Apparently, even if I never played any pvp game on PRO I seem knowledgeable enough to give pvp beginners some help on teambuilding. A question that often came on the table is if I have some affordable teams that anyone could farm in less than a week or a month of play. So i openend the rarity guide by Red found here and get a list of highly competitive pokemons that are failry common in PRO (bye bye alakazam gligar and bisharp, you're not welcome here).
In the long term, I will try to propose some sets for the best common pokemons available (34 are chosen as a start) and give you a few budget sample team to battle with. Do not expect any goof formatting on this topic at the beginning but i'll try to make it a bit more shiny then. Of course, every advice will be well taken and you can always add me on the blue server if you have some questions.
Common Pokemons sets and usage
Zubat is listed Abundant in many places, so you won't have any trouble finding a good one. He mostly has two playable sets, a sweeper one and a stallbreaker one.
Crobat @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Cross Poison
- Defog/Roost
The first one is pretty simple. It consists of a high speed statistics combined with good attack and great base power moves to deal as much damages as you can.
Jolly nature is used to outspeed everything in the metagame besides already set up pokemons. Adamant can be an alternative to hit harder.
The ability is mostly irrelevant, Inner focus can prevent some flinch from a random Togekiss Air Slash and Infiltrator works against Protect and Substitute, two moves that are not working at the moment.
Brave Bird hits hard combined with sharp beak for some extra damages because there is no Choice Band item atm. U-turn is to get momentum and setting yourself in a more favorable match-up. Cross poison is a secondary Stab hitting fairy and electric more efficiently than Brave Bird. The last move is in my opinion a toss-up between Defog to remove hazards or Roost to recover health.
Crobat @ Black Sludge
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 248 HP / 48 Def / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Toxic/Defog
- Roost
- Taunt/Defog
This one is a bit trickier. Having access to recovery via Roost, to Taunt and to Toxic makes Crobat a great Stallbreaker. Howewer, Taunt seems to be bugged at the moment so this set might be clunkier if you replace taunt with Defog.
The Evs helps to have more bulk and a good base stat, you still hurt enough with Brave Bird to not get any points in Atk.
Brave Bird is to hit hard, Toxic to kill slowly some bulkier pokemons such as Slowbro. Roost helps you recover more than Black Sludge. Taunt prevents the staller from using Wish or Heal bell to cure himself, allowing you to kill him with ease. Defog is an option to control entry hazards.
Phanpy is Occasionnal on some spots. Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin on the same pokemon makes Donphan a real Swiss Army Knife for any pokemon team. Even so there are no gimmicks for Donphan, the flexibility is really great.
Donphan @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def /// 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Impish/Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off/Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
This Donphan has the maximum physical bulk possible nd will allow you to stay alive to maintain Hazard Control.
Sturdy guarantees you a Stealth Rock because you won't die on the first turn.
Stealth Rock is the best ability in the game, making the opponent think before he switches.
Knock Off to render the item useless. Ice Shard is optionnal for priority move but switching Def Ev's to Atk might be better.
Earthquake is the primary stab with great damages.
Rapid Spin to control the terrain on your side.
Slowpoke is a Common pokemon in many places and he is mostly and almost solely used as a physical wall and a pivot. His set is:
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Slack Off
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Scald
The combination of a high base Health and Defense makes Slowbro a huge wall in the game. He also has access to recovery with Regenerator and Slack Off, making him hard to kill without OHkoing. In short, he's there to take some hits and hit nicely back.
Bold nature is chosen to maximise the defense and making Slowbro a bigger wall. Regenerator is the only good ability on Slowbro for 6v6 singles. Evs are set for bulk and a bit of damages.
Slack Off allows you to recover any lost health. Scald hits many things and can provide the brun to cripple physical attackers even more, Surf can be chosen for more raw damage. Psyshock is there to hit the Spdef walls or any water resistant pokemon. Calm Mind allows you to boost your Spatk and Spdef to becom a huge threat to the ennemy team, the alternative is Thunderwave for speedcontrol or some gimmicks like FireBlast to kill Ferrothorn.