Welcome to the PokéBeach Competitive Vocabulary Terms and Definitions guide! In this guide, you will find tips and explanations surrounding teambuilding basics, and how teams fit into different generalised archetypal terms. Each archetype has different checks and counters, so being able to identify what is used by your opponent during the team preview is useful information to have. It's also important to prepare your own teams for their common counters. Further down the guide, you will find an in-depth compendium of the different roles Pokémon can potentially have. Each section has an introductory blurb, but if you just want to find out what a term means quickly, every spoiler also has a title. Now, onto primary team archetypes:
Every team is a part of an overall archetype, which dictates how it is played, and different players are simply better at playing with different kinds of teams. Finding a few archetypes which really gel with your battling style is key to having great success in the world of competitive VG. The following is a comprehensive list of different team archetypes, from most offensive to most defensive:
Even though every team will fit into one of these overarching archetypes, there are also smaller, secondary and less prevalent archetypes which are sometimes used. For example, a combination of a team which uses Rain Dance but fits into the makeup of an offense team would be called “Rain Offense”. However, it’s also important to note that a secondary archetype isn’t at all necessary for a successful team, and many argue some of these archetypes are too gimmicky. A list of the most viable secondary archetypes can be found below:
The archetypes are very open to interpretation. There are loads of different roles team member can play while creating a well synergised team, and while you wouldn’t have a sweeper on a Stall team, for example, most roles can be splashed onto a certain team if it will solve a weakness of the other 5 party members. Once we get to deciding on the appropriate roles of the party, teambuilding starts getting really interesting, especially because there are a lot of different roles in the franchise to play around with. A list of the general roles can be found below:
While those are good overall terms to describe any Pokémon you’ll find on your team, there are also utility moves and niche uses which a successful player will need to spread throughout their team. Not all of the following should be thrown onto a team, but some of these roles are important to have:
Every team is a part of an overall archetype, which dictates how it is played, and different players are simply better at playing with different kinds of teams. Finding a few archetypes which really gel with your battling style is key to having great success in the world of competitive VG. The following is a comprehensive list of different team archetypes, from most offensive to most defensive:
Hyper-Offense ~ Commonly abbreviated to HO. A hyper-offensive team relies on hazards and strong offensive presence to force your opponent to switch around a lot, taking collateral damage from hazards in the process.
Example Hyper-Offense Pokemon are: Pheromosa, Greninja, Tapu Koko and Mega Alakazam.
Offense ~ A general term for teams who focus on hitting opponents hard and breaking them down through power rather than more gimmicky tactics. Oftentimes combined with field effects to boost speed or power, such as weather or Trick Room. Usually also has a utility Pokémon to support its offensive Pokémon by curing party members of status while inflicting it on the opponent. Requires excellent offensive type synergy.
Example Offensive Pokemon include the above Hyper-Offense Pokemon, but can also include: Tapu Lele, Nihilego, Mamoswine and Latios.
Bulky Offense ~ Differentiated from offense by a larger focus on defense, which allows players to switch around more. Should include some support such as a Wish Passer, hazards remover and/or a cleric to support the other team members in a longer, more drawn out game. Requires a larger focus on defensive type synergy, but the offensive Pokémon on the team still need STAB with few resistances and large offensive stats to match. It can also include a sweeper as a secure win condition in the lategame.
Example Bulky Offense Pokemon can include the above mentioned Pokemon, but can also include: Garchomp, Mega Venusaur, Tapu Bulu and Magearna.
Balance ~ A team utilising both defensive and offensive prowess to be adaptable in many different matchups. Commonly seen as a sort of jack of all trades (but master of none), balance teams possess usually include a wall, a stallbreaker and a sweeper, which can put a lot of pressure on each individual Pokémon to perform their roles.
Example Pokemon on a Balance team can include the above mentioned Pokemon, but can also include: Celesteela, Landorus-T, Alomomola and Ferrothorn.
Stall ~ Stall is a team archetype that most commonly utilizes the bulkiest Pokemon in the tier. Stall is not only about keeping your own Pokemon alive, but also using passive damage, such as entry hazards and status problems (like burn and poison) to KO the opponent. Type synergy is probably the most important factor for stall as far as team building goes, as you’re going to want a Pokemon that can check or stop every other Pokemon in the metagame.
Example Stall Pokemon can include some of the above mentioned Pokemon, but also additionally include: Mega Sableye, Chansey and Toxapex.
Example Hyper-Offense Pokemon are: Pheromosa, Greninja, Tapu Koko and Mega Alakazam.
Offense ~ A general term for teams who focus on hitting opponents hard and breaking them down through power rather than more gimmicky tactics. Oftentimes combined with field effects to boost speed or power, such as weather or Trick Room. Usually also has a utility Pokémon to support its offensive Pokémon by curing party members of status while inflicting it on the opponent. Requires excellent offensive type synergy.
Example Offensive Pokemon include the above Hyper-Offense Pokemon, but can also include: Tapu Lele, Nihilego, Mamoswine and Latios.
