What is a good in-game team for Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl?

Question

Share your best in-game teams for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl 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.

Answer 1

I finished my completionist run of SP with this team. I've made some changes to it for people who aren't tolerant to grinding, but everything about it that made it effective is still there.

I'll update this later with anything relevant regarding the postgame.

Infernape @ Fist Plate / Charcoal / Flame Plate
Ability: Blaze
- Flamethrower
- Close Combat
- Mach Punch / Nasty Plot
- U-Turn / Nasty Plot

Relevant replaced moves: Taunt, Power-Up Punch, Flame Wheel, Slack Off

Infernape is hard to turn down due to its speed, very strong attacks, and how few options exist for Fire-types in Sinnoh. Apart from OHKOing almost all trainer Pokemon, the Chimchar line can can blow through Roark with Power-Up Punch and Gardenia with Flame Wheel, plus sweep Mars, Candice, Byron and Aaron.

You should buy Flamethrower for cheap at the Veilstone Dept. Store. Close Combat combines for a fantastic STAB combination. I kept Mach Punch because it was still OHKOing targets that were weak to it deep into the playthrough, and it's nice to save PP on the other moves. U-Turn is a nice way to break Sturdy and swap to a Pokemon that can take whatever attack Graveler is going to use. You can replace either move with Nasty Plot if you want Infernape to solo some fights with Flamethrower; Barry and Aaron come to mind.

I used Taunt a few times for catching Pokemon that use status moves. I also think Slack Off is worth considering. Acrobatics and Stone Edge are options, but there were zero times I wished I could use them instead of my STABs. Fist Plate is on Route 215, but I found a Charcoal in an underground hideaway and a Flame Plate from mining. The Fire boost is preferable because you'll use Flamethrower most.

Staraptor @ Silk Scarf / Shell Bell
Ability: Intimidate
- Take Down
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- U-Turn / Roost

Relevant replaced moves: Wing Attack, Quick Attack, Double Team

Staraptor is a bit worse since they took away Return, but it's still an extremely strong choice for a playthrough thanks to its early availability, high attack and speed, strong moves, and relevant ability.

Wing Attack at level 9 is great and will OHKO unresisted enemies until you get Take Down, which is a strong attack long-term. You'll eventually get Brave Bird as well, which OHKOs most targets. Close Combat is wonderful coverage for Rock- and Steel-types. U-Turn (get early at the Veilstone Dept. Store) is nice for the same reason it's nice on Infernape, but you can also use Roost to help with the recoil moves.

You can hang onto Quick Attack and Double Team until you get better moves. Silk Scarf is a hidden item in Veilstone City near the Galactic HQ. Shell Bell is worth a thought, since it helps with recoil and Staraptor does so much damage that you'll actually get something back from it. Staraptor is good for Maylene and Aaron, and I used it against Lucian too.

Roserade @ Miracle Seed
Ability: Poison Point
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Sleep Powder / Stun Spore
- Synthesis / Shadow Ball

Relevant replaced moves: Absorb, Mega Drain, Grass Knot, Magical Leaf, Poison Sting

I like the Roselia line because it's available early, spreads status for catching things, has high stats, and can heal itself. I usually catch one on Route 204, but in BD/SP they took Mega Drain off Budew and made Roselia available as soon as Eterna City (via the Grand Underground). So now I recommend waiting until you get the Explorer Kit; that way you're not stuck using Absorb and don't have to faff around evolving Budew.

Another important point: fill your party with Pickup Pachirisu at Valley Windworks and keep them there until you fill your team. This will get you tons of free items, including Shiny Stone, which is needed to evolve Roselia and not available otherwise until Iron Island. Roserade is busted early-game, do it!

Miracle Seed boosted attacks OHKO most of things, are great against Graveler/Onix, and stop you using potions. (Get Miracle Seed at Floaroma Meadow.) You'll use a mix of Grass attacks before settling on Giga Drain. I went out of my way to get a Roselia with Sleep Powder in the underground, but Stun Spore works too. Sludge Bomb is available late (Galactic HQ), but it's a strong attack. Synthesis makes you use even less potions, while Shadow Ball offers neutral coverage for Pokemon that resist your STABs.

Apart from dominating the early-game, Roserade is strong against Crasher Wake, Bertha and Cynthia's Gastrodon and Milotic.

