Resource How to Build A Better Player - PU Edition!

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How to Build a Better Player - (PU edition)



Welcome to How to Build a Better Player! This thread is going to be a compendium of different guides for players new to PU and Pokemon in general. Some of the best PU players will lend their wisdom to the cause, which is to improve the base knowledge of newer players by giving them insight into the thought process of experienced battlers.

There will be 2-3 guides (or more depending on the content):
  1. Teambuilding
  2. Battling
  3. Learning the Metagame

These two aspects of the game are the most important ones.

1. Teambuilding:

Types of Teams

The first thing to building a team is to understand the different team styles. Generally, teams fall under 3 umbrella concepts: Offense, Defense, and Balance.


Offense

Offensive teams are generally recognized as having almost all Pokemon on their team focused solely on their offensive stats. These types of teams don't generally focus on their defensive backbones, so having a weakness to a certain type isn't as bad as it would be for balanced and defensive teams. The most common team archetypes that fall under offense include:

Hyper Offense

Hyper Offensive teams are ones that generally focus on pressuring the opposing team with continuous attacks. Sometimes they try to set up boosts, which means that usually there is at least one support-type Pokemon to ease setting up. This usually means Reflect and Light Screen (Dual Screen) support, Memento, and entry hazards (usually Stealth Rock). From there, the focus of the team is to take advantage of the few turns defensive advantage they have to boost up and attack relentlessly. Even the most defensive teams will have trouble against continuous volleys, and if one Pokemon falls another one can just continue the relentless offensive pressure.

PU examples: A team consisting of Dual Screens Meowstic, a hazard(s) setter (such as Golem, Dwebble, or Whirlipede), and a group of set up sweepers or powerful attackers (such as Rain Dance Poliwrath, Nasty Plot Ninetales, Shell Smash Barbaracle, Belly Drum Linoone, Quick Feet Ursaring, Charcoal Rapidash, and Swords Dance Jumpluff). Hyper Offensive teams are rare in PU, as they generally rely a lot on initial speedy team support in the beginning of the battle to guarantee a set up. The rest of the time, they only seek to maintain offensive pressure on the opponent. This leaves them open to counterplay, such as phazing, opposing set up, and status. It doesn't help that there are so many bulky powerhouses, that there isn't much incentive to rely on an all-out-attack.

Weather Offense

These types of teams focus on setting up their respective weather conditions and then pummeling the opposing team with Pokemon that take advantage of the benefits of the weather. Because of the limited duration of weather, these teams have to be offensive in order to make full use of the turns provided. The best sweepers usually gain Speed boosts under their respective weathers, though each weather provides certain other benefits as well. Rain teams generally enjoy the Speed boost to their Swift Swim Pokemon as well as the boost to their Water-type moves. Sun teams have some versatile sweepers, though the Fire-types that enjoy Sun's power boost lack the Speed boost that Chlorophyll Pokemon have. Sand teams have the advantage of having Hippopotas to automatically activate Sandstorm, though they really only have Stoutland as their sweeper. Hail isn't very good, but Ice-types really appreciate the accuracy boost to Blizzard. Weather teams generally consist of at least 2 weather setters, 2 to 3 weather sweepers, and a final Pokemon to fulfill a utility that the weather setters didn't already provide or else act as a reliable offensive Pokemon outside of the weather.

PU examples: Sun teams are very viable, as there are some good Fire-types, most notably Rapidash, and Chlorophyll users, namely Weepinbell, Leafeon, and Sawsbuck, in the tier. With reliable setters such as Volbeat and Onix, it becomes difficult to stop a Sun team as they generally do not require many turns to set up; few teams can easily handle several fast and powerful threats continuously. Rain teams are less common, but very potent as well with threatening sweepers such as Poliwrath, Golduck, Rotom-F, Armaldo, and Simipour running around. While Rain teams lack a way to absorb Toxic Spikes, they do have the advantage of the Rain boosting their main sweeper's STAB moves. Sand teams are not as common, but the sheer power of Sand Rush Stoutland cannot easily be ignored. The residual damage stacks up over the turns, and Hippopotas has an advantage in that it does not waste a turn setting up the Sand (allowing it to set up Stealth Rock instead). Hail teams are not particularly great, but they do have a couple of viable users in Rotom-F and Vanilluxe. On its own, Aurorus is both a good Hail setter and user, and the residual damage hits almost every Pokemon in the tier.

