First of all, welcome, O Lordian Member. In this part you will find everything you need to build a good Pokémon team by the book. After reading this guide, you will know all about EVs, IVs, natures, moves, and more.

I want to stress that this part is by far the most important! Read it over several times to make sure you have understood it. This chapter is the foundation of tactics!!!

With that said, happy reading!

Here is the outline of the Tactics Guide :

I) The basics

_Glossary of tactical terms and commonly used abbreviations
_IV guide
_EV guide
_Tactical roles

II) Continued

_The metagame
_The usual battle rules
_Building a team
_Prediction
_What’s new in DP compared to 386

III) Common debates

_The haxx game and the cheap game
_Challenging the current tier list
_The English and French metagames

IV) Assorted articles

_Different types of defenses
_Game strategies and their counters

V) Database

_Strategydex
_Moves
_Items
_EVs given by each Pokémon
_Abilities
_Natures
_Type chart

__________________________________________________________________________________

I The basics

A. Glossary

This section contains the definitions of many terms that players use. Beginners can get familiar with this “language” and gain some knowledge of Pokémon strategy. It is important to go through this section before continuing.

Damage: The number of HP lost after an attack. It can also be expressed as a percentage.

Stats: Pokémon have stats, six in total (HP, Attack, Defense, Special Defense, Speed, Special Attack):

Defense: Helps determine how many HP you lose from a physical attack. The higher the value, the less damage you take from physical attacks.

Special Defense: Helps determine how many HP you lose from a special attack. The higher the value, the less damage you take from special attacks.

Speed: Determines which Pokémon attacks first: the faster one goes first. If both Pokémon have the same Speed, each has a 50% chance of attacking first.

Special Attack: Influences the damage dealt by the special attacks you use. The higher the value, the more damage your special attacks do.

Stat changes: A Pokémon’s stats can change thanks to moves (or special abilities like Intimidate) that lower or raise them. This does not apply to HP.
Nasty Plot is a move that raises Special Attack by two stages (see below for the value of the stages). Moves like Metal Sound lower Special Defense by 2 stages.
On the right is the stat stage and on the left the change applied to the stat.

<!–[endif]–>

-6 => 0.25
-5 ≈> x 0.28
-4 ≈> x 0.33
-3 => x 0.4
-2 => x 0.5
-1 ≈> x 0.66
0 => x1
+1 => x 1.5
+2 => x 2
+3 => x 2.5
+4 => x 3
+5 => x 3.5
+6 => x 4

Types: Each Pokémon has one or two types; moves have only one. There are 17 types: Steel, Dragon, Fighting, Water, Electric, Fire, Ice, Bug, Normal, Grass, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Ground, Dark, Ghost, Flying.
Types can be super effective, not very effective, neutral or have no effect on other types (see the type chart).

Base Power (Base Pow): Determines the power of a move with a value.
Example: Psychic has a base pow of 90.

Status: A Pokémon’s status can change. There are several statuses:
Paralysis: The Pokémon’s Speed is cut by 75%, and the Pokémon has a one in two chance of not attacking.
Poison: The Pokémon loses 1/16 of its HP at the end of each turn. If it is badly poisoned, the damage taken doubles every turn. Steel and Poison Pokémon cannot be poisoned.
Sleep: The Pokémon cannot attack until it wakes up (unless it uses Sleep Talk or Snore).
Burn: The Pokémon loses 1/8 of its HP at the end of each turn, and the burned Pokémon’s Attack is halved. Fire Pokémon cannot be burned.
Freeze: The Pokémon cannot attack until it thaws out.
K.O.: The Pokémon can no longer take part in the battle.
Normal: No change.

Base stat: A value that lets you know a Pokémon’s maximum stats. Example: Suicune has a base stat of 100 in HP (404 at max).
To calculate the base stat for HP, do: (max HP-204) /2
To calculate the base stat for the other stats, do: (max stat without the nature-99) /2
Conversely, to calculate the max HP stat from the base stat, do: (base stat * 2) +99
And for the other stats: (base stat * 2) +204

Critical hit: Doubles the damage dealt by a move, with a 6.25% chance of happening. The critical hit rate can be altered.

STAB: When a Pokémon uses a move of the same type as its own (or one of its own), the base pow of that move is multiplied by 1.5.
Example:
Weavile is an Ice/Dark type and uses the Dark-type move Night Slash (this move has a base pow of 70). Weavile is Dark type, so the base pow of this move is multiplied by 1.5, which gives: 70×1.5=105.
The base pow of Night Slash will therefore be 105 instead of 70.

Switch: The action of changing Pokémon during the match. To switch means to change Pokémon.

Counter: A Pokémon counters another if it can switch in on its attacks without too much risk and then win the duel.
Example:
Gliscor counters Heracross because it can switch in on its attacks and win the duel with Aerial Ace (for example).

Slot: A slot is a move.

Moveset: The set of the four slots learned by a Pokémon.
Example:
Tyranitar
Move 1: Stone Edge
Move 2: Crunch
Move 3: Earthquake
Move 4: Pursuit

Movepool: The set of all the moves a Pokémon can learn. Having a good movepool means having many moves that can make it effective or that are usable.
Example:
Smeargle learns every move, so it has a very good movepool; on the contrary, Magikarp learns nothing really useful, so it has a bad movepool (I have taken two extreme examples here).
However, a Pokémon needs a movepool that fits its stats and its types to be effective.
Example:
Bronzong has good defensive stats (HP, Defense and Special Defense), and it also learns Light Screen, Reflect, Stealth Rock… Its dual type gives it, together with its special ability, a single weakness (Fire or Ground) and many resistances (Steel, Grass, Dragon, Psychic, Rock, Ice, Flying, Normal). Its moves and its type let it defend better, so Bronzong has a movepool that matches its stats and types. On the contrary, the move Roar used by Flareon is of no use because of its very poor Fire type, which burdens it with common weaknesses (Water, Ground, Rock), and its very low Defense.

Versatility: A Pokémon is called versatile when the combination of its stats and its movepool makes it hard to predict (especially at the start of a match). Lucario is versatile because it can run Choice Band, Swords Dancer or Choice Specs movesets (see “Tactical Roles”).

