- Know the current metagame, that helps a lot when rating teams/Pokemon.
- You rate a team as a whole, not each member individually, you point out the threats and Pokemon that give a team problems and provide solutions to solve those problems.
- Explain why a Pokemon is a threat.
.. Oh and another note: Mid-game Pokemon with Focus Sash are bad. Ruined by entry hazards.
That's it, if i missed anything, point it out and i'll edit this post.
how would this team be rated: dunsparce@metronome(the item)(move:rage), scizor@metronome(item),(move:fury cutter), espeon@quickclaw,moves:lightscreen and reflect, sableye@focus sash, feraligatr@black glasses,crunch, salamence@dragonclaw,
Very big Tyranitar weakness, it can Fire Punch Scizor for the OHKO while not OHKOing back with Fury Cutter, Crunch takes care of Espeon, Stone Edge will eventually kill Feraligatr, and will kill Salamence, Dunsparce is dead before Tyranitar even OHKOs him. Sables is taken care of with Crunch.
Suggestions: Scizor @ Life Orb | 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spe | Bullet Punch - Superpower / Brick Break - U-Turn - Pursuit
This will take care of Tyranitar, but beware of switching in on a predicted Fire Punch.
all wrong! Dunsparce will never be ohko ed. You die!!!!! I am trainig one on crystal and so far it has owned every pokemon it has battled.(bayleef,many bug pokemon, a couple of geodudes, onix*,zubat,ekans, and many moar)
If Dunsparce can't lose, how will it beat a Luacrio, a Steel and Fighting type? Normal has little effect on steel, and fighting is very effective on normal
I just want to add something to what sweet-devil said. There should be some comments on each Pokemon (its use, its role, the synergy it may have with other Pokes of the team, etc.) by the one who posted the team and it goes without saying that the one who is going to rate the team must read them.
(14-09-2010 11:21 AM)dunsparce Wrote: [ -> ]all wrong! Dunsparce will never be ohko ed. You die!!!!! I am trainig one on crystal and so far it has owned every pokemon it has battled.(bayleef,many bug pokemon, a couple of geodudes, onix*,zubat,ekans, and many moar)
Axaxaaxaxaxaaxaxaxaxaaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxxaxaxaxaxaxaxaaxaxaxxxxxxxxxxxxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaax
(14-09-2010 11:21 AM)dunsparce Wrote: [ -> ]all wrong! Dunsparce will never be ohko ed. You die!!!!! I am trainig one on crystal and so far it has owned every pokemon it has battled.(bayleef,many bug pokemon, a couple of geodudes, onix*,zubat,ekans, and many moar)
It might be strong in-game,but it is likely to faint againist real opponents. When it's at Level 100,take it to the Battle Tower (I think Crystal has one). You might get different results.
(13-11-2010 12:06 PM)Spyros Wrote: [ -> ]I just want to add something to what sweet-devil said. There should be some comments on each Pokemon (its use, its role, the synergy it may have with other Pokes of the team, etc.) by the one who posted the team and it goes without saying that the one who is going to rate the team must read them.
That's common knowledge.
I know, but sometimes I see threads with teams without any comments, so I though it was worth mentioning.
In order to rate teams, you have to consider the balance of it and put it against different scenarios
Κλεμμενο απο το Smog #14,αλλα πιστευω θα βοηθησει αρκετους που ενδιαφερονται ^^
Tip #1: Learn How to Play the Game, and Play Often
This is probably the most important of the tips that will be discussed in this article, as it is the basis of efficient team rates. By playing the game often, you start to build experience and knowledge of different strategies and techniques commonly seen in battles that you can imply into your team rates and helping others with team building, in a general perspective. Also, as you gain knowledge about a specific metagame by playing consistently in said metagame, you'll be able to more easily identify threats and problems a team may have, as by then you'll probably have seen opponents using similar strategies (or maybe even you may have used a similar play style before) so it'll be easier for you to identify any flaws or mishaps in a team which you can try to fix through a rate.
Tip #2: Think of the Team You're Rating as if it Were Your Own
This tip sort of ties in with the previous one; if you've been playing the game consistently for a lengthy amount of time, and you've understood the current metagame (what strategies are optimal, which Pokemon are best at countering, checking or revenge killing opponent Pokemon X), you'll be able to start identifying problems with someone else's team simply by imagining you're in a battle using it. Chances are that if you're a competent battler, you'll know what opponents can do to counter the strategy of the team you're rating, so by implying your experience and knowledge, you'll be able to see what changes would be optimal for the team you are rating. Not much else can be explained about this tip as it's mostly a natural thing that comes to a rater's mind; if it takes a lot of effort to find threats using this method, it will probably be best If you do one of two things, the first being that you use resources like a threat list or, the second being that you just hop onto Pokemon Online and play a bit more to get a better understanding of the metagame.
