PokéBase - Pokémon Q&A
8 votes
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Share your best in-game teams for Pokemon Sun and Moon on this thread! Teams should be aimed toward making casual runs of the game efficient, enjoyable and hassle-free.

Please follow these guidelines regarding detail in your post:

  1. For every Pokemon on the team, give recommended moves for use throughout the playthrough. Ideally, comment on more than just the four moves you'll finish with post-game.
  2. You can include items, abilities, etc. but they are not necessary.
  3. Provide explanation and detail. Justify your Pokemon and moveset choices; possible discussion points include ease-of-use, team synergy, and coverage for key battles.

Please also follow these guidelines regarding the contents of your team:

  1. If you recommend a Pokemon that is restricted by version exclusivity, trade evolution or events, please mention alternatives for people who cannot get the Pokemon. Do the same if you recommend moves, etc. that are only available by breeding or grinding.
  2. There are some unspoken rules of in-game teams, such as to keep the starter on the team and avoid legendaries. It's kind to give other options if you break these rules.
  3. Do not recommend Pokemon, moves, etc. that are only available through glitches and cheats. Please also avoid Pokemon etc. that are only available through trade or transfer.
  4. Original content only. You may use ideas you found elsewhere, but do not steal written content.

Submit your team as an answer, not a comment. To keep things tidy, we will remove any teams posted as comments in this thread. If you want to update your post, use the 'edit' button.

Please be sparing with images and formatting.

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Do you have some compilation of all the answers? What pokemons turned up the most? Any way of ranking the answers?

40 Answers

5 votes

Team Rowlet!
I haven't finished my full playthrough of the game yet, but I've been going ahead and making my team as well as I think it can be made. I've struggled to find 12 unique typings for my team, but I eventually succeeded. This team will be made for Rowlet, as that is the starter I chose. Note that I'm not going all-out with IVs, EVs or Natures. Now, without further ado, let's begin:


Decidueye @ Decidium Z
Ability: Overgrow
- Leaf Blade (LV49)
- Spirit Shackle (Move Reminder)
- Brave Bird (LV55)/Steel Wing (TM51)
- Synthesis (LV28)

Decidueye is the Grass-type stater, obtained in Iki Town. He has a fair few weaknesses, but he's got a killer design to make up for it. Leaf Blade and Spirit Shackle are both great physical STAB moves, the latter providing fuel for Decidueye's Z-Move: Sinister Arrow Raid, which comes at 180 Base Power! Brave Bird is a great Flying-type coverage move, to make up for the team's lack of such a Pokemon, or you can use Steel Wing to supplement the only other Steel-type move on the team, Pangoro's Bullet Punch. Synthesis is learned by Dartrix at LV28, a mere 6 levels before it evolves. He is slightly slow, but his Attacking stats make up for it.


Salazzle @ Charcoal
Ability: Corrosion
- Toxic (LV29)
- Nasty Plot (LV32)
- Venoshock (LV39)
- Flamethrower (LV44)

Salazzle will be the Fire-type member to your team, and most likely the third or fourth addition. Getting a Female Salandit may seem like a hassle, but there's a fairly easy way to get it (that I take no credit for). Go to the PokePelago, and harvest a Rainbow Bean from the PokeBeanstalk. Feed it to a Male Eevee that knows Baby-Doll Eyes, and voila, you have a Sylveon with Cute Charm. Take that into the Wela Volcano Park, and you should find it lickety-split. It is definitely a Special Attacker, so the two attacking STAB moves are Venoshock, which it gets at LV39, and Flamethrower, at LV44. Toxic and Nasty Plot are the last two moves that Salandit learns before it evolves, and Nasty Plot is more of a filler move. Toxic helps with the status condition, though. You could always wait to evolve Salandit until LV40, and get Venoshock and Flamethrower early, but I would rather have the stronger Pokemon and wait 4 more levels.


Araquanid @ Quick Claw
Ability: Water Bubble
- Liquidation (LV57)
- Leech Life (TM28)
- Crunch (LV38)
- Return (TM27)

Araquanid is the first of two options for your Water-type. His pre-evolution, Dewpider can be obtained in Brooklet Hill. Good Water-types aren't hard to come by, but the best for this team are the Water/Bug-types. Araquanid's Water Bubble gives it's Water- moves double BP before STAB, and Quick Claw helps counterbalance its terrible Speed stat. Liquidation is essentially 170 Power thanks to Water Bubble, and Leech Life got a massive buff in Gen VII, and now has 80 Base Power, and drains the opponent's life. Crunch is a powerful coverage move, and Return is a filler Normal-type move, since this team doesn't have Silvally.


Golisopod @ Quick Claw
Ability: Emergency Exit
- Liquidation (LV48)
- Leech Life (TM28)
- False Swipe (TM54)
- Aerial Ace (TM40)

Golisopod is the second option for a Water-type. Wimpod comes a little later than Dewpider, on Route 18, but if you can navigate the surrounding water while riding Lapras, blocking off his escape path, and having him come to you makes him an easy grab. Golisopod also has a terrible Speed stat, that is offset by the held Quick Claw, but Emergency Exit serves a different purpose than Water Bubble. Since Golisopod has an Attack stat practially double the amount of Araquanid's the ability that lets him switch out when he's below 50% HP could help you get some damage without wasting a turn switching. Liquidation comes 9 levels earlier than it would on Araquanid, and Leech Life serves the same purpose with a higher Attack stat. False Swipe is to ease catching Pokemon, and Aerial Ace is there for the reason that it can't miss.


Pangoro @ Black Belt
Ability: Mold Breaker
- Hammer Arm (LV70/Move Reminder)
- Crunch (LV42)
- Bullet Punch (Move Reminder)
- Earthquake (TM26)

Pangoro will be the team's Fighting-type. He can be picked up on Route 11, with a 20% chance of encounter, or Route 10 with a 10% chance. Make sure he has Mold Breaker, though, because with the updated move pools, you can only get the Punches by transferring one from Gen VI. Hammer Arm is an easy include, as Pangoro isn't necessarily fast, and it's 100 BP with STAB. Crunch is the other STAB move, as it comes early and Pangoro can use it well. Bullet Punch is priority and helps take care of Fairy-types, although it's not the best move for the slot. Earthquake is the final move as a coverage move.


Carbink @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
- Moonblast (LV50)
- Power Gem (LV49)
- Psychic (TM09)
- Nature Power (TM96)

Carbink is a very bulky 'mon, and can be picked up in Ten Carat Hill as the second permanent member for your team. He's got low Attack stats, but he's got two 150 Defense stats, so he'll do quite nicely. Moonblast and Power Gem are both STAB Special Attack moves, and Stone Edge's low accuracy makes it a mediocre include at best. Psychic is used as a move type that isn't present on the rest of the team, and Nature Power is another filler move.


Minior @ N/A
Ability: Shields Down
- Shell Smash (LV45)
- Acrobatics (TM62)
- Power Gem (LV38)
- Dazzling Gleam (TM99)

After further testing, I have decided that Carbink might not be the ideal choice of a Rock-type, because its low attack stat makes it a pain to use ingame. So, I came to another conclusion, this time with a 7th gen Pokemon: Minior. Minior is a very interesting Rock- and Flying-type, that has great stats in its core form. Minior can be obtained on Mount Hokulani at LV28-30. Shell Smash is a move to bide your time while getting damaged until it reverts to core form. Acrobatics is a great Flying-type STAB move, and Power Gem is also STAB, while being more accurate than Stone Edge and Rock Slide, and more powerful than the latter. Dazzling Gleam is the last coverage move, as it beats Dark, Fighting, and Dragon types.


Zygarde 50% @ Soft Sand
Ability: Aura Break
- Dragon Dance
- Core Enforcer
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
(All moves taught from the Zygarde Cube)

Zygarde's 50% form is the legendary of this team, and you can get him from the Zygarde Restoration Center on Route 16 when you collect 46+ Zygarde Cells, and the 4 necessary Zygarde Cores. If you don't like it, there is another option below. Power Construct is unnecessary before the end-game, because you can't collect all 100 Zygarde cells during the main story, so Aura Break is the ability. Once 4 of the Zygarde Cores have been obtained, you can use those 4 to teach Zygarde his moves with the Zygarde Cube. Thousand Arrows is a replacement for Earthquake because it can hit flying-types, and some, like Emolga, will take super-effective damage. Core Enforcer is a 100 BP Dragon-type move, and Extreme Speed almost always moves first. Dragon Dance is there to raise the two key stats, and Soft Sand helps make up for the loss of power between Thousand Arrows and Earthquake.


Garchomp @ Wide Lens
Ability: Sand Veil (Rough Skin is preferred)
- Dragon Rush
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab
- Flamethrower

Garchomp is the second choice for a Dragon/Ground-type Pokemon, and is obtained in the Haina Desert. Rough Skin is the preferred ability because it will actually do something, but it's hard enough to find a Gabite, let alone S.O.S. chain it. Wide Lens is run for Dragon Rush, because Garchomp likes a 100 Power STAB move, but doesn't like the 75% Accuracy. Earthquake is the second STAB move, and Poison Jab covers Fairy-types. Flamethrower is run because dragons need to breathe fire.

That is my Pokemon Sun/Moon team for Rowlet. I will try to make teams for all three starters, though.

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edited by
Hi I think it could be better once you get all zygarde cells
and made 100% zygarde form knowing:
Hyper beam normal
Dragon pulse dragon
Protect normal
Thousand arrows ground
And if possible it looks better shiny and it should hold dragon fang to boost  dragon pulse or soft sand to power up thousand arrows.
Pangoro can still learn moves like Hammer Arm, Sky Uppercut, and Bullet Punch in Gen 7, all of which are boosted by Iron Fist.
Hello, I was wondering if anyone knew some examples of substitutes for Pangoro? I’m just not a fan of his design.
Hey, this is a very good Pokémon team with many coverages. It doesn’t have the best counters for fighting types, but that’s the only balance issue. The only other thing I found troublesome with this team is that a lot of things for the team are found end game or post game. For example, I didn’t get Gabite until after arriving at Poni Island (mostly my fault), Earthquake can only be obtained after the Elite 4, the black belt can only be obtained after the Elite 4, Hammer arm is gotten just before the Elite 4 (If there isn’t anything specific you have to do to get it at the move reminder, otherwise it would be far into post game), and Flamethrower is gotten just before the Altar of Sunne (Though I’m using sandstorm instead to benifit Minior in doubles). Despite many moves and items being acquired at the end of the game, this was still an amazing team. It has great coverage, not many weaknesses, and doesn’t require extensive trading, breeding, and grinding to get what is needed. Good job! (Also, don’t worry about my previous comment with Garchomp)

EDIT: For everyone in the future, I was wrong in some areas. The black belt can actually be obtained by using thief on Makuhita in route 2, with a 5% chance of it holding a black belt. To make it easier, put a Pokémon with compound eyes at the front of your team and faint it, and put the Pokémon with Thief second. That way, it increases the chance of Makuhita holding an item without wasting a turn. I thought it wasn’t possible because I was an idiot and left my Pokémon holding an item. As for Earthquake, I found a good alternative. Bulldoze is exactly the same, but it does less power. It can be bought at the Malie City Pokemom Center. That makes for a very good substitute so you don’t need to worry about not having any ground moves. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Not that many people will care, but my sm team was decidueye, toucanon, ribombee, lycanroc, wishiwashi and salazzle. :]
3 votes

This is a team around Popplio, with almost the entire team available on the first island, and the last Pokemon on the second.


Primarina @ Primarium Z
- Sparkling Aria (Evolution)
- Moonblast (Lv. 44)
- Ice Beam (TM - Mount Lanakila)
- Psychic (TM - Aether Paradise)

While Decidueye is my favorite, I have to admit that Primarina has to be the best when you look at how it does against the trials and Elite 4. Sparkling Aria is powerful STAB that also activates its Z-move, Oceanic Operetta. Moonblast is also powerful STAB to take care of Dragons. Ice Beam is great coverage against Grass types and Psychic covers its Poison type weakness.


