Best Balanced Team for Ranked Battle

This is a strategy guide and complete explanation of a Balanced Team for the games Pokemon Sword and Shield. Read on for the rental code and tips on how to use this team effectively in competitive play, recommended movesets and best builds, and strategies and synergies for each Pokemon.

Team Summary and Rental Code

Balanced Calyrex (Ice Rider) Mimikyu Team
Calyrex (Ice Rider)	Mimikyu	Dialga
Tapu Fini	Hitmontop	Thundurus
Battle Season	Ranked Battle Series 12
Rental Code	0000 0001 TVWM Y8

How to Use the Team Effectively

This team strikes a balance between being offensively-oriented and defensively-oriented. Its gameplan is to neutralize threats and mitigate damage, leading to your Pokemon outlasting your opponent's.

Defensive plays are important for piloting this team, such as defensive switches, predicting your opponent's moves, correctly choosing your own moves, preparing an endgame win condition as well as finding the right moments to go on the offensive.

Playing this team requires careful thought and creativity because it is not as straightforward as simply going on the offensive right out the gate.
If you're the type of player who enjoys a challenge, consider trying this team out.

Team Movesets & Best Builds

Weakness Policy Calyrex (Ice Rider)

Calyrex (Ice Rider) - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Calyrex (Ice Rider)
Nature	Adamant (+Atk, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Atk 92 / Def 20 / Sp. Def 140 / 4 Spe
Final Stat Values	HP 207 / Atk 216 / Def 173 / Sp. Def 140 / Spe 71
Ability	As One
Held Item	Weakness Policy
Moveset	・Glacial Lance ・Protect ・High Horsepower ・Trick Room

Calyrex (Ice Rider) has decent bulk and a stellar physical attack stat. However it matches up unfavorably against Series 12's most popular restricted Pokemon, Zacian. Calyrex is sure to easily get KO'd by a Zacian's Behemoth Blade so choosing a gameplan that either does not involve Calyrex, or positions

Calyrex at the back of your team can help the team find success in this match up. This poor match up against the metagame's most popular restricted Pokemon hinders Calyrex from shining. Luckily, the team has ways to mitigate Zacian's damage potential. Calyrex can also struggle against Fire-types with ground immunity. It is important to protect Calyrex from taking boosted super-effective hits that it cannot tank.

Under the right conditions, Calyrex is able to sweep through teams. A Trick Room environment certainly helps it do this, sometimes not even needing to Dynamax because Glacial Lance can score multiple KO's in a turn.

About Calyrex (Ice Rider)'s Moves

Glacial Lance is Calyrex (Ice Rider)'s signature move, which is able to deal damage to both opposing Pokemon.
Protect can help Calyrex occasionally take a super-effective move and trigger its Weakness Policy.
High Horsepower is its coverage move of choice, which turns into the powerful Max Quake upon Dynamaxing.

and lastly, Trick Room is its last move. Oftentimes, Calyrex will rely on Mimikyu to set up Trick Room, but having it on Calyrex instead of another coverage move can sometimes win us the game if we're able to set it a second time.

About Calyrex (Ice Rider)'s EV Spread

We maximize Calyrex (Ice Rider)'s HP so that it can tank as many neutral hits as possible. This works in conjunction with our 20 Defense and 140 Special Defense investments, making our Calyrex sufficiently bulky.

92 Attack EV's are enough for Calyrex to still be an offensive powerhouse while freeing up EV's to be invested in its defenses. With multiple ways to boost its Attack stat in Chilling Neigh and its Weakness Policy held item, Calyrex does not need too much Attack investment.

Finally, 4 Speed EV's with an Adamant Nature instead of Brave lets us speed creep other Calyrex (Ice Rider) outside of Trick Room.

About Calyrex (Ice Rider)'s Ability

As One gives Calyrex (Ice Rider) both Unnerve and Chilling Neigh.

Unnerve prevents opposing Pokemon from consuming their Held Berries. This is good against Pokemon such as Groudon who frequently have Sitrus Berry equipped or Amoonguss holding Coba Berry.

Chilling Neigh boosts Calyrex's attack stat after scoring successful KO's. This has natural synergy with its signature move, Glacial Lance, which is a spread move. Getting multiple Chillng Neigh boosts can often let Calyrex steamroll through teams.

About Calyrex (Ice Rider)'s Held Item

Weakness Policy boosts Calyrex's offensive stats after being hit with a super-effective move. This makes opponents think twice about attacking Calyrex, especially if they do not have ways to OHKO it. Mimikyu can proc Calyrex's Weakness Policy in or out of Trick Room with its Shadow Sneak.