Gyarados @ Mystic Water
Ability: Intimidate
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Ice Fang
- Dragon Dance

Relevant replaced moves: none

Gyarados is so nasty in BD/SP. It now gets Waterfall at level 21 (new!) and Dragon Dance at level 36 (instead of 44); with those tools, Gyarados can solo almost anything that doesn't have an Electric attack. You can add Ice Fang via Heart Scale (mine them underground) and Crunch at level 24 to get a complete set very early on, too.

Intimidating something turn one and setting up Dragon Dance is something you'll get used to. You can do this against many opponents, e.g. Barry, Galactic commanders, Fantina, Byron and even Maylene if you're a touch overlevelled. Ice Fang means Grass won't wall you, and Crunch has good neutral coverage for other targets e.g. Confuse Ray Bronzor.

Thanks to Magikarp's widespread availability, you can be choosy about when you add Gyarados to your team. I recommend doing it after you get the Good Rod on Route 209, since then you catch a Magikarp at level 18-20 and get Gyarados's dominant best with none of the Magikarp grinding. You can get Mystic Water in Pastoria City with Surf.

Garchomp @ Soft Sand
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Crunch
- Swords Dance

Relevant replaced moves: none

Garchomp is obviously very good. You can get a level 15 Gible from Wayward Cave after beating Byron, but I recommend waiting until after Candice, because you can get a level 40-something Gabite from the Grand Underground that way. Just make sure you get Earthquake from Wayward Cave, and you're set.

Earthquake and Dragon Claw are strong attacks with great coverage. Swords Dance (buy at Veilstone Dept. Store) helps with the Elite Four and Cynthia, whose Pokemon can survive Garchomp's raw attacks. Crunch is for Bronzor with Levitate, and for when you don't want to spend PP elsewhere.

Garchomp is good against everything, but especially Volkner, Flint and Cynthia. I recommend using SD twice against Spiritomb then spamming Earthquake until she brings you down. The rest of the team should be able to clean her up, especially if you play on switch mode.

Magnezone @ Magnet / Metal Coat
Ability: Sturdy
- Discharge / Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Light Screen / Tri Attack / Volt Switch
- Magnet Rise

Relevant replaced moves: none

Magnemite is available in the Grand Underground beneath Route 216 (i.e. after Byron). It's worth using for how good it is against Team Galactic (Golbat, Purugly, Skuntank etc. cannot touch you), Cyrus, Candice, Barry, Aaron, Lucian and Cynthia. It's also very convenient because it comes with both STAB attacks when you catch it, and you can evolve it straight away.

Discharge is strong, spreads paralysis often, and works great with Garchomp in double battles. Replace with Thunderbolt (Valley Windworks w/ Surf) for the Elite Four. Flash Cannon is a strong attack for Pokemon that resist Electric. Magnet Rise helps with Candice's Abomasnow, Aaron's Drapion, etc. which know Earthquake. Light Screen helps with Cynthia's Milotic, Roserade and Lucario. Tri Attack can be used to finish off Pokemon with Sturdy, or you can use Volt Switch (get at Amity Square) if you want.

You can get a Magnet at Iron Island (before Magnemite joins your team). Metal Coat is also good if you're lucky to get a Magnemite holding one.

Comments

Good team. I'm planning to put up and use a team similar to this but with Empoleon as my starter and a couple changes.

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Why not Lucario?

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This team already has Infernape and Magnezone, so there would be type overlap. Also, In-game teams can varie, no team has to have specific mons. If you want to post your own team with a Lucario in it, feel free to.

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Lucario requires grinding and is not as good as Infernape.

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Very solid team! I have the exact same team but replace Magnezone to Luxray.

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I don’t understand the Pachirisu thing

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Pickup is an ability that causes your Pokemon to find held items while you walk in the overworld. Shiny Stone is one of the items that can be found. Pachirisu is the earliest available Pokemon that has Pickup.

Answer 2

This is a similar team I had planned to use for my ongoing Dream Team Quest. Though, as some Pokemon I chose were weak for the sake of making the game difficult, I changed the team around so that it'd be properly usable. Additionally, this team is for Shining Pearl specifically.

Starter

Empoleon @ Expert Belt
Ability: Torrent
- Surf
- Flash Cannon
- Drill Peck
- Ice Beam

I'm quite surprised that as of answering this question, there aren't any teams with Empoleon in them. While its speed is lacking, its many resistances and decent defenses allow it to tank hits that the other Sinnoh starters and Water types used can't. It can fair pretty well against most of the early gyms too, as it sweeps through Roark with Water Gun, and can fair well against Gardenia with Peck.