Spikes Stacking Offense

This type of offensive team focuses on setting as many entry hazards on your opponent's field as possible before attacking with a chain of potent offensive Pokemon. Stealth Rock and Spikes are the hazards generally used, and the residual damage they provide makes it easier for offensive Pokemon to KO an opposing Pokemon. These teams usually use a Stealth Rock setter, a Spikes setter, a offensive Ghost-type, a Defog deterring Pokemon such as Pawniard, and then the rest are powerful offensive Pokemon.

PU examples: Common spikers in PU include: Dwebble, Roselia, Whirlipede, and Venipede. Misdreavus is one of the more effective Ghost-types on Spikes Stacking teams, which is needed to block Rapid Spin from removing all your hazards. There is no way to stop Defog, outside of Taunt, which Misdreavus also provides. A deterrent against Defog is another useful utility for Spikes Stacking teams, which Defiant users such as Pawniard and Purugly provide.

Sticky Web Offense

Instead of focusing on setting up a full field of hazards, Sticky Web teams generally focus on setting up Sticky Web and Stealth Rock. There are usually a lot of powerful Pokemon that have below average Speed, so Sticky Web allows them to make better use of their strength by reducing the opposing team's Speed.

PU examples: Sticky Web based teams are not that common in PU, though we do have decent setters in Leavanny and Kricketune. With the plethora of Flying-types and Levitating Pokemon, Sticky Web already fails to affect a good portion of teams. There are plenty of slow Pokemon who are minimally affected by Sticky Web as well. But the biggest problem for Sticky Web lies in Pawniard. Due to Defiant, Sticky Web guarantees a +2 boost to Pawniard's Attack, which is never a good thing due to its powerful Knock Off and Sucker Punch.


Balance

Bulky Offense

Bulky offensive teams make use of the tanks in the tier to apply offensive pressure to the opponent yet still be able to take a beating if necessary. Tanks, such as Poliwrath and offensive Tangela, are Pokemon that provide both offensive presence and defensive capabilities. Frailer offensive Pokémon are also common sights, and at least one fully defensive or support Pokémon is likely. The key to using bulky offense is to remember that while it has decent bulk, such teams shouldn't be expected to take a lot of punishment.

PU examples: A common type of team in PU, due to many powerful bulky attackers, such as special Poliwrath, Ninetales, Leafeon, Carracosta, and Stoutland. Support Pokemon tend to also be able to provide momentum or extra utililty, such as Volt Switch Probopass, Offensive Stealth Rock Torterra, Pelipper, Offensive Armaldo, etc. Being able to react defensively on occasion can save such teams from defeat, as they are not so defensively vulnerable as Hyper Offensive teams.

Balance

Fully balanced teams generally follow a simple ratio: half offensive, half defensive. In practice, that isn't always the case, but it is a good start. Balanced teams tend to want to fit many types of defensive and utility roles onto the team; the flip side is that they also need to fit different types of attackers as well. So while balanced teams generally have an answer to every situation, they typically stretch each team member thin in the process. This is the best type of team for beginners so that they can understand both types of playstyles and learn how to play with them.

PU examples: Also a common type of team in PU, which makes use of our plethora of defensive Pokemon to support the aforementioned offensive Pokemon. It is the general type of team people tend to use to test out new Pokemon or strategies, as there is a defensive backbone to fall back on if the main strategy fails. Priority users are generally very common on these teams, to act as an offensive fail-safe as well.


Defense

Stall

Pure stall is focused on slowly wearing down the opposing team with residual damage and weak attacks, while outlasting them due to high defense Pokemon with good defensive coverage all around. Stall teams generally need to make sure they have no exploitable defensive weakness, which is a very difficult proposition. Failing that, stall teams rely on sheer bulk and amassing entry hazards on the opposing field, and then wearing the opponent down. There is usually at least one Pokemon that sets up at the end of the battle and clears the opposing team after they have been sufficiently worn down. Stall teams generally appreciate good predictions and keeping as many team members alive as possible. Luck tends to be unfavorable for stall teams, so keeping the team healthy is essential.