Toucannon @ Flyinium Z
- Beak Blast (Evolution)
- Bullet Seed (Lv. 40)
- Rock Blast (Move Reminder)
- Feather Dance (Lv. 44)

Pikipek/Trumbeak completely ridicules that totem Gumshoos/Raticate with the Brick Break TM you get early on, and Toucannon is a powerful member throughout the game. Beak Blast is a powerful STAB move with the potential to cause burns. It always goes last, but that doesn't really matter since Toucannon's Speed is very bad. Bullet Seed becomes 125 base power after Skill Link and covers Rock types. Rock Blast also becomes 125 power with Skill Link and covers Ice types. Feather Dance is great to render physical attackers useless.


Magnezone @ Electrium Z
- Discharge (Lv. 43)
- Flash Cannon (Lv. 33)
- Thunder Wave (Lv. 11)
- Reflect/Light Screen (TM - Heahea City)

When you encounter Magnemite on Route 2, it is very overpowered since it seems like barely anything can hit it. It's this team's answer to Water types and does the job very well. Discharge is STAB since Thunderbolt isn't available until the post-game, but Thunder is also an option. Flash Cannon is powerful STAB and Thunder Wave is great for catching legendaries and crippling opponents. Reflect or Light Screen can be used depending on the battle; it's easy to swap between the two.


Arcanine @ Firium Z
- Flamethrower (Lv. 34, Growlithe)
- Extreme Speed (Lv. 34)
- Wild Charge (TM - Route 15)
- Will-O-wisp (TM - Diglett's Tunnel)

I suggest evolving Growlithe exactly at Level 34, as it will just have learned Flamethrower and will learn Extreme Speed upon evolving. You can wait for Flare Blitz, but I wouldn't say it's worth it. Flamethrower is powerful special STAB. Extreme Speed is a much-needed priority move and Wild Charge is coverage against Water types. Will-O-wisp is useful to stop physical attackers and wear down HP.


Mismagius @ Ghostium Z
- Shadow Ball (TM - Route 14)
- Dazzling Gleam (TM - Vast Poni Canyon)
- Power Gem (Move Reminder)
- Calm Mind (TM - Seafolk Village)

Mismagius is a great special attacker available early on. It can be evolved with a Dusk Stone as soon as you get it. You can get the Dusk Stone either in Poni Wilds, through Poke Pelago or possibly in Malie City (not sure). Shadow Ball is STAB and Dazzling Gleam is coverage against Dark types. Power Gem also makes sure this moveset always hits at least for neutral damage against any Pokemon. Other options are Energy Ball, Psychic and Mystical Fire, but as I said, Power Gem covers more types. Calm Mind allows it to set up and sweep.


Mudsdale @ Groundium Z
- Earthquake (Lv. 47)
- Rock Slide (TM - Melemele Sea)
- Low Sweep (TM - Konikoni City)
- Heavy Slam (Lv. 34)

How can this thing possibly be double the weight of Steelix? Don't know, don't care, it makes Heavy Slam incredibly good. This game becomes much easier if you have a Ground type, it seems, and Mudsdale is one of the best. Earthquake is powerful STAB and Rock Slide covers Ice types. Low Sweep is more coverage and also great for lowering Speed. Heavy Slam is simply to take advantage of Mudsdale's ridiculous weight.


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If the whole team holds a z Crystal, well, it can only be used once so you could have leftovers or life orbs... just a heads up, it is a good team tho
The team I came up with is just like that except instead of Arcanine and Mismagius, I have Salazzle and Pangoro.
Why you don’t add abilities?
They really don't matter enough in playthroughs usually
3 votes

Even without a Steel type, this team resists every single type and has a super-effective STAB move for every type except Normal as well. It is also very balanced with 3 physical and 3 special attackers, and also 2 Pokemon with very high Defense/Special Defense respectively. Picture below: Link



Decidueye @ Decidium Z
- Leaf Blade (Lv. 44)
- Sprit Shackle (Evolution)
- Sucker Punch (Lv. 38)
- Swords Dance (TM - Malie City)

Decidueye is by far the coolest starter evo of this gen, and it's very good in game as well. Leaf Blade is powerful STAB. Spirit Shackle is STAB that can also trap the opponent and allows Decidueye to use its signature Z-move: Sinister Arrow Raid. Sucker Punch gives it some priority to make up for its slow Speed and works well with Swords Dance to potentially sweep entire teams.



Raichu @ Aloraichium Z
- Thunderbolt (Move Reminder)
- Psychic (Evolution)
- Focus Blast (TM - Seafolk Village)
- Thunder Wave (TM - Route 7)

An electric mouse surfing on its tail with psychic powers? Yes, please! Anyways... Thunderbolt is STAB and for the Stoked Sparksurfer Z-move. Psychic is also STAB with high power and Focus Blast is great coverage against Dark types. Thunder Wave is to cripple opponents and catch Pokemon.



Sylveon @ Fairium Z
- Moonblast (Lv. 37)
- Psyshock (TM - Lake of the Sunne/Moone)
- Shadow Ball (TM - Route 14)
- Calm Mind (TM - Seafolk Village)

Sylveon is the perfect dragonslayer in this team and also helps out in catching a female Salandit if your Sylveon is male (87,5%). Moonblast is powerful STAB. Psyshock is coverage and also to hit special walls like Blissey. Shadow Ball is also extra coverage and Calm Mind allows it to set up.



Salazzle @ Firium Z
- Flamethrower (Lv. 44)
- Sludge Bomb (TM - Shady House)
- Dragon Pulse (Lv. 56, Heart Scale)
- Nasty Plot (Lv. 32)

While Corrosion is a great Ability, Salazzle is not the best Pokemon to make use of it, so I went for more of an offensive moveset to fit Salazzle's great Special Attack and Speed. Flamethrower and Sludge Bomb are powerful STAB. Dragon Pulse gives it a wide range of coverage and Nasty Plot makes it a deadly sweeper.



Golisopod @ Waterium Z
- First Impression (Evolution)
- Liquidation (Lv. 48)
- Rock Slide (TM - Melemele Sea)
- Leech Life (TM - Akala Outskirts)

Even if it is slightly held back by its Ability, Golisopod is an incredible Pokemon to use in-game. While leveling up a Wimpod can be difficult, the Exp. Share does help with that -- and when you have a Golisopod, you won't regret it, trust me. First Impression is a very powerful priority STAB move to use on the first turn of a battle. Liquidation is a powerful physical Water type STAB move and Rock Slide covers Flying types. Leech Life is a more reliable Bug type STAB move that can be used at any time in the battle, while also restoring HP.



Krookodile @ Groundium Z
- Earthquake (Lv. 54)
- Crunch (Lv. 28)
- Outrage (Heart Scale)
- Brick Break (TM - Verdant Cavern)

Krookodile rounds off this team perfectly with its Ground/Dark typing and very useful ablilities. Earthquake is powerful STAB and so is Crunch, Outrage is a very powerful coverage move which, alongside Brick Break, gives Krookodile some really good coverage.

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I think this one so far is the best. However, I'm going to replace Golisopod for Samurott. It has the same water type and some very good bug type moves like megahorn. Also, personal reasons. :)
What would be a good substitute for Krookodile?
2 votes

Team Incineroar

I'll give out the endgame result. This is a Sun-based team. Since I'm picking Pokemon Sun, I thought it would be interesting to make a Sunny Day team. It just felt right.
Natures may vary and they are unimportant for in-game teams. I've picked whichever fitted best.


Incineorar @ Incinium Z
Ability: Blaze
Naughty Nature
- Overheat
- Darkest Lariat
- Leech Life
- Outrage


Lurantis @ Amulet Coin
Ability: Leaf Guard
Adamant Nature
- Sunny Day
- Solar Blade
- False Swipe
- Leech Life


Slowbro @ Charcoal
Ability: Own Tempo
Quiet Nature
- Psychic
- Scald
- Flamethrower
- Calm Mind


Ribombee @ Heat Rock
Ability: Sweet Veil
Modest Nature
- Sunny Day
- U-turn
- Moonblast
- Bug Buzz


Umbreon @ Shell Bell
Ability: Synchronize
Bold Nature
- Moonlight
- Sunny Day
- Toxic
- Dark Pulse


Kommo-o @ Dragon Fang
Ability: Bulletproof
Brave Nature
- Flamethrower
- Clanging Scales
- Brick Break
- Work Up

Synergy among team members is what makes this Incineroar team special. Sunny Day is the team's star move. Three of the Pokémon can summon it and four of them can abuse it to great effect: Incineroar's Overheat under sunlight packs a huge punch, while Lurantis can use a drawback-free, high-powered Grass-type physical attack in Solar Blade. Umbreon's healing increases tremendously and even Slowbro, the team's Water-type Pokémon, likes its Flamethrower boosted, similarly to Kommo-o.
Ribombee should always be your lead. The fastest Pokémon in this team, it is vital it gets Sunny Day up, and then depending on the situation, use U-turn and select the Pokemon most fit to deal with your opponent's team. Try bringing Lurantis in each game because her Amulet Coin will net you double reward for sweeping with Solar Blade. Incineroar's Incinium Z will turn his Darkest Lariat attack into Malicious Moonsault, the most powerful attack on the whole team. Lurantis should be your lead against rare Pokémon you must catch as she learns False Swipe, a handy move when it comes to weakening an opponent just enough to catch it. Slowbro and Kommo-o are bulky sweepers who, after a boost or several, can shred teams apart. Finally, Umbreon's stalling properties makes it fit to take out bulkier enemies your team may have troubles muscling past.

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Nice team, I like this Sunny Day team.
Nice team. Really good. But torkoal has Drought and thus is a better option.
Torkoal@Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
Lava Plume
Solar Beam
Sludge Bomb
Will-O-Wisp/Amnesia/-
I love this team but I found a problem. Jangmo-o is found near the end of the game so you would need another pokemon to use until then. Maybe Salazzle would work until Vast Poni Canyon
Instead of Slowbro, Ash-Greninja is a purely better pokemon with amazing STAB and Speed stats.
Greninja
Timid Nature
Ability Battle Bond
Dark Pulse
Aerial Ace
Water Shuriken/Scald
Your Choice

And Replace Umbreon with Toucannon and later on replace with Lunala
Toucannon
Rash Nature
Skill Link ability
Overheat
Brave Bird
Bullet Seed
Your Choice
2 votes

Team Decidueye

I'll give out the endgame result. This is a setup-based team, starring Decidueye's trapping potential.
Natures may vary and they are unimportant for in-game teams. I've picked whichever fitted best.


Decidueye @ Amulet Coin
Ability: Overgrow
Lonely Nature
- Shackle Spirit
- U-turn
- Smack Down
- Leaf Blade


Vikavolt @ Grassium Z
Ability: Levitate
Timid Nature
- Agility
- Guillotine
- Thunderbolt
- Energy Ball


Lycanroc @ Shell Bell
Ability: Keen Eye
Adamant Nature
- Sand Attack
- Accelrock
- Bulk Up
- Crunch


Drifblim
Ability: Unburden
Hasty Nature
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic


Golisopod @ Mystic Water
Ability: Emergency Exit
Adamant Nature
-Swords Dance
-Liquidation
-Leech Life
-Poison Jab


Talonflame
Ability: Flame Body
Jolly Nature
- Flame Charge
- Acrobatics
- Double Team
- Steel Wing

This team plays a lot like an AAA team. Decidueye leads, and thanks to its combination of Spirit Shackle and U-turn, you can trap any foe into facing an enemy they do not particularly like. Smack Down and Leaf Blade are mainly for coverage purposes. Vikavolt's Speed, after two Agilities, can reach impressive levels, and thanks to Grassium Z, it can fire a powerful Bloom Doom. Thunderbolt is the main attack though. Lycanroc synergizes best with Talonflame: After getting a couple of Sand Attack on enemies, Talonflame can set up Double Team and proceed to boost its speed later on with Flame Charge until it's in a comfortable situation to sweep. Finally, Drifblim and Golispod are backup bulky sweepers. Racking up a few boosts, they can sweep teams thanks to their wide coverage and impressive stats.