OHKO moves: One Hit Knock Out. OHKO moves are moves that KO in one hit: Guillotine, Sheer Cold, Fissure and Horn Drill. These moves have a 30% chance of succeeding and are banned because they are on the one hand too powerful and on the other depend only on luck.
Wonder Guard and Sturdy negate OHKO moves taken.

OHKO: To OHKO a Pokémon is to KO it in one hit.
Example: Heracross can OHKO Blissey with Close Combat.

Staying Power: A Pokémon’s ability to stay on the field for a long time. If it is good, the Pokémon can stay on the field a long time. It is increased by good defenses and recovery moves.

Tier List: A Tier List is a “group” of Pokémon. Pokémon are ranked in a Tier List according to their effectiveness and their usage rate. The 6 main Tier Lists are above.

Uber: Ubers are Pokémon judged too strong and too effective. The list of Ubers varies from person to person; the Pokémon in quotation marks are not always Ubers: Mewtwo, Mew, Ho-Oh, Lugia, “Celebi”, Latias and Latios, Rayquaza, Groudon, Kyogre, Deoxys Attack, Deoxys Defense, Deoxys, “Deoxys Speed”, Darkrai, Arceus, Giratina, Palkia, Dialga

Semi-Ubers: The semi-uber class has no reason to exist, as the Pokémon in it are less effective than some OU ones. A single semi-uber is commonly allowed in tournaments and in some matches, and sometimes this rule is dropped altogether because it is pointless. The Pokémon in quotation marks are not always semi-ubers: Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Raikou, Suicune, Entei, Regice, Registeel, Regirock, Jirachi, “Celebi”

Over Used (OU): “Classic” Pokémon that are heavily used and in theory effective. A Pokémon found on more than 5% of teams is usually considered Over Used.

Under Used (UU): Pokémon that are used fairly little. In the same way, these are generally the Pokémon with usage rates between 5% and 1%.

Never Used (NU): Pokémon that are very rarely used. They are globally not very effective against OU ones, generally those found on fewer than 1% of teams.

Border Line (BL): Pokémon too strong for UU and too little used for OU, grouped into this tier in order to make UU mode more consistent.

Game mode: There are different game modes in Pokémon. Each mode groups a certain number of Pokémon, and they sometimes have different movepools in the different modes. The battle system also differs from mode to mode, although it remains globally the same. The five game modes are above.

RBY/BRJ: The first generation of Pokémon. This game mode includes the first 151 Pokémon. RBY (Red Blue Yellow) and BRJ (Blue Red Yellow) designate the game cartridges and the mode.

GSC/OAC/251: The second generation of Pokémon. As one of its names indicates, this mode includes the first 251 Pokémon. GSC (Gold Silver Crystal) and OAC (Gold Silver Crystal) designate the game cartridges and the mode.

RS: This game mode includes all the Pokémon available in the Ruby and Sapphire games. RS (Ruby and Sapphire) designates the game cartridges and the mode.

386/ADV: The third generation of Pokémon. This game mode includes the first 386 Pokémon.

493/DPP: The fourth generation of Pokémon. This game mode includes the 493 Pokémon. DP (Diamond Pearl Platinum) designates the game cartridges and the mode.

Abbreviations and Jargon

A section devoted to abbreviations. Some are surely missing; I will try to gather as many as possible. These terms are often used by “strategists”.

Spinner: Short for Rapid Spinner (the definition is in “Tactical Roles”)

Phazer: Short for Pseudo-Hazer (the definition is in “Tactical Roles”)

Bander: Short for Choice Bander (the definition is in “Tactical Roles”)

Scarfer: Short for Choice Scarfer (the definition is in “Tactical Roles”)

Beller: Short for Heal Beller (the definition is in “Tactical Roles”)

Chomp/Garch: Refer to Garchomp

Tyra/Tar/T-Rex/Tyrano: Refer to Tyranitar, as you have surely noticed

Meta: Refers to Metagross

Mence/Tak: Refer to Salamence

Bronz/Zong/Dong: Refer to Bronzong

Cresse: Refers to Cresselia

Bliss/Blissey: Refer to Blissey

SkarmBliss: Refers to Blissey and Skarmory. This duo forms a defensive wall that can become a real burden if you have no counters: Blissey walls special attacks well and Skarmory walls physical ones. This duo, however, lost a lot of effectiveness with the move to 493, with the new physical/special split of moves.

CresseBliss: Refers to Blissey and Cresselia, certainly even sturdier than the SkarmBliss duo. Some players consider this duo the sturdiest two-Pokémon defensive core. On top of its very good Defense, Cresselia can take special hits.

Duggy: Refers to Dugtrio

Maggy: Refers to Magneton and Magnezone

Wobbu: Refers to Wobbuffet

Ron: Refers to Snorlax

Ossa/Maro: Refer to Marowak

SD/Dancer: Short for Sword Dancer (the definition is in “Tactical Roles”)

DD: Short for Dragon Dancer (the definition is in “Tactical Roles”)

Minder: Short for Calm Minder (the definition is in “Tactical Roles”)

PC/HP: Hidden Power

CC: Critical Hit or Challenge Cup

CH: Critical Hit

Cleric: Synonym of Heal Beller and Aromatherapist

Jumper: Pokémon with Baton Pass and Calm Mind

Cune: Suicune

Kou: Raikou

CalmCune: Suicune with Calm Mind

CalmKou: Raikou with Calm Mind

SubCune: Suicune with Calm Mind and Substitute

Tauntyarados: Gyarados with Dragon Dance and Taunt

B. The IVs.

IV Guide

In this guide I will try to explain clearly what IVs (Individual Values) or DVs (Diversification Values) are. You may have heard of them already; if you want to know more about IVs, then this guide is for you.

Each stat has its own IV, a value between 0 and 31 that affects the stat (see below to find out how). A Pokémon therefore has 6 IVs, one for each stat. IVs are determined randomly as soon as you catch the Pokémon or obtain the egg, and they do not change (you can change IVs as you like in battle simulators such as Shoddy Battle).

