Team Archetype - How to build a team

[clayclover]

First of all, i took most of the information from another community and found this information very useful for those who are starting at competitive or just making a checklist when Teambuilding
 

 

 

TEAM ARCHETYPES

Here is a quick table of the different team archetypes:

Hyper Offensive: 2-4 Sweepers, 1-3 Wallbreaker, 0-1 Stallbreaker, 1 Entry Hazard, 0-1 Spinner.

Bulky Offense: 1 Sweeper, 2-3 Wallbreaker, 1 Stallbreaker, 1 Entry Hazard, 1 Spinner

Balance: 0-1 Sweeper, 1-2 Wallbreaker, 1 Stallbreaker, 2-3 Walls, 1 Entry Hazard, 1 Spinner

Semi-Stall: 4-5 Wall, 1 Stallbreaker, 0-1 Sweeper, 0-1 Wallbreaker, 1 Entry Hazard, 1-2 Spinner

Stall: 5-6 Wall, 1 Stallbreaker, 1 Entry Hazard, 1-2 Spinner/Spinblocker

 

HYPER OFFENSE

2-4 Sweepers, 1-3 Wallbreaker, 0-1 Stallbreaker, 1 Entry Hazard, 0-1 Spinner.

This playstyle can feel counterintuitive at first with the common conception that you need a physical and a special wall alongside a special and physical sweeper. What makes this playstyle effective is the momentum control by always hammering your opponent with a new threat. It’s risky in a way because you’ll often need to let your pokemon die rather than switching out due to the lack of overall bulk the team has. What goes for you is that everytime you remove something from your opponent, it gets harder and harder to switch around and handle the new threats you’re sending. The key here is to use sweepers that complement each other, sharing different counters so you can switch one into the other upon death. Wallbreakers can also take the role of sweeper like sword dance Breloom or belly drum Azumarill to increase the pressure.

WIN CONDITION: By keeping the momentum and hammering your opponent with massive blows, you need to identify your path of least resistance using your sweeper(s) that you can clear the path for. For example, if your opponent has 3 walls that prevent your Dragonite from sweeping but only one for Weavile, focus on the latest this game.

 

BULKY OFFENSE

1 Sweeper, 2-3 Wallbreaker, 1 Stallbreaker, 1 Entry Hazard, 1 Spinner

It’s a safer alternative to Hyper Offense because you’ll be using bulky pokemons that can take a hit and retaliate hard. This means you have way more room to switch rather than letting your pokemon die. Even the sweeper can be something quite tanky like Gliscor Swords Dance, Scizor or bold Volcarona. The key here is to create a good synergy in between the bulky pokemons so the switches are fluid and can answer most threats while providing a reliable counter attack.

WIN CONDITION: Even if the defensive synergy here is important, you still need to rely on a sweeper that will fit well in the team. If your sweeper is walled by the same things as most of your bulky core, you will have a hard time winning. Pick a sweeper that will complement the team well and that you can open the path for with your bulkier offensive pokemons.

 

BALANCED

0-1 Sweeper, 1-2 Wallbreaker, 1 Stallbreaker, 2-3 Walls, 1 Entry Hazard, 1 Spinner

Probably the most comfortable style to use at first, balanced still requires a great amount of synergy in the team to open the path for your win condition. The main sweeper becomes extremely important as it determines the whole team. A few walls are not enough to stop every threats out there. To pick the right ones, look at what can force out your main sweeper. You’re using Dragonite? Might want to pick something to pivot out of Weavile. Using Gyarados? Be sure to pack in something for Jolteon or Ferrothorn. Same goes for your wallbreakers! You need to ask yourself; what can’t my sweeper go through? Physical walls like Cofagrigus or hippowdon are usually a big problem for Conkeldurr, so using Hydreigon is a good idea. Gyarados will have a lot of trouble going through Magnezone, so using Garchomp or would be wise. The important thing to keep in mind with a balanced team is to support your main sweeper. In some bulkier variant, you could use a wallbreaker as a sweeper.

WIN CONDITION: Similarly to BO, Balanced is usually focusing on a sweeper or a wallbreaker with decent sweeping potential in order to finish a game. The key here is to have a good synergy between the sweeper, his backbones (walls) to pivot it out from things that threaten it and the front line (wallbreakers) to remove precisely what it can’t kill.

 

SEMI-STALL

4-5 Wall, 1 Stallbreaker, 0-1 Sweeper, 0-1 Wallbreaker, 1 Entry Hazard, 1-2 Spinner

The win condition here is a bit more murky as you can surf in between balanced and stall. On one hand, you can focus on residual damage (hazards, status, weather, etc) to win or use those to lower your opponent’s team and create a favorable situation for your sweeper to end the game. You could also go for a wallbreaker rather than a sweeper to be more threatening to other bulky teams. Your win condition here is a mix of hazard control and a touch of offensive to either end the game or soften the opponent even more. Moxie sweepers are usually quite scary in this kind of team as they benefit a lot from hazards leaving your opponent’s pokemons worned out.

WIN CONDITION: As you get bulkier, the sweeper is less centralizing and hazards control becomes more crucial. The more you switch and force your opponent to switch, the more hazards are going to do a disgusting job. A semi-stall will often try to damage the opponent’s team enough for the sweeper or wallbreaker with sweeping potential to end the game. Your win condition is to keep your offensive presence alive to end the game while controlling hazards on the field. Keeping your side clean while stacking them on your opponent’s.