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reshown by
Swords Dance on Talonflame would be more suitable in my opinion. Also, good team.
Plz do one on Popplio!
2 votes

Team Popplio!
This is the team I beat Moon with! This team isn't really meant to be that great, I just picked out my favourite Pokemon from the region and used them. That's why half the team is weak to Fire. :>


Primarina
Primarina @ Primarium Z
- Sparkling Aria
- Scald
- Baby-Doll Eyes
- Moonblast

I use Scald more than Sparkling Aria mainly just to burn Pokemon. Sparkling Aria allows me to use its Z-Move, Baby-Doll Eyes is there to lower stats and because I didn't have any other moves, and Moonblast is its other main STAB move. This guy was definitely the best team member!


Raichu
Alolan Raichu @ Twisted Spoon
- Thunder Shock / Thunderbolt / Discharge
- Psychic
- Nasty Plot
- Hidden Power [Fire] / Grass Knot / Thunder Wave

I was impatient and evolved my Pikachu before she got the chance to learn Discharge or Thunderbolt, so I was stuck with Thunder Shock for ages. Don't make the same mistake as me, and keep your Pikachu as a Pikachu until either Level 34 (Discharge) or Level 42 (Thunderbolt). Thunderbolt and Psychic are great moves, and they're also STAB! Nasty Plot is to get a nice Special Attack boost (note: only Pichu learns it at Level 13), and my one's Hidden Power type was Fire, so I decided to give that to her for coverage.

If your Raichu doesn't have a good Hidden Power type, some other options are Grass Knot for coverage, or Thunder Wave (or even Nuzzle if you wanna deal damage) for catching Pokemon.


Ribombee
Ribombee @ ???
- Bug Buzz
- Dazzling Gleam
- Quiver Dance
- Pollen Puff

Bug Buzz and Dazzling Gleam are the main STAB moves of the set. Quiver Dance is used to get a boost, and Pollen Puff is honestly just there because I didn't have any good moves to give her. My Ribombee has no item because I didn't have anything, and she always held Honey because of her ability.


Lurantis
Lurantis @ Quick Claw
- Leech Life
- Leaf Blade
- False Swipe / Slash
- Swords Dance

Fomantis is kinda hard to train up, but it's totally worth it! Lurantis is an awesome Pokemon with good Attack and pretty good other stats (minus Speed, which is why it has a Quick Claw). Leech Life is used to get health back, Leaf Blade is STAB, and Swords Dance is used to set up and destroy lives. Slash has a high chance to crit, but False Swipe is a good move for catching Pokemon.


Salazzle
Salazzle @ Charcoal
- Flamethrower
- Nasty Plot
- Dragon Pulse
- Sludge Bomb

Salandit only has a 12.5% chance of being female, so this one is a massive pain in the butt to get. Salazzle has great Special Attack and Speed, but every other stat is pretty much just trash. Flamethrower and Sludge Bomb are STAB, Nasty Plot is to set up, and Dragon Pulse is just there because I didn't know what else to give her.


Sandslash
Alolan Sandslash @ ???
- Shadow Claw
- Icicle Spear
- Leech Life
- Iron Head

Alolan Sandslash is an awesome Pokemon! Shadow Claw and Leech Life are there because they're good moves, and Icicle Spear and Iron Head are STAB. This one is Moon-exclusive, so you'll have to trade if you have Sun, or you can just use Alolan Ninetales instead.


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Wow. You said that you can use Alolan Ninetales in Sun. But look at the team... There are three fairy types if you use Alolan Ninetales. I wouldn't recommend a an Alolan Ninetales as a Substitude for Sandslash.
Three of the Pokemon are weak to fire too, I don't think it would matter that much. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I just said Ninetales in the answer because I only thought "oh hey it's another gen 7 ice type that should work as an alternative pokemon". I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad in-game.
1 vote

This is the team I plan on using for my playthrough of Pokémon Sun! I tried to keep it as balanced as possible while using all new Pokémon. You can use whatever nature you want since it's just ingame, but I put the ones I like there anyway in case anyone wants them.

PLEASE NOTE: A few of the moves listed here are only learnt by TM, if you can't find said TM, you can choose a different move.


Popplio --> Brionne --> Primarina @ Primarium Z
Ability: Torrent
Modest / Calm Nature
- Sparkling Aria --> Oceanic Operetta
- Moonblast / Dazzling Gleam
- Psychic
- Ice Beam / Energy Ball

Your starter. Sparkling Aria is STAB, and is here just for its Z-move, Oceanic Operetta. If you don't care for Z-Moves, Surf or Hydro Pump is a good alternative. Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam are also STAB, and Dazzling Gleam hits more opponents, great for Double Battles. Psychic, Ice Beam and Energy Ball are coverage.


Vulpix --> Ninetales @ anything
Ability: Snow Cloak
Modest / Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Dazzling Gleam
- Extrasensory
- Hex / Ice Shard

One of my favorites from Sun/Moon. :) Ice Beam and Dazzling Gleam are STAB, while Extrasensory and Hex are pre-evolution exclusive. Ice Shard is there just for priority and quick KOs if you fear you may be outsped.


Mudbray --> Mudsdale @ anything
Ability: Stamina
Adamant Nature
- High Horsepower / Earthquake
- Return
- Double Kick
- Rock Tomb / Rock Slide

A very heavy hitter! High Horsepower is STAB, though you could replace it with Earthquake if you wish. Return does lots of damage since it's ingame and your Pokémon (hopefully) like you enough for this move to hit hard. Double Kick and Rock Tomb/Rock Slide are coverage.


Bounsweet --> Steenee --> Tsareena @ anything
Ability: Oblivious --> Queenly Majesty
Adamant Nature
- Trop Kick
- Aromatherapy
- Return / Rapid Spin
- High Jump Kick

Trop Kick is STAB. Aromatherapy is just filler, or in case your teammates have status conditions. Return and High Jump Kick are coverage. Rapid Spin can be useful in case your opponent has set up rocks and whatnot (if that even happens ingame, I'm not sure).


Salandit --> Salazzle @ anything
Ability: Corrosion
Timid / Modest Nature
- Flamethrower / Flame Burst
- Venoshock / Sludge Bomb / Sludge Wave
- Toxic
- Dragon Rage / Dragon Pulse

Finding a female Salandit is no easy task, but it's worth it! Flamethrower and Flame Burst are STAB. Venoshock, Sludge Bomb and Sludge Wave are also STAB, though Venoshock could prove more useful if you decide to poison the target with Toxic. Dragon Rage and Dragon Pulse are coverage.


Jangmo-o --> Hakamo-o --> Kommo-o @ anything
Ability: Bulletproof / Soundproof
Quiet Nature
- Clanging Scales / Dragon Pulse
- Brick Break / Sky Uppercut
- Return
- Iron Defense / Flamethrower / whatever

This thing is a pretty good mixed attacker! Clanging Scales is powerful STAB, though if you don't like the defense drop, go for Dragon Pulse instead. Brick Break and Sky Uppercut are also STAB, though I personally prefer Brick Break since it can break screens. Return is coverage, and you can pick whatever move you wish for its last move, though I'll probably choose Flamethrower or Iron Defense.

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edited by
A few nitpicks. Do not forget Ninetales is version-exclusive and Sandslash would play a different role.
Salazzle has no reasons not to use Venoshock + Toxic. Finally, High Horsepower is terrible, as it has less power and accuracy than Earthquake, unless you don't find the TM.
Ah, I forgot that Ninetales is version exclusive. As for the other things, I can go back and fix them later. I apologize for the mistakes ^^'
I love Salazzle - I got mine by catching a Salandit (male of course) and breeding it with Ditto - 10 eggs hatched later, I got my female Salandit. So worth it...
1 vote

Here's my Popplio-based team:


Primarina @ Primarium Z
Ability: Torrent
- Sparkling Aria
- Encore
- Moonblast
- Shadow Ball

Moonblast and Shadow Ball are coverage against the other starters.


Lycanroc
Ability: Keen Eye (it's useful against annoying Double Team and Minimize)
- Accelrock (Midday Form) / Reversal (Midnight Form)
- Crunch
- Brick Break
- Rock Slide


Salazzle
Ability: Corrosion (can use Toxic on Steel and Poison types without them being immune)
- Toxic
- Venoshock
- Nasty Plot
- Flamethrower


Lurantis
Ability: Leaf Guard (protects it from status conditions)
- X-Scissor
- Solar Blade (aka solar powered lightsaber)
- Leaf Blade
- Aerial Ace


Alolan Raichu
Ability: Surge Surfer
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast (for Dark types)
- Electric Terrain (for Surge Surfer to activate)
- Grass Knot (for those Psychic types)


Crobat
Ability: Inner Focus (won't flinch from Fake Out, for example)
- Poison Fang
- Shadow Ball
- Aerial Ace
- U-turn (for switching)

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1 vote

I've bought Pokemon Moon and this is the team I am going to be using. I have tried to make sure all Pokemon are new so here's the team:


Incineroar @ Incinium Z
- Flamethrower
- Darkest Lariat
- Cross Chop
- Leech Life

This guy is gonna be my starter in Alola. I have Cross Chop for hard Pokemon such as Kukui's Snorlax and others. I just wish he had better coverage moves though...


Lurantis @ Grassium Z
- Leaf Blade
- Aerial Ace
- Leech Life
- Brick Break

Lurantis is one of my favorite Alolan Pokemon. Brick Break is for Ice types and Aerial Ace is for Fire and Bug types.


Raichu-Alola @ Aloraichium Z
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave
- Grass Knot

Raichu is here to cover Incineroar's Water and Fighting weaknesses. It has Grass Knot for the obvious 4x weakness to Ground.


Araquanid @ Waterium Z
- Scald
- Leech Life
- Ice Beam
- Liquidation

My favorite Bug-type Pokemon in Alola next to Golisopod, Araquanid is awesome. It may not have great coverage but is a good Pokemon to use on your team.


Kommo-o @ Dragonium Z
- Clanging Scales
- Brick Break
- Dragon Claw
- Poison Jab

I'm sorry Crabominable, but Kommo-o is gonna be on my team. The pseudo-legendary of the game has Poison Jab to stop Fairy types and Brick Break because he can't learn Close Combat.


Lycanroc-Midday @ Rockium Z
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Yup, I'm not using the Midnight Form. My team is a little lacking in speed anyways. The Midday Form though is still one of my favorite Pokemon in the Alola region.

So there's my team for Alola. I hope you guys like it and don't hate me if I didn't have any Pokemon from older generations and you wanted to see them. Anyway, it may change a little bit but this is my closest guess to my official team (sorry Kommo-o) but my starter is still official and hope you guys give at least a few votes.

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1 vote

This is a really good team if you want to choose Litten as you're starter. And why wouldn't you? It's actually the best of them (statistically). I'm pretty sure it covers all the types and does really well against the main battles.