Surf is great STAB, but until then, you'll be stuck with Brine and/or Bubble Beam. Flash Cannon is the TM obtained for beating Bryon, but if you fully evolve Empoleon before getting close to battling him, you can use Steel Wing in place of it for a short duration. Drill Peck is good coverage learnt at level 52, but until then, you can use Peck, and eventually replace it with Aerial Ace until you get it, and Ice Beam is pretty good coverage and can be bought in the Veilstone Department Store. Either may be replaced with Earthquake, Brick Break, and Shadow Claw. Other options for moves would be replacing Ice Beam with Swords Dance (learnt by the move reminder or TM75), and using Steel Wing and Waterfall in place of Surf and Flash Cannon. The Expert Belt is gotten from the old man in the house on Route 221, but if you don't want to focus on getting it, anything that gives an increase on damage for either of your STABs or some sort of recovery item also works.

Fire Type

Houndoom @ Charcoal
Ability: Flash Fire
- Flamethrower
- Dark Pulse
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder Fang

Thank Arceus the Grand Underground has Houndoom early on, otherwise we'd all have to use Rapidash for a Fire type all over again! Houndoom is difficult to capture due having Roar, but catching it is well worth it! Houndoom is found already evolved, and if you find it at a high enough level, you can level it up and immediately get Fire Fang and Payback. Houndoom helps with Fantina, Candice, Bryon, Aaron, and the common Bug Catchers and Aroma Ladies.

Flamethrower is a strong STAB and is purchasable at the Veilstone Department Store. The Dark Pulse TM takes a long while to get as its all the way at Victory Road, but you can use Payback/Foul Play/Crunch until then. Nasty Plots TM is found at Veilstone, but you may also use the move relearner. Thunder Fang is an egg move that Houndoom will likely have when captured, but may also be learned by the move relearner. Unfortunately, Houndoom doesn't get much usable coverage moves that could be replaced by Thunder Fang. You could replace Flamethrower and Dark Pulse with Fire Fang and Crunch as they're more easily obtainable through level up, but then Nasty Plot will be rendered and will be forced to be replaced, and Houndoom is more special orientated than physically. Iron Tail and Sunny Day + Solar Beam may work, but that's really it. Charcoal is found in the grand underground, but you may replace it with Black Glasses, or any other held item that increases the damage output of Houndoom's STAB.

Grass Type

Roserade @ Choice Specs
Ability: Poison Point
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Dazzling Gleam
- Shadow Ball

Roserade is one of, if not the best Grass types accessible in BDSP. While it's a stone evolution, meaning it has to stay as a Roselia for a while, it has a great Sp. Atk and Speed stat. I advise you keep Roserade as a Roselia until level 30, where it learns its last move that'll be useful for its given moveset. Additionally, keep a team of Pickup Pachirisu and Aipom on your team until you get every planned teammate, as they'll give you items like Rare Candies and healing items, as well as the Shiny Stone for Roselia to evolve.

Giga Drain is learnt at level 30 as a Roselia, though if you get the TM for Giga Drain (which is found at Route 209, requiring Surf) before Roselia learns the move, I suggest you use the TM on Roselia and evolve it immediately. The TMs for Sludge Bomb and Dazzling Gleam are both found at the Galactic Warehouse, with Sludge Bomb being a strong STAB move and Dazzling Gleam being great coverage. Choice Specs are found by an NPC giving you them during Morning, and give a huge power boost to your already strong Roserade. I can't really think of any moves that can work in place of Roserade's current moveset, aside from Petal Dance over Giga Drain if you have access to it.

Bug Type

Pinsir @ Shell Bell
Ability: Mold Breaker
- X-Scissor
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake

Pinsir is a great Bug type in BDSP due to its offensive prowess and pretty good coverage. While Heracross is preferred over many due to its Fighting STAB and other quirks, I prefer Pinsir due to it being much more easily accessible, and having Bug Bite and Storm Throw when caught. Heracross should be used over Pinsir if you're playing through Brilliant Diamond

X-Scissor is learnt at level 32 and has STAB. Close Combat is an egg move Pinsir may have when caught in the grand underground, and if not, you may either try to catch one with it, or simply keep Storm Throw in place of it. Swords Dance is learnt at 40 and is a great setup move to boost your already great attack, while Earthquake is a very strong coverage move. Rock Slide/Stone Edge may be used in place of Close Combat or Earthquake if you're worried about dealing with Flying types, and Brick Break may be used instead of Close Combat due to there being no Def or Sp. Def drop. Shell Bell heals off the damage Pinsir takes in battle.

