Best Balanced Singles Team for Ranked Battle

This is a strategy guide and complete explanation of an Balanced Singles 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 Singles Team
Necrozma (Dusk Mane)	Yveltal	Urshifu Single-Strike Style
Rillaboom	Gastrodon	Cinderace
Battle Season	Ranked Battle Series 12
Rental Code	0000 0003 TD83 X1

How to Use the Team Effectively

This team offers modest bulk and offensive potential. Pokemon like Necrozma (Dusk Mane), Gastrodon, and Yveltal can be defensive switches for each other and the rest of the team, while Pokemon like Urshifu Single-Strike Style and Cinderace can dish out offense if they need to.

Setting up your lead Pokemon to sweep, and having a solid Pokemon as an anchor at the back of your team will help this team score its wins. This team has a favorable matchup against Dark-weak Pokemon, with multiple Pokemon having access to Sucker Punch as well as other powerful Dark-type moves.

Team Movesets & Best Builds

Dragon Dance Necrozma (Dusk Mane)

Necrozma (Dusk Mane) - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Necrozma (Dusk Mane)
Nature	Impish (+Def, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 204 / Def 188 / Spe 116
Final Stat Values	HP 198 / Atk 177 / Def 188 / Sp. Def 129 / Spe 112
Ability	Prism Armor
Held Item	Weakness Policy
Moveset	・Sunsteel Strike ・Psychic Fangs ・Earthquake ・Dragon Dance

Necrozma (Dusk Mane)'s typing, Ability, movepool and stats all lend themselves to making this Pokemon a threat on the battlefield. It makes up for its lackluster Speed stat with Dragon Dance, allowing it to be a fast sweeper after a single Speed boost.

About Necrozma (Dusk Mane)'s Moves

Sunsteel Strike is Necrozma's primary STAB move and is a powerful Steel-type move that ignores the opponent's Abilities. This move allows it to threaten Pokemon that get increased resistances or bulkiness with Abilities, such as Solid Rock, Filter, and Multiscale.

Psychic Fangs is Necrozma's secondary STAB move. Besides it being able to deal decent damage, it is also useful for nullifying our opponent's Light Screen and Reflect.

Necrozma's third move is Earthquake and is a powerful coverage move that complements Sunsteel Strike, allowing Necrozma to boost its Defense and Special Defense during Dynamax.

Dragon Dance can position Necrozma to sweep our opponent's team by boosting both Attack and Speed stats.

About Necrozma (Dusk Mane)'s EV Spread

204 HP EV's and 188 Defense EV's as well as an Impish nature, makes our Necrozma immensely physically bulky. We don't commit any EV investment to its Attack stat because it should be able to reach a respectable Attack total after using Dragon Dance.

116 Speed EV's lets Necrozma outspeed Base 115 Speed Pokemon and slower after a single Dragon Dance. Base 115 Pokemon are Pokemon like Starmie, Raikou and Azelf.

List of Pokemon by Speed Stat

About Necrozma (Dusk Mane)'s Ability

Necrozma's respectable bulk is compounded by its Prism Armor Ability, which reduces damage from super-effective attacks. This gives Necrozma even more durability.

About Necrozma (Dusk Mane)'s Held Item

Because Necrozma is already massively durable thanks to its stats, Nature and Ability, Weakness Policy is a natural fit for it. An activated Weakness Policy can severely punish an opponent for not OHKO-ing Necrozma with a super-effective move, or force them to attack for neutral damage to avoid activating it.

Black Glasses Yveltal

Yveltal - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Yveltal
Nature	Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EV Spread	Def 4 / Sp. Atk 252 / Spe 252
Final Stat Values	HP 201 / Atk 135 / Def 116 / Sp. Atk 183 / Sp. Def 118 / Spe 166
Ability	Dark Aura
Held Item	Black Glasses
Moveset	・Sucker Punch ・Dark Pulse ・Oblivion Wing ・Taunt

Yveltal's contribution to the team is its powerful offense as well as being a Dark-type switch-in for when Necrozma (Dusk Mane) is in danger of taking a Dark or Ghost-type move that it can't tank. Yveltal is also able to consistently attack first thanks to Sucker Punch's increased priority.