Incineroar

Fire Fang - STAB, unfortunately the best physical fire move it gets
Darkest Lariat - STAB, great power and cuts anyone who tries to set up
Earthquake - coverage for rock types
Swords Dance - higher up that attack even more

Starmie

Surf - STAB, overall a great move
Psychic - STAB, deals lots of damage with that sp.Atk
Ice Beam - coverage for grass types
Recover - save those potions

Luranits

Leaf Blade - STAB, great physical move
Brick Break - coverage for ice types
Leech Life - get lots of health back, for other grass types
Swords Dance - more power

Jolteon

Discharge - STAB, the best sp. electric move it gets
Volt Switch - get some damage while switching out
Thunder Shock - slower down opponents
Shadow Ball - the best coverage move it gets

Alolan Dugtrio

Earthquake - STAB, why not
Iron Head - STAB, great physical attack
Aerial Ace - for fighting types
Tri Attack - great last move

Kommo-o

Dragon Claw - STAB, great move
Brick Break - STAB, coverage for ice types
Shadow Claw - coverage for psychic types
Posion Jab - coverage for fairy types

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1 vote


Primarina @ Primarium Z
Ability: Torrent

  • Sparkling Aria
  • Moonblast
  • Ice Beam
  • Psychic

While the Popplio might not be the most popular of the Alola starters, when looking through the games major battles, the Popplio line does the best, including having advantages over all the Island Kahuna's. Sparkling Aria is a powerful STAB move that activates Primarina's exclusive Z-Move: Oceanic Operetta. Moonblast is another powerful STAB move and Ice Beam and Psychic are excellent moves that cover Primarina's weaknesses to Grass and Poison respectively.


Toucannon @ Leftovers
Trait: Skill Link

  • Beak Blast
  • Bullet Seed
  • Rock Blast
  • Roost

Pikipek comes into play quickly with all the early game Bug Types and helps out a lot with Hala and remains a powerful asset to the team throughout the game with its diverse movepool and great stats. Beak Blast is a powerful STAB move with an ability to burn the foe and the -3 priority on this move doesn't matter to much as Toucannon is quite slow. Both Bullet Seed and Rock Blast become 125 base power with Skill Link meaning they are great for covering Toucannon's weaknesses to Rock and Ice respectively and Roost just allows Toucannon to stay out for longer (the fourth move slot can be anything else like Steel Wing, U-Turn, Flame Charge, Hyper Voice or Feather Dance).


Magnezone @ Quick Claw
Ability: Sturdy

  • Discharge
  • Flash Cannon
  • Thunder Wave
  • Light Screen/Reflect

When Magnemite is first caught, it's somewhat OP as almost nothing can deal any damage to it and Magnezone is your counter to Grass Types and Fairy Types. Magnezone is unable to learn Thunderbolt before beating the Elite 4 so Discharge is the next best option, but it's still a good STAB move. Flash Cannon is another powerful STAB move, Thunder Wave makes Pokémon easier to capture, makes up for Magnezone's bad speed and cripples the opponents Pokémon and Light Screen and Reflect are both very useful and easy to switch between with the TMs.


Arcanine @ Amulet Coin
Ability: Intimidate

  • Flamethrower
  • Extreme Speed
  • Wild Charge
  • Outrage/Bulldoze

Arcanine has always been an amazing Pokémon with amazing stats that allow it to take hits and do huge damage, moves that can cover loads of different types and a great ability which makes it a safe switch in against a lot of Pokémon. Flamethrower is a powerful STAB move learned by Growlithe at level 34, Extreme Speed is learned by Arcanine at level 34 or through move reminder. Wild Charge and Bulldoze are both good coverage attacks that take care of Arcanine's weaknesses of Water and Rock and Outrage is just an amazing move in general. If you want Outrage on Growlithe, you will have to wait until level 43 and then teach Arcanine Extreme Speed through move reminder. If you don't want Outrage evolve Growlithe at level 34 so it has Flamethrower and Extreme Speed upon evolution.


Hariyama @ Shell Bell
Ability: Thick Fat

  • Close Combat
  • Brick Break
  • Poison Jab
  • Knock Off/Rock Slide

Makuhita destroys Totem Gumshoos and Totem Raticate as well as helps out with the early game normal types and also helps out a lot with Olivia and Nanu. Hariyama can also take damage just as well as he can deal it with huge attack and HP. Close Combat is a very powerful STAB move, but lowers Hariyama's already very low defences and has limited usage, which is why Brick Break is included. Poison Jab, Knock Off and Rock Slide are all great attacks which cover all three of Hariyama's weaknesses, but it's up to you which ones you use.


Krookodile @ Expert Belt
Ability: Moxie/Intimidate

  • Earthquake
  • Crunch
  • Rock Slide
  • Aerial Ace

Krookodile is a good way to end off the team with it's great typing and being blessed with two of the greatst abilities, and it's up to you which one you want. Krookdile also has great stats across the board and a pretty deep moveset which can cover a lot of its weaknesses. Earthquake is a very powerful STAB move but isn't learnt until late, so keep Bulldoze on Krookodile until then. Crunch is another strong STAB move and Rock Slide and Aerial Ace cover Krookodile's weaknesses to Ice, Bug, Fighting and Grass.

Here are teams for the other 2 starters, but I'm not going into depth with them at all.

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1 vote

Team Preview:

(Pre-Elite Four - no Pokémon, items or TMs only accessible in the post-game)


Incineroar @ Incinium Z
Ability - Blaze

  • Flare Blitz (Level 55)
  • Darkest Lariat (Upon Evolution)
  • Leech Life (TM28 - Akala Outskirts)
  • Bulldoze (TM78 - Malie City Pokémart)

While Incineroar isn'y my personal favourite of the Alola Starters, he is definitely a great asset to any in-game team, with his great stats, great typing and gigantic movepool, leading to great match-ups throughout the adventure. Flare Blitz is STAB and deals massive damage, just be wary of the recoil, Darkest Lariat is STAB and allows Incineroar to use his signature Z-Move: Malicious Moonsault, Leech Life allows Incineroar to heal off and Bulldoze covers his weakness to Rock and can help with Incineroar's low speed. You can also try out many other moves, such as Flamethrower or Fire Fang if you aren't to confident about Flare Blitz or things like Shadow Claw, Brick Break and Low Sweep for further coverage, etc.


Raichu @ Aloraichium Z
Ability - Surge Surfer

  • Thunderbolt (Move Reminder/Level 42 with Pikachu)
  • Psychic (Upon Evolution)
  • Thunder Wave (Level 18 with Pichu/Pikachu) / Nuzzle (Level 29 with Pikachu)
  • Nasty Plot (Level 13 with Pichu) / Charge Beam (TM57 - Route 5)

In my opinion, Alolan Raichu is the best designed Pokémon added to Pokémon Sun and Moon, and it has my favourite dual typing of all time: Electric / Psychic, 2 of my favourite types, and luckily, it's also really good for an in-game team. Thunderbolt is STAB and allows Raichu to use his signature move: Stoked Sparksurfer, Psychic is STAB, Thunder Wave paralyzes the foe and Nuzzle does that but also deals a little damage, so pick whichever you want, and Nasty Plot and Charge Beam are for setting up to potentially sweep. Make sure to level Pikachu up to at least level 34 before evolving into Raichu so he at least has Discharge to hold off until T-Bolt.


Vaporeon @ Big Root
Ability - Water Absorb

  • Scald (TM55 - Brooklet Hill)
  • Ice Beam (TM13 - Mount Lanakila)
  • Shadow Ball (TM30 - Route 14)
  • Aqua Ring (Level 25)

Pretty much all of the Eeveelutions are viable for an in-game team but, in my opinion, Vaporeon is one of the best, especially since you can give her Scald the second you evolve Eevee into her. Scald is STAB and has a good chance of burning, Ice Beam covers her Grass weakness, Shadow Ball is just for another attacking move, as Vaporeon has king of a meh attacking movepool and Aqua Ring helps Vaporeon bulky nature become even better. I would recommend catching a wild Eevee, but immediately putting it away until you get a Water Stone in Konikoni City, so you don't miss Aqua Ring and Aurora Beam (Aurora Beam is learnt a level 20).


Minior @ no item
Ability - Shields Down

  • Shell Smash (Level 45)
  • Power Gem (Level 38)
  • Acrobatics (TM62 - Ten Carat Hill)
  • U-Turn (TM89 - Malie City Pokémart)

Minior is one of the most fun Pokémon to use in-game, as Shields Down can lead to some silly things, not to mention the Core Form is really cute. Shell Smash is really busted on Minior due to Shields Down as the stat buffs and drops compliment the Core's stats really well, making Minior a monster after Shields Down activates. Power Gem is STAB, Acrobatics is STAB and with no item and a Shell Smash, this will dent anything you come across and U-Turn is for getting out if you're in a bad situation.


Mimikyu @ Leftovers
Ability: Disguise

  • Swords Dance (TM75 - Malie City Pokémart)
  • Shadow Claw (Level 37)
  • Shadow Sneak (Level 14 - May need Move Reminder)
  • Play Rough (Level 46)

Similar to Minior, the entire appeal (battling-wise) of Mimikyu if his ability: Disguise, which acts as a free substitute, which can lead to some silly things with Mimikyu, again similar to Minior. Disguise is actually able to soak up a Z-Move, making it really useful in some situations. However, Disguise only takes one attack per battle, so be careful when deciding when to use him. Swords Dance is for sweeping and thanks to Disguise, you can get a free Swords Dance up when he's sent out, Shadow Claw is STAB, Shadow Sneak is STAB but, combined with Swords Dance, is a great sweeping tool (to get Shadow Sneak without using the Move Reminder you need to catch Mimikyu below level 32, otherwise he'll be too high levelled to have it) and Play Rough is STAB. You can also mix Disguise with other moves such as Thunder Wave, Infestation, Will-o-Wisp etc.


Flygon @ Expert Belt
Ability - Levitate

  • Earthquake (Level 33 as Trapinch)
  • Dragon Claw (Upon Evolution)
  • Rock Slide (TM80 - Melemele Sea)
  • Dragon Dance (Move Reminder)

While Garchomp is better than Flygon in almost every way, I love Flygon too much to exclude him. Not to mention that Flygon does do somethings better than Garchomp, like having Earthquake before the post-game and getting Dragon Dance, as well as Trapinch being much easier to find than Gabite. But if you want Garchomp, he's definitely one of the best available. Earthquake and Dragon Claw are STAB, Rock Slide covers his Ice weakness and Dragon Dance is for setting up to sweep.

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please explain your choices. why did you choose Minior over gigalith and why did you choose flygon over garchomp?
1 vote

This is the team that got me through Moon. It focuses on coverage so almost every team member has a dual-typing, and they all have (relatively) diverse movesets. Please note that this is an end-game team, so I'll also list possible temporary team members.

Incineroar
Incineroar @ Incinium Z or Charcoal
Ability: Blaze
-Darkest Lariat
-Flamethrower
-Cross Chop
-Sunny Day

While I personally prefer Primarina, Incineroar is equally viable as a starter. It may not be very fast, but it can take a lot of hits and do a lot of damage. It can easily deal with the Grass, Electric, and Ghost trials, and is a good backup team member for the rest of the team, particularly Mimikyu and Lurantis. Darkest Lariat is a powerful Dark-Type move that allows Incineroar to use it's Z-Move, Malicious Moonsault. Flamethrower is a high-power Fire Type attack that does quite a bit of damage even with Incineroar's lower Special Attack stat. Cross Chop is coverage to deal with those pesky Rock-Types. Sunny Day both boosts Flamethrower's power and allows Lurantis to use Solar Blade without having to spend an extra turn storing power.

Crabominable
Crabominable @ Fightinium Z or Occa Berry
Ability: Iron Fist
-Brick Break
-Bulldoze
-Toxic
-Ice Punch
Crabrawler, despite being obtained early on, remains viable throughout your journey and only gets better after evolving. It makes Totem Gumshoos/Raticate look like a total joke, and can also help with the Fire, Dark, and Rock trials. Brick Break is a surprisingly useful early-game move made more useful by Crabominable's Fighting typing as well as its high Attack stat. Bulldoze is coverage for several different types, particularly Fire and Steel-Type. Toxic is mostly a filler move, but it can be used to boost the power of Gengar's Venoshock. Ice Punch is STAB and can sometimes freeze the target.

