What is a good in-game team for Black and White?
Share your best in-game teams forPokemon BlackandWhiteon this thread! Teams should be aimed toward making casual runs of the game efficient, enjoyable and hassle-free.
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The preview of the Pokemon I will select for you. There’s seven because Gothitelle and Reuniclus are version exclusives, so you have to pick one.
SamurottAbility: TorrentSassy Nature- Surf- Megahorn- Ice Beam- Return
Mixed attacker, semi-wall, and Surfer. Surf is obvious STAB, and Ice Beam and Megahorn give you decent super effective coverage against Dragon, Grass, Psychic, Dark, Flying, Ground, Rock, and Fire. Return because your starter will probably love you enough to cause major damage.
ScraftyAbility: MoxieJolly Nature- Brick Break- Crunch- Rock Slide- Chip Away
Brick Break and Crunch are STAB. Rock Slide is coverage and with Chip Away you can attack anyone that boosts up and ignore the boost. This guy can sweep three members of the Elite Four all by himself.
ArcheopsAbility: DefeatistJolly Nature- Fly- Rock Slide- U-turn- Dragon Claw
Your team’s flyer. He has amazing Attack and Speed but if he gets under half his health, he’s pretty useless. Fly is to travel around Unova. Rock Slide is STAB. U-turn and Dragon Claw are coverage.
GalvantulaAbility: CompoundeyesTimid Nature- Thunder- Bug Buzz- Energy Ball- Thunder Wave
A very good Pokemon. Thunder and Bug Buzz are powerful STABs and Energy Ball is coverage. The lower accuracy of Thunder is taken care of by Compoundeyes. Thunder Wave is there to paralyze and help with legendaries or other hard-to-catch Pokemon.
BearticAbility: Snow CloakNaive Nature- Icicle Crash- Brine- Rock Slide- Grass Knot
Another mixed guy on your team. Icicle Crash is STAB. Brine,Grass Knot, and Rock Slide is coverage.
Now depending on your game you will either getGothitelleorReuniclusas your next Pokemon.
GothitelleAbility: FriskModest Nature- Psychic- Shadow Ball- Thunderbolt- Protect / Flash
Psychic is powerful STAB. Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt are coverage and Protect is for filler, or you can have Flash to lower their accuracy.
ReuniclusAbility: Magic GuardModest Nature- Psychic- Shadow Ball- Energy Ball- Flash/Protect
The Gothitelle of White Version. Pretty much the same except it has Energy Ball instead of Thunderbolt.
All the Pokemon can be caught before the 7th gym
This answer used to contain a very different team. Then I did some research onSmogonandSpeedrun.comand decided that my old team sucked. Several people commented on my old team, which is why those comments don’t make sense now. I still have not yet played BW at all, so I don’t understand how I got so many up-votes.
StoutlandAbility: vital spirit -> intimidateEVs: 100 Spe- return- crunch- dig- work up
Availability: Early-game (Route 1 from levels 2-4 at a 50% encounter rate).Typing: The line’s members are Normal-types and neutral against everything save Shauntal, whose Ghost-types are immune, and Marshal, who hits the line super effectively.Stats: The Lillipup line has solid stats except for Special Attack, with Stoutland having 100 Attack, 80 Speed and 85/90/90 bulk.Movepool: Tackle and Bite carry Lillipup well until Take Down at level 15 and (as a Herdier) Crunch at level 24. Return via TM at Nimbasa City is the line’s best STAB attack once they have high friendship, and the Work Up TM can be useful to boost offensive stats.Major Battles: The Lillipup line has a solid showing in all major battles, as few opponents resist Normal, and Ghost- and the rare Steel-types are handled by Crunch and Dig. Work Up can help the line sweep some fights from Elesa onward.Additional Comments: Lillipup is consistently a great Pokémon for Gym Leaders but is too reliant on Work Up boosts to do its job at the Pokémon League. Get the Vital Spirit ability as Lillipup, as it turns into Intimidate as a Herdier onward, letting the line take physical hits better.
I chose Stoutland mostly because the current world record speedrun used it. The speedrun used reversal and did not use intimidate, dig, or carbos. However, I think most BW players don’t want to keep Stoutland’s HP low just to maximize reversal’s power, and they don’t care very much about the extra time it takes to use intimidate or dig or get the 10 carbos.
SimipourEVs: 100 Spe- surf- work up- acrobatics- blizzard
Simipour is the special attacker of this team. Its water attacks are useful against several ground and rock Pokemon that are not weak to this team’s other attacks, as well as fire Pokemon before obtaining the TM for dig. I chose this over Samurott because the Dreamyard monkey is guaranteed to have the advantage over Cheren’s starter and the first gym. Acrobatics and blizzard are powerful attacks that cover grass and dragon and are not learned by any other team members.
DarmanitanEVs: 100 Spe- fire punch/flare blitz- belly drum- rock slide- dig
Availability: Early-game (40% chance to appear in Route 4).Typing: Save for Drayden/Iris, Fire hits all Gym Leaders and Elite Four members for at least neutral damage and is hit super effectively only by Clay.Stats: Darumaka is decently fast, and its high Attack buffed up by Hustle allows it to hit every foe hard; its shaky bulk is fixed by Eviolite. As a Darmanitan, it hits even harder, is way faster, and has enough bulk to take neutral hits well and even avoid OHKOs from super effective moves.Movepool: It learns Fire Punch at level 22, Belly Drum (which it can safely set up with as a Darmanitan) at level 30, and Flare Blitz at level 33. Hammer Arm comes upon evolution, and Superpower is learned at level 47. TM-wise, it can be taught Brick Break as an alternative to Superpower, Rock Slide, and Dig, the latter of which is good for Shauntal and Ghetsis’s Fire-resistant Pokémon.Major Battles: As a Darumaka, it only ever struggles against Clay. Burgh and Elesa lose to Darumaka, although it needs Eviolite for both. As a Darmanitan, it sweeps all the other Gym Leaders, with Drayden/Iris falling to Belly Drum. At the Elite Four, it can use Belly Drum strategies again to sweep all but Marshal. It is useful against N and Ghetsis, the latter being swept if you use Substitute and X Speed in conjuction with Belly Drum.Additional Comments: Although Hustle might be annoying, most of the misses are not fatal; it does not prevent Darumaka from being one of the best choices for an efficient run of the games.
Darmanitan has insane stats and learns fire punch and flare blitz insanely early. Rock slide and dig cover fire and rock, and I chose them over Darmanitan’s fighting attacks because the team already has a fighting Pokemon.
ScraftyAbility: moxieEVs: 100 Spe- crunch- high jump kick- work up- rock slide
Availability: Early-game (20% chance to appear in Route 4).Typing: Although it struggles with Skyla, Scraggy’s typing allows it to beat Brycen and all of the Elite Four members barring Marshal.Stats: Scraggy has good Attack and defensive stats, which can be buffed by Eviolite. Its Speed will eventually cause it problems as a Scrafty, but you should have Speed EVs to outspeed some slower threats.Movepool: Its only STAB move is Faint Attack until it learns Brick Break at level 20. It can be taught Payback at level 23 to take advantage of its low Speed. High Jump Kick at level 31 and Crunch at level 38 are its strongest STAB moves. TM-wise, it can be taught Work Up and Rock Slide.Major Battles: Excepting Burgh’s Leavanny and Skyla, Scraggy does well against every Gym Leader, although it needs Eviolite for all of them as a Scraggy. It also does well against every Elite Four member bar Marshal and is useful against N and Ghetsis.Additional Comments: The combination of a strong movepool and good typing that threatens a lot of major opponents makes Scraggy a very good choice for a run of the games. Always use one with Moxie over Shed Skin.
Scrafty’s stats aren’t the best, but its offensive typing and ability are both amazing. Additionally, Scrafty learns powerful STAB moves very early. You can use brick break if you really want, but I think high jump kick’s 130 base power is more than worth the 10% chance to miss and take crash damage. Rock slide covers flying and bug.
Drilbur- cut- strength
This is the first HM slave. I don’t think you can get a Drilbur before the Dreamyard, so you’ll need another cut user (such as Patrat) for that.
Ducklett- fly- surf- dive
This is the second HM slave. Ducklett is by far the most common fly user that can also learn other HM moves.
That was my new and improved team. I hope I did my research right this time and I don’t have to rebuild this entire team again 4 years later.