Now the following two Pokemon are odd choices for team members, but as they worked very well for me, I just felt as if I should include them. If you really don't want to use them, you may choose not to, and use different Pokemon in place of them.

Fighting Type

Medicham @ Black Belt
Ability: Pure Power
- High Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Recover

While being an odd choice for a Fighting type, Medicham is very helpful in the early game, and still remains useful against other Pokemon. While most other Fighting types are difficult to get and may not even start with a good Fighting move, Medicham is straightforward to obtain, and gets an excellent Fighting move early on. Though, Medicham has struggled to be a Psychic type since gen 3, as it can't get any good Physical Psychic moves until later in the game.

High Jump Kick is a powerful STAB attack that Meditite manages to learn at level 28, though I suggest keeping Force Palm for a bit after learning High Jump Kick, as it has low PP. Zen Headbutt is learnt at the move relearner and is another powerful STAB attack. Ice Punch is also learnt by the move relearner, and provides good coverage against Flying types Medicham is weak against, while Recover works as recovery, as Medicham is somewhat sluggish, and can't take many hits. Suitable replacement moves would be Poison Jab and Rock Slide (If not being used by Pinsir already) with Ice Punch, as at this point, you'd be using a lot of Heart Scales because of many of your Pokemon using them for their movesets.

Rock Type

Sudowoodo @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Rock Head
- Head Smash
- Wood Hammer
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Polish

Sudowoodo seems to be another odd choice for a team member, but its STAB Head Smash helps the team out a lot, as several of the other team members are vunerable to Flying and Fire type moves. Its ability allows it to use several powerful recoil moves without worrying about taking damage, and it has enough defensive bulk to set up Speed and sweep the opposing trainers team. A downside to Sudowoodo is that its caught as a Bonsly, meaning that its pretty weak until it fully evolves.

Head Smash is very powerful STAB that's learnt at level 48, and doesn't have recoil due to Sudowoodo's ability. Wood Hammer is great coverage learnt from the move reminder, and also is unaffected by recoil due to Rock Head. Sucker Punch is great Dark type coverage that can be used on Pokemon who outspeed Sudowoodo even after using Rock Polish, while Rock Polish is intended to improve upon Sudowoodo's lackluster speed. Sitrus Berry is used to allow Sudowoodo to heal from a detrimental super effective attack. You may replace any of the coverage moves with Earthquake (if you don't decide to give the move to Pinsir), Brick Break/Hammer Arm, or Double-Edge.

Comments

I forgot to mention this, but Bonsly can be found in the Trophy Garden as a daily Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond, so the only version exclusive apart of the team would be Pinsir.

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Why do you use Medicham and not Kadabra?

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Its mostly just a personal preferance. I like the Fighting/Psychic dual STAB as well, and Kadabra isn't worth using later in the game. I often wind up using Kadabra a lot in playthroughs as well, so its a nice change of pace.

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Houndoom helpful against Bugsy? Don't you mean Aaron?

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Oh, right, my bad!

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A Pokemon can still be worth using if it has no type advantages. Kadabra has boosted experience gain and better speed than Medicham.

Answer 3

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This is the team I'm using for my playthrough. It's reasonable balanced, has some fun Pokémon, and includes some Pokémon which were either difficult to obtain or not as useful in the original games.

Infernape: Starter (as Chimchar)

• Flamethrower (Heart Scale)
• Close Combat (On evolution)
• Acrobatics (Lv. 52)
• Stone Edge/Rock Slide (TMs)

Mixed attacker with a wide movepool. While Torterra is my personal favourite this gen. I have to admit Infernape is more useful. And it spares you the trouble of finding a fire type in Sinnoh. This moveset offer powerful STAB and great coverage.

Roserade: Route 203 (as Budew)

• Giga Drain (Heart Scale OR Lv. 30 as Roselia)
• Sludge Bomb (TM)
• Shadow Ball/Leech Seed (TM/Heart Scale)
• Toxic/Toxic Spikes (Heart Scales)

Arguable the strongest grass type in Sinnoh. Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb provide powerful STAB while Shadow Ball offers the team some useful coverage against ghost types. Leech Seed, Toxic and Toxic Spikes are all useful status move options.

