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Selecting which Pokemon to bring to a Ranked Battle can often decide the winners of a competitive match. Read on to learn which Pokemon to choose into a battle in Gen 9 and what factors to consider when choosing in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV)!
| What Can We Learn From This Article? |
|---|
 Winning is often decided by Pokemon selection |
| Choose Pokemon that are difficult to knock out |
| A good choice comes from a good party |
Each battle begins by previewing to both players all 6 Pokemon that both players have. Players will then choose 3 Pokemon for Single Battles, and 4 Pokemon for Double Battles. This is called Team Preview and is one of the most important aspects of competitive battling.
We can use Team Preview to deduce our opponent's gameplan and see what strategies they may try to use. Using the information we can gather from Team Preview, we can then decide what team of 3 or 4 to bring to the match.
Pokemon selection is an important aspect of competitive matches. The factors that decide a battle can be divided into the following 3 stages.
 Team Composition |
 Team Selection |
 Battling |
Approximately 70% of wins and losses are decided upon team selection. The content of the match is often described as exchanging answers
by simply choosing the best options every turn. This is because if you can not select the appropriate Pokemon for a match, it will be difficult to win in the first place.
Because each Pokemon is unique, they can contribute different things to battles. When teambuilding, it is important to have these roles in mind. Team order is also crucial, so it is very important to try and deduce our opponent's plans.
Lead Pokemon are the Pokemon we choose to begin a match with who often set the pace of a match. Throughout a battle, we will be making decisions and changing our minds, and the Pokemon we bring to a match should be able to support these decisions.
Rather than using the same Pokemon for every fight, in Team Preview, you will want to choose Pokemon which effectively counter the Pokemon your opponent is bringing to the fight. To do this, you'll need to identify the roles of the Pokemon your opponent is using.
 Azumarill
Huge Power |
 Salamence
Intimidate |
 Hydreigon
Levitate |
The main objective of these Pokemon is to deal as much damage as possible. This is also the most basic way to win a Pokemon Battle. These Pokemon, though varying in Speed, all want to fulfill the same role: to knock out their opponents.
Upon seeing our opponent's choices of attackers, we may want to bring Pokemon who can resist their STAB moves or outspeed them outright.
For our examples, we will want to bring a Fast Electric-type to combat Azumarill, a Steel-type who can resist Salamence's attacks, and a Fairy-type who can wall and threaten Hydreigon.
 Scizor
Technician |
 Blissey
Natural Cure |
 Arcanine
Intimidate |
Defensive Pokemon can take damage and be a nuisance on the field. Occasionally, they can also work as Clerics for the team and heal Status Conditions. They can also pivot out of the active spot and allow you to reposition to a better situation.
Our opponent's defensive options will inform our choices on which offensive Pokemon to bring. We must make sure that these Pokemon cannot switch in safely, or can be immediately threatened if they come out as leads.
Scizor fears any Fire-type move. Blissey, a Special Wall, can be handled with consistent Physical Damage. Arcanine can be threatened with Water-types who specialize in Special Attacks, because it can not debuff them with Intimidate or Will-O-Wisp.
 Hippowdon
Sand Stream |
 Dragonite
Multiscale |
 Bronzong
Levitate |
Pokemon whose role is to set up or remove Entry Hazards or spread Status Conditons. These Pokemon fulfill a number of different roles and act as a sort of Swiss Army Knife for your team. These Pokemon pack enough bulk to safely switch in and assist the team. As these Pokemon fulfill a variety of purposes, they can also be countered in a variety of ways. We must also craft our gameplan around our opponent's utility options.
A Pokemon like Hippowdon is especially susceptible to Taunt.
Pokemon with Abilities that can mitigate damage like Dragonite's Multiscale will want to switch into a resisted hit and cause problems by setting up a Dragon Dance or remove hazards with Defog. Against this, a Pokemon that can buff its stats is good to have on the field.
Bronzong is also susceptible to Taunt, preventing it from using Trick Room and Stealth Rock.
 Tyranitar
Sand Stream |
 Pelipper
Drizzle |
 Torkoal
Drought |
Oftentimes, the way to combat this is with weather of our own. Having your weather setter in the back and ready to switch in can overwrite your opponent's weather. If we're faced with the same weather, we'll need to be mindful of Speeds and turn order.
The Pokemon we bring to a match depends largely on how confident we feel about enforcing our gameplan, and how effective our opponent's gameplan is compared to ours. Attackers, Defensive Pokemon, Utility Pokemon and Weather Pokemon all play a big part in bringing this gameplan to success.
Team Preview: Which Pokemon to Choose
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