(Pre-Elite Four) (Pokémon will not have moves taught by TM’s obtained after the Elite Four, or moves that a Pokemon will learn higher than level 50, unless it is really necessary)
Emboar @ Quick ClawAbility: BlazeNature: Brave (+Attack -Speed)
Emboar is easily the best choice for your starter as the Fire/Fighting type helps Emboar a lot in-game as a lot of important trainers have Pokémon that are weak to Fire/Fighting. Flamethrower gains STAB (Heat Crash is also an option, but it’s a lot more situational that Flamethrower), Hammer Arm gains STAB (Brick Break is another option, but it lacks in power) and Wild Charge and Assurance cover Emboar’s weaknesses to Water, Flying and Psychic.
Seismitoad @ Big RootAbility: Poison TouchNature: Balanced (Hardy, Quirky, Bashful, Serious, Docile)
Seismitoad has one of the best dual typings out there: Water/Ground, meaning it has only one weakness: grass and with its good movepool is a great Pokémon to have and your team. Surf gains STAB and gets you across water, Dig is the best Ground type move it gets before the E4, but it’s still a good attack. Poison Jab covers its only weakness and with Poison Touch, you’ll poison the foe often and Drain Punch keeps Seismitoad healthy.
Lilligant @ Wide LensAbility: Own TempoNature: Modest (+Special Attack -Attack)
Lilligant is a great way of finishing the starter type trio with its great moves for offence, defence and support and pretty good stats and good ability. Petal Dance is a very powerful STAB move, but Lilligant is locked into it and confuses it after 2/3 turns, Giga Drain is another STAB move, but is for recovery instead. Quiver Dance is for setting up and potential sweeps and Sleep Powder, Stun Spore and Teeter Dance are for crippling the foe and Leech Seed keeps Lilligant healthy.If you are playing Pokémon White, catch one in Pinwheel Forest and if you are playing Pokémon Black, catch a Cottonee in Pinwheel Forest and trade it for a Petilil in Nacrene City. Also make sure you evolve your Petilil between level 26-28.
Krookodile @ Shell BellAbility: MoxieNature: Adamant (+Attack -Special Attack)
Krookodile is a great Pokémon who has been blessed with two great abilities, a good typing and a surprisingly diverse movepool, as well as great stats. Earthquake gains STAB (It’s learned at level 54, but you’ll otherwise be stuck with Bulldoze and Dig), Crunch is another STAB move and Rock Slide and Aerial Ace cover its weaknesses to Ice, Bug and Grass.
Archeops @ No ItemAbility: DefeatistNature: Naive (+Speed -Special Defence)
Archeops actually has the highest base stat total of any non legendary, mega, primal, mythical and alternate form Pokémon, but has a terrible nature to nerf it. Fly gets you around quickly and is a strong STAB move, Rock Slide is another powerful STAB move, as is Acrobatics, which is why Archeops has no item, U-Turn gets Archeops out of battle and does damage as well and Bulldoze covers Archeops' weaknesses to Rock, Steel and Electric.
Vanilluxe @ Amulet CoinAbility: Ice BodyNature: Modest (+Special Attack -Attack)
Vanilluxe is a great Pokémon and probably your best option for an Ice Type, it’s faster, bulkier and accessable earlier than Beartic and Cryogonal isn’t that good anyways. Ice Beam gains STAB, Flash Cannon is for coverage, Light Screen is a great support move that cuts the damage the team from Special Attacks in half for 5 turns and Acid Armour makes Vanilluxe much bulkier (besides, it doesn’t have anything else for coverage anyways).
Here is a Black/White in-game team for you. Obviously with all HMs.
Lv17→Lv36→Tepig→Pignite→EmboarAbility: Blaze- Flare Blitz / Heat Crash- Wild Charge- Scald / Assurance- Hammer Arm
Emboar will be your starter. Flare Blitz for high damage and STAB, but it takes recoil. Heat Crash is another STAB option if you don’t like recoil. Wild Charge for covering Water and Flying weaknesses. Scald for covering Ground weakness or Assurance for covering Psychic weakness. Hammer Arm gets STAB.
Level up with high Friendship (220)→Woobat→SwoobatAbility: Unaware / Klutz / Simple (Hidden)- Fly- Psychic- Shadow Ball- U-turn
Swoobat will be you flyer. Fly is to help travel the Unova region and it gets STAB. Psychic is for STAB. Shadow Ball to cover your Ghost weakness. U-turn is to cover Dark weakness and to change Pokemon when you dislike the opponent.
Sun Stone→Petilil→LilligantAbility: Chlorophyll / Own Tempo / Leaf Guard (Hidden)- Giga Drain- Petal Dance- Quiver Dance- Cut
Lilligant will be your Pokemon that has Cut. Giga Drain is for recovery and STAB. Petal Dance is a strong STAB move that confuses, but Own Tempo stops the confusion. Quiver Dance to set up. Cut is only an HM.
Lv29→Lv40→Sandile→Krokorok→KrookodileAbility: Intimidate / Moxie / Anger Point (Hidden)- Earthquake- Foul Play- Aerial Ace- Strength
Krookodile will be a help against two of the Elite Four (Shauntal and Caitlin). Earthquake and Foul Play are both strong moves that get STAB. Aerial Ace is for covering Fighting, Bug and Grass weakness and Strength is an HM.
Lv37→Tirtouga→CarracostaAbility: Solid Rock / Sturdy / Swift Swim (Hidden)- Waterfall- Earthquake- Dive- Stone Edge
Carracosta will have two HMS, but it’s still very useful. Sturdy is to survive one Grass move. Waterfall and Dive are HMs and get STAB. Earthquake is a very useful move and is to cover Electric weakness. Stone Edge is a strong move and gets STAB.
Lv37→Cubchoo→BearticAbility: Snow Cloak / Swift Swim (Hidden)- Icicle Crash- Surf- Brick Break- Aerial Ace
Beartic is the surfer. Icicle Crash is for STAB. Surf is an HM and covers Fire and Rock weaknesses. Brick Break is to break Light Screen and Reflect, and Aerial Ace is to cover Fighting weakness.
Pokemon Locations
Move Locations
Tepig → Pignite → Emboar- Flare Blitz: Reaching Lv62 (Emboar); Lv52 (Pignite); Lv43 (Tepig) / Heat Crash: Reaching Lv31 (Emboar, Pignite); Lv27 (Tepig).- Hammer Arm: Relearning in the house at right of the Pokemon Center in Mistralton City (Emboar).- Wild Charge: TM93: Outside, very bottom of long slope (Emboar, Pignite, Tepig).- Scald: TM 55: Near entrance on ice in Cold Storage (Emboar) / Assurance: Reaching Lv38 (Emboar); Lv36 (Pignite); Lv31 (Tepig).
Hope it helps you ^_^
This is for you people who like the Water type starters.
Samurott @ LeftoversAbility: TorrentBrave Nature- Megahorn- Ice Beam- Surf- Swords Dance
This is for the people that choose the Oshawott. This guy is prepared for almost anything! Megahorn is a great move and, due to it’s unbelievable power, makes almost every move a one hit KO. Ice Beam is coverage and destroys those Grass types that just get in the way. Surf is STAB and an HM. I was thinking of putting Return in the fourth slot, but Samurott has a better moveset, so we can change that to something better! Swords Dance is to up his great Attack stat and to make Megahorn an extreme threat.
Chandelure @ Power BeltAbility: Flame BodyRash Nature- Shadow Ball- Psychic- Flamethrower- Energy Ball
This is your guy for covering the E4 and your main Fire type. The Power Belt is for upping Chandelure’s Defense stat. Shadow Ball is coverage for Ghost and Psychic types, plus STAB gives this move nice power. Psychic is to cover the Fighting types in the E4, real threats like Conkeldurr or Sawk. Flamethrower is another STAB move and covers those annoying Steel types that have high Defense. Without this, there would be no way to beat bulky Steels with this guy. Energy Ball is for covering all the weaknesses of Fire types.