Bronzong: Mt. Coronet Eterna City entrance (as Bronzor)
Ability: Levitate

• Flash Cannon (TM)
• Psychic (TM)
• Reflect/Hypnosis/Iron Defense (TM/Lv. 20/Lv. 38)
• Light Screen/Confuse Ray/Calm Mind (TM/Heart Scale/TM)

I find Bronzong to be a very underrated Pokémon in Sinnoh. His typing might not be as good as in Gen 4, with ghost and dark types now dealing super-effective damage, but it remains a solid and surprisingly versatile Pokémon. Flash Cannon and Psychic are STAB, and after that there are many options. Reflect and Light Screen offer support for the team and works well if Bronzong holds a Light Clay. Hypnosis and Confuse Ray work well together but relies a lot on luck. Finally, Iron Defense and Calm Mind give Bronzong the possibility to set up for a bulky sweep.

Garchomp: Wayward Cave hidden entrance (as Gible)

• Dragon Claw (Lv. 42)
• Earthquake (TM)
• Crunch (On evolution)
• Stone Edge/Rock Slide/Poison Jab (TMs)

It's not a true Sinnoh team without Garchomp. Dragon Claw and Earthquake are STAB. Crunch helps the team with its aforementioned ghost type weakness, and the rock move helps with its ice weakness. Another option is Poison Jab which can help against fairy types, which there are a surprising amount of in Sinnoh despite not having any in the originals.

Azumarill: Trophy Garden/Great Marsh (as Marill)
Ability: Huge Power

• Aqua Tail/Waterfall (Lv. 21/TM)
• Play Rough (Lv. 25)
• Superpower/Brick Break (Lv. 50/TM)
• Charm/Your choice (Lv. 9)

Azumarill is a much more viable option in the remakes thanks to its added fairy type. It has physical STAB moves, as well as a fighting move for coverage. For the last slot its shallow movepool lets it down, so it's up to you what to put there. I still recommend Charm though. Even though it may seem ridiculous, Cynthia's Garchomp gets really quiet after 2 Charms and a Play Rough to the face.

Froslass: Glacial Caves in the Grand Underground (as Snorunt)

• Ice Beam (TM)
• Shadow Ball (Lv. 61)
• Thunderbolt (TM)
• Will-O-Wisp/Thunder Wave (Lv. 47/TM)

One of the best things about the remakes has to be the Grand Underground which gives you the ability to catch a large variety of Pokémon early in the game. One of them is Snorunt, which used to only be available in Platinum by the 7th gym area. In BDSP, Snorunt is a rare spawn in the Glacial Caves, one of which can be accessed in the mid-game. Ice Beam and Shadow Ball is STAB, Thunderbolt gives the team coverage against Gyaradoses, which can be quite painful to deal with without an electric type. Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave are both good status moves, up to you which one you prefer.

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And there it is, hope you enjoyed the read and I hope you give it a try.

Comments

I recommend getting the Roserade line via the Grand Underground instead of Route 203. Budew's movepool was gutted in BD/SP, so you get stuck using Absorb as your best STAB move until you get Grass Knot from Gardenia. You should be able to solo the game with Monferno until you get the Explorer Kit (and you can always pick up Starly if you're having problems). Also be aware Shiny Stone is made available fairly late on Iron Island -- you should try to get one sooner with Pickup.
I haven't finished enough of the game to comment properly on the Garchomp line, but I suspect it's better to get that from the underground too, which will save about 25 levels' worth of grinding (in exchange for not having the Pokemon between Byron and Candice).

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Nice team tbh except Bronzong

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You only have 3 mons from Route 211 entrance to Great Marsh? By the time you catch marill all the other 3 mons are already 20+ or more levels ahead. In addition, Gible is not accessible before the 6th gym because there are boulders blocking your way in.

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Why do you use Bronzong and not Kadabra?

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This is honestly a good team! I used it for my BDSP run and it was great!

Answer 4

This is the team I used when playing Shining Pearl and I still enjoy it even in Post Game.

• Torterra (Grass/Ground) - Ability: Overgrowth @ Leftover/Miracle Seed
  Location: Starter
  Nature: Adamant
  
  • Bullet Seed (TM) / Wood Hammer (Heart Scale)
  • Earthquake (Learn on evolution)
  • Crunch (Level 45)
  • Razor Leaf (Level 13) /Stone Edge (TM)

With Ground type, Torterra is immune with Electric. I often use a strategy that using Pelipper as a bait for Electric move then swap to Torterra to increase Experience point for both. About his moveset, Earthquake and Crunch is a must as EQ is the best Ground type and has Stab with Crunch is more coverage. Between Bullet Seed and Wood Hammer, it is depend on your play style. I chose Bullet Seed since you can get this TM very early and it destroyed many Sturdy Pokemon such as Geodude line, Onix and Focus Sash users. I kept Razor Leaf as it was very useful for many double battles in the mid game or when you travel with a companion and then change it to Stone Edge in late game for coverage.

