Top 10 Pokemon to get into PvP
Seeing the amount of OU games played every month in PokeMMO as well as the influx of new players it seemed weird to me that there aren't that many ressources to get into it. So I thought to make what I can to help people get into the wonderful world of competitive Pokemon, this will be the first of (hopefully) many guides. The content under spoiler balise are the start are mainly economical concern, I would suggest you read it if you're new to the game and don't have that much cash on hand, otherwise you can skip ahead.
On "budget" competitive Pokemon
Spoiler
If you plan to be playing this game competitively for a long time and you want to get good you want perfect Pokemon. Some people recommend that beginner use unoptimised Pokemon but I heavily disagree, you really want to be playing the best Pokemon possible as you learn and get used to how much damage Pokemon takes, how many moves you need to kill X or Y pokemon, or how much can you Pokemon tank before getting KOd. Those stuff are really important in this game and creating bad habits out of having budget Pokemon will make you a worse player in the long run, and if you're serious about the game you will have to replace them at some point, meaning you lost cash at the end, being left with a bad Pokemon you will try to sell for very cheap.
On the topic of 30 vs 31 IV
Spoiler
PokeMMO is a game that sets the level of all battling Pokemon to 50, and therefore I'll have to dive a bit into how EV works for Pokemon at this level. To make it simple :
If your IV is 31 then the first 4 EVs will give you an extra stat the first time, then the standard price of 8 EV per stat.
If it's 30 you will need to pay the full price of 8 EVs per stat with no bonus for the first one.
Because of this it is always optimal to invest in 3 or 5 different statistics at level 50.
Now that you know that, you're probably wondering why you should get to 31 in stats you're not invested in, and that would be a perfectly legitimate question and the quick answer would be : If your Pokemon has other viable spreads than 252/252/4 you should think about making is 5x31.
The reason for that is that your Pokemon will probably not stay with the same EVs all its life, as your skill increases you'll be able to make or copy better spreads and as the metagame progress a Pokemon might need a complete overhaul in EV spread to stay relevant, not every Pokemon needs 5x31, if its not versatile enough it's not worth-it, but keep it in mind when you start breeding, it'll make you think about the game which is a good thing for your growth and it might make you happy in a few years that you decided to put the extra Pokeyen on it.
Some notable exceptions are Pokemon who are trying to attack on both sides of the spectrum like Infernape, they commonly use 6 30+ IVs but since you are investing Attack, Special Attack and Speed you can safely make HP, Defense and Special Defense 30 as it's extremely rare to invest any point there.
On what Pokemon to prioritize
You can't take a random 6 pokemon from this guide and call it a day to make it a team, it's also advised that you use Pokemon I don't talk about here in your team. There are a lot of Discord you will find help in, you can also look at tournament or ladder battles in game to see what you might like to use, and what combines with the Pokemon I listed here you want to use the most. Try to breed pokemon that tend to go well together at first, this will give you a good base for multiple teams while you slowly build up your army of competitive Pokemon.
Legendaries
Not every legendary is created equal but 3 of them have stood the test of time in other formats and there's no reason they shouldnt follow the same development in PokeMMO as their strengths are applicable everywhere. They are expensive so I'm just giving a word of advice here in case you have the cash to invest in them, there are 10 other really good Pokemon below that are more affordable.
Heatran
The poster-child of hell, the skull-faced demon newly added to PokeMMO, Heatran. What a Pokemon this guy is. Boasting the insane Fire Steel typing with an ability that protects it from fire moves and boost it when it takes one it's immediately obvious that it's really difficult to take down. The story doesn't end here though, as it is one of the most consistent progress maker in the game, you can decide to hit crazy hard with Magma Storm and EarthPower combined with SolarBeam+PowerHerb and/or HP Ice, use Taunt with its previously mentioned signature move to ruin the life of Stall players, use it as a Toxic and Stealth Rock machine, it's even good with a Choice Scarf, you can really do it all.