Druddigon @ Dragon FangAbility: Rough SkinAdamant Nature- Superpower- Outrage- Stealth Rock- Iron Tail
This’ll be your Dragon type for the team. I choose him mostly to help Chandelure for Dark types (which can be covered by Druddigon’s Superpower). Outrage is STAB and covers Dragon types. I’d rather have this instead of Dragon Pulse or Draco Meteor because Draco Meteor doesn’t have enough PP and Dagon Pulse is too weak. Stealth Rock is to set up my only hazards in this team and helps on destroying another weakness, Ice types.Iron Tail is to cover Ice types that can be a big threat to this Druddigon. I’m thinking of putting some kind of Rock type in later, so it’s good that this guy covers the Steel advantages. Superpower can cover Dark types for Chandelure.
Archeops @ Hard StoneAbility: DeafeatistBrave Nature- Earthquake- Rock Slide- Fly- Heat Wave
This is your main defensive Pokemon on your team, and it’s also your flyer. Earthquake can cover Electric types like Zebstrika that can be a threat, plus I needed a Ground type move on this team somewhere! Rock Slide can cover some types that can be a challenge, and this move gets STAB on Archeops. Fly is needed to get around Unova efficiently, plus it covers those Grass or Fighting types that you just can’t beat. Plus it’s STAB on Archeops. Heat Wave is purely for Steel types that can be hard to knock out.
Galvantula @ Razor FangAbility: CompoundeyesMild Nature- Thunder- Bug Buzz- Thunder Wave- Double Team
This is your Electric type on the team. It’s got a pretty good moveset, with a status inflicting move and a move to annoy the heck out of your opponent. Thunder can be awesome when you need a powerhouse move to knock out your opponent, plus 120 power with 10 PP, I’ll take that any day. Bug Buzz is way better than X-Scissor because of it’s accuracy and power, this is just like Megahorn and for some reason, I think it always works. Thunder Wave can help on practically everything and is very helpful when catching legendaries like Kyurem. Double Team can be very useful when you want to be a nuisance to your opponent because this move repeated can annoy the heck out of your opponent.
Whimiscott @ Light ClayAbility: InfiltratorLax Nature- Hurricane- Energy Ball- Light Screen- Substitute
This guy is mostly my last hope. It’s also your main Grass type on this team. Hurricane has great power and can knock out those annoying Fighting types. Energy Ball is STAB and can take over as your powerhouse even though it has low power compared to Petal Dance or Solar Beam. Light Screen and Substitute are for helping him last for a long time. With Light Clay, Light Screen lasts for eight turns.
Well, that’s my Samurott team. There will be 2 more for Serperior and one for people that don’t like the starters.
Team Preview:(Pre-Elite Four)
While Samurott may not be as good as Emboar for advantages throughout the game, automatic access to Surf as well as other options for Fire and Fighting types means Samurott is still great. Surf is your main STAB move and gets you across water, X-Scissor covers his weakness to Grass (Megahorn is another option, but it is somewhat inaccurate), Dig covers his weakness to Electric and Aqua Jet is another STAB move but is mainly for finishing others off.
Conkeldurr@ Quick Claw /Gurdurr@ EvioliteAbility: Guts- Hammer Arm (Level 45)- Rock Slide (Level 33)- Bulk Up (Level 29)- Brick Break (TM31 - Iccirus City)
Krookodile@ Shell BellAbility: Intimidate / Moxie- Earthquake (Level 54)- Crunch (Level 28)- Rock Slide (TM80 - Mistralton Cave)- Aerial Ace (TM40 - Mistralton City Runway)
Krookodile is a great Pokémon with two solid abilities, an amazing in-game typing and great moves to help cover many different types. Earthquake is your Ground STAB move (if you don’t get EQ, you’ll be stuck with Dig and Bulldoze), Crunch is your Dark STAB move, Rock Slide covers his weaknesses to Ice and Bug, and Aerial Ace covers his weaknesses to Bug, Grass and Fighting.
Darmanitan@ Amulet CoinAbility: Sheer Force- Flare Blitz (Level 33)- Fire Punch (Level 22)- Superpower (Level 47)- Thrash (Level 27)
Darmanitan is probably your best option for a Fire type in BW other than Emboar as he has a great ability in Sheer Force, great moves to go with it and great stats for attacking. Flare Blitz deals huge damage but also does a lot back to Darmanitan, so Fire Punch is also provided. Superpower covers his weakness to Rock and Thrash is for filler.
Archeops is a great Pokémon, learning Acrobatics shortly after being obtained, having amazing offensive stats and great moves to cover his weaknesses. However, he does have quite a bad Ability, but that’s because he’d be OP otherwise. Fly is your main Flying STAB move (unless you run Acrobatics) and gets you around quickly, Rock Slide is your Rock STAB move, Dig covers his weaknesses to Electric, Steel and Rock and normally you’d have to be wary of EQ’s with Dig, but since he’s Flying, foes won’t think to use EQ. Acrobatics is your main Flying STAB move if you run it (if you do run Acrobatics make sure you have no item on him) and U-turn gets him out if he’s in a pinch.
Haxorus@ Rocky HelmetAbility: Mold Breaker- Dragon Claw (Level 28)- Dragon Dance (Level 32)- Rock Slide (TM80 - Mistralton Cave)- False Swipe (Level 24)
Haxorus is one of the coolest designs for a Pokémon, and it’s also amazing in battle, despite spending quite a while as Axew and Fraxure. Dragon Claw is your main STAB move, Dragon Dance helps set up for potential sweeps, Rock Slide covers his weakness to Ice and his last move slot can really be anything, so I have him False Swipe to help out more with catching hard-to-catch Pokémon.
A lot of the choices I made were influenced by this site here, so check them out:http://www.smogon.com/ingame/misc/bw_ingametiers.
Team Preview:(Pre-Elite Four)
Serperior @ Big RootAbility: OvergrowSerious Nature- Leaf Blade (Level 32)- Return (TM27 - Nimbasa City Pokémart) / Aerial Ace (TM40 - Mistralton Runway)- Coil (Level 36) / Growth (Level 13)- Giga Drain (Level 44) / Leech Seed (Level 20)
In all honesty, I was putting off making a Serperior team for a while, mainly because I was really struggling to come up with a solid team that didn’t retain any team members from my Emboar and Samurott teams; however, I think this team is pretty solid overall. Serperior is easily the worst of the 3 Unova Starters. It is very fast and has good bulk, but really lacks any solid attacking power, mono-Grass isn’t very good defensively, and without Contrary, Serperior can fall behind. But she is definitely still usable. Leaf Blade is your main STAB move, Return can hit hard with full happiness whereas Aerial Ace covers her Bug weakness, Coil and Growth are for setting up as Serperior doesn’t deal out much without some buffs (luckily she has plenty of speed and bulk to get off a Coil or Growth) and Giga Drain and Leech Seed are for keeping Serperior healthy.
While Serperior may be the worst of the 3 Starters, at least you get the best of the 3 Elemental Monkeys. Simipour is easily the best of the 3 as he comes with Water Gun which is better than Vine Whip and Incinerate, gets Scald very early which is amazing, and mono-Water is just better than Fire and Grass due to fewer weaknesses. Surf is your main STAB and gets you across water, Scald is for Double battles or trying to burn your opponents (which helps with his bad Defence), Acrobatics covers his Grass weakness and deals a lot of damage with no item, and Dig covers his Electric weakness.
Excadrill @ Shell BellAbility: Sand Rush / Sand ForceJolly Nature- Earthquake (Level 33 as Drilbur / Level 36 as Excadrill)- Hone Claws (Level 22) / Swords Dance (Level 42)- Rock Slide (Level 29)- Aerial Ace (TM40 - Mistralton Runway)
While on both my other teams I used Krookodile, this time I went with Excadrill (although, in all honesty, I probably would’ve used Krookodile again if I was allowing myself to repeat team members). That’s not to undermine (no pun intended) Excadrill though. Excadrill has amazing Attack, great HP, solid Speed and gets most of his best moves through level up. This Pokémon is truly a monster. The only issues are that when you first get Drilbur, you’ll be using Mud Slap for a little bit, but Dig comes around soon enough. Earthquake is a great STAB move that comes early, Hone Claws and Swords Dance are for setting up to sweep (it comes down to whether you want disgusting power, or slightly less disgusting power with a more reliable Rock Slide), Rock Slide allows him to hit Flying-types and cover his Fire weakness and Aerial Ace covers his Fighting weakness.