• Pelipper (Water/Flying): Drizzle @ Amulet Coin / Damp Rock
  Location: Route 213 or The Grand Underground (After getting Defog)
  Nature: Timid
  
  • Scald (TM) / Surf (TM)
  • Hurricane (Level 55)
  • Ice Beam (TM)
  • U-turn (TM) / Tailwind (Heart Scale)

The Star of my team. U can get it before Pastoria Gym: Route 213 or if you want to find it in the underground, go to Great Marsh to get Defog then it will be available. I caught mine in the Grand Underground it she has Twister, it is not too strong but good for double battles. I usually let her in the lead to set up the Rain. The ability Drizzle is the main part of my strategy, not only it halves the damage of Fire-type moves but also ignore the accuracy of Hurricane and Thunder. So that Hurricane is a must-to-have move for Pelipper. U-turn is for switching to Raichu or Torterra when you meet Electric-type Pokemon or just to use Raichu's Thunder high power. For a Water STAB, I chose Scald as it is single target move and has chance to inflict burn but you can choose anything you like. Ice Beam is a good coverage move for most Water-type Pokemons. And when I was trying to beat Cynthia, I realized her Garchomp outspeeded all of my team because I didn't grinding enough to out level hers, so that I change to Tailwind and set up when fighting with Milotic. This helped my Gardevoir move first and 1 hit KO with Moonblast.

• Raichu (Electric) - Ability: Static @ Zap Plate/Magnet
  Location: Trophy Garden
  Nature: Modest
  
  • Thunder (TM or Level 44 as Pikachu)
  • Discharge (Heart Scale or Level 32 as Pikachu)
  • Surf (TM)
  • Nuzzle (Heart Scale)

The best friend of Pelipper. The earliest time you can go to Trophy Garden to catch a Pikachu is after you reach Solaceon Town, the path to Route 212 from Hearthome City won't be blocked anymore. Thunder is a strong move and it can 1 hit KO even with neutral-type Pokemon. Discharge is for when you don't set up Rain or just use it when you let Raichu lead. It also pairs well with Torterra in Double Battle. Nuzzle is really good move to inflict Paralysis to halve speed and you don't need worry about being Taunt even though not many Pokemon can out speed Raichu to Taunt him :D . Nuzzle has small damage with makes it easier to catch some Pokemons too. In Gym Rematches in post game, all Gym Leaders has at least a Pokemon carrying Focus Sash so Nuzzle can inflict chip damage before you can switch other Pokemons to 1 hit KO. The last move is Surf for coverage, it's power is increased with Drizzle effect. If somehow you can get Raichu with Hidden Ability then you can bait Electric moves then switch to Raichu to increase it Sp. Atk.

• Rapidash (Fire) - Ability: Flash Fire @ Expert Belt/Charcoal
  Location: Route 211 or The Grand Underground for Egg move
  Nature: Adamant
  
  • Flame Wheel (Level 25) / Flare Blitz (Level 63)
  • Mega Horn (Heart Scale)
  • Smart Strike (Learn on evolution) / Poison Jab (TM or Heart Scale)
  • High Horsepower (Egg move) / Will-O-Wisp (TM)

I caught it early in Route 211 to fight the Grass Gym and then replaced it with the one in the underground that has High Horsepower. Rapidash has a swallow move pool but enough to coverage what it needs. It took me a bit time to find the one that has High Horsepower with ability Flash Fire in the Grand Underground, which makes this one become Fire type destroyer. High Horsepower is super useful in many situation as it is single target and has high power. Flame Wheel or Flare Blitz is your choice about Recoil for power or not (I chose Flame Wheel as I hate recoil moves). Mega Horn is for situation that my Pelipper had already set Drizzle, which makes the fire moves weaker and you can't do much damage to Grass-type, also a good coverage move for Psychic and Dark type. Poison Jab and Smart Strike both nearly have the same use, mostly for Fairy coverage. I prefer Smart Strike as you already have 2 moves for Grass Type and if you don't get High Horsepower, it can cover Rock type too. Will-O-Wisp is a choice if you know you can't one hit a dangerous enemies, the burn effect will halve the attack of them.

• Gardevoir (Psychic/Fairy) - Ability: Trace @ Choice Specs/Wise Glasses
  Location: The Grand Underground (After the first badge)
  Nature: Timid
  
  • Psychic (Level 42)
  • Moon Blast (Heart Scale)
  • Shadow Ball (TM)
  • Hypnosis (Heart Scale)/Dazzling Gleam (Learn on evolution)/...

