How to wrap my head around being able to make my own movesets?
for someone whos played Pokemon since blue/yellow, and has no mind for graspinghow to make a proper moveset, like picking moves/abilities/items and doubles partners that work together,and I’ve never been someone who can do strategy, even though I play games like that, but I’m just always making it up as I go fly by the seat of my pants and most of the time I lose terribly more so then ever winning,the best I can do at putting together a moveset is copy someone else, I’ve never been capable of doing “Builds in games” I’ve never heard of it till recent years and never have played that way, what advice can someone give me to turn things around on this lack of capability?
Pleaselog inorregisterto add a comment.
Seems you are a beginner (same as me!), I have learnt many things from this showdown which I have to tell you.
You just need a little more experience, then you would be perfect in this!Never give up. Observe how other players are using their mons.
Choose a good held item for it.For example, if it has less defenses and have moves such as Calm Mind, Swords Dance etc (Which boosts your Atk, SpA or Spe), you can’t be knocked out that turn, then those moves would be useless. So Focus Sash would prevent it from getting knocked out. If it is defensive, leftovers is preferred. Life Orb if you want to hit hard. Flame Orb to activate Guts etc. Just explore every held items and you would get an idea. If you are playing showdown, you will get a list of popular items, choose one of that carefully which suits your Pokémon.
Choose your moves wisely.Just don’t focus on attacking moves. If you pick all attacking moves, use Choice Band / Specs / Scarf (where the moves are locked but one of your stats get boosted). Get its Powerful STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Coverage moves and Stat boosting moves etc. (see 4th point)
Plan your EVs, Nature etc252(Atk or SpA)/252Spe/4(any)- this is the suitable EV spreads for a Sweeper.252 HP if using Rest + Chesto Berry (or Sleep Talk), or for support, setting up etc.Natures which hampers Atk or SpA (physical or special, depends upon the moves which the Pokémon doesn’t have) are suitable.252 Atk or SpA / 252 HP for a sweeper who has more HP.Hope you get the idea.
Set up a balanced team (which includes equal Physical Attackers and Special Attackers), or a Staller, or Suicide lead (Toxic Spikes / Spikes / Stealth Rock setter).
Edit: Special / Physical Sweeper
I would like to take an example of Lucario.
Ability: Think and choose his ability.Justifiedis useless as your opponent already knows that Dark type moves is not very effective to Lucario. The rest is justokay, you got an option betweenSteadfastandInner Focus.One raises his speed when flinched and other makes him immune to Flinching and Intimidate. The second one is useful if you want to use a Physical Lucario. If you want to use a special one, then either is good.(You must use either special or physical, not both. For both Physical and Special, you can’t use both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, you don’t have many spots, you have variety of options so you may get confused, so just don’t use it.)
Physical Lucario
Moves:
Other Moves Available:
So, from these moves, we have to pick any three.
Based on this moveset, let’s determine our held item.Swords Dance - As I had already mentioned, Focus Sash is useful here.
EV Spread: This set for Lucario is set for the role of Sweeper.252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4(Any)
Nature: Hampering its SpA. As he already has Swords Dance (which raises its Atk), his Speed needs to be raised. +Spe / -SpA -> Jolly Nature
Special Lucario
Moves:
Other Moves Available
So, from these moves, we have to pick any three.
EV Spread: 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4(Any)
Nature: Hampering its Atk. As he already has Nasty Plot (which raises its SpA), his Speed needs to be raised. +Spe / -Atk -> Timid Nature
Held Item: Same
Support (or suicide lead)
Example: Roserade.Roserade has low physical defenses, it may get knocked out very early. So you can set it up as a suicide lead (start with her)For suicide leads, natures, held items doesn’t matter.