Gengar
Gengar @ Spell Tag
Ability: Cursed Body
-Shadow Punch
-Venoshock
-Shadow Ball
-Thunder

Gengar is awesome. Surprisingly fast and defensive for a Ghost-Type, tons of HP, and excellent attacking power. An amazing tank. This thing got me through both battles with Lusamine with no problems. Shadow Punch and Shadow Ball are STAB, and make use of Gengar's decent Attack and high Special Attack. Venoshock is STAB, and can be used in tandem with Crabominable's Toxic. Thunder is coverage.

Magnezone
Magnezone @ Persim Berry
Ability: Sturdy
-Thunder Wave
-Flash Cannon
-Discharge
-Tri Attack

There's not a lot to say here. It resists nearly everything under the sun and it's tanky enough to deal with the things it doesn't resist. It makes quick work of Totem Wishiwashi, and if used alongside Incineroar, can utterly destroy Guzma's team. Thunder Wave is mostly for catching Pokemon, but it's useful in trainer battles as well. Flash Cannon and Discharge are STAB. Tri Attack probably isn't the best move in this case, so you can replace it with something else if you want. I mostly kept it on for the sake of its 'triple status effect' gimmick.

Lurantis
Lurantis @ Miracle Seed
Ability: Leaf Guard
-Petal Blizzard
-X-Scissor
-Return
-Solar Blade

Lurantis may not be the fastest or have the best defensive stats, but good lord this thing packs a punch. It can, if competently leveled, easily deal with Nanu's team and completely thrash Hapu's. You just need to be a bit patient with it before it evolves. Petal Blizzard and Solar Blade are STAB, X-Scissor deals with Dark, Grass and Psychic-types, and Return, well...I mainly had Lurantis running Return because I mistakenly thought it was a friendship evolution and made sure to increase its friendship level. You could just as well replace it with a stat-boosting move like Swords Dance if you want something more reliable.

Mimikyu
Mimikyu @ Black Glasses
Ability: Disguise
-Leech Life
-Thief
-Play Rough
-Shadow Claw

This one's tons of fun to work with. Disguise gives you a free turn to set up and ensures that Mimikyu makes for a low-risk switch-in. It's also immune to Dragon-Type moves. It works beautifully for the Dragon-Type trial on Poni Island. Play Rough and Shadow Claw are high-power STAB moves, Thief is coverage for other Ghost-Types and can seriously inconvenience any item-holding opponents, and Leech Life is a good healing move to keep Mimikyu fighting for longer.

As for temporary team members, here are a few options:
Potential stand-ins for Lurantis include:

Tsareena
Tsareena

Comfey
Comfey (though, I don't recommend this one)

Phantump
and Phantump

Potential stand-ins for Mimikyu include:

Ribombee
Ribombee (I personally used this one, so I can attest to it being a good Fairy-type temp)

Shiinotic
and Shiinotic

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0 votes

I'm going for a HardCasual approach, while trying to maximize coverage, but not going crazy on finding/training correct EVs/IVs or soft resestting for starters.

As much as I love Decidueye, I have to go with the triple STAB Ghost/Grass of Dhelmise... So I'm going with Litten to start.


Litten > Torracat > Incineroar @ Incinium Z
Ability: Intimidate > Blaze
- Bite > Darkest Lariat (Z-Move base) Dark - 85 Power 100 Acc, Ignores changes to Target's Attack/Evasion.
- Fire Fang > Flare Blitz
- Swords Dance
- Double Team

Strong physical attacker with STAB Fire/Dark physical damage. Set up with Double Team against strong opponents with multiple Pokemon, which will also allow setting up with Swords Dance for OHKOs.

Weak to: Water, Fighting, Ground, Rock
Resists: Fire, Grass, Ice, Ghost, Dark, Steel
Immune to: Psychic


Grubbin > Charjabug > Vikavol
Ability: Levitate
- Bug Buzz
- Charge
- Thunderbolt
- Guillotine

A strong special attacker with dual STAB Bug/Electric special damage. Charge helps take care of the plentiful bulky Water types with Full Restores. Guillotine is a chance at getting out of a tight pinch. (pun intended)

Weak to: Fire, Rock
Resists: Electric, Grass, Fighting, Steel
Immune to: Ground


Temporary
Crabrawler > Crabominable @ No Item
Ability: Iron Fist
- Ice Punch > Ice Hammer
- Power-Up Punch > Brick Break
- Bulldoze > Earthquake
- Pursuit > Thief

Strong physical attacker with good coverage. The Iron Fist ability will give you a good boost to the STAB Ice/Fighting attacks.

Weak to: Fire, Fighting, Flying, Psychic, Steel, Fairy
Resists: Ice, Bug, Dark
Immune to: None
Temporary


Mareanie > Toxapex + Black Sludge
Poison/Water
Ability: Merciless
- Baneful Bunker
- Venoshock
- Scald / Surf > Liquidation
- Toxic

Time to play dirty. This is a fun bait and tackle set-up. Lure them into Baneful Bunker, which acts similarly to King's Shield but instead of lowering Attack it poisons the contacting Pokemon. This allows Venoshock to double in power, with STAB, landing a guaranteed critical hit thanks to the Merciless Ability. 65 Power doubled to 130 on a poisoned opponent, multiplied by 1.5 for STAB to 195, multiplied by 1.5 for the guaranteed critical thanks to Merciless puts it at 292.5 Power before type matchups. The only Pokemon to 4x resist Poison are a combination of Poison, Rock, Ground, and Ghost. We're avoiding Poison and Steel types as they can't be poisoned, meaning any dual type with 4x resistance to poison will be either Rock/Ground, Rock/Ghost, or Ground/Ghost, all of which are weak to Water, which is why we add Liquidation as good STAB coverage. Toxic is an alternative if your opponent didn't take the Bunker bait and you have to be more direct.

Weak to: Electric, Ground, Psychic
Resists: Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fairy
Immune to: None


Minior @ Metronome
Ability: Shields Down
- Defense Curl
- Substitute
- Rollout
- Psychic

Time to get the ball rolling...
Defense Curl is a safe bet with the increased defensive stats in its Meteor Form, allowing for a heavier up front hit on Rollout. Substitute can be used to force the form change if you aren't there after your Defense Curl. Psychic is used for super effective coverage against Fighting types that the team would otherwise lack.

Weak to: Water, Electric, Ice, Rock, Steel
Resists: Normal, Fire, Poison, Flying, Bug
Immune to: Ground


Dhelmise @ Black Belt / Fist Plate
Ability: Steelworker
- Anchor Shot
- Giga Drain
- Shadow Claw
- Brick Break

Powered up all around coverage. STAB Grass/Ghost/Steel thanks to the Steelworker ability, and the added boost of Black Belt/Fist Plate for Fighting coverage. This leaves no Pokemon able to resist all 4 attacks from Dhelmise, guaranteeing a normal or super effective STAB/boosted attack every time.

Weak to: Fire, Ice, Flying, Ghost, Dark
Resists: Water, Electric, Grass, Ground
Immune to: Normal, Fighting

![![http://www.serebii.net/sunmoon/pokemon/773-ground.png]8
Crabominable's Relief for End-Game
Type: Null > Silvally @ Ground Memory
Ability: RKS System
- X-Scissor
- Flame Charge > Flamethrower
- Crush Claw > Multi-Attack (Ground)
- Iron Head > Ice Beam

The ultimate super effective Ultra Beast killer, kinda like it was designed for this... X-Scissor will take down Guzzlord and Necrozma; Flame Charge/Flamethrower will take down Buzzwole, Pheromosa, Celesteela, and Kartana; Iron Head will take down Nihilego. Crush Claw will give good STAB for Type: Null against Xurkitree before evolution into Silvally, which allows it to learn a super effective Ground move for Nihilego and Xurkitree, letting it forego Iron Head for Ice Beam, widening the teams' coverage against Dragon types.

Weak to: (Fighting before Memory Disk), Water, Grass, Ice
Resists: Poison, Rock
Immune to: (Ghost before Memory Disk), Electric

I'll probably end up shiny hunting a Vikavolt, and get any Minior core except for Yellow/Green for personal preference.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cv9JxqmWAAAin5f.png http://orig08.deviantart.net/be36/f/2016/214/2/5/minior___core_sprite_by_elazulmax-dacbbrv.png

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edited by
No Dazzling Gleam on Minior anymore, they changed the TM to Misty Terrain, meaning there are NO Fairy attack TMs available in Sun/Moon...
Replacing Dazzling Gleam with Psychic to cover Fighting Types, only type not covered now is Dragon which I'm looking into.
Replaced Thunderbolt on Silvally to Ice Beam for the Dragon coverage.
Dazzling Gleam is still a TM in Sun and Moon.
You know, Crabominable can cover the Dragon type, and Dazzling Gleam can cover Fighting-types.
I'd run Minior something like this, instead:
Minior
Ability: Shields Down
 - Shell Smash
 - Power Gem/Stone Edge
 - Acrobatics
 - Dazzling Gleam
I respect what you've done with the Metronome gimmick with Defense Curl and Rollout, but I think it could be pretty inconvenient. Shell Smash is the replacement setup move to prepare for going into Core Form, and Power Gem and Acrobatics will be powerful STAB. You could use Stone Edge, but it has pretty low accuracy. Dazzling Gleam is the final coverage move, and it's pretty good.
I agree with Fireball. Gimmicks are fun but ultimately waste time in-game as they take longer to execute than just using normal moves. Plus, the Shell Smash set basically guarantees a win against tougher NCPs such as the Elite Four if you can set up safely.
Silvally is post-game only, so I would put another pokemon. And remember, he said that Crabominable is a temporary pokemon, so you do need something to cover Dragon type. I would say Sandslash/Ninetales is good, or just keep Crabominable all together.

EDIT: Just learned you can't get Crabominable until Mount Lanakila.
Crabominable is temporary, but its relief doesn't come until end-game, specifically post-game. You can't get Silvally until post E4, so Crabominable can cover Dragon-types 'till then. Plus, Minior w/ Dazzling Gleam can cover Dragon-types, too.
EDIT: Also, I've found different sources. I've heard that you can evolve Crabrawler using the Hail TM, which is 50,000 PokeDollars at Royal Avenue.
0 votes

Team Decidueye :

Decidueye / Magnezone / Talonflame
Starmie / Ninetales / Kommo-o


I just recently completed Sun with this team. It was great. I didn't get the natures I wanted for some Pokemon, so those bellow are some suggestions. This team is balanced with the equal number of Physical and Special Attackers. There are 12 type altogether on the team, meaning each Pokemon gets more coverage from each other. The starter for this will be Decidueye, I will be doing my second playthrough in Moon next year, so I would suggest another good team.


Decidueye @ Decidium Z / Miracle Seed
Type : Grass / Ghost
Ability : Overgrow
Nature : Adamant ( Atk+ Spa- )

  • Swords Dance
  • Leaf Blade
  • Spirit Shackle
  • Brave Bird / U-Turn / Steel Wing

Decidueye has a great typing of Ghost, and access to Brave Bird, meaning you can take on the Fighting elite member easily. There is one thing that you need to be careful of, which is Crabominable, since he can wreck Decidueye with a Ice Hammer. Swords Dance provide excellent boost to the Attack which is really helpful in-game and even Competitive. Decidium Z is useful for doing a OHKO, but it's not really that useful since it can be only used once, so I would recommend Miracle Seed as another option. Since Decidueye is gonna learn Brave Bird at a later level, U-Turn and Steel Wing are options. Decidueye can take on another two of the elite members other than the fighting one. Leaf Blade and Spirit Shackle are STAB, while Brave Bird is coverage.

Locations and Moves :

Decidium Z : Malie Garden
Miracle Seed : Route 8 / Lush Jungle
Swords Dance TM75 : Malie City Pokemon Centre
Leaf Blade : Decidueye Level 44
Spirit Shackle : Learnt after Dartrix envolves into Decidueye at any level.
Brave Bird : Decidueye Level 55
U-Turn TM89 : Malie City Pokemon Centre
Steel Wing TM51 : Malie City Pokemon Centre

Obtained as your starter Pokemon.