Influence of IVs on stats:

At level 100, each IV is worth one extra point in the stat, so you can gain up to 31 extra points in the stat (the value of an IV is between 0 and 31, as a reminder).
Example: A Dunsparce with no EVs (the definition of EVs is in the next guide, but you do not need to know what they mean to understand this part of the guide) in HP has 341 HP at level 100 if it has 31 IVs in HP. If it has 30 IVs in HP, it loses one HP point, giving it 340 HP; if it has 20 IVs in HP, it will have 330 HP, and so on. This explanation also applies to the other stats.

How to distribute your IVs?

Distributing IVs is very simple: in general we prefer to have 31 IVs everywhere (players on cartridges will therefore try to get the best possible IVs). In some cases the Speed IV is lowered as much as possible. This mainly concerns users of the move Gyro Ball, who must be as slow as possible to deal more damage, and certain SubPunchers (see “Tactical Roles”) who must use Substitute last in order to safely use Focus Punch the following turn. It also happens that some Life Orber Pokémon (see “Tactical Roles”), which hold the Life Orb, are given 29 IVs in HP (and 0 EVs in HP): with 29 IVs their HP ends in 9, so they will lose 1 less HP with each use of the Life Orb.

IVs and breeding

As you know, Pokémon have their IVs assigned as soon as you pick up their egg. In fact, the parents influence the offspring’s IVs; let me explain. When you put two parents in the Day Care, the egg that is laid will take the IVs of 1 to 6 of the parents’ stats, at random. Here is the number of IVs that can be passed down and the percentage chances.

1 IV: 2.44% chance
2 IVs: 34.41% chance
3 IVs: 53.01% chance
4 IVs: 9.55% chance
5 IVs: 0.58% chance
6 IVs: 0.01% chance

Source: Smogon

How to calculate your IVs?

The simplest way is to use calculators such as the one from Serebii: http://www.serebii.net/games/iv-calcdp.shtml (it is in English). Calculators are only 100% accurate if your Pokémon is at level 100 (the higher your Pokémon’s level, the more accurate the calculator will be). Otherwise, it will display the maximum possible IV and the minimum possible IV.

Influence of IVs on Hidden Power

The move Hidden Power (this move is always special in 493) can take any type except Normal, and its Base Pow also varies (between 30 and 70). The power and type of this move depend on your Pokémon’s IVs.
Here is how to calculate the Base Pow and type of your Pokémon’s Hidden Power from its IVs.

For the Base Pow:

Use this formula: ( ( A + B + C + D + E + F ) x 40 : 63 + 30 )
Don’t worry, I will show you how to calculate the unknowns:

A: Divide your HP IV by two (if it is an odd number, truncate to the unit). 27 IVs will therefore give 13, because 13.5 is truncated to the unit. If the result is an odd number, the value of A is 1; if it is even, it is 0.

B: Divide your ATK IV by two in the same way. If the result is an odd number, the value of B is 2; if it is even, the value of B is 0.
C: Divide your DEF IV by two. If the result is an odd number, the value of C is 4; otherwise it is 0.
D: Divide your SPE IV by two. If the result is an odd number, the value of D is 8; otherwise it is 0.
E: Divide your SP.ATK IV by two. If the result is an odd number, the value of E is 16; otherwise it is 0.
F: Divide your SP.DEF IV by two. If the result is an odd number, the value of F is 32; otherwise it is 0.

For the type of Hidden Power:

Use the formula: A+B+C+D+E+F

A: If your HP IV is odd, A is 1; otherwise it is 0.
B: If your ATK IV is odd, B is 2; otherwise it is 0.
C: If your DEF IV is odd, C is 4; otherwise it is 0.
D: If your SPE IV is odd, D is 8; otherwise it is 0.
E: If your SP.ATK IV is odd, E is 16; otherwise it is 0.
F: If your SP.DEF IV is odd, F is 32; otherwise it is 0.

Then use the following table to find the type of your Hidden Power from the value you found.

Between 0 and 4: Fighting
Between 5 and 8: Flying
Between 9 and 12: Poison
Between 13 and 16: Ground
Between 17 and 20: Rock
Between 21 and 25: Bug
Between 26 and 29: Ghost
Between 30 and 33: Steel
Between 34 and 37: Fire
Between 38 and 41: Water
Between 42 and 46: Grass
Between 47 and 50: Electric
Between 51 and 54: Psychic
Between 55 and 58: Ice
Between 59 and 62: Dragon
63: Dark

Example:
Let’s imagine a Jolteon with these IVs:
HP: 28 DEF: 26 SP.ATK: 27
ATK: 17 SPE: 31 SP.DEF: 23

We want to calculate the Base Pow of its Hidden Power and its type. We start with the base pow.

A: A is 0 here because 28/2=14, and 14 is an even number.
B: B is 0 here because 17/2=8.5; we truncate the value and get 8, which is an even number.
C: C is 4 here because 26/2=13, and 13 is an odd number.
D: D is 8 here because 31/2=15.5; we truncate the value and get 15, which is an odd number.
E: E is 16 here because 27/2=13.5; we truncate the value and get 13, which is an odd number.
F: F is 32 here because 23/2=11.5; we truncate the value and get 11, which is an odd number.

We use the formula: ( ( 0 + 0 + 4 + 8 + 16 + 32 ) x 40 : 63 + 30 )=68 (truncated value)

Now on to the type of Hidden Power.

A: A is 0 because 28 is even.
B: B is 2 because 17 is odd.
C: C is 0 because 26 is even.
D: D is 8 because 31 is odd.
E: E is 16 because 27 is odd.
F: F is 32 because 23 is odd.

0+2+0+8+16+32=58

Using the table, we see that the Hidden Power is Ice type.

Note: The zeros are useless in the formulas; I include them as an example.

When you see that IVs represent 31 points for each stat, you may be tempted to neglect them. However, you should not neglect these points, which can make the difference in a match (31 points is actually quite significant).

The next part is one of the most important, because EVs matter more than IVs when it comes to stats! So read and re-read this part until you have understood it!

EV GUIDE

I-What are EVs?

The abbreviation EV stands for “Effort Values”, “Points d’Effort” in French.
A Pokémon can gain up to 510 EVs in total, which influence its stats.