About Yveltal's Moves

As mentioned above, Sucker Punch has increased priority. This lets the attack happen first provided that the opposing Pokemon is using a damage dealing move.

Dark Pulse is one of Yveltal's two main STAB moves. This move can occasionally cause an opposing Pokemon to flinch.

Although our Yveltal build is not as bulky as other Yveltal builds, Oblivion Wing is still a welcome addition to its moveset because it gives Yveltal health recovery which it might need in a pinch.

Taunt stops an opponent from using a set up move such as Trick Room or Calm Mind.

About Yveltal's EV Spread

A basic spread of 252 EV's in Special Attack and 252 EV's in Speed makes sure that Yveltal can attack as strong and as quick as possible. The remaining 4 EV's are put into its Defense to give Yveltal a little bit of added physical durability.

About Yveltal's Ability

Dark Aura raises the power of Yveltal's Dark-type moves. This works in conjunction with its held item, to boost its offensive potential even further.

About Yveltal's Held Item

Black Glasses raises the power of Dark-type moves. This item works in tandem with Yveltal's Dark Aura Ability, further boosting its Dark-type attacks.

Beat Up Urshifu Single-Strike Style Style

Urshifu Single-Strike Style - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Urshifu Single-Strike Style
Nature	Jolly (+Spe, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	Atk 252 / Def 4 / Spe 252
Final Stat Values	HP 175 / Atk 182 / Def 121 / Sp. Def 80 / Spe 163
Ability	Unseen Fist
Held Item	Focus Sash
Moveset	・Close Combat ・Wicked Blow ・Sucker Punch ・Beat Up

A second Dark-type with a shared Fairy weakness might be a controversial pick, but Urshifu Single-Strike Style has tricks up its sleeve that Yveltal does not. The ability to KO Calyrex (Shadow Rider) with Focus Sash in one attack, and the ability to power through an opponent's defense buffs.

Having two Dark-types gives us a glaring weakness to Fairy-types, however. So Necrozma (Dusk Mane) will need to step in and deal with Fairy-type threats for the team.

About Urshifu Single-Strike Style's Moves

Close Combat is Urshifu's Fighting-type STAB move. Using this move often and reducing Urshifu's defenses is perfectly fine because it is always sure to survive a hit even with low defenses thanks to its Focus Sash held item.

Urshifu's main STAB move would be Wicked Blow, which it will use most often. This attack will always result in a critical hit, bypassing any sort of defense buffs.

Sucker Punch gives Urshifu a priority move that allows it to attack first and pick off low HP Pokemon.

Beat Up is our tech move of choice. This move is able to break through an opposing Pokemon's Focus Sash because it hits multiple times. Beat Up is great against Pokemon like Gengar or Calyrex (Shadow Rider); Pokemon who would frequently be holding Focus Sash.

About Urshifu Single-Strike Style's EV Spread

We use a standard 252 Attack and 252 Speed spread so that Urshifu can consistently fulfill its duties as a physical attacker. 4 EV's are then put into its Defense to give it a little added physical bulk.

About Urshifu Single-Strike Style's Ability

Unseen Fist is Urshifu's only Ability. While this move is less effective in Singles because Protect is less prevalent, it may be useful occasionally.

About Urshifu Single-Strike Style's Held Item

Focus Sash ensures that Urshifu will always survive a hit, no matter how low its defenses are or how strong the opposing Pokemon is. Focus Sash may be even more powerful in Single battles because a Pokemon can never be targeted by two Pokemon.

Assault Vest Rillaboom

Rillaboom - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Rillaboom
Nature	Careful (+Sp. Def, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Def 60 / Sp. Def 196
Final Stat Values	HP 207 / Atk 145 / Def 118 / Sp. Def 126 / Spe 105
Ability	Grassy Surge
Held Item	Assault Vest
Moveset	・Grassy Glide ・Knock Off ・High Horsepower ・Fake Out

This bulky Rillaboom gives the team a defensive switch-in to Electric and Ground, which Yveltal and Necrozma (Dusk Mane) both appreciate. With minimal EV investment into its Attack, Rillaboom is still perfectly capable of contributing offensively because of its high natural base Attack stat.