 

STALL

5-6 Wall, 1 Stallbreaker, 1 Entry Hazard, 1-2 Spinner/Spinblocker

It’s your new player’s nightmare, the infamous stall team focuses entirely on residual damage to win the game. You need to stack hazards on your opponent’s side of the field while keeping your side clean. You need a near perfect synergy to switch in between your pokemons and force your opponent to do the same, taking more and more residual damage as the game progresses. The win condition is quite clear, control hazards on both sides of the field and keep your pokemons healthy to maintain the defensive synergy. A stallbreaker is recommended to handle bulky teams.

WIN CONDITION: The goal here is entirely around keeping the control on hazards and your pokemons healthy. Watching your opponent fading away from a slow death. You sick duck.

 

ROLES

I gonna list here only the relevant ones at competitive, also i put "tyrogue" instead of "Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee and Hitmontop" just because is shorter than type the entire evolution line.
 

PRIORITY
 

Bullet Punch: Scizor, Metagross, Medicham, Hariyama, Tyrogue, Machamp, Toxicroak

Ice Shard: Cloyster, Weavile, Mamoswine, Donphan, Abomasnow, Glalie, Lapras

Aqua Jet: Azumarill, Kabutops, Basculin, Beartic, Carracosta, Sharpedo, Feraligatr, Floatzel, Sharpedo, Qwilfish, Samurott

Extreme Speed: Dragonite, Arcanine, Linoone, Lucario, Pikachu

Mach Punch: Breloom, Conkeldurr, tyrogue, Infernape, Magmortar

Fake Out: Mienshao, Blastoise, Infernape, Tyrogue, Kangaskhan, Hariyama, Medicham, Weavile, Ambipom, Ludicolo, Mr. mime, Toxicroak, Shiftry 

Shadow Sneak: Gallade, Dusknoir, Muk, Spiritomb, Shedinja

 

HAZARDS

Any pokemon that can either set up hazards or remove them.

Rapid Spin: Starmie, Forretress, Donphan, Tentacruel, Claydol, Armaldo, Cloyster, Cryogonal, Excadrill, Tyrogue, Sandslash, Blastoise, Torkoal

Defog: Empoleon, Rotom, Flygon, Mandibuzz, Salamence, Skarmory, Stunky, Crobat, Scizor, Mantine, Pelipper, Gliscor, Aerodactyl, Hydreigon,

Stealth Rock: Skarmory, Forretress, Tyranitar, Mamoswine, Clefable, Blissey, Bronzong, Metagross, Hippowdon, Garchomp, Gliscor, Golem, Infernape, Aerodactyl, Archeops, Claydol, Gigalith, Donphan, Dugtrio, Excadrill, Druddigon, Ferrothorn, Golurk, Swampert, etc.

Spikes: Skarmory, Forretress, Roserade, Cloyster, Accelgor, Ferrothorn, Frosslass, Omastar, Trubbish

Toxic Spikes: Tentacruel, Forretress, Weezing, Nidoking/queen, Roserade, Drapion, Cloyster(Yes wtf cloyster learns it)

 

SPINBLOCKERS

A ghost pokemon used to hard switch into Rapid Spin (normal move) to prevent hazards from being removed.

 

SWEEPERS

A sweeper is a pokemon using a boosting move or ability in order to inflict massive damage or even end the game. They are often considered as the win condition for a team.
They can be Physical Attackers or Special Attackers

 

WALLBREAKERS

Their massive offensive power means they do not require a boosting move and can poke holes into the enemy's team right off the bat. They are used to soften the opponent, leaving him wide open for a sweep.

 

STALLBREAKERS

Those pokemons are able to disrupt stall with ease as they negate residual damage in many ways, making them very difficult to handle. They will often be able to either set up on walls or use taunt in order to remove them.
 

REVENGE KILLER

Using their speed (This includes Choice Scarf Pokemons) or a priority move, they are meant to get rid of a weakened pokemon that just killed one of yours. 

 

TRAPPERS

Using an ability or a move, those pokemons can prevent a pokemon from switching or damage them as they do.

By Ability: Magnezone, Dugtrio, Wobbuffet

or by the move Pursuit

 

WALLS

A wall serves as a pivot to soak up an attack. They are very resilient and are usually specialised at their job, negating either physical or special attacks. A few ones can do both by sacrificing a bit on one side of the spectrum for the other. They can be Physical, Special or Mixed Walls

 

CLERIC

A pokemon able to use a status cleaning move such as Heal Bell or Aromatherapy or pass Wish.

Aromatherapy/ Heal Bell: Blissey, Clefable, Eevee, Togekiss, Roserade, Lanturn, Dragonite, Mismagius

Wish: Blissey, Eevee, Clefable, Alomomola, Kangaskhan, Lickytung, Audino

 

HAZER/PHAZER

A pokemon able to either use Haze or Clear Smog to force a switch out like Dragon Tail or Whirlwind.

Skarmory, Garchomp, Golbat, Quagsire, Hippowdon, Poliwrath, Mantine, Milotic, Cofagrigus, Gastrodon, Tentacruel, Dragonite.




I know there is a lot of pokemon which haven't mencioned, but the main objective of this post it's about building itself and give to everyone who are reading this an idea to "how-to-build" his own team.

Thank you so much for taking a look.

[OGRUB]

✔✔It will serve me a lot when I change tier next season✔✔