PU examples: Stall teams are not very popular in PU. With the amount of offensive threats running rampant, and many decent stallbreakers, it's not easy to cover all your bases consistently enough to make stall work. That said, it can be infuriating if you do manage to succeed, and one must always remember that even if you do not cover every important threat, as long as you cover what is on the opposing team, you are still able to win. Poliwrath is one of the most common faces on stall teams, as it handles so many physical threats well. It is likely that you will encounter many Roselia as well, as it checks many Electric-types, sets up hazards, and absorbs Toxic Spikes. A spinner or Defogger is usually seens, such as Torkoal, Vibrava, and Pelipper; on the flip side, a Ghost-type is common as well to protect the hazards that are set. A win condition is pretty commonplace, which usually consists of a very bulky set up Pokemon, such as Calm Mind Duosion or Calm Mind Clefairy, or else a couple of phazers, such as Grumpig, Dragon Tail Lickilicky, or Zweilous, to shuffle the opposing team around.

Semi-Stall

Harder to define than a pure stall team, semi-stall teams are pretty hard to distinguish from stall teams, except that tanks and set up sweepers are generally more abundant. A pure stall team generally has only one offensive Pokemon at best, while semi-stall has 2-3. These offensive Pokemon are usually bulky, so they don't entirely remove the concept of stall, but they are not overly passive either, which prevents the opposing team from taking advantage of a mostly helpless wall.

PU examples: Defensive teams tend to fall into this category in PU, as semi-stall tends to have more offensive presence that full stall teams, which helps reduce the passiveness of such styles considerably. These teams may use bulky attackers such as Torterra and Regice, along with priority users, to keep the opposing team from obtaining too much momentum against you.


Pokemon Roles

Each Pokemon can be defined as a certain type, used to fulfill a role on your team. Many roles overlap on a single Pokemon, as you only have 6 teamslots to fulfill a variety of needs. The most common ones are:

Sweeper- These Pokemon generally focus on setting up at least 1 stat boost (usually to their offensive and/or Speed stats) and then finishing off a weakened team. While not always successful, sweepers do tend to inflict a lot of damage on the opposing team, making it difficult for the opponent to come back from it. Usually, sweepers are separated further into physical, special, and mixed sweepers based on the side of the offensive spectrum they attack on.

Wall- Walls generally focus on maximizing their bulk and outlasting the opponent. They usually devote most of their EVs into HP and their primary defensive stat. Some walls split their defensive focus to take on both physical and special attacks. All walls, physical, special, or mixed, generally have an HP recovery move in order to maximize their longevity over the course of the game. Walls generally tend to be on the slow side and lack offensive power. They usually make up for it by provide useful support moves for the rest of the team to take advantage of.

Tank- Tanks generally combine both high offensive stats with good natural bulk. Usually at the cost of their Speed, tanks focus on withstanding one or two attacks and retaliating hard.

Bulky Attacker- While similar to tanks, bulky attackers tend to invest in their speed and their offensive stat of choice. They usually make use of their natural bulk and resistances to attack or set up, but they don't enjoy taking multiple hits.

Pivot- Similar to tanks and bulky attackers, pivots generally are meant to withstand a single attack. Pivots focus mostly on gaining offensive momentum (explained later) for your team, which entails providing a safe switch in for your next Pokemon. Usually accomplished with an attack that switches you out, such as U-turn and Volt Switch, pivots come in only to take a hit that its teammate cannot, and then switch out and provide a safer switch in for its teammate (either through good prediction or the aforementioned switching out moves).

Revenge Killer- Coined as such because they come in after a teammate faints and attacks in the hopes to faint the opposing Pokemon in revenge. Such Pokemon usually have extremely high natural Speed, are equipped with a Choice Scarf, or a move with higher priority. Revenge killers usually have high natural offenses, as otherwise it would be difficult to properly KO the opposing Pokemon.