Magnezone @ Zap Plate / Iron Plate
Type : Electric / Steel
Ability : Magnet Pull
Nature : Quiet ( Spa+ Spe- )

  • Discharge
  • Flash Cannon
  • Charge Beam
  • Thunder Wave

Magnezone is a great Pokemon available in the game early. It helps to defeat water types that resist Decidueye like Gyarados. It's steel typing also gives many resistance to many types, which is really useful and a reason why I chose him to be my electric type Pokemon. If I'm not wrong, you have to level Magneton up in the cave in Vast Poni Canyon. Charge Beam is also great for raising his Special Attack. Thunder Wave is useful for Catching Pokemon. He helps in defeating the Flying and Rock elite members. Discharge and Flash Cannon are STAB.

Location and Moves :

Zap Plate : Hau'oli City Shop
Iron Plate : Hau'oli City Shop
Discharge : Magnezone/Magneton Level 43
Flash Cannon TM91 : Magnezone/Magneton Level 33 / Seafolk Village
Charge Beam TM57 : Route 5
Thunder Wave TM73 : Route 7 / Magnemite Level 11

Obtained as a wild Magnemite in the Grasses in Trainers School.


Talonflame @ Charcoal
Type : Fire / Flying
Ability : Flame Body
Nature : Adamant ( Atk+ Spa- )

  • Brave Bird
  • Flare Blitz
  • Roost
  • Steel Wing

It may be hindered by a limited movepool, but this set makes up for it. Brave Bird and Flare Blitz has great power to make up for Talonflame's decent Attack, but the recoil would wear him down, so Roost is there to provide Recovery. He works well with Starmie to defeat the Fighting elite member. Keep him away from Rock types though... His ability Flame Body allows eggs to be hatched early, which is really helpful if you are breeding. Flare Blitz and Brave Bird are STAB. Steel wing is coverage.

Locations and Moves :

Charcoal : Wela Volcano Park
Brave Bird : Talonflame Level 1 ( Relearn for one Heart Scale )
Flare Blitz : Talonflame Level 1 ( Relearn for one Heart Scale )
Roost TM19 : Malie City Pokemon Center / Fletchinder Level 25
Steel Wing TM51 : Malie City Pokemon Center / Talonflame Level 60

Obtained as a wild Fletchling in the Grasses in Wela Volcano Park.


Starmie @ Mystic Water
Type : Water / Psychic
Ability : Natural Cure
Nature : Modest ( Spa+ Atk- )

  • Surf
  • Psychic
  • Ice Beam
  • Thunderbolt

Starmie has a great and vast movepool that anyone having it would hope that there's a fifth moveslot. Other options like Slowbro may be good, but for me Starmie wins due to its speed. Slowbro is way to slow. Natural Cure is also useful, meaning you no need to use an antidote or full heal on hit. It serves as a fast special sweeper on your team. It helps to take on most of the elite 4 except for the ghost one too. Envolve Staryu with a Water Stone to get it. Surf and Psychic are STAB. Others are coverage.

Location and Moves :

Mystic Water : Paniola Ranch
Surf TM94 : Poni Breaker Coast
Psychic TM29 : Aether Paradise / Staryu Level 42
Ice Beam TM13 : Mount Lanakila
Thunderbolt TM24 : Poni Plains
Water Stone : Route 8 / Konikoni City Shop

Obtained as a Wild Staryu in the Sand Clouds in Hano Beach.


Ninetales-Alolan @ Nevermelt-Ice / Pixie Plate
Type : Ice / Fairy
Ability : Snow Cloak
Nature : Timid ( Spe+ Spa- )

  • Ice Beam
  • Dazzling Gleam
  • Extrasensory
  • Nasty Plot

Im so Glad that Ninetales-Alolan still have access to Nasty Plot, which really useful for sweeping. Ninetales-Alolan also serves great as a Dragon Slayer, destroying Dragons together with Kommo-o. With Timid nature, you can outspeed majority of the elite 4 and sweep, also defeating types that does not resist Ice and Fairy. You can only get her only in Sun though... You can get it by Envolving Vulpix with Ice Stone. Ice Beam and Dazzling Gleam are STAB. Extrasensory is coverage.

Locations and Moves :

Nevermelt-Ice : Route 10 / Seaward Cave
Pixie Plate : Hau'oli City Shop
Ice Beam : Ninetales-Alolan Level 1 ( Relearn for one Heart Scale )
Dazzling Gleam : Ninetales-Alolan Level 1 ( Relearn for one Heart Scale )
Extrasensory : Vulpix Level 31
Nasty Plot : Ninetales-Alolan Level 1 ( Relearn for one Heart Scale )
Ice Stone : Po Town

Obtained as a wild Vulpix-Alolan in the Grasses in Tapu Village.


Kommo-o @ Draco Plate / Fist Plate
Type : Dragon / Fighting
Ability : Bulletproof
Nature : Adamant ( Atk+ Spa- )

  • Dragon Claw
  • Sky Uppercut
  • Bulk Up
  • Earthquake

Kommo-o is my Favourite Pokemon from Gen 7 and he really worked well in the games being a pseudo legendary. He also has Bulk Up which can allow him to sweep teams that does not resist his typing and also raise his already amazing Defence. He has Bulletproof that gives nice immunity to ball, bomb, bullet moves. Be sure to keep him away from fairy types though. It took me about 20 minutes to catch him. If you can't get this guy, I suggest having Krookodile or Flygon as a substitute. Dragon Claw and Sky Uppercut are STAB, Earthquake is coverage.

Locations and Moves :

Draco Plate : Hau'oli City
Fist Plate : Hau'oli City Shop
Dragon Claw TM2 : Vast Poni Canyon / Hakamo-o Level 43
Sky Uppercut : Kommo-o Level 1 ( Relearn for one Heart Scale )
Bulk Up TM8 : Konikoni City Shop
Earthquake TM26 : Resolution Cave

Obtained as a wild Jangmo-o in the Grasses in Vast Poni Canyon.


Here's what you need to do in order to beat Sun easily.

  • Farm for money to buy useful TMs and items needed for your Pokemon.

  • Farm for Heart Scales to Relearn moves needed for your Pokemon.

  • Use the Lucky Egg and Exp. Share. Beat all Trainers and keep training.

  • Use my Team.

And now you are ready to go!


Tell me if I missed out anything. I will be Glad to edit the anwser. Suggestions are Appreciated.

by
edited by
0 votes

Team Primarina :

Primarina / Raichu / Salazzle
Tsareena / Flygon / Weavile


I planning to do my second playthrough after I get Moon, and this will be the team I will be using for it. There are some Pokemon that are hard to get. So this time, I'm gonna provide Substitudes. Hope you guys will like it.


Primarina @ Primarium Z / Mystic Water
Type : Water / Fairy
Ability : Torrent
Nature : Modest ( Spa+ Atk- )

  • Sparkling Aria
  • Moonblast
  • Ice Beam
  • Psychic / Shadow Ball

Primarina does well in trials and contributes a lot in defeating the elite 4 even without STAB moves that are Super effective against. She also have a great movepool. She has pretty high Sp. Atk that could allow it to sweep even with coverage moves, making it a reliable Starter to use. Sparkling Aria is great STAB In-game with great power and also accessed early in the game. She works great as a Dragon Slayer with also great STAB Moonblast. Sparkling Aria and Moonblast are STAB. The others are coverages.


Raichu-Alolan @ Zap Plate / Mind Plate
Type : Electric / Psychic
Ability : Surge Surfer
Nature : Modest ( Spa+ Atk- )

  • Thunderbolt
  • Psychic
  • Focus Blast / Grass Knot
  • Thunder Wave

Alolan Raichu has a great typing of Psychic, which defend Primarina from Poison type Pokemon that Primarina can't deal with. It gets to learn good STAB moves too, without needing TMs. It is accessed at Pichu which can be found pretty early in the game. It also gets Thunder Wave which is useful for catching Pokemon. It may be hard to envolve and find. But have patience. It takes time. If you can't get him, I suggest having another Psychic type like Metagross. I used him in Competitive before and he works well. Meaning he works even more good in-game. Thunderbolt and Psychic are STAB. Focus Blast and Grass Knot are coverage.

Metagross @ Mind Plate / Iron Plate
Type : Steel / Psychic
Ability : Clear Body
Nature : Adamant ( Atk+ Spa- )

  • Bullet Punch
  • Meteor Mash
  • Zen-Headbutt
  • Rock Slide / Rock Polish

Im so Glad that Metagross is Available in this game. It also gets Bullet Punch which is a reliable priority move. He's a Substitude for Raichu-Alolan if you don't want to take the trouble envolving Pichu and finding it. If you still can't get him, you are really in bad luck, because other psychic types like Oranguru have a lower encounter rate then him. Rock Polish is an Option if you want to outspeed everything. Meteor Mash and Zen-Headbutt are STAB. Rock Slide is coverage.


Salazzle @ Charcoal
Type : Fire / Poison
Ability : Corrosion
Nature : Timid ( Spe+ Spa- )

  • Nasty Plot
  • Flamethrower
  • Sludge Wave
  • Dragon Pulse

Salazzle is a great new fire type available in-game. But it's hard to find since you need a female one. Arcanine is a Substitude if you can't get her. It also gets access to Nasty Plot early, which can allow her to be a sweeper. Its great for destroying fairies also. Corrosion is completely useless on Salazzle if it does not have Toxic. But I'm not too sure how to get a Oblivous one, so yeah. Flamethrower and Sludge Wave are STAB. Dragon Pulse is coverage.

Arcanine @ Charcoal
Type : Fire
Ability : Flash Fire
Nature : Hasty ( Spe+ Def- )

  • Flamethrower
  • Sunny Day
  • Solarbeam
  • Extreme Speed

Same as previous generations, Growlithe needs to wait until level 34 to learn Flamethrower and Extreme Speed. Arcanine is a great Substitude for Salazzle. Extreme Speed is great reliable priority to have on Arcanine, allowing it to do quick KOs to types that does not resist normal. Arcanine has been a Favourite of mine and I have used him in games like Black 2 or FireRed. And he's now available in Sun/Moon. He does not disappoint me most of the times. Sunny Day boosts Flamethower and allows Solar Beam to be a one turn move. Flamethrower is STAB. The others are coverage.


Tsareena @ Miracle Seed
Type : Grass
Ability : Leaf Guard
Nature : Adamant ( Atk+ Spa- )

  • Trop Kick
  • High Jump Kick
  • U-Turn
  • Payback

Tsareena is gonna take on Water types for your team. You can find her in Lush Jungle. She's not that hard to find, so I'm not gonna provide substitudes for her. Queenly Majesty is not needed for her as she is already slow. So Leaf Guard was the better choice. She also gets powerful High Jump Kick that can OHKO types that are weak against it. Trop Kick is STAB. Others are coverage.


Flygon @ Draco Plate / Earth Plate
Type : Dragon / Ground
Ability : Levitate
Nature : Jolly ( Spe+ Spa- )

  • Dragon Dance
  • Dragon Claw
  • Earthquake
  • Rock Slide

Flygon is pretty good in Gen 7 because it get access to most of the moves I listed above. And most importantly, Dragon Dance. It raises the two key stats so that Flygon can sweep perfectly. Flygon brought appreciated immunities to the team with its Ground typing and Levitate ability. In my opinion he's the best suit for a Dragon / Ground type on teams. He got me past Emerald before too. Dragon Claw and Earthquake are STAB. Rock Slide is coverage.