Mental Herb Mimikyu

Mimikyu - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Mimikyu
Nature	Jolly (+Spe, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 4 / Atk 252 / Spe 252
Final Stat Values	HP 131 / Atk 142 / Def 100 / Sp. Def 125 / Spe 162
Ability	Disguise
Held Item	Mental Herb
Moveset	・Shadow Sneak ・Play Rough ・Will-O-Wisp ・Trick Room

Mimikyu is one of the most consistent Trick Room setters in the game thanks to its Ghost-typing (Giving it an immunity to Fake Out.), its Disguise Ability that makes it difficult to KO and, its Mental Herb held item that prevents it from being Taunted.

About Mimikyu's Moves

Shadow Sneak's main purpose is for triggering Calyrex (Ice Rider)'s Weakness Policy. It is also good for picking off low HP Pokemon. Its increased priority allows Mimikyu to use Shadow Sneak first even in Trick Room.

Play Rough works as Mimikyu's main damaging STAB move. For the sole purpose of dealing damage, Play Rough does its job adequately.

Will-O-Wisp is great for neutering physical threats. This is good against Pokemon like Zacian, reducing its offensive potential.

Possibly Mimikyu's most important move is Trick Room, which it needs to successfully set up in order for Calyrex to effectively sweep.

About Mimikyu's EV Spread

Because of its Disguise Ability, Mimikyu does not need defensive EV investment. We maximize its Speed stat with a Jolly Nature so that it is able to fire off fast Will-O-Wisps or Play Roughs. We also maximize its Attack stat so that it can hit as hard as possible.

Mimikyu's maximized attack stat does not hinder its synergy with Calyrex (Ice Rider), however, as it will still deal negligible damage with Shadow Sneak.

Its last 4 EV's are then put into its HP stat to give it a little extra health points.

About Mimikyu's Ability

Disguise is a powerful Ability to have. It is effectively a free Substitute that allows Mimikyu to take a hit. This prevents Mimikyu from getting OHKO'd. It also forces an opponent to target it with both their Pokemon to knock it out.

About Mimikyu's Held Item

Mimikyu's held item, Mental Herb, protects it from the effects of Taunt. This allows it to more consistently use its very useful non-damaging moves.

Assault Vest Dialga

Dialga - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Dialga
Nature	Modest (+Sp. Atk, -Atk)
EV Spread	Def 4 / Sp. Atk 252 / Sp. Def 252
Final Stat Values	HP 175 / Def 141 / Sp. Atk 222 / Sp. Def 152 / Spe 110
Ability	Pressure
Held Item	Assault Vest
Moveset	・Flash Cannon ・Roar of Time ・Earth Power ・Thunderbolt

Dialga is a massively tanky Pokemon that is also able to dish out massive damage. Its typing also grants it a plethora of resistances, with only two weaknesses to Ground and Fighting. The defensive options in the team truly lends itself to keeping Dialga healthy and difficult to KO.

About Dialga's Moves

Flash Cannon is Dialga's most reliable STAB move. A Special Steel-type move with no setbacks, this will be Dialga's go-to offensive option. It turns into the powerful (Max Steelspike)(https://game8.co/games/pokemon-sword-shield/archives/274661) upon Dynamaxing, a move that boosts Dialga's and its teammates' Defense stats.

Dialga's secondary STAB move is Roar of Time. This move is great for burst damage, however it forces Dialga to skip a turn after using as it has to recharge. Use this move sparingly, or only for decisive knock outs.

Earth Power is a very reliable coverage move as it allows us to deal huge damage to the likes of Zacian and Incineroar. Dynamaxing Dialga turns Earth Power into Max Quake which works similarly to Max Steelspike, but boosts Special Defense instead of Defense. Both are great moves for increasing our team's defenses.

Thunderbolt is great for attacking into opposing Kyogre or Charizard. As a Dynamax move, Max Lightning can also protect our Pokemon from sleep if Tapu Fini is not in our party.

About Dialga's EV Spread

4 Defense EV's are invested into Dialga's defense as it is already decently physically bulky. A full 252 EV's are then put into its Special Attack stat along with a Modest Nature to ensure that it gets the knock outs that it needs to get.

252 EV's are then invested into Dialga's Special Defense to maximize its special bulk.

Its huge HP stat is fine to leave as is, so that we can focus our EV investment on Special Attack and Special Defense.

About Dialga's Ability

Pressure lets Dialga punish opponents who failed to use PP Up on their Pokemon. It can limit the use of attacks such as Water Spout or Behemoth Blade from 4 (if the move's PP is maxed out) to just 3 if it is not.

About Dialga's Held Item

Assault Vest gives Dialga even more special bulk. This comes at the cost of rendering Dialga unable to use non-damaging moves.

