Sep 30, 2016, 09:40 AM
I've noticed we have a lot of team building guides, but nothing about what to do past that point. That or what is actually there is just buried under a lot of rubbish. Anyways, building a team is only the first step in your journey. Simply making a team and throwing it into the fray without a second thought doesn't work. And asking people for help when you don't know what is wrong, also doesn't work. I'm going to tell you how to spot your weaknesses and build upon them.
Testing
I'm going to state this outright, never build a team and expect immediate success. The first ten or so battles you do should be seen as testing the waters. You're getting a feel for how the team works, what works against it, and where there need to be improvements. Pay less attention to your win conditions, and more to what makes you lose. Don't change your team after one battle. Do a couple so you can get the big picture.
When testing, be a huge nerd and take down notes on what breaks your team. Also pay attention to what Pokemon are working for your team, and make adjustments accordingly. Chances are many of you reading this are low on the Battlespot and Showdown ladders. (Ladder refers to the points that determine who battles who) Players on the lower end of the ladder are less skilled, and more prone to bad plays and teams. You will run into a lot of stupid gimmicky teams. Losing to a gimmick doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. It's imperative to know the meta you're diving into, so you know where the important weaknesses lie. Consider asking for someone for help with this phase. Have them watch your Showdown battles with you, but not to coach. Have the, watch you battle as you normally would, so they can give you honest advice.
Making Changes
It's now time to apply what you've learned. If you've actually done battles, chances are you've noticed weaknesses. Keep in mind every weakness can't be covered, unless it's VGC15 then you just use CHALK. What you're really looking for, is weakness spread across your entire team. If you noticed you get destroyed by Stealth Rocks, you've got one too many Flying, Bug, Ice, or Fire types. If Heatran walls you, you probably need some Ground coverage. You need to find out what Pokemon contribute the most, and which Pokemon need to go. Returning to the Stealth Rocks example, if you've got Charizard, Dragonite, and a Volcarona, and you notice Volcarona is kind of lacking in KO's, you may want a different special attacker. I'm not going to go into to many details, because there are infinite team possibilities, but learn what must change.
There's not much else I can tell you without looking at the teams themselves, feel free to use this thread to share your experiences team building and to seek help. I'll do post below of this in practice so you can see it in action. Happy building!
Testing
I'm going to state this outright, never build a team and expect immediate success. The first ten or so battles you do should be seen as testing the waters. You're getting a feel for how the team works, what works against it, and where there need to be improvements. Pay less attention to your win conditions, and more to what makes you lose. Don't change your team after one battle. Do a couple so you can get the big picture.
When testing, be a huge nerd and take down notes on what breaks your team. Also pay attention to what Pokemon are working for your team, and make adjustments accordingly. Chances are many of you reading this are low on the Battlespot and Showdown ladders. (Ladder refers to the points that determine who battles who) Players on the lower end of the ladder are less skilled, and more prone to bad plays and teams. You will run into a lot of stupid gimmicky teams. Losing to a gimmick doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. It's imperative to know the meta you're diving into, so you know where the important weaknesses lie. Consider asking for someone for help with this phase. Have them watch your Showdown battles with you, but not to coach. Have the, watch you battle as you normally would, so they can give you honest advice.
Making Changes
It's now time to apply what you've learned. If you've actually done battles, chances are you've noticed weaknesses. Keep in mind every weakness can't be covered, unless it's VGC15 then you just use CHALK. What you're really looking for, is weakness spread across your entire team. If you noticed you get destroyed by Stealth Rocks, you've got one too many Flying, Bug, Ice, or Fire types. If Heatran walls you, you probably need some Ground coverage. You need to find out what Pokemon contribute the most, and which Pokemon need to go. Returning to the Stealth Rocks example, if you've got Charizard, Dragonite, and a Volcarona, and you notice Volcarona is kind of lacking in KO's, you may want a different special attacker. I'm not going to go into to many details, because there are infinite team possibilities, but learn what must change.
There's not much else I can tell you without looking at the teams themselves, feel free to use this thread to share your experiences team building and to seek help. I'll do post below of this in practice so you can see it in action. Happy building!
RIP Miranda Cosgrove 1975-2017