Zygarde-10% @ Earth Plate
Type : Dragon / Ground
Ability : Aura Break
Nature : Jolly ( Spe+ Spa- )

  • Earthquake / Lands Wrath
  • Rock Slide
  • Core Enforcer / Glare
  • Dragon Dance

Legendaries do make the game easier, but in this case, Zygarde 10% is not. He's a Substitude for Flygon. If I'm not wrong, Core Enforcer is obtainable after the E4. You could replace it with Glare for catching Pokemon before you get it. I use him mainly for the ground typing, so not having a Dragon move on him does not matter. Dragon Dance gives nice boost to the two key stats. You just need to find 10 cells/cores to get him. It's easy. Lands Wrath, Earthquake, and Core Enforcer are STAB. Rock Slide is coverage.


Weavile @ Nevermelt-Ice / Dread Plate
Type : Dark / Ice
Ability : Pressure
Nature : Adamant ( Atk+ Spa- )

  • Ice Shard
  • Night Slash
  • Swords Dance
  • False Swipe / Dig

Weavile is gonna be hard to envolve since you need Razor Claw which can only be found on rare wild Pokemon. If you don't want to take the trouble Envolving him, I provided 2 substitudes below. You must envolve an Sneasel right at level 47 so that it learns Ice Shard. But that's pretty late. Weavile is not good in-game in Sun/Moon. But anyways, I'm gonna use him because of his typing and speed. If you are willing to find, train and envolve Sneasel into Weavile and use the moveset above, I guarantee he will not disappoint you. Swords Dance is great for boosting his Attack to very amazing levels, allowing him to sweep. Ice Shard and Night Slash are STAB. Dig is coverage. False Swipe is useful for catching Pokemon.

Mismagius @ Spell Tag
Type : Ghost
Ability : Levitate
Nature : Modest ( Spa+ Atk- )

  • Shadow Ball
  • Dazzling Gleam
  • Thunderbolt
  • Calm Mind

Mismagius is a must if you chose Metagross over Raichu-Alolan. If you chose Raichu-Alolan, then use Absol or Weavile. The reason is because this team needs to be balanced with Physical and Special Attackers. Mismagius is really a great Special attacker that gets access to Calm Mind. She will be your key to taking on ghost types. Her vast movepool also overcomed her weaknesses. Shadow Ball is STAB. Others are coverages.

Absol @ Scope Lens
Type : Dark
Ability : Super Luck
Nature : Jolly ( Spe+ Spa- )

  • Night Slash
  • Psycho Cut
  • Stone Edge
  • Swords Dance

Absol will be able to Critical hit easily with Scope Lens and Super Luck, also with the moves that boost the chances of Critical hitting. Swords Dance is there to raise his Attack to very amazing levels. Jolly nature allows him to outspeed some mons. Night Slash is STAB. The others are coverage.


Here's some rules to follow while building your team of choice :

  • Choose Absol or Weavile for the last slot if using Alolan Raichu over Metagross for the second slot.

  • Choose Metagross over Alolan Raichu for the second slot if using Mismagius for the last slot.

  • Use either Arcanine or Salazzle for the third slot. They are both good.

  • Use either Flygon or Zygarde-10% for the fifth slot. They are both good.

And now you are ready to go!

by
reshown by
You can get the Core Enforcer Zygarde Core on Poni Island in Hapu's House.
0 votes


Decidueye @ Decidium Z
Ability: Overgrow

  • Leaf Blade
  • Spirit Shackle
  • Sucker Punch
  • Swords Dance

Decidueye is the final stage of Rowlet, the Grass-type starter Pokémon. Decidueye serves as a strong physical attacker with decent speed and surprising bulk.

Leaf Blade (Lv. 44) is its primary STAB move, hitting Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type Pokémon super effectively. Due to its high base power and increased chance of landing critical hits, Decidueye should use this move in most neutral matchups.

Spirit Shackle (Evolution) is Decidueye's signature move. It is a strong Ghost-type attack which has the added effect of preventing the target from escaping. When used in conjunction with the Decidium Z, Decidueye can unleash the powerful Sinister Arrow Raid once per battle.

Sucker Punch (Lv. 38) is a Dark-type move that allows Decidueye to hit a target that is readying an attack. Although it requires some prediction, this move lets Decidueye strike first against faster opponents.

Swords Dance (TM75, Malie City Poké Mart) gives Decidueye a boost to its Attack stat. It should be used in longer battles to allow Decidueye to sweep the opposing team. The boost in power this move provides is especially helpful in strengthening Sucker Punch, Decidueye's best answer to faster Pokémon.


Raichu @ Aloraichium Z
Ability: Surge Surfer

  • Thunderbolt
  • Psychic
  • Focus Blast
  • Nasty Plot

Raichu gets a new form in Pokémon Sun and Moon! Pichu, who can be found on Route 1, evolves into Pikachu at maximum happiness, then Alolan Raichu by use of a Thunder Stone. Raichu, now an Electric- and Psychic-type Pokémon, is a speedy and strong special attacker.

Thunderbolt (Move Reminder, Mt. Lanakila Pokémon Center) is your typical Electric-type move. Unfortunately for Raichu, it is learned neither early nor easily. You have several means of acquiring Thunderbolt: you can choose to keep Pikachu unevolved until Lv. 42, have the Move Reminder teach it the move just prior to the Pokémon League, or use TM24 found in Poni Plains after the Pokémon League. Until you learn Thunderbolt, other options include Charge Beam (TM57, Route 5), Volt Switch (TM72, Mt. Hokulani), and Discharge (Lv. 34, Pikachu). With Thunderbolt and the Aloraichium Z, Raichu is able to unleash the powerful Stoked Sparksurfer.

Psychic (Evolution) is a strong Psychic-type STAB move. Alolan Raichu learns it immediately upon evolving from Pikachu.

Focus Blast (TM52, Seafolk Village Poké Mart) is a special Fighting-type move that provides coverage, hitting Rock- and especially Steel-type Pokémon super effectively.

Nasty Plot (Lv. 13, Pichu) lets Raichu significantly boost its Special Attack stat. This, combined with its high Speed stat, lets it power through opposing teams with ease.


Mudsdale @ Groundium Z
Ability: Stamina

  • Earthquake
  • Rock Slide
  • Heavy Slam
  • Superpower

Mudsdale evolves from Mudbray, a Pokémon that can be found on Route 4. Mudsdale is definitely a heavyweight fighter, with very high Attack and defensive stats. Stamina is a spectacular ability in the main game, as it increases Mudsdale's Defense stat each time it is hit by an attack.

Earthquake (Lv. 47) is Mudsdale's main attack. It hits with tremendous strength, with Ground-type attacks being essential on an in-game team. The Groundium Z lets Mudsdale use Tectonic Rage once in a battle.

Rock Slide (TM80, Melemele Sea) provides great coverage alongside Earthquake. It takes care of the Flying-types that would normally avoid its Ground-type attacks.

Heavy Slam (Lv. 34) allows Mudsdale to put his massive weight (over 2000 pounds!) to good use. The Steel-type Heavy Slam is very strong, and takes care of threatening Ice- and even Fairy-type Pokémon.

Superpower (Lv. 60) isn't entirely necessary given the coverage Mudsdale already has, but at the very least it provides him with a powerful option as a last resort.


Araquanid @ Waterium Z
Ability: Water Bubble

  • Liquidation
  • Leech Life
  • Poison Jab
  • Lunge

Araquanid evolves from Dewpider, who can be found at Brooklet Hill. Araquanid is an unusual but exceptionally good Pokémon. Its good Defense and extremely high Special Defense allow it to soak up hits, while its amazing ability, Water Bubble, doubles the power of its Water-type moves.

Liquidation (Lv. 57) is what Araquanid will be using at nearly every possible opportunity. With Water Bubble doubling its base power, this move will hit everything for a good chunk of damage, including Pokémon that resist it. Note that Araquanid does not learn Liquidation until quite late in the game. As a result, it will be relying on Scald (TM55, Brooklet Hill) as its primary attacking move for the vast majority of the game. Although this move comes off of Araquanid's lower Special Attack stat, the increase in power from Water Bubble means that you should have no trouble offensively (in fact, Scald's relatively high chance of burning the target adds to your defensive strength). In the rare case that you require a stronger Water-type move, the Waterium Z will let Araquanid launch a Hydro Vortex.

Leech Life (TM28, Akala Outskirts), given its recent buff from 20 to 80 base power, is now a very good physical Bug-type move. Although it generally won't do more damage than Liquidation, this move gives Araquanid the ability to heal itself when need be (which is fantastic given its defensive capabilities).

Poison Jab (TM84, Route 17) is more or less filler. It gives Araquanid a Poison-type move with a relatively high chance of poisoning the target.

Lunge (Lv. 45) is also a filler move. It is an 80 base power Bug-type move like Leech Life, but rather than sapping health, it has the added effect of decreasing the target's Attack stat. This lets Araquanid take physical attacks more effectively in certain situations.


Salazzle @ Firium Z
Ability: Corrosion

  • Flamethrower
  • Sludge Bomb
  • Dragon Pulse
  • Nasty Plot

Salazzle evolves from female Salandit, which can be found in the Wela Volcano Park. Salazzle is quite frail, but it has very high Special Attack and Speed stats that allow it to hit hard and quickly.

Flamethrower (Lv. 40) is Salazzle's best Fire-type attack. Salazzle will have to rely on Flame Burst prior to it learning Flamethrower. The Firium Z lets Salazzle launch an Inferno Overdrive once in a battle.

Sludge Bomb (TM36, Shady House) is Poison STAB. It lets Salazzle take down Fairy-type opponents quite effectively.

Dragon Pulse (Lv. 48) is the only Dragon-type move on this team, allowing Salazzle to deal super effective damage against Dragon-type Pokémon. (This one move is sufficient, as Dragon-types are few and far between.)

Nasty Plot (Lv. 32, Salandit) lets Salazzle boost its Special Attack stat. Like Raichu, this works well with its high Speed stat and lets it burn through opposing Pokémon with ease.


Bewear @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Fluffy

  • Hammer Arm
  • Return
  • Shadow Claw
  • Bulk Up

Bewear is the evolution of Stufful, who can be found on Route 8. This Pokémon is aptly named, for it is a very strong physical attacker with incredible physical bulk. Its defensive capabilities derive from its ability, Fluffy, which halves the damage taken from moves that make direct contact. But be aware that physical moves that do not make direct contact, such as Earthquake, will not have their power reduced by Fluffy.

Hammer Arm (Lv. 36) is a powerful Fighting-type move. Bewear is not very fast, so he doesn't mind having his Speed reduced very much. The Fightinium Z also lets Bewear attack the opponent with a powerful All-Out Pummeling.

Return (TM27, Malie City Malasada Shop) is a solid Normal-type STAB move that hits most things for good neutral damage.

Shadow Claw (TM65, Konikoni City Poké Mart) allows Bewear to hit Ghost-type Pokémon for super effective damage, and comes with an increased critical hit rate.

Bulk Up (TM08, Konikoni City Poké Mart) lets Bewear further boost its impressive Attack and Defense stats. Given that Bewear already has the offensive options necessary to take down a wide variety of opponents, this only needs to be used in the infrequent cases that the opponent will survive one of Bewear's attacks.

by
edited by
This team is almost replicating mine, just instead of Bewear I used a Sandslash (I got Pokémon Moon).
0 votes

Team Litten!
After just receiving a copy of Pokemon Moon, I immediately set upon making a team for my second favorite starter, Litten. There are possible alternatives to some of these choices. If you would like to know, just ask in the comments. Now, without further ado, this is my team for Litten.



Incineroar @ Incinium Z
Ability: Blaze
- Flare Blitz (LV55)
- Darkest Lariat (Evolution)
- Leech Life (TM28)
- Shadow Claw (TM65)

Litten will be the starter for this team. He doesn't really shine until Mallow's trial, but he's super effective against Lurantis. He can single-handedly beat Sophocles' trial, as all of the Pokemon are Bug-type, rather than Electric. It can also contribute to the battles against Acerola and Guzma, among other things. Flare Blitz is the strongest Fire-type Physical move, and the STAB attacks should come from the strong attack stat. Darkest Lariat enables the Z-Move Malicious Moonsault, and is STAB. Leech Life provides powerful recovery and Shadow Claw provides coverage.

