Building a strong team

A strong team needs jobs, not simply rarity.

Slot	Job	Good qualities
Lead	Starts safely and controls tempo	Speed, status, reliable move
Physical attacker	Breaks low-Defense targets	High Attack, strong same-type move
Special attacker	Breaks physical walls	High Special Attack and coverage
Defensive pivot	Absorbs dangerous hits	Resistances, recovery, useful status
Speed control	Prevents sweeps	Very high Speed, paralysis or priority
Flexible counter	Fixes the team’s worst matchup	Coverage or immunity the other five lack

Practical rules

• Avoid stacking three or more Pokémon weak to the same common type.
• Give each attacker at least one same-type move and one coverage move.
• Match Mints, vitamins and held items to the Pokémon’s actual role.
• Train a catcher separately: controlled damage plus sleep/paralysis is worth more than raw power when hunting rares.
• Legendaries are powerful, but a balanced trained team usually performs better than six unplanned legendary captures.