About Rillaboom's Moves

Grassy Glide is Rillaboom's main STAB move. It is a priority move when in Grassy Terrain, which Rillaboom naturally sets up with its Grassy Surge. This allows Rillaboom to pressure even the fastest Water-types.

Knock Off is a good disruptive move that is especially good against Pokemon like Chansey, Porygon2 and Dusclops who would typically be holding Eviolite to boost their defenses.

High Horsepower offers Ground-type coverage that allows Rillaboom to deal good chunks of damage to Ground-weak Pokemon. Do note however, that because our Rillaboom has no Attack EV investment, it will not be scoring decisive KO's often. It is good enough to deal 30% to a bulky Zacian.

Fake Out is effective for breaking an opposing Pokemon's Focus Sash. It can only be used on the turn that Rillaboom enters the field.

About Rillaboom's EV Spread

We maximize Rillaboom's HP investment because the build is meant to be defensive. 60 HP EV's allows Rillaboom to survive something as powerful as Zacian's Behemoth Blade.

The rest of the remaining EV's are then put into its Special Defense. This much investment, along with its Careful Nature and Assault Vest held item lets Rillaboom be as specially bulky as possible, while still hitting an important Physical Defense benchmark.

About Rillaboom's Ability

Grassy Surge allows Grassy Glide to be a priority move. It also gives both Pokemon on the field incrememntal recovery. This is useful for deducing Pokemon's speeds, as the faster Pokemon will always get their HP recovery first.

About Rillaboom's Held Item

Assault Vest increases Rillaboom's special defense at the cost of rendering it unable to use non-damaging moves.

Defensive Gastrodon

Gastrodon - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Gastrodon
Nature	Calm (+Sp. Def, -Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Def 188 / Sp. Atk 4 / Sp. Def 60
Final Stat Values	HP 218 / Def 112 / Sp. Atk 113 / Sp. Def 121 / Spe 59
Ability	Storm Drain
Held Item	Sitrus Berry
Moveset	・Scald ・Earth Power ・Recover ・Yawn

Gastrodon makes for an excellent switch in against opposing Kyogre, with Storm Drain being able to boost its own Special Attack stat if it switches into a Water-type move, taking neutral damage from Ice, and an immunity to Electric.

It is also able to get 3HKO'd by Zacian's Behemoth Blade, or Play Rough. Teammates that can eliminate Grass-type Pokemon can help shape an endgame wherein knocking out Gastrodon is nigh-impossible.

About Gastrodon's Moves

Scald is Gastrodon's most important STAB move. This move is able to inflict burns on opponents, neutralizing physical attackers in the process.

Earth Power is good Ground-type coverage that lets it do damage to Steel-type Pokemon.

Gastrodon is able to replenish its health with Recover. Recover on Gastrodon can sometimes be a win condition if Gastrodon can outlast an opposing Pokemon that can't do enough damage to it.

Yawn is good for forcing switches. An opponent is made to choose whether they want to attack into Gastrodon or have their Pokemon fall asleep. Sleep turns can often spell victory because rendering an opposing Pokemon unable to attack gives you more opportunities to get the upper hand.

About Gastrodon's EV Spread

Maximizing Gastrodon's already massive HP stat makes for a very difficult Pokemon to knock out. With a generous 188 EV's in its Defense stat, Gastrodon is able to survive multiple hits against even the most frightening physical attackers.
4 Special Attack EV's are put into its Special Attack stat so that it can hit a little harder. This lets Gastrodon 2HKO most Zacian builds, while the rest of the EV's are put into its Special Defense to let it better tank special hits.

About Gastrodon's Ability

Storm Drain lets Gastrodon boost its Special Attack every time an opponent uses a Water-type move. This makes Gastrodon a powerful switch-in against Water-type foes.

About Gastrodon's Held Item

Sitrus Berry gives Gastrodon extra HP, which is valuable for letting it survive matches longer.