Obtained: Starter Pokemon (Iki Town)
Incinium Z: Gift from Prof. Kukui after beating Guzma in Malie Gardens
TM28: Akala Outskirts
TM65: Konikoni City (10,000 Pokedollars)



Ribombee @ Focus Band
Ability: Shield Dust
- Quiver Dance (LV49)
- Bug Buzz (LV28)
- Dazzling Gleam (LV35)
- Energy Ball (TM53)

Ribombee is the next member of the team. With a staggering 124 base Speed stat and 95 Special Attack, this little bug shouldn't be scoffed at. It is kind of frail, with defenses of 60/60/70, but the Focus Band can offset that. Cutiefly can deal with Ilmia's trial in Pokemon Moon, as well as Hala's grand trial. It also beats Nanu and Kommo-o. Quiver Dance raises its already powerful stats, and Energy Ball provides Grass-type coverage for Pokemon like Gastrodon. Bug Buzz is the first STAB move, and is used over Pollen Puff because it has a better secondary effect, at least for the main story. Dazzling Gleam is the Fairy-type STAB move, and is used over Moonblast because you don't have to go out of your way to breed and spend time trying to catch it up to the rest of the team.

Obtained: Route 2
Focus Band: Route 9
TM53: Route 8



Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Discharge (LV43)
- Flash Cannon (LV33)
- Tri-Attack (Magneton Evolution)
- Thunder Wave (TM73)

Magnezone is a Pokemon that is practically invincible. With a plethora of resistances and only three weaknesses, it remains a great early-game Pokemon. It beats Lana, Olivia, and half of Kukui's team, along with other uses, such as countering Fairy-types like Mimikyu. Discharge is a high-powered STAB move, and Flash Cannon is another. They both come off of Magnezone's 130 Special Attack stat, which is one of the highest in Sun and Moon, besides Vikavolt. Tri-Attack is a good coverage move, and the only non-redundant Special move. Thunder Wave eases catching Pokemon, and is a form of Speed control, not that it's necessary when everything you come up against has terrible Speed.

Obtained: Route 1 - Trainers' School
Leftovers: Use Thief on or capture a wild Munchlax
TM73: Route 7



Starmie @ Expert Belt
Ability: Natural Cure
- Scald (TM55)
- Psychic (TM29)
- Ice Beam (TM13)
- Recover (Move Reminder)

Starmie is a Special Attacking monster, with 100 base SpA and 115 Speed. It's 60/85/85 bulk isn't half-bad either. Staryu comes at the perfect time to take on Kiawe's Salazzle, but it is weak to Alolan Marowak. But, Incineroar can cover that with ease. It also evolves with a Water Stone, which is found at Route 8, not too far away. Starmie proceeds to do well against Hala and Olivia in the Elite 4, as well as Hapu and Olivia's grand trials. Scald is Water-type STAB with a chance of burn, and is used over Hydro Pump because of its accuracy. Psychic is the strongest Psychic-type move Starmie can learn, and Ice Beam provides half of the BoltBeam coverage. Recover takes the place of the missing Thunderbolt, making Starmie a viable tank.

Obtained: Route 7
Expert Belt: Seaward Cave
TM55: Brooklet Hill
TM29: Aether Paradise
TM13: Mount Lanakila
Move Reminder: Mount Lanakila
Water Stone: Route 8



Palossand @ Quick Claw
Ability: Water Compaction
- Earth Power (LV47)
- Shadow Ball (LV41)
- Sludge Bomb (TM36)
- Giga Drain (LV36)

Palossand is a Pokemon whose design instantly appealed to me. I mean, it's a haunted sand castle! But, I couldn't use it thanks to the Ghost-type of my Decidueye. However, I can now, and I will. Palossand is a Ground/Ghost-type, giving it a good amount of weaknesses, and an interesting typing due to it being a Special attacker. He's picked up too late on Akala island to do any damage to Kiawe, but can help in the battle against Olivia, if I remember correctly. You can also take him out in battles with Acerola, but it's not the most recommended thing in the world. Earth Power and Shadow Ball are high-powered Special STAB moves. Giga Drain provides recovery, and that coupled with Water Compaction annihilates Pokemon like Gastrodon. Sludge Bomb is the Poison-type coverage move that is otherwise missing from the team.

Obtained: Hano Beach
Quick Claw: Route 1
TM36: Shady House



Crabominable @ Wide Lens
Ability: Hyper Cutter
- Close Combat (LV49)
- Ice Hammer (Crabominable LV37)
- Crabhammer (Crabrawler LV37)
- Rock Slide (TM80)

Crabominable will be the Fighting-type of this team. If you acquire him before Ilmia's trial, it destroys it, but if not, you can easily get by with the other members of the team. He can take on Flying and Grass-types, as well as Dark- and Normal-types. I'm using Crabominable over Kommo-o, because I used Kommo-o in my first run, even though my team says Zygarde/Garchomp, and because Crabominable doesn't have a 4x weakness to Fairy, and the Ice-type is slightly more versatile than the Dragon-type. Close Combat and Ice Hammer makes for high-powered STAB moves, and Crabhammer is Water-type coverage, and fitting for a crab. Rock Slide is the only good Physical coverage move left, so it makes the spot. Make sure to evolve it using the Hail TM when it reaches LV37. (According to Serebii, he levels up when evolved in Snow, whether natural or artificial. I have yet to test this theory out, but I will edit with my results.) If you can't do that, use Ice Punch upon evolution until Mount Lanakila and the Move Reminder.

Obtained: Underneath Berry Trees
Wide Lens: Route 1
TM80: Melemele Sea
TM07 (Hail): Royal Avenue (50,000 Pokedollars)

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Can you give me an idea of when I will get to Mt. Lanakila without spoilers? <3
At the end of the game.
Can you do one on Popplio as well?
0 votes

I guess I'll put the team I used for Moon, with some slight changes.

Rowlet-based team:

Decidueye @ Decidium Z

Ability: Overgrow

-Leaf Blade
-Spirit Shackle (Sinister Arrow Raid)
-Sucker Punch
-Brave Bird/Synthesis

Pretty generic moveset here, but it works pretty well. Leaf Blade for STAB, Spirit Shackle for STAB/Trapping/Sinister Arrow Raid, Sucker Punch just because it can learn it and priority, and BB for coverage, although you might want Synthesis if Fighting/Bug coverage isn't that necessary for you.

Toucannon @ Sharp Beak

Ability: Skill Link

-Beak Blast
-Rock Blast
-Bullet Seed
-Roost

A decent moveset, probably one of Toucannon's best. Beak Blast for fearsome STAB/Possible burn, Rock Blast and Bullet Seed for Skill Link to actually be useful, and Roost as recovery.

Mudsdale @ Soft Sand

Ability: Stamina

-Heavy Slam
-Earthquake
-Superpower
-High Horsepower/Rock Slide

Pretty straightforward Mudsdale set if I do say so myself, and yes, I know that HH is useless when there's EQ, but I don't know where to find the Rock Slide TM, but of course use that if you get the TM.

Crabominable @ Amulet Coin

Ability: Iron Fist

-Ice Hammer/Avalanche
-Close Combat
-Crabhammer
-Power-Up Punch

Basically, a very simple and basic moveset, made to take pretty much everything down, unless he goes down first (which will probably happen). Ice Hammer actually gets a boost from Iron Fist, which I think is a bit too strong with the STAB, but hey, you're using the crab, not your opponent.

Talonflame @ Charcoal

Ability: Flame Body

-Flame Charge/Flare Blitz (If you find Move Reminder)
-Brave Bird
-Tailwind
-Roost

Needed a Fire-Type, and I love T-Flame, so I was happy when I found that Route 8 Fletchinder. If only I had a Heart Scale.

And finally...

Araquanid @ Big Root

Ability: Water Bubble

-Liquidation
-Leech Life
-Crunch
-Lunge

This is probably my favourite Pokémon from Gen VII at least my favourite Water-Type, he won the Alolan League for me with Leech Life. Water Bubble is probably the most OP ability ever, because it weakens Fire moves by 50%, prevents Araquanid from getting burnt and boosts his Liquidation by 50%. Basically, it's a Special Wall with some good Attack as well.

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Salazzle can also be a replacement for T-Flame
0 votes

So, I finished playing through my version of Pokemon Sun and Moon, and I think I put together a really great team for Sun. I chose Rowlet as my starter in moon and Litten in sun, and in my opinion, Rowlet is the better starter. But I built a better team around Litten. So here it is!

Incineroar @ Incium Z
Ability: Blaze
-Flare Blitz
-Brick Break/Outrage/Cross Chop
-Work up/Bulk up
-Darkest Lariat
Brick Break and Cross Chop work pretty well against those pesky rock types, and Flare Blitz is a brilliant STAB. You can use either Work Up or Bulk Up to raise your stats, it really depends on whether or not you change this moveset and include 'flamethrower' or something.

Alolan Raichu @ Aloraichium Z
Ability: Surge Surfer
Psychic/Psyshock
Nasty Plot
Thunderbolt
Volt tackle/Thunder
This moveset doesn't provide coverage against ground types, but it's still a really good moveset. I suggest you catch a Pichu and evolve it instead of using SOS to get a Pikachu, since you can teach it Nasty Plot that way, which makes Raichu an absolute beast.
I used Volt Tackle instead of Thunder simply because I preferred to have a physical attack on Raichu as well, and because Thunder doesn't have great accuracy and I didn't want to waste a spot on Rain Dance.

Gyarados @ Mystic water
Ability: Intimidate
-Aqua Tail
-Stone Edge/Ice Beam/Ice fang
-Thrash/Hurricane
-Dragon Dance
Aqua Tail does massive damage because of STAB and Gyarados' attack stat. So I put it there instead of Hydro Pump. And Stone Edge is a really good move, better than Ice fang. The reason I didn't use ice beam is simply because of Gyarados'attack stat and because of dragon dance. You can use Hurricane instead of Thrash for the STAB, although it has low accuracy.

Lurantis @ your choice of Z crystal
Ability: Leaf guard
-Solar Blade/Solar beam/poison jab
-Leaf blade/leech life
-Growth
-Sunny day/Synthesis
I use Solar Blade only because of Sunny day (because it doesn't need to charge that way). If you don't use sunny day, then I'd suggest that you use poison jab instead of solar blade and solar beam. If you do, either leaf blade or leech side is good for your second slot, it's up to you.

Alolan Ninetales @ wide lens
Ability: Snow Cloak
-Extrasensory/Psyshock
-Dazzling Gleam
-Ice beam
-Blizzard/Hail
Extrasensory and Psyshock are there to serve as coverage against posion types, since you encounter a lot of them. Dazzling gleam and Ice beam are STAB. And if you use Blizzard instead of hail, you basically don't have an ability. I used Blizzard, however. Again, it's up to you.

Salamence @ Deagonium Z/Flyinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
-Brick Break/flamethrower/fire blast
-Dragon claw
-Stone Edge/Draco Meteor
-Fly/Double Edge
Brick Break, Flamethrower and Fire blast provide coverage against ice types. I went with flamethrower because of the fact that it hurts fairy types as well, and it had better PP than Fore blast. Dragon claw is STAB. Stone edge and Draco meteor are both equally good in my opinion, since Draco meteor harshly reduces your Special Attack. I suggest Draco Meteor if you use brick Break, but stone edge if you use Flamethrower or Fire Blast. Fly is STAB. Double edge is only to be used in postgame, after you can get a Salamencite, because it gets converted to STAB and does massive damage.

This team served me really well. And I suggest you use a soothe bell to level up Pichu early. Happy gaming!

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