With the rise of the Pokemon hype, many players have dipped their toes into the world of Pokemon VGC or Video Game Championship. Due to Pokemon GO's popularity, judging by the success of Pokemon Sun and Moon, players might seek a way to improve competitive team building. Alex Ogloza, 2014 US National champion, shares his process on how to build Pokemon teams.
Competitive Team Building In Pokemon
According to Alex, from a video he posted on his YouTube channel, his personal way of building a Pokemon team is based on three different styles. Offensive/Combo, Reactionary, or Defensive/Stall style, all of which are still applicable in Pokemon Sun and Moon. Each style is unique in terms of technique and strategy, and some may be more effective than the other.
Offensive/Combo. For Alex, these are versatile Pokemon that can carry the team, which focuses on strong combos and pairings that work well at punching through opponents. Using this strategy is less stressful as the tournament progresses. However, there are times that combo gets countered by the opponent
Reactionary. This style means the player selects Pokemon with the intent of responding to what the player will be playing against. This is where metagame play and utilizing Team Preview comes in.
Defense/Stall. This style hasn't been successful due to the introduction of Team Preview in VGC. This style focuses on defense, switches, cores and set-up moves to win slowly. This style will work better if there are little to no time constraints.
Knowledge Is Pokemon Power
The best way to build the winning team is to sit down and contemplate the Pokemon you want your team to have, based on the style that you wish to follow. There are several tools online that can help players with this. Verlisify, a YouTuber and Pokemon Sun and Moon fan, has compiled a list of sites that can help you build your own competitive team. These sites hold the most useful and vast information regarding Pokemon of all types. Watch the video below to know more about Alex Ogloza and his process!