Scolipede @ Scope LensAbility: Poison PointAdamant Nature- Megahorn (Move Reminder)- Poison Jab (TM84 - Route 6)- Bulldoze (TM78 - Reward from Clay)- Rock Slide (TM80 - Mistralton Cave)
Scolipede was a Pokémon I never really thought about, but when I hit Burgh, I was completely stuck. His Leavanny would’ve destroyed me. But when I looked into Venipede, I realised that he would actually be incredibly useful. Scolipede is very quick and has a great Attack stat as well as pretty good moves to make him really useful. Megahorn is a very powerful STAB move that also covers his Psychic weakness, Poison Jab is STAB (you could probably just switch this move out for more coverage or a different Bug STAB), and Bulldoze and Rock Slide covers all his remaining weaknesses: Fire, Rock and Flying.
Sigilyph @ Amulet CoinAbility: Magic GuardModest / Timid Nature- Psychic (Level 44)- Air Slash (Level 41)- Shadow Ball (TM30 - Relic Castle)- Flash Cannon (TM81 - Twist Mountain)
Just like Scolipede, Sigilyph was a Pokémon I never really thought that much about, it was just that one Pokémon that N had that I couldn’t beat when I first played Pokémon White. But after looking into it, Sigilyph is actually really good. She has great Special Attack and Speed, great STAB moves and coverage moves which destroy the majority of Team Plasma. Psychic and Air Slash are both STAB, Shadow Ball covers her Ghost weakness and Flash Cannon covers her Ice and Rock weaknesses.
Chandelure @ Wide LensAbility: Flash FireTimid Nature- Flame Burst (Level 20)- Shadow Ball (TM30 - Relic Castle) / Hex (Level 28)- Confuse Ray (Level 10, requires Move Reminder) / Will-O-Wisp (Level 16)- Fire Blast (TM38 - Icirrus City Pokémart)
While Chandelure doesn’t become incredibly strong until the post-game as Flamethrower and most of her coverage attacks are post-game, her monstrous Special Attack mixed with a decent main-game Special movepool makes her a huge force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, since Flamethrower is post-game, Flame Burst will have to do as STAB, but coming off of Chandelure’s 145 Special Attack, it still does loads of damage. Shadow Ball is STAB as is Hex (only have Hex if you are willing to spend a turn inflicting a status condition first). Confuse Ray and Will-O-Wisp can help with her frailty and cripple the opponent. Fire Blast, while not as accurate, still deals insane damage and thanks to the Wide Lens, gets boosted to 93.5% accuracy.
Serperior @ Big RootAbility: Overgrow- Leaf Blade- Giga Drain- Leech Seed- Toxic
Easily the coolest looking of the 3 Unova starters. Serperior may have a shallow movepool, but that doesn’t really matter since its stat distribution is unique enough to make this set work. Leaf Blade is STAB and the primary attacking move. Giga Drain is also STAB but is mainly for recovery. Leech Seed is a must have for this stall set, as is Toxic, which in tandem will quickly wear down the enemy. Big Root is a great item for this set.
ChandelureAbility: Flash Fire / Flame Body- Flamethrower- Shadow Ball- Energy Ball- Psychic
Chandelure is one of the coolest looking Pokemon out there, and has a wicked Special Attack stat. Flamethrower and Shadow Ball are STAB, with Energy Ball and Psychic as coverage.
SeismitoadAbility: Swift Swim / Poison Touch- Surf- Earthquake- Drain Punch- Sludge Bomb / Poison Jab
Frogs are objectively some of the greatest animals to ever exist. So Seismitoad makes the cut, and especially since it’s one of the best types in the game, Water/Ground. Surf and Earthquake are STAB, Drain Punch is coverage, and Sludge Bomb/Poison Jab is there since it can’t learn Ice Beam for whatever reason.
ArcheopsAbility: Defeatist- Fly- Stone Edge- Earthquake- U-turn
Despite its Ability, if you use Archeops right, it is a force to be reckoned with. Fly is STAB and useful for getting places, Stone Edge is also STAB, Earthquake is coverage, and U-turn was pretty much made with Archeops in mind.
EelektrossAbility: Levitate- Thunderbolt- Brick Break- Crunch- Thunder Wave
Eelektross has one of the best types in the game (Electric), and every Pokemon team needs a good Electric type. That’s what Eelektross is, especially thanks to Levitate, which means it has no weaknesses! Thunderbolt is STAB, Brick Break and Crunch are nice coverage moves that hit the E4 hard, and Thunder Wave is one of the best status moves to ever exist.
HaxorusAbility: Mold Breaker- Dragon Claw / Outrage- Brick Break- Shadow Claw- Dragon Dance
Haxorus is pretty much this generation’s substitute for a psuedo legendary, since it at least evolves way earlier than freaking Level 64 and is actually useable in the main story (evolves at Level 48). Dragon Claw/Outrage is STAB, Brick Break and Shadow Claw destroy most of the Elite Four, and Dragon Dance Haxorus destroys EVERYTHING, including Ghetsis’s Hydreigon.
Let’s get this team started!
Emboar @ LeftoversAbility: BlazeImpish Nature- Hammer Arm- Flamethrower- Earthquake- Stone Edge
This guy will be your starter. I basically focused on offence with this guy. I prefer Hammer Arm over Low Sweep or Focus Blast because of its power and efficiency. Flamethrower I prefer over Overheat and Flare Blitz because Flare Blitz has recoil and Overheat has low PP. Flamethrower is also STAB, like Hammer Arm. Earthquake and Stone Edge are for Fire’s weaknesses, and he will also be my Rock type (except for my Carracosta) so I can fit in a Dragon type.
Eelektross @ Quick ClawAbility: LevitateModest Nature- Thunder Wave- Discharge- U-turn- Acrobatics
Eelektross! Let’s get started! This guy is also offensive because he has no weaknesses due to his Ability, Levitate. Thunder Wave is my only status inflicting move on this and paralysis is the best. Discharge I took for STAB and for its high PP. U-turn is the only Bug move on this team and helps me back out if I need a strong defensive Pokemon. Acrobatics is just for coverage and a finisher move.
Carracosta @ Water IncenseAbility: SturdyLax Nature- Surf- Ice Beam- Shell Smash- Stone Edge
Carracosta is from the person at the Relic Castle, and is your main defensive Pokemon. Water Incense is to boost Surf’s power because I want it to be strong. Surf is STAB, and also has the Water Incense to help.Plus you can Surf over water now. Ice Beam is my strong Ice type move, so I don’t need an Ice type on the team. Crunch is just for coverage and my random type finisher move. Stone Edge is STAB, which makes it have 150 power, which is pretty strong for a defensive Pokemon.
Ferrothorn@ Rose IncenseAbility: Iron BarbsNaughty Nature- Power Whip- Flash Cannon- Payback- Swords Dance
Ferrothorn covers my slot for Grass and Steel because Emboar covers Ground with Earthquake, and Carracosta covers Rock and Ice with Stone Edge and Ice Beam. Power Whip is a strong STAB move with 10 PP, making it 180 power. Flash Cannon is also STAB, and finally completes the defensive (Rock, Ground, Ice and Steel) group of moves, which is useful.Payback is strong, and will probably have 100 power because one of your Pokemon would’ve fainted by the time you use it. Swords Dance is good for improving Ferrothorn’s Attack.
SwoobatAbility: KlutzQuiet Nature- Psychic- Fly- Shadow Ball- U-turn
This Swoobat is mostly for the E4. Psychic is STAB and covers the Fighting types in the E4. Fly is also STAB that covers Fighting types, plus you need to fly all around Unova, don’t you? Shadow Ball is to cover Ghost and Psychic. U-turn covers Dark types and if there’s a Dark type Pokemon faster than my Swoobat, I can switch out!
Haxorus @ LeftoversAbility: Mold BreakerImpish Nature- Dragon Dance- Dragon Pulse- Rock Slide- Substitute
This will be your last chance in a battle Pokemon. It has a pretty good offensive moveset, and can cover its weaknesses well. You can use Dragon Dance a lot with Substitute for increasing it’s strongest stats.Dragon Pulse is STAB that covers other Dragon types, one of Haxorus' weaknesses.Rock Slide helps cover Haxorus' other weakness, Ice types.Substitute helps you sweep with Dragon Dance and attacking moves, plus this will make Haxorus really last for a while.
Well, that’s all folks! Commenting on things that can be improved is appreciated! :D
This is a team I recently used, and I had a lot of fun using it, since it’s pretty different than what you usually see.