Bulky Offense ~ Differentiated from offense by a larger focus on defense, which allows players to switch around more. Should include some support such as a Wish Passer, hazards remover and/or a cleric to support the other team members in a longer, more drawn out game. Requires a larger focus on defensive type synergy, but the offensive Pokémon on the team still need STAB with few resistances and large offensive stats to match. It can also include a sweeper as a secure win condition in the lategame.
Example Bulky Offense Pokemon can include the above mentioned Pokemon, but can also include: Garchomp, Mega Venusaur, Tapu Bulu and Magearna.
Balance ~ A team utilising both defensive and offensive prowess to be adaptable in many different matchups. Commonly seen as a sort of jack of all trades (but master of none), balance teams possess usually include a wall, a stallbreaker and a sweeper, which can put a lot of pressure on each individual Pokémon to perform their roles.
Example Pokemon on a Balance team can include the above mentioned Pokemon, but can also include: Celesteela, Landorus-T, Alomomola and Ferrothorn.
Stall ~ Stall is a team archetype that most commonly utilizes the bulkiest Pokemon in the tier. Stall is not only about keeping your own Pokemon alive, but also using passive damage, such as entry hazards and status problems (like burn and poison) to KO the opponent. Type synergy is probably the most important factor for stall as far as team building goes, as you’re going to want a Pokemon that can check or stop every other Pokemon in the metagame.
Example Stall Pokemon can include some of the above mentioned Pokemon, but also additionally include: Mega Sableye, Chansey and Toxapex.
Even though every team will fit into one of these overarching archetypes, there are also smaller, secondary and less prevalent archetypes which are sometimes used. For example, a combination of a team which uses Rain Dance but fits into the makeup of an offense team would be called “Rain Offense”. However, it’s also important to note that a secondary archetype isn’t at all necessary for a successful team, and many argue some of these archetypes are too gimmicky. A list of the most viable secondary archetypes can be found below:
Rain ~ Uses the ability Drizzle and the move Rain Dance to create the “rain” field effect. This boosts the attack power of Water-Type moves and reduces the attack power of Fire-Type moves. It also initiates several abilities such as Swift Swim, Rain Dish, Hydration and Dry Skin, while giving the attack Hurricane 100% accuracy instead of its usual 70. This results in the most common team members found on Rain teams to be Water- and Flying-Type Pokémon, though weather summoners can be of a wide range of types given the wide distribution of the move. Abilities such as Rain Dish and Dry Skin grant HP recovery in rain, so the weather sees the most use with bulky offense, though Swift Swim sweepers are also very useful in general offense or even hyper offense. Rain Stall or Rain Balance aren’t as common as other weather conditions in that team archetype, since Hail and Sandstorm grant collateral damage each turn.
The most common Pokemon on a Rain team are: Pelipper, Manaphy and Kingdra.
Sun ~ Uses the ability Drought and the move Sunny Day to create the “harsh sunlight” field effect. This boosts the attack power of Fire-Type moves and reduces the attack power of Water-Type moves. It also initiates several abilities such as Chlorophyll, Leaf Guard and Solar Power. It also removes the turn of charge which is normally necessary to use the attack Solar Beam. This results in the most common team members found on Sun teams to be Fire- and Grass-Type Pokémon, though weather summoners can be of a wide range of types given the wide distribution of the move. Abilities affected by sun are almost exclusively offensive such as Chlorophyll and Solar Power, so Sun is the most common on offense or hyper offense.
The most common Pokemon on a Sun team are: Torkoal and Venusaur.
Sandstorm ~ Uses the ability Sandstream and the move Sandstorm to create the “sandstorm” field effect. This gives Rock-Type Pokémon a 1.5x boost to their special defense, while dealing 1/16 of a Pokémon’s max HP at the end of each turn if they are not at least partially a Rock-, Steel- or Ground-Type Pokémon. It also initiates several abilities such as Sand Rush, Sand Force and Sand Veil. Because of the collateral damage and special defense boost to a type with iconically high physical defense, in addition to being able to use the defensive Steel-Type without suffering sandstorm recoil, Sand Stall is a popular strategy. Sand Rush also makes sand offense a viable strategy.
The most common Pokemon on a Sand team are: Tyranitar, Hippowdon and Excadrill.
Hail ~ Uses the ability Snow Warning and the mve Hail to create the “hail” field effect. This deals 1/16 of a Pokémon’s max HP at the end of each turn if they are not at least partially Ice-Type. It also gives the move Blizzard 100% accuracy compared to its usual 70. It also initiates several abilities such as Ice Body and Snow Cloak. Because of the poor defensive typing of Ice-Type Pokémon and power of a STAB Blizzard, Hail Hyper Offense is the most useful primary team archetype for this weather condition.
The most common Pokemon on a Hail team are: Alolan Ninetales, Beartic and Alolan Sandslash.