Zapdos
Across all formats I ever played, and I played many, this is the Pokemon I have used the most and for good reasons. It's the embodiment of a great Pokemon. Its stats allow it to be either extremely tanking combined with a great defensive type, but also, its movepool and coverage with a staggering 125 base Special Attack makes it one of the nastiest Pokemon to switch into ! It's also one of the prime user of Defog, and a good user of Toxic, two of the best moves in the game, Zapdos really is the Pokemon to materialize all your fantasies.
Suicune
" For each team there's a Suicune set that beats it ", although it's not completely true, Suicune is a redoubtable monster to face as it circumvents the traditional ways you're supposed to beat a Pokemon using Calm Mind. Being able to choose between a very strong coverage in Ice Beam, the CM war winning machine Roar or the nasty threat of Substitute combined with its Pressure ability Suicune will often find its way to win even the hardest games, and it has been like this for years, so if you want a Pokemon that's able to get you back in almost any game this is one you must consider.
The Immortal Ten
Those Pokemon should never be outdated, they will always remain good, some might drop to UU but most that do should remain viable in OU.
Chansey
It is very difficult to not recommend the pink blob, it's as infuriating to play against that it's good, and for a cheap price too ! You only need perfect IVs in HP, Defense and either Special Defense or Speed (Do not bother with speed if you're using Teleport because generally the less speed the better on this one), note that even if you will not EV the 4 at the same time because it's not optimal you can decide to make all those IV 31 to be able to change its spread down the road. Keep in mind that speed is still a good stat on Chansey as 4 EV will let you outrun a paralyzed Heatran, so if Thunder Wave is a move you like on Chansey keep that in mind.
Chansey is an extremely cheap and effective Pokemon if it fits your style of play, it can be used in a wide variety of teams and it will probably always be viable so don't shy out and add the beautiful nurse to your PC !
Skarmory
Chansey's partner in crime, the Skarmory + pink blob core has been nefarious for two decades and it's still very relevant to this very day. With 140 base stat of Defense to boast it can either invest in its Special Defense in other to increase overall staying power agaisnt a variety of pokemon or go all the way down walling street and stop almost any physical threat from going anywhere near the rest of your team. It will always be an excellent Pokemon with access to Spikes, Defog, decently powerful Brave Bird, instant recovery via roost and moves like Counter, Whirlwind, Toxic or Stealth rock make it really customisable. The metal bird is definitely something you want to look into if it fits your style, and you may not want only one !
Garchomp
Garchomp is already at the top of OU while lacking two of its most important assets, Outrage and Swords Dance. I don't think this Pokemon needs further introduction, if you read this you are probably willing to dive into the PvP scene or already familiar with it and you know the sheer amount of highly effective task Garchomp can accomplish. It's an extremely well rounded Pokemon that can be used in almost any team and its future look bright considering it's not at full potential yet, if you're serious about PvP you should definitely invest in a Garchomp or two ... three ... four maybe ? You never have too many Garchomp !
Dragonite
Another Dragon friend, another top OU Pokemon that is good despite not having a good Outrage yet. Incredible Hidden Ability in Multiscale, insane stats, crazy movepool, a plethora of sets that can either win you the game from nowhere, or create considerable advantage early on. This is really another Pokemon you can't have too many of, Dragonite will be a staple for the many years to come and it seems that there does not exist a format where it's not excellent, get your hands on a Dragonite or two as soon as possible, especially if you are an offensively minded player, and you will see the game differently from this point onward !
Rotom
The first quiet Pokemon of this list, Rotom is not flashy but god it's so good. The pricetag might scare you a little bit but it can recycle itself in all the other forms so there's no way its value will go to zero anytime soon. Rotom-W is a terrifying pivot utility Pokemon in OU and three different Rotom forms are excellent in UU right now ! This little guy has traversed the darkest ages of multiple Pokemon formats without being flashy a single time but adding cohesion to the best teams of many different eras. It is often considered that mastering Pokemon akin to Rotom is alike to mastering the game itself, so if you are burning with passion for this game and want to be the very best you know what to do.