SamurottAbility: Torrent- Surf- Aqua Jet / Swords Dance- X-Scissor / Megahorn- Revenge
This guy doubles as a Fighting type with Revenge, as well as a nice mixed sweeper. You can also run Aqua Tail over Surf for the Elite Four.
StoutlandAbility: Intimidate- Return- Crunch- Strength- Fire Fang
Great physical attacker, and you can get it early on too. Lillipup really helps out in the first gym, and is awesome when it evolves. Make sure to catch one with Vital Spirit, so that Stoutland will have Intimidate. Fire Fang is on there because this team doesn’t have a Fire type, and it’s nice for coverage. It learns it via Move Relearner.
ExcadrillAbility: Sand Rush / Sand Force- Earthquake- Metal Claw / Iron Head- Rock Slide- Swords Dance / Hone Claws
Yet another good early game physical attacker. Drilbur is a little annoying to train up until he learns Metal Claw, but it’s more than worth it when he evolves into this beast! Excadrill wrecks teams in this game. There’s a reason he was in 5th gen Ubers.
SigilyphAbility: Magic Guard- Psychic- Air Slash- Energy Ball- Cosmic Power / Light Screen
This little beast can be caught right after the Castelia City Gym. It’s very powerful, with an extremely diverse movepool. Energy Ball is for coverage due to a lack of a Grass type on this team. Cosmic Power adds to its bulk, and is an extremely overpowered move in general. If possible, get a Sigilyph with Magic Guard. Light Screen directly counters the Hydreigon from Hell you face later in the game, as does Sigilyph’s typing.
VanilluxeAbility: Ice Body- Ice Beam- Flash Cannon- Mirror Coat / Acid Armor- Icy Wind
Vanillite can be caught in the Cold Storage, right before the Ground Gym. Good Ice type coverage is hard to come by in this game since you don’t get the TM for Ice Beam until the postgame, and that leads to problems with all the Dragons. It learns Ice Beam upon evolving into Vanillish at level 35; not a bad level to get such a good move. Vanillite is a pain to train up, but it’s worth it. If you have trouble evolving Vanillish into Vanilluxe (Level 47), then run Eviolite on it until it evolves. Flash Cannon is for coverage, Icy Wind lowers Speed and conserves Ice Beam PP, and the other two are for filler or for your own creative strategies.
GalvantulaAbility: Compoundeyes- Thunder- Thunder Wave- Bug Buzz / Signal Beam- Sucker Punch
Joltik is a good Pokemon to begin with, its typing countering a lot of things. It can also be caught right before the Flying type gym. Galvantula is very fast, and if you run Compoundeyes (easy to spot since its only other ability is Unnerve, which you are alerted to upon entering battle with it), Thunder will hit almost every time. Thunder Wave is great for slowing things down for the rest of the team (coughHydreigoncough), Bug Buzz and Signal Beam are good STAB and coverage, and Sucker Punch is great priority if you use it right.
So that’s my team that I just thought I’d share with y’all. Hopefully it makes the game a little more fun with the different team layout!~Good luck, and battle on!.. or something like that.
This is my team in Pokemon Black:
SamurottAbility: TorrentHasty Nature- Surf- X-Scissor- Slash / Return- Ice Beam
Samurott has good attacking stats, so I used both physical and special moves.
ZebstrikaAbility: Motor DriveHasty Nature- Wild Charge- Flame Charge- Stomp / Return- Thunder Wave
Zebstrika was mostly used to paralyze, since he dies very easily due to is low Defense and Special Defense.
LeavannyAbility: SwarmAdamant Nature- X-Scissor- Leaf Blade- Slash / Return- Swords Dance
Leavanny has a high Attack, so if you can use Swords Dance one or two times without dying then you just need to attack and most of the time the opponent will faint.
ZoroarkAbility: IllusionModest Nature- Night Daze- Extrasensory- Flamethrower- Nasty Plot
Zoroark is so strong, it can defeat most of the Elite Four easily.
OR
KrookodileAbility: MoxieAdamant Nature- Earthquake- Crunch- Aerial Ace- Dragon Claw / Stone Edge / Brick Break
As you can only get Zoroark from event, Krookodile is the other option, being a really powerful Pokemon as well.
HaxorusAbility: Mold BreakerAdamant Nature- Dragon Claw- Slash- Earthquake- Dragon Dance
One of my favourite Pokemon, Haxorus is SO freaking awesome, cool design, and he can defeat most Pokemon easily.
BraviaryAbility: Sheer ForceAdamant Nature- Crush Claw- Fly / Brave Bird- Hone Claws- Rock Slide
I was so damn lucky with this one. I was catching Rufflet, trying to catch one with Adamant Nature, then a shiny one appeared with an Adamant Nature and Sheer Force.
Hope it helps you and good game :D
Team Preview:
Serperior @ Miracle Seed (Answer Snivy in Nacrene City)Ability: OvergrowAdamant Nature- Leaf Blade- Aerial Ace / Return- Dragon Tail / Leech Seed- Coil
Leaf Blade gets STAB and has a high Critical Hit Ratio. Aerial Ace is for coverage, however when Serperior has high happiness, Return will be stronger. Dragon Tail is also for coverage and brings out a different Pokémon. However, this move has -6 priority, making it go last most of the time. Leech Seed keeps Serperior from fainting and Coil buffs Serperior’s Attack, Defence and Accuracy by one stage.
Choose Snivy as your Starter.
Seismitoad @ Mystic Water (Wellspring Cave BF1) / Soft Sand (Desert Resort)Ability: Poison TouchSerious Nature- Surf- Earthquake- Poison Jab- Drain Punch
Surf gets STAB and can help you get good items (For some reason you don’t need it for the story). Earthquake gets STAB, Poison Jab in combination with Poison Touch means you will have a high chance of poisoning the foe and Drain Punch helps keep Seismitoad alive and can also activate Poison Touch.
Find Tympole in the Pinwheel Forest exterior, west of Nacrene City.
Scrafty @ Leftovers (Village Bridge with Dowsing Machine)Ability: MoxieAdamant Nature- Brick Break- Poison Jab- Rock Slide / Stone Edge- Payback
Brick Break gets STAB and breaks through screens which can be useful, and Poison Jab can poison the foe. Rock Slide is weaker but more accurate and has a flinch chance whereas Stone Edge is stronger, has a high Critical Hit ratio but has a 20% chance of missing. Payback gets STAB and deals double damage if it moves after the foe (this includes being attacked, swapping out or item usage) and Scrafty has base 55 Speed (very slow).
Find Scraggy on Route 4, north of Castelia City.
Archeops @ Sharp Beak (Mistralton City) / Hard Stone (Mistralton Cave)Ability: DefeatistJolly Nature- Fly- Dragon Claw- U-turn- Rock Slide
Fly gets STAB and gets you around Unova, Dragon Claw is for coverage and U-turn allows to to return when in trouble but still dealing damage. Rock Slide is better than Stone Edge on Archeops due to abilities. Defeatist will halve Archeops' Attack when his HP falls below 50%, meaning you don’t want miss your attack – not to mention Rock Slide has a chance to flinch as well.
Choose Plume Fossil in the Relic Castle and resurrect Archen in Nacrene City’s Museum.
Galvantula @ Magnet (Chargestone Cave)Ability: Compound EyesModest Nature- Thunder- Bug Buzz- Energy Ball- Volt Switch
Thunder will be hitting a lot more with Compound Eyes (91% accuracy) and also gets STAB and can paralyse. Bug Buzz break through Substitute and also gets STAB. Energy Ball is for coverage and Volt Switch gets STAB and lets you swap to another Pokémon.
Find Joltik in Chargestone Cave, south of Mistralton City.
Chandelure @ Charcoal (Route 16) / Spell Tag (Celestial Tower)Ability: Flame BodyModest Nature- Flamethrower- Psychic / Will-O-Wisp- Shadow Ball / Hex- Energy Ball
Flamethrower gets STAB and can burn the foe. Psychic is coverage and can lower the foe’s Special Defence, but Will-O-Wisp burns the foe and halves their Attack. Shadow Ball gets STAB and can also lower the foe’s Special Defence whereas Hex deals double damage to anything with a status condition, meaning anything burned by Will-O-Wisp, Flamethrower or Flame Body will take double damage from Hex. Energy Ball is for coverage.