Calm Mind Tapu Fini

Tapu Fini - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Tapu Fini
Nature	Modest (+Sp. Atk, -Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Def 44 / Sp. Atk 164 / Sp. Def 44 / Spe 4
Final Stat Values	HP 177 / Def 141 / Sp. Atk 149 / Sp. Def 156 / Spe 106
Ability	Misty Surge
Held Item	Iapapa Berry
Moveset	・Muddy Water ・Moonblast ・Calm Mind ・Protect

Tapu Fini protects the team from status conditions with its Misty Surge. It typically wants to enter the field late into the game, where opposing Pokemon can deal negligible damage to it. If Tapu Fini is at the back of your team, we must play towards that and eliminate Pokemon that can threaten Tapu Fini.

About Tapu Fini's Moves

Muddy Water works as Tapu Fini's main damaging move. This spread move has a chance at lowering opposing Pokemon's accuracy. The move itself is not completely accurate, however, as it also has a chance at missing.

Moonblast is Tapu Fini's main STAB move. It is far more consistent than Muddy Water, and is also a single-target move. Moonblast is an excellent move to have as no Pokemon are immune to Fairy.

Calm Mind is the crux of the set. This allows Tapu Fini to boost its Special Attack and Special Defense, and allow it to sweep lategame, or pick off low HP Pokemon.

Protect is a great move in Double Battles because it allows us to stall out Dynamax turns, scout our opponent's gameplan as well as stall out weather or unfavorable Trick Room scenarios.

About Tapu Fini's EV Spread

Maximizing HP EV's and an even 44 distribution to Defense and Special Defense gives Tapu Fini enough bulk to endure super-effective non-Dynamax attacks.

An ample 164 EV's are alloted to her Special Attack, which Tapu Fini can boost with Calm Mind.

While 4 Speed EV's will allow Tapu Fini to speed creep uninvested Rillaboom while in Misty Terrain.

About Tapu Fini's Ability

Misty Surge protects Tapu Fini and her teammates from status conditions. It also reduces damage from Dragon-type moves.

About Tapu Fini's Held Item

Iapapa Berry gives Tapu Fini recovery when it falls to below 25% health. Triggering Iapapa Berry shouldn't be an uncommon occurence because of Tapu Fini's good bulk.

Support Hitmontop

Hitmontop - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Hitmontop
Nature	Careful (+Sp. Def, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 140 / Atk 124 / Def 100 / Sp. Def 132 / Spe 8
Final Stat Values	HP 143 / Atk 131 / Def 128 / Sp. Def 161 / Spe 91
Ability	Intimidate
Held Item	Eject Button
Moveset	・Close Combat ・Feint ・Wide Guard ・Fake Out

Hitmontop's presence on the field can greatly influence an opponent's move choices. From forcing a sub-optimal Ice Beam from Kyogre because of the threat of Wide Guard, or a Protect in anticipation of a Fake Out, Hitmontop is always a Pokemon that an opponent must address.

About Hitmontop's Moves

Close Combat is Hitmontop's main STAB move and most consistent means of dealing damage.

Feint allows us to break through an opponent's Protect. This lets us punish passive plays from our opponent.

Wide Guard improves our match ups against Groudon and Kyogre, with Hitmontop being able to block their spread moves. Moves like Precipice Blades or Water Spout will be rendered ineffectual by Wide Guard.

Lastly, Fake Out is an excellent attack in Doubles because it can either allow a teammate to set up or prevent a faster Pokemon from attacking. This priority move is also great for breaking Focus Sashes and for scouting Eject Button strategies.

About Hitmontop's EV Spread

140 HP and 100 Defense EV's allows Hitmontop to take a Behemoth Blade from Zacian after Intimidate, but not Play Rough.

Those same 140 HP EV's work with Hitmontop's 132 Special Defense EV's so that it can survive powerful special attacks such as a Max Wyrmwind from Palkia.
124 Attack EV's lets Hitmontop 2HKO most Incineroar builds.

Lastly, 8 EV's are put into Speed so that no EV's are wasted. Hitmontop will always have a faster Fake Out than Incineroar. But note that Hitmontop will not have a faster Fake Out than Rillaboom.

About Hitmontop's Ability

Intimidate lowers the attack stat of the opponent by one stage. This allows Hitmontop to survive a Behemoth Blade if it is able to Intimidate an opposing Zacian. It will not want to take a Play Rough, however.

About Hitmontop's Held Item

Eject Button can switch Hitmontop out of the active spot after taking a hit. This lets us cycle our Intimidates or allow a safe switch into a teammate waiting in the back. This also lets us get another Intimidate off when Hitmontop switches back in.

Defiant Thundurus

Thundurus - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Thundurus
Nature	Careful (+Sp.Def, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Def 116 / Sp. Def 140
Final Stat Values	HP 202 / Atk 135 / Def 116 / Sp. Def 140 / Spe 80
Ability	Defiant
Held Item	Chople Berry
Moveset	・Wild Charge ・Fly ・Brick Break ・Protect

Defiant Thundurus is an excellent teammate for physically offensive Pokemon who would not want to get Intimidated such as our Calyrex (Ice Rider).