Scizor
I thought for a long time before adding it to this list, Scizor might be on its last breath at the top of the game. I don't think it's remotely close to being unviable and if it were to drop in UU one day it would be formidable there, but as the game progresses Scizor will fall more and more out of the top of OU. Investing into Scizor is absolutely not a waste of cash, it's definitely a very potent Pokemon, but I don't think it will maintain itself as high as it is now, it will become more of a specialized Pokemon rather than the generally good into everything Pokemon it used to be.
That being said the future isn't all grim for Scizor, and it's priority Bullet Punch will still make it a very good Pokemon for years to come, if we ever see fairy type and Megas it's something Scizor will be very happy to see so don't let an old man rambling put you away from it if it's your favorite !
Gliscor
Gliscor really is like good wine, as time passes it becomes stronger and stronger, there must be something with this Pokemon that strives in adversity, I simply never seen this one getting power crept, even as it lost a lot of tools in gen 9 it's the format where it's considered to be banned !!
I mostly avoided talking about non PokeMMO formats and I won't start babbling too much about it right now, but I wanted to express how good this Pokemon is. I don't think you can find a more future-proof Pokemon, this guy will always be strong. It's already very strong in the PokeMMO OU Format and it's not at full power yet, lacking its full power Knock off, one of its best move ! If you don't see yourself as the most aggressive player of all time, and you like to use Pokemon that can give you the edge in medium to long length games this Pokemon is for you,
Tyranitar
I wouldn't call Tyranitar flashy but it does big damage, setup a weather condition that's very skillful to use to its fullest and has one of the best toolkit in the game. What is impressive about Tyranitar is that it's often played despite its weather setting ability, in teams that do not attempt at benefiting from it, that's how good its stats and movepool are. Obviously, if you want to pair it with Sand Rush Excadrill they form a very powerful offensive pair, and they are very consistant together at controlling what your opponent tries to do, either via Tyranitar's bulk or Excadrill blistering speed under sandstorm.
A lot of the most consistant players of all time are avid Tyranitar users, therefore it's a Pokemon I recommend to be used to play with and against if you want to be one of the best.
Ferrothorn
Isn't it funny that all the good staples pair together this easily ? Gliscor, Tyranitar and now Ferrothorn, brothers of a consistant and durable game which, while offensive, still makes use of the most powerful aspect of competitive Pokemon battling, passive damages ! And GOD is Ferrothorn a king in that department, Iron Barbs, Spikes, Leech Seeds, Stealth Rock, it has it all for you to use and abuse ! Boasting a very defensive profile it's still not a reactive pokemon, with 94 base attack and incredibly powerful moves like Power Whip and Gyro Ball in its arsenal if you choose to use them this Pokemon also packs a punch. It doesnt have Body Press nor a fully powered Knock Off yet in PokeMMO but it is for sure a force to be reckon with, so for all the same reasons as Tyranitar and Gliscor I suggest you pick one of those bad guys up.
Serperior
We are back on the flashy Pokemon for the last one, Serperior is an absolutely devastating Pokemon. It becomes more and more stronger as it attacks, it's one of the best Pokemon at generating free turns, using Substitute and Leech seeds to weaken your opponent as you get more health back and you boost yourself if they don't try to act on you, or using Glare to inflict a nasty paralysis condition onto your opponent, ruining their Pokemon for the rest of the game. Serperior like many Pokemon on this list can also use a wide variety of items and moves, making it incredibly good attailoring itself to beat the metagame, making it a very good choice for players you see themself as being ahead a step or two on their competitor !
Closing Words
I hope this quick guide was useful for at least a few people, obviously it's not enough to dive directly into the mist of the competitive scene but I believe it gives a way to choose the direction that best fits oneself, if you're fresh to PvP and you ended up reading this I wish you to love this way to play Pokemon as much as I've been loving it for the past decade and a half. Have a good journey in this new world !
