Team Building 102

By Jimmer Sivertsen

My favorite kind of team possesses a wide variety of attacks and MP, allowing a number of strategies against different Pokémon teams. A lot of teams you'll build in the beginning are just based on the characters you've picked up–as you play more,  you'll have a chance to trade figures with other players, unlocking more strategies and combinations.

Let’s start off by adding what I call “The Brute.“ This Pokémon is going to be the one with strong White attacks and plenty of them. Charizard is an excellent example–Fire Spin takes up a lot of space on the dial, allowing Charizard to build up to the biggest attack anyone has seen. During exhibition games, Charizard built up to 400 damage multiple times … not really necessary to win the battle but great fun!
 
Next, we add a second Pokémon that has 1 MP as well. Lugia, Feraligatr, and Kyogre all fit the bill— they have fairly strong White attacks and powerful Purple attacks. I like Lugia in this team, just for that chance of Dodge. It doesn’t hurt that Hurricane has 3 stars on its Purple attack; nothing else tops it except for a Blue attack.
 
You’ve got the power—now you need finesse. Fast Pokémon can force your opponent into a corner, limiting his or her chances for a comeback. The threat of a speedy Pokémon zipping through a gap in your opponent’s defense is a strong offensive strategy. One of my favorite Pokémon for this is Treecko: its attacks aren’t powerful, but its large Dodge attack lets it sneak through to act as a helpful ally for surrounding your opponent.
 
For a mix of speed, tricks, and damage, I use Spearow and Meowth. The Purple attacks that let you fly over or switch with the Defending Pokémon are great for controlling the game. Let your opponent wonder what your plan is: are you trying to race past or come back for the surround maneuver?
 
Finally, we add the last Pokémon to the team—ideally, it covers the team’s weakness. We have Pokémon that account for tricks, speed, and damage. Zangoose makes the cut with its good Dodge, a fair amount of speed, and solid White attacks. With no chance of a Miss, the ability to duck under a Purple attack, and its Pokémon Power making it immune to the Poisoned Special Condition, it makes for a great teammate.
 
Good luck choosing your own power team!