II-Obtaining EVs and their influence on a Pokémon’s stats

A Pokémon gains EVs by battling wild Pokémon or Trainers’ Pokémon, as well as by using vitamins or Power items. The number of EVs gained is increased if the Pokémon is infected with Pokérus.
From the moment it is caught or hatched until it has reached 510 EVs in total or the maximum in one stat (255), a Pokémon gains EVs by battling. To find out how many EVs a Pokémon “yields” once KO’d, refer to the corresponding part in the “database” section.
Vitamins give a Pokémon 10 EVs in the stat each one corresponds to. However, vitamins cannot give more than 100 EVs in a stat.
Power items, for their part, give an extra 4 EVs in the stat each one corresponds to if the Pokémon holds one of them, for each Pokémon defeated. These add to the EVs naturally given by the defeated Pokémon.
Finally, a Pokémon holding the Macho Brace will have the EVs gained in battle doubled.
If you do not know a Pokémon’s EVs or if you made a mistake in distributing them, there is a way to remove a Pokémon’s EVs. Certain Berries remove 10 EVs when given to a Pokémon, in the stat related to the Berry used.

Here is the table showing the correspondence between EV modifiers and the matching stat.

Stat:
Vitamin
Power item
Berry

Which gives us:

HP:
HP Up
Power Weight
Pomeg Berry

Attack:
Protein
Power Bracer
Kelpsy Berry

Defense:
Iron
Power Belt
Qualot Berry

Special Attack:
Calcium
Power Lens
Hondew Berry

Special Defense:
Zinc
Power Band
Grepa Berry

Speed:
Carbos
Power Anklet
Tamato Berry

Note that a Pokémon infected with Pokérus will have its gained EVs doubled

Now that you are able to give EVs to your Pokémon, you are missing one essential piece of information about EVs: the EV/stat point correspondence.
Well, 4 EVs in a stat give 1 point in it when the Pokémon is at level 100. However, a stat can only be granted 255 EVs at most, which means that, to optimize EVs, the maximum is 252 EVs in a stat (this gives you 63 points in the stat). That way, you will save 4 extra EVs. A Pokémon can gain a maximum of 510 EVs, i.e. 508 to distribute, since 510 is not a multiple of 4 (sniff).

III-How to distribute your EVs?

Now that you know what EVs are, you may be wondering how to use them. This section teaches you how to properly distribute your Pokémon’s EVs.

The goal is to make your Pokémon as effective as possible in its role. A staller will mainly have EVs in the defensive stats (HP, DEF, SP.DEF) and a sweeper in the offensive stats (ATK, SP.ATK, SPE). Of course it is not that simple; there are several exceptions.
The Strategydex lists the possible EV distribution(s) for the Pokémon whose entry has been written, but you can adopt your own distribution.
I explain how to distribute the EVs of most Pokémon. Not every possibility is covered; the goal is mainly to teach you how to distribute your Pokémon’s EVs yourselves.

Distributing the EVs of stallers

1. Physical stallers

Let’s say you want to distribute the EVs of a Staller Hippowdon.

Hippowdon @Leftovers
_Stealth Rock
_Roar/Ice Fang
_Earthquake
_Slack Off

This Pokémon is globally used as a physical sponge (good HP, good Defense, it learns Slack Off, Stealth Rock, Roar, and has a type that gives it a Rock resistance), so we will try to make it as sturdy as possible on the physical side so that it can better counter certain physical sweepers. The first distribution is very simple: we give it the max EVs in HP (we very often give a staller the max EVs in HP, as it increases the “bulk” of these Pokémon on both the physical and special sides), so it will have 252 EVs in HP. Then we give it the max EVs in Defense, naturally, since it must withstand physical attacks, so it will have 252 EVs in Defense. But there are 6 EVs left, you will say. I haven’t forgotten them: you can put them, as you like, in Attack, in Speed (to outspeed other Hippowdon with no EVs in Speed) or in Special Defense (admittedly it is just one more point, but every bonus is welcome).
This distribution gives this Pokémon optimal physical bulk, and it is also the most widely used one. There are of course exceptions: some players give it Special Defense so that it can counter certain sweepers that hit on both the physical and special sides (Example: Tyranitar with Substitute/Focus Punch/Dark Pulse/Flamethrower). The distribution gives something like: HP: 252 DEF: 136 SP.DEF: 120.
Globally it will be the same for all physical stallers.

I will present another type of exception: you may be led to put EVs in Attack or Special Attack on stallers so that they can counter certain sweepers.
Enough chatter, let’s move on to the example, Mesprit.

Mesprit @Leftovers
_Psychic/Electric HP
_Ice Beam
_Reflect/Thunder Wave
_Rest

Based on what was said above, it would seem wise to give it 252 EVs in HP and DEF, but no. One of the Pokémon that must try (I say “try” because this Pokémon has several ways of getting rid of its counter; for that, see the article about it or its Strategydex entry) to counter Mesprit is Garchomp, yet we notice that with this distribution Garchomp wins its duel:
Example:

Player B has Heatran on the field
Player A has Blissey on the field
—————————————————————————————
Player B switches to Garchomp (with no EVs in HP and Special Defense)
Player A uses Thunder Wave, which does not affect Garchomp
—————————————————————————————
Player A switches to Mesprit
Player B uses Swords Dance
—————————————————————————————
Player B uses Swords Dance
Player A uses Ice Beam, Garchomp loses 93% of its HP (it could have been OHKO’d)
—————————————————————————————
Player B uses Dragon Claw, Mesprit is OHKO’d

To fix this problem, we will put EVs in Sp.Atk to OHKO Garchomp (you need a Special Attack of at least 269 to be sure to OHKO a Garchomp with no EVs in HP and Special Defense using a non-STAB Ice Beam). With 92 EVs in Special Attack and a neutral nature regarding Special Attack, Mesprit needs 92 EVs in Sp.Atk to OHKO Garchomp.
The distribution will give something like: HP: 156 DEF: 252 SP.ATK: 92 or HP: 252 DEF: 156 SP.ATK: 92
With these EVs, it will withstand Garchomp’s Dragon Claw (with max EVs in Attack and with the Life Orb) after a Swords Dance.

This is how (most of the time) we will distribute the EVs of physical stallers.