Find Litwick in Celestial Tower, north of Route 7 (north of Mistralton City).
Here’s a great team that will get you through the entire game and has all the HMs!
To start with, pick Oshawott as your starter.
Samurott @ Mystic WaterAbility: Torrent- Surf- Waterfall- Dive- Revenge / Ice Beam
So, not the greatest set in the world but he is helpful as a slave for all the water you have to deal with. Revenge doesn’t cover any of its weaknesses but it is the only Fighting move on the team, and I wouldn’t have defeated Ghetsis' Hydreigon without it. Ice Beam covers Grass, but we have another Ice type on the team.
Now continue onwards until you reach Route 4. The next two Pokemon come from there.
Krookodile @ Soft SandAbility: Moxie- Crunch- Earthquake- Strength- Outrage / Aerial Ace
Now we’re talking! I chose Crunch over Foul Play because it’s more reliable; your opponent won’t always have a huge Attack stat. Strength is another HM, and need I say anything about Earthquake? Aerial Ace covers three weaknesses (Bug, Grass and Fighting) but, like Ice Beam on Samurott, we already have Flying moves. Outrage, on the other hand, is the only Dragon move on the team.
Now head into Relic Castle and choose thePlume Fossilto get:
Archeops @ Sharp BeakAbility: Defeatist- Fly- Rock Slide / Stone Edge- Earthquake- U-turn
The idea behind Archeops is to use his huge Attack to hit as many enemies as possible before Defeatist kicks in. Fly is the fifth HM, and Earthquake is coverage. As for the Rock moves, Stone Edge has more power but is less accurate, which means you could miss and have your stats halved before you can even attack! Rock Slide is less powerful, but is more reliable. Finally, U-turn lets you escape when Defeatist activates.
When you get to Driftveil City, your next Pokemon is waiting in the Cold Storage.
Vanilluxe @ Icy Rock / NevermelticeAbility: Ice Body- Ice Beam- Hail- Blizzard- Flash Cannon
Every team needs an Ice type to deal with dragons, and Vanilluxe does just that! If he’s just battling wild Pokemon, Ice Beam will suffice but if he’s battling a Gym Leader/Elite 4 he should use Hail, then Blizzard away. Flash Cannon is pretty good coverage.
Chargestone Cave has your fifth team member.
Galvantula @ MagnetAbility: Compoundeyes- Thunder- Bug Buzz- Cut- (Filler Move)
It’s also really useful to have a Bug type and an Electric type on your team - and Galvantula combines these. With Compoundeyes, Thunder’s accuracy is much higher than before and Bug Buzz is solid STAB. Cut is the final HM (someone had to have it) and for a filler move I would suggest Energy Ball, which covers the Rock weakness, but it’s really up to you.
The final Pokemon is in Celestial Tower.
Chandelure @ Charcoal / Spell TagAbility: Flame Body- Shadow Ball- Flamethrower- Energy Ball- Psychic
Let’s get right into this. Shadow Ball and Flamethrower are obvious STAB choices. Energy Ball covers three weaknesses and Psychic is coverage. It’s simple.
That’s the entire team completed. Thank you very much for reading.
P.S. Some of these moves are only available post-Elite 4. Its meant to be a final/E4 rematch team.
Serperior@ Miracle SeedAbility: Overgrow- Coil- Leaf Blade- Return- Dragon Tail
Your starter. Her Attack is not really that high, so Coil is there to boost her Attack and Defence, as well as accuracy. Leaf Blade is physical STAB. Return is there because she is your starter and will be with you throughout the game. Dragon Tail to inflict damage and also to switch out the target if it’s a strong one. Miracle Seed gives a nice boost to Leaf Blade.
Krookodile@ BlackglassesAbility: Moxie- Earthquake- Crunch- Outrage / Dragon Claw- Stone Edge
Krookodile helps you take on most of the Elite 4. Earthquake is powerful STAB. Crunch is reliable STAB too. Outrage is a powerful coverage move. If you don’t want to be locked into Outrage for few turns and being confused, Dragon Claw is also a choice. Stone Edge is powerful coverage. Krookodile will do well against Caitlin and Shauntal.
Crustle@ Expert BeltAbility: Sturdy- Swords Dance- Stone Edge- X-Scissor- Earthquake
Crustle also takes on most of the Elite 4. It will threaten Grimsley and Caitlin. Stone Edge and X-Scissor are powerful STAB moves. Earthquake is nice coverage. Swords Dance is to make Crustle’s moves more deadly.
Swanna@ Sharp BeakAbility: Keen Eye- Fly- Surf- Brave Bird- Ice Beam
Teams need a surfer and flyer, so why not have both in one? She will help you take on Marshall. Fly and Surf are great STABs and needed HMs. Brave Bird is surely an OHKO, only use it if you need the power. Ice Beam is great coverage.
Chandelure@ CharcoalAbility: Flash Fire
Chandelure’s special moves will surely OHKO. Calm Mind gives a nice boost to Special Attack and Special Defence. Inferno is STAB with amazing power. Shadow Ball is STAB. Energy Ball is coverage that covers most of Chandelure’s weakness.
Haxorus@ Muscle BandAbility: Mold Breaker- Brick Break- Earthquake- Outrage- Swords Dance
The simplest Haxorus set. Brick Break is coverage. Earthquake hits levitating Pokemon because of its Ability, Mold Breaker. Outrage is a powerful STAB move but leaves the user confused after a few turns. Swords Dance is to give the physical moves a great boost so that it will be more powerful.
Good luck.
Team Preview:(All Pokémon, TM’s and Items are accessible before the Pokémon League)
Samurott @ Mystic WaterAbility: TorrentHardy Nature- Surf (HM - Twist Mountain)- Megahorn (Move Reminder)- Aerial Ace (TM - Mistralton City Runway)- Dig (TM - Route 4)
Surf gains STAB and allows you to cross bodies of water. Megahorn is a very powerful coverage move, and Aerial Ace and Dig are other coverage moves.
Choose Oshawott as your starter Pokémon.
Excadrill @ Soft SandAbility: Sand Force / Sand RushJolly Nature- Earthquake (Level 36)- Metal Claw (Level 15)- Rock Slide (Level 29)- Poison Jab (TM - Route 6)
Earthquake gains STAB and is very powerful, Metal Claw is its only Steel Type move so it will have to do and Rock Slide and Poison Jab are excellent coverage attacks.
Catch a Drilbur from a dust cloud in Wellspring Cave.
Darmanitan @ CharcoalAbility: Sheer ForceAdamant Nature- Flare Blitz (Level 33)- Hammer Arm (Level 35)- Fire Punch (Level 22)- Bulldoze (Driftveil City - Clay Gift)
Flare Blitz gains STAB and is very powerful but the recoil is a large drawback, which is why Fire Punch is there: a solid STAB attack with no drawback. Hammer Arm is a great coverage attack and Bulldoze is for more coverage.
Archeops @ Sharp BeakAbility: DefeatistJolly Nature- Fly (HM - Driftveil City - From Bianca)- Rock Slide (Level 51)- U-turn (Level 45)- Dragon Claw (TM - Victory Road / Level 56)
Fly gains STAB and is useful for getting around the region, Rock Slide gains STAB, U-turn is coverage and allows Archeops to get out of battle quickly while still dealing damage and Dragon Claw is more coverage.
Choose the Plume Fossil from the Backpacker in Relic Castle and resurrect it at Nacrene Museum.
Eelektross @ MagnetAbility: LevitateHardy Nature- Thunderbolt (Level 44 as Eelektrik)- Dragon Claw (TM - Victory Road)- Crunch (Level 39 as Eelektrik)- Volt Switch (TM - Nimbasa City - Elesa Gift)
Thunderbolt gains STAB, Dragon Claw and Crunch are both excellent coverage attacks and Volt Switch allows it to get out of battle quickly.
Catch a Tynamo in Chargestone Cave.
Beartic @ NeverMeltIceAbility: Snow CloakAdamant Nature- Icicle Crash (Level 37)- Superpower (Move Reminder)- Aerial Ace (TM - Mistralton City Runway)- Rock Slide (TM - Mistralton Cave)
Icicle Crash gains STAB and Superpower, Brick Break and Aerial Ace are all excellent for coverage.
