I'm confused with Pokemon roles!

Question

Ok, I'm really confused with "roles" (I think they're called roles) for Pokemon. I only recently got strategic with Pokemon and I don't just grab any Pokemon, I look at the best natures and check their IVs. I know what a pyhsical Pokemon is, a Pokemon that has pyhsical moves and high attack.... I think? And I don't really know what a wall and pyhsical sweeper and special attacker and stuff. And what Pokemon would be a special sweeper and what Pokemon would be a wall. I know, call me all you want, I know nothing but please don't say I'm a noob, I have been playing Pokemon for 7 years. Anyway, I'm droning on a bit now! Please answer!

Thanks-
MightyMudkip :)

Comments

The reason I just learnt about Pokemon roles and what not is because I only recently got into competitive play! :)

Answer 1

Well, there are many Pokemon roles, but I will give you the complete list of those that you most certainly need to know:

• Attacking lead: A leading Pokemon whose first move will usually be an offensive move
• Baton Passer: A Pokemon who passes down stat boosts it has acquired through the use of the move, Baton Pass
• Cleric: A Pokemon who uses moves such as Heal Bell and Aromatherapy to cure itself and its teammates
• Dedicated Lead: A Pokemon whose sole utility is usually to always lead of the battle and usually set-up hazards on the field
• Dual Screener: A Pokemon who uses Reflect and Light screen to up the defenses of a set-up sweeper to help it set-up better. Usually in conjunction with the move wish and the Light Clay as item.
• Glass Cannon: A Pokemon wielding a great offensive presence but very weak defenses
• Mixed Sweeper: A Pokemon who takes advantage of its 2 great offensive stats to do damage.
• Physical Sweeper: A Pokemon who takes advantage of its great attack stat to do damage.
• Special Sweeper: A Pokemon who takes advantage of its great special attack stat to do damage.
• Phazer / Pseudo-Hazer / Shuffler: A Pokemon who uses moves such as Roar, Dragon Tail or Perish Song to force Pokemon out.
• Hazer: A Pokemon that uses the move Haze or Clear Smog in order to nullify stat boosts, and is usually bulky and has low offensive presence.
• Offensive Pivot: An offensive Pokemon who uses its ability to force out Pokemon by constantly switching, thus upping its team's momentum.
• Defensive Pivot: A Pokemon who uses its great physical bulk to constantly switch in and out, making it hard to break through and deducting the opposing team's momentum. Both usually do this with moves such as U-turn and Volt Switch, but can also just do it through utility or through abilities such as Regenerator.
• Scout: A Pokemon that has a high speed stat and has access to either Fake Out, U-Turn or Volt Switch and uses one or two of those moves in order to 'scout' what your opponent team leads with. It then has the option of going straight to deal damage or using U-Turn/ Volt Switch to switch into something more suitable. It's also frequently holding a Choice Scarf, and maybe even sporting Trick.
• Spinner / Defogger A Pokemon who uses Defog / Rapid Spin to get rid of hazards on the field.
• Revenge Killer: A Pokemon whose main purpose on a team is to finish off something that took out one of your Pokemon, and frequently has no 100% safe switch ins. The Pokemon itself usually has high speed and poor defences and therefore cannot safely switch in to even resisted attacks, meaning that it's optimum time to appear on the field is when one of your team faints, allowing it to switch in safely.
• Spinblocker: A Pokemon who uses its Ghost typing to prevent a Pokemon from using Rapid Spin, thus preventing it from spinning away hazards. (NB: does not work with Defog)
• Stallbreaker: A Pokemon who immediately shuts down stall teams by preventing them from executing moves prone to their strategy, such as by the usage of the move Taunt.
• Status Absober: A Pokemon who uses status moves to its advantage or negates the real purpose of it by being able to cure itself from it, negate it through abilties such as Guts and Natural Cure, or shrug it off through combos such as RestTalk.
• Suicide Lead: A Pokemon whose sole purpose it to get up hazards and prevent the opposing team from doing so by sacrificing itself.
• Supporter: A Pokemon who uses moves that don't necessarily have any effect on the other team, but are beneficial to its own.
• Tank: A Pokemon whose main purpose is to take hits and retaliate, but does not necessarily need to do so through the entire course of the match, as many tanks lack recovery methods outside of Rest.
• Trapper: A Pokemon who limits the options of a Pokemon's switching out rate by making the guaranteed outcome in the opposing's Pokemon disadvantage, through moves such as Pursuit or the ability Shadow Tag.
• Utility Pokemon: A Pokemon that has the ability to execute multiple tasks on a team, usually through its great movepool, typing, ability and/ or base stats.
• Utility Counter: A Pokemon who is graced with the ability to constantly switch in and out of specific threats prone to one's team.
• Wall: A Pokemon who uses its great special/ physical or both defensive stats to sponge hits through the entire course of the match, though it usually has little offensive presence.
• Wallbreaker: A Pokemon with such great offensive stats, that even walls can't take their assaults.

These are the main and probably the most common and only Pokemon roles you will ever hear about in competitive play and that I have learnt about during my course of competitive battling, with the help of this community and smogon.
You will often see the names of these roles combined with other Pokemon terms, such as "Para-shuffler" or "Mixed Wallbreaker".

Comments

That is a sexy wall of text, gj bby.

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I've always wondered what a revenge killer is, and now I've found out, I've realized I already use that strategy, but without knowing what it's called!

Answer 2

Special Attacker: A Pokemon with good Special Attack.
Special Sweeper: A Pokemon with good Special Attack and Speed that can kill other Pokemon in one or two hits.
Physical Sweeper: A Pokemon with good Attack and Speed that can kill other Pokemon in one or two hits.
Mixed Attacker: A Pokemon with both good Attack and good Special Attack.
Physical Wall: A Pokemon with good Defense.
Special Wall: A Pokemon with good Special Defense.

Images:
Special Sweeper
Physical Sweeper
Mixed Attacker
Physical Wall
Special Wall

Comments

Ok thanks! :)

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thanks anyway ;)