2. Special stallers

There are globally many more physical stallers than special ones on teams. Most of the time Blissey is used as the only special staller (it counters most special sweepers), sometimes accompanied by other stallers that counter the special sweepers it does not wall. There are globally two EV distributions for Blissey:
_The one inherited from 386: HP: 252 DEF: 252 SP.DEF: 4. Its weak Defense is maximized and no EVs are put in its Special Defense, which remains good (its very high HP makes up somewhat for its mediocre Defense, so it withstands physical attacks quite well). This distribution counters many of the special sweepers of 386 but becomes less effective in 493 with the rise of special sweepers.
_The one that counters certain special sweepers that hit very hard (Azelf, Gengar, Porygon-Z…): HP: 20 DEF: 252 SP.DEF: 238. Basically we transfer EVs from HP to SP.DEF. This one is better suited to 493 and is strongly recommended.

Other special stallers are also used (not very often), and they have distributions identical to physical stallers, with the EVs in Defense transferred to Special Defense.
Example:
Spiritomb is sometimes played as a special staller that counters the main minders (with Snatch) and Pokémon like Gengar. For this role it is given EVs as follows: HP: 252 SP.DEF: 252 DEF: 4

3. Mixed stallers

Some stallers are judged to be mixed. In general they counter certain mixed sweepers and physical or special sweepers (it depends on which staller we are talking about), or they withstand both physical and special attacks well. Cresselia counters mixed Infernape but also counters physical sweepers like Gyarados (if it has Charge Beam or Electric HP). You might think the EVs should be distributed equally between Defense, Special Defense and HP, but generally this will not be the case. Mixed stallers are most of the time physical or special stallers that, thanks to their Special Defense or Defense, can also counter mixed sweepers. Let’s go back to Cresselia:

Cresselia @Leftovers
_Ice Beam
_Psychic/Charge Beam/Electric HP
_Thunder Wave/Reflect
_Rest/Moonlight

It is globally used as a physical staller with this distribution: HP: 252 DEF: 252 SP.DEF: 4 and an Impish nature. Even without EVs in Special Defense, it keeps a fairly good Special Defense that lets it counter Pokémon like mixed Infernape (Nasty Plot, Flamethrower, Grass Knot, Close Combat) with Psychic. Cresselia is therefore a mixed and physical staller while keeping a distribution that optimizes its Defense. Let’s take another example: Slowking is a rather uncommon special sponge; it will counter Heatran and Choice Specs Salamence. Its EV distribution will be: HP: 252 SP.DEF: 252 DEF: 4 with a Calm nature. Its Defense is rather bad as it stands, but with its Psychic type, which gives it a Fighting resistance, it will counter mixed Salamence (Draco Meteor, Flamethrower, Brick Break, Roost), so it can be said to be a mixed staller of sorts. Of course there are exceptions, like the Hippowdon mentioned above, which needs EVs in Special Defense to counter certain mixed attackers.

Summary: Mixed stallers are globally physical or special stallers that manage to counter mixed sweepers. They mostly have the distribution of a physical or special staller. It is sometimes necessary to put EVs in Special Defense or Defense to allow a staller to counter mixed sweepers.

To help you distribute stallers’ EVs, you can calculate the damage taken with different distributions from a fixed attack.

Distributing the EVs of sweepers

Sweepers are the Pokémon whose EV distribution is the most complex. Some sweepers have defensive EVs to hold up better during their sweep, while others bet everything on their Speed and hitting power. The goal is to find the distribution that will make the sweeper as effective as possible.

1. Physical sweepers

We will divide sweepers into two groups, sturdy sweepers and frail sweepers. Generally the frail ones are fast so they attack first, unlike the sturdy ones, though there are some exceptions like Garchomp, which is fast and quite sturdy for a sweeper.
For sturdy sweepers it will give something like: ATK: 252 HP: 252 DEF: 4. We will generally keep the 252 EVs in ATK, and the EVs in HP can be transferred to Defense or Special Defense.
Let’s take Metagross as an example: besides having a wonderful Attack, this Pokémon has excellent Defense and good HP. Its EVs will generally be distributed like this: HP: 252 ATK: 252 SPE: 4 with an Adamant nature (for this Pokémon you should not put the HP EVs in Defense; indeed it will withstand hits just as well with max EVs in HP as with max EVs in DEF, and the EVs in HP also serve for Special Defense). In addition to hitting very hard, this Metagross brings very useful Dragon, Rock and Normal resistances.
There are other distributions for Metagross, notably giving it 128 EVs in Speed to outspeed stallers like Suicune and Cresselia (with no EVs in Speed); the distribution gives: HP: 130 ATK: 252 SPE: 128.
Fast sweepers will generally be given 252 EVs in ATK and 252 EVs in Speed; they must try to be fast while hitting hard enough.
Example: Lucario

Lucario @Life Orb
_Swords Dance
_Close Combat
_Crunch
_ExtremeSpeed/Stone Edge/Bullet Punch

Lucario @Choice Band
_Close Combat
_Stone Edge
_Crunch
_ExtremeSpeed/Bullet Punch

It is a relatively frail Pokémon that will withstand most hits very poorly, so you should make sure it takes as few as possible. The EVs of the physical sweeper (sword dancer or choice bander) will be distributed in Speed and Attack: ATK: 252 SPE: 252 HP: 4. Its Speed is not phenomenal, but it is enough to outspeed most stallers, and moreover the sword dancer can KO certain sweepers faster than it with ExtremeSpeed or Bullet Punch.
Globally, this kind of distribution will be adopted for physical sweepers.

2. Special sweepers

It will be the same as for physical sweepers, swapping Attack and Special Attack. For sturdy special sweepers it generally gives: HP: 252 SP.ATK: 252 SPE: 4.
Example: SubMinder Suicune

Suicune @Leftovers
_Substitute
_Calm Mind
_Surf
_Ice Beam/Electric HP/Grass HP

This Pokémon is a special sweeper with good defenses. It is given the EV distribution I described a few lines above, with a Modest nature (it also happens that a few EVs in SP.ATK are sacrificed to put them in Speed). It must have 404 HP to work (this lets it create Substitutes with 101 HP that withstand a Seismic Toss).
And for frail sweepers it gives: SP.ATK: 252 SPE: 252 HP: 4.
Example: Azelf is a sweeper with rather poor defenses, but it has a very good Speed, so its Special Attack and Speed are maximized to make it effective: SP.ATK: 252 SPE: 252 HP: 4. It is given a Timid or Modest nature depending on our play style.