Catch a Cubchoo in Twist Mountain.
I’ll write one for the Fire-type starter, Emboar!
EmboarAbility: BlazeAdamant Nature- Flare Blitz- Hammer Arm- Wild Charge- Assurance
The starter for your team. Flare Biltz gives you recoil damage, but it’s a powerful STAB move. Hammer Arm is your only viable option for Fighting STAB, and even though it does lower your Speed, you’re not really outspeeding everything. Wild Charge is coverage for its Water and Flying weakness. Assurance helps destroy Psychic types and Ghost types.
LilligantAbility: Own TempoModest Nature- Giga Drain- Petal Dance- Quiver Dance- Sleep Powder
The Grass type of your team, the perfect counter to Emboar’s weakness to Ground types. Giga Drain is STAB and drains your opponent’s HP. Petal Dance is also STAB, which hits opponents hard for 2-3 turns, Own Tempo prevents Lilligant from being confused by Petal Dance. Quiver Dance is there to raise your Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. Sleep Powder is there so you can puts foes to sleep.
KrookodileAbility: Intimidate / MoxieAdamant Nature- Earthquake- Crunch- Thunder Fang- Stone Edge
Krookodile is good for the Ghost and Psychic Elite 4, Shauntal and Caitlin. Earthquake is the most powerful Ground STAB move. Crunch is STAB, with a nice bonus of lowering your opponent’s Defense. Stone Edge is for Bug and Ice types, while Thunder Fang is for Water types.
CofagrigusAbility: MummyModest Nature- Hex- Will-O-Wisp- Psychic- Nasty Plot
The Ghost wall of your team. Hex is your Ghost STAB, which pairs perfectly with Will-O-Wisp, a move which burns your opponents. If your target has a status ailment, Hex’s base power doubles to 130, which is more powerful than Shadow Ball. Psychic is coverage to destroy Fighting and Poison types. Nasty Plot is there to boost your Special Attack by 2 stages.
SigilyphAbility: Magic GuardTimid Nature- Psychic- Air Slash / Fly- Shadow Ball- Charge Beam
Your team flyer Sigilyph is the best Flying type you can catch early in the game. Psychic is your Psychic STAB move, which destroys Fighting and Poison types. Air Slash or Fly is your Flying STAB move, with one being useful in the overworld, while the other is a special move, for Sigilyph’s higher Special Attack. Shadow Ball is coverage for Sigilyph, which kills Psychic and Ghost types, while Charge Beam is coverage for other Flying types and Water types, plus it has a 70% chance of increasing your Special Attack by 1 stage.
CarracostaAbility: Solid RockQuiet Nature- Surf- Stone Edge- Ice Beam- Focus Blast
The surfer for your team. Surf is useful in-game and gets STAB, which helps against your Ground weakness. Stone Edge is your Rock type STAB. Ice Beam is for your Grass weakness, and Focus Blast is coverage for Steel and Dark types.
All of these team members are accessible after the 3rd gym.
Here is my suggested team:Here are my six recommended Pokémon, all off which can be obtained with regular play and no trading. If your playing Pokémon White, than feel free to switch Sawk for Throh. With this being said, on with the first Pokémon:
SamurottAbility: Torrent- Surf- Ice Beam / Blizzard- Grass Knot- Hydro Pump / X-Scissor
Samurott is a great mixed attacker that has decent bulk. Surf is STAB, Ice Beam / Blizzard are powerful coverage moves, Grass Knot is good against opposing Water types, and Hydro Pump / X-Scissor are good moves. Samurott does good against most opponents and can take hits whilst dealing massive damage with its wide movepool.
StoutlandAbility: Intimidate- Return- Crunch- Ice Fang- Fire Fang
Stoutland is possibly the best Normal type in-game with its big Attack stat, decent Speed, good bulk, and Intimidate. Return is STAB, Crunch is good against some Ghost and Psychic types, Ice and Fire Fang are coverage. Stoutland has some other moves not mentioned above that could be helpful, such as Work Up, Retaliate, Aerial Ace, Rock Tomb and Wild Charge. I had to put this guy on the team, he does so well the whole game.
ZebstrikaAbility: Lightning Rod- Thunderbolt / Wild Charge- Overheat / Flame Charge- Volt Switch / Return- Thunder Wave
Zebstrika might not be the absolutebestElectric type in the game, but it’s still a great Pokemon with its high Speed and decent offensive stats. Thunderbolt / Wild Charge are STAB, Overheat / Flame Charge are coverage moves, Volt Switch / Return are good utility / coverage against Ground types, and Thunder Wave is utility. Zebstrika is overall a great Electric type even if it has a somewhat limited movepool.
SawkAbility: Sturdy- Brick Break- Earthquake / Bulldoze- Rock Slide / Rock Tomb- Close Combat / Bulk Up
Sawk is great in Unova with its type, moveset, amazing Attack, and decent Speed. Brick Break is good reliable STAB, Earthquake / Bulldoze are coverage, Rock Slide / Rock Tomb deal with Flying and Bug types, and Close Combat / Bulk Up are good moves Sawk gets by level up. Sawk is great against Lenora and has a fantastic end game.Make sure Sawk has Sturdy and not Inner Focus, it’s way better.
ScolipedeAbility: Swarm- X-Scissor / Megahorn- Rock Slide / Rock Tomb- Earthquake / Bulldoze- Poison Jab / X Scissor
Scolipede is one of my favorite Gen 5 Pokemon, so I’m using it. X-Scissor / Megahorn are Bug STAB, Rock Slide / Rock Tomb are great coverage, Earthquake / Bulldoze are also great coverage, and Poison Jab / X-Scissor are STAB. Scolipede has great Speed and Attack along with good Defense. STAB Megahorn destroys Unova’s bulky and slow Psychic types, even though Scolipede is weak to them. This is a really fun Pokémon I hope you enjoy using.
CofagrigusAbility: Mummy- Shadow Ball- Will-O-Wisp- Grass Knot / Psychic- Calm Mind / Substitute
Cofagrigus is anamazingphysical wall with good Special Attack. Shadow Ball is STAB, Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers, Grass Knot / Psychic are coverage, and Calm Mind / Substitute are good utility moves. Cofagrigus and its amazing defense, Ghost type, Will-O-Wisp, and the Rocky Helmet basically make it wall almost any physical attacker.I suggest waiting till you can catch Cofagrigus in the wild after Dragonspiral Tower, raising Yamask can be tedious.
Thank you for reading!
EMBOARAbility - Blaze- Hammer Arm- Flamethrower- Grass Knot- Wild Charge/Rock Slide
UseArm Thrustuntil you heart scaleHammer Armonto Emboar.Go withFlame Charge–>Heat Crash–>Flamethroweror keep Heat Crash, I believe Flamethrower is just p4p more useful in the big fights against neutral mons and the burn chance.Grass Knotfor those Rock types that have less SpDef than Def and are heavy and for Seismitoads and Carracostas should the need arise. Pick your poison whether you want to have more coverage against water or flying types butRock Slideis more useful in the elite four and obtainable before Victory Road. Good for Gym 2, 3, 7 and elite fours' Grimsley, all of Champion Adler besides Druddigon, all of N besides legendary, and half of Ghetsis.
LEAVANNY /Use gift Pansage only for the 1st gym if required then get Sewaddle in Pinwheel Forest/Ability - Swarm- Leaf Blade- X-Scissor- Aerial Ace- Swords Dance
UseRazor Leafuntil you learnLeaf Bladeat Lvl 36. UseBug Biteuntil you learnX-Scissorat Lvl 39 or teach it early by TM NorthEast of Mistralton City. GetAerial Aceafter defeating Skyla and talking to Orange Cap kid in the house up the path from pokecenter where you then go down the runway to the left and collect the tm.Swords Danceis learned at Lvl 46. Good for Gym 5 and Elite Fours' half of Shauntal’s team, half of Grimsley’s, all of Caitlin besides Sigilyph, N’s Carracosta and Zoroark, and Ghetsis’s Seismitoad and Hydreigon.