Tip #3: Try to Understand the Goal of the Team You're Rating
Understanding the goal of the team that you are rating is an absolute necessity. As such, you should focus on empathizing with the topic poster in their ambition to improve the execution of their team's purpose. To quote one of Smogon's most prolific raters, Stathakis: "good rates are ones that help people beat threats without compromising the team's purpose; even better rates are ones that improve the execution of the team's purpose without compromising its ability to deal with threats". In consideration of this, it is important that you reflect on several issues before you begin to suggest any potential amendments.
Primarily, you should ask yourself: what is the team trying to accomplish? Are all members of the team productively contributing to the accomplishment of this goal? And if not, you should begin to, as always, consider potential changes. However, you should reflect upon those very same questions again as you prepare to make your rate. It is advised that you evaluate the extent to which your suggestion improves the performance of the team: which areas would your suggestion effectively address, and are there any problems that may emerge after incorporating the change? If so, you should weigh up whether the positive aspects surpass the negative aspects.
Tip #4: Present Your Rate in a Detailed Manner
This next tip deviates from the rest as it doesn't deal with the experience and knowledge aspects of team rates, but the aesthetic and format aspects, as they are just as essential as the aforementioned knowledge factor. Although it would be great if you were to successfully identify all the problems of a team and provide great suggestions in order to fix said problems, the OP of the thread probably won't read your rate if it's one huge block of text filled with a large amount of grammatical errors. Doing this will also repel other raters from reading your rate, likely leading to unneeded repetitions of suggestions or comments you may have already explained or mentioned. To prevent this problem from occurring it's important for you to format your rate in a legible and visually engaging manner, as this will make it much easier for other community members to understand and build on your rate, thus making it more useful for the team being rated.
Tip #5: If a Team Requires Too Many Changes, It's not Worth a Rate.
This tip is the tip that all aspiring team raters must follow, and for good reason, as it helps team raters determine the difference between the teams that are worth the time and effort needed to be rated, and the teams that are, in simple words, a waste of time for any rater to be rating. Although this does seem like common sense, many team raters forget to check if the team they are rating is actually worth the effort needed. Remember, it's Rate my Team, not Build my Team.
Sure you can help better a team which includes Pokemon like Choice Band Dragon Dance Gyarados and all-out attacking Blissey, but remember that if the OP of the team had any experience or knowledge about the metagame, he/she wouldn't have posted such a mediocre team. If he/she didn't make an effort to make their team the best that they possibly could have, then it doesn't make sense for you to take the time and effort to rate a team which had a minimal amount of effort put into it. To put it into simple words, if a team is in need of too many changes, it's probably not going to be worth the time and effort needed to be rated. Even if you have enough time to rate such a team, it's probably better if you invest your time and effort into more deserving teams, which have been constructed and refined by someone with a passable amount of experience of playing the game.
I completely agree with 1-4, but I can't even say how much I disagree with 5. If you're rating a team where the only thing you can say is "Stone Edge over Ice Fang on Gyarados because you need to OHKO Zapdos" then you're most probably looking at a (very) good player with something just slipping their mind. Sure, suggesting that helps them but they'd eventually find out themselves. They already know what to look out for and if their team has a problem after a few games, they'll adjust it without even needing comments from somebody else.
Now if you completely dismiss the team posted by a newbie, or even somebody that just doesn't play very often and doesn't know what the common threats are, how do you expect them to get better? In my opinion, that is the team you should fix (not rate, fix) and that is the poster that needs help. That's the team you should be not only making changes to but also carefully explaining why you're making these changes, even if it means changing completely the role of a Pokémon of half of the team's members. Otherwise, there's no way the poster of the team can improve, they'll just keep losing with a mediocre team until they get bored of battling.
Not totally unrelated, but in general, that's my biggest problem with Smogon. If you're good, they'll help you become better but if you're bad, they won't help you become good, then better. And that's not just Smogon, that's any community based on the competitive aspect of any game.
(10-03-2011 02:52 PM)Ninjomewtwo Wrote: [ -> ]I completely agree with 1-4, but I can't even say how much I disagree with 5. If you're rating a team where the only thing you can say is "Stone Edge over Ice Fang on Gyarados because you need to OHKO Zapdos" then you're most probably looking at a (very) good player with something just slipping their mind. Sure, suggesting that helps them but they'd eventually find out themselves. They already know what to look out for and if their team has a problem after a few games, they'll adjust it without even needing comments from somebody else.
Now if you completely dismiss the team posted by a newbie, or even somebody that just doesn't play very often and doesn't know what the common threats are, how do you expect them to get better? In my opinion, that is the team you should fix (not rate, fix) and that is the poster that needs help. That's the team you should be not only making changes to but also carefully explaining why you're making these changes, even if it means changing completely the role of a Pokémon of half of the team's members. Otherwise, there's no way the poster of the team can improve, they'll just keep losing with a mediocre team until they get bored of battling.
Not totally unrelated, but in general, that's my biggest problem with Smogon. If you're good, they'll help you become better but if you're bad, they won't help you become good, then better. And that's not just Smogon, that's any community based on the competitive aspect of any game.
/agree
#5 is a controversial point and in a "small" community like ours,we should rate every team....
I'll write more later, for the time being link to the source on the smog, don't be a thief
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