Team Building Q+A Thread

[Webby2]

After browsing around Team Building, it's become apparent that there should be a Question and Answer thread where certain questions about Pokémon and how they can be used can be asked, and then answered by some of the Team Builders here in this board. I thought I'd kick off a topic, I'm not saying there's a guarantee for it to be stickied at all, but if there's enough interest and it becomes successful then it will provide help for everyone and less topics will be necessary. Plus, with the interest (if it's there) then there might not even be a need for stickying.

I'm hoping that with this, as well as people receiving more help, it would allow more people to get involved as it would make it seem more of a welcoming board.

I know this may seem a bit brief, but I'll update this topic where necessary. The idea came from the Team Builders, I'm just making the topic and hopefully contributing where possible.

Questions

To ask a question, all you have to do is post asking really. It can be for any sort of team, whether it's ingame preparing to beat Whitney on HGSS or trying to get a nicely balanced team for competitive play. For example, you could ask "I have a Metagross in my team, and I was wondering which would work best alongside it. Which would be better, Salamence or Dragonite?" This would then end up with people providing an answer to help. Simples.

Post away with your questions, and hopefully help will arrive =]

[Laprabi]

This should work well. At least then, the board won't be clogged up with topics devoted to asking one question.

[Legacy]

I have a question, which I've always wondered about:

Is there any actual way to get pokerus? I had it on Emerald once and freaked because I thought it was bad, only to find it was good O_O but I'm not sure how I got it.

If anyone can help me out on this one it'd be a great help =]

[Laprabi]

You can only get Pokerus by battling a Pokemon that has it. I don't think there is any other way.

I first got it in Sapphire, then I transferred it over to Pearl.

[Legacy]

Damn.....ah well. Thanks Laprabi. Just need to find someone who has it now....

[Zy]

Well actually, your Pokémon can randomly catch PokéRus whilst you're playing your game.
However, the chances of actually catching PokéRus decrease the more you run away from battles.

If you do catch PokéRus randomly, next time you go to the PokéCentre, then the nurse will tell you that your Mons have it.

To transfer it, you need to have the Mon with PokéRus in the second slot in your team with the first slot is the Mon you want to catch PokéRus. Then go and battle something in the wild.

[Legacy]

That's good to know, especially since I haven't run from a battle yet, so my chances haven't decreased. It also helps for when I get SoulSilver next week.

Note to self: Don't run from battles ever!

I'll bear all that in mind =] Thanks Zy

[tomkang]

Can someone give me a reason why the 30% increase in damage outweighs the 10% loss of max health per turn when using the Lifeorb item

[Laprabi]

I don't think there is a reason. Maybe to make it a more appealing item to use?

[The Wroth]

Can someone give me a reason why the 30% increase in damage outweighs the 10% loss of max health per turn when using the Lifeorb item

Because it has the potential to turn some 2HKOs into OHKOs. As a sweeper, you'll probably be hit harder by an enemy attack if you fail to KO them without Life Orb than the 10% recoil Life Orb gives you.

[RyoMashii]

My question: Does thepower herb work with fly/ dig? Another question: What would be a good moveset for a Special Tankzone (Tank Magnezone(new metagame term ftw!))

[tomkang]

can anyone give me the team that did ridiculously well in battle tower, i think the team got 500+ streak or something

[Afro-Disiak]

Just having the pokemon won't help you, you need to know how to play the team. The most successful teams I know of are:

Mesprit, Drapion, Garchomp - 2366
Latias, Registeel, Garchomp - 2363
Latias, Registeel, Salamence - 1001
Uxie, Salamence, Drapion - 802
Cresselia, Salamence, Registeel - 646

Basically, they all have Trick leads, which lock the opposing pokemon into one move, which then allows one of your sweepers to fully set up.

[tomkang]

Why is Latias in OU but Latios in Uber?

[Agatha]

For the same reason that Gallade is BL yet Gardevoir is NU, or Slowbro and Poliwrath are UU but Slowking and Politoed are NU.

They have different stats and movepools. Latios is packing base 90 attack and base 130 SpA at the cost of its defensive stats (which are still by no means bad, at 80/80/110). OU can barely handle Latias as an offensive threat with base 110 SpA, so obviously throwing in a useable attack stat, Dragon Dance, the ability to viably use Outrage and a whopping 130 SpDef is going to be too much.

Timid Specs Latias Surf vs 252 HP Tyranitar: 45-53%, Tyranitar, one of Latias' best checks can barely withstand its attacks.

Timid Specs Latios Surf vs 252 HP Tyranitar: 51-60%: needs leftovers to have a chance to survive.

Timid Specs Latias surf vs 248 HP / 156 SpDef Scizor: 38-45%; managable...

Timid Specs Latios Surf vs 248 HP / 156 SpDef Scizor: 45-51%, a 2HKO 95% of the time with Stealth Rock.

Latios beats most of Latias' main checks. It can even beat Blissey with Outrage and Dragon Dance.