KROOKODILEAbility - Moxie- Crunch- Bulldoze/Earthquake- Smack Down/Rock Slide- Brick Break
Catch Sandile at level 15to avoid being stuck with Assurance rather thanBitethen from there learnCrunchat Lvl 28. Teach itDigby TM for Electric gym until you get theBulldozeTM then swap it forEarthquakethat is learned at Lvl 54. Get enough BP in the Battle Subway to getSmack Downfor those pesky flying types and certain electric types with levitate as it will negate their ability so they can be hit with ground moves. If you do not want to grind for BP then teach itRock Tombfor the flying types in and out of the electric gym until you getRock Slide. Brick Break is for coverage against Dark, Normal and Ice types and can be obtained in Icirrus City in pokecenter by speaking to grandma. Good forGym 4, Gym 5’s Excadrill, Gym 6’s Swoobat and Unfeazant, all of Shauntal, Grimsley’s Bisharp, all of Caitlin, Alder’s Volcarona, all of N, all of Ghetsis besides Seismitoad.
SWANNAAbility - Keen Eye- Surf- Air Slash/Fly- Feather Dance- Roost
Use its Natural learnset water moves until you getSurf. Same with its flying attacks and keepAir Slashor swap for the convenience and extra powerFlyhas.Feather DanceandRoostare learned naturally and are for sole purpose of destroying the fighting types of this region by lowering their attack to begin then roosting then lowering their attack again and so on to eliminate them easy. The only issue isMienshaothat might be faster than yourSwannaand if it is then just brute force your way through withEmboar. Good for Gym 5 and Shauntal’s Chandelure, Grimsley’s Krookodile, all of Marshal, Alder’s Volcarona and N’s Archeops maybe :(.
GALVANTULAAbility - Compound Eyes- Thunder- Signal Beam- Volt Switch- Thunder Wave/Thunderbolt
Buy theThunderTM at the Icirrus City pokecenter and getThunderboltafter surfing West of the starting town. Signal Beam is learned at Lvl 34. Volt Switch is obtained after defeating the Electric Gym. Destroys Flying gym and useful for elite fours' Jellicent, Liepard, Krookodile, all of Caitlin’s mons, N’s Carracosta, Zoroark, Archeops and Ghetsis’s Hydreigon.
CRYOGONALAbility - Levitate- Ice Beam- Reflect- Light Screen- Blizzard
Everything is learned naturally except Blizzard which is bought in Iccirus City pokecenter. Cryogonal is faster than all the dragons and its sole purpose is to kill them with Ice Beam or Blizzard before they can get a hit off. If things go wrong set up the screens to set the stage for your other mons. Cryogonal should destroy the dragon gym and be helpful in any battle with its screens and against Zekrom or Hydreigon.
Here is my favoritePokemon Blackteam.
Serperior @ Miracle SeedAbility: OvergrowAdamant Nature- Coil- Leech Seed- Leaf Blade- Return
This is an amazing set for Serperior. Coil is the crux of it so he can soak most hits, and who can resist choosing a move that ups Attack, Defense, and accuracy in one go? Leech Seed is a must with Coil. Leaf Blade is STAB and good power. Return is going to have high power so it is definitely worth it. Miracle Seed can be obtained by Castelia City. I personally chose Serperior in Black and Black 2 because of its superior Speed and good bulk compared to the others. I remember that Chili, Lenora, Elesa, and Clay fell to its amazing defenses teamed with Speed unmatched by most in-game trainers.
(Note: Panpour will only be needed to shortly help beat Chili then can be discarded)The next Pokemon you get will be from Route 4.
CrustleAbility: SturdyAdamant Nature- X-Scissor- Earthquake- Shell Smash- Stone Edge
He is a great Pokemon for beating Burgh to death. Any Rock type move he knows (even as a Dwebble) will just destroy the Gym, and he can even be used right up through the E4. X-Scissor is for STAB and great power. Earthquake is for more coverage. Shell Smash is for later in-game when you will be in need of a great sweeper. And his defenses + Sturdy do not mind the defense drops anyways. Stone Edge is a powerful STAB move.
ArcheopsAbility: DefeatistAdamant Nature- Stone Edge- Earthquake- U-turn- Acrobatics
He is the powerhouse of early in-game. He has Stone Edge as STAB. Earthquake completes the EdgeQuake set. U-turn for coverage and quick getaways. Acrobatics is very useful in-game. Because of the lack of items, he will usually have that at 110 BP letting him rip stuff apart. Although many prefer Carracosta over Archeops, the nice little niche Archeops has is the ability to be a special sweeper. So if you get a Modest Nature, don’t worry, you can just make a mixed set.
(Note: no one has to worry about 3 physical attackers in-game because they will destroy anything in their path nonetheless.)
After destroying Clay with Serperior, get your next team member.
GalvantulaAbility: CompoundeyesTimid Nature- Thunder- Bug Buzz- Energy Ball- Volt Switch
Thunder + Compoundeyes = 91% hit rate = DESTROY. Yup that is it. Thunder is STAB. Volt Switch is STAB and allows to you switch in Archeops when you anticipate a Ground type move. Energy Ball is for killing Rock or Ground types.
You will continue to kill Skyla with Galvantula and then get your next Pokemon.
VanilluxeAbility: Ice BodyModest Nature- Ice Beam- Toxic- Flash Cannon- Hidden Power [Ground]
Most will choose Beartic over Vanilluxe. Why my choice? His 79 base Speed. The fastest Unova Ice type, Vanilluxe is unstoppable in the 8th gym. Ice Beam is STAB. Toxic is very useful when fighting types that resist you but cannot KO you. Flash Cannon for coverage. Hidden Power [Ground] to cover 3/4 of its weaknesses.
Last one[hard to find FYI]:
HydreigonAbility: LevitateNaive Nature- Crunch- Dragon Pulse- Charge Beam / Surf- Fire Blast
Crunch for STAB and is viable because of this mixed set. Dragon Pulse is STAB and hits like a tank. Charge Beam can be chosen over Surf because it can quickly become more powerful, but sometimes the additional coverage Surf adds is better than just power. Fire Blast is amazing on this set. With Fire Blast and Dragon Pulse, NOTHING resists him!
I try to have my teams as well rounded as possible. I always have Fire, Water, Grass, Flying, Electric, and Ground or Rock. These types I always need because I love type advantages. But, I figured, the more types the better! So I went with these Pokemon.
ChandelureAbility Flash Fire- Flame Burst- Fire Blast- Fire Spin- Shadow Ball
I prefer Chandelure because it cannot be hit by Normal type moves. It is super- effective against Dark, Psychic, and Fighting types, which are three of the Elite Four types.
Litwick Lv.42 –> Lampent + Dusk Stone –> Chandelure
SwannaAbility Big Pecks- Surf- Ice Beam- Hurricane- FlySwanna covers two of my necessary types: Water and Flying. The problem is, Swanna is TWICE as susceptible to Electric attacks than if it were just Water or just Flying. And, Swanna no longer resists Grass moves. But, Swanna allows me to train my Water and Flying types in one Pokemon and also allows me to have other Pokemon in my party.
Ducklett Lv.35 –> Swanna
LilligantAbility Chlorophyll- Sunny Day- Petal Dance- Synthesis- Energy Ball
Lilligant is a very good Pokemon for your Grass type. It is a perfect balance of defense and offense. It has helped me through many a pinch, and can definitely be a great Pokemon in the hands of a skilled trainer.
Petilil + Sun Stone –> Lilligant
KlinklangAbility Plus- Zap Cannon- Flash Cannon- Thunder- Shift Gear
Klinklang is a powerful Pokemon. It comes in handy when fighting the Ice type Gym Leader Brycen with its Steel moves. Most people do not want to take the time to train the very weak Klink, but Klinklang is a big reward.
Klink Lv.38 –> Klang Lv.49 –> Klinklang
HaxorusAbility Rivalry- Dragon Pulse- Dragon Dance- Guillotine- Dragon Claw
Haxorus is an incredibly strong Pokemon. Only two types are super effective against it: Ice and Dragon. Not advisable against Brycen but encouraged against Drayden or Iris. Haxorus is one of very few Pokemon that can learn Guillotine, an OHKO move.
Axew Lv.38 –> Fraxure Lv.48 –> Haxorus
KrookodileAbility Moxie- Foul Play- Embargo- Dig- Focus Blast
Krookodile is very crafty. Like all Dark Pokemon, it uses the enemies' power against it. This Pokemon comes in handy against Elesa, the Electric type Gym Leader. Krookodile has good HP and good moves.
Sandile Lv.29 –> Krokorok Lv.40 –> Krookodile
