Welcome to Gaia! ::

If you need help, that's what we're here for, but first.. What exactly are you asking? Are you having trouble understanding breeding, or deciding which 6 Pokemon would function well on a team together? Do you have any Pokemon planned/in the works that you want constructive criticism on?

Give me something to work off of, and I'll get back to you, friend~

Oof, this is gonna sound rough..

First of all, In-game battling and battling players online are 2 entirely different things. I have never used an in-game Pokemon in an online battle. When you create a team, you need to determine the set before even really breeding the Pokemon. For example, say I want a Mega Gyarados..

There are no Egg Moves, so that's checked off. I need to breed one to be Adamant or Jolly, depending on your preference. Adamant is a bit stronger, but Jolly is a bit faster. You can use the Everstone method. Get an Adamant or Jolly Ditto, make it hold an Everstone in the daycare and breed it with a Gyarados to get an Adamant or Jolly Gyarados guaranteed. It's nice to have a hardy collection of Ditto's for breeding purposes.

Next, every Pokemon has 6 random IV's determined when it is created. Either by running into one in the wild or the moment you collect the egg. Tbh, you can learn more about this another time, it's important when you want to truly compete with your fullest potential, but it's a pain and it'd probably just be better to skip it for now.

So, you've got your Level 1 Adamant (Or Jolly, but I'm just gonna say Adamant from now on) Magikarp. You know what moves you want on your Gyarados (you determined this earlier), which are Dragon Dance, Waterfall, Ice Fang, and Earthquake. Dragon Dance and Ice Fang are level-up moves, Waterfall/Earthquake are TM/HM's. This set is a straight-up set-up sweeper.

But don't train it yet! Because you know that any Pokemon Magikarp participates in KO'ing (Even via Exp Share), Magikarp will get a split of the Effort Values in defeating said Pokemon. For example, you KO a Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur gives 1 Sp. Def EV, which YOU DO NOT WANT. So don't kill any Bulbasaurs. You want a spread like this...

252 Attack / 252 Speed / 4 HP

And what that means is max attack, max speed, remainder of 4 EV's toward HP. Just max Attack and Speed first, then the HP will be a cinch.

The BEST method to EV train a Pokemon is horde battling. Use a Pokemon like Noivern, who can use Boom Burst, or a Pokemon with Surf, because those moves hit all opposing Pokemon.

Next, you'll need a Pokemon with Sweet Scent. I always get it KO'd so it doesn't gain levels and sap EV's that can go to the Pokemon your training (Magikarp). Just saves time in the long run.

So, have the Exp. Share on, lead with Noivern (to KO everything in 1 move) with a fainted Combee (Sweet Scent user that is KO'd so it doesn't sap EV's), and the Magikarp you are training. That is literally my set-up for EV training. All you have to do is find a Horde battle with Scraggy's (Scraggy gives Attack EV's, you're killing 5 at a time) on Route 5. Run from the Gulpin's or whatever else you encounter.

I strongly suggest using this link to find out which Pokemon give what EV's. Scroll down to where you see "By Effort Values" with the 6 black links for each Stat. (Attack, Hp, etc.)


Take some time to soak all this in and try to get that Gyarados then get back to me and I'll help you with the rest. I'll help you build a team around the Mega Gyarados. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have or if you need me to clear anything up. Lastly, I'd strongly recommend you don't use Gogoat or Vivillion. Diggersby could actually work as could Hawlucha, but we'll get into that another day. Don't worry if takes a while to complete this task, just quote me here when you need me.

Also, for reference...



I'd recommend Adamant for that extra oomph, especially since D Dance boost speed as well anyway. I'd also recommend the Gyaradosite for your item, he's a good Mega. Not only does he gain power without the need of Life Orb and its pesky recoil, but his defenses go up considerably, making him quite the beast. I've solo'd games before when starting off with him. Given the fact I knew my opponent's team couldn't handle him.

Lastly, there actually are different movesets to go with, but they are played a bit trickier and require good prediction. This one is good in its own right and I figure it would be easier for a newcomer like you to handle.

EDIT: By the way, just use Intimidate. His Hidden Ability is good, but not if you're gonna Mega Evolve it. Personally I still prefer Intimidate to force the switch even if I'm using regular Gyarados.