3. Mixed sweepers

Before starting, I will give a short description of mixed sweepers. Usually these are purely physical or purely special sweepers that run into stallers that soak up their attacks. We then try to find a way past these stallers. Generally we realize that these stallers have a poor Defense or Special Defense, as the case may be, and that the blocked sweeper can take advantage of this flaw. Well, an example is always better than a long speech, so here is the example, or rather the examples. Let’s start with Nasty Plot Infernape:

Infernape @Life Orb
_Nasty Plot
_Flamethrower
_Grass Knot
_Ice HP

EVs: SP.ATK: 252 SPE: 252 HP: 4
Nature: Modest, Timid
This Pokémon is completely blocked by Blissey (a Pokémon found on a large number of current teams), so we try to find a way past Blissey. What we see right away is that Blissey has a poor Defense and a Fighting weakness, and that Infernape has a rather good Attack, the Fighting STAB and the move Close Combat. We will then give Infernape Close Combat, in place of either Ice HP or Grass Knot. Infernape becomes a mixed attacker. In this case you must make sure Infernape OHKOs Blissey with its EV distribution and can still sweep hard on the special side.
This Infernape will quite often hold the Life Orb. If it has a Naive or Hasty nature, it will have a good chance of OHKOing Blissey with Close Combat. We will only rarely give it EVs in Attack (if so, very few). The Infernape therefore looks like this:

Infernape @Life Orb
_Nasty Plot
_Flamethrower
_Grass Knot/Ice HP
_Close Combat
EVs: SP.ATK: 252 SPE: 252 ATK: 4
Nature: Naive, Hasty, Rash, Mild

For this example we did not need to put EVs in Attack (or Special Attack, as the case may be) because the Pokémon did not particularly need them. However, it will sometimes be necessary to put EVs in Special Attack/Attack on mixed attackers so that they can work better, for example MixMence:

Salamence @Life Orb
_Draco Meteor
_Flamethrower/Fire Blast
_Brick Break/Earthquake
_Roost/Crunch

This Pokémon must have 120 EVs in Attack to make sure it 2HKOs (KOs in 2 hits) Blissey:

Salamence @Life Orb
_Draco Meteor
_Flamethrower/Fire Blast
_Brick Break/Earthquake
_Roost/Crunch

EVs: SP.ATK: 252 ATK: 120 SPE: 136
Nature: Rash
It thus reaches 270 Speed to outspeed Adamant Heracross.

And to finish, a few tips:

1. Seeing certain Pokémon like Dusknoir, which have low HP but a lot of Defense and Special Defense, you may be tempted to put EVs in Defense and Special Defense to make them sturdier. That is a big mistake: the best way is to maximize their HP. On the contrary, some Pokémon like Blissey have lots of HP and little Defense (it still has a very good Special Defense); to make it sturdier on the physical side, it is better to maximize its Defense.
2. If your Pokémon’s HP is a multiple of 16, it will gain 1 extra HP per turn with Leftovers. At first glance that is not very useful, but in a long match these restored HP can make the difference. So you should put EVs in HP so as to obtain a multiple of 16 (for Pokémon with Leftovers, of course).

STRATEGIC ROLES

In Pokémon strategy, players generally assign roles to their Pokémon, some more important than others. This section lists most of these roles. Examples are presented as follows:

Pokémon name @Held item
Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4

By convention, this is how Pokémon are presented.

I- Two main roles

In general in Pokémon, two kinds of Pokémon are distinguished:
_Defensive Pokémon, also called “stallers”
_Offensive Pokémon, called “sweepers”
However, you may come across effective Pokémon that cannot be classified in either of these two categories.

Repeatedly, some roles are assigned to stallers and others to sweepers. However, with a few exceptions, we will assume that the group of stallers includes all Pokémon with defensive roles and that of sweepers all Pokémon with offensive roles.

II- Defensive Pokémon, or stallers

Defensive Pokémon are present in a team for two reasons:

_Handicapping the opposing sweepers
_Reinforcing and supporting the action of your own sweepers.

A defensive Pokémon is therefore chosen for its good staying power (see the definition in the glossary), its ability to hinder classic sweepers (for example, Skarmory walls normal sweepers), as well as the defensive movepool it holds.

Here is the list (which I hope is exhaustive) of defensive roles. Each role will come with an example that is as concrete as possible:

_Hazer
A hazer is a Pokémon using the move Haze, which cancels the opposing Pokémon’s stat changes in order to stop a Pokémon boosting its stats, such as a swords dancer (see the list of offensive roles)
Example:

Weezing @Leftovers
Haze
Will-O-Wisp
Flamethrower
Rest

_Pseudo-hazer (or PHazer)
A phazer is a Pokémon using a move to force the opponent to switch in order to cancel the opposing Pokémon’s stat changes. The moves Roar and Whirlwind are direct pseudo-hazing moves. However, moves like Yawn or Sand Attack can also be considered as such.
Example:

Hippowdon @Leftovers
Roar
Earthquake
Ice Fang
Slack Off

_Rapid Spinner
This is a Pokémon using the move Rapid Spin to remove the Spikes/Stealth Rock/Toxic Spikes/Leech Seed laid on the field by the enemy.
Example:

Hitmontop @Leftovers
Rapid Spin
Rock Slide
Brick Break
Rest

_Spiker
The spiker is a Pokémon using one or several Spikes moves (Spikes, Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes) to lay spikes on the field that will hinder the opponent’s switches and force them to send out their rapid spinner (if they have one), so that one of your sweepers can be set up easily.
Example:

Gliscor @Leftovers
Stealth Rock
Aerial Ace
Earthquake
Roost

_Pseudo Passer
A pseudo passer is a Pokémon using a so-called “pseudo-passing” move. These moves are: Reflect, Light Screen, Trick Room, Tailwind, Heal Block, [Insert something else]. This gives the team various kinds of help depending on the pseudo-passing move chosen: Reflect, Light Screen and Tailwind will respectively double the Defense, Special Defense and Speed of each Pokémon on the team; Trick Room lets the slowest Pokémon attack first and Heal Block prevents the enemy from using recovery moves. Each of these moves has an effect lasting 5 turns. If the pseudo-passer holds the Light Clay, the duration of Reflect and Light Screen is increased by three turns.
Example:

Bronzong @Light Clay
Reflect
Trick Room
Gyro Ball
Rest

_Wisher
A wisher is a Pokémon using the move Wish. It lets the Pokémon on the team that is on the field at the end of the following turn recover up to 50% of its total HP. A wisher often has the move Protect, allowing it to regenerate itself if it runs low on HP.
Example:

Blissey @Leftovers
Wish
Protect
Seismic Toss
Toxic

_Aromatherapist (or cleric / heal beller)
This is a Pokémon using the moves Aromatherapy or Heal Bell in order to cure the team’s Pokémon of the status problems they have (paralysis, burn, freeze, poison).
Example:

Celebi @Leftovers
Heal Bell
Leech Seed
Recover
Grass Knot

_Physical sponge
The term physical sponge has lost some of its value with the new physical/special split of moves. Indeed, in theory a physical sponge must be able to take most physical attacks, but the addition of physical weaknesses with DP makes their job less complete. Remember that a physical sponge must be able to take hits from big physical sweepers, thanks to its very good Defense and good HP, as long as its attackers do not hit its weaknesses.
Example:

Skarmory @Leftovers
Roost
Drill Peck
Spikes
Whirlwind

_Special sponge
In the same way that physical sponges lose their standing in DP, the same problem arises for special sponges. Remember that currently only one special sponge is usable in 493; certain special sweepers like Subminder Mismagius (see below) can get past this special sponge.
Example:

Blissey @Leftovers
Soft-Boiled
Aromatherapy
Seismic Toss
Thunder Wave

_Mixed sponge
The mixed sponge must be able to stop a large number of sweepers: both special sweepers and physical sweepers, but above all mixed sweepers, excluding those whose Pokémon hit its weaknesses.
Example:

Cresselia @Leftovers
Reflect
Psychic
Ice Beam
Moonlight

As mentioned in the introduction, with a few rare exceptions, defensive roles are given to Pokémon with high staying power or the ability to counter classic sweepers.
These exceptions are Pokémon that are met with defensive movesets one time in ten and that, thanks to surprise and their movepool, become perfectly respectable. For example, you may come across Azelf with the following moveset:

Azelf @Leftovers
Stealth Rock
Thunder Wave
Psychic
Fighting HP/Explosion

It can surprise its counters and hinder sweepers that want to set up on it. Other offensive spikers are used to hinder spinners (spiker Heatran hinders Forretress). In the same way, Gengar with Will-O-Wisp is usable, as are offensive wishers such as Jolteon or Glaceon.

III- Offensive Pokémon, or sweepers

Offensive Pokémon present in a team are tasked with inflicting the maximum possible damage on the opponent. To do so they must be able to get past the opposing defense, which may not be easy.
There are three classes of sweepers: purely physical sweepers, mixed sweepers and purely special sweepers.
Here is the list of offensive roles that Pokémon can get.

_Choice Bander
A choice bander is a Pokémon whose held item is the Choice Band, which gives it a 50% boost in Attack by locking it into a single slot until it is withdrawn from the battle. It is therefore able to hit hard right from the start. It needs good prediction (see the section “Prediction”) to be handled correctly; otherwise the damage will not be there.
Example:

Rhyperior@Choice Band
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Megahorn
Ice Fang

_Swords Dancer
The Swords Dancer is a Pokémon using the move Swords Dance. It raises its Attack by two stages (see the glossary), letting it hit very hard while being free to change moves, but in return it needs an extra turn to get going and it loses an offensive slot. Fast Swords Dancers are generally preferred. That way they will not be stopped too often by faster sweepers.
Example:

Lucario @Life Orb
Swords Dance
Close Combat
ExtremeSpeed
Crunch

_SubPuncher
A Subpuncher is a Pokémon that uses the Substitute + Focus Punch combo. Indeed, the powerful move Focus Punch requires not being hit during the turn it is used, which is why Substitute is used to protect the user. There are two kinds of subpunchers: fully physical ones, with 2 other physical offensive slots, and mixed ones, which use Focus Punch to prevent Blissey from setting up and hit freely on the special side with the two remaining slots.
Example:

Tyranitar @Leftovers
Substitute
Focus Punch
Dark Pulse
Flamethrower

_Bulk Upper
A bulk upper is a Pokémon using the move Bulk Up. This move raises the user’s Attack and Defense by one stage, so it can make the Pokémon using it very hard to stop once set up. The same criticisms as for swords dancers apply, that is, reduced versatility and a relatively long number of turns to set up (2 Bulk Ups are often required to be able to sweep and take hits properly).
Example:

Machamp @Leftovers
Bulk Up
DynamicPunch
Stone Edge
Payback

_Curser
A curser is a Pokémon using the move Curse. It raises Attack and Defense by one stage, but in exchange it lowers Speed by one stage. Cursers therefore need good Special Defense stats. Indeed, once set up, it would be a shame for a special sweeper to dislodge it, especially with the drop in Speed. A curser needs the move Rest to regenerate and set up its Curses more easily. If the curser manages to set up 2 or 3 Curses, it becomes very hard to counter, all the more so if the enemy has no (p)hazer left or at all.
Example:

Snorlax@Leftovers
Curse
Return
Fire Punch
Rest

_Dragon Dancer
A dragon dancer is a Pokémon using the move Dragon Dance. This move raises the user’s Attack and Speed by one stage, and thus makes it a dangerous sweeper once set up. Dragon dancers often use the move Taunt to render any opposing nuisances (generally phazers) ineffective.
Example:

Gyarados @Leftovers
Dragon Dance
Taunt
Waterfall
Stone Edge

_Choice Scarfer
A choice scarfer is a Pokémon whose held item is the Choice Scarf. It multiplies its Speed by 1.5, letting it easily hit frail opposing sweepers without fearing being attacked, but with the inability to change slots until it switches. However, a choice scarfer can hardly hurt a staller, which is why their use is limited (in the French metagame in particular, with teams of 4 stallers).
Example:

Heracross @Choice Scarf
Close Combat
Megahorn
Stone Edge
Sleep Talk

_Reversaler (or counterer)
This is a Pokémon using the very powerful move Reversal. The base pow of this move increases as the user’s HP decreases. Below 3% of its HP, the user of Reversal gets a base pow of 200 for this move. To reach this under-3% HP there are several solutions: first, you can Substitute 4 times, thereby avoiding status changes. You can also use the move Endure, which is simpler to use but riskier. In any case, a Salac Berry will be mandatory for the reversaler to optimize its Speed. Moreover, Sandstorm hinders all reversalers that do not resist it, KOing them when they have little HP left. Only two reversalers are therefore really usable: Scizor and Lucario. Slipping in a Swords Dance along the way is highly recommended.
Example:

Lucario@Salac Berry
Substitute/Endure
Reversal
Swords Dance
Crunch

_Agily (or rock polisher)
The agily or rock polisher is a Pokémon using the move Agility or Rock Polish, raising its Speed by two stages and thus letting it outspeed most Pokémon in the game and then sweep.
Example:

Metagross @Life Orb
Rock Polish/Agility
Meteor Mash
Earthquake
Explosion

_Mixed/Life Orber
A mixed sweeper hits on both the special and physical sides, which lets it get past purely physical or purely special sponges. Most often they hold the Life Orb, which gives it a *1.3 boost in Attack and Special Attack, in exchange for recoil damage of 10% of its HP with each hit dealt.
Example:

Salamence @Life Orb
Draco Meteor
Flamethrower
Brick Break
Roost

_Choice Specs
A choice specs is a Pokémon whose held item is the Choice Specs. They raise its Special Attack by 50% and let it hit very hard on the special side as soon as it comes into play. As with the physical and speed versions, it needs prediction to work, because it cannot change slots once sent onto the field.
Example:

Heatran @Choice Specs
Fire Blast
Earth Power
Dragon Pulse
Explosion/Rest

_Calm Minder (or minder)
A calm minder is a Pokémon using the move Calm Mind. With each use, it raises its Special Attack and Special Defense by one stage. It therefore lets it sweep on the special side while increasing its bulk against it.
When a calm minder has 404 HP or a Ghost type, it can be given the move Substitute. Indeed, the Substitute with 101 HP will force Blissey to use two Seismic Tosses while preventing it from altering its status, and in the same way the Substitute of a Ghost Pokémon, untouchable by Normal moves, will wall Blissey. This combination is called “subminder”
Example:

Slowbro @Leftovers
Calm Mind
Surf
Ice Beam
Slack Off

_Nasty Plotter
A nasty plotter is a Pokémon using the move Nasty Plot, letting it raise its Special Attack by two stages. They can be hard to set up, but their power can even scare Blissey. Just like swords dancers, these are Pokémon that are cumbersome to set up and therefore need substantial defensive support.
Example:

Porygon-Z @Life Orb
Nasty Plot
Tri Attack
Hidden Power Fighting
Dark Pulse

_Metal Sound
The metal sound is a Pokémon using the move Metal Sound. This move lowers the opponent’s Special Defense by two stages, thus letting the Pokémon hit the opponent hard. They are very rare but can become very cumbersome if the opponent has only one counter (which risks seeing its Special Defense lowered and will therefore be forced to switch).
Example:

Zapdos @Leftovers
Metal Sound
Thunderbolt
Ice HP/Grass HP
Roost/Substitute

_Sunny Beamer
Sunny beamers are Pokémon with the move Solar Beam and the move Sunny Day. These Pokémon are also very little used. The goal is to use Sunny Day and sweep with Solar Beam and generally a Hidden Power.
Example:

Exeggutor @Leftovers
Sunny Day
Solar Beam
Fire HP
Explosion/Leech Seed/Sleep Powder

IV- Unclassifiable roles

Some roles, although useful and effective, cannot be placed in either of the two categories. Here they are:

_Baton Passer
These are Pokémon using the move Baton Pass. It lets you switch Pokémon while giving the incoming Pokémon the stat boosts previously accumulated by the user of Baton Pass.
Example:

Ninjask @Leftovers
Baton Pass
Swords Dance
Substitute
X-Scissor

_Trapper/PP-waster
Trappers are Pokémon using a move that prevents the opposing Pokémon from fleeing. These are Mean Look, Spider Web and Block. Pokémon with the special abilities Arena Trap or Shadow Tag are also considered trappers. The use of this kind of Pokémon is to trap a nuisance, most often to drain its PP, with the support of the move Pressure, for example.
Example:

Dusknoir @Leftovers
Mean Look
Will-O-Wisp
Seismic Toss
Rest

_PerishTrapper
The perish trapper is a Pokémon using the trap + Perish Song attack combo. Indeed, the move Perish Song KOs both Pokémon on the field three turns after it is used, provided they have spent the three turns on the field. So you trap a Pokémon (most often with Mean Look), use Perish Song, then hold on for 2 turns and switch your Pokémon out on the last turn of Perish Song, in order to let the opponent die alone.
Example:

Mismagius @Leftovers
Mean Look
Perish Song
Hypnosis
Protect

_(Sub)seeder
A seeder is a Pokémon using the move Leech Seed. It drains 1/8 of the opponent’s HP, and thus forces it into repeated switches to avoid losing too much of its HP. This makes Spikes laid on the field pay off. Most often the Substitute+Leech Seed combination will be used to block opposing rapid spinners with the Substitute, while recovering the energy spent creating the Substitute with the Leech Seeds.

Sceptile @Leftovers
Substitute
Leech Seed
Energy Ball
Hidden Power Ice

As you have surely noticed, many Pokémon cover several roles at once (Blissey serves as a special sponge and as a Heal Beller or Wisher).

Of course, the Tactics Guide is not finished. But updates will be made regularly to improve this Guide and make it useful.

Tactics Guide written by Aqualuffy, Zemout, Cristall and Syngvir