Trick Room ~ Trick Room is a field effect which inverts the order in which Pokémon move. In other words, the slowest Pokémon on the field actually uses its move first. This field effect only has 5 turns of effect compared to the 8 turns of weather (with a weather rock item), but its effect can be great in the short time in which it’s active, as it gives hard hitting tanks unusual sweeping potential. As such, this move is almost exclusively used in conjunction with bulky offense.
The most common Pokemon on a Trick Room team are: Magearna, Slowbro(-Mega) and Araquanid.
Gravity ~ Gravity makes all Flying-Type, Air Balloon holding and levitating Pokémon who would otherwise be immune to Ground-Type moves and grounded entry hazards vulnerable to them instead. Furthermore, a bonus which isn’t stated in its in-game description is that it gives all moves with 60% accuracy or higher 100% accuracy while the 5-turn field effect is in play. These two effects actually give Gravity a lot of utility. Hyper-Offense and Stall teams can weaken enemy defoggers or other levitating Pokémon should they try to remove the team’s hazards by grounding them. The high accuracy, high base power moves also creates a viable strategy in offense, bulky offense and hyper offense, regardless of the nullified Ground-Type immunity.
The most common user of Gravity is Landorus-T.
Tailwind ~ Tailwind doubles the speed stat of your party members for 4 turns. Given its short time of effect, this move is much more prominent in doubles formats, where Pokémon besides the Tailwind summoner can abuse it straight away. As speed is much more important on offensive teams, the move primarily sees use on Offense or Hyper-Offense teams.
The most common user of Tailwind is Whimsicott.
Type Spam ~ Type Spam teams make the most of a particular trend in a metagame. If there is one type which is particularly powerful in a tier, a team comprised of 2 or 3 of the best Pokémon of that type with the other 3 team members supporting the core typing can be very effective, despite not having great type synergy on paper. Works best on Hyper-Offense or regular Offense.
The most common type spam cores are Ground, Dragon and Fighting.
VolTurn ~ VolTurn teams use a multiple of Pokemon with the moves Volt Switch, U-Turn, Parting Shot and Baton Pass to create momentum. The idea is by using these switching moves to always put you in the advantageous position. Hazard support is often essential to cause residual damage by forcing your opponent out with your threatening Pokemon. Defensive synergy is also a requirement as your Pokemon will be taking a lot of hits.
The most common VolTurn Pokemon are: Rotom-W, Scizor and Pheromosa.
Grassy Terrain ~ The terrain moves were first introduced in sixth gen, but were not widely used until Tapu Bulu received the Grassy Surge ability. With this ability, Grassy Terrain is much more common as it can be set up whenever Tapu Bulu enters the field. While Grassy Terrain is in effect, all Pokemon on the ground will recover 6.5% of their health at the end of the turn, the equivalent of the Leftovers item. Additionally, the Grass-type attacks of all grounded Pokemon will be boosted by 50%, making it identical to a Choice Band in terms of power increase. Additionally, Grassy Terrain will halve the damage dealt by Earthquake, Magnitude and Bulldoze. Finally, the terrain activates the ability Grass Pelt and the item Grassy Seed, which give defensive buffs.
Electric Terrain ~ Brought in by Tapu Koko’s Electric Surge, the boosts Electric Terrain provides are simple. Similarly to Grassy Terrain, Electric Terrain provides a 50% increase in power for Electric-type attacks for grounded Pokemon. Additionally, it provides an immunity to sleep (including Yawn and Rest) or all grounded Pokemon. Finally, Electric Terrain will activate the ability Surge Surfer and the item Electric Seed.
Psychic Terrain ~ Tapu Lele brings this terrain in with its Psychic Surge ability. As you might expect at this point, Psychic Terrain boosts the power of all Psychic-type attacks by 50%, provided they are used by a grounded Pokemon. Also, the terrain provides an immunity to increased priority attacks such as Quick Attack. This also extends to moves boosted by Prankster or Triage. Additionally, Psychic Terrain will activate the Psychic Seed item.
Misty Terrain ~ The final terrain provides much different benefits than its counterparts. Brought in by Tapu Fini’s Misty Surge, Misty Terrain provides no offensive benefits, but is instead strictly defensive. It will reduce the damage done by Dragon-type attacks by 50% when a grounded Pokemon attacks. It also provides an immunity to all forms of status for grounded Pokemon, including confusion. Misty Terrain will also activate the Misty Seed item.
The most common Pokemon on a Rain team are: Pelipper, Manaphy and Kingdra.
Sun ~ Uses the ability Drought and the move Sunny Day to create the “harsh sunlight” field effect. This boosts the attack power of Fire-Type moves and reduces the attack power of Water-Type moves. It also initiates several abilities such as Chlorophyll, Leaf Guard and Solar Power. It also removes the turn of charge which is normally necessary to use the attack Solar Beam. This results in the most common team members found on Sun teams to be Fire- and Grass-Type Pokémon, though weather summoners can be of a wide range of types given the wide distribution of the move. Abilities affected by sun are almost exclusively offensive such as Chlorophyll and Solar Power, so Sun is the most common on offense or hyper offense.