Whenever you can access to the Grand Underground, you can encounter Ralts immediately. But since it is Rare Spawn so it may take time to catch. With the added Fairy-type in gen 6, Gardevoir becomes more useful in BPSP. Psychic and Moon Blast are both strong Stab moves must have. A tip I used is that I kept my Kirlia not evolve until level 30 so that it can learn Psychic sooner. Shadow Ball is for coverage. The last move is your choice: Hypnosis for catching Pokemon or Dazzling Gleam for Double Battles or anything you like. Just remind you that if you plan to use her for Cynthia's Garchomp, make sure to have her speed stat above 203 or use Tailwind like I did or else you will be 1 hit KO from Garchomp's Poison Jab.

• Lucario (Fighting/Steel) - Ability: Inner Focus @ Expert Belt
  Location: Gift egg in Iron Island
  Nature: Jolly
  
  • Close Combat (Heart Scale)
  • Meteor Mash (Level 48)
  • Extreme Speed (Level 56)
  • Earthquake (TM) / Bone Rush (Level 36)

Lucario type is immune with Poison moves. I pair with Gardevoir baiting Poison moves then switch to Lucario. I choose Physical Lucario moveset as it has wider coverage and take advantage of more powerful moves it can learn. Close Combat and Meteor Mash are both the best Stab move Lucario can get. And with Physical set, you can use Extreme Speed with priority of +2 faster than most priority attack moves like Sucker Punch. Earthquake is best Ground move as said for Torterra or Bone Rush for Sturdy Pokemon and Focus Sash users.

In conclusion, what I like the most of my team is except Raichu, every Pokemon can immune 1 type moves. This makes me love to bait the enemy a move then switch a Pokemon that immune to that. It helped increase my team level a lot and I don't need to grind much for Cynthia. For Offensive Coverage, except Normal-type Pokemon, every type has at least 2 Pokemons can counter it. I think my team has good defensive and offensive overall.

Comments

Why do you use Gardevoir and not Kadabra?

Answer 5

This was the team I used to finish BD . It's reasonable balanced . You can make changes as you require

Infernape @ Fist Plate / Flame Plate
-Flamethrower (Heart Scale/TM Veilstone City)
-Close Combat (At evolution)
-Acrobatics (Level 52)
-Shadow Claw ( TM Hearthome City )
Flamethrower and Close Combat are stab . Acrobatics for Fighting and Shadow Claw for Psychic coverage

Roserade @ Miracle Seed
-Petal Dance (Heart Scale)
-Sludge Bomb (TM Galactic Warehouse )
-Dazzling Gleam (TM Galactic Warehouse )
- (TM Route 210)
Petal Dance and Sludge Bomb are stab . Dazzling Gleam For Dark and Dragon Type ,Shadow Ball For Psychic And Ghost Type

Togekiss @ Leftovers
-Air Slash(At evolution)
-Aura Sphere(Heart Scale)
-Dazzling Gleam( TM Veilstone City)
-Shock Wave (TM Route 215)
Air Slash And Dazzling Gleam Are stab . Aura Sphere For Rock And Steel Type Coverage , Shock Wave For Water and Flying type

Electivire @ Expert Belt
-Wild Charge (Heart Scale)
-Brick Break ( TM Oreburgh Gate)
-Earthquake (TM Wayward Cave)
-Ice Punch (Egg Move)
Wild Charge Is a Good stab Move Only down side is recoil . Brick Break is courage . Earthquake for Steel And Electric Type. Ice Punch is egg Move catch It at the grand Under ground

Gastrodon @ Mystic Water
-Earth Power
-Scald(TM Galactic Warehouse)
-Ice Beam (TM Route 216)
-Recover ( Level 10)
Earth Power and Scald Are Stab, Ice Beam for Grass Types ,Recover For Regaining HP

Weavile @ Nevermelt Ice/Icicle Plate/Dread Plat/Black Glasses
-Ice Punch(Egg Move)
-Night Slash (Level 60)
-Brick Break (TM Oreburgh Gate)
-Aerial Ace (TM Route 213)
Main use against Cyntia With Ice punch , Night Slash Is Stab, Aerial Ace For Fighting Courage ,Brick break For Ice and Steel Courage

Comments

@Niranjan

Do you have to beat the league in order to find the gen 1/2/3/4 starters in BDSP Grand Underground? I'm asking so I can shape my team before I get the games.