Fast Physical Cinderace

Cinderace - Best Build for Ranked Battle

Moveset & Best Build for Cinderace
Nature	Nature (+Jolly, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 4 / Atk 252 / Spe 252
Final Stat Values	HP 156 / Atk 168 / Def 95 / Sp. Def 95 / Spe 188
Ability	Life Orb
Held Item	Libero
Moveset	・Pyro Ball ・Bounce ・High Jump Kick ・Iron Head

Cinderace matches up favorably against most Zacian builds. It can outspeed bulky Zacians, and survive a +1 Behemoth Blade from an Adamant Zacian with 252 Attack EV's. A Zacian would need hefty defensive investment to survive a Pyro Ball or Max Flare from Cinderace.

This Pokemon is an excellent Dynamax option because of its excellent movepool and its Libero Ability changing Cinderace's type and giving all of its moves a STAB boost.

About Cinderace's Moves

Pyro Ball is Cinderace's Fire-type move of choice. It can deal massive damage, however it is not very accurate and has a chance at missing.

Bounce is a Flying-type move that needs two turns to deal damage. It can give Cinderace evasion in a pinch. But its main purpose is to give Cinderace access to powerful STAB Max Airstream.

High Jump Kick is powerful on its own, being able to deal decent damage on neutral hits. Keep in mind that this move is inaccurate and may miss, resulting in Cinderace taking massive recoil damage. It is also not a very good Dynamax move because Cinderace does not always need the attack boost. Moreover, Max Knuckle does less damage than High Jump Kick.

Iron Head is Cinderace's primary move because it has the least amount of setbacks. It is accurate and reliable, and has a chance of flinching an opponent.

About Cinderace's EV Spread

252 EV's are invested into Attack and Speed so that Cinderace can consistently be a fast physical attacker. The remaining 4 EV's are left to its HP.

About Cinderace's Ability

Libero is a very powerful Ability for an attacker to have. It changes the user's type to match whatever move it is about to use, granting it a STAB boost and raising the move's power.

About Cinderace's Held Item

Life Orb pushes Cinderace's offensive potential even further at the cost of incremental HP loss.

Team Strategies

Necrozma (Dusk Mane), Yveltal, Gastrodon
Necrozma (Dusk Mane)	Yveltal	Gastrodon

Team Analysis

This team composition puts Necrozma (Dusk Mane) in the lead position where it aims to set up a Dragon Dance and proceed to sweep. Yveltal works as a switch-in for Necrozma's difficult matchups, and Gastrodon works as an anchor or late-game win condition.

Yveltal has favorable matchups against most Grass-type Pokemon, so be sure to knock them out before Gastrodon has to enter the field.

Yveltal, Necrozma (Dusk Mane), Rillaboom
Yveltal	Necrozma (Dusk Mane)	Rillaboom

Team Analysis

We now put Yveltal on the lead slot, aiming to take quick knock outs before Necrozma (Dusk Mane) has to enter battle. We can have our Rillaboom wait at the back, ready to face off against opposing Gastrodon or other Grass-weak Pokemon.

Necrozma (Dusk Mane) can enter mid-game, after Yveltal has done a great deal of damage to the opposing team. It can then Dynamax if Yveltal has not Dynamaxed yet.

This composition is great against teams with Dark-weak Pokemon such as Gengar or Calyrex (Shadow Rider).

Cinderace, Urshifu Single-Strike Style, Gastrodon
Cinderace	Urshifu Single-Strike Style	Gastrodon

Team Analysis

Leading with Cinderace means that you intend to go on the offensive right away. Dynamaxing it on the first turn is not a bad play, as Cinderace can steamroll through opposing teams if unopposed.

Urshifu is great for breaking walls and picking off low HP Pokemon, or Pokemon with Focus Sash.

And lastly, Gastrodon is always great to have in the back to serve as an impenetrable wall late game. Again, with Gastrodon in the back, its teammates on the front end have to neutralize threats that have Grass-type moves that may put a wrench in our Gastrodon endgame.

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