The most common Pokemon on a Sun team are: Torkoal and Venusaur.
Sandstorm ~ Uses the ability Sandstream and the move Sandstorm to create the “sandstorm” field effect. This gives Rock-Type Pokémon a 1.5x boost to their special defense, while dealing 1/16 of a Pokémon’s max HP at the end of each turn if they are not at least partially a Rock-, Steel- or Ground-Type Pokémon. It also initiates several abilities such as Sand Rush, Sand Force and Sand Veil. Because of the collateral damage and special defense boost to a type with iconically high physical defense, in addition to being able to use the defensive Steel-Type without suffering sandstorm recoil, Sand Stall is a popular strategy. Sand Rush also makes sand offense a viable strategy.
The most common Pokemon on a Sand team are: Tyranitar, Hippowdon and Excadrill.
Hail ~ Uses the ability Snow Warning and the mve Hail to create the “hail” field effect. This deals 1/16 of a Pokémon’s max HP at the end of each turn if they are not at least partially Ice-Type. It also gives the move Blizzard 100% accuracy compared to its usual 70. It also initiates several abilities such as Ice Body and Snow Cloak. Because of the poor defensive typing of Ice-Type Pokémon and power of a STAB Blizzard, Hail Hyper Offense is the most useful primary team archetype for this weather condition.
The most common Pokemon on a Hail team are: Alolan Ninetales, Beartic and Alolan Sandslash.
Trick Room ~ Trick Room is a field effect which inverts the order in which Pokémon move. In other words, the slowest Pokémon on the field actually uses its move first. This field effect only has 5 turns of effect compared to the 8 turns of weather (with a weather rock item), but its effect can be great in the short time in which it’s active, as it gives hard hitting tanks unusual sweeping potential. As such, this move is almost exclusively used in conjunction with bulky offense.
The most common Pokemon on a Trick Room team are: Magearna, Slowbro(-Mega) and Araquanid.
Gravity ~ Gravity makes all Flying-Type, Air Balloon holding and levitating Pokémon who would otherwise be immune to Ground-Type moves and grounded entry hazards vulnerable to them instead. Furthermore, a bonus which isn’t stated in its in-game description is that it gives all moves with 60% accuracy or higher 100% accuracy while the 5-turn field effect is in play. These two effects actually give Gravity a lot of utility. Hyper-Offense and Stall teams can weaken enemy defoggers or other levitating Pokémon should they try to remove the team’s hazards by grounding them. The high accuracy, high base power moves also creates a viable strategy in offense, bulky offense and hyper offense, regardless of the nullified Ground-Type immunity.
The most common user of Gravity is Landorus-T.
Tailwind ~ Tailwind doubles the speed stat of your party members for 4 turns. Given its short time of effect, this move is much more prominent in doubles formats, where Pokémon besides the Tailwind summoner can abuse it straight away. As speed is much more important on offensive teams, the move primarily sees use on Offense or Hyper-Offense teams.
The most common user of Tailwind is Whimsicott.
Type Spam ~ Type Spam teams make the most of a particular trend in a metagame. If there is one type which is particularly powerful in a tier, a team comprised of 2 or 3 of the best Pokémon of that type with the other 3 team members supporting the core typing can be very effective, despite not having great type synergy on paper. Works best on Hyper-Offense or regular Offense.
The most common type spam cores are Ground, Dragon and Fighting.
VolTurn ~ VolTurn teams use a multiple of Pokemon with the moves Volt Switch, U-Turn, Parting Shot and Baton Pass to create momentum. The idea is by using these switching moves to always put you in the advantageous position. Hazard support is often essential to cause residual damage by forcing your opponent out with your threatening Pokemon. Defensive synergy is also a requirement as your Pokemon will be taking a lot of hits.
The most common VolTurn Pokemon are: Rotom-W, Scizor and Pheromosa.
Grassy Terrain ~ The terrain moves were first introduced in sixth gen, but were not widely used until Tapu Bulu received the Grassy Surge ability. With this ability, Grassy Terrain is much more common as it can be set up whenever Tapu Bulu enters the field. While Grassy Terrain is in effect, all Pokemon on the ground will recover 6.5% of their health at the end of the turn, the equivalent of the Leftovers item. Additionally, the Grass-type attacks of all grounded Pokemon will be boosted by 50%, making it identical to a Choice Band in terms of power increase. Additionally, Grassy Terrain will halve the damage dealt by Earthquake, Magnitude and Bulldoze. Finally, the terrain activates the ability Grass Pelt and the item Grassy Seed, which give defensive buffs.
Electric Terrain ~ Brought in by Tapu Koko’s Electric Surge, the boosts Electric Terrain provides are simple. Similarly to Grassy Terrain, Electric Terrain provides a 50% increase in power for Electric-type attacks for grounded Pokemon. Additionally, it provides an immunity to sleep (including Yawn and Rest) or all grounded Pokemon. Finally, Electric Terrain will activate the ability Surge Surfer and the item Electric Seed.