Moves:
(I’m not sure whether you can throw spikes and Toxic spikes at the same time. If so, you can replace it with Extrasensory)
EV Spread:It needs to be fast for setting up, and for this you need more HP so that you can throw more spikes, so the EV spread goes like this:252 HP / 252 Spe / 4 SpANature : Timid (-Atk, +Spe)
This link could help you:Source
So like this we can plan their movesets. You don’t need to get confused too much :)Hope this helps :)
I suggest that you do what you are doing: Use movesets from other players.Nobody starts out the best. If your movesets don’t work out, then don’t be hesitated to use someone else’s moveset that seems to work well. It’s okay if you copy someone’s moveset. You won’t get in trouble.Another thing to do is to watch others play.If you happen to know a friend or somebody who’s good at competitive, watch thier battles. This can easily be done on Showdown. You can always ask a user to put the links of thier battles on your wall so you can watch them. By watching somebody play, you can start to learn what moves you should put on your Pokemon and which Pokemon you should use.Just look at the moveset pages we have on Pokemon Database.If you type the name of a Pokemon into the search bar, the first thing to pop up will most likely be “What is a good moveset for (Pokemon’s name you typed in.)” By looking at others movesets, you can start to learn what EVs you should invest in, which items are good on Pokemon, what moves work well on the Pokemon, what Nature you should have, things like that. Like I said, by looking at what other players do, it will help you to make movesets that work for you.Take a Pokemon’s stats and moves into consideration.If a Pokemon has stats such ashigh Attack, low Special Attack, but gets access to lots of Special moves,High Special Attack, low Attack, but gets access to many Physical moves, orHigh Offensive stats but has poor Defenses and low Speed, you probably shouldn’t use those Pokemon. Look at a Pokemon’s Stats to see what they are best with. The base stats of a Pokemon areHP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed.Pokemon with high Attack should have strong Physical moves. A Pokemon with high Special Attack should have strong Special moves. Pokemon with high HP and Defenses should be used as stallers and to set up entry hazards. Also, Pokemon that have moves of the same type as themselves get STAB, Same Type Attack Bonus. This will mean that a Pokemon gets a little more power for moves of thier type. It is also useful to have coverage moves. This way, a Pokemon that is weak against another Pokemon can have a move or moves to deal with the opponent. You should never have all moves of the same type.Use EVs that benefit your Pokemon.A few EVs can make a huge difference in a battle. EVs can help you tank a strong attack or deal enough damage to finish off a though opponent. Spread EVs on different stats. You can use EVs to make a Pokemon’s attacks stronger, make them bulkier, and get them a bit faster. Also, use EVs that can benefit what your Pokemon is used for. For example, don’t put Attack EVs on a Special Attacker.Make sure your Pokemon have good natures.Natures can help a Pokemon in battle by giving it a stat boost. However, while one stat is boosted, another one is lowered. An example of how to use natures is to have a Special Attacker with a modest nature. This will lower the Pokemon’s Attack while upping it’s Special Attack. Use Showdown’s team builder to see all natures and what they do.Apply good items to your Pokemon.Certain items can help your Pokemon out in battle, depending on what moves, stats, and other things your Pokemon has. For example, attach a Life Orb if you want to deal more damage and you don’t care about losing a little HP after each attack. It all depends on your moves and what your Pokemon are going to be used for.Most importantly, just try out your movesets.Never give up. If you keep trying out your Pokemon, you’ll eventually find something that works for you. Change things around. Use different Pokemon. Ask others for advice. You will get better if you keep battling and paying attention to what is effective.
Hope this helped.
Here is how I make my own movesets
1.Identify it’s roleNo matter what Pokemon you use, it always has a certain role that it’s gonna fulfill. Usually the roles determine what to invest EV’s in and moves into or the other way around.
Here are some popular roles that many use:
Physical SweeperA Pokemon who uses physically offensive moves to do damage and bring down an opponent’s team. Many carry Attack boosting moves, like Swords Dance or Dragon Dance.
Special SweeperA Pokemon who uses specially offensive moves to do damage and bring down an opponent’s team. Many carry Special Attack boosting moves, like Nasty Plot or Calm Mind.
Pivot (Defensive / Offensive)A pivot is a Pokemon that is generally only used for switching. Due to good defensive stats and a solid defensive typing, they can usually take little damage as they switch in, and the opposing switch they force allows the player to switch again safely to another Pokemon. An offensive pivot will force a switch by threatening KO on the opponent, thus obtaining momentum, whereas a defensive pivot will be difficult to break past, and thus will slow the opponent’s momentum.
WallA Pokemon intended to take either physical or special attacks extremely effectively and consistently over the course of a battle.
SupporterA Pokemon who uses non-offensive moves which benefit the team.
Suicide LeadA lead Pokemon, who usually pack low defenses, that tries to set up entry hazards quickly and prevent opponents from doing the same, usually by Taunt, before dying.
Mixed SweeperA sweeper who uses both physical and special offensive moves to do damage.
WallbreakerAn offensively oriented Pokemon meant specifically for crushing walls rather than sweeping. This is usually done with extra powerful offensive stats and commonly use both physical and special moves in their moveset.
(Note: I got this infromation by looking on Smogon University’s page about roles so if you want to see all of them then check outthis)
2.Determine it’s stat spread and movesetsAny Pokemon have a certain set of moves, whether it’s a mve of their type or another. One move for each type the Pokemon you’re using gives it STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus). While you spend moveslots for the type bonus, use the others either for coverage or for status moves.Coverage is to hit back against Pokemon that would normally KO you with one shot assuming the opponent move first. Status moves can be used to increase your stats, give the opponent a status effect, or to switch (usually for pivoting). For stats, you should invest some EV’s into your stat depending on your moveset. If you want a fast and powerful physical attacker, put EV’s into the Attack and Speed stat and the what’s left of it into others.If you want a bulky Pokemon, invest in HP, Defense, and Special Defense.Natures can help increase a stat and lower another. For example, Adamant increases Attack by 10% and lowers Special Attack by 10%.
3.Understanding AbilitiesAbilities can be situational. But if it meets the conditions, it could give you a sweet reward. For example, Water Absorb makes the user regain HP when hit by a water-type move. Abilities can also be important in doubles.
And finally,
4.Testing StrategiesShowdown! is a good way to test out a team you wanna use.Just ask a friend or family member to help you test out in battle. Showdown! includes many resources to set the exact things you want such as EV’s, moves and Abilities of a Pokemon you wanna use.
I hope you find this helpful. I’ll wish you luck in all future battles!
