Pokemon Best Team: Building a Squad That Covers Everything

Every Pokemon game asks the same question: which six creatures do you bring? The answer changes with every generation, but the principles don't. A good team covers type weaknesses, distributes roles (sweeper, tank, support), and has answers for the threats each game throws at you. Here's how to build a team that actually works, regardless of which game you're playing.

The universal team-building rules

Rule 1: Type coverage matters more than individual power. A team of six dragons gets walled by any Fairy type. A balanced team with Water, Fire, Grass, Electric, Ground, and Flying coverage handles almost anything the story throws at you.

Rule 2: You need at least one fast sweeper. A Pokemon with high Speed and high Attack or Special Attack that can knock out threats before they move. Every team needs this — it's your answer to dangerous opponents.

Rule 3: You need at least one bulky Pokemon. Something that can take hits while you heal or set up. Physical walls (high Defense) and special walls (high Special Defense) serve different purposes.

Rule 4: Don't double up on types. Two Water types means two Pokemon that share the same weaknesses (Electric, Grass). Diversify.

Rule 5: STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) is 50% more damage. A Water-type using Water moves deals 1.5x damage. Build movesets around STAB.

The ideal team structure

A balanced team of six typically looks like:

Lead / Fast Sweeper: High Speed, strong offensive moves. Sets the pace.

Physical Attacker: High Attack stat, physical moves (Close Combat, Earthquake, etc.).

Special Attacker: High Special Attack, special moves (Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, etc.).

Physical Wall: High Defense, recovery moves. Absorbs physical hits.

Special Wall / Support: High Special Defense, status moves (Toxic, Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock).

Flex / Utility: Whatever your team needs — a second sweeper, a pivot, a setup sweeper, a hazard setter.

Type coverage checklist

Your team of six should be able to hit every type super-effectively. The minimum coverage moves to check:

Must cover: Fairy, Dragon, Steel, Ground, Water, Fire, Flying, Fighting

These are the types that cause the most problems if you can't hit them. A team that can deal super-effective damage to all eight of these types handles 90% of in-game challenges.

The best coverage move combinations:

• Ice + Ground hits almost everything (Ice Beam + Earthquake)
• Fire + Electric + Ice covers most types
• Fighting + Dark + Fairy covers a huge range
• Ground + Flying is the classic EdgeQuake combo

Competitive team archetypes

For online battles and Battle Tower / Battle Frontier:

Hyper Offense: Six offensive Pokemon. Overwhelm opponents before they can set up. Requires good prediction and speed control.

Balance: Mix of offense and defense. The most forgiving playstyle. 3 offensive + 2 defensive + 1 utility.

Stall: All walls and support. Win by outlasting opponents with Toxic, recovery, and hazards. Effective but extremely slow.

Weather teams: Rain, Sun, Sand, or Hail team with a weather setter and abusers. Swift Swim in rain, Chlorophyll in sun.

Trick Room: Slow Pokemon that benefit from Trick Room reversing speed order. Niche but devastating when it works.

The EV / IV basics

EVs (Effort Values): Hidden stat points you earn from battling. Max 510 total, max 252 per stat. For sweepers, invest in Speed + Attack/Sp.Atk. For walls, invest in HP + Defense or Sp.Def.

IVs (Individual Values): Random stats determined when a Pokemon is caught or bred. Range 0-31 per stat. 31 is perfect. Breeding and Hyper Training can fix IVs.

Natures: Each nature boosts one stat 10% and lowers another 10%. Adamant (+Atk, -SpAtk) for physical attackers. Modest (+SpAtk, -Atk) for special attackers. Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk) for fast physical sweepers. Timid (+Spd, -Atk) for fast special sweepers.

In-game team tips (story mode)

Story mode is much more forgiving than competitive. Some guidelines:

Over-leveling solves everything. If you're stuck, grind 5 levels and try again. Story mode doesn't require competitive optimization.

Your starter is always viable. Every starter Pokemon is designed to carry through the story. Pick whichever you like.

Catch something for every gym type weakness. Before each gym, make sure you have a Pokemon with super-effective moves against the gym leader's type. This trivializes most gym battles.

Legendaries are designed to be used. The box legendary you catch during the story is intentionally overpowered for story purposes. Use it.

What we make at Choost

Granny's Gambit is a deckbuilder where team composition parallels apply — choosing the right cards to cover different threats. Different format, similar "build a roster that handles everything" thinking.

For more RPG content, the best anime games, games like Fire Emblem, and games like Chrono Trigger posts have more.

The shortest version

Cover all major types. Don't duplicate types on your team. Have at least one fast sweeper and one bulky wall. STAB moves deal 50% extra damage. For story mode, over-level if stuck. For competitive, learn EVs, IVs, and natures. Ice + Ground + Fire + Electric coverage handles nearly everything.