Psychic Terrain ~ Tapu Lele brings this terrain in with its Psychic Surge ability. As you might expect at this point, Psychic Terrain boosts the power of all Psychic-type attacks by 50%, provided they are used by a grounded Pokemon. Also, the terrain provides an immunity to increased priority attacks such as Quick Attack. This also extends to moves boosted by Prankster or Triage. Additionally, Psychic Terrain will activate the Psychic Seed item.
Misty Terrain ~ The final terrain provides much different benefits than its counterparts. Brought in by Tapu Fini’s Misty Surge, Misty Terrain provides no offensive benefits, but is instead strictly defensive. It will reduce the damage done by Dragon-type attacks by 50% when a grounded Pokemon attacks. It also provides an immunity to all forms of status for grounded Pokemon, including confusion. Misty Terrain will also activate the Misty Seed item.
The archetypes are very open to interpretation. There are loads of different roles team member can play while creating a well synergised team, and while you wouldn’t have a sweeper on a Stall team, for example, most roles can be splashed onto a certain team if it will solve a weakness of the other 5 party members. Once we get to deciding on the appropriate roles of the party, teambuilding starts getting really interesting, especially because there are a lot of different roles in the franchise to play around with. A list of the general roles can be found below:
Sweeper ~ A sweeper is a Pokémon with a reasonably strong offensive stat, either Attack or Special Attack, but most importantly high Speed. The aim of a sweeper is to be brought into the battle in the late-game and finish off a weakened opponent when their Pokémon are on low HP. Sweepers have 4 offensive moves, and usually one of them will be a priority move to counter opponents with priority, as sweepers are infamously frail. Usually holds the item Life Orb or a Choice Band/Specs. Fits on any primary team archetype very well, besides Stall.
Common sweepers are: Garchomp, Latios, Tapu Koko and Mega Metagross.
Set Up Sweeper ~ A set up sweeper is a Pokémon who uses a stat boosting move, or occasionally two, before fulfilling the role of a vanilla sweeper -- being brought in in the late game to finish up a weakened opponent. Set up sweepers forego the extra coverage or priority of a 4th move in favour of boosting the existing stats of the Pokémon. Set up sweepers are usually a little bulkier, but can have trouble fulfilling their role as a win condition if they don’t get an opportunity to use their stat raising move(s). Usually holds the item Life Orb or Leftovers. Fits on Balance, Offense and Bulky Offense better than Stall or Hyper Offense.
Common set up sweepers are: Landorus-T, Magearna and Serperior.
Wallbreaker ~ A wallbreaker is a bulky, usually slow, but extremely powerful Pokémon whose role is to deplete the health of the opponent’s bulkiest Pokémon with hard hitting STAB or high BP coverage. Usually holds the item Choice Band/Specs. Fits on Bulky Offense, Offense or Balance better than Hyper Offense or Stall.
Common wallbreakers can include the aforementioned Pokemon, but also: Hoopa-U, Mega Charizard Y and Azumarill.
Stallbreaker ~ Uses moves like Taunt, status conditions and Seismic Toss to whittle down your opponent’s walls. While situational, they can also find use against more offensive teams by preventing the opponent from setting up hazards or crippling sweepers. Most stallbreakers use the ability Prankster, but it’s not necessary. Usually holds the item Leftovers or Lum Berry. Fits on Stall or Balance better than Offense, Bulky Offense or Hyper Offense, since the latter 3 primary archetypes can usually deal with walls through other methods.
Common Stallbreakers are: Tapu Fini, Manaphy and Tornadus-T.
Offensive Pivot (also known as Glue) ~ Uses the moves Baton Pass, U-Turn, Volt Switch, Parting Shot, Healing Wish or Memento in addition with offensive pressure to gain momentum and set up team members to sweep in offense, or to force switches in stall to inflict collateral damage through hazards. Oftentimes slow pivots are better than faster pivots so that the Pokémon being switched in doesn’t take an attack from the opponent and so that the player can force switches by sending in a Pokémon which counters your opponent’s active Pokémon at the time. Usually holds the item Leftovers or Life Orb. Really it fits on any team archetype very well.
Common pivots are Rotom-W, Scizor, Latias and Silvally.
Utility ~ A Pokémon with either high speed or admirable bulk which aims to fulfil different secondary team roles. Oftentimes possess a pivot move to make the most out of more niche moves such as Encore or Taunt to force switches and generate momentum. They can also run useful moves such as hazards, Defog, Aromatherapy and Wish.
Common utility Pokemon are: Chansey, Alomomola, Mandibuzz and Ferrothorn.
Wall ~ An incredibly bulky Pokémon who relies on strong defensive typing, reliable recovery and high Defense and/or Special Defense to fulfil secondary roles. Focuses on whittling down opponents. Usually holds Leftovers. Only really fits on Stall and Balance as they have little to no offensive presence.
Common walls are: Skarmory, Chansey and Alomomola.