Support- Support Pokemon are various, and they provide a certain utility for the team. Entry hazard users are the most common support Pokemon in the game, as they can be either offensive or defensive. Status moves, weather setters, and clerics are all examples of supporters. While many are typically defensive in nature, they should not be confused with walls, as many lack reliable recovery options and are only used to provide their particular support.

Wallbreaker- As their name states, wallbreaker generally power through walls and tanks with repeated attacks. Most wallbreakers are mixed attackers, so as to strike walls on their weaker defensive stat. These Pokemon generally are not that fast, nor that bulky. Because they usually need all the moveslots, they do not carry utility or boosting moves, so they are limited to what the power they have naturally.

Stalbreaker- Similar to wallbreakers, stallbreakers try to break through walls and defensive Pokemon. Their method usually revolves around limiting the ability of walls to perform actions, notably through Taunt. As preventing a wall from restoring HP is crucial, Taunt is generally the most effective method. Other methods include tricking a Choice item, setting up a Substitute and then boosting to a point that the wall can no longer withstand multiple attacks, and using Encore to lock a wall into a single move.


Putting a Team Together

We've gone over the roles a Pokemon can play and the general types of teams you will see. Now it's time to learn how to actually build a functional team. The first thing to remember is: no team will ever be perfect.

Even among the best players, there are no perfect teams. Pokemon has hundreds of different options, and while only a certain few have the prestige of being "top-tier threats", it is likely that an unnoticed threat can slip through. The most important thing is to minimize the common threats, since most of the time you can rely on strategy to defeat rarer threats.

Step 1: Choose your Focus

The first thing you should do when making a team is to decide on either the type of team you want to build, or a specific Pokemon or core of Pokemon that you want to focus the team around. Focusing on a specific strategy or Pokemon helps you structure your team, which means you can more effectively focus on specific threats.

Step 2: Type Synergy

Once you decide on a theme for the team, or the main star of the team, you can build around it. Type synergy is a key way to do so. Defensively oriented teams rely on resistances and bulk to handle common threats, so you must make sure that there aren't any threatening type weaknesses on the team you build. Offensively oriented teams are much more worried about whether the range of attack types on the team can cover a significant range of threats or not.

Step 3: Pick the roles

Different team styles need different Pokemon to fill certain roles. Most teams appreciate 1 or more entry hazard user to provide reliable residual damage to the opposing team. From there, it mostly depends on the needs of the team. For offensive teams, revenge killers are very important to make up for the lack of bulk an/or resistances. Defensive teams need a Pokemon that can provide a win condition, as simply living attacks do not bring you closer to winning. Bulky set-up Pokemon and phazers are the 2 most common win conditions or Stall teams. Outside of these requirements, most roles are filled out as you build the team and see what you are missing.

When you pick a Pokemon for your team, remember to look at the explanation for the recommended EV spreads. If yo do not understand the purpose of the EVs, then you go into a battle at a severe disadvantage. EVs are not set in stone, and can be altered to fit your team's needs. Take a look at the Strategy Pokedex if you don't understand what your EVs do.

Step 4: Review the Team

When a team is first completed, there are usually plenty of problems that plague it. A cursory glance isn't enough though; to succeed, you must look at all the major threats of the metagame. Match your team against these specific threats and think: "does my team effectively handle these threats?" If your team has a problem with a common threat, look over your team: can you deal with this threat by changing something as simple as a move or EV spread or item? If you cannot, you may need to replace a Pokemon. This is the hardest part for most newer players, who tend to want to use their favorite Pokemon. But the fact is that if there is a Pokemon that is allowed in the metagame, fulfills a similar role to one of your current Pokemon, and handle a threat that your team currently, then it is for the best that you replace your old team member.


2. Battling:

The fun part! Good battling is equal parts teambuilding, prediction, game planning, decision-making, and knowledge of the metagame. Other factors also come into play, but these are the most important ones to at least be competent. If you have knowledge of any other tier you will get good in the blink of an eye!

