size=1][color=blue]I got my information from all over the place. Gamefaqs & Pokemasters in particular. Sneasel cannot get Crunch if you're lucky. Every pokemon has an exclusive list of breedable moves. Sneasel's breedable moves list is:

[list=a]
[*]Reflect
[*]Foresight
[*]Counter
[*]Bite
[*]Spite
[/list]

If you did breed Crunch onto your Sneasel, it's probably because your game has been affected by using cheating devices like Gameshark or something. Or perhaps that glitchy Rhydon as you put it has corrupted your game. Either way, Sneasel can't learn Crunch by any normal means and Crunch is therefore illegal on it. If you want to see one of my teams, then you can take a look at one I'm building on my Gold cart-->

[b]Meganium[/b] <> ~ Leftovers

[b]Octillery[/b] <> ~ Leftovers

[b]Magmar[/b] <> ~ Leftovers

[b]Hitmontop[/b] <> ~ Mint Berry

[b]Alakazam[/b] <> ~ Miracle Berry

[b]Golem[/b] <> ~ Leftovers[/color][/size]

[Axel--Ignition]

not bad, i know that youre building it still but could i recommend a few things?

Ur magmar should have thunderpunch, think for a sec, i know about the loss of power putting it on him thou. Ur opponent sees a fire pkmn and naturally sends out a water pkmn. Then u can use TP and fry it without changeing pkmn. Also i prefer Venusaur over meganium. You could also change octillery to lanturn, i happen to do very well with it. I also like haveing -lee better than -top.

oh and my crystal team is the EEVEE team.

[Undying Angel]

I'll just post my current line-up from Gold. I lost my Yellow
:bawl:, which had even better pokemon. Oh and HP stands for health points.

Pigeot L.53
Item: Przcureberry
HP:167
Wing Attack PP 35
Fly PP 15
Swift PP 20
Agility 30

Espeon L.60
Item:Cleanse Tag
HP:187
Bite PP 25
Flash PP 20
Psychic PP 10
Morning Sun PP 5

Ho-oh L.62
Item:Max Elixer
HP:223
Sacred Fire PP 6
Fire Blast PP 5
Gust PP 35
Sunny Day PP 5

Meganium L.70
Item:Miracle Seed
HP:239
Cut PP 30
Solarbeam PP 10
Body Slam PP 15
Safeguard PP 25

Lugia L.73
Item:Focus Band
HP:263
Recover PP 20
Hydro Pump PP 5
Rain Dance PP 5
Swift PP 20

Mewtwo
Item:Aumlet Coin
HP:295
Swift PP 20
Psychic PP 10
Mist PP 30
Recover PP 20

Those are my pokemon, but on yellow I had everyone at 100.*sigh*I've got to do more training.

[liamc2]

pretty good team, but like you said, more work + training is required

[vaporjolt]

[size=1][color=blue][u]Undying_Angel~[/u]

[b]Pidgeot[/b]
Whirlwind over Swift. True, Swift will always hit, but there are status boosters other than Double Team, remember (Acid Armor, Barrier, and Amnesia to name a few). Whirlwind forces your opponent to switch, and any of the status boosters listed above will no longer be in effect. No need for Fly & Wing Attack. Choose one and put Steel Wing or Double-Edge/Return over it. Try to get your hands on a Miracle Berry (Mystery Gift).

[b]Espeon[/b]
Focus Energy over Flash, and attach Scope Lens IMO.

[b]Ho-oh[/b]
Solar Beam over Gust, and Recover over Fire Blast. In case you didn't know, Solar Beam becomes a one turn move under Sunny Day. Sunny Day also powers up fire moves (Sacred Fire). Max Elixer won't do anything as a held item.

[b]Meganium[/b]
Lotsa things we can do here:

<>
<>
<>
<>

[b]Lugia[/b]
<> ~ Leftovers

[b]Mewtwo[/b]
<> ~ Leftovers[/color][/size]

[wolf masteres]

will you rate my team please? all are l.100! this is crystal version! all have nic names!

jolteon leftovers male (kamnchi)
thunder
pin misstle
double kick
toxic

suicune mystic water no gender (blue blaze)
hydro pump
icy wind
aurua beam
swift

lugia leftovers no gender (psy-bird)
psychic
ario blast(s.p?)
rain dance
steel wing

ho-oh charcol no gender (fire bird)
sacred fire
fire blast
fly
sunny day

typhlosion leftovers male (flame)
roll out
fire punch
flamthrower
attract

persian leftovers female (purr)
zap cannon
theif
slash
earthquake

[vaporjolt]

[size=1][color=blue][u]wolf masteres~[/u]

[b]Jolteon[/b]
Pin Missile & Double Kick are physical attacks, so get those outta there. Jolteon's attack stat is less than spectacular. Thunder also needs Rain Dance to boost the accuracy to 100%.

<> @ Leftovers

OR

<> @ Leftovers

[b]Suicune[/b]
<> @ Leftovers

[b]Lugia[/b]
<> @ Leftovers

[b]Ho-oh[/b]
<> @ Miracle Berry

[b]Typhlosion[/b]
<> @ Miracle Berry

[b]Persian[/b]
<> @ Mint Berry

OR

<> @ Mint Berry

Either way, I'd use the Minty Rest (automatic wake-up) combo to increase its staying power.[/color][/size]

[wolf masteres]

thank you for rating my team! your good!:eek:

[vaporjolt]

[color=blue][size=1]Thanks for the comment, Wolf Masteres.[/size][/color] ;)

[wolf masteres]

Vaporjolt whos the strongest eevee evelution? and whos your fave. trainer?

[vaporjolt]

[color=blue][size=1]That's a difficult question to answer because they are all different types. Statistically speaking, I suppose you could add up their maximum stat values and find out that way. If you really want to know who's got the most stat points, let me know and I'll find out for you. It would take a while to dig up their stats and then add them together and all.

As for my favorite trainer, I guess it'd have to be Erika. Yup. Lance is a sharker, Red still uses a Pikachu and Blue had a bad team all together. I have a thing for Grass types...don't ask me why![/size][/color]

[Guest somebody8]

rate my team please

tyranitar
soft sand
crunch
rock slide
earthquake
fire blast

ho-oh
charcoal
sacred fire
earthquake
recover
phychic

ampharos (sit off if blissey is here)
magnet
thunder
zap cannon
rain danse
iron tail

mewtwo
leftover
phychic
blizzard
recover
fireblast
(too bad no earthquake for mewtwo)

scizor
sharp beak
steel wing
wing attack
slash
double team

gyarados
leftover
hydro pump
blizzard
rain danse
thunder


(sometimes) blissey (favourite- super hp :D )
phychic
fire blast
soft boil
blizzard

(all lv 100)
everyone is welcome to make comments

[vaporjolt]

[color=blue][size=1][u]Somebody8~[/u]

[b]Tyranitar[/b]
Yeah, that's just fine.

[b]Ho-oh[/b]
Thunderbolt or Giga Drain over Psychic for water types.

[b]Ampharos[/b]
Breed for Thunderbolt and Reflect. I'd put those over Zap Cannon and Iron Tail. Fire Punch over Rain Dance, and Thunderwave over Thunder.

[b]Mewtwo[/b]
<>

[b]Scizor[/b]
<> (Miracle Berry)

[b]Gyarados[/b]
Unlike in the good ol' R/B/Y days, Gyarados' SA took a big hit. It really can't support any special move that it won't get STAB with (in its case, water).
<> (Leftovers)[/size][/color]