Common sweepers are: Garchomp, Latios, Tapu Koko and Mega Metagross.
Set Up Sweeper ~ A set up sweeper is a Pokémon who uses a stat boosting move, or occasionally two, before fulfilling the role of a vanilla sweeper -- being brought in in the late game to finish up a weakened opponent. Set up sweepers forego the extra coverage or priority of a 4th move in favour of boosting the existing stats of the Pokémon. Set up sweepers are usually a little bulkier, but can have trouble fulfilling their role as a win condition if they don’t get an opportunity to use their stat raising move(s). Usually holds the item Life Orb or Leftovers. Fits on Balance, Offense and Bulky Offense better than Stall or Hyper Offense.
Common set up sweepers are: Landorus-T, Magearna and Serperior.
Wallbreaker ~ A wallbreaker is a bulky, usually slow, but extremely powerful Pokémon whose role is to deplete the health of the opponent’s bulkiest Pokémon with hard hitting STAB or high BP coverage. Usually holds the item Choice Band/Specs. Fits on Bulky Offense, Offense or Balance better than Hyper Offense or Stall.
Common wallbreakers can include the aforementioned Pokemon, but also: Hoopa-U, Mega Charizard Y and Azumarill.
Stallbreaker ~ Uses moves like Taunt, status conditions and Seismic Toss to whittle down your opponent’s walls. While situational, they can also find use against more offensive teams by preventing the opponent from setting up hazards or crippling sweepers. Most stallbreakers use the ability Prankster, but it’s not necessary. Usually holds the item Leftovers or Lum Berry. Fits on Stall or Balance better than Offense, Bulky Offense or Hyper Offense, since the latter 3 primary archetypes can usually deal with walls through other methods.
Common Stallbreakers are: Tapu Fini, Manaphy and Tornadus-T.
Offensive Pivot (also known as Glue) ~ Uses the moves Baton Pass, U-Turn, Volt Switch, Parting Shot, Healing Wish or Memento in addition with offensive pressure to gain momentum and set up team members to sweep in offense, or to force switches in stall to inflict collateral damage through hazards. Oftentimes slow pivots are better than faster pivots so that the Pokémon being switched in doesn’t take an attack from the opponent and so that the player can force switches by sending in a Pokémon which counters your opponent’s active Pokémon at the time. Usually holds the item Leftovers or Life Orb. Really it fits on any team archetype very well.
Common pivots are Rotom-W, Scizor, Latias and Silvally.
Utility ~ A Pokémon with either high speed or admirable bulk which aims to fulfil different secondary team roles. Oftentimes possess a pivot move to make the most out of more niche moves such as Encore or Taunt to force switches and generate momentum. They can also run useful moves such as hazards, Defog, Aromatherapy and Wish.
Common utility Pokemon are: Chansey, Alomomola, Mandibuzz and Ferrothorn.
Wall ~ An incredibly bulky Pokémon who relies on strong defensive typing, reliable recovery and high Defense and/or Special Defense to fulfil secondary roles. Focuses on whittling down opponents. Usually holds Leftovers. Only really fits on Stall and Balance as they have little to no offensive presence.
Common walls are: Skarmory, Chansey and Alomomola.
While those are good overall terms to describe any Pokémon you’ll find on your team, there are also utility moves and niche uses which a successful player will need to spread throughout their team. Not all of the following should be thrown onto a team, but some of these roles are important to have:
Hazard Setter ~ A Pokémon whose primary purpose is to lay down hazards on the opponent’s side of the field, such as Stealth Rock, Spikes, Toxic Spikes and/or Sticky Web. Can work in every primary team archetype.
Common hazard setters are: Toxapex, Landorus-T and Ferrothorn.
Defogger ~ A Pokémon with the move Defog, which removes all hazards from both sides of the field. The move is most commonly given to Flying-Type Pokémon. Can work in every primary team archetype.
Common Defoggers are: Skarmory, Mandibuzz and Latios.
Spinner ~ A Pokémon with the move Rapid Spin, which removes all hazards from the player’s side of the field. The move is less widely distributed but also straight up better than Defog. Can work in every primary team archetype.
Common Spinners are: Excadrill, Starmie and Dhelmise.
Spinblocker ~ Rapid Spin is a Normal-Type attack, so a spinblocker is a Ghost-Type Pokémon whose purpose is to prevent the opponent using Rapid Spin, as hazards aren’t removed if the Pokémon doesn’t take any damage from the attack, and Ghost-Type Pokémon are immune. Can work in every primary team archetype, but works best on Hyper-Offense and Stall given the reliance on hazards.
Common spinblockers are: Mega Sableye, Gengar and Alolan Marowak.
Anti-Hazard ~ An Anti-Hazard is a Pokémon with an ability like Magic Bounce or move like Magic Coat or Taunt which, instead of removing hazards after they’ve been set up on the player’s side of the field, acts to ensure the hazards never touch the player’s side of the field in the first place. Can also simply be an offensive counter to the best hazard setters in the tier. Is useful on every primary team archetype.