Teambuilding

The flesh and blood of battling is having a well built team. We've already gone over the general facts in the previous section. Here is a short reminder: pick a playstyle, select a core, support the core with the proper roles, review the team and close any holes.

Prediction

Prediction is a term that is thrown around so often, most experienced players forget how difficult it is for newer players to do so. The best way to describe it is to try and put yourself in your opponent's shoes. Ask yourself, "what would be the best move to make if I were my opponent?" The more you battle, the more easily you can get into the mind of your opponent. If you can garner the different moves your opponent can feasibly make, you can then choose their most likely path and make your own move on that assumption. Prediction is an educated guess, based around what you know of the opposing team and method of battling, but it is a guess nonetheless. Do not be discouraged if you fail to predict properly. Slow down and look more carefully at your opponent's team and what moves they have made thus far. If you see a pattern, you have a better chance of predicting your opponent's move and adapting to the situation. Adaptation is vital, as your opponent has the ability to predict as well. Playing in a set pattern leaves your moves easily readable, so make sure to change your plays once in a while. Just don't get too crazy with your moves, as you can easily end up helping your opponent if you put yourself in a bad situation because you wanted to be unpredictable.

Often, it is useful to ascertain how "good" your opponent is, which helps determine how they play. One simple method is to fin the rank of your opponent, which can be done by using the command /rank (username). The lower the rank in comparison tot he number of battles they have had, the likelier it is that the opponent is not very good. On the flip side, many people like making alternate usernames to battle under (known as alts). So do not immediately assume that they are a bad player and fail to put effort in your predictions. Remember, you can also make use of this rule, as your opponent can also try to ascertain your level of skill by checking your rank.

Many moves and strategies rely on prediction to actually succeed. Encore and Pursuit are notable as you must time them exactly right to make use of them. If you successfully switch in a threatening Pokemon against your opponent, rather than going for the gusto and attacking or setting up, look at your opponent's team and see if they have a check or counter for your threat. If they do, it may be in your best interest to switch out immediately for a check or counter to the Pokemon that would have checked or countered you. This is known as double switching, which is a common strategy based around good predictions. There are methods that make prediction easier, usually by making it safer for a certain Pokemon to switch in. U-turn and Volt Switch are some infamous moves that embody such methods. They allow you to both inflict some damage to your opponent, and then switch out to a Pokemon better able to deal with the situation. Faster users enjoy doing so when they already threaten the opposing Pokemon to the point where they switch out, as then you can immediately bring out a check or counter to maintain control of the situation. Slower users are better at supporting your team, as they can take the attack that would otherwise hit your teammate switching in, which grants a safe switch in opportunity for your teammate.

The end result of good prediction that the ability to maintain momentum for your team. Momentum is another word that is thrown around, but is very hard to define. Basically, it represents the flow of the battle. Controlling momentum means that you are forcing your opponent to react to your moves in a passive manner (such as switching out or trying to stop a sweep). Momentum can change sides in a single move, so prediction is the key to controlling momentum in your favor.


Game Planning

Going into a battle, your team should already be prepared with a couple of win condition Pokemon or strategies. A team may be built defensively perfect, but if it lacks brute force or a sufficient amount of residual damage causing methods, it becomes difficult to win (outside of sheer attrition perhaps). That is the main reason for a dedicated win condition (or two). But not all plans come to pass, and your chosen win condition may faint early or just never get the chance to set up. The best players adapt with a new win condition, based on what threatens the opposing team the most. This is what makes Team Preview so valuable: you can give your opponent's team a cursory scan and see what Pokemon on YOUR team has the best chance of winning and what Pokemon on your team will not play a major role in the battle. Once you find your best win condition, you can make your moves based around creating an ideal scenario for your victory.

Decision Making in Battle

So you've built yourself a decent team, studied up on the metagame, and have scoped out your opponent's team. Now you are facing them in battle and all your preparations won't make a difference if you don't make good decisions in the battle. We've already gone over predictions, but sometimes a single bump in the road can cost you the whole battle. This tends to happen because of a bad decision on your part, a better decision on your opponent's part, or because of bad luck. When you make a poor move, it can easily be the start of a slippery slope of bad plays. Take a quick breather and analyze what the problem may have been. Don't be shaken if your opponent made a very impressive move. Losing your confidence is the worst thing, because your mindset has changed to the point where you feel you've already lost. You obviously cannot battle at your best if you believe you will lose. Just remember, it's never over until the battle ends.

