How to begin Team-Building.

[DarkestLight]

Now, I've been reading FAQ's left and right for a few days now, trying to find a guide that really helps people like me out.

I'm an average competitive player. I'm not good. I just like to battle. Sometimes I come up with cool movesets , but sometimes they're superstandard. I know how to work EV's, and I know how IV's work.

My main problem is, deciphering from a Pokemon's stats, how to distribute them effectively. Now I need to explain that cause from the way it sounds in my head, I typed it wrong.

Let's take Magnezone, my next candidate for elevating. He's gonna have Magnet Pull. His speed is pretty sucktastic. Sp Atk is nice. Moves leave something to be desired again.

Now- before the moveset-I need to distribute EV's. What I don't know are those golden rules like what outruns what...how much does something need to be safe from what-what things are at what speed..all that. That's where things get hairy can I come up with EV spreads like this one...

Magnezone-Magnet Pull Item: TBD
EV: 240 Sp Atk/120 Spd/150 HP
Moveset (Something like...)
T-Bolt
T-wave
Flash Cannon/Filler
Filler

Now somehow, in my head that works, cause that speeds up Zone. I know that any Fire special attack will murder it, but why would I keep it in on that? Hype up its one good stat for max damage while it can, and give it some HP to deal with Physical hits. But I'm never sure if that works, and so I am usually feeling like 252/252/6 is the best outlook for me.

I'm sure the answer is something simple I'm not thinking of, but I need clarification. I'm sure the answer will help others have confidence in deciding their EV spreads as well.

[DarkestLight]

If anyone could send me off in the right direction, that would be fantastic.

[Perfect Chaos]

I'm not good with EVs at all but I could still give it a try.

For Magnezone, his stats have gone up pretty well after evolving. Magneton had the problem of having low HP along with a pretty average Sp. Def. Magnezone's HP is still on the average/low side but its Sp. Def has gone up to being respectable, along with its very good Def score and fantastic Sp. Atk. However, Speed is still lacking, even more so than before with Magneton. I guess go for this as a setup move-wise:

Magnezone@Salac Berry/Leftovers
Timid (-Atk, +Spd) or Modest (-Atk, +Sp. Atk)
252 Spd/252 Sp. Atk/6 Def

Thunderbolt
HP - Ice
Thunder Wave
Filler/Flash Cannon

Flash Cannon is iffy at best. Even though it gets STAB, Steel doesn't cover many weaknesses, except for Rock (since most Rock Pokemon have part-Ground type, HP - Ice is there to help) and Ice (most Ice-types are part-Water, which obviously means TBolt) so its not that sound of a choice for a last move but I'm not sure what else to add. I think stick with Modest for a trait since you're going to max EVs for Speed and also if you go with a Salac Berry for its hold item. If not, then stick with Timid

[RattataGuy]

I'll take a swing at helping out...

Part of the issue revolves around one piece of information that is either missing or not yet clarified. What is the pokemon's role in a team?

If you don't have a clear idea how a pokemon is going to work with others, it puts up a cloud that obscures every other aspect of planning his physical growth (stats, training) and his personality (nature, abilities).

Also, build up strengths and try to cover weaknesses.

It looks like you want to turn Magnezone into a special sweeper, right? Well, then you want to pump his Special Attack primarily (since it's already awesomely high), and then either work on HP, Def Speed in a secondary capacity based on the pokemon's own stats. A sweeper, to my understanding, needs to either be fast enough to hit first (and hit hard), or at least have the HP and/or defense to survive going second.

Let's see... Magenzone has a great special def, so you may want to ev train that up, or you may want to cover his weak speed and HP.

The only other rule I've seen is to not spread your EV training over more than two stats. In other words max out two stats with a full 252 ev points.

[DarkestLight]

Ok I see what you mean.

I was leaning more for a Tank, but his Sp Atk leaves me with wanting him to attack if need be. Yeah Flash cannon dosen't really aid much aside from stab, but as you see, Zone really dosen't get much. xD. *Sigh* like Flareon. But while that only points out the main issue my question deals with, its not the answer..


I think my question is merely ...and using Zone as an example

How do I figure out how many EV's are needed to make sure my Zone outspeeds say...I dunno, {making this up} Garchomp.

..Yeah, that's better terminology. Like how would I go about figuring out how much a Pokemon would need in order to outspeed another, or to survive from a hit {like avoiding a OHKO E-Quake from something like --again, making this up--, Garchomp.} due to having ample defenses, all that stuff. Or is that TOO technical?

[RattataGuy]

Well, when it comes to Speed, we're dealing with something that seems to be just a comparison of two numbers, fortunately.

Things just get complicated (sorta) when you start really digging into game mechanics. But it's more a big mesh of simple things that look complicated rather than one big thing that's actually complicated.


How do I figure out how many EV's are needed to make sure Pokemon A outspeeds Pokemon B?You'll need a chart or some other way of showing a pokemon's base stats and then do a comparison.

Base Speed
Garchomp --- 102
Magnezone --- 60

So it looks like if everything else was held equal (that is ignoring the effects of IV, nature and EV training) Garchomp will always outspeed Magnezone.

Yeah, it's really a lot of information to parse together. But by fiddling in Veekun's site and Serebii's pokedex (the two I prefer for stat information) I found that a Garchomp with a personality that hinders Speed growth will have 272 base speed at level 100 and a Magnezone that has a nature good for Speed growth would have a base of 240 at level 100.

So it would come down to IVs and Ev training at that point.

If you want to do something like this well, but probably way too involving for what Nintendo had planned, you need to take some time out and do research on your pokemon, your basic competition, the game mechanics and how the three are going to interact (preferably so you can win more than they do).

It comes down to knowing what is, and isn't popular among your competitors really. And in the case where it's not just a matter of overused pokemon with predictable EVs spreads, movesets and natures, your best bet is to go with what you like balances against what has a good average showing.

I wish I could get paid for this sorta stuff. It would really make my Physics degree seem less useless than it feels now.

[DarkestLight]

...Wow I feel numb now that I understand this better.

It's a law of averages then. Now I see what they mean by like Pokemon X needs this many ev's to Outspeed Base Spd 130 Pokes. Then I just really gotta do the math to EV and I get my exact number.

Alright. That'll help me have a better EV spread, and to understand that part of the mechanics. Thank you- and I feel you about worthless degrees ... Geology in NYC huh?