About Thundurus's Moves

Wild Charge is Thundurus' main STAB move. At the cost of some recoil damage, Wild Charge is a high-damage dealing Electric-type move that we're glad is on Thundurus' learnset.

Fly is a mediocre move by itself because it takes two turns to attack. But when Dynamaxed, it turns into the powerful Max Airstream which boosts Thundurus' and its teammate's Speed.

Brick Break gives Thundurus Fighting-type coverage. This will be Thundurus' least used move, however, as it gets a slot on its moveset as a way to eliminate an opponent's Light Screen and Reflect.

Protect is a great move in Double Battles because it allows us to stall out Dynamax turns, scout our opponent's gameplan as well as stall out weather or unfavorable Trick Room scenarios.

About Thundurus's EV Spread

Tornadus' EVs for this build are the standard boosts to Attack and Speed to make it hit as hard and as fast as possible. The rest is allotted to HP to give it a bit of a bulk.

About Thundurus's Ability

Defiant Thundurus is able to severely punish users of Intimidate or Dynamax moves that reduce our Pokemon's stats.

About Thundurus's Held Item

Safety Goggles protects Thundurus from being put to sleep by Sleep Powder and from Rage Powder's redirection. It can also protect Thundurus from the incremental damage from Sandstorm and Hail.

Team Strategies

Synergies and Common Pairs

Trick Room
Calyrex (Ice Rider)	Mimikyu

Set Up Trick Room with Mimikyu then Sweep with Calyrex

With this lead combination, Protecting Calyrex while setting up Trick Room with Mimikyu is often not a bad choice. If expecting Mimikyu to get double targeted, opt to set up Trick Room with Calyrex instead. Once Trick Room is successfully set up, Mimikyu can proc Calyrex's Weakness Policy with Shadow Sneak, allowing Calyrex to sweep.

Offensive
Hitmontop	Dialga

Feint or Fake Out with Hitmontop and Dynamax Dialga

Against teams who would want to lead with Zacian because they see our Calyrex, this lead combination is recommended. On the first turn, Hitmontop can use Feint on Zacian, while Dialga launches Max Quake into it. Be wary of Ground-immune switch-ins though. Hitmontop's Intimidate also gives Dialga a buff on the physical side, which is naturally great for our specially defensive Dialga.

Anti-Weather
Tapu Fini	Thundurus

Set Up Tapu Fini and Dynamax Thundurus

When up against a Sun team, be ready to switch Tapu Fini out if it is in danger of taking a G-Max Vinelash from Gigantamax Venusaur. Switching into a Mimikyu in the back can be a solid choice. Your Pokemon that will be switching in will be able to enjoy Misty Surge's lasting effects and be immune to Sleep Powder. Thundurus can launch a Max Airstream into Venusaur or Max Lightning into Charizard.

Versus a rain team, Tapu Fini should be able to comfortably set up Calm Minds, while Thundurus threatens Kyogre.

Against a Rain team with Seismitoad, however, because it can threaten Tapu Fini with a Max Overgrowth, it might be a good option to lead with Mimikyu and Hitmontop instead, where Mimikyu can set Trick Room, while Hitmontop uses Fake Out on Kyogre. This will mitigate damage from a double up on Mimikyu.

Trick Room (vs Zacian)
Mimikyu	Hitmontop

Use Mimikyu's Utility Moves and Pressure with Hitmontop

Mimikyu can neutralize a physical attacking threat like Zacian with Will-O-Wisp. Inflicting burn on it plus Hitmontop's Intimidate will greatly reduce its offensive potential. Ideally, Mimikyu should be able to set up Trick Room while Hitmontop gets ejected out with its Eject Button or get knocked out to allow Calyrex to safely switch in. With this team set up, expect to have less Trick Room turns for Calyrex to work with.

Calyrex + Dialga
Calyrex (Ice Rider)	Dialga

Restricted Pair: Calyrex (Ice Rider + Dialga)

While not the most synergistic Restricted Pair, Calyrex and Dialga are able to pose a threat provided that some conditions are met. If you're looking for a pair that isn't too straightforward, and if you enjoy a good challenge, Calyrex and Dialga may be a fun and viable Restricted Pair for you to try out.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Related Guides

All Best Teams for Ranked Battle

All Ranked Battle Team Guides

Best Teams for Ranked Battles
Best Durant Team	Best Arcanine Team	World Top 3's Go-to Team
Best Standard Doubles Team	Series 8 Rain Team	Series 12 Standard Doubles Team
Series 12 Balanced Doubles Team	Series 12 Best Standard Singles Team	Series 12 Best Balanced Singles Team

Competitive Ranked Battle Guides

Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides
Tier List		Best Builds		Series 8 Tier List Contenders
Doubles Tier List		Team Building		Rental Teams