Common Anti-Hazard Pokemon are: Mega Sableye, Klefki and Tapu Fini.
Hazer ~ A Hazer will use the move Haze to reset all stat changes on the field. This allows them to counter set-up Pokemon by removing their boosts. These make them crucial for balance and stall Pokemon. Due to how rare this move is, some will instead use Phasers to accomplish a similar effect.
Common Hazers are: Tapu Fini and Toxapex.
Phaser ~ Uses the moves Roar, Whirlwind, Dragon Tail or Circle Throw to force the opponent’s Pokémon to switch out. In conjunction with hazards and high bulk, this can create a lot of damage. It also serves to counter set up sweepers as switching out removes the stat boosts. Works best on Offense, Bulky Offense, Balance and, most importantly, Stall, where it’s quite common.
Common Phasers are: Skarmory, Mandibuzz and Garchomp.
Cleric ~ Uses the moves Heal Bell or Aromatherapy to heal the user’s party of any status conditions, including the user. This is important to counter stallbreakers on Stall teams and to counter cripplers on more offensive teams, so it’s very splashable.
Common Clerics are: Chansey, Tapu Lele and Clefable.
Crippler ~ Uses status conditions such as burn, paralysis or (bad) poison to cripple the opponent’s Pokémon. Burn halves a Pokémon’s attack stat and paralysis halves a Pokémon speed stat, which is a major deal for offensive Pokémon. Badly Poisoned Pokémon lose HP quickly, which is a good way to deal with Stall. Countered by clerics, but cripplers are welcome on any team archetype.
Common Cripplers are: Toxapex, Alomomola and Klefki.
Field Effect Setter ~ Uses Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Sandstorm, Hail, Gravity, Trick Room or Tailwind to set up field effects and support its team members. Usually can abuse these field effects itself, or if not it has pivoting moves to grab momentum. Fits well on whatever team is using the field effect, and is kinda necessary on them to boot.
Common Pokemon for this role are: Pelipper (Drizzle), Torkoal (Sunny Day), Tyranitar (Sandstorm), Alolan Ninetales (Hail), Landorus-T (Gravity), Magearna (Trick Room) and Whimsicott (Tailwind).
WishPasser ~ A Pokémon with high HP and the move Wish. Either switches out or uses a pivoting move to grant HP recovery to an ally with majorly depleted HP, usually a wallbreaker or stallbreaker. Fits well on any team, but can lose some momentum on Hyper-Offense.
Common WishPassers are: Chansey and Alomomola.
Sacrifice ~ A Pokémon which uses the move Healing Wish or Memento to either heal Pokémon or create an opportunity for an allied set up sweeper. These moves make the user Pokémon faint in the process, so it’s a high risk but potentially extremely high reward strategy. Healing Wish sacrifices work best on Bulky Offense and Hyper-Offense, whereas Memento sacrifices are better on Offense or Hyper-Offense. Very unviable on Stall.
Common Sacrifice Pokemon are: Jirachi, Alomomola and Dugtrio.
Baton Passer ~ A Pokémon which uses the move Baton Pass to grant stat boosts and/or a Substitute to offensive Pokémon who otherwise lack the moves or abilities, or simply prefer to have coverage instead. Fits best on Offense or Balance, as setting up a Substitute can kill momentum.
Common Baton Pass Pokemon are: Scolipede and Espeon.
Switch Forcer ~ A Pokémon which uses moves such as Encore and Taunt to force the opponent’s Pokémon to switch out, for example if it uses Encore on a Pokémon using a setup move. Either uses the opportunity to set up a stat boosting move itself, or fulfils a more utility-minded pivot role. Usually has Prankster or just very high speed. Fits well on most primary team archetypes.
Common Switch Forcers are: Wobbuffet, Alolan Ninetales and Tapu Fini.
Dual Screens/Aurora Veil ~ This is a Pokemon that runs the moves Light Screen or Reflect to provide defensive support for teammates. These Pokemon usually use the Light Clay item to extend the duration of their screens to 8 turns. These are common on Hyper Offense teams. Aurora Veil provides the benefits of both Light Screen and Reflect and can also be used in conjunction with the regular screens. However, the move can only be used in Hail which limits its effectiveness.
Common Dual Screeners are: Azelf and Alolan Ninetales.
Common hazard setters are: Toxapex, Landorus-T and Ferrothorn.
Defogger ~ A Pokémon with the move Defog, which removes all hazards from both sides of the field. The move is most commonly given to Flying-Type Pokémon. Can work in every primary team archetype.
Common Defoggers are: Skarmory, Mandibuzz and Latios.
Spinner ~ A Pokémon with the move Rapid Spin, which removes all hazards from the player’s side of the field. The move is less widely distributed but also straight up better than Defog. Can work in every primary team archetype.
Common Spinners are: Excadrill, Starmie and Dhelmise.