Luck (otherwise known as hax) will be a common enemy of yours, and you can't avoid it. Bad luck cannot be controlled (for the most part), and you will have your fair share of it. All you can do is try and mitigate the damage bad luck can cause, and keep going. Don't blame your opponent just because they got lucky, and don't think you are a bad battler either. Chances are, your opponent did not intend on winning through luck; you can't fault them for taking advantage of a lucky break either. On the flip side, don't act like you are superior if you got lucky, nor take it personally when someone gets angry at you because you had some good luck.

All decisions in battling comes with a fair share of risk. In hindsight, you will usually regret at least one move you made, even if it made sense at that moment. All you can do is learn from the experience. Watch your battles: we learn more from our losses than our victories, as we understand what we do wrong and try to not make the same mistakes again. Smogon has resources that help to make your decisions more solid, so don't be afraid of taking some time to utilize them either. The Damage Calculator, Speed Tiers thread, Smogon PokeDex, and usage stats are all good resources to have on hand during a battle, as they make your decisions a lot easier. Always account for the possibility of your opponent predicting your move as well. Look at all your possible moves, and calculate the amount of risk and reward that each move has. Sometimes you will want to take a greater risk if it means you have a better path to victory, while other times it is better to choose the least risky option on the chance that your opponent will predict your move. Generally, making risky plays pays off later in the battle, where your opponent has less chance of making a comeback.


3. Knowledge of the Metagame:

Smogon has a variety of resources at your fingertips. The Strategy Pokedex is one of Smogon's best resources, where you can learn about some of the best sets for each Pokemon, and how to use them effectively. The Damage Calculator is another priceless resource, since being able to determine your chances of successfully surviving an attack or KOing and opponent is crucial to help determine your moves. The Smogon forums has a variety of useful topics ad discussions, and simply reading them over can help one improve.

The Viability Ranking thread is a particularly awesome resource thread, providing you a list of PU Pokemon ordered by their effectiveness in the metagame. It ranges from S-rank, which are top tier threats, to E-rank, which is just the bottom of the barrel Pokemon you should avoid using in the tier. The Sets Viability Ranking thread is also an useful resource to understand what is the most effective set.

While some threads are subjective and change every so often, the Speed Tiers thread is mostly static and can be relied upon to list the important Speeds that your team should be built around. Players from each tier also donate teams to the Sample Teams thread, which means that even a new player can immediately start battling and get a feel for the metagame. There is the Role Compendium, which lists Pokemon that are used in certain roles and is immensely helpful for building a team.

Now what Pokemon the top players feel are good, and what Pokemon the general public like to use, are not always on the same wavelength. That's where the usage statistics come in. Every month, Smogon releases data on what Pokemon are used the most in a certain tier, at different laddering levels. Smogon also releases information on what the most popular moves, items, abilities, and even team playstyles are for the month. You may not be able to account for every Pokemon, but there is a good chance that accounting for the top 100 or so Pokemon is more than sufficient.

But even after looking at all these threads and resources, experience is still the best teacher. If you are not quite ready to dive into battling, take a look at replays on Pokemon Showdown! Replays give you a general idea of battling tactics, and it helps you to look over the battles and think about what moves you might have done differently. Watching live battles may be even better, as you can understand the reasoning for certain moves as they happen. Battling is the best way to learn, as you gain confidence in your prediction skills, and learn what problems your team needs to deal with firsthand.

Smogon offers articles about almost every Pokemon related subject there is. Take this article about leading with certain Pokemon, for instance. The Smog offers many resources, along with entertaining articles, that players should take advantage of to expand their knowledge. The Smogon Intro Section is catered to new players specifically, and is invaluable for anyone looking to get into the community at large. Battling 101 is a program where high-level players take newer players under their wing and tutor them; this is a program that newer players should definitely make use of.
 
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