What’s your criteria for selecting your teams?

Pokemon GO
#1

I went off-piste on another thread, so I’ve started this separately. My question, given some very different opinions, was this:

I have to ask and I honestly mean this our of pure curiosity in the open, friendly manner of this site. It is in no way meant to be the aggressive/critical manner I know pure text can sometimes inadvertently have…

What’s your criteria for selecting your teams? I asked with PvE in mind but happy to open the floor generally.

I get that we all have a slightly different approach and no one approach is “the right one”, alternative views for DPS vs TDO and the importance of each, some prefer 2 or 3 bar charge moves for consistency, some prefer hard counters at the expense of top DPS, some even go for aesthetics or type preference, or old favourites from MSG…

You spend, maybe 100-500k dust and a 200-400 candy depending on evolution costs, potentially more xl, TMs etc, it’s an investment - you want it to be the right one with longevity.

Pokebattler is my guide,

Personally, I want DPS for my shortman or time trial type challenges I set myself, but having a lower mid-range phone I can’t relobby that fast, so bulk is important. Glass cannons I will use if I’m more confident about dodging but it’s not something I’ll use to build a team of 6. I’ll prefer shinies too, even if the IV isn’t as good.

Prime example of my ideal pokemon is Tina-O, bulky but a reasonable attack stat, great hard hitting moves and looks amazing.

#2

I like to lead with one or two glass cannons (Gengar, Excadrill, Rampardos, etc.) especially if they have 1-bar moves and then close with a bulkier guy with multi-bar move (nothing like timing out with an almost full bar). The ones in the middle don’t matter too much, whatever has the best mix of DPSxTDO. If there’s a tricky moveset (Focus Blast Yveltal was one) then I might in somebody who’s not as good just in case I need to tank a bit more (like Zapdos or T-Thundrus in this example); thought that being said, I might have to retry anyway for those trickier movesets.

If its a T3 or an easier battle where I know I won’t use my full party, I’ll put in random stuff I don’t use often, just for funsies. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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#3

I also meant to add that some of my thought behind this question was because one of my local friends on Wednesday was using mega blastoise because “it’s the best heatran counter”.

According to pokemongohub, it is, better even than garchomp.

Proof that you can find vindication of any opinion using Google.

#4

Since we are two pros (aka who care what they chose) and one to four auto selecters in our raid group, i mostly chose my best pokebattler-team. I often have more than one glass Cannon/shadow that way. If the automatically selected team hints that they would be hit by super effective moves, i exchange them vs something resisting/neutral to these. Apart from that, similar to what @captpepperjack wrote.

If something is double effective, of course I chose this. Don’t know why Pokemongohub recommends mega Blastoise. Probably because it’s also resisting the steel move…

#5

Just lucky traded for a shiny terrakion, regice week is pretty meh, so I may as well enjoy the thing that turns it into slush puppie, bit like Karate Kid 2 but it’s a giant bull - both good fun.

#6

As far as PVE, I generally let the app choose for me and possibly tweak it since I know the moveset of most of my pokemon. I figure I’ve been in the game long enough that what the app picks will do fine. It also sometimes uses pokemon I would otherwise rarely use. That just expands my knowledge more in the event I run into those pokemon later.

As for PVP, I used to think it through more carefully and try to build balanced teams (although I tended to favor not having more than one meta pokemon on my team). In the last season or two, I’ve done quite well just checking some of the more popular YouTubers and building an “anti-YouTuber” team. Generally speaking, a lot of people use the YouTuber’s flavor of the day or old standbys. Makes getting wins a little easier.

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#7

I also want to know what go wrong with GO Hub, whose database is a joke. It makes me laugh every time recalling that a hardcore PvE player (spending a lot money in the game) in my player group wasted an EFTM on Feraligatr, because GO Hub told him that WG+HC Feraligatr has higher DPS than Swampert (with the same moveset), Kyogre and Kingler.

#8

I don’t understand the GoHub system, I was as favourable to M Blastoise as I could be (,weather and other mega boost) but Garchomp would still outperform it.

I was hoping you’d answer this, I know we disagree on a fair bit of stuff but I’m not daft enough to think I know the best way to do everything.

#9

I do all my raids with poke genie unless its 3 star or less then i go solo, and i use the team that poke genie recommends from the pokemon i have, i used to get more creative when i was joining raids from Reddit and there would be 10 people in the lobby, but it’s usually only 5-6 with poke genie lobbies and half the people are using the selected teams from pogo, leading with aggrons vs like cresselia raid bosses so i feel like i gotta bring the most damage i can to make sure we win.