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Electvire isn't a good choice. You need to trade a Electabuzz WITH an Electvizer. I would probably have a Magnazone instead

Answer 6

This is the team I used for Brilliant Diamond, though you should be able to use it for Shining Pearl, as there aren't any version exclusives. All of the members can be obtained fairly early, and there shouldn't really be any grinding required to keep up with enemy trainers.

Infernape @Charcoal
Ability: Blaze
Moves:
- Flamethrower
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
- U-Turn
Location: Lake Verity (Starter)

A fantastic mixed attacker, Infernape will be the star of any Sinnoh playthrough. Close Combat and Flamethrower are STAB, Rock Slide covers Flying, and U-Turn covers Psychic, plus it allows Infernape to pivot while still getting some damage in. You could use Flare Blitz instead of Flamethrower for a full physical set, but I find the lack of recoil and increased PP of Flamethrower to be more useful in a playthrough.

Staraptor @Shell Bell
Ability: Intimidate
Moves:
- Steel Wing
- U-Turn
- Close Combat
- Brave Bird
Location: Lake Verity

A great glass cannon and one of the most cliche Sinnoh playthrough Pokemon. Intimidate helps a lot with its low defense. Steel Wing covers Rock and Ice, U-Turn is for pivoting, Close Combat is an amazing move for Staraptor, as it helps it get past Steel types, and Brave Bird is STAB. The shell bell helps with the Brave Bird recoil.

Magnezone @Quick Claw
Ability: Sturdy
Moves:
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Flash Cannon
- Hyper Beam
Location: Grand Underground, Spacious Cave (Rare Spawn)

Magnezone is a great tank that helped me a ton throughout the game. Thunderbolt and Flash Cannon are STAB, Thunder Wave is to assist Magnezone's low speed, and Hyper Beam is for when you just need a little extra oomph. I know Quick Claw can be unreliable but it's so nice when you get to move first and get a cheeky Thunder Wave off on your opponent, plus you can get it really early.

Mamoswine @Nevermeltice
Ability: Oblivious
Moves:
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Location: Grand Underground, Swampy Cave (Rare Spawn)

This is your Pokemon for beating Cynthia's Garchomp. Icicle Crash and Earthquake are it's main attacking STAB moves. Stone Edge is coverage. Ice Shard is good since it has low speed. Icicle Crash can only be found on certain Swinub in the Grand Underground, so you'll have to search for one that has it. Trust me though, it's more than worth it. Mamoswine is bulky enough to survive at least one hit from Cynthia's Garchomp, so you can use Icicle Crash for big damage and getting rid of the Yache berry, and finish it off with an Ice Shard. The Nevermeltice is important for complimenting the low base power of Ice Shard. I picked Oblivious over Snow Cloak because hail isn't very common and there's an absurd amount of Pokemon with Intimidate in Sinnoh.

Drapion @Razor Claw
Ability: Sniper
Moves:
- Night Slash
- Cross Poison
- Ice Fang
- X-Scissor
Location: Grand Underground, Volcanic Cave

I didn't expect Drapion to be as incredibly good as it was, and it didn't seem so at first. I just wanted something to cover a few types that I didn't have much for, but it hard carried me in the league. Night Slash and Cross Poison are STAB, Ice Fang is to cover its one weakness; Ground, and X-Scissor is coverage. Between Night Slash/Cross Poison and the Razor Claw, Drapion reaches an astounding 50% critical hit ratio, plus Sniper boosts critical hit damage from x1.5 to x2.25, and friendship will boost critical hit rates even further. It's extremely important to pick up the Razor Claw in victory road, but if you do, the results will amaze.

**Manaphy* @Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
Moves:
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Tail Glow
- Grass Knot
Location: Mystery Gift Egg

A great bulky water type that helped a lot throughout the game. Scald is STAB, Ice Beam and Grass Knot are coverage, and Tail Glow gives it a ridiculous +3 in spatk. I know some people either won't want to use mythicals or can't get the egg, so I've included an alternative.

Tentacruel @Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
Moves:
- Surf
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain
Location: Any water route while surfing

A good bulky water type and my alternative to Manaphy. Surf and Sludge Wave are STAB, Ice Beam is coverage and Giga Drain works well with the Leftovers to keep it healthy.

This team worked really well for me. I didn't have any very difficult battles. I only had one Pokemon faint at all in the league; Infernape, and it was mostly due to a misjudgement on my part. As you can probably see, the Grand Underground plays a huge part in this team.