Spinblocker ~ Rapid Spin is a Normal-Type attack, so a spinblocker is a Ghost-Type Pokémon whose purpose is to prevent the opponent using Rapid Spin, as hazards aren’t removed if the Pokémon doesn’t take any damage from the attack, and Ghost-Type Pokémon are immune. Can work in every primary team archetype, but works best on Hyper-Offense and Stall given the reliance on hazards.
Common spinblockers are: Mega Sableye, Gengar and Alolan Marowak.
Anti-Hazard ~ An Anti-Hazard is a Pokémon with an ability like Magic Bounce or move like Magic Coat or Taunt which, instead of removing hazards after they’ve been set up on the player’s side of the field, acts to ensure the hazards never touch the player’s side of the field in the first place. Can also simply be an offensive counter to the best hazard setters in the tier. Is useful on every primary team archetype.
Common Anti-Hazard Pokemon are: Mega Sableye, Klefki and Tapu Fini.
Hazer ~ A Hazer will use the move Haze to reset all stat changes on the field. This allows them to counter set-up Pokemon by removing their boosts. These make them crucial for balance and stall Pokemon. Due to how rare this move is, some will instead use Phasers to accomplish a similar effect.
Common Hazers are: Tapu Fini and Toxapex.
Phaser ~ Uses the moves Roar, Whirlwind, Dragon Tail or Circle Throw to force the opponent’s Pokémon to switch out. In conjunction with hazards and high bulk, this can create a lot of damage. It also serves to counter set up sweepers as switching out removes the stat boosts. Works best on Offense, Bulky Offense, Balance and, most importantly, Stall, where it’s quite common.
Common Phasers are: Skarmory, Mandibuzz and Garchomp.
Cleric ~ Uses the moves Heal Bell or Aromatherapy to heal the user’s party of any status conditions, including the user. This is important to counter stallbreakers on Stall teams and to counter cripplers on more offensive teams, so it’s very splashable.
Common Clerics are: Chansey, Tapu Lele and Clefable.
Crippler ~ Uses status conditions such as burn, paralysis or (bad) poison to cripple the opponent’s Pokémon. Burn halves a Pokémon’s attack stat and paralysis halves a Pokémon speed stat, which is a major deal for offensive Pokémon. Badly Poisoned Pokémon lose HP quickly, which is a good way to deal with Stall. Countered by clerics, but cripplers are welcome on any team archetype.
Common Cripplers are: Toxapex, Alomomola and Klefki.
Field Effect Setter ~ Uses Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Sandstorm, Hail, Gravity, Trick Room or Tailwind to set up field effects and support its team members. Usually can abuse these field effects itself, or if not it has pivoting moves to grab momentum. Fits well on whatever team is using the field effect, and is kinda necessary on them to boot.
Common Pokemon for this role are: Pelipper (Drizzle), Torkoal (Sunny Day), Tyranitar (Sandstorm), Alolan Ninetales (Hail), Landorus-T (Gravity), Magearna (Trick Room) and Whimsicott (Tailwind).
WishPasser ~ A Pokémon with high HP and the move Wish. Either switches out or uses a pivoting move to grant HP recovery to an ally with majorly depleted HP, usually a wallbreaker or stallbreaker. Fits well on any team, but can lose some momentum on Hyper-Offense.
Common WishPassers are: Chansey and Alomomola.
Sacrifice ~ A Pokémon which uses the move Healing Wish or Memento to either heal Pokémon or create an opportunity for an allied set up sweeper. These moves make the user Pokémon faint in the process, so it’s a high risk but potentially extremely high reward strategy. Healing Wish sacrifices work best on Bulky Offense and Hyper-Offense, whereas Memento sacrifices are better on Offense or Hyper-Offense. Very unviable on Stall.
Common Sacrifice Pokemon are: Jirachi, Alomomola and Dugtrio.
Baton Passer ~ A Pokémon which uses the move Baton Pass to grant stat boosts and/or a Substitute to offensive Pokémon who otherwise lack the moves or abilities, or simply prefer to have coverage instead. Fits best on Offense or Balance, as setting up a Substitute can kill momentum.
Common Baton Pass Pokemon are: Scolipede and Espeon.
Switch Forcer ~ A Pokémon which uses moves such as Encore and Taunt to force the opponent’s Pokémon to switch out, for example if it uses Encore on a Pokémon using a setup move. Either uses the opportunity to set up a stat boosting move itself, or fulfils a more utility-minded pivot role. Usually has Prankster or just very high speed. Fits well on most primary team archetypes.
Common Switch Forcers are: Wobbuffet, Alolan Ninetales and Tapu Fini.
Dual Screens/Aurora Veil ~ This is a Pokemon that runs the moves Light Screen or Reflect to provide defensive support for teammates. These Pokemon usually use the Light Clay item to extend the duration of their screens to 8 turns. These are common on Hyper Offense teams. Aurora Veil provides the benefits of both Light Screen and Reflect and can also be used in conjunction with the regular screens. However, the move can only be used in Hail which limits its effectiveness.
Common Dual Screeners are: Azelf and Alolan Ninetales.