It’s kinda dumb when I’m only level 38 and don’t have any maxed out attackers and get the highest damage dealt in raids with people many levels above 40…

#10

This is a good question making me organise my criteria about building raid teams. I always use the GamePress spreadsheet and Pokebattler to check what are good in each type, but what I use in actual raids is another story. Generally, I follow these rules:

  1. Variety. I never use full teams of the same species, no matter what and how strong it is compared to other attackers of its type, like the cases of Mewtwo and Metagross. Usually I use teams of unique 6 species, while if the time is tight I accept repeating 2-3 mon in a team, but not more.

  2. Cost. I highly favour non-shadow and non-legendary mon, because they’re cheaper in terms of dust and rare candies, and easier to get good IV candidates without spending money, because of the possibility of mass trading. Most legendary mon are limited to one per team.

  3. Moveset. I love attackers with relatively low CP but powerful movesets (starters, Kingler, Lucario), instead of those with very high CP but lackluster movesets (Tyranitar, Groudon). Single-bar charge moves are avoided as much as possible due to their unreliability.

  4. Future improvement. For legendary mon, if there are unreleased signature moves, I generally don’t invest in them, except that the signature moves are of a different type as their current attacker role, e.g. Rayquaza, Dialga, Yveltal.

  5. Personal preference. Swampert is my favorite mon, so I use it as the staple of my water team. I like Luxray and Gardevoir, so I often use them if the boss is weak to electric or fairy, even if they aren’t the top choices. I hate Zekrom, so it’s no more than a dex entry and fusion item to me.

The following are the attackers of each type I’ve raised over level 30 (in stead of high level wild chaches) and use regularly.
Grass: Roserade, Tangrowth, Torterra, Sceptile, Venusaur, Leafeon, Meganium
Fire: Entei, Heatran, Blaziken, Emboar, Charizard, Typhlosion, Infernape, Flareon, Magmortar
Water: Kingler, Swampert, Samurott, Empoleon, Clawitzer, Feraligatr, Gyarados, Crawdaunt
Electric: Thundurus-T, Raikou, Zapdos, Magnezone, Luxray, Jolteon, Manectric, Zebstrika, Electivire
Ice: G-Darmanitann, Mamoswine, Glaceon, Weavile, Jynx, Beartic, Cloyster, Abomasnow
Rock: Rhyperior, Rampardos, Terrakion, Tyranitar, Gigalith, Aerodactyl, Golem
Ground: Garchomp, Landorus-T, Rhyperior, Excadrill, Mamoswine, Donphan, Flygon
Steel: Metagross, Dialga, Excadrill, Scizor
Bug: Yanmega, Pinsir, Escavalier, Scizor
Poison: Roserade, Gengar, Toxicroak, Victreebel, Vileplume, Scolipede
Flying: Moltres, Honchkrow, Staraptor, Unfezant
Dragon: Rayquaza, Palkia, Salamence, Garchomp, Dragonite
Fighting: Lucario, Conkeldurr, Machamp, Terrakion, Hariyama, Breloom
Psychic: Mewtwo, Metagross, Espeon, Exeggutor, Gardevoir, Gallade
Ghost: Chandelure, Gengar, Trevenant, Banette
Dark: Darkrai, Tyranitar, Weavile, Honchkrow, Houndoom
Fairy: Togekiss, Gardevoir, Granbull

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#11

Cool, I absolutely get your logic, totally the opposite of me, but if it works. I understand your points on some of the other threads a bit more too. I must admit the CP=better thing has never been something that I believed after the first few months.

I’ve tried some unique 6 raids since there haven’t been as many of my favourite time-trial raids recently, it does give a bit of variety.

One thing that stops me going the glassier route is my phone, it’s lower mid-range, a bit glitchy since an accident with some washing up liquid and so dodging/relobbies are a bit tricky if it’s not on form.

#12

I like it because it’s a personal individual style - just one question about legendaries and signature moves: what do you use ETMs for (if at all)? More the not available anymore pvp moves? Getting CD moves on already evolved mons? Since I really like legendaries I don’t mind having a good one powered up and use an ETM in the future for a possible signature move. Indeed that’s what I’m hoping for that one day I can use whole-heartedly one of my ETM for my Hündin reshiram signature move. But still can perfectly use it today for variety in my fire team when it’s double resisting stuff

#13

The procedure is quite simple. If the party includes Shiny Shuckle, the party shall be approved. If not, it shall not.

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